Free Essays on AMEX

I work at American Express in the Credit Operations Department. The Credit Department handles incoming and outgoing phone calls from cardmembers whose accounts are past due or out of pattern. The databases used in my department are Microsoft Access and Lotus Notes. American Express as a company uses IBM’s DB2 as its main database. Microsoft Access is a database used for the storing of information. The systems used in the Credit Department under Access are IMSS, IMSW, CASW, OLR, Fast Data, ACS, and Legacy. The IMSS System is the system that shows cardmembers accounts and transactions. Information can be changed or updated on this system. It allows for easy access to account information for representatives. The IMSW system is mainly the same as IMSS except is has one more screen access that IMSS does not. It also allows for updating and changing of information on accounts. The CASW system shows authorizations of charges and also allows for changes to be made on this system. It shows the approvals and declines of charges the cardmembers are doing. OLR is an information only system for representatives. It is an easy access system that shows any information to do a complete work effort. It gives proper answers to unusual or infrequent questions and is a reference. The Fast Data System is also only a refer ence. It is used to locate information on cardmembers, such as, addresses and phone numbers. It can be used in place of directory assistance. The ACS system is an automated calling system that monitors the call volumes and transfers representatives from inbound to outbound when needed. This system is currently being replaced with Davox in March and April of 2001. ACS is 10 years old and Davox is a newer, more sophisticated program for managing representatives while improving operational effectiveness. The Legacy system is another system that shows account information only on Triumph accounts. It can also be changed a... Free Essays on AMEX Free Essays on AMEX I work at American Express in the Credit Operations Department. The Credit Department handles incoming and outgoing phone calls from cardmembers whose accounts are past due or out of pattern. The databases used in my department are Microsoft Access and Lotus Notes. American Express as a company uses IBM’s DB2 as its main database. Microsoft Access is a database used for the storing of information. The systems used in the Credit Department under Access are IMSS, IMSW, CASW, OLR, Fast Data, ACS, and Legacy. The IMSS System is the system that shows cardmembers accounts and transactions. Information can be changed or updated on this system. It allows for easy access to account information for representatives. The IMSW system is mainly the same as IMSS except is has one more screen access that IMSS does not. It also allows for updating and changing of information on accounts. The CASW system shows authorizations of charges and also allows for changes to be made on this system. It shows the approvals and declines of charges the cardmembers are doing. OLR is an information only system for representatives. It is an easy access system that shows any information to do a complete work effort. It gives proper answers to unusual or infrequent questions and is a reference. The Fast Data System is also only a refer ence. It is used to locate information on cardmembers, such as, addresses and phone numbers. It can be used in place of directory assistance. The ACS system is an automated calling system that monitors the call volumes and transfers representatives from inbound to outbound when needed. This system is currently being replaced with Davox in March and April of 2001. ACS is 10 years old and Davox is a newer, more sophisticated program for managing representatives while improving operational effectiveness. The Legacy system is another system that shows account information only on Triumph accounts. It can also be changed a...

Poppaea Sabina, Mistress Then Wife of Emperor Nero

Poppaea Sabina, Mistress Then Wife of Emperor Nero Poppaea Sabina was the mistress and second wife of the Roman emperor Nero.  Neros bad acts are often attributed to her influence.  Her birth year is unknown, but we know she died in 65 C.E. Family and Marriages Poppaea Sabina was born the daughter of a woman with the same name who committed suicide. Her father was Titus Ollius. Her paternal grandfather,  Poppaeus Sabinus, was a Roman Consul and a friend of several emperors.  Her family was wealthy, and Poppaea herself owned a villa outside Pompeii. Poppaea was married first to Rufrius Crispinus of the Preaetorian Guard, and they had a son.  Agrippina the Younger, as empress, removed him from his position, as he was too close to a previous empress, Messalina.   Poppaeas next husband was Otho, a childhood friend of Nero.  Otho would go on after Neros death to briefly become emperor. Then Poppaea became mistress of the emperor Nero, Othos friend, and about seven years younger than she was. Nero appointed Otho to an important post as governor of Lusitai (Lusitania).  Nero divorced his wife, Octavia, who was the daughter of his predecessor, the Emperor Claudius.  This caused a rift with his mother, Agrippina the Younger. Nero married Poppaea, and Poppaea was given the title Augusta when they had a daughter, Claudia. Claudia did not live long. Murder Plots According to the stories told of her, Poppaea had urged Nero to kill his mother, Agrippina the Younger, and to divorce and later murder his first wife, Octavia. She is also reported to have persuaded Nero to kill the philosopher Seneca, who had supported Neros previous mistress, Acte Claudia. Poppaea is believed to have stirred Nero to attack Christians after the Fire of Rome and to have helped free Jewish priests at the request of Josephus. She also advocated for her home town of Pompeii, and helped it gain considerable autonomy from the Empires rule.  In archaeological study of the city of Pompeii, where volcanic tragedy preserved the city within 15 years of Poppaeas death, scholars have found evidence that during her lifetime, she was considered a virtuous woman, with many statues in her honor. Nero and Poppaea were, according to some contemporaries, happy in their marriage, but Nero had a temper and became more and more erratic.  Nero reportedly kicked her during an argument when she was pregnant in 65 C.E., resulting in her death, possibly from the effects of the subsequent miscarriage. Nero gave her a public funeral and proclaimed her virtues.  Her body was embalmed and buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Nero proclaimed her divine. He was even said to have dressed one of his males slaves as Poppaea so he could believe she had not died.  He had Poppaeas son by her first marriage killed. In 66, Nero remarried. His new wife was  Statilia Messallina. Otho, Poppaeas first husband, helped in Galbas successful revolt against Nero, and made himself emperor after Galba was killed.  Otho was then defeated by Vitellius forces, and he subsequently killed himself. Poppaea Sabina and the Jews The Jewish historian Josephus (who also died in 65 BCE) tells us that Poppaea Sabina interceded on behalf of Jews twice. The first time was to free priests; Josephus went to Rome to plead their case, meeting with Poppaea and then receiving many gifts from her. In the second instance, a different delegation won Poppaeas influence in its cause to keep standing a wall at the temple that would keep the emperor from seeing the Temples proceedings. Tacitus The main source for information about Poppaea is the Roman writer Tacitus.  He does not depict kind acts, such as those reported by Josephus, but instead depicts her as corrupt.  Tacitus, for instance, asserts that Poppaea engineered her marriage with Otho specifically to get closer to, and eventually marry, Nero. Tacitus does assert that she was quite beautiful but shows how she used her beauty and sexuality as a way of gaining power and prestige. Cassius Dio This Roman historian also villified Poppaea in his writing about her. The Coronation of Poppaea The Coronation of Poppaea, or LIncoronazione di Poppea, is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Monteverdi, libretto by G. F. Busenello. The opera focuses on the replacement of Neros wife Octavia by Poppaea. The opera was first performed in Venice in 1642. Also known as:  Poppea (Italianized spelling),  Poppaea Augusta Sabina, Poppaea Sabina the Younger (to differentiate from her mother)

Management of Change in Lufthansa Airlines Essay

Management of Change in Lufthansa Airlines - Essay Example Secondly, there must be allocation and mobilisation of resources so that the necessary changes may be executed. According to Beer and Eisenstat (2000, p. 32), it is increasingly becoming very critical for the corporate world to excel at strategic change management so that they could outperform their competitors. This paper then will discuss corporate restructuring and privatisation in Lufthansa Airlines. The Type of Change and Why It Was Introduced Lufthansa was almost going under in 1991 owing to accrued large debts. However, in a span of eight years, the company turned around its fortunes to become a world leader in the aviation industry. In order to turn around its fortunes, the company had to institute radical changes. After instituting changes, which was the first step in the process, more allied changes had to follow so that the future of the company could be assured. The management of the company decided to execute change at four different levels, which were modelled around th e concept of renewal sustenance at four levels. However, after eight years of its turnaround, none of the processes that were started were completed. The most challenging bit was sustaining the progress introduced through change. It has been pointed out by Boxall (1996, p. 66) that most processes of change do not work because of an absence of attitudes geared towards change. It follows then that irrespective of how important or good a change process is, the desired goals are not achieved. Similarly, Beer and Eisenstat (2000, p. 35) are of the opinion that those change programs that do not work are usually based on theories of change that are flawed. In this case, it is important for change management to recognise their limitations in terms of ability to institute changes from the top. Instead, change managers should be involved in the creation of the climate of change that is in tandem with the company’s development goals without relying on any specific solution (Armenakis an d Bedeain, 1999, p. 302; Schuler and Jackson, S. 2001, p. 247). There is usually a difference between execution philosophy of change and process management philosophy. On the one hand, the former is of the assumption that leading change is the primary task in the process of change while, on the other hand, the latter places emphasis on the main task of change as planned implementation (Burnes, 2009, p. 76). The Context in Which Change Took Place During the change process, it becomes apparent that the basis of principles and values are dictated by underlying cultures (Worren, Ruddle and Moore, 1999, p. 279). The conditions that exist in the American companies are different from those of European continent in relation to criteria that are important for change strategies (Theodorakopoulos and Figueira, 2012, p. 863). This is particularly pertinent to HRM (human resource management) because it is involved with contemporary techniques of management, besides primarily dealing with etiquet te and values. There has to be a differentiation between strategies HRM and their role during the change process. It has been noted that HRM is deeply entrenched in the American culture, which counter-runs the prevalent In Europe culture of social responsibility, collectivism and pluralism (Saunders, Mann and Smith, 2008, p. 1110).

Discussing Julianne Moore's and Dennis Haysbert role in the movie Far Research Paper

Discussing Julianne Moore's and Dennis Haysbert role in the movie Far from heaven. Which Frame of Reference is most applicable t - Research Paper Example This is, then, a positive model. Were not certain facts about black existence in America so true and persistent, this model should help all resolve all consciousness of the responsibility of African Americans as citizens of the United States. But African Americans still remain at the bottom poll receiving American resources. Under the current economic crisis, black employment remains among the highest, and black education scores are still the lowest in the nation. Such evidence demonstrates that either something is not working or things are being done. One other solution, that nothing can be done, will be developed in the conclusion. The other three frames are not so hopeful. To an extent at least they are realistic, accepting the reality if there has been any advance in racial relations in the United States, it has indeed been very slow. They accept the view that elementary sticklers of racism remain. There is no advance for the black poor and there is continual racism for those who have obtained middle-class. The Colonial Model reflects the views of such as Frantz Fanon by seeing African Americans as forming an internal colony inside America that is ruled by 'colonialist' Americans (Hansen).This view is plausible since it reflects the ideal that the basic position of African Americans has not changed. It has only changed to the extent that Fanon's solution, that of revolution, is no longer tenable (Quellel). Blacks have integrated too much in the American social and economic system to support any kind of revolution. However this brings up another factor that is not acknowledged in any of the frames and which should be there. This is that the black cultural experience in American has become necessary for the heart of the country. And it stands and continues to be one of the major percolators of that heart, just as the cultural styles of black Americans have always been replicated in some form or other worldwide. The Pluralist Melting Pot frame offers the best positive thrust of this factor, and oddly the other frames may allow it but only in a negative way. The Dominant-Subordinate Group Model stands on the principle that black inferiority has been capsulated to always exist and never be removed (Doane Jr.). Hence African Americans will always be in power struggle with the dominant position of whites. This frame helps bring realism to the fact that we have never solved the problem of black poverty nor of low black education results. The model accepts the position that there will always be conflict. But what contradicts this model, or what it stands forth to look at is the immediate future. The fact is that the United States is becoming more diversified and that other ethnic groups will also obtain positions of power. Individuals may become experts in certain fields and secondarily they are members of ethnic groups. The belief to hold is that the experts will, instead of being appreciated as members of 'ethnic groups', will become appreci ated as expert members of a diversified America. The Colonial and Dominant-Subordinate Group Models then are based on conflict and upholding racial differences. Harris's Alternative Formulation also has this kind of racial or ethnic conflict tied in. To the extent that

The importance of early formal education Essay Example for Free

The importance of early formal education Essay Early formal education refers to the education that children obtain during early stages of their childhood. Early childhood is a crucial time period for the development of the mental functions of children. This development, including the emergence of the abilities and skills in areas such as language, motor skills, psychosocial cognitive, and learning, is now known to be greatly influenced by exogenous factors, including the nature of the educational environment to which the child is exposed during the first eight years of life. The benefits of early childhood education have long been disputed. For many years it was believed that children who receive early formal education have an advantage over those who start school at age five or six. Today, some educators challenge that view. They speculate that intellectual and emotional harm can result from putting very young children into structured learning situations. It is hard to deny the opponents opinion that children have always grown up to be intelligent and reliable young adults without the benefits of early childhood education. However, in my opinion, I feel like children who receive early formal education will have advantages over those who start school at age five  or six because early formal education can provide a good foundation for real learning for young children, encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people, and develop children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. First, providing a good start for real learning for young children in the future is one of the reasons that I think children should attend early formal education before first grade. Children can attend early formal education, such as preschool or kindergarten before they begin elementary schools. All human beings learn to speak a language that they hear. The language children hear in their early years is the language they will reproduce, whether that would be English, Spanish, Nguyen 2 Swahili, Arabic, French, Vietnamese, or whatever. â€Å"In a country like ours, although English is the language spoken by the majority immigration has always brought us substantial groups who speak languages other than English. In addition, regional differences and educational levels present a variety of English-language dialects as models to children, so that there may or may not be homogeneity of language spoken in kindergarten classes in many parts of the country† (Cohen 58). Number of immigrants into the United States is increasing in recent years. Therefore, it is bringing different languages and affecting homogeneity of language in the preschool and kindergarten. Granting, however, that every language serves the purposes of its users, we must also concede that schools, the press, and the government in our country all use Standard English. There is therefore a unifying value in every citizens ability to relate to and to use Standard English, but not because it is better. Standard English is likely to be the first language for school for most children in the United States (Cohen 59). For instance, we are living in the United States, and of course we should know how to speak English. Also, children who grow up here should learn how to speak English fluently to get higher education and get a good job in the future. Especially, children who speak another language at home have to learn English as a second language. For example, my cousin, Nhung, was born in Vietnam. She had come to the U. S. when she was one year old. She spoke Vietnamese at home and did not speak English at all. Because Nhung’s parents did not know to speak English, they could not teach Nhung how to spell, read, or write in English. Finally, when she was four years old, her parents decided to let Nhung go to preschool. They wanted Nhung to have a foundation to begin with English in higher levels. From preschool, Nhung had learned a lot of things. After few months, she knew how to spell her own name, her parents’ name, read letters in ABC, or read a short story in a book. Her parents were surprised when their daughter could learn English fast in preschool like that. Day by day, Nhung has developed like other Nguyen 3 children in the United States. She had the foundation for English on time from preschool. Now,  she can speak English perfectly and fluently. As a result, I think that children who speak another language at home also benefit a great deal from early formal education, as they are the most prepared to learn English when they are very young before beginning elementary schools. Also, â€Å"educators often refer to the pre-reading and pre-math skills that a child will learn through play in preschool or kindergarten. These are the foundations on which a child will build competency in reading and math† (Borden 113). Children need abstract thinking in order to make the intellectual leap that words on a page represent ideas. â€Å"As a child learns to express herself/himself through art projects, telling stories, participating in dramatic play, she begins to understand that expressing ideas can be done in a variety of mediums, including the words on a page† (Borden 113). Many children enter preschool able to count to 10, 20, or even 100. However, â€Å"counting by rote is not the same thing as understanding that numerals are symbols for numbers. As a preschooler helping to prepare snack for his class puts out one napkin for each student, he begins to make the connection between the numbers he can rattle off and the concrete  numbers that correspond to napkins† (Borden 113). There is an educational component to the myriad of activities in the classroom. Day by day, the children are gaining knowledge each day while they are in the program with preschool or kindergarten. Children in early formal education can learn a lot of things before they go up for elementary schools. In fact, early formal education provide a good foundation in reading, writing, or pre-math for real learning for young children in the future. Next, an early formal education will encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people. â€Å"As children grow and develop, they are more capable of independent, abstract, and complex thinking. How they approach the subject, what they learn, and how they can use the information will change as they grow older† (Borden 171). Nguyen 4 â€Å"Children learn most effectively when they interact with people and materials in an environment that is carefully organized to facilitate. Children develop foundation skills and concepts through play, learning, creative development, and relationships within their environment. Knowledge of child development enables teacher to integrate learning across a curriculum. A whole-child environment stresses the importance of the integration of knowledge through the continuity of experiences during a child’s early years† (Cromwell 121). There is an educational component in each part of the normal preschool day. Whether it is sharing news during circle time, building blocks, reading a short story, or doing easy math, children is learning new skills, refining, and developing others. â€Å"As children continue to gain knowledge through experience, they become increasingly interested in and motivated toward their surrounding world. The facts, the attitudes,  and the consistent presence of nurturing adults in their lives provide a baseline for a child’s development, identity, and social maturation† (Cromwell 107). When a child feels good about herself/himself and her/his accomplishments, she/he will gradually view learning as a lifelong process. â€Å"The time to cultivate a foundation for learning is in the early years of development when children are receptive and responsive to their relationships and experiences† (Cromwell 107). In fact, most of children who are growing up in the United States do not spend a lot of times with friends before they are going to school. They just stay home and play inside their houses. Actually, they do not communicate with a lot of people. However, children develop the most about their communication, social, and emotion at the age from three to six years old. Going to early formal education, children can develop their communication. They have time to play with their friends who can help them to grow their social maturation and gain knowledge. Children learn to speak in a small group. This can help children learn how to talk, listen, or communicate with other people. Also, they have studied new vocabularies or have told a short Nguyen 5 story to friends in a group. Children are becoming social, and they are interested in playing with other children, beginning to share and take turns to play with friends. â€Å"From ages three to five, children develop increased mastery of language and begin to think symbolically and logically. These developments allow them to observe, investigate, and engage with the physical and social environment in new ways. Preschool-age children’s development of gross and fine motor skills enables them to move confidently through space; manage finer, more complex task; and take more care of personal needs, such as going to toilet and getting dressed† (â€Å"The Preschool Child† 15). Also, one of the major tasks for children in preschool is learning to form independent relationships of trust with adults outside the family. Another importance during the early education is learning how to interact with other children and develop positive social relationship. â€Å"These aspects of normal development in the preschool years move children away from the egocentrism typical of infants and toddlers and toward perspective of others. Other important aspects of this development include the ability to cooperate, negotiate, and practice greater give and take in friendship† (â€Å"The Preschool Child†16). Children have learned a lot of important things in the early formal education. Actually, children would learn self-regulation of emotions and behaviors. This means they learn not to act on impulse, especially on aggressive impulse. In addition, children will learn how to express feelings in socially appropriate ways and develop satisfying social relationships with other children and adults. Children gradually learn how to negotiate social relationships, enter into play with others and take the perspective of others. Early childhood education provides children  a means in which to learn to share toys, to communicate thoughts and ideas, and to deal with their emotions. By playing and learning with other children in early formal education, children will learn how to deal with day to day situations. Nguyen 6 Moreover, early formal education can help children in developing children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. During the preschool years, children will increase â€Å"the ability to represent real objects, people, and events mentally or symbolically. Through this stage, children can image a desired outcome and work toward it, can use drawings or dramatization to  represent to others what they know, and can begin to grasp that written words carry meaning† (Oser 9). â€Å"In combination with improved memory, more logical thinking and increased language skills, symbolic representation fuels overall development at this age (Wadsworth 1996)† (â€Å"The Preschool Child† 17). Attending early education, children can develop their cognitive abilities, such as â€Å"the ability to describe the conversation of matter (e. g. , ice melting to water), attempted explanations of cause and effect (e. g. , if a plant does not have water, it will die), and observations  and questions about natural phenomena (e. g. , noticing that there are different types of clouds, wondering why leaves are falling off trees)† (â€Å"The Preschool Child† 17). Children can understand more about things that happen around them. Therefore, their knowledge increases before they are actually in the formal education in elementary schools. â€Å"Preschool-age children’s cognitive development also results in the capacity to set aside one’s own perspective momentarily and to imagine the perspective of another person. This ability has profound effects on the social development of children because it enables them to  enter into the give and take required in cooperative activities and reciprocal friendships. Engagement in these relationships, in turn, stimulates further language and cognitive development, which then enriches social relationships and play† (â€Å"The Preschool child† 17). In addition, children will understand more about relationship with friends, the importance of friendships. â€Å"When children work together in small groups, there is spontaneous conversation exchange of ideas, acquaintance with one another’s interest and performance, and the experience of liking others and of being liked. Special friendships or lasting attachments may thus be Nguyen 7 formed† (Cohen 42). For example, Andy, just five years old, began kindergarten. â€Å"He spent twenty minutes in the class touching different materials on tables and floor, finding himself in the midst of playing, working children because he did not know anyone in class. To his surprise he noticed Bob, a neighborhood friend, in the class. Andy came and said â€Å"Hi†, and Bob responded. After that day, Andy got home and talked to his parents â€Å"You know what? I saw Bob in the class and I said hi and he said hi back to me† (Cohen 40). He repeated that several times with his  parents. â€Å"What made the strongest impression on Andy was to see Bob, whom he knew well, perfectly at ease there in the kindergarten—doing things, speaking to people, responding with a â€Å"hi† to him. Therefore, kindergarten is a place where children can speak to friends and do what they do. This concrete premise of being able to maintain or to create relationships was of first importance to Andy, as it is the same to many others† (Cohen 40). Having friends at schools to play with is also one of the reasons that children want to come to school. My cousin, Nhung, was four when she was in preschool. She did not want to go to school because she did not know how to speak English. However, after first day of school, she enjoyed and liked to go to school. She told us about her friends at school. Friendships helped her to love school. If children stay home until five years old to begin education, I feel that they might have a tough time to begin. While other children who had attended preschool and kindergarten will know lot of things, children who did not go to preschool will below that level. Day by day at the early formal education, children will learn more and more things. Children open mind about the friendship and increase  in developing children’s cognition as children continue to gain knowledge through experiences when they play with other children. It is easy to see that an early childhood education is essential for a child’s future. Early formal education will have advantages over those children who start school at age five or six because early formal education can provide a good foundation for real learning for young Nguyen 8 children, encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people, and develop children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. Day by day, the  children are gaining knowledge while they are in the program with preschool or kindergarten. In fact, early formal education provide a good foundation in reading, writing, or pre-math for real learning for young children in the future. Also, by playing and learning with other children in early childhood education, it provides children a means in which to learn to share toys, to communicate thoughts and ideas, and to deal with their emotions. In addition, children will become increasingly interested in and motivated toward their surrounding world because they are gaining more knowledge at early stage in preschool or kindergarten. Moreover, children open their minds in friendship while they are playing with each other day by day at school. However, parents who choose to place their child in education should be cautioned on a few things. Psychologists say that children should only attend part time. This is because it is important that the child spends time with the parents each day; which fosters security in the child. It is also important that the child does not become overwhelmed or too tired during a long day. Even a few days a week in early childhood education will provide a great deal of benefit to children.

Romatic Era :: essays research papers

19th Century Romanticism in Europe- Books related to 19th Century Romanticism in Europe- 19th Century Romanticism in Europe- Romanticism began in the early 19th century and radically changed the way people perceived themselves and the state of nature around them. Unlike Classicism, which stood for order and established the foundation for architecture, literature, painting and music, Romanticism allowed people to get away from the constricted, rational views of life and concentrate on an emotional and sentimental side of humanity. This not only influenced political doctrines and ideology, but was also a sharp contrast from ideas and harmony featured during the Enlightenment. The Romantic era grew alongside the Enlightenment, but concentrated on human diversity and looking at life in a new way. It was the combination of modern Science and Classicism that gave birth to Romanticism and introduced a new outlook on life that embraced emotion before rationality. Romanticism was a reactionary period of history when its seeds became planted in poetry, artwork and literature. The Romantics turned to the poet before the scientist to harbor their convictions (they found that the orderly, mechanistic universe that the Science thrived under was too narrow-minded, systematic and downright heartless in terms of feeling or emotional thought) and it was men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Germany who wrote "The Sorrows of Young Werther" which epitomized what Romanticism stood for. His character expressed feelings from the heart and gave way to a new trend of expressing emotions through individuality as opposed to collectivism. In England, there was a resurgence into Shakespearean drama since many Romantics believed that Shakespeare had not been fully appreciated during the 18th century. His style of drama and expression had been downplayed and ignored by the Enlightenment's narrow classical view of drama. Friedrich von Schlegel and Samuel Taylorleridge (from Germany and England respectively) were two critics of literature who believed that because of the Enlightenment's suppression of individual emotion as being free and imaginative, Shakespeare who have never written his material in the 19th century as opposed to the 18th century. The perception that the Enlightenment was destroying the natural human soul and substituting it with the mechanical, artificial heart was becoming prevalent across Europe. The Lyrical Ballads, published in 1798, was a series of poems that examined the beauty of nature and explored the actions of people in natural settings. Written by William Woodsworth, this form of

King Corn

The Documentary ‘King Corn’ is an intersting and entertaining account that examines the impact of the corn industry on food production in America. The film follows Curtis Ellis and Ian Cheney, two recent university graduates who set out to study the overwhelming influence that industrial corn has on the varieties of foods that America consumes each year. The concept of the film is introduced when Curt and Ian have samples of their hair examined, and are surprised to find out that the large amounts of carbon found in the samples originates from ingesting corn products. Many people including myself, would likely be shocked upon hearing this fact, based on the traditional concept of corn; being the small yellow vegatable enjoyed on occasion at most. Sharing this viewpoint, the boys become interested in finding out for themselves why it appears that they are eating so much corn; and hence the topic of the documentary. They decide the best plan of action is to travel to Greene, Iowa, and grow 1 achre of corn to establish how this plant is transformed into so many of the foods that we each. This critique aims to examine some of their findings and discuss the influence and credibility of their arguments. In short, the issue the film addresses is the overwhelming reliance that the American food industry has on the growth and production of corn and its various bi-products. From first glance, many may inturpret this issue as not being a huge problem; after all, when I think of corn, I think of a vegetable. There are certainly other ingredients that would appear to be much more detremental to the health of consuming citizens. But as the film progresses, the viewer learns that the type of corn and it’s bi-products being considered, is far from the conventional concept. While in Iowa, Curt and Ian learn from local farmers, professors and other stakeholders within the industry that the corn they are producing will be used for a variety of purposes, two of the main ones being feed for cattle, and high-fructose corn syrup. As their tiny achre grows, they set out to research the implications of using the corn based products for these purposes. Generally, the documentary took the position that current usage of these products in the food industry promotes a variety of health issues, which will be discussed further in this paper. The corn industry has evolved significantly over the past several decades, not only due to technological advancement, but also the types of corn grown, and purposes that it will serve. The latter cause being fuelled exclusively by the changes in consumer demand, specifically referencing the food industry. This type of industry is largely driven by situations where there is high buyer power; that is, food companies produce the types of food that the consumer wants to eat, rather than what the company wants to produce. As commonly known, several businesses especially in the fast food industry, do not operate on the basis of providing healthy options for consumers to enjoy. Rather, they aim to offer cheap food that consumers want to have. In my opinion, this concept outlines a large point being made by the film; the fact that consumer demand has driven the corn industry (and thus the food industry) to evolve over the past several years into its current state. The bottom line of this argument is that corn is being used in the massive quantities we know of for the very simple reason that is it cheap. To illustrate this point, I will focus on the two main bi-prodcuts of corn that were examined during the film. First, high-fructose corn syrup is used as a sweetner for products ranging anywhere from soft drinks to pasta sauce. In reality, ingesting too much of this sweetner can be very hazourdous to someone’s health, and too much of the product can cause certains conditions such as obeisity and diabetes. This corn syrup has stolen a huge market share from conventional sugar over the last few decades, for no other reason aside from the fact that it is a cheaper alternative, and thus more appealing for businesses to use. As Curt and Ian prove in the film, almost anything processed food imaginable contains at least some quantity of this high fructose syrup, a direct bi-product of corn. The other main product analyzed is the use of corn as animal feed, which is a large source of food for specifically chicken and cattle. These corn-fed animals are themselves processed and used to make the all-American favorite meals. It was starting to become clear to the boys, and the viewer of the film where all this corn was coming from, and offered a justification for the massive size of this industry. During one the interviews, Curt and Ian spoke with a cattle rancher who owned a feed lot. He explained that the cows diet consisted of mainly corn because it was cheap to buy, and was successful in quickly supporting the cow into mature weight, available for slaughter. The farmer had one particularly interesting statement which captured a lot of the concept of the film, suggesting that if people wanted grass fed cows, he would raise grass fed cows. The reality is, grass fed cows are more expensive, a cost ulitmately borne by the consumer. Although much leaner and healthier meat, grass fed cows are not raised as often as corn fed cows because it wouldn’t allow consumers to purchase their favorite fast food burgers at the same price. Even the corn farmers interviewed during the film suggested that they knew their corn was used to create unhealthy foods, but that had become the reality of the food industry. Being producers of a raw material, their livelihood relies on growing corn that the American economy demands. Throughout the film, there are several points of interest made to support the argument that corn products were used to process several health threatening products. The filmakers chose to interview a variety of professionals, mostly university professors, which added to the credibility of of the argument being proposed. The opinion was fairly unanimous that the corn products in the United States are fuelling unhealthy diet choices, and resulting in some of the problems with obesity and other conditions that the country is dealing with. The film was successful in proving its point that the American food industry has evolved to become highly reliant on corn and it’s bi-products. Furthermore, it was able to reliably convey the idea that the exessive consumption of these products had potentially serious health effects. Given these facts, the film is not designed to attack the corn industry, as if they are the reason for these harmful additives in the food being eaten. The onus is really on the consumer; as mentioned, the reason these unhealthy bi-products are being made is in response to the demands from American consumers, who want cheap and tasty meals. The unfortunate reality is that a large number of people fail to devote the right attention to what they are putting in their bodies. The most surprising point in the film was definitely the scale at which the corn industry operates. It was interesting to use the boys â€Å"tiny† achre of corn as a reference point, whereas it was stated that it is not uncommon for one farmer in Iowa to manage one thousand achres of corn each harvest. The shere size of the industry reflects the huge amount of demand placed on the food industry in America every year. Personally, the lack of comparison to other countries was probably where the film lacked in reference. It is fairly well known that the American population consumes more fast food then any other nation in the world, so it really comes as no surprise that the corn industry is as large as it is. I felt as though it would be interesting to compare the American reliance to corn and it’s bi-prodcuts to a country in Europe for example, where typically people eat healthier and less cheaply made, processed foods. Comparing another nation with the United States would suggest that American reliance on corn is not a necessity, but rather a consumer driven evolution in food choices.

Aircraft Solutions Essay

SecurityAircraft Solutions Security and Policy Assessment Table of Contents Executive Summary1 Company Overview1 Security Vulnerabilities1 Decentralized Anti Virus1 Access Control List Policy3 Recommended Solutions6 Bitdefender6 AlgoSec Security Management Suite7 Impact on Business Processes7 Budget8 Summary8 References9 Executive Summary As Aircraft Solutions takes the next step in its growth, it is imperative that its IT infrastructure keep pace as to not counteract gains made by the company during this expansion. This is especially important given it designs and fabricates components for both commercial and defense related industry. Given the increase in staff as well as outside vendors accessing the network, a more centralized approach to antivirus protection has to be adopted. It is equally important that certain elements within the network that have been done manually, such as Access Control List policy, be automated to avoid consuming the IT department in an ever escalating bar of employee hours. Company Overview Aircraft Solutions operates within California in two separate physical locations in San Diego and Santa Ana. Working within both commercial and defense industries, their products are used globally. Aircraft Solutions is overtly technical in nature utilizing Business Process Management (BPM) for end to end processes that interacts with customers, vendors, and suppliers. BPM also fills a critical role of internal communications for IT to ensure customer needs are being fulfilled precisely as they have been ordered. Security Vulnerabilities Decentralized Anti Virus In reviewing the software utilized by Aircraft Solutions, it is stated that security is handled by anti-virus software that is independently operated for all workstations and servers. This seems to be a continuation of the host centric theme as evidenced by host based IDS. Whereas host based IDS can be seen as a more viable alternative to network based IDS, the same cannot be said for anti-virus software in this scenario. Given that the company operates two individual physical locations that run the gamut from design to production, it can be assumed that their employee pool is not small despite actual numbers not being mentioned. With these numbers, it is quite unlikely that all employees are maintaining their due diligence in ensuring that they are properly updating their anti-virus applications and operating them in such a manner that they are being used efficiently. The primary weakness of this policy is that the end user is responsible for its upkeep. It is reasonable to assume that someone working in a loading dock may not have the same level of computer aptitude as an engineer and would be more likely to cause a break in security by allowing a virus into their computer and threaten the network (Department of Homeland Security, 2012). As security is only as strong as the weakest link, this opens the proverbial floodgates of illicit access to the company network. This is problematic in that official statistics gathered in 2012 estimated that the United States ranks third in the world with 50. 1% of all unique users detecting threats from a virus (Kaspersky Security Bulletin, 2012). The most common virus credited with 75. 01% of all online attacks with 712,999,644 instances are malicious URLs (Kaspersky Security Bulletin, 2012) that can infect a computer without the user even realizing what has occurred. Not even anti-virus software will keep a user completely safe as it is reported that 32% of all users have been infected with a virus despite such protection measures (Zorz, 2010). Once infected, viruses can either cause extreme lag with the network, slowly gather information to be used against the company or sold to anyone willing to purchase it, or even cause damage to physical components used in the business (Weinberger, 2012). There are many other nefarious effects of an infected computer within a network that can cripple productivity and cut into the revenue generating capacity of the company. When you take into consideration that a slower network will cause a decrease in company production and will not reduce the cost of daily operations in terms of equipment, utilities or workforce then you must look at the financial ramifications of such an event. The creation and dissemination of viruses has become big business that will grow exponentially as it has moved from the stereotypical basements of hackers into the realm of organized crime and legitimized aspects of armed services for many nations the world around (Fisher, 2012). It is reported that worldwide, viruses have stolen approximately $1. 6 trillion (CMP Media Inc. , 2013) from the global economy. Access Control List Rule policy Security policy at Aircraft Solutions dictates that all firewall and router access control rules pertaining to packet flow be evaluated on a bi yearly basis. Network infrastructure documentation for the company lists one firewall and two routers that are currently in operation that fall within these parameters. Within the San Diego headquarters, all of these devices act as a bulwark against any unwanted intrusion from the Internet at large. Documentation also details there are contractors and suppliers along with customers to contend with regarding external access to the network through these devices. Looking at the internal physical topology it is seen that there is a single router providing packet control for all traffic between the Defense Division in Santa Anna and the rest of the company consisting of Human Resources, Accounting, Direct Computer Numerical Control, Sales and Marketing, IT, and information from the database. Conversely, this same router would also have to act the single point of control between all internal departments at San Diego as it is the only piece of equipment that possesses layer three functionality before passing the firewall. Given these relationships this demonstrates these three devices, particularly the router connecting Santa Anna and San Diego, require extremely detailed and expansive routing rules to effectively run the business. Departmental access list rules could for the most part remain static and not require a great deal of attention once implemented as IP schemas would be established ahead of time for each department. Issues begin to arise when you take into account that over the course of two years, multiple projects will most likely be spun up, numerous â€Å"unique circumstances†, and growth of the network will create a myriad of antiquated access control rules that will represent gaping holes in security that can allow unauthorized access to sensitive company materials and intellectual property. This would also lead to a lack of documentation of access control rules so that there would be no manner in which to simply reference which rules were in place and for what reason. Each annual security review will then sideline the IT department as it analyzes the access control list rules and begins to path them out to their respective devices. At this point, ownership of the device would have to be established, the purpose of that device, and then verifying if access was still warranted. Disagreements at this juncture would result in managerial oversight as department heads would then have to present their cases for and against access. Obviously, this would draw management, especially that of IT, into contracted deliberation that would distract from day to day business. A lack of an overall firewall policy, a bi yearly evaluation of access control list rules, and the previously mentioned issue of non centralized anti-virus software creates a very dangerous environment for data security. A port that is opened for user access is a window into the company’s network that can ultimately be exploited. The more ports that are left open, the greater the opportunity for intrusion. This same lack of a detailed firewall policy also entails that these multiple holes in security can vary in scope since there is not a set control in place to reign in the extent of the security exception being asked (Hogg, 2011). These open ports make the company susceptible to port scanning as outside entities search for network soft spots that can be exploited to gain entry. These scans occur with such constant frequency that they are referred to as Internet background radiation (Notenboom, 2008). Given these factors it is a foregone conclusion that there will inevitably be a breach of the network as a result. Such an event would result in loss of intellectual property, decrease of production, and repeated incidents would create a devastating loss of trust in the eyes of customers. An ancillary security risk is derived from the time and energy spent by IT during each manual review of all access control listings in the firewall and routers. It is feasible that each rule will take an average of an hour to complete if all goes smoothly with tracing the routed path from beginning to end, complying with internal ticket work, verifying the device, and accepting a reason for the route to be in existence. More time would be expended by both engineering staff and then management if there was a dispute as to if a rule should be left in place or not. In terms of just the basic work to go through all the established rules that will accumulate over the course of 2 years, a conservative estimate of 25 requests for new rules per week (based on personal experience within a mid-sized company) would yield a total of 2600 new lines to be analyzed. Assuming approximately a third of these rules could be associated together as projects are increased or decreased, that leaves roughly 866 lines that translates into as many employee hours that will be occupied for this task over the course of 108 days. A team of five in the IT department would require just over 21 full working days to effectively handle this task at a cost of $2,898. 75 to have entry level Network Engineers (Salary. com, 2013) dedicated to the task . If a quarter of these rules are disputed, then the company will pay out another $9,964. 70 (Salary. com, 2013) of lost productivity as the IT manager has to contend with other managers to mediate the need for the rules. It is likely that this endeavor would constitute a major departmental project at the end of the 2 years instead of being worked on throughout the duration. During this time, other work will be assigned to secondary status and put projects and perhaps updates that could be critical in risk of being done on time as all energy and focus resides on the access evaluation. Recommended Solutions Bitdefender To effectively control antivirus from a central source that will push updates to all network devices, demand all equipment connecting has antivirus and allow for mobile devices to be used without issue, Bitdefender small business pack would be the ideal choice. Given that this application suite will provide service to all Windows OS’s from XP to Windows 8 along with Macintosh and Linux support [ (Squidoo. com, 2012) ], it is perfect for allowing outside vendors who may not conform strictly to the Windows platform adopted by Aircraft Solutions. Support for the product is offered by email, and phone coupled with configuration assistance free of charge. As it was not definitely declared how many employees are with Aircraft Solutions, there is a pricing scale of $449. 95 per year for 20 computers and 20 mobile devices [ (Bitdefender, 2012) ]. AlgoSec Security Management Suite In terms of Access Control List management on the firewalls, industry reviews would recommend a single piece of software, Algosec Security Management Suite. With this application, all a user is required to do is simply enter in the IP of the device wanting entry to the network as well as the IP of the device is wishes to access. Algosec will then compute the path from source to destination, provide a listing of all firewalls in the path, and then list out what changes would need to be made to firewall configuration. With a click of a button, it would even implement these changes thereby freeing an inordinate amount of time on the part of IT staff and management [ (AlgoSec, 2012) ]. Cost of the application is approximately $10,000 [ (AlgoSec, 2013) ] which also include support of the product and updates. Impact on Business Processes Implementation pains felt as both Bitdefender and AlgoSec are introduced will be minimal at best. In each instance, less work will be required of employees as they are no longer responsible for their own antivirus and the process by which firewall flows are drafted and put into configuration will be dramatically increased. The point of contention that might make itself known will be at the onset of these applications being installed as they will require some new policy changes. At first, there will most likely be an uptick in questions asked of IT as employees want to know what is required of them with Bitdefender antivirus. It will also require new policy on the part of IT in terms of management of the application as well as procedures for pushing updates into the network. AlgoSec will be almost entirely without incident as it will create a process by which a request is put in for access and instead of being delayed as the path is verified, it can move directly into managerial oversight for approval. Budget Product| Features| Cost| Bitdefender| Centralized AV updatesScalable user supportInternal firewallIntuitive GUIApplication supportInstallation assistance| $449. 95 per year per set of 20 computers/20 mobile devices| AlgoSec| Firewall path operation automationFirewall configuration change automationNegates access control rule auditsProduct support and updates| $10,000 (approximate quote)| Summary Without changes made to IT policy, requests upon the IT department for access to the network and the bi yearly audit of existing rules will eventually grind all departmental progress to a complete stop for months at a time. Automation in this arena as well as a universal standard for antivirus are dire in maintaining a secure network with the necessary resources to make changes as needed. In the face of company growth, if automation is not embraced, then it will become necessary to increase the IT staff by at least 50% within the next 2 years to simply maintain the status quo. Assuming an employee pool of 100, an investment in Bitdefender and Algosec at this time will cost $12,249. 75, with reoccurring annual fees of $2,249. 75. Such an amount if a far cry from an extensive uptick in staff. The end result will be a far more efficient IT department that will be able to accomplish more sustentative work with existing staff at hand. References AlgoSec. (2012, january). AlgoSec Security Management Suite. Retrieved February 18, 2013, from Algosec. com: http://www. algosec. com/en/products/products_overview AlgoSec. (2013, January). How to Buy. Retrieved February 18, 2013, from algosec.

SOCRATES PLATO and ARISTOTLE IN EARLY GREECE essays

SOCRATES PLATO and ARISTOTLE IN EARLY GREECE essays As one of the greatest Greek philosophers, Socrates had a passionate concern to discover valid guidelines for leading a just life and to prove that justice is better than injustice under all circumstances which in effect gave a new direction to Greek philosophy and teaching. Compared to most of his contemporaries, Socrates lived in poverty and publicly disdained material possessions, but as a teacher, Socrates spent a good deal of his time in conversation and contemplation with his fellow Athenians, especially the young people of Greece. Socrates wrote nothing and all of our knowledge of his ideas comes from the writings of others, especially those of Plato, his one-time pupil. Plato's dialogues portray Socrates as a great teacher who often conversed about philosophy, the arts and pedagogy. By using what has come to be called the Socratic method, Socrates never directly instructed his students; instead, he led them to draw their own conclusions in response to many probing questions concerning numerous cherished by unexamined assumptions about life and sometimes death. Along with Socrates, Plato's ideas were basically aimed at attempting to describe the ideal political and social organization to be headed by leaders imbued with philosophical wisdom. After his death, many of his views and ideas attracted little attention among philosophers for the next two centuries until they were revived as important points for debate in the Roman era. Nevertheless, the sheer intellectual power of Plato's thoughts and ideas and the controversies they have created since his lifetime have won him fame as one of the world's greatest philosophers and teachers. Much like his great teacher Socrates, Plato's idea that humans possessed immortal souls distinct from their bodies established the concept of dualism, being a separation between the spirit and the physical. This idea of the...

The Customer Journey Is Dead A Dawning Of Behavioral Data With Judd Marcello From Cheetah Digital [AMP 137] - CoSchedule Blog

The Customer Journey Is Dead A Dawning Of Behavioral Data With Judd Marcello From Cheetah Digital [AMP 137] Blog Marketers try to map and meticulously outline their customer’s journey to convert a lead into a paying customer. Instead, maybe they should focus on behavioral data to deliver the right message on the right channel at the right time.    Today, my guest is Judd Marcello, executive vice president of global marketing at Cheetah Digital. He believes the customer journey doesn’t exist. Instead, figure out why data is important and how to leverage it between brands and customers. Judd’s Career Journey: B2C to B2B martech firms; it’s all about your contacts and who you know As the number of channels increase, buyers jump around brands on their journey Fallacy of falling into trap of using phrases that become commonplace Consumers, not marketers now predict the path they take from researching to buying a product Marketers can still be proactive by using data to drive smart insights and technology from an AI perspective to provide a great customer experience Customers are going to do whatever they want to do; marketers should: Create unique, compelling, and consistent brand experience Deliver the right messaging Hyper personalize efforts    Create connection between your brand and customer Deliver personal and custom experience through data management Cheetah Digital’s Website revised to reflect how prospects look for information Indicators of Success: Team members, content, client summit; digital evolution What’s working and what’s not; prioritize performance to identify gaps Links: Judd Marcello on LinkedIn Judd Marcello’s Email Cheetah Digital ExactTarget Experian Friction by Roger Dooley Write a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to receive cool swag! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Judd Marcello: â€Å"Consumers have more tools than they’ve ever had before to either research or access products or be influenced by other consumers.† â€Å"I don’t think it is a journey, I don’t think it is any one tool that can actually deliver on what a consumer wants. I actually think it’s a number of things.† â€Å"If you are a company that lives and breathes your purpose, your clients will feel that. They will want to be a bigger part of your overall offering or way forward.† This idea of unique value exchange and making that a personalized value exchange is really what our job is today, and why people are going to keep coming back to you or stay with you.

Answer the questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Answer the questions - Essay Example According to them, all people are rebellious and deserve only Gods just punishment, so its up to God’s will to choose anyone, not because anyone deserves it for something but because its God’s unjust will to show his mercy as it was his kind choice. Calvin and Luther stressed that the center of the Christian faith was. "Justification by faith alone" (and related to that salvation by grace alone, not at all by works) was at the CENTER of the Christian faith, and this is the central teaching of the religion which needs to be recovered and is to b taught to everyone. Q: Thirty Years War from Ch.13, discussing why it took place? Who was on each of the sides (what countries, important personalities); important battles; and the peace that ended it? Why do you think that this was the last important of the religious wars? A: The Thirty Years War is one of the great clashes of early modern European history. it consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars which wrath through the years 1618-1648 throughout central Europe. During the war the opponents were, on the one side, the house of Austria: the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors Ferdinand and Ferdinand together with their Spanish cousin Philip. The Habsburgs were opposed by various international opponents of House of Austria, during the long time of the Thirty Years War: the Danish, Dutch and, above all, France and Sweden. The Thirty Years War was a German civil war, in addition to the international scope. It was also; somehow, religious war among Catholics, Lutherans and Calvinists. The series of conflicts, military and political, which make up the Thirty Years War, are highly complex. The main cause for this war was the inner crumble of the empire from 1555, as proved by the flaws of the majestic power, by the disgusting deficiency of patriotism evident by the lands of the empire, and by the paralysis of the

The Burden of the Current Unemployment Insurance Program on Small Essay

The Burden of the Current Unemployment Insurance Program on Small Businesses and Possible Alternatives - Essay Example Instead, they want to pay more for the employees' salaries and wage protection. The business cost rising from the payment of tax towards unemployment compensation will have to recoup by the business firm through its business and actually the consumers bear the tax burden of the firm. The tax rate of unemployment insurance is based on the stability in working of the firms. A company with stable employment history will get deduction in tax rate. An employer is held liable for paying towards unemployment insurance in case he has quarterly payroll of $1500 or more in a calendar year. "The tax rate for new employers is .0270 (2.7 percent). The first $7,000 in wages paid to each employee during a calendar year is taxable. Any amount over $7,000 for the year is excess wages and is not subject to tax. Excess wages can never be greater than gross wages."1 According to the Federal Unemployment Tax Act establishment and administration of the Unemployment Compensation Program is carried on mutually by the state and federal governments. Thus there exist dual system of state and federal in the tax program and the, payments of the employer towards payroll taxes is levied by both the state and federal governments. The rate of payment towards unemployment taxes by employees is on the basis of established tax rates and the history of employers work stability. Thus employers having a history of greater unemployed workers would have to pay more towards the unemployment compensation tax. In case the business owner is compelled to lay off his business for military service, the resulted unemployment to workers would lead to count as a higher unemployment rate in the firm and thus the tax rate payable by the employer will be higher. Similarly if the employees took leave from their jobs for military service then also firms work history will be shown as higher unemployment rate and thus also the tax rate will be increased. In case workers who refrain from job for joining with their transferred military spouse have the legal right to receive unemployment compensation. Thus the employer wants to pay for their non working employees even though job is exist there. In some states the employers are not chargeable for the workers' leave for military service and thus it does not taken for calculating its tax rate. However the workers have the right to receive unemployment compensation and this is charged from the unemployment compensation fund of the state. Thus the actual cost of workers compensation is paid by the employer as a socialized cost and this will lead to increase the overall state unemployment tax rate. 2 Complicated tax regulations is causing firms to indulge in unnecessary law suits with high cost and this will always prevent establishing new business. Along with this higher rate of workers compensation and unemployment insurance has lead to increasing the labor cost of firms. In Florida there employ tort reform for reducing the burden of employers. Joint and several liability rate reductions are followed in workers unemployment compensation insurance. Small businesses are seriously affected by the workers compensation insurance. Majority of the burden of the rising tax rate is always comes to small businesses. Due to shortfalls in state regulation relating to compensation insurance the small business are required to bear a major portion of the UC fund. The working cost such as regulatory costs and tax payments are always becoming