Saturday, August 31, 2019

Making Scotch

Scotch whiskey is traditionally made with just barley and water.   Also referred to as malt whiskey, Scotch, in the beginning of the production process, requires barley grains to be steeped in water until they sprout.   The germinating barley is generally spread on the floor of a malting house where it continues to develop over the course of a week or two. The grains are turned over regularly during this malting period, using a â€Å"paddle† to allow air to get at them and to encourage even development.   The starch in the barley turns to sugar, and germination is stopped at the optimum time by placing the barley in an oven or kiln.   Traditionally, Scotch makers used peat fired ovens to give the Scotch its peaty, smoky taste.   Some distilleries continue to retain the peaty flavor of Scotch today by burning peat and blowing the smoke over the grain. Once the barley is dry, it is milled to produce a floury substance called â€Å"grist.†Ã‚   This substance is rich in sugar, and mixed with hot water to create a â€Å"mash.†Ã‚   The mash is placed in a large cylindrical metal vessel or container called a â€Å"mash tun.†Ã‚   In order to release the sugars, the contents of the mash tun are stirred regularly.   At the conclusion of this process, a liquid known as â€Å"wort† is produced.   This hot, sweet, non-alcoholic liquid is transferred to a large wooden â€Å"washback,† which is similar to a giant wooden pail that is commonly made from Oregon pine or Cypress, both of which are highly resistant to fungi. The yeast is added in the washback to begin the fermentation process.   During this process, the sugar in the wort is turned into alcohol as the solution bubbles and foams furiously before gradually slowing down.   The sugar is converted over a period of two to four days.   At the end of  this process, the alcohol content of the product is no more than approximately 8-9%.   The Scotch is not ready, and so the liquid wash must be distilled down to the required alcohol content. Distillation is the next major step in Scotch making.   This process takes place in copper pot stills that have a distinctive, swan-neck shape.   The shape of the stills and the length of the neck determine the character of the final product. Typically, there are two kinds of stills involved in the distillation process: the wash still and the spirit still.   The first is used to produce the first distillation, referred to as â€Å"low wines.†Ã‚   This product is distilled for the second time in the spirit still before it is collected as the strong distilled spirit.   This spirit is not useable, however.   Hence, it is diverted into a receiving tank.   The final product of the second distillation is not useable either.   But it is saved to be added to the next batch of low wines. The glass-fronted â€Å"spirit safe† is where the spirit is tested with a hydrometer as it leaves the pot stills.   In Scotland, this safe is heavily padlocked by the Customs & Excise to prevent any possibility of the distillery siphoning off the spirit in order to avoid the payment of legal duty on it. Following this formality, the final spirit is collected in the receiving tank.   It is now prepared to go into barrels for the next stage of the Scotch making process – maturation.   Scotch whiskey is normally stored in barrels that have been previously used.   It takes around three years at least to call it Scotch, however.   Maturation may take anything from three years to twenty years.   Before it is matured, the Scotch is simply referred to as spirit. During the process of maturation, around 2% of the spirit is lost each year due to evaporation.   Once the malt whiskey has been matured for the required time, it can be bottled and labeled.   However, if it is to be used as part of a blended whiskey, the master blender would â€Å"nose† each  whiskey to determine its characteristics and to ensure that the consistency of the specific blend is maintained. Blenders may include in the final blend as many as thirty or forty different malt and grain whiskeys.   The blender is also responsible for ensuring that a particular blend retains its consistency over a number of years.   For this reason, the blender’s nose must be skilled. Coloring is added at this point to the Scotch, and the drink is chill-filtered so as to remove the oils that cause cloudiness when ice is added.   The prepared whiskey, whether blended or not, is then transferred to the bottling plant where it is bottled using automated methods.   It is also noteworthy that some of the processes mentioned in the making of Scotch are now automated.   As an example, barley may be turned or â€Å"ploughed† with automatic paddles as opposed to manually during the grain germination process.   The chief fermentation and distillation processes, however, have largely remained unchanged in the last couple of hundred years. Bibliography 1.   Distillery Journey: Making Scotch Whiskey. (1998). Cocktail Times. Retrieved from http://www.cocktailtimes.com/distillery/making_scotch.shtml. (15 March 2007). 2. Making Scotch Whiskey: A Brief Explanation of the Traditional Method. (2005). Loch Lomond Distillers. Retrieved from http://www.lochlomonddistillery.com/making-scotch.htm. (15 March 2007).   

Friday, August 30, 2019

My “Eight Cow” Bracelet Essay

â€Å"Beauty is only skin deep† was a phrase I heard quite often during my awkward childhood. When I was a baby, I had two chins, Michelin Tire legs, and hair that stuck straight up even though it was easily over two inches long. My mom would often dress me in only a diaper on hot days inspiring my uncle to label me with the name of â€Å"Marshmallow Butt.† It was a name he was quite fond of calling me, even years later. As I grew, the double chin turned into one and a half, the legs stretched into colonial columns, and the hair eventually lay flat. This all happened just in time for puberty-acne and my first training bra when I was only ten. It was during this transitional point in my life that my father began to teach me a valuable and significant lesson regarding beauty and the power of words. During my childhood, my family indulged in a weekly ritual we called family night. We used this time for various activities. We would hold family councils where we truly believed we had a say in important subjects. We would play games and have lessons such as â€Å"being kind to your family† or some other moral issue of the time. Sometimes we would sing songs, hear stories from Dad who could rival Mark Twain any day, or spend an hour to two eating ice cream and playing at the park. I am the second child and oldest daughter in a family of ten children, so these weekly â€Å"get-togethers† rarely went without some type of fiasco. These fiascoes varied from kicking at one another as Mom was teaching us about â€Å"Doing Unto Others† or my older brother Bill and I having a hair pulling fight, not just a tug-of-the-hair fight, but a fist-full, pull-as-hard-as-you-can, you-let-go-first hair fight. It was for one of these activities that my dad brought home a movie entitled Johnny Lingo. The story was simple, but for a shy ten-year-old girl who had long, stringy, brown hair, big brown eyes, a freckled face, and who looked as though the Pillsbury Dough Boy was her closest relative, it was a story filled with magic and hope. The movie told of a girl named Mohana. Mohana was, quite frankly, the ugliest girl on the island. She was all â€Å"skin and bone.† She rarely washed her hair and never combed it. She spent all her time hiding in the woods so no one could see her and make fun of her. Even her father called her â€Å"Mohana, you ugly.† One day, the most handsome young man in the area, Johnny Lingo, came to the island and chose Mohana for his wife. He gave her father eight cows as a gift in exchange for Mohana. No one had ever given more than four cows as a gift for marriage. This was a great demonstration of devotion and love towards Mohana. A year later when Johnny and Mohana returned to the island, Mohana’s father came to visit them. He hardly recognized his daughter. She now had long, shining, beautifully combed hair. She had put on some weight, and even her personality had developed some self-assurance and confidence. Johnny Lingo told Mohana’s father that he bought her a silver and pearl inlaid mirror and comb set and had told her every day that she was beautiful. He said that Mohana had always had the beauty inside her; he just helped her discover it. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized the significance of that movie and the lesson that my father was trying to teach me. We lived in a rural town where work was very hard for my dad to find. Consequently, he had to leave home to work. I was just finishing my hardest year in high school, the sophomore year when my dad took a job in Page, Arizona. I turned sixteen that summer. That was also the summer that I received my â€Å"eight cow bracelet.† Dad was a man who always had a ready smile on his face. For as long as I have known him, he has had crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes from smiling. His hands always seemed big and strong to me, and as he got older, I began to see where I got my physical attributes. He always loved working early in the morning out in our garden when the dew was still on the leaves of the tomatoes and peas. I enjoyed going out there with him. It was a time when we could spend some quality moments together. He would teach me which bugs were not good for the garden as we cleared plump green tomato worms off the tomato plants. He taught me which insects we needed in the garden as we left the spider webs strung between the corn stalks. I learned about rainbows. I learned about life. One particular August morning, Dad took me to sit down at our woodpile. There were always two or three stumps to sit on, and Dad would sit there and watch the garden as he irrigated. He pulled a small bundle wrapped in one of his red â€Å"farmer† handkerchiefs out of his pocket. He simply opened up the cloth to expose a turquoise and silver Indian cuff bracelet. It was slender, no more than a half inch in width. The silver had no engravings on it. It was simple and delicate. Centered across the top of the bracelet were eight round turquoise stones set into the silver. Dad asked me, â€Å"Do you know what this is?† I looked at him and smiled, â€Å"A bracelet?† His ready smile came back at me. â€Å"This is your eight cow bracelet.† When I must have given him one of my most confused looks, he explained how the bracelet would remind me of my worth. I was worth more than anyone else was on the â€Å"island.† I had an inner beauty that was just waiting to come out, and I was important to him. At that time, I couldn’t remember ever loving my father more. A lifetime again later, I still remember that day. I remember the sun beating down on my head, the smell of wet dirt, the sound of our water pump whirring softly as the family inside the house started getting ready for the day. I remember the love in my father’s eyes, and I know that I am an â€Å"eight cow woman.† Questions on Technique 1. Does the opening paragraph create an interest that makes you want to read the rest of the essay? Why or why not? 2. What is the thesis of this essay? 3. Where does the actual narration begin? 4. Give three examples of description in this essay. 5. Does the description contribute anything to this essay? If so, what?

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Criminological Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Criminological Theory - Term Paper Example Reason for such division of ideas is attributed to the increasing crimes committed these days by hard criminals, gangs and even ordinary teenagers. In the United States, more than 1.4 million cases accounted for violent crimes and about 15,500 homicides were reported (Schaefer, 2006). History has it that several prominent people like President James Garfield, President William McKinley, and President John Kennedy were all assassinated by criminals hired or not. Actors, actresses, singers and other talented individuals were also their easy targets. The irony of being killed and to kill is that it does not select victims. Even teenager these days are linked in killing innocent victims of their age. Recently, several mass shootings took place in workplaces and schools. The massacre in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, in Virginia Tech University with almost 50 victims and in Omaha Westwood Mall shocked a majority of the American population. Such incidences created various reactions and notio ns on crime, criminals involved, and punishments accorded them. To understand criminal events, the following questions are addressed: 1. What are the causes of school shootings? 2. How theories are utilized to predict and prevent the likelihood of similar crime to occur in the future? 3. What are the recommended penalties for the criminals involved in the crime? Body Etiology Crimes happen if criminal laws are violated and that it needs for that act to be penalized. School shootings are a form of crime thus involved teenagers should be held liable for their actions whatever reasons triggered them to do so. Since school shootings became common in the United States, experts start to identify causative factors in the commission of the crime. Accordingly, they believe that one reason is the role of popular Medias such as television, films, video games, and comic books. These kinds of exposure to children and teenagers have a great impact on how they behave within the society. The study of Buckingham (2000) supports such idea in arguing that the media provides a negative influence on children. He further explained that children are no longer protected from the violent world of adults. Gone are the days where films are not as violent these days. It is a common knowledge that modern films today are full of shootings, murders, rape scenes, and other violent scenarios which in turn influence the behavior of children to become aggressive. More so if the shooting is carried out by the main character of the film. The portrayed character is then executed by children either to their family, friends or classmates in school. Children become active agents rather than victims (Chandler, 2004). Although some claim those video games makes the mind of children alert and improves visual attention, not everybody agrees to it. Experts say that such advantages are outweighed with the negative effects it gives the children. Not only video games play a role in obesity, inattentiveness i n school and poor performance but it is implicated in aggressive thoughts and feelings. Video games are good teachers thus children can learn from them easily. The study of Gentile (2009) reveals those teenagers who are exposed to violent video games show desensitization of emotions. This is because they are already used to the violent scenes in

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Law of Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law of Evidence - Essay Example This has to be done through the finding of credible evidence that proves beyond doubt that the accused person is indeed guilty. The decisions that have been made in recent years where there has been no sufficient proof from the prosecution to show that the accused individual is guilty of the crime committed have been influenced by the one golden thread rule. While this rule is still one of the most paramount in the justice system, it has come to be put aside in many cases because of the fact that many of the courts have been under immense pressure to get rid of a many cases as possible in the shortest time available. This has ensured that the quality of the evidence provided in court before a verdict was reached has been eroded. Because of this, it can be said that some of the individuals who have gone through the English justice system and have been found guilty may indeed have been sentenced falsely. If this is the case, then the gravest violation of justice by the courts may have taken place and more needs to be done to ensure that such gaps in the criminal justice system are sealed to help boost public confidence in it. ... Instead, it has been declared that it is a means through which the truth can be found, despite the fact that the truth is something that can be considered to be relative. The truth according to one individual may not necessarily be so to another and this has led to the almost total disregard for the correct and thorough examination of the evidence at hand. Judges, who are supposed to be impartial referees, have come to be directly involved in the cases because of the pressure that has been put on them to show as many results as possible; disregarding the fact that the judges have to be impartial in order to perform best. One of the biggest failures of the criminal justice system has been the absolute absence of any meaningful sanction for its failure to meet schedules.2 In addition, this lack of sanction also extends to the failure to make proper disclosure and to ensure that all the witnesses named appear at court. One would go as far as to state that the definition of finding the t ruth, according to the criminal justice system is not the seeking of the answers concerning the case, but has in reality turned into a bid to ensure the securing of a conviction as speedily and as cheaply as possible. The need for speed as well as the reduction of the expenses of the trials, while seen as being economical is among the reasons why the criminal justice system is failing to deliver justice as it should. An example of this scenario is the Woolmington case where at the trial the judge informed the jury that if it was convinced that Woolmington killed his wife, then it was up to Woolmington himself to convince the jury that the shooting was an accident. When Woolmington gave evidence, he admitted to shooting his wife but said

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Roles and Responsibilities Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roles and Responsibilities Paper - Essay Example nager, whose functions encompass planning, directing, organizing and controlling all security and safety personnel in the organization, the specific roles and responsibilities of these personnel mirror the general tasks of security and safety management. It is therefore objective of this paper to present the roles and responsibilities of a security and safety personnel in promoting and protecting the health, welfare, and assets of the organization as a whole. Security and safety personnel are enjoined to be vigilant in identifying, addressing and raising safety and security concerns to appropriate and authorized channels in the organization. Their ineptness in providing immediate action in detecting any kind of intrusion is of primary concern. Among their specific responsibilities are as follows: The role and responsibilities of security and safety personnel ensures the prevention of harm and damage to the resources of the organization. By monitoring all phases of the organization in terms of adherence to security and safety requirements, the overall health and welfare of the organization would be addressed. The organization has the basic responsibility of ensuring that safety and security needs of the personnel are being satisfied. This means their personnel should be free from physical and psychological harm, threat and deprivation. Aside from these, as systems and processes are also susceptible to other kinds of intrusion due to the onset of the internet, security management also has the task to monitor and immediately address these issues. In today’s world of advanced developments in technology, more sophisticated facilities and features on improving security and safety of personnel are available. The onset of biometrics technology provides organizations with options to update their security measures by upgrading their security system to incorporate biometrics. In cases like these, the role of security and safety personnel would definitely be affected.

Monday, August 26, 2019

How did George M. Fredrickson recalculate the definition of Essay

How did George M. Fredrickson recalculate the definition of self-evident truth - Essay Example Fredrickson highlights that in the early years of the United States revolution, racism was based on dominant whites who were superior, and lower class blacks, Indians and Asian communities who were inferior. However, this changed over time and people were further distinguished with their faiths and cultures (Fredrickson). This moved racism to a level of distinguishing people on their natural characteristics and abilities that affected their American citizenship status. This paper will highlight the recalculation of the definition of self-evident truth from the works of Thomas Jefferson and John Locke. The works of john Jefferson have been renowned for the famous philosophy of the self-evident truth. This developed in the political revolution of the United States towards independence from the British, and the main emphasis was equality of all men. This term was first used in writing of the declaration of independence, which was a document that signified unity of the country. The purpo se of the document according to him was to unite the country into one shared philosophy of the ‘American Mind’. This is regarded as one of the foundations of American Revolution because it changed the politics of the country (Cannole). Jefferson’s definition of self-evident truth Jefferson argued that politics is the band that would equally unite all the people in the country and assume powers over it (Cannole). He alluded to the philosophy of upholding natural laws which were bestowed by God to every individual and respect for every person’s opinions. The definition of self-evident truth was centered on the natural understanding that God created all men equally because they have equal natural rights to life, liberty and happiness (Cannole). These natural rights were what Jefferson referred to as Self-evident truth because there was no need of proofing these rights. In addition, activists had also advocated for them, and people in the country knew them. Fu rther, these philosophies were being taught in religions such as Christianity where all men were said to be equal (Cannole). Jefferson related the self-evident truth with governance by stating that the people formed governments and its power came from them too. The government formed on this belief would be mandated to secure the natural rights of the people, which are self-evident. Failure to safeguard the self-evident truth will lead to dissolution on the government since it does not serve the purpose. This philosophy was intended to change the political landscape of the country from British colonization and oppression such as slavery, discrimination and injustice. The dominant and in-dominant groups Discrimination of people into races in the country was prevalent during the revolution, and the whites were said to be the dominant groups and the rest were referred to as in-dominant or subordinate groups. They were divided in classes and status where a hierarchy existed. Fields highl ights that the dominant groups secure huge shares of power and money while subordinate groups receive unfavorable things, and they have a hierarchy (95). The dominant and subordinate groups existed in the British Northern American colonies, and the British extorted the Native American and black people through slavery in tobacco farms which benefited the whites. The Native American

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Film Glory Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Glory - Movie Review Example Rawlins revised his style to transformational leadership, which was effective in producing the necessary attainment of the group's mission and goals. There had been a slew of films about the American Civil War but the movie "Glory" stood out because it was unique and because it not only focused its energies on bombings, hand to hand combats and killings but it featured the African American people's aspirations to prove its self-worth, courage and dignity under fire and under pressures of racial prejudice and honor amidst the backdrop of a bitter divisive war between the northern Union states and the southern Confederate states. Moreover, the film illustrates the anatomy of leadership as a young colonel was given the daunting task of recruiting, training and leading an all-black regiment, which was the first such black regiment to fight under the American flag, many of whom were older than he was and most of whom were embittered by the demeaning experiences they had under the white men. This film showed that heroism knows no color and its significance was that after the 54th Massachusetts regiment showed to all and sundry their he art-wrenching guts and heroism, President Lincoln conscripted more of such black regiments, assigning them challenging roles in a number of major battles. The 54th regiment was the start of black power in military warfare. It explained why blacks were worthy of being endowed with citizenships to the United States. The Relationships Among the Dramatis Personae Bonding within an infantry led by young white officers and composed of colored men,Glory 3 majority of whom had experienced indignities, brutalities and acts of inhumanity as former slaves from white men, was almost an unattainable situation. Leadership was even an impossible dream. But the regiment had to be formed as ordered by abolitionist Massachusetts governor John Andrew (Blatt et al,2000,p.19) and in its formation, everything had to start with an effective leadership or else the infantry will only be in a state of disarray and disintegration. It was incumbent upon Col.Robert Gould Shaw portrayed by Matthew Broderick to alter the relationship which started from distrust, aversion, contempt, bigotry and even hatred. He had to turn things around to make the regiment functional. This had to be accomplished without the needed boost and support from the command force and worse, from a flip-flopping stance of the command higher-ups who even issued absurd orders designed to make the regiment a nonentity. This was due to the belief that blacks had no capacity to fight and th at they would merely incite the border States to defect from the Union. There

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Service Marketing ( Organization that you have chosen ) Essay

Service Marketing ( Organization that you have chosen ) - Essay Example The remainder represents the amount of money that a customer is prepared to spend for the ambience of the restaurant, including the decor, furniture and furnishing , the music ( and the atmosphere) and the brand experience in general. The Flowchart on front stage and back stage operations helps explain this concept. The Flowchart is given in Appendix 1. The service operations of Mc Donald’s can be defined as the ‘restaurant drama’ which comprises of various acts, both front stage and back stage (Lovelock, Wirtz, & Chatterjee, 2007). These acts are further separated by the order in which they are executed: activities prior to the encounter of the product, activities involved in the actual delivery of the product and the post-delivery activities (Lovelock, Wirtz, & Chatterjee, 2007). The front stage activities of Mc Donald’s comprise of the ambience of the restaurant, including the logo-design (the Golden arches that symbolize the brand), the tag line ( Iâ₠¬â„¢m lovin’ it), the attire of the waiters/ waitresses, the decor, lighting, as well as the way tables and chairs are set along with the famous Mc Donald’s character- the clown. ... This is essentially the first encounter. The second encounter occurs when the customer arrives and is escorted to the table that is reserved for him/her. These front stage operations are supported by back stage operations at Mc Donald’s such as recording the customer’s reservations, handling his/her belongings, greeting him/her, preparation and delivery of the meal and use of IT for storing valuable customer information such as the name, address, telephone number and other order details for future use (a key ingredient of customer relationship management). Customers with Mc Donald’s are then exposed to the final product; that is the meal, when the curtains are raised (Act II). The menu card is given to the customer, along with any recommendations such as Mc Donald’s specialties (provided upon the customer’s request). Another approach is that the customer proceeds to the order counter himself/herself and by visualizing the orders on the electronic sc reen, place the order with the Mc Donald’s salesman. The skills of the person taking the order are crucial here and any mistakes in taking the order can lead to breakdown of quality in organizations. Thus, the person in contact with the customers giving the order is highly trained and has excellent communication skills to avoid such failures. In the next stage, customers at Mc Donald’s evaluate the quality of service and it is extremely important that the order is delivered on time. However, caution must be exercised here as too speedy delivery can lead to the perception that the meal was frozen and has just been re-cooked in the microwave. This was, in fact, one of the insights I got from one of the customers when I brought them the order in less than 10 minutes. Thus,

Tony deep-success of an entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tony deep-success of an entrepreneur - Essay Example Deep has found the potential for food products being the basic need having constant demand. He sensed the opportunity and tried to cash on it. The option for selling eggs has worked out for him and he has succeeded in running the business. Deep was personally involved in selling and he has made up a clear idea of the potential of the business and gave an equally good response. Success of a business venture always depends on looking for new business avenues; really understand the problem and the market around it22. Tony deep with his strong zeal to earn money has proveked him to look for the best and innovative options. He first ventured into selling eggs and sustained then started looking into other possible options. Tony deep has started looking into new products which are ethnic and unique33. He with his strategies tried to make available the fresh products. For marketing and preserving these products he needs to know the right preservation techniques. He with his experience in canning has give an innovative idea up an idea for establishing warehouses store for food items and spices and selling them. He idea was to establish warehouses to store the products and market them around the region near the warehouse. Tony Deep has taken his brothers help in developing the business. He has opened several of them and tried selling products in and around the region. Chapter-02: Mission statement-vision To explore and create opportunities for better living can be termed as a mission statement. To provide fresh and safety ethnic food for the people by better reach. He build the dreams that he elevated as his mission as he allowed his family members to team up with him and build a strong source of organizing system. He never giving up and striving to excel made him to reach his goal i.e his dream t o earn and mark his identity. Tony has picked one mode to earn quick money by direct selling eggs. He himself has been in the market which made to know the best selling products and availability44. Tony deep has released that the products which he was planning to sell needs quick disposal, fresh to make the customer buy from him. Deep has concentrated on the south Asian population from where he has descended. He has created good knowledge of the basic requirements of Indian cuisine55 and availability in U.K. Thus he picked an area where he can explore. Indian has rice as their staple food like to eat spicy recipes. So Tony deep in order to gain from this lifestyle of ethnic Indians groups he started selling spices, basmati rice which is quite famous among Indians. He used to store them with all right technical bases to sell. Tony has established his business at important specific locations making available at the customers convenience. He has chosen the products which require good preservation techniques to keep the goodness of the products. He has adopted a new way to serve better by opening up ware houses. He has introduced new products which are rare for the British like the spices, basmati rice. These spices are to be bought from India or from other country. Before selling to the customer he needs to store in an appropriate place. He has build the

Friday, August 23, 2019

FDA Authorization for the Next Generation Sequencer Essay

FDA Authorization for the Next Generation Sequencer - Essay Example It is apparent that different people respond differently to different drugs, and the use of genome sequencing will not only reveal the nature and susceptibility of illnesses, but it will also provide physicians with the specific prescriptions required (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). This technology could be used to develop the most appropriate treatment combinations for different patients suffering from cancer. With genomic sequencing, it is possible for doctors to identify the nature of cancer and predict its spreading patterns; hence, the new system will be instrumental in helping doctors deal with different forms of cancer more appropriately (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). The authorization of marketing for the genomic sequencer is a step closer to developing clinical care that is individually oriented. It is; however, clear that some issues like the absence of legal and regulatory policies for the new system will arise (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). There are signs that the authorities are com mitted to developing the most conducive policies to enable the effective and ethical application of the genomic sequencer. The use of the genomics sequencing technology has the potential to attract ethical issues like insurance companies being acquainted with genomic information about their clients, which could cause the development of exempted services that might be discriminating (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). Access to genomic information by physicians may also lead to substandard applications of the system. It is required that the development of accurate genomic information must be attained through thorough processes that may require recurrent experimentation (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). The FDA is collaborating with the National Institute for Standards and Technology to design the required interpretive material for physicians.  

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The issues included in uncovering the historical Patrick Essay Example for Free

The issues included in uncovering the historical Patrick Essay When explaining the issues involved in uncovering the historical background, it is a most difficult task. This is for a number of reasons, but the main reason would be the lack of historical information in Patricks writings. Patrick felt dates were unimportant, and so didnt include many of them in his writings. This means that his writings are a lot more useful for getting an insight into his thoughts and feelings, for hearing Patricks spiritual journey in his own words, and hearing about the difficulties he faced in his mission, and how he responded to them. However, whenever it comes down to historical background, key dates, or geographical information, Patricks writings arent as useful as would be hoped, and therefore a lot of scholars draw their own conclusions, which we must take into account when trying to make our own. Kenney says that when we search for historical facts within Patricks writings, we are faced with an exasperating incoherence, which leaves the meaning constantly in doubt and suggests that Patrick may actually be a much more obscure character than we would like to admit. Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½an MacAirt refers to the fifth century as the lost century, because of the absence of any historical information. We are still in the era of pre-history, which the exception of Patricks writings, and Prospers reference to the arrival of Palladius. Within these two documents, which are of the utmost importance, there are only two place names given to us, and no dates, so it is very hard to gather historical fact. ORahilly rightly says of humble Patrick the last thing that the saint could have imagined, would be that hundreds of years later, the document would be scrutinised again and again with a view to gleaning biographical details of the writers life. The big problem is that there is a two-hundred year gap between the time Patrick actually lived, and when he was first written about, so this leaves plenty of room for false information or inaccuracy. In Patricks Confessio, Patrick tells us of his birth place, Bannaven Taburniae, but he does not tell us where it is actually located. There have been many unsuccessful attempts to agree on the location of the birth of Patrick; however there has been an agreement on three basic points that must be taken into account when trying to determine the location. The first of these is that it would have to be in the West of Britain. This is to facilitate easy access to the Irish raiders. At a young age, Patrick was taken captive, and taken to Ireland, so it Is important to consider how realistic suggestions such as Gaul where, in that were the Irish raiders really going to travel all the way to Gaul and back, without being caught? Charles Thomas adds to this point, by suggesting that it would be opposite the place of Patricks captivity in Ireland. The next important criterion is Patricks sense of Roman Identity. Patrick has a very strong sense of Roman Identity, so it is fair to say that his birth place would need to be a strongly Romanised part of Britain. Baring this in mind, Bannavem Taburniae would have to be south of Hadrians Wall. And the last of the three criteria, is that Patrick must have been living near a town with a civil administration centre. This is because Patricks father Calpurnius was a collector of taxes. Bearing these in mind, there have been different suggestions put forward to the location of Bannavem Taburniae. In the seventh century, Muirchà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ tells us that Bannavem Taburniae was identified as ventre. Although that does not directly help us with our identification, Bieler did find it useful when reconstructing the name as Bannaventa Taburniae. If this is correct, there was a small roman settlement in Northamptonshire. The name of this settlement was then taken and given to a place outside Daventry. However, this suggestion fails to meet one of the most important of the criteria- this area would not be very accessible to Irish raiders, as it is in the midlands. Charles Thomas believes that the only place to fulfil all three criteria would be the North West of Britain. He concludes that the most likely location is Carlisle, which entirely outweighs that of Daventry, Dumbarton or elsewhere. It is also far enough North to explain Patricks poor use of Latin. Dark warns us that any attempt to locate Bannavem Taburniae is based on assumptions, and cannot be taken as facts; however he believes the only place we can safely say for definite suffered from frequent raids by the Irish during the fifth and sixth century were the areas of Cotswolds and Dorset. There has also been a great deal of debate in regards to the location of Silva Foclutti (the wood of Foclut). It arises in Patricks narration of the call, when he says As I read the beginning of the letter, I seem to hear the voice of those who were by the wood of Foclut which is near the western sea, and they cried as with one voice, Holy Boy, we are asking you to come and walk among us again. Bury ORahilly and Hanson assume that this is referring to the place of Patricks captivity, and Mohrmann agrees, saying interpreting Patricks words seems to suggest that they are from the mouth of people from a part of the country that Patrick seems to have known from his captivity.Some scholars suggest that Patrick is speaking metaphorically here in that even at the furthermost point of Ireland; the people were calling to him. Bieler on the other hand believes that it could perhaps be a place that Patrick had heard of, but never been to, as he believed that Patricks call was from the Irish in general, and not from a specific area. There has been a great deal of difficulty in reconciling the two suggested locations of Slemish and Mayo, which are both traditionally held as the place of Patricks captivity. Tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rechà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n himself was from that area. Others however believe that as it is the earliest identification we have, we should accept it as genuine. Patrick does give us a clue in his Confessio to the location, when he says it was near the western sea. Hanson believes that Patrick does give us further clues throughout his writings, such as when he tells us that he had to travel to a ship that was perhaps two hundred miles away. If we are to accept that, he was returning to Britain, perhaps he had to make a journey from the North coast of Mayo, to the coast of Wicklow or Wexford, diagonally across Ireland. There is also a long known tradition of Patrick tending the flocks as a boy on Mount Slemish. Hanson argues however that this does not fit the evidence of the escape story, as an escape from here would have involved only a thirty mile walk, rather than the two hundred Patrick mentions. Hanson argues that we must accept the plain evidence of his own words, and place his captivity in County Mayo, near the border with County Sligo. Bury ORahilly and Hanson all reject the location as being Slemish, however, Slemish is a mountainous area, while the area suggested around Killala is plain. Philbin and Concannon both suggest a compromise in that both localities can be accepted because Patrick changed master. We cannot be certain of the place of his captivity, and although we shouldnt accept something purely based on the fact its tradition, we also cannot dismiss a longstanding tradition In his writings, Patrick also mentions Gaul, and a strong desire to study there. This has led to some historians assuming he spent a significant portion of his life there, most likely undergoing clerical training. Patrick says he wishes to visit Gaul to see the Brethen, which may have been a desire to visit friends he made during his training. However, Binchy believes that this was merely a desire to visit the Holy men of God. Muirchà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ wrote in the seventh century, that Patrick stayed in Gaul for some thirty years, but ORahilly argued against this, saying that he got this account confused with Palladius training and ordination. The unresolved debate regarding Patrick and Gaul has led many to believe that some of the details of the life of the historical Patrick can never be resolved, and are forever lost to the historian. Others argue that the most important part of Patrick, such as his personality shall be preserved for eternity, in his own writings. There is so little historical information about Patrick that there is even conflict regarding the dating of Patrick, even his death. Charles Thomas believes that Patrick wrote his letter to Coroticus at some time between 465-475, and that the Confessio was written sometime after 480. He says that the annalistic dates from his death cluster around the early 490s may reflect with some reality, the tradition that he dies before the end of the century. In 1942, Thomas ORahilly suggested a later dating for Patricks mission, still within the fifth century. He took the evidence from the fifth and sixth century annals into account, and concluded that Patrick arrived in Ireland in 461, and died in 492/3. In conclusion, although it is very difficult to determine historical fact in regard to Patrick, if we focus on hints within his letters, scholarly opinion, and what he says himself, we can come up with some possible dates and locations for Patricks birth, mission, and death, and this will hopefully in time become more conclusive.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Corporate Social Responsibility And Organisational Profitability Management Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility And Organisational Profitability Management Essay Abstract There are numerous factors affecting the organizational profitability; one of the important factors is corporate social responsibility. This paper tries to examine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and organizational profitability. Many tools are used to measure the organizational profitability while those of the corporate social responsibility can sometimes be unreliable or insufficient. The tool chosen for measuring the Corporate Social Responsibility is Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini Co. which is a database that is recently used as one of the most comprehensive source for Corporate Social Performance research. This paper will mainly focus on Egyptian organizations and study their engagement in corporate social responsibility and compare the different result of profitability for a period of five years. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Performance, Organizational profitability, Return on investment, Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini Co. Corporate social responsibility and Organizational Profitability Researchers tried to define corporate social responsibility in such way that suits all theoretical and operational purposes, such as Actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law (McWilliams Siegel 2001, P.117). CSR concerns everyone such as customers, employees, suppliers, community groups, governments, and even some stockholders as stated by McWilliams and Siegel (2001). This paper will examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility and the profitability of Egyptian organizations. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the corporate social responsibility will increase the profitability or not and to figure out the main benefits of being engaged in corporate social responsibility. The paper is compromised of three main sections. The first section gives an overview on corporate social responsibility in general and how it is important for both organizations and community. The second section focuses on the concept of organizational profitability as it explains how it can be defined and how profit maximization can be measured. The third section is probably the most important section of the paper as it focuses on studying the relationship between the corporate social responsibility and the organizational profitability and the different consequences that may occur. Literature Review Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that is growing fast and more attention should be paid to the meaning behind its linguistic. (Amaeshi and Adin, 2007). The definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can sometimes be ambiguous as stated by McWilliams and Siegel (2001). Davis (1960) mentioned that CSR is considered as decisions or actions taken beyond the organizations economic or technical self interest. Moreover Davis (1973) mentioned that CSR doesnt only refer to the economic, technical or legal requirements of the firm, it goes beyond that and may affect all the firms actions. While Fitch (1976) described the CSR as the challenges taken by the corporation whether fully or partially to solve social problems. CSR should also have a suitable degree of how much it fits both the societys expectations and business ethics. (Zenisek, 1979). The notion that business organizations have societal obligations which transcend economic functions of producing and distributing scarce goods and services and generating a satisfactory level of profits for their shareholders (Epstein, 1989, P.585). Moreover it was seen by Maclagan (1999) as a process that should express the moral values and interest of the individuals. McWilliams and Siegel (2001) added that CSR should go beyond the Legal interests of the firms. It should be actions that show some good to the society. While CSR as stated by Carroll (1991) is seen as a pyramid of Economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic as shown in Figure (1.1). The pyramid of CSR was supported by Dusuki (2008) confirming that studies have observed peoples perception based on Carrolls Pyramid of CSR. CSR concerns everyone such as customers, employees, suppliers, community groups, governments, and even some stockholders as stated by McWilliams and Siegel (2001). They all form pressure on the company which can sometimes results in a great conflict on goals and objectives (McWilliams Siegel, 2001). As pointed above, CSR has numerous definitions and explanations. Moreover McWilliams, Siegel and Wright (2006) emphasized on how difficult it is, to make theoretical development or measurement since the definitions of CSR is either too many or not clear enough. Approaches of Corporate Social Responsibility According to Kramer and Porter (2006), four issues for organization to be engaged in CSR are: moral obligation, sustainability, license to operate, and reputation. Kramer and Porter (2006) described the Moral appeal as doing the right thing which appears more in the nonprofitable business. Sustainable Development is defined as Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Kramer, Porter, 2006, P. 81) while the license to operate can be represented in the governments and the communities regulations and other stakeholders to do business. Finally, reputation is used by many companies to improve a companys image, and gain customers loyalty, build a strong brand and have a higher value of its stock (Kramer Porter, 2006). While Brammer, Millington and Rayton (2007) stated that Employees training can be seen as an activity of social responsible and should be used to increase the employees commitment to the organization, they also mentioned that the fair treatment of employees which is a approach of social corporate responsibility increase commitment to the organization. Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility As mentioned by Cacioppe, Forster and Fox (2007) a lot of studies focusing on how important the companies reputation and whether it is engaged in a social responsibility for both customers and investors or not, while other researches focused on how the attitude and behavior of the managers and professionals can be affected by their perception about the companys ethical and social responsibility. Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Community. Kramer and Porter (2006) added that CSR can provide a wealthy economy and society by having different forms of cooperation such as investing capital, doing business, purchasing goods, and providing jobs. Moreover, Evans, Foote and Gaffney (2010) added that companies could be disciplined by their customers when they dont meet the society expectation or the expectation of the customers by decreasing the demand of their products. Mathis (2007) mentioned that CSR can change companies to be more pro-active and accordingly they will have a high influence on the policy making process and a better position within their sectors than their competitors. Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizations. It is important to analyze the effect of CSR on organizations and to determine whether CSR can have an impact on the organizational performance or not. Evans, Foote and Gaffney (2010) stated that CSR has important and clear influence on achieving performance excellence. According to Cacioppe, Forster and Fox (2008) some studies showed that CSR can have a potential influence on the employees and leaders behavior, while organizational success is impacted by the ethical sense of customers and investors. Jaramillo, Mulki and Valenzuela (2010) viewed CSR as a way to gain customers retention and loyalty, on their article they analyzed how ethical firms can not only attract more customers but also build a long term strong relationship. While Singh (2006) explained why many researchers focused on how to achieve the customers needs and wants, since customer satisfaction has a positive influence on the organizational profitability. Cacioppe, Forster and Fox (2008) studied that CSR leads to both the retention of both employees and customers with the trusted brand image and the good quality of workforce. Mathis (2007) looked at the CSR as a way to provide sustainability to organizations. Moreover Cacioppe, Forster and Fox (2008) added that investors take in their consideration companies management before investing in it. Evans, Foote and Gaffney (2010) stated that the least benefit companies can get from taking CSR as one of its business strategy is on the public relations level. Organizational Profitability Profit is the end result of deducting total costs (TC) from total revenues (TR) as stated by Primeaux (1997). Therefore, profit maximization is producing the right quantity of goods or services given the suitable amount of resources (Primeaux, 1997). From a behavioral perception, Profit maximization can also be obtained from producing the correct quantity with an acceptable quality of goods or services to the customers and as the legal and ethical standards of the society (Primeaux Stieber, 1994). The performance measurement that will be used to evaluate and compare the efficiency of different investments will be the return on investment (ROI). To calculate ROI, the benefit of an investment, it is divided by the cost of the investment; the result is a percentage or a ratio (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/returnoninvestment.asp) The return on investment formula: In the above formula gains from investment, refers to the profits  gained from spending the investment of interest.  Ã‚  Return on investment  is a very common measurement because of its adaptability  and simplicity. That is, if an  investment does not have  a positive ROI, or if there are other opportunities with a higher ROI, then the investment should be not be undertaken. (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/returnoninvestment.asp) Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Profitability Kolstad (2007) has shown in his paper that the relationship between CSR and profit are a controversial issue. Kramer and Porter (2006) added that corporations can think of CSR as a constraint or an additional cost, although it may be an opportunity for them to innovate and gain a competitive advantage. Friedman (as cited by Foote, Gaffney and Evans, 2010) was criticizing the money spend on CSR stating that the major responsibility of the managers is to maximize the profit of the organization as they contracted with the owners of the firm. ArinËœo, Canela and Garcia-Castro (2010) mentioned that CSR is not always providing a positive impact on the financial performance, some cases showed that it could have a negative impact as well. While McWilliams and Siegel (2000) added that a lot of empirical studies, showed that CSR and profitability can be engaged in a positive, negative or even neutral relationship. kolstad (2007) stated that CSR can be seen as a way to reach the final goal of the organization which is increasing the shareholder returns but cant be considered as a goal itself. Companies should balance scarifying some financial profit and between satisfying its stakeholders at least on the short term. (ArinËœo, Canela Garcia-Castro, 2010). Kolstad (2007) added that executives used to care only about the profits and the benefits of the shareholders, while nowadays companies may have to widen their goals to include the CSR. Friedman (as cited in Kolstad, 2007) presented the idea that maximizing the profit is the only essential moral aspect that can be offered by the executive to the corporation and that idea was supported by four arguments. First, he mentioned that managers should follow the interest of the shareholders according to the legal contract they have. Second it will be illegal for managers not to follow the interest of the shareholders since this will be considered as taxation to the shareholders. (Kolstad, 2007). Third, he advised the corporations to focus more on its core operations to be more efficient. Fourth, since not all the corporations is engaged on CSR, then CSR can be an added cost to corporations that cares about society leading to unfair competition between companies Friedman (as cited in Kolstad, 2007). Kolstad (2007) strongly criticized the overstated idea presented by Friedman, saying that responsibility of business should be seen in a wider view and should take in consideration other agents and shouldnt only consider the shareholders interest and that the provided idea will need more examination and analysis. While Peloza (2006) mentioned that due to many criticisms of CSR by whom, managers tried to ensure that CSR will deliver a financial income to the firm by developing different strategic forms for CSR. While Demacarty (2009) pointed out that the CSR doesnt necessarily provide a stronger financial return nor does it produce weaker return, it depends on the techniques that are used to increase the financial. Waddock and Graves (1997) studied the linkage between corporate social performance (CSP) and financial performance using CSP as the variable for CSR and return on investment (ROI), return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA) as the variables used to measure the profitability or the firms financial performance. They hypothesized a positive relationship between financial performance and CSR; the study reported that the improved financial performance leads to increase in the CSP. Moreover, financial performance can be increased when firms are engaged in CSP since their ability to invest socially indicate a good managerial performance that could supply the firm with funds that can be used for other investments (Waddock and Graves, 1997). Orlitzky, Schmidt and Rynes (2003) also reported the same analysis. They used meta-analysis to find a positive relationship between CSP and financial performance. Research Gap While going through the literatures that studied Corporate Social Responsibility, a lot has been found on understanding the Corporate Social Responsibility either in its definition, approaches or even in how to measure it. One can find some limitations and gaps since Corporate Social Responsibility can have many aims, some of its definition was very narrow while others were very broad, involving almost everyones concern. The problem with the confliction on aims and means is that it is not clear whether Corporate Social Responsibility should be applied by organizations or not. Some results showed that Corporate Social Responsibility is a must for organizations and societies to grow while others concerned it as an overhead. Another Gap is that the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and profitability. A lot of researchers analyzed whether Corporate Social Responsibility is profitable or not, but limited researches studies the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on a certain companies or for a certain country and noticed its effect on profitability. The purpose of this proposal is to examine the effect of CSR on organizations profitability. The research question is: What is the effect of CSR on the profitability of Egyptian Organizations? Hypothesis Organizations that are engaged in CSR will have high CSP. Organizations that are engaged in CSR will have higher financial performance. The relationship between CSR and Organizational profitability is strongly positive with a higher corporate social performance and financial performance. Implications Organizations are usually committed to their employees, customers, and their society. Organizations that experience high levels of commitment to the well being of society will have a better image and therefore gain more loyalty of employees, customers and may gain higher profit. Further, organizations may view ethical and social judgment as one of their effectiveness and success. A reasonable measurement of CSR is critical for studying its effect, Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini Co. (KLD) tool will provide a full report of organizations CSR indicating to what extend the organization is involved in social activities. Then different results of CSR measurements will be compared to the annual profit of organizations. A focus on these two variables may improve the overall performance of organizations and bring more satisfaction to the whole society. Method Subjects or Participants The study will focus on the effect of CSR and organizational profit on Egyptian organizations, the population will be 100 Egyptian organizations and accordingly the sampling size will be 80 organizations. The sampling design will be the simple random sampling so that each company will have an equal chance of being chosen as the subject. Instrument Evans, Foote and Gaffney (2010) stated that there should be a reliable way to measure the relationship between organizational profitability and CSP and those researches have been deeply involved in how to measure the CSP of organizations. They also added that past measurement was not accurately measuring the outcomes of CSR since they were based on reputational surveys, government pollution indices, financial reports, and CSR orientation studies. The research tool will be developed by Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini Co. (KLD) which is a social choice investment advisory firm. Their tool is a social performance database. Waddock (2003) mentioned that KLD is currently the most commonly used database and is considered a comprehensive source for CSP research. KLD publishes the CSP ratings and the data cover areas of environmental performance, social contribution, corporate governance, and controversial business involvement.KLD require sources include direct communication with the company managers, public documents, and governmental data ( http://www.kld.com). Figure (1.2) illustrates the structure of the KLD database. Chen and Delmas (2010) described KLDs three main categories which are environmental performance, social ratings, and governance ratings. They described how each of these categories are divided into levels for example the environmental performance includes climate change and operations and management, while social ratings includes human rights and the employees relation while governance rating includes the structure and reporting methods. Design Dependent variable is the organizational profitability, in order to measure our hypothesis; I am using the following measure of profitability: Return on investment (ROI) was among the measures of performance, ROI is the most used. The independent variable will be the CSR. The control variables are factors such as firms size, industry and other risks (Waddock Graves, 1997). Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini (KLD) is used as a measure of how well companies perform socially, KLD measures have been used in previous research to study the SP in premier management journals (Agle et al., 1999; Coombs and Gilley, 2005; Hillman and Keim, 2001; McWilliams and Siegel, 2000). The KLD have several advances, as it represents a multi-dimensional measure of SP, consistently measured by a group of professionals with and where different information sources are combined to find out the final score for each firm (Waddock and Graves, 1997). Procedure KLD researches the social, environmental, and governance performance of corporations. KLD research relies on five different data sources to obtain the ratings and analysis of each company. Data are collected in a closely controlled process from each company, government, non-government organization and media sources. KLD tracks each company through more than 14,000 global media sources daily. (http://www.kld.com). Figure (1.3) illustrates the KLD research process they are using. A quantitative technique will be needed to measures the effect of CSR on profitability, a valuable data should be provided to KLD. To obtain such information required, both documents and Surveys will be used. Documents of the companies CSR behavior in the community will be examined and a comparison will be made between them. Published documents about the companies and how they are engaged in CSR practices will be used to get a broad idea about the subject at hand. For example, National newspapers and articles can be investigated to know what activities each company is sponsoring or to gain an idea about educational simulations moreover, accounting books can be investigated to get an idea of the profitability development at times when CSR activities are applied, such documents may include financial statements, balance sheets and cash flow. Figures in accounting books should be analyzed to measure profitability. Surveys will be conducted to the top management and corporate social responsibility manager to understand their perceptions of CSR and to determine whether CSR is considered one of the decisions made by top management and to determine the extent by which the CSR activities affects the financial value and profitability. Concerning the profit, the analysis will check financial performance through financial documents including (ROI) will be used as the variable to measure the profitability or the firms financial performance and compare it with different CSR measurements reported from the KLD. The research is planned to analyze data within five years period for each of the companies and, the period can be considered long to be able to analysis the effect of CSR and compare it the profit of the organization. Concerning the Time plan, data will be collected for the companies in the first period. The 80 companies will be contacted and debriefed about the purpose of the research. Tasks should be scheduled early to guarantee that there will be sufficient time and that the last period will be left for entering the data using the KLD tool and analyze the reports the final results of the research. Limitations The most important limitation is that the results of case studies cannot be generalized as it studies very specific companies and it only seeks in-depth understanding of some elements. Also there could be information unavailability, where the required information could be unavailable or unattainable. It could sometimes be difficult to be able to get accurate and precise information. Another limitation is that the measurement of the organizational long term profitability and its estimate may be affected by other unexpected factors such as financial crisis, inflation in the market. Yet, the research can give an indicator to organizations on whether the CSR has an impact of their profitability or not and according to the research they can decide to what extent they would like to be involved in CSR.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Job Description Of HR Manager Commerce Essay

Job Description Of HR Manager Commerce Essay See if this helpselse let me know The Human Resources Manager will be highly regarded with an excellent track record in his/her current environment. The successful candidate must be a strong, decisive, results oriented leader who can develop and manage relationships across the company and with a wide variety of partners based on trust, teamwork and knowledge. The following details specific responsibilities for this critical role: Serve as a key member advising business leadership team responsible for HR processes for Associates.   Function in an active and influential business advisory role with executives in order to drive business results   Leverage broader HR team resources to drive change in leadership organizational development, compensation and staffing.   Specific areas of focus over the next 12 24 months include: developing and implementing staffing and learning strategies, developing retention strategies, leadership and organizational development, talent planning, diversity, compensation management and delivery, performance management, workforce planning,, increasing associate satisfaction and engagement, build-out campus recruiting program.   Some travel will be required. Qualifications   Minimum of 6 years human resources experience   Preferable to have experience in two or more of the following areas: human resources management, organizational development/change management, process improvement (Six Sigma preferred), compensation, staffing.   Excellence in a client management model: mobilizing the best people and integrating the tools and processes required to meet the needs of the business   Business driven with strong financial acumen.   Strategic planning, complex problem resolution and general management expertise.   Outstanding communication and presentation skills.   High level of interpersonal skills and integrity; solid team player.   Ability to influence senior management, establish and maintain collaborative partnerships and provide thought leadership.   Ability to architect and drive change   Ability to lead in a global, matrixed environment Key Responsibilities of Manager HR:    Ã‚ ¶ Plan, develop and implement strategy for HR management and development (including recruitment and selection policy/practices, discipline, grievance, counselling, pay and conditions, contracts, training and development, succession planning, moral and motivation, culture and attitude development, performance appraisal and quality management issues)  Ã‚ ¶ Establish and maintain appropriate systems for measuring necessary aspects of HR development  Ã‚ ¶ Monitor, measure and report on HR issues, opportunities and development plans and achievement within agreed formats and timescales  Ã‚ ¶ Manage and develop direct reporting staff.  Ã‚ ¶ Manage and control departmental expenditure within agreed budgets.  Ã‚ ¶ Liaise with other functional / departmental head so as to understand all necessary aspects and needs of HR development, and to ensure they are fully informed of HR objectives, purpose and achievements.  Ã‚ ¶ Maintain awareness and knowledge of latest HR development theory and methods and provide suitable interpretation to directors, managers and staff within the organisation.  Ã‚ ¶ Contribute to the evaluation and development of HR strategy and performance in co-operation with the executive team.  Ã‚ ¶ Ensure activities meet with and integrate with organisational requirement for quality management, health and safety, legal requirement, environmental policies and general duty of care.  Ã‚ ¶ Audit and authenticate all documents related to legal, salary statements and distribution, policies etc.  Ã‚ ¶ Develop and Maintain healthy relation with Govt. and Non Govt. Organistions for better and fast functioning of organisation.  Ã‚ ¶ Plan for employees performance appraisal; develop tools for appraisal, job evaluation and development.  Ã‚ ¶ Plan and direct for Training of employee including senior managers, maintain contact with outside resources for training. How to Develop a Job Description The process of developing a job description helps you articulate the most important outcomes you need from an employee performing a particular job. A job description is also a communication tool that tells coworkers where their job leaves off and the job of another starts. A well-written job description tells an employee where their job fits within the overall department and the overall company. Job Descriptions: Why Effective Job Descriptions Make Good Business Sense Effectively developed, job descriptions are communication tools that are significant in your organizations success. Poorly written job descriptions, on the other hand, add to workplace confusion and hurt communication. Heres why effective job descriptions are so important. Job Specification A job specification describes the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and abilities you believe are essential to performing a particular job. The job specification is developed from the job analysis. Ideally, also developed from a detailed job description, the job specification describes the person you want to hire for a particular job. Learn more about the job specification. Job Specification Sample: Human Resources Director This sample job specification for a human resources director provides an example of a job specification. See a sample job specification for a human resources director that describes education, experience, characteristics, skills, knowledge, and an overview of the job requirements. Job Specification Sample: Marketing Manager This sample job specification for a marketing manager provides an example of a job specification. See this sample job specification for a marketing manager. Job Analysis A job analysis is the process used to collect information about the duties, responsibilities, necessary skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular job. You need as much data as possible to put together a job description, which is the frequent outcome of the job analysis. Job Description Job descriptions are written statements that describe the duties, responsibilities, most important contributions and outcomes needed from a position, required qualifications of candidates, and the reporting relationship of a particular job. Bio-Tech Job Descriptions These general, not detailed, job descriptions describe the jobs available in the emerging field of bio-technology. Sponsored Links Job Tasks for: Human Resources Manager Administer compensation, benefits and performance management systems, and safety and recreation programs. Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview and select applicants. Allocate human resources, ensuring appropriate matches between personnel. Provide current and prospective employees with information about policies, job duties, working conditions, wages, opportunities for promotion and employee benefits. Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures. Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes. Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements. Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems. Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations. Analyze training needs to design employee development, language training and health and safety programs. Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel-related data such as hires, transfers, performance appraisals, and absenteeism rates. Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement of organizations personnel policies and practices. Plan, organize, direct, control or coordinate the personnel, training, or labor relations activities of an organization. Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination. Investigate and report on industrial accidents for insurance carriers. Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations. Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts. Prepare personnel forecast to project employment needs. Prepare and follow budgets for personnel operations. Develop, administer and evaluate applicant tests. Oversee the evaluation, classification and rating of occupations and job positions. Study legislation, arbitration decisions, and collective bargaining contracts to assess industry trends. Develop and/or administer special projects in areas such as pay equity, savings bond programs, day-care, and employee awards. Provide terminated employees with outplacement or relocation assistance. Contract with vendors to provide employee services, such as food service, transportation, or relocation service. Human Resource Manager Job Description Employees are the most important asset of any organization. The future of the firm depends on the performance of its employees. The role of a human resource manager is pivotal in managing the needs of the employees. Read on to know more about human resource managers job description, human resource managers duties and the requirements of a human resource manager. Human resource management refers to the coherent and strategic approach to understand the needs of the people working in a firm. Undoubtedly, the growth of a firm is totally based on the individual and the collective efforts of its workers.  Human resource management  evolved as a serious discipline in the business world when it was understood that employees are not mere business units, like machines and automobiles. Instead, they are a valuable human manpower and have personal, emotional and financial needs. Human beings are not uni-dimensional entities. Hence, human resource management was develoved to cultivate a positive work culture in the organization,  motivate employees, streamline the recruitment process and provide employee training. The dynamics of business have become more and more challenging in todays global economy. Employee retention is a crucial factor where the need of a human resource manager is vital. Also, the function of a human resource manager is to work in tandem with all the departments of a firm in order to monitor and decipher the needs of the employees. The human resource management department acts as a bridge between the CEO or the Managing Director of the company and the various branches like executive, administrative,  project management  teams and operations management. Human Resource Manager Job Description The job of a human resource manager presents challenges to tactically handle the human resource tools and help the firm attract talented people for the required job(s). Following are the major duties and functions of a human resource manager. Resource Hunting and Recruitment   The entire process of  recruitment  is monitored by the human resource manager. The human resource managers duties consist of job posting, hiring, conducting recruitment exams (if any) and interviewing. Other functions of a human resource manager are to maintain excellent professional relations with the educational institutions and recruitment agencies.   Coaching the Employees Training the employees is another important duty of a human resource manager. Why is training so essential? Well, every organization has its specific  organizational culture  and it is expected that the employees follow it. Induction and orientation lectures are the initial periods of training, wherein the employees get to know the work culture of the company. Icebreaker sessions, as we normally call them in the management terminology, help the employees feel comfortable and show active participation in training programs. Effective communication is a tool that the human resource manager can use to connect the workers and gel them as a team. The human resource manager can play a pivotal role in adopting the  six sigma  training programs. The principles of  change management  can be adequately applied to help the firm reap rich benefits. Motivation and Performance Appraisal Motivation is a key to trigger the performance of an employee. An average employee may turn into an outstanding performer on being motivated. A human resource manager conducts sessions and lectures that keep the employees aware about the growing competition in the market and the need to constantly upgrade the skills of the employees. Also, the performance of employees is constantly monitored over a monthly or yearly basis and rewards, gifts and prices are distributed for exceptional performances. The human resource manager also looks after the  performance appraisal  of the employees. Salary and Payroll Negotiations Though salary related issues are a responsibility of the accounts department of the firm, still, in the initial stages of recruitment, the human resource manager handles the salary issues of an employee. Since a human resource manager handles the recruitment process he/she is more aware about the ability, experience and skills of the employee, therefore, he/she can take better decisions about the salary of the worker. Generally, the HR department works in collaboration with the accounts department in salary related issues. Employee Satisfaction and Feedback Are the employees satisfied with the facilities of the firm? Are any issues that are causing an unrest among the employees? There may be differences in the ideas/opinions of the various employees. The principles of  conflict resolution  can be used to resolve differences among the employees. Mostly, human resource managers accept the feedback of the employees and this leads to an efficient management of the workers. Educational Requirements For a Human Resource Manager Are you aspiring for a career in human resource management? Well, this challenging field has a lot to offer you. Once you get in, new avenues open at every step. Generally, a graduate level degree in labor laws, social sciences, human resources and industrial laws is considered for entry level jobs in human resource management. Many firms look out for a fair amount of work experience before hiring HR managers. So, if you have a masters degree or an MBA in human resource management, then its better to spend 3-6 years taking a professional experience and then look for higher entry jobs. Even courses related to humanities, like public administration, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and statistics are considered by many firms. With experience in this field one can climb the ladder of success gradually and soar great heights. Personality Traits of a Human Resource Manager The various personality traits needed to be an excellent human resource manager are as follows. Excellent communication skills and  leadership qualities Strong presentation abilities Must be a creative thinker and excellent team player Must be a good initiator and possess good  negotiation skills. Analyzing the job description of human resource manager must have given you an insight into the challenges and creativity of the different elements involved in human resource management. So, if you are planning a career in human resource management, make a note of the above points and then go for it! By  Kundan Pandey Human Resources Administrator Manager Purpose: The incumbent will be responsible for providing an effective and efficient human resource generalist function that is aligned with departmental and company strategic goals. The incumbent will be expected to successfully implement HR strategy and deliver customer service within the organization. The responsibilities will include inter alia strategic partnership and organisation design, recruitment and selection, employment equity, salary and benefits management, employee relations, talent retention, performance management, change management, diversity management, skills development, policies and procedures, HR reporting, BBBEE, HR projects and managing staff. Key Responsibility Areas: Recruitment and Selection Attract, retain and motivate staff. Manage the recruitment process and ensure candidates fit the role and company culture. Advertise vacancies, assess applications, interview applicants. Coordinate and manage the orientation of new employees, process probationary reviews, employee evaluations and terminations. Analyse the skills and qualities required for each particular job and develop job descriptions. Skills Development Identify training /skills / competency needs within the organisation. Coordinate career development, succession planning and talent management needs in partnership with line management. Submit the skills development plan within the prescribed timeframe. Identify skills shortages and where there is need to improve and inform management. Employment Equity Submit the Employment Equity Plans within specified timeframes to the Labour Department. Consult and give input into development of employment equity plans. Identify employment Equity quota requirements and advise on status of compliance to targets. Employee Relations Consult and advise management and staff on Labour relations issues. Ensure awareness on LRA, Basic conditions of Employment Act and all other labour legislation. Represent the company on CCMA Level (conciliation arbitration). BBBEE Implement and monitor compliance to company BEE strategy. Assume responsibility for the Companys social responsibility projects and manage the Social committee. HR Reporting and Administration Manage company payroll administration. Compile monthly management reports all on all key output areas of the position. Perform related duties as assigned by the Head of Finance Performance Management Manage the company performance management process (KPO). Custodian of effective performance management practices. Implement performance management / talent management initiatives. Ensure that performance management is standardized. Ensure that all employees are informed of and trained in the application of the performance management model and system. Monitoring, evaluating and reporting results. Change Management Lead programmes that are aimed at improving employee morale. Identify and analyse current organisational effectiveness. Initiate and implement organisational surveys. Policies and Procedures Develop, update and implement all HR policies and procedures. Budget Cost Management Drive HR related cost savings and manage HR budgets as set by executive management Core Competencies: Good planning, organisational, analytical and decision-making skills. Confidentiality, tact and discretion when dealing with people. Ability to train. Use Initiative. Professional approach. Excellent Administration Skills General Competencies: Excellent oral and written communication skills. People centric. Flexibility. Experience and Education: Degree/or Diploma in Human Resources Management and/or equivalent. Approximately 5 years experience as an HR generalist and minimum 3 years in an HR management role. Personal Characteristics: Excellent organisational skills. Attention to detail. Self driven. Good communicator. Good interpersonal skills. Positive outlook on life. Assertive nature. Logical thinker. High levels of initiative. Customer service orientated. Work independently, with a high degree of responsibility. Work well under pressure and to deadlines. Special Requirements: Regular and on time attendance. From time to time you will be required to work outside of normal working hours. Note: To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge; skill and or ability required and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities associated with this job. You will be required to perform all reasonable duties assigned to you or related or incidental to the proper completion of your job tasks. During a colleagues leave of absence from the company or during month end or peak business periods, you may be required to perform other job tasks upon reasonable request from your line manager. Relocation costs (if applicable) will be for own account

Monday, August 19, 2019

Women in Vietnam Essay -- Vietnam War Essays

Women in Vietnam Towards the end to the Twentieth century, Vietnam, a rapidly changing country goes through a political and social transition, from a socialist to an open market "capitalist type" society. Since the late 1980's Vietnam has adjusted it's economy to compete with the world. In doing so, the country undergoes many political and social reforms. Ideals of the west have been implemented into Vietnams "market" economy. There is definitely a change that is occurring however the social status of women in Vietnam has not changed much. Moreover Vietnam's transformation into the global economy has created large social gaps, which in turn creates many social inequalities, in particular, women in the sex industry. The sex industry has always been a profitable industry. One can find this to be the case in many parts of the world. But what is it that makes the Vietnamese "Pleasure Industry" different? By using the works of Nguyen-Vo (Governing the Social: Prostitution and Liberal governance in Vietnam during Marketization) and Tran (Through the eye of the Needle: Vietnamese Textile and Garment Industries, Rejoining the Global Economy), I will discuss the problematic conditions of women in lower economic class of Vietnam. Prostitution is considered a "social evil" in Vietnam, but being deemed "evil" does not put an end to this endemic problem that has been around for thousands of years. Prostitution is an issue that few individuals have taken to fully understand and in this case, the issue is misunderstood and many voices go unheard. Classified as "whores", the women of the lower class in Vietnam don't have much to turn to. Vietnam's open economy has only created a bigger market for "pleasure". Gradually the identity of the young ladies in Vietnam become more and more of a commodity, well at least in the eyes of the foreigner. "Foreign guest' sought out a 'taste of nice and cool specialty dishes of Vietnam'. High quality goods, whores deluxe" and so on (Nguyen-vo, 92-93). Being identified as "high quality goods", they do what is expected from them and they survive. Due to the lack of education, these girls find themselves lost in the advancing city. Their hopes for success are crushed and with it lies the memories of disparity, the starvation of childhood, the beating of the drunken father, and many other troubles of poverty. ... ...r many of the women in Vietnam, the possibility of liberation lies with a different vision and a decentralized, "perpetual individual politics of everyday interaction" (John Doe, forgot his name). Without a widely shared vision, individual changes will not occur. Society will be at a halt. Not only must the world look at the many "authentic dishes" that Vietnam has to offer, but natives of Vietnam themselves must realize that the creation of these "dishes" were made through constant fabrications of struggle and poverty. Vietnam as a country must create "new dishes" to serve to the world. They must no rely on the dishes of poverty and of struggle, but instead they must cultivate a "dish" that truly reveals the hardworking ethics of what it means to be Vietnamese. In our society today we have problems that arise from corruption and other various factors. It saddens me to say that to escape prostitution is impossible, yet it is the responsibility of society to heal the wounds that have been left "bleeding" for quite a while now. Even American Journalist Barbara Walter states, "Prostitution is a world that is here to stay, like it or not it is time to make the best of it".

Sunday, August 18, 2019

My Brother Jack :: essays research papers

MY BROTHER JACK 1.There are numerous reasons why this novel is titled My brother Jack. The title My Brother Jack deludes the reader in thinking the novel is based on Jack, yet we find that the prevailing concern is not ‘My Brother Jack’ at all. The title suggests a rewriting of Jack’s life. The novel is also called My Brother Jack because of the fact that the author George Johnston, portrayed as David had a brother named Jack, with whom he shared a good relationship with and was also a prominent person in his life. Since Jack is the person in whom David has the greatest sense of identity and reverence, it may well be an appropriate title. In the novel My Brother Jack David often writes about Jack and recapitulates the episodes of his life with Jack. This is evident in a statement David made about his brother as he was travelling on a train. ‘I saw him suddenly as a find of sunburnt Icarus, a freeman, buoyant and soaring in his own air, in the clear and boundless space of an element families yet new’ (pg 294). It is evident through examples, why the novel was called ‘My Brother Jack’. The title may suggest an account of Jack’s life through the eyes of David. The perception you get is that Jack’s life is of greater importance than David’s. Shifting the novel focus from his own inadequacies, George Johnston tries to in fact get the reader to confront these issues. 2. George Johnston uses the theme of deception all through the novel, through the character of David Meredith. David was the most deceitful character in the novel. He did not care who he hurt on the way to getting away from his plain and mediocre life. David basically hurt everyone in his life that ever cared about him. George Johnston used the theme of deception when David continuously deceived his parents. He lied to his parents about the paintings being his own when they were only a lithograph of Tom Middleton’s work. ‘…I would also bring printed samples of work that Tom Middleton had done, and say that I had lithographed them;’ (pg 83). Through the lies that David told and the pain that he caused it is quite clear that George Johnston has used the theme of deception throughout the novel. 3. There is an obvious contrast between his outer success and his inner failure.

Literary features of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Chapter 11 Essa

Literary features of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Chapter 11 Pg 70 Achebe throughout the novel uses many different literary features Literary features of ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe Chapter 11 Achebe throughout the novel uses many different literary features to bring emphasis to certain points and equally to create a plausible picture of what tribal life was like. His particular style of writing, using specific detail of everyday things, brings the characters to life; it creates a depth and complexity to the characters that makes the tribe into a realistic civilization. This technique is used primarily to challenge the preconceptions the people of the Western world have about tribal life. Details such as the ‘shrill cry of the insects’ and how the snuff Okonkwo brought had gone damp and how it was so dark there was not enough light to eat by. The chapter opens with a description of the night, we have been told in a previous chapter that the tribes people found the dark without moonlight frightening, this information helps the reader to identify w...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Adapting the Law to the Online Environment Essay

Formulating unique conception of the Web in â€Å"Weaving the Web† Berners-Lee emphasized that the intention was to create a system with â€Å"one fundamental property: it had to be completely decentralized.† In the vision of Berners-Lee: â€Å"That would be the only way a new person   somewhere could start to use it [the Web] without asking for access from anyone else†[1]. In the initial years of the Web’s functioning, Berner-Lee’s ideal of a highly decentralized universal system has been shared by tens of millions of people around the world who have appreciated and marveled at an invention that makes it unexpectedly easy for anyone with a computer to connect with anyone else with a computer, anywhere in the world, and to store and send information almost at will. But the Internet and the Web have also moved to the center of attention for governments, business leaders, lawyers and judges, police forces and military establishments, and anyone else dependent on the rule of law and authority structures in modern society. This is a result of the ability and tendency of Internet users to simply skirt or leap over many of the rules and institutions designed to maintain order in the pre- Internet world. Previously designed rules and legal structures enacted for slower-paced, relatively public tangible transactions in a world rimmed everywhere with borders (local, provincial, national) suddenly were challenged as never before when the Internet made it physically conceivable to carry out transactions of almost any kind in a manner simultaneously immediate, anonymous, inexpensive, and seemingly borderless. However, the process of certain democratization, overcriminalization and simply lazier-affair went beyond predictable limits – internet identity theft, credit card fraud, controversies with gambling and online porn reveal significant need to adapt the law to online environment, to analyze the specifics of cyber crimes and to create effective regulatory norms. Traditional Crime and Cyber Crime: Defining Boundaries From the primary perspective, the Internet imitates and, in most cases, runs parallel to what is often happening in normal life, therefore, it is no wonder that the law had to take account of this new parallel of real life. Hence the frequent appeals for â€Å"cyberlaw† or â€Å"cyberspace law.† Simultaneously, the imitation of life by the Internet does not completely transcend existing forms of activities in their entirety. Thus while electronic forms of information are the hallmark of the Internet and tend to undermine tangible media, or even render them obsolete, prior forms of information may coexist alongside them, albeit uneasily and suffering permanent corrosion. In so far as it is not possible to divine the extent to which the Net will generate parallel or independent forms of activity, the development of the appropriate law cannot be predictable. One has to determine in each specific sphere of activity how far the parallels go and how big or small the change over the normal may have been before working out the legal response. Consequently, the lack of time or resources cannot be the main reasons for the non-development of Internet law, as Edwards and Waelde suggest[2], although they recognize, somewhat indirectly that the Internet is still developing and so must the Internet law. Edwards and Waelde view â€Å"Internet Law† as being a result of (the usual) adaptation process that the law undergoes to catch up with new technological phenomena. They regard Internet Law as a necessity, contrary to the â€Å"core pragmatic† perception of those they refer to as looking upon the Internet as law-free.[3] And although the regulation of Internet content, transactions and activities seems to be logical and self-evident, the problems start appearing from the very definition of cyber crime. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a â€Å"crime† as a â€Å"social harm that the law makes punishable; the breach of a legal duty treated as the subject-matter of a criminal proceeding.†[4] Anglo-American crim ­inal law has for centuries possessed a set of definitions of â€Å"crimes† that encompass the varied categories of social harms humans can inflict on one another, for instance homicide, rape, robbery, arson, vandalism, fraud, child abuse, etc. According to Susan Brenner, crimi ­nal law does not typically differentiate offenses based upon the instrumentalities that are used in their com ­mission; we generally do not, for example, divide homi ­cide into â€Å"murder by gun,† â€Å"murder by poison,† â€Å"mur ­der by strangulation† and so on.[5] As Brenner points out, criminal law does treat the use of certain instrumentalities as â€Å"aggravat ­ing factors,† the use of which can result in an enhanced sentence upon conviction; this is how criminal law gen ­erally deals with using a firearm or other dangerous in ­strumentality in the commission of a crime.[6] This approach could, perhaps, have been taken with regard to cyber crime; we could simply define hacking as a type of trespass, analogous to real-world trespass. The â€Å"crime† of real-world trespass is gaining access to a physical space – a building or a parcel of land – without authorization. We could have pursued hacking in an analogous fashion, perhaps prosecuting it as tres ­pass and then characterizing the use of computer tech ­nology as an aggravating factor.[7] However, that is not the approach the law has taken and is tak ­ing to the use of computer technology to inflict social harms. What is emerging is a division between tradi ­tional crimes (trespass, burglary, theft, stalking, etc.) and cyber crimes. The latter encompass the use of com ­puter technology to commit either (a) social harms that have already been identified and outlawed generically (trespass, burglary, theft, stalking, etc.) or (b) new types of social harm that do not fall into traditional â€Å"crime† categories. It is necessary to adopt cyber crime-specific laws for the first category of conduct because, as Brennan’s hacking-trespass example illustrates, computer tech ­nology can be used to commit social harms in ways that do not fit comfortably into our existing offense categories. Another Brennan’s example of a denial of service attack[8] simply eludes conventional crimi ­nal law: it is not theft; it is not extortion; it is not black ­mail; it is not vandalism or trespassing or any other â€Å"crime† that has so far been defined. We must, therefore, define new â€Å"cyber crimes† to encompass denial of service attacks and other â€Å"new† varieties of criminal activity. In conceptualizing the varieties of cyber crime, it is helpful to divide them into three categories offered by Marc Goodman: crimes in which the computer is the target of the criminal ac ­tivity, crimes in which the computer is a tool used to commit the crime, and crimes in which the use of the computer is an incidental aspect of the commission of the crime.[9] When a computer is the target of criminal activity, the perpetrator attacks an innocent user’s computer or computer system either by gaining unlawful access to it or by bombarding it from outside. Cybercrimes that fall into this category include simple hacking (gaining access to a computer system or part of a computer system without autho ­rization) and aggravated hacking (gaining access to a computer system or part of a computer system without authorization for the purpose of committing a crime such as copying or altering information in the system). The target cybercrimes also include denial of service attacks and the dissemination of viruses, worms and other types of malware. The cyber crimes in this cate ­gory tend to be â€Å"new† crimes and therefore generally require new legislation. A computer or computer system can also be the in ­strument that is used to commit what is essentially a traditional crime. Cybercrimes in which a computer is the tool used to carry out criminal activity include online fraud, theft, embezzlement, stalking and harass ­ment, forgery, obstruction of justice and the creation or dissemination of child pornography. These are conven ­tional crimes, but it may be difficult to prosecute online versions of these crimes using existing substantive law; a jurisdiction’s theft statute may not, for example, en ­compass a â€Å"theft† of intangible property when the theft consists of copying the property, instead of appropri ­ating it entirely. In State v. Schwartz, Oregon State of Appeal held that â€Å"†¦by copying the passwords, defendant stripped them of their value.†[10] Jurisdictions may therefore find it necessary to amend their existing substantive criminal law to ensure that it can be used against these cy ber crime variants of tradi ­tional crimes. The last category consists of cyber crimes in which the use of a computer or computer system is incidental to the commission of the crime. This category includes, for example, instances in which a murderer uses a com ­puter to plan a murder or lure the victim to the murder scene; it can also include a blackmailer’s using a com ­puter to write extortion letters to his victim or a drug dealer’s using a computer to monitor his sales, inventory and profits. Here, the computer is merely a source of evidence and new substantive criminal legislation is generally not needed. The cases in this category can, however, require new law to resolve procedural issues such as the processes used in gathering evidence of cyber crimes. The basic federal cyber crime provision is 18 U.S. Code  § 1030; among other things, it criminalizes hacking, cracking, computer fraud and the dissemination of viruses, worms and other types of malware. The statute accomplishes this by directing its prohi ­bitions at conduct that targets a â€Å"protected computer† and then defining â€Å"protected computer† as a computer encompassed by federal jurisdiction.[11] Section 1030 defined a â€Å"protected computer† as either (a) a computer used exclusively by a financial institution or the federal government or used nonexclusively by a financial institution or the federal govern ­ment if the conduct constituting the crime affects its use by the financial institution or federal government; or (b) a computer used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication.[12] The notion of basing the statute’s prohibitions on conduct directed at a â€Å"protected computer† was introduced when  § 1030 was a mended in 1996; until then, it criminalized con ­duct that was directed at â€Å"federal interest computers,† i.e., computers used by the federal government or lo ­cated in more than one state.[13] The 1996 amendment broadened  § 1030’s reach; it now encompasses conduct directed at any computer con ­nected to the Internet. In 2001, the Patriot Act amended  § 1030 to make it clear that the statute can be used to prosecute criminal conduct which occurred outside the United States, a position the Department of Justice had long taken, for instance in case United States v. Ivanov. The Patriot Act expanded the definition of a protected computer to include com ­puters used in interstate or foreign commerce that are located outside the United States if they are â€Å"used in a manner that affects interstate or foreign commerce or communication of the United States.†[14] Problematic Aspects: Copyright, Child Pornography, Identity Fraud in Internet In order to address the problems in regulation of online environment more effectively, this paper aims to focus on several most problematic aspects of the issue – copyright violations, child pornography and identity theft or credit card fraud. Defined by Culberg, copyright is â€Å"a legal device giving the author (or holder of the copy ­right) the exclusive right to control the reproduction of his or her intellectual creation† for a specific period of time.[15] Copyright law in the United States derives from the U.S. Constitution and is therefore exclusively federal; states do not have the authority to legislate in this area.[16] Defenses to a charge of criminal copyright infringe ­ment are, first, that the offense cannot be prosecuted be ­cause the five year statute of limitations has run.[17] Other defenses are the â€Å"first sale† doctrine and an argument that the defendant did not act â€Å"will ­fully.† The first sale doctrine lets one who purchased a copyrighted work freely distribute the copy she bought.[18] Under the doctrine, however, the purchaser can only distribute the copy she bought; she cannot copy the purchased item and distribute the copies.[19] Since most computer software is distributed through licensing agreements, the first sale doctrine typically does not apply when someone is charged with software piracy.[20] With regard to the claim that a defendant did not act â€Å"willfully,† there is some ambiguity as what is required to show â€Å"willfulness.† Courts disagree as to whether it requires an â€Å"intent to copy or intent to infringe.†[21] The newest weapon in the federal arsenal of copy ­right statutes is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which added two sections to title 17 of the U.S. Code. Section 1201 makes it unlawful to circumvent measures used to protect copyrighted works, while  § 1202 makes it unlawful to tamper with copyright management in ­formation. Another new section, 17 U.S. Code  § 1204, creates criminal penalties for violating either sections 1201 or 1202 of the DMCA. The first criminal prosecu ­tion under the DMCA was filed in 2001 against Dmitry Sklyarov, a Russian citizen, and his employer, Elcom ­soft, Ltd.[22] They were charged with violating 17 U.S. Code  § 1201(b) (l) (A), by trafficking in technology designed to circumvent the rights of a copyright owner, and with violating 17 U.S. Code  § 1201(b) (l) (C), by trafficking in technol ­ogy marketed for use in circumventing technology that protects the rights of a copyright owner. Another area that is a high priority in federal com ­puter crime prosecutions is child pornography. To un ­derstand the current state of the law outlawing child pornography, it is necessary to understand the First Amendment, which states, in part, that Congress is to make â€Å"no law †¦abridging the freedom of speech.† The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this part of the First Amendment as prohibiting the criminalization of any but a very few limited categories of speech: â€Å"[T]he First Amendment bars the government from dictating what we see or read or speak or hear. The freedom of speech has its limits; it does not embrace certain cat ­egories of speech, including defamation, incitement, obscenity, and pornography produced with real chil ­dren.†[23] From the critical as well statistical perspective, child pornography appears a relatively recent addi ­tion to the list. However, the rise of com ­puter technology raised concerns about â€Å"virtual† child pornography, i.e., pornography created using morphed or other artificial images of children, and in 1996 Congress adopted the Child Pornography Prevention Act, codified as 18 U.S. Code  § 2251. This Act extended the prohibitions on manufacturing, possess ­ing and distributing child pornography to encompass pornography that featured not only â€Å"real† children but what â€Å"appeared† to be a real child.[24] In 2001, a coalition of free speech advocates challenged these provisions of the federal child pornography statutes; they argued that because no â€Å"real† children are harmed in the creation of â€Å"virtual† child pornography, it does not fall under a category of speech that cannot constitutionally be criminalized.[25] When the case was before the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice argued that virtual child pornography can be criminalized because (a) pedophiles use it to seduce children into sexual acts and (b) it stimulates pedophiles into molesting chil ­dren.[26] The Supreme Court rejected these arguments and held that the prohibition of virtual child pornogra ­phy violated the First Amendment, so the statutory provisions at issue were unconstitutional and unenforce ­able.