A critical analysis of the role of popular culture in creating and maintaining learning across British society

In the following study I will be examining the way that popular culture has affected British public in relation to learning. I will be first examining previous times and the ways in which popular culture has influenced people over time. I will be concentrating on the effects that music and advertising has had and shaped society over time, and the methods these mediums have used to achieve this. Throughout the last century British culture has been dramatically transformed through popular culture, the development of major corporations, the changing methods of the current governments of the time, and the development of methods that popular culture can reach the public, all contributing to an extreme alteration in the way society as a whole behaves. Before the industrial revolution, popular culture was based on the agricultural year and around religious festivals for example, harvest, plough Monday, Easter, Christmas etc.) There was no division of the classes. Everyone joined together in recreation and entertainment. In the nineteenth century however, there was a considerable change. A sharp rise in urbanisation meant people flocked to the cities away from the agricultural areas to the industrial centres. There was therefore a massive decline in the meaningfulness of the agricultural festivals. In the city there was a physical separation of the classes, the working classes living tightly together in houses built specifically to house workers. There were far fewer public holidays as the agricultural ones were regarded as obsolete. There were fears about the amount of control the rich had over the working classes, as there was in the church. The working classes saw how they were treated by the Church Of England in the city very different to what they were used to. Many theories arose about the church and how it was corrupt. A man called John Leicester believed the Church to be corrupt and began his own church. The Methodist church, derived from the Czech Maravian Church. Methodist churches have no icons, statues, or grand features such as stained glass. Many working class people became Methodist due to the supposed corruption of the Church of England and its discrimination against the poor. This caused worry among the upper classes that the working classes could rise up against them. At this time, Irish Catholics were brought over from island to dig the canals. With them they brought the Irish Catholic faith. The Irish were regarded as extreme underclass and were very poor, therefore Catholicism was regarded as a religion for the poor. Yet another new faith for the working classes. There was increased fear of revolution as the inventions of new non-conformist churches happened. More and more controls and legislation were applied to prevent the uprising of the working classes. The Age of Interference The worries that the upper classes had of a possible revolution caused them to impose many rules on popular pursuits such as cricket and football. There was also a move to open parks and museums and other recreational facilities to distract the working classes not only from drinking and riots, but political movements and uprise. There was also a bought of middle-class pursuits invented such as Thomas Cook Holidays. Advertising Advertising is very easily exposed to the public. Advertising is available in a large variety of mediums, television being a main outlet, radio, posters, billboards, signs, newspapers and more, a more recent method being the internet. All of these things we come into contact with everyday. A very effective medium for advertising is the radio. This reaches people while they are doing other things, like driving or working, unlike television, which people only see when they have specifically sat down to watch it. Roland Barthes (1950-1980) studied semiotics, which is the study of signs and how we interpret them. He said that we receive subliminal messages through adverts without knowing it, this in turn making us want to buy the product/service. Roland Barthes dismantled images, the most known example of this being a picture of a black French Cub Scout saluting, and used his three levels of deconstruction to find hidden meaning to the image. This can be applied to images and advertising we now see today. Phallic symbolism was and still is used today within advertising, especially on television and is found to be extremely effective. The Cadbury's Flake television commercial is a prime example. But of course, a few hundred years ago, television would not have been about and advertising would have been restricted to other mediums. Before the industrial revolution, posters or leaflets would have not worked because there was mass illiteracy at those times because of the lack of education facilities available to the general public. After the revolution though, there was more education available to both children and adults of the working classes. But what is ‘working class.'? Karl Marx was the founding father of communism and is referred back to consistently when definitions of social class are made. Born in Germany in 1818, Marx lived in France, Belgium and London. He was an associate of Engels, with whom he devised the Communist/Economic Determinist Theory. This stated that there are two types of people. The Proletariat (who by efforts produce wealth) and the Bourgeoisie (the owners of factories and profits who exploit the proletariat). In 1847 Marx attended a meeting in London, the groups aim being ‘the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and the domination of the proletariat.' In this, Marx was willing the working classes to rise up against the bourgeoisie. Marx had many followers, an important one being Gramsci. Gramsci was born in 1891. A believer in Marxism, joining the Communist party in 1921, he was an avid supporter of all of Marx's proposals, but he thought that his theories were too focused on economics and take into account the other factors enough, with culture being a crucial example. The Gramscian model was called the hegemony model. Through this, Gramsci said that the upper classes use a form of propaganda to suppress revolution of the working classes. He claimed the working classes would begin to resent how much power was had over them and revolt. At that point, the powerful people would stop the revolution by giving the rebels a little of what they demanded to curb them. For example, there was a move to encourage people to read more political literature. Communists used this to provoke revolution through leaflets and articles. The Government automatically put a large tax on all forms of literature, resulting in an underground illegal press. Within time though, the government lifted the tax and promoted the reading and publishing of cheap magazines, which distracted people from the political literature, therefore no one read the communists provocations. So, Marx's ideas had been supported and followed by many, but the revolution they all predicted and encouraged never happened. Why? The working classes never revolted because the industrial revolution meant increased prosperity to all. Marx expected more solidarity among the working classes than there actually was and this stratification meant that revolution was never fully supported. Education at this time was limited. Children would attend Sunday schools and learn to read. There were also ‘Bell Schools' in which educated pupils would teach each other. These children would then go home to their (probably illiterate) parents and read to them, thus the parents learning as well as the children. Better education meant new technology was being developed. The printing press was introduced in the late 1860s, this resulting in many forms of writing being freely available. Not only news, but entertaining stories like ‘Penny Dreadfuls' that became very popular among the working classes. The Education Act of 1870 meant that education was available to all people whatever their class all over the country. Mass literacy ensued and more and more reading materials were being produced to entertain and inform. Literacy has had a massive effect on the way we live and how we learn and the availability of education is so huge compared to those a hundred years ago. Although mass literacy was an extremely important development in our culture and its effects are colossal, there are other ways in which popular culture affects learning in societytoday. Advances in education meant more technology was being invented. Music was becoming more and more inventive as time went on because of the new ways of producing it and publicising it. The advent of music halls was a very important step in social development. Before the industrial revolution, the workers would often drink habitually throughout the days while working the land. When they moved to the cities and worked in the factories, obviously drinking was not tolerated. Urbanisation meant that all had more money to spend because of their pay in the cities, therefore more money to spend on alcohol. This meant that the workers would come home and drink the equal amount they would have over the day while on the farms, in one evening. Drinking created social decline, causing a large spread of violent drunken behaviour, rape, domestic abuse, child negligence etc, prompting the authorities to provide evening entertainment for the working classes, to prevent the boredom and the need to drink. Thus, the music halls were born. Music halls were popular all over Britain, and drew in both the working classes and the upper classes to shows involving many different types of people singing patriotic songs or amusing acts, often by women. A famous example of performer was Vesta Tilley. Tilley would often impersonate men, mainly ‘pencil pushers', the middle-class men who worked in offices and the like. Tilley would dress in drag, and impersonate and ridicule these type of people, much to the amusement of the working class people who often detested these type of people. Tilley's most famous song was ‘Burlington Bertie'. As WW11 began, music changed within society. Patriotic songs like ‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag' and ‘Jerusalem' were very popular as was all uplifting nationalist music at the time. The Frankfurt School This was a group set up in 1923 mainly made up of Jewish intellectuals threatened by the Nazis. With beliefs similar to Gramsci's they believed that the working classes had been ‘pacified' into accepting capitalism by ‘Commodity Fetishism' (the creation of false needs. The most famous three members of the Franfurt school were arguably Adorno (1903-1969), Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) and Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979). Adorno devised many theories concerning popular culture, many of which are still used today. In Dominic Strinati's work An Introduction To Theories Of Popular Culture, features a quote from Adorno giving his view on popular culture and the way in which it is used. ‘In all its branches, products which are tailored for the consumption by masses, and which to a great extent determine the nature of that consumption, are manufactured more or less according to plan†¦ This is made possible by contemporary technical capabilities as well as by economic and administrative concentration. The culture industry intentionally integrates its consumers from above. To the detriment of both it forces together the spheres of high and low art, separated for thousands of years. The seriousness of high art is destroyed in speculation about its efficacy; the seriousness of the lower perishes with the civilisational constraints imposed on the rebellious resistance inherent within it as long as social control was not yet total. Thus, although the culture industry undeniably speculates on the conscious and unconscious state of the millions towards which it is directed, the masses are not primary but secondary, they are an object of calculation, an appendage o f the machinery. The customer is not king, as the culture industry would have us believe, not its subject but its object'. (Adorno. Strinati D. 2004..) This indicates the belief that the authorities within the culture industry shape culture in Britain through the search for profit. Adorno believed that the power lay within the culture industry and its products encouraged compliance and consensus. Adorno was very interested in music. Classically trained, he used is knowledge in the field and compared it with the modern music of the time. Popular music was completely different to the classical style he had be taught. He said that in popular music, ‘the beginning of the chorus is replaceable by the beginning of the innumerable other choruses†¦.. every detail is substitutable; it serves its function only as a cog in a machine.' Adorno maintained that this is different to in classical music where the music provides ‘a musical sense from the totality of the piece and its place within that totality.' Adorno believed that popular music was in no way creative or intuitive, merely ‘to please the masses.' At the time of Adorno, dramatic changes in popular music were happening. The 1950s brought about the uprising of the ‘teenager'. Artists such as Buddy Holly were idolised, American music being a strong upcoming force at this time. Musicians used not only their music to sell their records, but their appearances and attitude also. The rapidly altering types of music were a big worry to the government of the time. Many complaints were filed against many album covers and performances. Elvis for example was filmed from the waist up so his rotating hips were not broadcast! There were calls to ban many songs and particular album covers, like the cover of the Mamas and Papas album ‘If You Can Believe Your Eyes And ears', in which the band are shown in a bath together fully dressed. Record companies were forced to sign less ‘controversial' bands like The Monkees. Music has developed dramatically since. Bands such as The Clash promoted rebellious attitudes towards authority, as did the Sex Pistols, whose song God Save The Queen was banned by Radio One upon its release. A recent band who follow this theme are Anti-Flag who's most famous song ‘Fuck Police Brutality', is a blatant attack at the authorities of the country. Bands such as these are now very popular, their songs and attitudes being imitated by its listeners. These attitudes have spawned a variety of fashions, often involving the wearing of black hoodies, piercings and coloured hair. This is seen as a statement against society, a rebellion against conformity. Artists such as Eminem have come under serious criticism, charged with endorsing drug use and bad language. Emiem alone has been blamed on numerous occasions for behavioural problems children have allegedly developed after to listening to his records. One child committed suicide in the early nineties, his death blamed on Eminem's music. An alternative fashion trend has been born from black music, specifically rap. This involves the wearing of tracksuits, trainers, large gold chains and caps. Although this is merely a way of dressing, this type of outfit is often perceived by the general public as disruptive, indicating the person is a troublemaker, often being turned away from particular institutions for example clubs on account of their dress. Snoop Dogg, an American rap artist at the Live8 concert recently swore repeatedly both during his songs and between them, all at about lunchtime in front of millions of people both at the gig and watching on television around the world. Criticised heavily for this, he received a massive fine from the organisers of the event and forced to publicly apologise. Some claim that music such as his is very damaging to children and should not be released, let alone promoted. The governments of today are more lenient when allowing records from such bands to be released, but parental advisory stickers are put on if there is but one expletive within the record, and this means the record can not be sold to persons under the age of fifteen. With the invention of music videos, there have been many complaints concerning the content. A lot of modern music, especially music of black origin like r'n'b releases videos involving sexual scenes. This has caused outrage and has forced many videos to be scrapped completely, edited or blurred when shown. For example, the punk band Blink 182's video for the song ‘I Miss You' released in 2001 involved scenes of lesbianism and voyeur. These scenes were edited out, then the video was eventually taken off the television because of the amounts of complaints received about it. A very famous and recent example of prohibition by the government involving music videos is the infamous ‘Crazy Frog' song by Axel F. The video showed an animation of a frog dancing. The frog was naked and, although no distinctive genitalia were present, the Advertising Standards Committee received thousands of complaints from parents stating it was too explicit to be shown before watershed. The video was then edited, the aforesaid area blurred and allowed to be broadcast only after watershed (9pm.) The actions of governments when looking at the way they manipulate the music industry can be clarified when looking at Gramsci's hegemony model. The definition of hegemony by Gramsci: ‘A cultural and ideological means whereby the dominant groups in society, including fundamentally but not exclusively the ruling class, maintain their dominance by securing the ‘spontaneous consent' of subordinate groups, including the working class. This is achieved by the negotiated construction of a political and ideological consensus which incorporates both dominant and dominated groups'. (Strinati, D 2004). This definition indicates to us that the authorities according to Gramsci, prohibit the uprising of the lower classes through bowdlerization, restrictions and censorship. This is apparent when looking at popular music, and the radio. Radio Caroline was a pirate radio station set up in the 1960s by a group of people who rebelling against the strict control the government had over the music broadcast on the radio. To stop prosecution, Radio Caroline was broadcast from the sea off the shores of Britain so as to avoid breaking the law. Radio Caroline broadcast rock'n'roll, and music genres that the younger audiences would appreciate, music which was censored and restricted by the government, receiving little airtime. The government retorted by making the listening to Radio Caroline illegal, but this was ineffective, so they produced a new radio station called Radio One. This was obviously still controlled by the government, but played the popular music that Radio Caroline did. This is a strong example of hegemony, showing how the government changes its policies to give the impression that the public have got what they wanted, but still having that underpinning control. I conclude that popular music has had and continues to have massive influence on society today. Music such as ‘Jerusalem' around the time of the world wars was uplifting and gave people hope in the terrible times they lived through while the war was happening. In the 1950s, music changed dramatically and brought about certain fashion trends, some seen as damaging, but overall just another cultural change. Nowadays, music is less regulated, but we are still prevented from listening to particular types of music at certain ages, indicating the continuation of censorship enforced by the government. Hegemony in music is very apparent, a prime example being the banning of Radio Caroline and the censorship involved in the music industry today. I feel society has developed through music, as new music is born; new technology to improve it follows and so on. Music brings joy and entertainment, a medium through which thoughts are expressed and ideas are publicised. I feel that the censorship of music is meaningless, because as we develop as people, we can learn to accept maybe aggressive lyrics or offensive videos and tolerate them as just another part of someone's culture. Through music we learn and to censor our music is to stifle our growth as human beings.

Never Defeated

Although these words may seem simple, the readers of this novel can learn so much from them. There is a significant difference between these terms, and Santiago thoughts. Words. And actions from the beginning to end of the novel are key examples of the differentiation. Santiago, the protagonist of the novel, is a wise old fisherman who has gone eighty-four consecutive days without catching a single fish. One would think that after so many unsuccessful days that Santiago spirit would be shattered, but day after day of the extensive fishing drought the old man refuses to let it bring him down. Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color s the sea and were cheerful and undefeated† (Hemingway 10). Instead of giving up and quitting, Santiago decides to head back out into the waters and is set on changing his luck. On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago finds himself in a face off against an eighteen-foot long marlin; however, he is not able to bring the marl in in right away due to its large size and ability to fight back against him. The struggle between Santiago and the humongous fish goes on for what seems like a never ending three days.Santiago isn't Just up against the fish; however, but also is in a constant battle tit hunger, exhaustion, and deep cuts on his hands. Nevertheless, he continues to have faith, hope, and trust in himself that he will persevere and conquer all the challenges despite the circumstances. â€Å"It is silly not to hope. I believe It Is a sin† (Hemingway 104). After three tiring days, Santiago ends up catching the marlin, which was the biggest fish he had ever seen. Although he was in lots of pain, was exhausted, and felt beat up, he never once was defeated. After Santiago reels In the big fish, he faces another hurdle: getting home.The fight against the fish was a usurious task, but none of his struggles would compare to what he would have to fight through to get back. In order to obtain the marlin, Santiago had to thrust his harpoon Into Its side, which caused the marlin's blood to coat the waves. The fish blood attracts sharks, resulting In countless shark attacks that Santiago had to fight off. However, he still perseveres. â€Å"I'll fight them until the day I die† (Hemingway 115). After battling the sharks with any defensive object on board he could find, the only thing that is left of the marlin is its skeleton.All the meat from the fish that could eve Ted so many people was t tort the sharks. Santiago and a connection to the fish due to all the struggling they suffered through together; therefore, when the sharks are eating the marlin, Santiago feels destroyed as well. Although the sharks may have won over the flesh of the marlin, nothing could take away the victory of catching the great fish from Santiago. Santiago, like the fish, may have been a bit physically destroyed, but mentally he is never defeated. Even when it looked like all hope was lost, his bravery a nd dignity kept him going all the way to the finish line.Santiago accomplishment was something so permanent, that he became undetectable. Throughout the novel, Santiago faced many struggles, but he never lost hope and never gave up. His determination, work ethic, and positive attitude all led him to overcoming the greatest challenge he had and would ever face. Each and every moment, Santiago did whatever he had to do to the best of his ability in order to achieve what he wanted, no matter what troubles transpired. Even though challenges and struggles had the power to take away chances of Santiago success, his spirit remained undefeated, for he was going to always keep trying no matter hat.So many life lessons can be learned from this novel. Santiago quote, â€Å"A man can be destroyed but not defeated† (Hemingway 103), can be applied to one's life, Just like it is in the book. In order for Santiago to be successful he had to put his whole self into what he wanted and stand st rong when difficulty struck, Just like people today and in the past have to do. People can also learn that excuses must not exist in life because all they do is corrupt one's mind, making accomplishing something they want extend more out of reach. Finally, in life, as long as one's best effort is given at al times, nothing can bring them down.One may fall over and over again, but as long as they keep standing back up, they will never be defeated. Throughout life, people are presented with events to test how strong they truly are, Just like Santiago was. However, challenges open people up to opportunity and chances. If one puts their whole mind, body, and soul into something, they are bound to be successful in anything they do. Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, teaches readers so many lessons; however, the biggest they can take away from it is to never give up. Never

Survey of Research Literature – Identity Theft

Research Analysis Survey of Research Literature in Information Technology Management Infrastructure Abstract: Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. There are many definitions of identity theft, however this type of crime typically involves illegally utilizing somebody else’s personal information for both personal and or financial gain. Thieves acquire personal information through different methods ranging from stealing physical documents all the way to hacking into corporate databases.The field of Information Technology is one of the fastest growing fields in the world. Daily innovations and discoveries are flooding our lives. The continual strive for speed and efficiency make the world move faster into the new era of digital information.In addition to advances in computing, many other fields are forced to innovate and comply with the demands of the new 21st century consumer. However with all the convenience and access to this digital inform ation the world faces those who use the technology to destroy information and control others for their own benefit. The two most evident industries that face such challenges are the health industry and the financial industry. Both consists of billions of dollars in revenue each year and pose a lucrative target for the digital underground.The finance industry is a more interesting topic when it comes to identity theft since it involves the financial system for businesses, financial institutions and consumers. By looking at this industry directly we can see how these affects influence each other and what can be done to protect the consumer and the business sector. This paper will be separated into consumer and business parts and then further divided into sub parts where the focus would be on specific sections on what is closely related to or can result in identity theft.Once such threats and security issues are identified and thoroughly described, the paper will also cover some of the existing solutions that are currently being implemented by, businesses, financial institutions and even consumers themselves. Looking at all sides of the problem, identity theft touches upon a variety of issues such as tools that are used to identify ones credentials, information that is stored on computers of thousands or retailers, financial institutions as well as taking into account the technology that makes authentication and financial transactions possible.The spectrum of this is so large that only a small part of it can be analyzed and covered in this paper. What is Identity Theft? According to numerous sources, identity theft is a way to take someone else’s identity and utilize it for either financial or gains of being accountable for certain actions or consequences. The term identity theft has actually came from the word impersonation or cloning which describes a process of making an exact copy of something or in this case assuming an identity of another person.In t his paper there is only one side to the identity theft and it is the financial loss or gain that occurs during the process. Looking at the identity theft from several prospective and analyzing how it affects the consumer, business, or financial institution is what this analysis is attempting to identify. â€Å"Each year, millions of consumers are victimized by identity theft—the practice of using the identity of another to obtain credit. After the identity thief defaults, lenders and credit bureaus attribute the default to the impersonated consumer. Sovern 2004)† According to Sovern 2004, the default that occurs between the lender and the pretend consumer, in the end falls upon the innocent consumer whose information has been stolen in one way or another and misused for financial gain. Typically there are numerous parts to what results in identity theft. First of all identity thieves typically obtain personal information that is used to identify an individual, as well as credentials that can be used to authenticate themselves.Then, they would utilize the credentials to impersonate other individuals and proceed to gain access to financial documents and finally actual monetary assets. â€Å"Identity theft—the appropriation of someone else’s identity to commit fraud or theft (Milne 2003)—is a serious consumer problem (Sovern 2004)†. Identity theft is a commission of fraud that not only poses a serious threat to consumers but is a very serious crime that has unlimited consequences for everyone involved in the process.Although it is a serious crime and a wide spread problem there are many different ways that thieves can approach this type of method. The initial process of acquiring personal information that is needed to impersonate another individual can consist anywhere from finding the information in public records at the library, all the way to stealing financial documents like credit cards, checks, and digital informati on by hacking computer networks. The spectrum of this problem is endless and continues to grow on the daily basis, while financial information becomes ore widespread with the innovation of technology. Before looking at the specific areas of theft and their origins, identifying the meaning behind identity as being part of identity theft would be beneficial to the true understanding behind impersonating someone else. â€Å"Identity is a means of denoting an entity in a particular namespace and is the basis of security and privacy -regardless if the context is digital identification or non-digital identification ( Katzan 2010 )†.Unlike theft, identity is much harder to describe especially when looking at how it can be stolen and utilized for personal and financial gain. Katzan 2010 illustrates how an identity can also be referred to as a subject, which have several identities and belong to more than just one namespace. Identity is part of the management system which can establis h a process to another system and therefore result in a trust that is facilitated by a third party and acknowledges the basis for the digital identity in the computer-based information systems.Another side is the information that’s provided by a third party that claims the identity of a person but can be biased based on how that information came about, and therefore might require additional information to provide clear evidence and confirmation. † Identity is primarily used to establish a relationship between an attribute or set of attributes and a person, object, event, concept, or theory. The relationship can be direct, based on physical evidence, and in other cases, the relationship is indirect and based on a reference to other entities ( Katzan 2010)†.Thieves acquire such attributes of the identity through resource such as customer service representatives, Trojan horse computer programs, dumpster diving, corporate databases, and physically stealing computers. To prevent such occurrences the author suggests implementing reponsibilized and individualized forms of risk management where individuals are encouraged to incorporate informational security practices into their daily lives and care for their virtual self in the digital world. Phishing Attacks Moving forward beyond what both identity and theft really mean, identifying he most popular ways of gaining access to individual identity data is the first step to preventing consumers from being the victims of such thefts. The first most common approach to gathering the necessary information to impersonate an individual is a Phishing Attack. A Phishing Attack is a way to deceive a consumer into revealing personal information to the attacker through digital communication. â€Å"Phishing has been a major problem for information systems managers and users for several years now. In 2008, it was estimated that phishing resulted in close to $50 billion in damages to U. S. onsumers and businesses ( Wright, Marett, 2010). This obfuscation method of both email and Web sites is how thieves are able to convince users into fulfilling requests for personal information. Once that information is obtained it can be used to stage theft of either company or personal intellectual property. â€Å"In the most common phishing scam, the â€Å"phisher† sends an e-mail disguised to look like it is from a financial institution or e-commerce site. To appear credible and to attract the recipient's attention, the e-mail uses the company's logos and trademarks and employs â€Å"scare tactics† such as threats of account closure (Lynch 2005)†This method of obtaining identity information carries a relatively low risk in both legality and cost. The phisher who is carrying out the crime usually resides in an international location to avoid authorities which makes the apprehension and prosecuting of the fraud that is committed to be far more difficult. One of the studies that utilized analytical approach to find the reasoning behind the success of such a technique concluded that there are four phases in studying behavioral factors, which influence the replies coming from the consumer in regard to answering emails that request them to provide sensitive information.The study covered 299 subjects and analyzed the percentage of those who responded to different methods within the study of phishing. The final factor to the study is the awareness level that the communicator posses in regard to the security threats that are currently present in the digital world. Security awareness training is important in teaching Web users how to appropriately utilize both network and system resources. Complete review of security policies and their congruency with current threats is crucial in identifying noncompliance of both users and systems.Once systems are updated and users are aware of the different tactics that can be used against them and the different ways they can protect th emselves from becoming victims the world can move closer to eliminating phishing as an urgent threat. Driver’s License Moving past the phishing technique on the consumer side, taking an in-depth look at how identification has become an essential part of identity theft and what are the different tools that we use as consumers to present that trust between our identity and the business entity from which we want to acquire services.The first and probably the most widespread tool of identification in United States of America is a driver’s license. A driver’s license is an identification document that corresponds to a Department of Motor Vehicles database record, therefore is considered to be a legitimate identification document. It is very valuable and the most circulated picture credential that gives one the ability to operate a vehicle as well. One of the reasons behind counterfeiting driver’s licenses is due to the broad spectrum of different types of lice nses that exist in the USA.These counterfeits vary from simple laminates that are created on matrix printers, all the way to sophisticated and authentic, 45 degree hologram based laminates utilizing the same materials and even printing equipment that is used by the DMV. â€Å" The typical criminal would use fungible credentials as an instrument to defraud because it offers reduced risk, minimal effort, and increased effectiveness. Financial frauds, money laundering, and identity theft are three common exploits that typically rely on fungible credentials.Fungible credentials are useful precisely because they simultaneously obscure the criminal’s real identity and facilitate any authentication that may be required. (Berghel 2006) This type of credentials is a way to shield the thief’s real identity while still utilizing the facial identification with different credentials. Typically financial transactions are the most common way to utilize fungible credentials to gain a ccess to the victim’s assets. Since the process involves getting several versions of identification based on the verification process, in the end the original counterfeit documents are disposable.This means that the final identifiers that are obtained, such as the drivers license are legitimate due to its issuance from the government agency. This type of a scheme makes the detection of the final credentials impossible to detect since it was acquired from a legitimate source. The only way to really prevent this from happening is by having all government agencies and law enforcement to authenticate all documents no matter where they came from. However currently due to the extreme overhead for such process, this is currently not possible to achieve. A threat analysis of RFID PassportsThe second and most widespread tool in the world is the passport. A passport is a document that is issued by a national government for the sole purpose of traveling between countries and having the ability to identify the nationality of the traveler as well as the identity of the holder. Since 2007 all passports that have been issued in USA, contain an imbedded RFID chip, which is valid for a time period of ten years. The reason behind such change in passport policy is to provide a safer way to store critical identification data on the chip as well as encrypt such data and keep it safe.However in the last few years there have been approaches that defy the design and the security of the chip and permit the identification information to be stolen. â€Å"this individual used a small antenna connected to a computer in his backpack to eavesdrop on the radio communication between the security agent’s reader, which has the capacity to decrypt the highly sensitive and secured data on the passport, and the RFID-enabled passport itself(RAMOS, A. , SCOTT, W. , SCOTT, W. , LLOYD, D. , O'LEARY, K. , ; WALDO, J. 2009)†The process that is described above creates a way to find a nd obtain the information that is contained on the RFID chip, however in order to do so the proximity of the listening device and the timing of the transition are critical to its success. In addition to acquiring the data, the ability to decrypt the information before it can be utilized is a process in itself. â€Å"Six pieces of information can be stolen from the RFID chip on a U. S. passport: your name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and a digitized photograph. Numerous problems of identity theft could arise from someone taking that information, but this article focuses on the financial risk. (RAMOS, A. , SCOTT, W. , SCOTT, W. , LLOYD, D. , O'LEARY, K. , & WALDO, J. 2009)† The information that is acquired during the intercept process is sufficient enough to create a duplicate passport and utilize it for financial gain. However due to the difficulty of this attack, cost of the equipment involved and the limited financial return as opposed to the high cos t of blank passports, this type of scenario is not very likely.As a solution to this possible downside of RFID chips, integrating basic access-control and encryption using the secret key that is integrated right into the passport help mitigate the risk of data interception. Another approach would be to control the RF signals that occur between the reader and the passport during the verification process. This would help minimize the chances for eavesdropping on the RF signals and interception of all identity information. Identity CardsIn order to go beyond the complications of the passport and the specialization of the driver’s license there is another way to identify a person and verify their credentials. This tool is called an Identity Card and is utilized on the government basis in several different countries. The idea behind the identity card is very similar to what a driver’s license does, however it only focuses on proving that the person who presents the card mat ches the credentials that the identity cards holds, without granting driving privileges as does the driver’s license.This new concept of identity card consists of two components, one is the database identity and the other is token identity. Database identity is the gathering of all information about a certain individual and recorded into databases, which is then accessible by the government. Token identity on the other hand only comprises of very specific information about the individual. This information consists of name, gender, date and place of birth, date of death, signature, photograph and biometrics.In addition biometrics consists of a face scan, two iris scans and ten fingerprints. In the context of identity theft, token identity is considered to be more than just information about an individual. â€Å"Unlike the individual pieces of information that comprise it, token identity has the essential characteristics of intangible property. Its misuse by another person not only infringes the individual’s personal right to identity, it infringes the individual’s proprietary rights in his/her registered identity, particularly in token identity. Sullivan 2009)† Utilization of token identity for transactional purposes constitutes an individuals’ identity which is all the information that the token holds. This is the information that is most useful for an identity thief since it is all that is required to enable a transaction. Not all of the information in the token is used for every transaction and therefore depends on the nature of the transaction, therefore the required information is automatically chosen from the token to match the transactional requirements. The phrase ‘identity theft’ is a misnomer, as identity theft does not actually deprive a person of their identity. The offence of theft or larceny traditionally involves an appropriation of the personal property of another with the intention to deprive him or her of that property permanently. Wrongfully accessing and using a person’s personal information or forging proof of identity documents, without taking any physical document or thing, would not deprive the person of the ability to use that information. (Sullivan 2009)Although wrongfully accessing or forging of the documents does not deprive the person of access to such information, it does however fundamentally damage the integrity of the individual token identity by denying exclusive use of the identity. Personally Identifiable Information Utilizing tools that identify oneself are needed to acquire, obtain and steal financial information, however in addition to that and the rapid innovation of the digital world, all the information that identifies us is freely available on the internet.In the last several years the internet progressed so rapidly that it is being used for social interaction, product purchases and financial transactions. In addition to that many companies a re continuously collect personal information utilizing social networks, service providers, and retail sites. These companies claim that under the customer license agreements information provided will be safe guarded and released in a non identifiable form. This means that the information will be de-identified by changing the fixed set of attributes that it currently resides in.Once it is de-identified it will become safe enough to release to the public and will prevent others from using it for marketing or advertising purposes. â€Å"The emergence of powerful re-identification algorithms demonstrates not just a flaw in a specific anonymization technique(s), but the fundamental inadequacy of the entire privacy protection paradigm based on â€Å"de-identifying† the data. De-identification provides only a weak form of privacy. (Narayanan, A. , & Shmatikov, V. 2010)†This type of technique is only part of the solution when it comes to privacy protection. The ability to deve lop effective technologies to protect private information is being developed on continuous basis and there is still no definite answer as to what the best approach really is. Utilizing the de-identifying approach is a step in the right direction but it only patches the problem instead of solving it. Currently there are limitation to the way privacy is preserved and protected, therefore a better method of protection needs to be build and implemented.Security through Technology Now that we covered the outstanding issues with the identity tools and even ways of how to protect the personal identifiable information, next step is to identify technology flaws that jeopardize the security of the process. The technology plays a crucial role in how secure the data is both inside and outside the primary location. When it comes to computer systems and security, the weakest components are the end users, especially when they are accessing corporate information from their home location.With progre ssion of wireless based network technology, the adaptation rate has been enormous and is justified by the convenience that wireless technology provides for both basic and business consumer. Numerous applications have been developed to utilize the convenience of working from home for employee and to have them access databases of their organization using just the Internet browser. This scenario also works for those who are continuously traveling and therefore use wireless services at the hotels or other lodge places.Many of such systems only rely on passwords to authenticate users and pose a real threat when it comes to accessing corporate information. In such a case a hacker can intercept such credential information and utilize it to access the corporate databases and therefore conduct an intrusion which will go undetected since it relies on real user account information. â€Å"Hackers do not require specific hacking tools, as operating systems can find nearby routers and connect to them almost automatically.Hackers can then perform illegal operations such as hacking other computers, spreading viruses, organizing terrorist activities, and so on. (Loo 2008)† As the technology progresses and innovation takes place it would still be close to impossible to solve all security problems no matter what technology is in place. Security depends on several different factors including coordination between employers, end user and manufactures of the technology that is being used.It is up to the employees to be aware of security risks and protect the technology they are using no matter where they are. Investing time into learning about countermeasures is a worthy investment which can eventually prevent unrecoverable events such as an intrusion. Employers and providers of technology should focus on the usability and simplicity of the technology as well as establishing the necessary guidelines for usability and finding the right tools to address it. Protect Government I nformationIdentity theft has an enormous impact on both time and finance of a consumer who becomes the target of it; however it’s not only consumers that see the consequences of such thefts. Businesses are being impacted by this occurrence as well. Organizations need to protect their assets from cyber crime, web attacks, data breaches and fraud. Criminals utilize such attacks to harvest data through these means for financial, political and personal gain. Such actions are becoming firm motivators for adaptation of information system security approach to protect assets of companies.The ISS approach utilizes an accreditation process that mandates that all government agencies are complying with such standard. A unified security approach would have been ideal in the case of government agencies however even with proper accreditation and mandated requirements, more than half the agencies demonstrated resistance by their management to implement such rules. One of the reasons for such resistance was the norms and culture with the organizations which could not be unified by one system covering all the agencies.Secondly the management of the government branches that lacked the accreditation pointed out that it was due to the lack of resources that was being committed by Treasury to pay for the needed changes that were part of the compliance process. â€Å"The key lesson learned from this study was that a large-scale IS/IT project conducted across multiple government agencies and sites of varying sizes requires that the implementation be staggered and suited to agency size, thus breaking down the complexity of the tasks enabling resources (people and budgets) to be put in place and allocated to future project phases. Smith, S. , Winchester, D. , Bunker, D. , & Jamieson, R. 2010)† The authors point out that the failure of implementation was mostly due to the long term financial backing of the project and that adequate resources and senior management commitmen t is crucial to the success of ISS. Data Breaches and Identity Theft Data security is an ongoing process and affects both consumers and businesses, however retailers and financial institutions are responsible for storing and processing consumer financial data, and they are solely responsible for the security of it.One of the leading causes of identity theft is data breaches which are a process of loosing data due to a security or network flaw. This is why a proportionate combination of security vs. amount of data collected needs to be found. If there is too much data and not enough security than the potential cost of a data breach is very high. â€Å"Dollar estimates of the cost of identity theft do not by themselves indicate that too much identity theft is occurring.However, press accounts of data breaches suggest that personal identifying data (PID) is being stolen too frequently, and that the data thefts are unduly facilitating various kinds of identity theft. 2 (Roberds, W. , & Schreft, S. 2008)† Establishing policies that can ensure that the balance between data collection and security is properly maintained will be crucial in preventing data breaches. Data network can help prevent theft by securing its databases better as well as increasing the amount of PID compiled in order to identify possible fraudulent attempts on the network.The downside of over collecting is the spillover effect where the data can be stolen and used on another network, therefore breaching the other network. â€Å"†¦the approach here allows for explicit calculation of the efficient levels of data accumulation and data security, and for straightforward evaluation of policies meant to attain efficiency. More generally, it offers an illustration of how any such calculation should balance the costs associated with data misuse against the substantial gains afforded by the relaxation of anonymity. (Roberds, W. , & Schreft, S. 2008)†There are specific variables that nee d to be adjusted in order to achieve the highest possible degree of security and consider the costs that are associated with implementing this specific formula. Formal Identity Theft Prevention Programs As was already discussed previously, identity theft is a serious problem, and can take a very long time to even notice that it is taking place in our lives. Due to the amount of damage that is caused to the consumer’s life and financial situation, the government has taken steps to combat identity theft at federal, state and local levels therefore attempting to assist victims of this crime.There are several steps that have been taken in legislation, however there are still no laws in place that can regulate the general use of personally identifiable information in regard to government branches and both public and private sector. The key piece of information that is considered to be most valuable to the identity thieves is the Social Security Number (SSN), therefore one of the p revention initiatives is in regard to displaying and using Social Security Numbers in easily accessible laces. Other initiatives include securing the availability of personal information though information resellers, security weaknesses in the federal agency information systems, and breaches in data security. â€Å".. federal systems and sensitive information are at increased risk of unauthorized access and disclosure, modification, or destruction, as well as inadvertent or deliberate disruption of system operations and services. ( Bertoni, D. 2009)†.According to the GAO study it has been reported that federal agencies still experience a large number of security related incidents and that provides access to large amounts of personally identifiable information that reside in the federal records that could be utilized for identity theft purposes. Protecting personally identifiable information that is stored in the federal system is critical since its loss and unauthorized discl osure could result in devastating consequences for the individuals.The consequences could range from fraud, theft, embarrassment and even inconvenience in the cases of identity and financial related transactions. Results of identity theft have direct impact on the credit records of individuals and can also carry substantial costs related to this activity; in addition denial of loans and even convictions for crimes that an individual did not commit is a possible outcome of identity theft on the federal level. Solutions:Identifying all the sub categories of identity theft is outside the scope of this paper, however with a general understanding of how it affects consumers and business, as well as the severity of the issue; the next step is to see what can really be done to minimize the damage. One approach to combating identity theft is the implementation of smart cards into the financial system. These cards are designed to incorporate embedded computer chips that rely on encryption al gorithms to safe guard the information and aid in authorization of transactions and identity verifications.If the technology is properly implemented it can really aid consumers, merchants, banks and others in securing transaction and combating identity theft. In addition it will help lower the costs of fraud prevention and provide benefits in the form of creating a more efficient payment system. Such technology has already seen implementation internationally and have proven to be a much more secure and efficient method of payments. â€Å"Payment smart cards hold the promise to improve the security of payment authorization and help reduce the costs of identity theft and payments fraud.Smart cards allow a range of security options and some issuers have implemented the strongest upgrades, while others have not. (Sullivan 2008) The reduced infrastructure costs are yet another benefit that financial institutions can use in favor of implementing the system in United States. However there are some significant challenges moving forward with this system in regard to adaptation of smart cards by issuers, as well as having the whole industry agree on specific security protocols that will be used in the new smart cards.Identifying the true cost and both hardware and software limitation of the new product is also crucial in preventing adoption limitations. There is also the problem of having criminals shift efforts towards areas of weakness in the security of payments, however due to the lack of competitive advantage in the security standard there is a lack of willingness from the provider’s side in investing time and money. The complex network structure that is required to support the new standards is also a roadblock for implementation and development.Smart cards have the potential to become the new payment authorization standard but at this time they are facing a number of adaptation and development challenges that are discouraging financial institutions from mo ving towards them. Enforcement of physical identification cards to improve security is viable way; however a bigger issue of security and lack of it still takes places in many businesses. In the case of ID cards the outcome of implementing such a system would result in large databases of information that will utilize the technology for identification purposes.The problem here is what goes on behind the closed doors of the organization that houses such large amount of personal data. Part of it has to do with proper disposal of sensitive documents which most consumers don’t shred and even businesses that don’t properly take care of them. Once the information is housed in a database and is protected by firewalls and encryption routines, there is no clear process of how to prevent it from leaving the organization through unauthorized parties, computer theft, loss of physical media or records. †¦there is a significant need to widely implement measures for tracking and tracing identity thieves and fraudsters once a breach has occurred. There are various means of doing so, whether electronic or physical (Gregory, A. 2008). These undercover tracking and tracing agents can log all the activity that is taking place by phone or email and then can be used for verification purposes and zero out any anomalies or breach attacks. This type of tracking can help companies stay on top of the activities that are taking place and even intervene in the process in order to minimize the outcome of the breach or fraudulent transactions.It will also help prevent the amount of complains, loss of reputation and damage to the company and its brand. The database of personal data can become quite large and is continuously exposed to security threats and data corruption, that’s why companies hire consultants to investigate risk and exposures of the database information. Consultants check for compliance with Data Protection Act as well as other required transactional practices. In some cases the database can be subjected to quality assessment and data hygiene as to keep the information up to date and as accurate as possible.The results of the analysis can then be used to create an actionable strategy to manage the databases and maintain integrity and efficiency for both short and long term. An increasing amount of identity theft incidents have also provoked major changes in the financial industry, especially with banking applications and the way that they protect data and ensure legitimate transactions. To insure such security and integrity, financial institutions have integrated biometric technologies such as fingerprint and facial recognition that are mandatory for customers and ensure higher level of security. Biometric methods are based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. Since they take advantage of mostly unchangeable characteristics, they are more reliable than traditional methods of authorization (Koltzsch, G. 2006)† T he usage of such technology that can be so closely bound to a physical attribute of a person is very promising, especially in the financial sector and has been looked at it for the last 10 years. However due to the cost and the complexity on the implementation part as well as inconvenience to the consumer, it has not been as widespread as originally planned.Today this technology is mostly used for standalone applications, such as guarding vaults, high security areas and employee authentication. Customer oriented solutions are still in early development stages and are not fully implemented due to the fear of alienating customers and pushing them away from what they are used to. Another reason for the lack of implementation is the difficulty in standardizing this technology on the international scale. The fear of investing in technology that will not be supported by others is what is slowing the adaptation process down.However due to the rise in identity theft and phishing cases there has been a new movement towards the development of this technology to prevent loss of information and financial resources. Protecting the payment system depends on the adoption of industry standards for data security and implementation of the new digitally aware way to personally identify an individual. Currently the identification process depends on the Social Security Number as we discussed previously, which is one of the main reasons that identity theft still occurs.To be affective in protecting the payment system there needs to be a way to properly monitor the compliance of the system and enforce proper penalties in the case of its absence. Payment system participants can also hold each other accountable for the damage in the incompliance of contractual agreements in place. Due to high litigation costs in the event of identity theft, merchants are now implementing new policies that allow them to discard transactional information much faster in order to prevent its exposure to t heft. Another fairly recent step taken by the private sector is the development of insurance products to cover losses from identity theft. Coverage for consumers is available from several sources, at a cost of approximately $120 per year, and appears to provide minimal coverage against lost wages, legal fees for defending against lawsuits brought by creditors or collection agencies, and select out-of-pocket expenses (Schreft, S. 2007)†. The down fall of this type of coverage is its limitations. Neither type of uch insurances or proposed coverage will really protect against identity theft risk because the financial sector cannot ensure against systematic risk. This results in the loss of confidence in the system all together therefore creating the possibility of users accessing such services less frequently. Imperfections in the ability to protect the consumer against crime, results in having the government oversee the failures and driving it towards protecting the integrity an d efficiency of the financial system. Shortcomings of the SystemTo combat identity theft is an enormous task that even the government is struggling to achieve. The reason for this is time, money and consistency between financial providers and government levels. Several different attempts have been made to provide tools for consumers to identify theft and report it to the institutions. However even though such systems are in place, many consumers complain that even when such theft occurs and notices are placed on accounts, thieves are still able to steal money under fraudulent identities. They are even able to successfully apply for loans when there are errors in the information provided.In addition to that the Credit Bureaus have made it close to impossible for an everyday consumer to reach an actual human customer support representative due to the automated telephone systems that have been implemented. Another reason why the system just does not work the way it was proposed, is the cost that the credit bureaus are enduring with the escalation of identity theft cases. The actual costs of thefts are not reflected on the bureaus since they only provide credit reports and credit monitoring services which consumers buy in most cases even if they have been a victim of theft.The bureaus have no real incentive in helping consumers prevent identity fraud, which is in this case is a conflict of interest for one of the parties involved. This conflict of interests entails in the amount of early revenues that are generates from products such as credit reports and credit monitoring services. The latest offering from the bureaus is an email notification service that notifies the consumers if any changes in the credit records occur and charges a fee for it. One observer has estimated that credit bureaus received $600 million in 2003 from sales of credit reports, credit scores, and credit monitoring services (Hendricks 2003). In such a case the credit bureaus are profiting fr om the sales of preventive service that prevent the client from the theft that the bureau makes possible. Overestimation of losses is also a shortcoming of the system that is geared toward protecting the consumer in the business of financial transaction and identity information. A claim that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in U. S. is what the consumers are being told on the continuous basis.Lately the press coverage of this topic has grown significantly and provided a number of related events that claims an affected population of 4. 6% and losses of more than $60 billion dollars a year. What consumers need to take into account is the $50 maximum liability that is provided by the financial institutions, as well as the fact the media is taking into account information theft that did not result in financial losses to the institutions. Such overestimation are leading many consumers away from doing business on the internet and providing erroneous information, while forcing t hem to implement monitoring services that cost them money.As was covered before, smart cards is viable solution to the new identifiable information problem, however its shortcoming is the same problem as it exists with current financial tools. The exchange of personal information between the consumer and merchant can still result in letting an impersonator utilize the information to initiate a payment therefore making the smart card inefficient at securing the customer. Conclusion Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in United States, and the real reason behind that is the fact technology innovated at a much greater speed than businesses and consumers have been able to adapt to it.Because of that the tools that we use to identify ourselves are no longer safe and need to be updated. On the consumer side a variety of tools are available to protect oneself from identity theft. However the cost of such tools can be a draw back in their implementation. On the business side s tools such as high level encryption, RFID chips and transition standards are in development stages and are planned to be implemented in the near future. Identity cards and centralized databases can be the key to solving security epidemic but are not versatile enough and carry overhead cost during the implementation process.There are many viable solutions to protect both the consumer and the business; the path really depends on cost and time available to either one. Awareness is the best approach to keeping you data safe and secure.

How does the human body defend itself against pathogens Essay

How does the human body defend itself against pathogens - Essay Example Communicable illnesses are transmitted by germs particularly bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It is also important to explicate the fact that there are various points of entry of these germs into the human body. Some of these points of entry include the mouth, nose, and injured areas of the skin. Some illnesses are transmitted by insects such as malaria. There are three defence lines in the body. The first line of defence include the skin, second line of defence include the white blood cells, while the third line of defence involves the lymphatic system. Once germs or pathogens enter into the human body, the body reacts automatically to fight these germs. However, if the body is not in a position to confront these pathogens, the germs react by reproducing themselves and subsequently assault the numerous cells in the body in large numbers. The result is serious illnesses that can be life threatening. Other than pathogens, illnesses can also result due to abnormalities in the body itself. For instance, some diseases such as cancer are caused by abnormalities in the body, as mentioned earlier (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2008). Nevertheless, the focus in this paper is pathogens. There are various ways that the body defends itself against disease causing pathogens or micro-organisms. The skin is the outer coating of the human body. In simple terms, the skin functions as a tool that blocks or barricades disease causing pathogens from entering the body. The outer layer of the skin is known as epidermis. This layer is important in defending the body against pathogens as it functions as a wall or blockade that blocks grime and pathogens out. The components that make up the skin are structured in a very compact way such that disease causing micro-organisms can penetrate only in case the skin is injured. The skin also prevents the entry of pathogens through notifying or sending signals to the immune system of an impending

Urban Growth Policy within your Community Research Paper

Urban Growth Policy within your Community - Research Paper Example Development of good policies to govern cities would ensure a strategic and conducive business environment, better infrastructural services to the residence and better standards of living to the residents. The relationship between the policy makers and the residence of different cities fluctuates depending on the policies, government development and behavior. The urban policies in the cities are aimed at ensuring job creation and housing to the residence, this is achieved through an urban based development policy from the federal government. Policies are made in such a way that employers in the urban areas do not suffer (Gottlieb, 2007). This done by ensuring that they benefit from the incentives based on their places of business. The urban policies have ensured that important facilities such as the places for markets, cultural centers and other important facilities are integrated in specific locations so as to maximize the use of space and ensure creativity within the cities. Though development advancement as well as the management of public properties in the cities has proved to be crucial to its economic prosperity, the vulnerable groups in the society face a stiff challenge in copi ng with these policies. This is basically attributed by the urban policies that privatized public properties thus criminating them when these policies are applied. Sprawl growth The urban Sprawl is attracted by the opportunities in the markets, therefore making it difficult it difficult to be controlled by a single city policy. Control of the Sprawl growth is both a responsibility of the local and the federal government. The coordination between the rural and the urban authorities should be enhanced to ensure that pressure on land use meant for development of industries does not encourage development of Sprawls. Los Angeles is one of the cities that have embraced smart growth at the expense of Sprawl growth with the aim of a future sustainability (Gottlieb, 2007). Los Angeles Land Use Policy The strategic position of Los Angeles city makes it one of the most important international trade centers. The market forces and the policies governing land are some of challenges that the indus trial development in the city face. The market trends and policies governing the public properties are regionally and nationally influenced. Some policies and business activities in the port of Los Angeles may not be handled by the city. However continuous conversion of industrial land to residential places has prompted the city’s policy makers to develop policies that would protect industrial Land from being depleted. Citing from the city policy on land use, the city would be able to handle the trend of unemployment and low standards of living by developing industries that would sustain the residents. The policy is aimed at developing criteria of limiting the construction of residential areas at the expense of industrialization. The policy also aims at preserving and increasing the number of jobs in the city by attracting and increasing investments in the industrial sector through the land use policy. From statistics, the city added over a million new residents and in a span of twenty five years, contrary to this over 50, 000 jobs were lost (Estolano, 2008). Development of real estates was the major driving force towards the high population increase with less concern in job creation.

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Sainsbury - Assignment Example However, the major success factor of the company is its effective value chain framework that ensures long-term sustainability and profitability for the company (Sainsbury Plc, 2014). Notably, the company has fully automated depots in its inbound logistics which further depicts the extensive use of IT in its business operations. This not only enhances the operational efficacy of the company but also results in establishing it as one of the competent business unit in terms of implementing and utilizing IT (Sekhar, 2009; Clark, 2004). The operations of the company are conducted in a three store formats which includes the local, regular and the central domain. The company has more than 500 local stores operating in the UK that has diverse branding approach and fascia. The central formats are used for the stores of the company which are small to medium in size and operate in the center of the city. Apart from the regular products, the company also sells some specific mainline brands through its stores in the UK market (Prezi Inc, 2014; Khosrowpour, 2004). The outbound logistics of the company includes two picking centers and it follows a warehousing model. The aim of this model is to establish dedicated picking centers in the UK with the aim to enhance the delivery of its products and services to the urban area further expanding their services to new potential customers. Notably, the company has faced immense competition from the rival supermarket chains which has forced it to develop effective strategies which can ensure the sustainability for the business. This has influenced the company to adopt the warehousing model (Prezi Inc, 2014; Khosrowpour, 2004). In the value chain domain of marketing and sales, the company targets both the customers including high income group as well as the potential buyers falling under the low income group. However, the company mainly focuses on providing high end products and makes a mark for itself in the

Taking municipal vehicles home Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Taking municipal vehicles home - Research Paper Example According to Plaisance, it was recommended that city employees should be paying a weekly fee in order to enjoy the privilege of driving home in a municipal vehicle (Plaisance par. 5). The strict measure was proposed in order to discourage the habit since there was huge wastage of public resources. Taking municipality vehicle’s home is a major concern since it acts as an indirect fining to city residents. Municipality officials drive home on their official work cars, thus, consuming much fuel that translates into millions of dollars. Consequently, there is huge wastage of public funds since driving home is a personal issue that is of no benefit to the citizens who are heavily taxed (McDonald, par. 2). Moreover, workers should be given a framework of guidelines that ensures that such loopholes of public funds wastage are mended. Various theories, as well as views, depict people view the issue. There are those that view the issue as a normal one whereas others deem it as a critical concern. City officials deem it as a practice that encourages excessive use of the limited municipality resources. Therefore, employees who do not work on â€Å"regular and current† basis should not be allowed to take vehicles home. Many cities have enacted laws that regulate the number of take-home vehicles. The policy of take-home vehicles puts a city’s constrained resources under financial pressure. Therefore, proper policy measures that control the situation need to be put in place. Nonetheless, there are various legal requirements that limit the level of taking the municipal vehicles’ home. Municipal employees who are not in a â€Å"call around the clock† duty cannot use vehicles same to those who work intermittently. However, there are other groups of workers who have remained proof of these legal steps. These groups entail workers who can be called required to be during any moment. Otherwise, the law constrains municipal workers from using such city vehicles except when

Business development plan. This requires you to demonstrate that you Essay

Business development plan. This requires you to demonstrate that you learnt from the management theory from the lectures and se - Essay Example The book store is located at Gloucester road in Bristol, UK. The study also took help from secondary sources such as â€Å"Love Gloucester Road† website in order to understand nature of business operation for a book store (Love Gloucester Road, 2013). Currently the book store operating in brick and mortar format but the owner of the book store is considering of changing from its traditional business into e-commerce. The store offers books on various topics ranging from Science, Commerce, Management, Fictions and Non-fictions. Target customers for the book store are students, professionals, senior citizens of local community. The book store earns significant amount of revenue by selling second-hand books to customers. It has been realized by the owner of the bookstore that floor space of the store is too small to accommodate large set of customers at a particular time hence they are planning to sell books through an online platform in order to cater to the demand of large pool of customers in systematic manner. Sweeney (2006) has pointed out that small businesses move into e-commerce platform for three reasons such as 1- creating brand awareness, 2- decreasing overhead cost and 3- competing with big players in the market. In the last decade itself, there has been a surge in second hand book selling in England, which can be a very prospective market to harp on. Industry trend is showing that demand for e-books, kindles and epub files is growing at steady rate for last five years (Davenport, 2012). Companies like Amazon, eBay have changed the concept of brick and mortar book stores by introducing online bookstores. Online bookstores are providing facilities like home delivery, cash on delivery and others which have helped them to create a large consumer base within last few years. Being a part of this ever changing book industry, every business house must try and adopt itself to suit the needs of customers who prefer online shopping over traditional brick a nd mortar retail shopping. Therefore, an online portal will give this book industry a common platform where all customers can mingle, interact and most importantly buy and sell books with the click of a button. It takes minimal effort and cost for a small book store to e-commercialize its business. For example, e-commercialization can help a book store to decrease various overhead costs such as maintenance cost, rent, electricity charges and wages. It is evident from the above discussion that lower overhead cost caused by e-commercialization can help a bookstore to adopt penetration pricing strategy in order achieve competitive advantage over other book stores. An online transformation has innumerable benefits, and one of it is its global reach. A physical store somewhere in Gloucester will only cater to customers from its surroundings, but an online business has no boundaries and people from all across the globe are its potential customers. An online business has numerous other ben efits apart from reach and cost. It is much faster than the traditional method of business with faster transaction process, faster inventory management and faster information storage. An online shop never closes down contrary to the ordinary shop, which has its fixed timings when it remains open. One of the 4 Ps of marketing is Place, and every business strives to enhance it by broadening its distribution channels and its temporal and spatial convenience. An online portal fulfils just

Socio-Technical Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Socio-Technical Systems - Essay Example Throughout the various stages involved in this case study, its success was highly shaped by the organization’s social system. Before the E-File system was adopted by the company, its workers were frustrated with the level of service they received. The workers termed this as â€Å"deteriorating service† as their issues were not addressed in time. Those that were injured at work had to wait for a long period of time for their claims to be processed, a process that was greatly tiring and time consuming. This meant that the level of relationship between the workers and the organization’s administration was strained. However, the adoption of the new technological system was a breath of fresh air to all. The E-File system was swift and convenient. The workers claims could now be processed in a timely manner. This helped in saving time for both the workers and the management, a time that could now be used in carrying out other organizational activities (Golden-Biddle, 2 ). According to Golden-Biddle (2), human beings organize themselves into the different kinds of social groupings they interact with in everyday situations. In this case, the workplace can be considered as a social grouping in which the company workers associate with everyday. When carrying out the transition from the paper based work processes into the more technical E-File system, the company’s social system played a vital role in shaping its final outcome (Parker, 6). As such, the company’s staff was in a position to consult amongst one another on how the new system worked. Though much of the staff was already highly skilled on the new tasks at hand, those that did not understand the technical aspect of the new system were in a position to learn from those that already had more knowledge and expertise in the system. This ensured that no worker was left behind in the evolution from the paper based process into the new paperless system. At the same time, the workers we re in a position to learn how the system worked from a much better perspective when taught by their co-workers than from the technical experts. The insurance management understood that it would highly depend on the ability and willingness of its employees to develop new work practices and skills in order for this new project to take effect. This meant that the organization had to find ways through which any interference or hindrance to these changes could be eliminated (Stebbins & Shani, 17). As such, the company devised new ways through which they could appeal to the employees socially and dampen whatever fears they had in regards to the project. In order to achieve this, the company recognized the need for reassure its workers that they would not be affected by the technological changes. To this effect, the insurance company negotiated a provision within the collective employment agreement and a wage protection for its entire staff that would be affected by the technological chang e within the organization (Parker, 5). In this case, the technical system interacted perfectly with the social system in shaping the outcome of this new project. After the implementation of these new provisions, more workers embraced the new system. This is because they felt that their social surroundings were safe and were not on the verge of collapsing (Stebbins & Shani, 28). This new agreement demonstrated that the employees would be given the support and time that they would require to learn how the new syste

How can tax cuts help revive the economy Explain Essay - 2

How can tax cuts help revive the economy Explain - Essay Example The effect of tax cuts on the macro economy will however depend on the way the taxpayers will use their additional income and adjustment of government to its low income. This is referred to as fiscal policy which contrasts the macroeconomic policy which attempts to control interest rates as well as supply of money in stabilizing the economy. Fiscal policy uses taxation and government expenditure as its two instruments. Changes in taxation levels and government spending impacts on aggregate demand and economic activity level in the economy. It also impacts on pattern of allocation of resources and income distribution. Fiscal policy is used by government to influence economic aggregate demand in the need to achieve price stability, economic growth and full employment. According to Kogan, (2003), tax cuts stimulate the economy together with intervention of interest rates and deficit spending. Economic stimulation can only be realized if the government reduces its expenditure and the tax payers increase their expenditure especially on local commodities. The free market economy advocates argue that economic welfare of people will be improved since people are rational in what they want than the government. The suppliers of economy advocate for tax cuts because they stimulate the economy if the government expenditure is maintained and tax payers spend more of their income on locally produced commodities. This stimulates the economic growth but only on condition that it is properly maintained, otherwise it leads to economic inflation. If the expected revenue increase in the long term is not realized, the government may be left with huge debts to pay and hence a dangerous budgetary crisis. In order that the government determines that the tax cut is or is not worth to the economy, the tax multiplier is used, which measures aggregate production changes as a result of

Quantitative Content Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Quantitative Content Analysis - Essay Example The experiment also tests the effect of music on the learning process. It is commonly accepted and proved by research that loud noise impedes concentration and learning. However, some background music might improve the learning process. It is not known what type, genres and loudness are more helpful than others. The effect on different age groups is also unknown (Levy 1999). In one scene, the eye sees a huge number of objects and events that compete for visual attention. Humans rapidly prioritize and focus on critical objects and events and ignore the rest. However, it is not known how people select the most significant objects and events in complex images. Chun (2000) stated that humans use visual context information to find objects in complex scenes. He argued that visual context guides the eyes to select important objects while ignore the rest. In 1967, Yarbus demonstrated that people concentrate on faces and other relevant aspects of scenes. Eyes move more to informative objects within a scene (Loftus & Mackworth (1978), Mackworth & Morandi (1967). Biederman (1982) suggested that context also facilitate recognition of objects within a scene. ... They hypothesized that non changing contextual information guides participants' spatial attention to efficiently find targets. They experimented with identification of targets within old or new visual arrangements. Old arrangements maintained the same spatial configuration of target within its distractors. New arrangements contained changing spatial configuration of target within its distractors. They found that even though participants did not remember repetitions of old configurations, they found targets within old configurations faster than targets within new configurations. They concluded that contextual cueing effect was the reason. Spatial context learning is important because the configurations of different objects are stable with time. Visual context is defined by attributes other than spatial layout such as background knowledge. Background knowledge suggests the presence of some objects more than others and thus gives some objects more attention than others. The presence of one object in relation to another is acquired through experience. Savan, A. (1999) investigated whether Mozart orchestral compositions would improve the co-ordination skills of pupils. To determine the physiological effect of music on participants, she measured blood pressure, body temperature, and pulse rate in response to different sound stimulus. She found that Mozart compositions stimulated the production of endorphin within the brain, which slowed down the physiological parameters of blood pressure, body temperature, and pulse rate and reduced overall body metabolism and hormone production. She concluded that music improved the coordination of pupils. The experiment tests the hypothesis

Alcoholic beverage Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic beverage Essay TGIF! How many people love to end a long, hard and stressful week with a cold beer in their hands? I know I do! Sixty-seven percent of U. S. adults drink alcohol, a slight increase over last year and the highest reading recorded since 1985 by one percentage point. Beer remains the favorite beverage among drinkers, followed by wine and then liquor. Usually people would think beer is only for drinking and getting a little buzz, but in reality, there is a deeper meaning to beer that is used for several of things that may surprise you. Beer is one of the worlds oldest prepared beverages; possibly dating back to the early Neolithic or 9500 BC, when cereal was first farmed, and is recorded in the written history of ancient Iraq and ancient Egypt. Archaeologists speculate that beer was instrumental in the formation of civilizations. Beer was the first alcoholic beverage known to civilization; however, who drank the first beer is unknown. Historians theorize that humankinds fondness for beer and other alcoholic beverages was a factor in our evolution away from a society of nomadic hunters and gathers into an agrarian society that would settle down to grow crops (and apparently drink). The first product humans made from grain water before learning to make bread was beer. Beer can help you with growing grass. How is beer and grass associated with each other? Next time you see brown spots on your lawns, pour beer on them. The grass will make use of the nutrients, sugar and energy in the beer and grow better. If you ever find slugs and snails in the grass, putting salt on them, to kill them, seems to be a big chore. Take a wide-mouthed container and half-fill it with beer. Bury it in your garden, in such a way that its mouth is at the ground level. Slugs and snails will be attracted to it and, in the process, get drowned. Aside from environmental uses, beer can also be beneficial to the objects around us. Want to bring the shine back to your gold ornaments? Put beer in a cup and dip a piece of cloth in it. Now, rub the gold object, without stones, with the dipped-in cloth. After it starts giving a renewed sign, dry it with a second cloth. Also, beer can polish wooden furniture. If you have some flattened beer left with you, use it to polish your old wooden furniture. Dampen a washcloth with beer and rub the cloth over the furniture, giving it more shiny and healthy look. Beer cannot only polish furniture but it also Removes Stains. For those looking for a solution to their stained clothes or carpet, beer will be the best bet. Pour beer onto the stain and gently rub the area with a brush. After the stain gets removed, blot the area with some water and let it dry. Beer also contains to personal uses. For instance, softening your hair. If you want to make your hair extra soft, make a shampoo with beer. Take half a can of beer and mix in a raw egg. Massage it into your hair and rinse well. You can also rub in a mixture of 15ml beer and 70ml warm water into your hair and rinse it off. This substance can also remove foot odor. You can use beer to remove bad odor from your feet. Wash your feet with beer and then rinse them with soap and water. Dry your feet with a towel and put some talcum powder on them. In addition, it can also remove stains, For those looking for a solution to their stained clothes or carpet, beer will be the best bet. Pour beer onto the stain and gently rub the area with a brush. After the stain gets removed, blot the area with some water and let it dry. Since beer was discovered, it has been in many different cultures and regions. The usage of beer plays a different role in various of countries. Beer Traditions The Honeymoon 4,000 years ago in Babylon, it was an accepted practice that for a month after the wedding, the brides father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead or beer he could drink. In ancient Babylon, the calendar was lunar-based based on the cycle of the moon. The month following any wedding was called the honey month which evolved into honeymoon. Mead is a honey beer and what better way to celebrate a honeymoon. Pubs in Ireland, and you won’t find TVs lining the walls, but people sitting around in circles, drinking pints, and talking with one another. The activity of drinking beer has taken on creative forms to include drinking games, such as beer pong, or visiting multiple bars and pubs in an evening to enjoy a beer from each one. As the consumption of beer has continued to grow in popularity, with beer being one of the most consumed beverages in the world, beer festivals have increased. Most notable is the German festival, Oktoberfest, which just ended. Over 200 years old, the festival began in Germany and has grown to feature cities across the world holding their own Oktoberfest events, with live entertainment, German food, and beer. As the number of breweries has increased, they have begun to partner with nearby cities to hold their own beer festivals. You can often find a number of regional and national beer festivals taking place almost any month of the year. Beer and nutrition? You dont usually see those two words together, but perhaps beer is a bit misunderstood. It may actually be good for you when consumed in moderate amounts. Beer has been brewed for just about as long as humans have been cultivating crops and is actually made with some very healthy ingredients. Those ingredients are hops, brewers yeast, barley and malt. There are different styles of beer and each style has a distinctive flavor and color. Tasting and learning about the different types of beer is as much fun as tasting and learning about the different types of wine. Drinking one beer per day may be good for your health because it has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Why? Experts suggested that the folate found in beer may help to reduce homocysteine in the blood and lower homocysteine levels mean a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Lab studies have found constituents in beer that lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in mice. Drinking one beer per day reduces blood clotting so some studies found that cardiovascular patients who drank one beer per day also lived longer. Other studies have found that women who consume one beer each day have improved mental health. Drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages in moderation may also improve bone density. Of course that doesnt mean that if one beer is good, three or four must be better. That isnt true. Drinking more than one beer or any alcoholic beverage per day can put too much alcohol in your system and that isnt good for you. Heavy drinking has been associated with several health problems, so moderation is definitely the key with drinking beer. The studies also point to one beer per day as being beneficial, not drinking all seven beers in one day per week. That type of binge drinking will overload you system with alcohol too. The benefits of beer nutrition probably have nothing to do with the alcohol and there are some low-alcohol beers and non-alcohol beers available which offer the same heart-protective effect as regular and light beers.

The background of Hai-O in Malaysia

The background of Hai-O in Malaysia Background of the Company Hai-O is one of the leading traditional healthcare companies in Malaysia, competing in the niche of traditional Chinese medicine. In the first chapter, this paper will discuss the background of the company in general to further illustrate the business nature of the company. This will provide the basis for the further discussion of Hai-Os business strategy. Introduction Hai-O is a local group of companies that operates in the business of traditional Chinese medicine. Hai-O Group of Companies (the Group) comprise of a few business divisions in the corporate structure. All of these divisions operate in the core business of Chinese healthcare products that include herbal medicines, pharmaceutical products as well as health food. Hai-O divisions include multi-level marketing (MLM) wholesaling, retail stores, as well as manufacturing. The Group has also diversified into a few other industries such as advertising services and leasing of machinery. Problem Statement For thousands of years, traditional medicine has been used in some communities for health cures and remedies. As it has been re-introduced in the modern world, there has been a growing debate on its effectiveness and potential side effects. This causes a rough ride for Hai-O as a traditional medicine provider. One of the challenges arise is the lack of international standards and evaluation methods for the efficiency of traditional medication because of international diversity of cultures and regions. As a result, many countries do not have national policies and regulations for traditional medicines. And there is also an issue of disparity in definition and classification for traditional medicine therapies. Some countries may define an herbal product as food supplement while others may accept it as herbal medicine, making international access and global product distributions a challenge to abide for Hai-O Group. There is also limitation for traditional medicines in terms of safety and quality. This is due to the complex nature of the methods for research and evaluation. For example, the safety and quality of finished herbal medicine products require tests on their resources which at one point can comprise hundreds of natural constituents. And the handling of these elements also needs to be evaluated. Products of traditional medicine are produced form natural elements which mostly are collected from wild plants. Scarcity of resources could also be an issue for business practices, not to mention the social threat they might face because of destructing of natural resources. Aside from growing competitions from other extension of healthcare business, Hai-O Enterprise Berhad needs to address these challenges and issues in its strategy to exhilarate growth and expansion. Problem Questions Writing this case will aim to answer a few questions that arise in the problem statement above. Some of the questions are: What is Hai-Os strategy to tackle the negative aspects of TCM? Why does Hai-O employ its current business strategies? How does Hai-O plan to expand into international market? How does Hai-O sustain its growth despite the challenges and threats? Case Study Objectives Objective of this case study is to critically analyse the: Business strategy; Strategy formulation; and the Issues and challenges faced by Hai-O Group in its business strategy Upon completion, this study will help to understand and clearly identify the business strategy of Hai-O Group. Through the case analysis, Hai-Os strategy formulation will be carefully examined and this will guide the finding of the critical issues and challenges of its business strategy. Companys Overview Hai-O was established in 1975, and has become a famous household name in Malaysia ever since. Originally, the Company offered an assortment of Chinese medicines and healthcare products. Much later, the business expanded and grew into Hai-O Group of Companies. It first made its way to Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in the year 1996, by being listed in the second board of Bursa Malaysia. The Group has 5 principal business that are multi-level marketing, wholesaling, retailing, manufacturing and medicinal clinics. The Group was the first traditional healthcare company listed on the stock exchange. It was listed into the main board of Bursa Malaysia on 2007. Expert in its niche, Hai-O has managed to build extensive and efficient distribution network for the past three decades. As part of its services, the Group is also practising integrated health services which combine the traditional Chinese medicine clinic services and non-decocted Chinese herbal consultation in their retail stores. These services were collaboration with its joint venture partner, Beijing Tongrentang Co Ltd, a big TCM provider in China. History of Hai-O Hai-O Enterprise Bhd was founded by Mr. Tan Kai Hee in 1975. He was an assistant secretary-general of the Labour Party in 1960s and was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) from 1965 to 1973. Only 28 years old at the time, Tan was optimistic despite the unfortunate circumstances. Finding job after the detention was not easy, and this leads him to the idea of organising other ex-comrades to venture into China trade. And so they set up Hai-O in 1975 and started operation in Klang. The business was soon became a word of mouth among friends and supporters. Due to a lot of hard work and high optimism, the Group was able to break even within the first year and all of the key historical and inspirational accomplishment took place itself in the first year it was introduced. Throughout many years of operation, the Group has earned a lot of awards for their remarkable performance. Such recognitions are awarded to all the top performing companies within the Group. The Group take pride in its achievements which have help instil good confidence among its investors and customers. Awards and recognitions received by Hai-O Group are: Hai-O Enterprise: Best Small Capitalisation Company (Malaysian Corporate Governance Index 2009) by Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) Hai-O Enterprise: Best Return to Shareholder Category First Runner Up Award by Malaysian Business CIMA Enterprise Governance 2009 Hai-O Enterprise: Best Under a Billion Award by Forbes Asia 2009 Hai-O Enterprise: Ranked no. 6 in Top 100 Listed Company In Terms of Shareholder Values Creations 2008 by KPMG and The Edge Hai-O Enterprise: Best Under a Billion Award by Forbes Asia 2008 Hai-O Raya: The Brand Laureate 2008-2009 under the Product Branding for Traditional Chinese Medicine category Hai-O Marketing: Malaysian Business Ethics Excellence 2008 recognition certificate by Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Hai-O Raya: Malaysian Business Ethics Excellence 200 recognition certificate by Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Hai-O Enterprise: Best Under a Billion Award by Forbes Asia 2007 Hai-O Marketing: Outstanding Contribution Towards Developing Bumiputra Entrepreneurs 2007 recognition certificate by MECD Hai-O Raya: Superbrand 2003/2004 Hai-O Raya: Malaysian Book of Records: Greatest Number of Traditional Healthcare Chain Stores in Malaysia 2001 Hai-O Raya: Golden Bull Award: Malaysias Top 100 Outstanding SMEs 2003 Hai-O Raya: Enterprise 50 by SMIDEC and Deloitte 2003 Top Malaysian Small Cap Companies (100 Jewels 2007) by OSK Investment Bank Bhd Hai-O Marketing: 13 Years Membership with Direct Selling Association Malaysia 2007 Diamond Club Award for Excellent Performance 2002, 2003, 2006 GMP Status and ISO: 9001certification by SG Global Biotech Sdn Bhd U.S. FDA Facility Registration certificate by SG Global Biotech Sdn Bhd Source: http://en.hai-o.com.my Vision, Mission and Corporate Values The Group ultimate goal is to become a premiere healthcare company in Malaysia. Focusing on it, its vision reads: We aim to become the premier healthcare company in Malaysia and thereby bringing the greatest value and pride to our customers, business partners, employees and shareholders. This explained that their vision of being the leading healthcare company are much focused on delivering value to each key element that make up their business, internally and externally. Hai-O has strived over 35 years to take the brand name beyond the image of Chinese medicine. The Group genuine interests in healthy culture boost their spirit to promote humans well-being with the mission statement that reads: We are committed to promoting healthcare culture and improving humans well-being. Such vision and mission is incorporated into the Groups corporate value. Hai-O means seagull in Mandarin. It is a metaphor that the Group will soar high and the Group incorporated its corporate values in the word seagull itself and the image of a seagull is embedded in the Groups company logo. Their 7 core values are: Social responsibility; Hai-O strives to repay society by helping those in needs through actions and monetary support. Excellent service; Hai-O strives beyond customers expectations to give excellent quality products and superior service. Attitude; Hai-O strives to sustain a positive attitude in every dimensions of the business at any circumstances it faces. Unity; Hai-O strives to unite its organization as one big family in Malaysian culture of different races to achieve its goals in the challenging business world. Growing; Hai-O strives to capitalise on its competitive advantage and knowledge to ensure continuous improvement and growth. Loyalty; Hai-O strives to be loyal to its business partners and its commitment to convey good results to the customers as well as the shareholders. Learning; Hai-O strives to build a knowledge-based working environment by collecting its resources together to achieve goals to educate consumers on healthcare and to contribute to the research and development in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical science. Figure 1: Hai-Os Company Logo Image source: Adapted from http://en.hai-o.com.my Strategy One of the obvious strategies to market its product was the Group formation of Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd. in 1992. This subsidiary company is targeted to market Hai-Os products through multilevel marketing. Products that are sold through this company are health food, wellness and beauty products. This strategy of has boosted the Groups business substantially and has brought a huge exposure for Hai-Os brand into the consumer market. Although the business move has brought a giant impact, the Group fundamental strategies still remain in three main criteria; choosing the right product, targeting the Bumiputra segment and venturing abroad. Hai-O sources raw materials for its product from the main land China. TCM market in China is saturated and the products are variety. But Hai-O is devoted to solitary select the right ones to bring into its product line. Only importing patented products that are approved by the Ministry of Health, the Group built its clients trust by selling genuine quality products at a fair price with Hai-O branding. In 2002, links to China were further consolidated in a partnership with Peking Tongrentang, a renowned company with a 338-years history and is famous for working for the emperor during the Qing dynasty. Other than that, the Group also signed a sole distributorship agreement in 2007, with Yunnan Baiyao Group Co Ltd. Since the setting of its MLM division, Malay consumers have constituted a large segment of its market as well as its sales force, which has result in a remarkable transformation for Hai-O as a group. The concept of MLM suited the Bumiptra market very well. Famous product among the Malay consumer is the Pur Er tea which is considered as a wonder tonic with abundant health benefits ranging from removing toxins to improving blood circulation. Achieving reputation among Malay consumers has changed the Groups image from previously a mainly Malaysian Chinese trade. As a result, the brand is more accessible and well received by other citizen in Malaysia. As the power of traditional medicine is showing evident results in todays healthcare industry, the Group decided to take the business abroad by penetrating the lucrative markets of China and Indonesia. A joint venture company has been set up in Jakarta and has started business in August 2009. As for China, the Group is in the midst of obtaining the necessary rights and licences to promote Malaysias traditional medicines and health products such as Tongkat Ali, and Kacip Fatimah in its local market. Venturing into the international market is a strategy that the Group hope will help to expose their brand even further as well as promote traditional Chinese medicine to a higher level. Corporate Structure Figure 2: Hai-Os Corporate Structure Source: http://en.hai-o.com.my Wholesale Division As a second largest contributor to the Group, the wholesale division have secured exclusive agency rights for importing and distributing of more than 200 branded products from China under the company names Hai-O Medicine Sdn. Bhd., Kinds Resources Sdn. Bhd., Grand Brands (M) Sdn. Bhd., Chop Aik Seng Sdn. Bhd. and Vintage Wine Sdn. Bhd. These products include a wide range of traditional Chinese medicines, teas and wines that are distributed through Hai-Os multi-distribution channels. These channels offer a broad access to Chinese medical halls, hyper/ supermarkets, convenience stores, retail outlets and restaurants. Direct Selling Division The direct selling division, also known as the MLM division has been the Groups fastest growing segment since it is first introduced in 1992. Operating under the company name Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd., the division has a strong distribution force that helped the company to emerge as a leading local direct selling company. Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd. is now serving over 34,000 distributorships, through more than 50 distribution centres throughout Malaysia. With the product mix ranging from healthcare to household products, Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd. also owns a subsidiary company, PT Hai-O Indonesia which took up a 60% stake in a joint-venture company with an Indonesian partner. The company has started business in August 2009, selling products manufactured from Malaysia. Retail Division The Group has over 60 chain stores in major cities and towns across Malaysia. These chain stores carry an extensive range of traditional Chinese medicines, teas, wines and other healthcare products. Operating under the company name Hai-O Raya Berhad, the Group also owns retail counters in some of major supermarkets namely Carrefour and AEON Jusco. These outlets provide consultations on herbs and TCMs by professional herb masters. Hai-O Raya Berhad also provides a franchise program for entrepreneurs who are interested in operating a professional TCM store. In 2002, the Group expanded to also offer integrated clinical service under the company name, Peking Tongrentang (M) Sdn. Bhd. This integrated clinic is a joint-venture between Hai-O and Beijing Tongrentang Co Ltd, the largest producer of traditional Chinese medicine in China. Besides that, the Group also owns another subsidiary company that offers extensive traditional Chinese medicine products and service, Hai-O Polaris (M) Sdn. B hd. Manufacturing Division Realizing the importance and the fast growing demand of traditional Chinese medicine in the country, the Group made a decision to open up its own pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in 1994. Operating under the name SG Global Biotech Sdn. Bhd., it was the first traditional medicinal manufacturer that complies with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards in the country. The companys obligation to quality assurance has obtained the qualification under ISO 9002 in 1999 and ISO9001: 2000 in 2002. Its core businesses is producing and processing of herbal and other health products and SG Global is also active in a lot of research and development activities. The company shared the technology and expertise with China and several local counterparts in Malaysia. Riding on the potential growth of the research and development area in herbal and traditional medicine in Malaysia, the Group extended its operation into another subsidiary that focuses on laboratory research to increase product innovation. QIS Research Laboratory Sdn. Bhd. is established to offer a full service in analytical laboratory, microbiology and chemical analysis of traditional medicine. QIS Lab is accredited to ISO 17025 by the Department of Standard Malaysia (DSM) of the Ministry of Science and Technology. In the past years, the Group has also ventured in several other business segments. Other subsidiary companies include Seagull Advertising Sdn. Bhd., Hai-O Credit and Leasing Sdn. Bhd., Sri Pangkor Credit and Leasing Sdn. Bhd., Hai-O Energy (M) Sdn. Bhd. and Hai-O Properties Sdn. Bhd. The Group other supporting businesses involved the leasing of machinery and equipment, advertising services, investment holding as well as insurance agency. Corporate Governance The Board of Directors of Hai-O Enterprise Berhad (the Board) embraces the value of the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance which outlines the ethics and the best practices on corporate governance. In regards, the Board is dedicated to make sure that the corporate governance principles are well practiced and well observed throughout the operation of Hai-O Group in order to ensure integrity and professionalism within the organization to safeguard shareholders investment and value. Composition of the Board The Board of Hai-O Group is consists of 8 members, comprising of 3 Executive Directors and 5 Non-Executive Directors. 4 of these Non-Executive Directors are Independent Directors who act as independent advisors. This composition meets the terms with the Listing Requirements of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd which requires one-third (1/3) of the Board to be Independent Directors. The Executive and Non-Executive Directors functions are defined clearly. The Executive Directors capacity is to administer the Groups operations and execute the operational and corporate decisions while the Non-Executive Directors offer the Company with necessary opinions and decisions. Formulation of the Groups strategies and policies are shaped from the combination between the expertise of the Independent Non-Executive Directors and the skill and wisdom of the Executive Directors. If a conflict of interest is likely to arise, it is the obligation for the director concerned to declare his interest and withdraw from the process of the decision making. The same formula is tailored to the responsibilities between the Chairman and the Managing Director in order to maintain a balance of authority and accountability. The Chairman provides a general leadership to the Board without restricting the principle of collective responsibility for Boards decisions. And the Managing Directors principal responsibility is to formulate the business strategies and to employ the corporate decisions as well as to administer the overall business operations. The Boards composition represents a mix of skill, knowledge and expertise that are significant to the activities of the Group. The Board meeting is held once every 3 months. The Board entrusted the Nomination Committee with the necessary responsibilities to appoint and re-elect the directors. This committee is comprises of Independent and Non-Executive Directors and is responsible to recognize and pick potential new directors and propose nominations to the Board. The Board also recognizes that constant learning is critical for its members in order to gain insights into the state of economy, technological advances, regulatory updates and management strategies. Thus all the Directors of the Company have to complete the Mandatory Accreditation Programme (MAP) which is compulsory for the Listing Requirements of the Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd. The Directors will continue to undertake other significant training programmes and the Continuing Education Programmes (CEP) to supplement and maximize knowledge in the latest statutory and regulatory developments. This is also to assist them in keeping abreast with developments in the business environment in order to enable them to uphold their responsibilities more effectively. Directors Remunerations A remuneration Committee was set up by the Board to manage the Executive Directors remuneration package. The committee members are majority consisting of the Non-Executive Directors. This remuneration package is based on the Groups results apart from the individual directors performance. The committee meeting is held frequently as required to resolve all aspect of remuneration as well as terms and conditions of service of the Executive Directors. Level of the remuneration is structured as such to motivate and encourage the Directors to run the Group at the top of their performances. And the compensation for the Non-Executive Directors is subjected to the Boards decision as a whole. The fees for both the Executive and Non-Executive Directors are approved by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Shareholders and Investors It is important to public listed organizations to inform the current status of the Group to the shareholders, stakeholders as well as the general public. Hence, the Group has been keeping up a constructive and active communication policy which enables the management and the Board to communicate effectively with its shareholders. The Groups website, www.hai-o.com.my is one of the channels available for corporate information to assist shareholders and investors to assess their investment decisions. The Groups AGM proceedings are open to all shareholders to promote transparency. Shareholders are also invited to attend any Extraordinary General Meetings which are announced through circulars and notice of meeting whenever it occurs. Accountability and Audit An Audit Committee is set up to manage the annual financial statements of the Group. This committee is responsible to ensure that the statements are complied with the requirements in the valid accounting standards in Malaysia under the Companies Act, 1965 as well as the Listing Requirements of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd. The committee is also accountable to establish an appropriate and transparent relationship with the Groups internal and external auditors. The Board also recognizes the significant of financial controls, operational and compliance controls as well as risk management. Hence, the internal control system is designed to administer the risk of failure to accomplish business objectives. Board of Directors The names and positions of Hai-O Enterprise Berhads executive officers (as of February 17, 2010) are listed below: Table 1: Hai-Os Board of Directors Name Position Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Osman S. Cassim Chairman, Independent Non- Executive Director Tan Kai Hee Managing Director, Non-Independent Director Datin Sunita Mei-Lin Rajakumar Independent Non-Executive Director Tan Keng Song Executive Director, Non-Independent Director Chia Kuo Wui Executive Director, Non-Independent Director Y. Bhg. Dato Abdul Rani Bin Mohd Razalli Non-Independent Non-Executive Director Lim Chin Luen Independent Non-Executive Director Quek Ah Ba Independent Non-Executive Director Source: Adapted from http://en.hai-o.com.my Profile of the Board of Directors Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Osman S. Cassim (Chairman, Independent Non-Executive Director) Tan Sri Osman graduated from University of Malaya, Singapore with an Honors Degree in Arts. He later attended the Advanced Management Programmes by Harvard Business School, Boston in 1984. During his 30 years career in public sector, Tan Sri Osman used to serve as Secretary General in the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Information, and Ministry of Home Affairs. He was elected as the Director General of the Public Services Department Malaysia in 1980. Later in 1988, he was appointed as the National Advisor to the General Electric International (USA) Currently he is the Vice President in the Court of Fellows of Malaysia Institute of Management. Tan Sri Osman was also the Chairman of Southern Bank Berhad from 1990 to 2005. He joined Hai-O Group and become the Chairman on 31 January 2005. Tan Sri Osman is also the Chairman of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee of Hai-O Group. Tan Kai Hee (Managing Director, Non-Independent Director) Mr. Tan Kai Hee is one of the founders of the Group. He is also the main policy and decision-maker. Mr. Tan has more than 33 years of experience in the trading business. In August 2006, he attended China Market Study Tour Program which was carried out by Beijing International MBA, Peking University. Mr. Tan is also an avid social worker for the past 35 years. As also a founder of Malaysia-China Friendship Association (PMC), Mr. Tan acts as the Secretary-General. He is also the founder of Malaysia-China Medicine Health Product Association (MCMHPA), Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and Malaysia Ru-Shang Social Association. Among others, Mr. Tan is also the Chairman in the Trading Services of the Malaysia China Business Council (MCBC) and the Advisor for the Federation of Chinese Physicians and Medicine Dealers Association of Malaysia (FCPMDAM). Mr. Tan holds directorship in Hai-O Raya Bhd. as well as a few other private limited companies. He was selected to the Groups Board o n 30 August 1975 and is also a member in the Remuneration and Investment Committee. Mr. Tan is the father of Ms. Tan Keng Song, who is the Executive Director of Hai-O Enterprise Bhd. Datin Sunita Mei-Lin Rajakumar (Independent Non-Executive Director) Graduated from University Bristol, United Kingdom, Datin Sunita holds a Bachelor Degree in Law. She is the Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, earning her qualification certificate in 1994. She used to work for Ernst Young, London as the Audit Manager. She also used to be the Manager in RHB Sakura Merchant Bank, Kuala Lumpur. In addition, she used to work in Corporate Finance as the Vice President at Petra Technologies and was appointed as the Director of Corporate Finance at Southern Plastic. She also used to work for MIMOS Berhad as the Venture Capital Consultant before joining the Groups Board on January 2009. Datin Sunita is also a member of the Groups Audit Committee. Tan Keng Song (Executive Director, Non-Independent Director) Ms. Tan Keng Song holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from University of Western Australia. Majoring in Marketing and Management, she used to work for UMW Group. She joined Hai-O Group in 2000 as the MIS Executive at Hai-O Raya Bhd. Later she was promoted to the head of the Groups IT and MIS division. Currently she is leading the Business Administration, MIS and Human Resources Department and is a member of the Investment Committee. Ms. Tan joined the Board on 2001. She is the daughter of Mr. Tan Kai Hee, the Managing Director of Hai-O Enterprise Bhd. Chia Kuo Wui (Executive Director, Non-Independent Director) Mr. Chia Kuo Wui obtained his Bachelor Degree in Accounting at Curtin University, Australia. Later he continued to earn his study MBA from Charles Stuart University at Help University College Kuala Lumpur. Mr. Chia joined Hai-O Group in the Corporate Planning and the Investor Relation Department. Holding key positions in some of Hai-O Groups, he also holds the directorships in a few other private limited companies. Mr. Chia Kuo Wui was appointed to the Groups Board on 14 November 2008. Y. Bhg. Dato Abdul Rani Bin Mohd Razalli (Non Independent Non Executive Director) Dato Abdul Rani obtained his Senior Cambridge Certificate in 1952. He used to serve the Government Royal Custom Excise, Malaysia as the Deputy Director General. He later ventured into commercial business in the fields of shipments, transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing. Dato Abdul Rani joined Hai-O Group on 1995 as the Executive Director. He was also a member of the Investment Committee of Hai-O Group and was re-designated as Non Executive and Non Independent Director in 2003. Lim Chin Luen (Independent Non-Executive Director) Mr. Lim Chin Luen has been involved with the trading of Chinese traditional medicine and herbal products for over 15 years. He also owns a nourishing food and noodles stores in Singapore. Mr. Lim joined the Groups Board in December 1997. He was also a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committee of Hai-O Group. Quek Ah Ba (Independent Non-Executive Director) Mr. Quek Ah Ba served as an Accountant and Operational Manager in many companies. He also served two of the Securities firms, Noone Co Sdn Bhd from 1980 to 1983, and C.S. Securities Sdn Bhd from 1986 to 1989. Mr. Quek was a member of Australia Society of Accountants (A.S.A.) and CPA (Australia). He joined Hai-O on 2001 and became the Chairman of the Audit Committee. In addition, Mr. Quek is also a member of the Nomination Committee.