European Union and United Nations Essay

United Nations and European Union are two organizations which are very influential in the contemporary world. The two institutions play a very great role as far as implementation of rules and policy of different nature are concerned. Each body is charged with specific roles to play in the pursuit of various objectives for the member states. United Nation draws its membership from across the board,almost all countries in the world are members of this organization which was mainly created to promote peace among the nations. European Union on the other hand draws its membership from the heart of Europe,where most of the European nations are represented. The two organizations are charged with the role of implementing policies put forward or agreed upon by the member states. Each body has a mechanism which ensures that these policies and rules are followed by the members. They have powers to compel members to adhere to the laid down rules. United Nation relies on the powers granted by its guiding rules to implement the policies while European union largely depends on the constitution drawn by member states spelling out procedures to be followed by the members as far as implementation of policies is concerned. (Blacksell, M 1978) One of the main differences between the two bodies is the composition,European Union membership is drawn from nations which have a common interest and are pursuing the same goals mostly on economic intergration,whereas United Nation is a conglomeration of states brought together by the purpose of promoting peace in the world. United nation membership is far and wide due to the reason that a country is member of the larger world community. Members have serious conflicting interests making it hard at times to reach a compromise in certain occassions. On the other hand European Union is more of a voluntary organizations where members join as a result of the benefits they are going to derive from such a union (Emadi, B 2002). They are not propelled by other reason such as fear of being labelled uncoperative but rather for the benefit of creating a wider markets and opening up their economies. The European Union is a powerful entity which is rather an economic organization as opposed to United Nation which more of a political institution. The main objective of the European Union was to allow free movements of goods and capital across the borders where for the United Nation it was to prevent another major war in the world or mainly prevent conflict between nations among other things that go along with the maintenance of peace in the world. In such an arrangement members are not bound together by a common goal but rather as mere formality because they would like to be seen as countries which believe in a peaceful coexistence among nations. For those in the European Union it is more than maintenance of peace. They are bound together by the principles of creating a good enviroment for their economic advancement. (Bedjaou, M 1991) (Lister, F 1996) As an international organization,United nation has been facing problems as far as enforcement of the policies and rules is concerned. At times this has resulted to very serious consequences especially when members fail to abide by the rules set by the otganization. One of the main problem that has engulfed this institution is the feeling that some members are not well represented. The inequality as far as power is concerned has been a serious set back when it comes to the implementation of policies in the body. The issue of veto power means that some members are more powerful than others meaning that there exists a power imbalance in this organization. Though this may serve well for the group as the powerful nations will force the others to play by the rules there is a danger of this concept being misused by the powerful nations where they will be forcing others to play to their tune. On the other hand European Union presents a situation where member states operate on an equal ground (Lane, J 2006)As a supranantional government , European Union member countries have transferred some of their powers to this broader authority. This power is shared equally among the member states giving them eacha an opportunity to feel part and parcel of the organization. In such an arrangement it becomes easy to implement policies and rules set by the organization since members will wilingly be ready to comply as they are bound to benefit from such seetings. (Permott, A 2000) Though in both organizations it is possible for the member state to be forced by others to implement decisions made,in the Euopean Union it is rather not necessary to take such an action since most of the polies are reached through consensus building. Therefore most of the members will be in a position to impelement what the member country has passed. In the United Nations force can be used if a member state fails to go by the rules but this does not mean that such measures are always successful. (Joachim, J and Locher, B 2009) Members have at one time or another withdrawn their contribution or their membership from the organization as a registration of their discontement with some of the policies adopted by the organization. The fact that United Nation applies persuasive means to convince member states to comply with the rules and also take part in the implementation of policies place it in a weaker position as far as its operation are concerned. It is at a disadvantaged position since not all the members are willing to play by the rules. The mechanisms available to compel members to abide by the rules are also weak giving too much leeway to the rebel members. The issue of the power imbalance among member states also plays a great role in the impedement being experienced in the matters relating to the policy implementation. (Preston, L and Windsor, D 1997) The facts that European Union members are held together by many factors make it easy for the organization to manage its affairs. All members are bound to benefit in one way or another from the policies being adopted at any time. On the other hand United Nations experience difficulties implementing some of its policies due to the fact that the organization has a wider membership, and again the ideological differences play a major role as far as this is concerned. The feeling by some of the members that they are inadequately represented makes it hard for the organization to employ mechanism which auger well for all the members (Ionescu, G 1974) When it comes to the implementation of international rules and policies United Nation stands a better chance but it’s bogged down by various issues surrounding its composition. The fact that some nations yield more power in terms of veto creates an imbalance making other members feel that they are just used as mere pawns in rubber stamping decisions reached and brought down into their throats by the powerful nations. They feel that they are not part and parcel of some of the policies being adopted. On the other hand the issue of policy ownership in the European Union has played a great role as far as its successful implementation of policies and rules is concerned. Members participate fully in the deliberation and implementation of the policies. (Mckay, D (1996) Reference Permott, A (2000) The New Politics of Financing the UN, Palgrave Macmillan Bedjaou, M (1991) International Law and Prospects, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers Preston, L and Windsor, D (1997) The Rules of the Game in the Global Economy, Springer Publishers Ionescu, G (1974) Between Sovereignty and Intergration, Taylor and Francis Emadi, B (2002) Rethinking International Organization, Routledge Taylor and Francis Blacksell, M (1978) Postwar Europe: A political Geography, West view Press Joachim, J and Locher, B (2009) Transnational Activism in the UN and EU: A Comparative Study, Taylor and Francis Lane, J (2006) Globalization and the Politics, Ashgate Publishing Mckay, D (1996) Rush to Union, Oxford University Press Lister, F (1996) The European Union, The United Nations and the Revival of the Cofederal Governance, Greeenwood Publishing co.

Caring for Individuals with Additional Needs Essay

In this task the explanation of why individuals may experience additional needs will be provided. There are 4 main categories of disability. I will list them and also give an example of each category and also say if the disability is physical, cognitive or sensory. Physical meaning having problems with strength or co-ordination within caused by having an accident or an inspection. Cognitive meaning a person having problems with learning and understanding everyday things. Sensory – this can be a problem with learning through sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing. Basically this has to do with the five senses. The categories are: Genetic (from a family member through blood) – Sickle cell is contracted through either parent (mother/father) who has the trait. This trait can be passed on to the child or children. If the father has a trait and the mother has a trait, the child can get the full trait. This category is physical. Accidental – accidents can cause disability e. g. a person driving a car and accidentally hits down a person walking in the road; this can cause major damage to this person. The person could be paralyzed for life. This category is physical and could also be cognitive because this person could have hit his/her head and ended up being brain damage. The brain damage can lead to this person losing most of the knowledge he/she had before and have to start learning all over again. Developmental – can be caused be a pregnant woman having difficulty in the womb or during birth. A child can develop disability while growing up for example contracting Meningitis. Possible complications that can be caused are hearing loss, learning disability or problem with co-ordination and balance. This category can be sensory, physical or cognitive. Environmental – can be caused by working in a place where there is lots of dust or even smoking can cause a person to develop asthma or other infections. This category can be physical.

Managerial Accounting 2014 Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managerial Accounting 2014 Assignment - Essay Example long with the most ancillary objectives of storage and transportation of oil, gas, coal and related consumable and disposable fuel products (Bhattacharyya, 2007). They also include those companies which offer various oil and gas products, consultancy and related services. Thus, to fulfill the objectives of this report in the most suitable order, the company selected for the analysis is Chevron. Chevron Corporation  is among one of the huge Multi-National Companies of the world operating in an energy, oil and gas sector, having it’s headquarter in San Ramon, California. Chevron is currently active and operating among more than 180 countries on a global basis. The wide variety of its dynamic operation in the ever emerging fields of energy and oil sector makes the company highlighted in recent news and developments related to energy industry. In particular, Chevron is basically engaged in every aspects and activities related to oil,  gas, fuel and geothermal  energy framework of industries, which also includes, in depth scale of exploration  and  production activities coupled with oil refining features, storage, marketing, transportation; production and sales of various chemicals and  finally the power generation facets (Chevron Policy, 2014). As of 2013, the company is ranked third in position in the  Fortune Global 500 list among worlds humongous compan ies in energy, gas and oil sector (Fortune, 2014). The latest environmental report of Chevron disclosing the comprehensive and detailed version of its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions during the year 2013, included under the broader framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) covers the period up to December 31, 2013. From the point of view of major shareholders and a prospective shareholders of a company, it is very essential aspect to know about the company responsibility towards the environment and how it confronts those responsibilities on an active and transparent basis, in which the investment of

Characteristics of Multicultural Organization Research Paper

Characteristics of Multicultural Organization - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that globalization has resulted in integration of people from different cultures in the society and workplace. In the contemporary world, diverse workforce characterizes organizations. A multicultural organization comprises and accommodates employees from varying cultural backgrounds, religious affiliations, gender backgrounds, ethnic groups, and racial groupings. A multicultural organization comprises of individuals with varying backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Therefore, problems are likely to emerge as the individuals attempt to adapt to each other. However, appropriate management of the multicultural workforce can create opportunities and enable the organization to operate competitively in the marketplace. Therefore, multiculturalism has the potential of causing disasters or opportunities depending on how the management handles the complex issue. For enhanced performance, the organization management should establish an environment that enables the em ployees to exploit their full potential. Therefore, organizations should plan on how to manage the diversity and empower the employees to maximize on their productivity. Moreover, the society within which global organizations operate is multicultural. Managing a multicultural workforce can be challenging and draining. However, having such a workforce presents some opportunities that an organization can use to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. This is because people from different culture have varying values and beliefs. ... Although managing a multicultural workforce can be challenging, such a workforce adds value to an organization. The benefits that arise from multiculturalism have encouraged organization to attract employees from different religious affiliations, culture, gender, races, and ethnic groups. For multinational companies, resistance often characterizes expansion of business operation into different regions. However, companies with a multicultural workforce are able to gain acceptance faster. This enables it to establish rapidly and become competitive. To be able to obtain a multicultural workforce, the organization must be able to create an appropriate environment that attracts diverse individuals (Laytras & Ordycez, 2008; Trefry, Sept 2006). Political favors drive organizational multiculturalism since multicultural organization gain acceptance from the government easily. This encourages organizations, especially international ones to bring together a workforce from different nationalitie s and cultures. Other than political favors, multicultural organizations are able to avoid cases of ligations while operating in foreign countries. Therefore, organizations operating across different countries often employ individuals from different culture to meet the legal demands of a country. This is because some countries require foreign companies to employ a certain percentage of local people. Moreover, some organizations are under legislative mandates that prohibit any form of discrimination in the hiring process. Such organizations are likely to lose contracts if they fail to embrace multiculturalism (Mazur, November 2010). Another factor that drives organizations to employ a multicultural workforce is the

Network Operations Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Network Operations - Coursework Example The user that gave the request might not have correct access rights to the application given, and it will result into the request failing. The issues can be avoided by setting the client and server to be in the same Windows domain. Make sure the user id of the customer is configured on both the client and server computers. There might be a failed communication between the client and server due to faulty connection hardware or no internet. No connection problems can be avoided by first establishing if there is a link to the server through the ping command. Problems might arise from weak firewall configurations. Firewalls might deny a client access to certain resources on the server, (Tamara, 2009). The problem can be avoided by first disabling firewall to ascertain if that is the cause of the problem and then configuring the firewall setting for the client in question. The transmission might not be successful due to power or electricity interruptions of either the client or server or both. Power interruptions can be avoided by having power backups. Transmission problems might arise due to change of IP addresses. The problem can be solved when using DHCP by setting client lease time to at list 24hrs. The problem can also be solved assigning static IP addresses to client, server or both. Setting up of the a WAN that covers a large area has a lot of challenges during the initial setup. The major challenges are staffing, existing applications, network equipment and managing connectivity outside of the primary organization location. Staffing and personnel implications to consider include; making sure that the correct employees with the required skills are available at every global location. The senior network designer should make sure there is constant communication with all the teams in all the locations. The personnel should have the correct motivation in terms

STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT - Essay Example This phase is important for the structural stability and to ensure the safe design implementation and this inspection will also affect the life of the structure because mistakes made at this stage can be corrected on spot but after the facility is complete then the retrofitting would be very difficult and expensive. Then the second phase is the post construction inspection which is done after some time that is 6 months, 1 year and 5 years normally the frequency of the inspection decides its extent, mostly the inspection made after 5 years is far more extensive and detailed than that of which is done after 6 months. This inspection is mostly done by visual monitoring of the facility by professional which inspect the vital areas that are vulnerable to failures and crack propagation. Both the inspection types are extensively vast and hence require a lot of discussion where as at the moment I will only focus on the Post Construction inspection. The key requirements of the inspection woul d be consisting of many aspects the first among them is property identification information which include the location and type of infrastructure facility. Then a detailed study and preliminary visual inspection of various structural systems employed in the building/structure and applicable non-structural components is done. Further progress in the assessment and its requirement includes critical analysis existing condition of the various structural systems, including foundations, bearing walls, framing, columns and beams, floor systems, roof systems, and their connection and construction details. During the assessment and inspection procedures one fact is also to be considered that the Engineers and/or construction specialists conducting the structural assessment should be knowledgeable of the construction methods, materials, load capacities, and design details of the infrastructure facility or structure type being analyzed, as modern structural design approaches will likely not be directly applicable due to the fact that these structures were made quite a long time before and employed primitive construction standards and design methodologies. William Hover (2008).In addition to requirements discuss above there are other as well and which are equally important, significant among these is analysis of the deficiencies, damage, and failures to determine/identify their evident, probable, or possible causes and after these are been highlighted then it is the responsibility that recommendations for corrective measures, design solutions for stabilization and/or repair and maintenance must be made. Then at the end a cost estimate must be made of the repair works and the cost engineering under different scenario must be made which include the recommendation of new construction or choices of retrofitting and localized repairs. Maintenance Management System Then comes the Maintenance Management System(MMS) for a large infrastructure organization, although the system is very extensive and encompasses many fields but the key focus in this discussion would be on infrastructure organizations and their requirements. MMS is a computerized database system which is made to maximize and increase the efficiency of deferred maintenance and capital improvement activities through the organization and its services using standardized procedures to document and prioritize field facility and equipment needs and to

Issue in global business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Issue in global business - Essay Example The author posits that a more global atmosphere is facing many challenges in the present, despite a high point in the latter part of the twentieth century. â€Å"Synchronized economic slowdowns in Asia, Europe and the United States, the three engines of global commerce, have decimated international trade† (Kurlantzick, 2003). This article presents one side of the issue in terms of these abovementioned regions and their impact, and it does it in great detail. The author is very convincing in arguing that global expansion is something that carries a lot more risk in the present than it used to in the past, because of regionalism being more widespread. A lot of this expansion of regionalism has to do with the interstices between the relatively recent formation of the EU and the valuation of law in society. Randomness and chaos rule both systems. â€Å"The rotation of the presidency entails a lack of continuity in the agenda-setting procedure; the Summit agendas are overloaded with gritty details and each presidency pursues more or less specific topics (‘shopping lists’). This is why the Council currently fails to fulfill its original strategic purpose. Thus, the EU definitely needs a reform of its institutions† (Bilefsky, 2005). Other issues are also dividing regional law in the present can be seen in the case example of subsidies, or government help, offered to agricultural interests. Recently, before the government of Brown, â€Å"The issue of farm subsidies has also divided the European Union into nations favoring more open markets and those who want to maintain protection for their domestic industries. Pri me Minister Tony Blair of Britain called the summit meeting Thursday in the hope of persuading European Union countries to adopt a more modern, liberalizing approach† (Bilefsky, 2005). Regionalisation can either encourage or discourage free trade, depending

International Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business Environment - Essay Example However, it is reported that there have been shallow analyses of the causes of failure in merger and the measures of success are often weak (Epstein, 2005). With this information, there must be substantial reasons to be used in order for merger to be justified as a failure and the right manner to be considered in its evaluation. This means that the determination of successful or failure merger considers the right evaluation and reasons in order to determine reliability of information involved in the issue. Evaluating the success or failure of mergers is not an easy task. For instance, the newly merged companies might be well good to look from the outside but in reality there is more to it when it comes to knowing the real event happening inside. It might be very important to find out if the newly merged employees from Africa and China have been doing just fine together or the other way around. They may look like enjoying their work but it is important to finally know what is inside o f them. This is a very complex scenario and this requires a highly skilled in-charge who will consider all aspects in an organization where there is diversity of people who will be working for the good of the entire operation. This is a great concern in this paper and the proponent wants to give more emphasis on the importance of understanding man power involved because this stands as the company’s ultimate force for the implementation of its corporate agenda. The proponent believes that people are the ultimate ways in which an organization may either prosper or fail. It is in line with this that the entire idea is placed on a proposed merger between a Chinese company and an African company. The proponent is appointed to lead a team consisting of managers from both countries to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger. Thus, the proponent solves this concern by applying the work of Hofstede and Trompenaars in order to evaluate how close would the cultural f it be; and how might find a way to improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers. However, prior to this, the proponent discusses about some important issues about mergers and the corporate culture in Africa and China. Why Mergers Fail? There is a common assumption that mergers are for the purpose of cutting costs, creating revenues or ensuring growth opportunities. However, one of the concrete reasons why mergers fail is due to issue of control and ownership. It is not easy to carry an organization which is a product of integration between two or more companies because there will be a new level of control and ownership involved. In this case, there are different considerations involved particularly on emphasizing who is the one in-charge or owns the newly integrated companies. In short, there is a significant issue on who will be the one to control the merger. Mergers are not just implemented without a great or significant reason. Two companies need some integra tion due to the fact that it may result to creating more values than staying apart from each other otherwise. Such of this reason can be manifested by understanding different sensible motives for mergers. The first motive is to ensure more strength and knowledge in a specific industry by having horizontal mergers. Most of this type happens between banks or companies at the same business line. The second motive is about

Happiness and meaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Happiness and meaning - Essay Example In my view on the meaning of human life, the both reason why some people never find meaning in life is that they are either individualistic and they do not want to share their lives with other people, or they never get chance to do or to work in fields that they love. The following is the main reason why I believe that the meaning of human life can be found in serving other human beings. To begin with, a critical look at the main reason why many people never find meaning in life shows that they are individualistic and they do not want to share their lives with other people. In their reflections on the meaning of life, Kolak and Martin agrees with this view when they argue that the main cause of human struggle is division from within and from without, Kolak and Martin argues, â€Å"Everyone knows it takes two to have a fight. You can’t be involved in a struggle unless someone is resisting. The resistance might come from outside or from the inside- either you are divided from someone else, or from environment, or from yourself† (Kolak and Martin, 88). For Kolak and Martin, therefore, once one is united with other people, with the environment, and even with oneself, there is less struggle in life and hence, one will find the meaning of life. Kolak and Martin goes on to argue that it is only by ending the divisions or the fragmentations that cause human st ruggle that one can avoid struggling, hence finding the meaning of life. A critical look at the main cause of division that Kolak and Martin are talking about shows that it is individualism; because of individualism, people are separated from others, from the environment, and even from themselves because they will not be at peace with themselves when they are not united with other people and the environment. For this reason, therefore, individualism is actually the main cause of human fragmentation that makes human beings to see life

Critical Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critical Responses - Essay Example On the other hand, multiple platforms are very beneficial since they are able to break down the original concepts into items that are understood by diverse groups of people. Whenever a new entertainment platform is used, it is only sensible and appropriate to apply additional creativity so that the need for entertainment is satisfied through that other platform. Very few platforms have the capacity of retaining the original content; a change of the content out rightly results in loss of the original concepts that were highlighted by the original author (Koku, 1995). There are many examples that can be used to strengthen this position. Many people use novels as a source of entertainment by reading interesting stories that were developed by the author. The story will apply very interesting scenarios that appeals to the reader and creates a lot of reading suspense. The translation of the novel to a film brings forth other views that never featured in the novel in order to enhance the visual appeal. This means that I the process, there occurs lose in some of the original concepts while some new ones are added therein. As it is well put by Jenkins (2003), as content gets across the entertainment platforms, it is followed by enhancements through creativeness. This is termed as a distraction or corruption from the original concepts that were intended by the original author. When a concept is concept is drawn from a movie to a videogame, there are outright differences that are expected. In the first place, a videogame will be required to depict some fl exibility so that the player is able to enjoy make their own manoeuvres. However, despite the differences in some of the content there are similar concept that are applied across the board. For example, in a real football match compared to a video football game like FIFA, the rules of football follow to the letter. The difference is that the players are

The idea and attitudes of the poets Essay Example for Free

The idea and attitudes of the poets Essay All three poems are about outsiders and issues that they find important. Issues that most of us would take for granted if we were not actually in that particular group. The first poem half-caste by John Agard addresses the issue of being half-caste. The poet ridicules the use of the term half-caste. The poet does this in a very light-hearted and fun way. He asks if Picasso is second rate just because he mixed colours in his paintings and he asks if the English weather is classed as half-caste weather because its always overcast in England. Should Tchaikovskys work or music be classed as second rate just because he used both the black and white notes on his piano. The point he is trying to make to the reader is is someone who is called a half-caste only half a person? The point of the poem is to try and get the reader to be a bit more open-minded. He deliberately uses very well known people; geniuses even, as examples to make his point. The poet uses colloquial English and imperatives and starts the poem by using the phrase excuse me. He does this to try and attract attention and to get people to listen. He also uses the phrase explain yuself and wha you mean numerous times throughout the poem (repetition). Again, the idea is to get the reader/listener to think in a more open-minded way, and why we might be using the term half-caste. The poet has very effectively used dialect to make his point that the term half-caste is normally used when there is a afro-Caribbean mixed-race person involved. The poem is written in 5 stanzas of varying lengths. The poet uses short lines throughout the poem and this gives more impact to his point. He uses stanzas because it possibly gives the reader a chance to reflect on what has been said. The poet cleverly lets sentences run on into the next stanza so that when the poem is read it can possibly be read angrily in one stanza but then with the gaps and the sentence running into the next stanza almost pleadingly as he tries to make people understand. However, there are times in the poem especially when referring to the term half-caste which could be read out angrily just to make that point stand out more forcefully. The second poem search for my tongue by Sujata Bhatt, tries to deal with the difficulty immigrants might have speaking two languages. This poem uses both English and Gujarati to make this point. The poet wonders whether she will forget her mother tongue but by the end of the poem is quite sure that she wont. The poem is written in three sections. In the first section the poet expresses her worries about losing her mother tongue. In the second section she explains these ideas in Gujarati whilst in the third section she dreams that although she may feel that she is losing her mother tongue, it was in fact growing stronger within her. By using the phrase I have lost my tongue the poet is cleverly telling us how confused she is and does not know what to say. While dreaming, the poet uses metaphors to describe her tongue. She compares it with a plant when she says it grows back, a stump of a shoot grows longer. I feel that the poem should be read sadly when reading about the idea of losing the mother tongue but angrily at the thought of speaking a foreign tongue and happily towards the end of the poem when she dreams about the mother tongue getting stronger in her mind. The third poem Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker is set in a third world country. We assume this because midway through the poem he describes people rushing out from huts to collect water. The poet is trying to emphasise the importance of water to life. The poet compares water with silver and liquid sun using metaphorical language. Both silver and liquid sun reflects valuable items and thereby stipulating the importance of water to life. The poet sees water as a blessing and uses this as a central metaphor. The poem has been written in four stanzas. As it comes across as a more serious poem it gives the reader a moment to reflect on what has just been read. The poet uses short lines to get his point across and give it more impact. He uses short stanzas when describing the lack of water and longer stanzas when there is a plentiful supply of water. The poet uses a simile in his first line of the poem when he begins with the skin cracks like a pod. This gives an image of serious drought conditions. The poet uses words such as rush or fortune and silver crashes deliberately. These words are to do with wealth and fortune. This emphasises the importance of water to the villages. The poet also uses religious imagery. She describes people coming out from their huts to collect water as a congregation. The poem refers to men, women and children in stanza three, but only to the children in stanza four. This is because most people are sympathetic towards children and can give more emotion to the poem. The poem also stresses the different way the adults and the children behave at the sight of water. Whilst the adults are busy collecting water, the children play around the water gleefully. The children are obviously unaware of how serious the situation was without water. The poem can probably be read in a pitiful tone, sympathising with the poor and cheerfully when the pipe bursts and there is water about. All three poems deal with issues important to the minority of this country. Each poet is able to convey their thoughts and feelings very effectively and each one is able to do so using their own methods of writing. Each poem uses various imagery and language to get the point across. Each poem has been effective in getting across their points across and making readers think of how a problem that they perceive as being simple, is actually very important to the people concerned.

The Perimeter Network Security System Computer Science Essay

The Perimeter Network Security System Computer Science Essay As like in the real life, securing the borders are the first level of defense to protect the internal network of an organisation. The purpose of this report is to design a perimeter network security system that will provide security enhancement on the existing network infrastructure of Napier University. Network perimeter is an important line of defence in an enterprise network and every organisation has this perimeter network. Perimeter network is where the internal network meets the border network. The main security architecture using this potential area of the network is firewalling. Here this report discusses the egress and ingress filtering of packets by the firewall in order to let the bad traffic out of the perimeter and allow only the good traffic to trusted internal network. One of the core ideas behind the securing the network from outside threat is to develop and implement multiple overlapping layers of security solutions with different security components like Firewalls, VPN, IDS/P and Proxying. Though there are no single security solutions to protect the university network, multiple layers of perimeter security solution will provide maximum available protection from both outside and internal threats. (Watkins, 2011) The design considers hardening of network devices by striping down unnecessary protocols and services and manages the security perimeter from a management network for proper monitoring and mitigation. The main challenges to design and implement a perimeter security is to determine the proper firewall design, as Perimeter firewall and border routers are key components that decide the security to internal network. Most modern day attacks are happening in the Application layer and filtering in this top layer is extremely important for a successful security design. An enhanced packet inspection with proper monitoring and reporting is required throughout the end points of the network to block the malicious traffic from in and out of the network. There are number of ways and techniques involved in designing a perimeter security and this design proposes the specific solutions to the security threats in a campus wide network than in a highly complex enterprise network. 1 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 RESEARCH AND DESIGN (25/ 1000 words) Security is not a product but a process. Network security depends on multiple components, policy and procedure to enforce the best practices on systems, people and infrastructure (Michael E. Whitman, 2009). The basic idea of information security is to protect the three fundamental components of information security that are Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. Perimeter security design follows this principle to protect these components by using various security components. The design of the perimeter security depends on what resources need to be protected and the business need. SECURITY ARCHITECTURE The main design of the security architecture consists of segregating different zones in a network. These zones have different levels of security trust levels that allow or deny traffic. This layered architecture will provide the University to keep out of attackers (the term attacker is used in this report and not hacker, as an attacker is a hacker with a malicious intent and not all hackers are malicious intent). In the enterprise network, the network is divided generally into three zones and these are Border Network, Perimeter network and internal network. The perimeter security consists of border network and perimeter network as shown in the picture. Each of these considered as single entity against potential threats. In a network perimeter has many points where an effective security policy should be established. The network perimeter is the most important points of security against 2 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 external threats. Many types of security can be implemented like packet filtering, intrusion detection systems/prevention and anomaly detection etc. Border Network Border network is the Internet facing zone via a border router (Edge router) that provides an initial layer of protection against all the starting point of attacks. It is most likely an IDP (Intrusion Detection and Prevention) System to be placed to create an extra layer of security. The border router will allow the traffic as per the Ingress and Egress filtering rules set on the router. Apart from protecting the outside threats these edge router and IDP also help to reduce the network load on the perimeter firewall by filtering spoofed traffic out of reaching to the perimeter firewall. Egress filtering helps to prevent specific types of traffic going out of the University that may be some confidential information or can an attacker plant traffic from a payload. A common rules used in the border router is to filter out the ICMP traffic to avoid the probing of network infrastructure. (Dailey, 2009) Perimeter Network Perimeter network sits in between the Border network and the trusted internal network often referred as DMZ. A Perimeter Firewall is the main component to filter the traffic to DMZ and passes the traffic to internal network. This firewall allows traffic from outside the network to servers like Web server or Email Server and also allows a limited access from the internal users. 3 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 Perimeter firewall allows the filtered traffic to internal firewall where traffic is further scrutinised by the set of rules according the security policies of the organisation. These firewalls are commonly uses the stateful inspection technology where the states of legitimate traffics are stored in the firewall cache. Only traffic matching the states of the connection is allowed and others are dropped. REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS When designing a secure network there are number of factors are taken into considerations. Security is not just a technical issue but a business issue. The goal is to make sure a balanced approach towards the requirements in general. The general security requiement is to provide the services according to the CIA triad of the information security. Apart from these there are also factors like budget, existing infrastructure and scalability. Other factors also constitute the decision making of a proper design are reduce cost, employee productivity, avoid business down time, comply with industry standards etc. SECURITY THREATS This section discusses the better known attacks and the reason behind using perimeter security as first line of defense. Attacks can be devided into external attacks- coming from the internet and internal attacks- coming from the internal network. Information Gathering is the first method an attacker try to get the maximum informaiton about the network architecture. 4 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 The external attacks are from the simple probing of the network to DoS( Denial of Service Attacks). An insider attack considers one of the major threats to any perimeter security design. These attacks may come from a mischievous user to a disgruntled employee who wanted to grab confidential information or to steal company secrets like financial data, personal information etc. A well configured internal firewall along along with the perimeter firewall can be the good level of defense against these attacks Other types of attacks inlcude intrusion packet sniffing, IP spoofing and DoS attacks that poses a direct threat to the organisation. Application layer security is one of the important design area to be take care of. Well known attacks like SQL injection are of these types. These exploits the known or unknown vulnerability on a web server or database server in order to gain the unauthorised access to the internal network. DESIGN The design of each of the security zones for the Napier University may be different but as whole these components acts together to provide a common goals by protecting the perimeter. It is important to understand where the perimeter of the network exists and what technologies are used against the threats. Perimeter security is handled by several different technologies including border router, firewalls, intrusion detection sytems and prevention systems, VPNs. Border Router The border router sits in the border or the edge of network where there is a direct interface to Internet. It acts like a traffic policeman, directs the traffic in or out of the network and also block the traffic which are not allowed to. The border router will do a NATing to provide this feature. This will give the outside network to probe the internal network. Although these routers are do not act like a firewall, it helps to protect the very first line of defense. Firewall 5 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 A firewall is an active device that job is to permit or deny the data packets as per the rules set or the states of the connection. Perimeter firewall is the center point of defense against all the threat that coming to internal network. Firewall can be software based or hardware based hardned for the filtering of packets. The proposed perimeter security can be stand alone or multiple layers that combined with other security devices like IDS, IDP and VPN. A static filter firewall is the common and simplest firewalls. These firewal allow or block traffic based on the packet header. A perfect example is blocking of Spoofed IP traffic. The main advantage of this type is that I has a very fast throughput but the down side is this firewall block already established connection which may be malicious intent. On the other hand the stateful inspection firewall is the best way of defending the maliciuos attacks. Stateful inspection firewall keeps a copy of the state of each connection so that the traffic will be allowed or denied according the states in the state cache maintained in the firewall. The disadvantage of using this firewall is slow traffic coming out of the firewall as invidiual packets need to be verified and checked with the cache table. Another firewall which is effective against the application layer attacks are the Proxy firewalls. Since the most modern day attacks are pointed against the application protocols the stateful or stateful firewalls will not block the malicious traffic coming to/out of the network. A proxy firewall acts in the middle of the internet and private hosts and the proxy by acting on behalf of the host. The filtering rules are applied in the application layer. The ruleset or signature can be created according to the latest threats. Because of the huge number of traffic these firewalls considered the lowest throughput than any other firewall but top end in droping unwanted malicous application layer traffic. A web application filter and a spam filter are the example of a proxy firewall. DMZ A DeMilitarized Zone or DMZ is the separate zone from the perimeter firewall between the external network and trusted internal network. The public internet facing servers like Web servers, email servers are placed in this area because the DMZ is considered the the most sensitive area with high security stance. The firewall restrict the traffic in this zones in order to avoid the potential threats that may come into the internal 6 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 network. The network inside this zone cannot initiate a session to the outside world unlcess it is a reply to an incoming connection. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)/ Prevention systems (IPS) An intrusion detection system or prevention system works in sync with the firewalls by providing a coming security goal of blocking unwanted traffic and notify any event that pop up in the network or host. IDS anlayse the packets for any suspicious activity and alerts the administrator. An IPS will prevent these activity by droping apart from the detection the same way IDS does. IDS and IPS have extensive rules set or singnatures of malicious activity which matches the incoming or outdoing traffic when in operation. One disadvantages with the IPS or IDS is that it may alert an legitimate traffic which considered false positive. A proper configuration of these devices is required in order to kept the false positive minimum as some times this will be a menace to handle too many logs with many thousands of false positives. A host based IDS also provide the security administrator with alerts against he malicious activity destined against a particular server like in Database server. VPN Virtual Private Nework (VPN) establish a secure remote connection to the private network by creating a secure virtual tunnel through the public untrusted network. VPN provides perimeter security by ecrypting the data in the tunnel and establish a secure connection over the internet. VPN considered to be the potential threat when an attacker comprise the tunnel as the traffic cannot be verified by the IDS or IPS because of the encrypted pakcets it uses for communication. An SSL VPN with an end-to-end VPN can be the best possible way to stay the attacker out of the network. A perimeter security design is incomplete without a proper firewall policy and an organisation wide security practices. For example if an administrator keep a weak password for these devices or any hosts in the network can nullify the entire effort put on designing a perimeter security. These security policy should also be applied to 7 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 systems, and users as there needs to be a minimum level of secure access policy with proper Authentication, Autherisation and Authentication(AAA) methods. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/secursw/ps1018/products_tech_note09186a00808bc994.shtml Management Network Management and logging is the most important aspects of a perimeter security. This network has the high security stance as all the administrative access are controlled in the management network. An attacker can take direct access by accessing the management network. The traffic to management network to be encrypted to avoid any possible attack on the internal network. For example to access the IDS, ISP and or routers to be through a secure shell, or SSL, or a https access. Log monitoring is another important aspect of a perimeter security like keeping the IDS and IPS logs or firewall logs. Log files can help to identify the probable attack on the internal or malicious activity originating from the internal network. Another possible thing to do to harden all the security devices destined to do only services that (Convery, 2004). IMPLEMENTATION (20/ 800 words) Building a perimeter security system consists of bringing different security technologies explained in the previous topic; together for a common goal-to protect the internal network from external or internal threats. The router and firewall separate the public untrusted network from the internal network, the IDS/IPS monitors all traffic, and the VPN provides remote access. All of these components together form a defense in depth security in a perimeter. Figure xxx shows the outline prototype of the proposed design. 8 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 authentication server-dmz One of the first best practices before the implementation is to develop a firewall policy. The policy mainly defines the security trust levels of each zone in the network and the flow of the data traffic. The flow of data traffic is one of core in implementing the organisation wide security technologies. Perimeter firewall is the centre point in this prototype. This firewall is a stateful inspection firewall and manages traffic from external and internal network. This firewall is a closed security stance by blocking all traffic except those required for the University network. 9 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 The figure - above shows how the data flows through different layers of security first where the first line of defense is border router. This multiple layers of security filter the bad traffic in different layers in the network. The first level of defense is border router with a backup from the NIDS. This can be implemented by enabling basic packet filtering rules and Access Control Lists. Blocking the IP Spoofing and ICMP traffic are the examples. This outline NIDS will detect the any unknown behaviour in the traffic, which will be alerted to the administrator through management network. In some cases border router may not required as the perimeter firewall it self can handle the security threats but that depends on the business decision like cost and availability. Diagram for flow of trafficà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ As shown in the figure the data flow in the perimeter firewall. Perimeter firewalls allows or deny traffic as per the ingress and egress filter rules. Almost all the traffic coming to the internal network will be blocked by firewall and only allow as per the egress rules. The exception for this rule is for VPN clients and the VPN uses the encrypted tunnel and the VPN server is inbuilt in the Firewall itself. The Perimeter firewall also allows ingress traffic to DMZ zone but drop traffic originates from the webserver other than the reply to the already established connection. DMZ is the least trust level and this is why DMZ is isolated from other network zones. The internal network is allowed to access the Internet and Intranet through a proxy server in the DMZ zone. A web filtering software in the Proxy server can be implemented to filter out the unintended malicious URLs and links. The DMZ also has an inline NIPS in order to defend attacks against the application level threats like DoS attacks. The in line IPS behind the Perimeter firewall act like a sub-cop to check the malicious activity originating both from external and 10 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 internal network. Internal threat may come from a disgruntled employee or a malicious traffic from a Trojan program or a zombie for a possible DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack by a hacker (black hat off course!) harvested by using techniques like social engineering. The table explains the detailed egress and ingress rules on the Perimeter firewall. TRAFFIC TYPES INGRESS EGRESS ALLOW HTTP/S Request, DMZ Allow ICMP DMZ Deny Email (SMTP) Request DMZ Allow Email (Exchange RPC) DMZ Allow All Other Traffic DMZ Deny HTTP Reply DMZ Allow SMTP Reply DMZ Allow Exchange RPC Reply DMZ Allow All Other Traffic DMZ Deny ICMP (depends on policy) Internal Network Deny Remote VPN Connection Internal Network Allow All Other (Including from DMZ) Internal Network Deny Proxy Server (Port 8080)- Internet Internal Network Allow Email Server Access (DMZ) Internal Network Allow ICMP Internal Network Deny All Other Traffic Internal Network Deny Management network in the proposed diagram is one of the top security trust level where the management of all the security devices can be done. Log analysis, Secure tunnel access to routers, firewalls, IDS/P are all done in this network. The trusted servers in the internal network are protected with an internal packet filter firewall with only few of the protocols and ports are allowed. This will give the server farms with highest level of security. The staff and student networks are segregated with VLAN, as staffs should have access to student network but not vice versa. VLAN separate the traffic like a router and this will be important when considered in a University network. 11 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 Both staffs and Students can have access to trusted servers through the internal firewalls. The NIDS is also monitor any suspicious event and alerted. The other Host based IDS and personal firewall in each of the workstations provides an extra layer of security. So the proposed design with a defense-in-depth can be implemented to enhance the existing infrastructure of the Napier. TESTING AND EVALUATION (25/ 1000 words) 12 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 CONCLUSION (15/ 600 words) Unifiied threat management Appliance emerging cobbà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. One persons good enough is another persons never! Bandwidth for authentication is trivial in any case I can think of that doesnt include downloading extremely large biological mappings of the authentication target. As far as security measurements, I dont know what yard stick youre using, but strong on-host, per-host authentication works well when you have a trusted path, everything else is a usability or management compromise, I dont think Id tout them as security features. Placement of authentication server Placement of internal firewall. http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/firewalls/achieving-defense-in-depth-internal-firewalls_797 he single, authenticated/anonymous, and individualized DMZ designs are all secure designs that provide the best protection for various network sizes. The single DMZ is respected for its simple design which separates itself from a private network. The authenticated/anonymous DMZ classifies servers and the data they protect in order to segregate servers that need strong access controls from the ones that do not. The 13 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 individualized DMZ gives the greatest security for a mature network, but also has the highest setup and maintenance costs. All of these secure DMZ designs are susceptible to a poorly configured server which can allow a criminal access to a data store or worse, the entire private network. In a nutshell, theres no such thing as absolute security. How much you invest in firewalls should be a function of how much you have to lose if an attack is successful. (reword) You probably heard a number of so called security experts claim the perimeter is dead because it is not effective at blocking attacks. Nothing cluld be further from the trust. Its true that attacks have become far more complex. The concern is no longer simple port scans. What we need to do however is enhance our posture, not scrap useful technologies. To be fair however, its not just the perimeter that is having the problems with modern attacks vectors. Tools like metasploit have reduced the time of exploit development from days to minutes. Networks are being spear targested with Malware which goes undetected by their Antivirus software, in some cases for as long as two years. Attackers have figured out that they do need to completely defeat forensics, they just need to make it difficult enough that it is no longer cost effective in a CFOs eyes to fully analyse the comprosmised system. So the true problem is attack technology is advancing and we need to keep up. Sometimes this is finding new security technologies and sometimes its by retasking the ones we are already using. To draw a parallel, think of what has happened with the common automobile. 40+ years ago a tuner could tweak more power out of an engine with a simple toolkit from sears. Many of those old times tuners will tell you that engines are now too complex t work on. T o the modern tuner however who is willing to add things like OBD-II adapters and laptops to their toolki, the payoffs are huge. Power levels that used to equire huge V8 engines can be produced in tiny four cylinders with as much displacement as half gallono fmilk. 14 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584 https://ondemand.sans.org/b20080814/viewer.php?mode=2lo=7652moduleid=530 7pos=0hint=1#viewer Properly configured firewalls and border routers are the cornerstone for perimeter security The Internet and mobility increase security risks VPNs have exposed a destructive, pernicious entry point for viruses and worms in many organizations Traditional packet-filtering firewalls only block network ports and computer addresses Most modern attacks occur at the application layer 15 CSN11111 Perimeter Network Security System 10800584

Introduction Marketing Communication Definition Marketing Essay

Introduction Marketing Communication Definition Marketing Essay Belch defined Integrated marketing communication as a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated, measurable, persuasive brand communication programs with consumers, customers, prospects employees and other relevant external and internal audiences (Defining IMC). On the other hand, Fill (2009) defined Marketing communications as a management process through which an organization engages with its various audiences (p. 54). According to Fill (2009), the use of the word integrated refers to the use of various strategies in marketing communications. What is marketing communication audit A marketing communication audit involves the research of how successful are the companys internal and external communications (Thomas, 2008) to enhance the performance of the organization by identifying weaknesses and ways to improve it. Brief description of the company: Louis Vuitton History of the company Louis Vuitton (LV) is a luxury brand which was founded by Louis Vuitton in 1854 in Paris (Diniz, 2009). From then onwards, it has grown to become one of the most well known luxury brands in the world. Today, its product line includes luggages, bags, watches, shoes, jewelleries, and many more items (Diniz, 2009). Strength of the brand Husic and Cicic (2009) claimed that the customers of today have more disposable income, making them more attracted to luxury products. This claim is supported by Kapferer (2012) who agreed, saying that the performance of LV has shown promising growth. Apparently, the company seems to have a lot of potential for further development. The brand also has its own loyal customer base. These customers make decisions to buy the products of the company through a decision-making process which in theory is called the Consumer Decision Process Model shown below. Need recognition Search for information Pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives Purchase Consumption Post-consumption evaluation Divestment Source: Blackwell, Miniard Engel, 2006 Figure 1 The Consumer Decision Process Model Statistic /Plan The economic downturn has affected businesses worldwide, especially those which are luxury goods (Berman Evans, 2010). 56 percent of adults in a survey involving 2,700 consumers from Europe said that they would reduce optional spending by 12 percent on average (Berman Evans, 2010). This can lead to a serious problem for LV if its customers are affected. On the contrary, a study by Nunes, Drà ¨ze and Young (2011) revealed the opposite, showing improvements in LVs performance in the face of recession. This can be attributed to the companys effective marketing communication strategies. Context analysis Internal Factors Company analysis LV has built an international reputation for outstanding quality, creativity and craftsmanship in the duration of five generations (Fujiwara, 2007, p. 1). Maintaining the authenticity of the past while at the same time forecasting the future has been pivotal in the company values (Fujiwara, 2007). Today, the brand has outlets all over the world (Kapferer, 2012). Product analysis LV products include handbags, luggages, purses, jewelleries, and others. The issue here is the vulnerability of its products to counterfeits. Almost 99 percent are counterfeits (OFlaherty, 2008). Thus, the company has taken several steps to curb this problem by implementing the Principle to Eliminate Counterfeiting which includes distribution of warning notices and registration of trademarks (Shiganawa, 2008). However, these strategies are not always successful because the root problems are not tackled. External Factors Environmental factors Delpal (2011) reported an increase from 72 billion euros in 1994 to 168 billion euros in 2010 in luxury goods sales, making the yearly growth 5 percent on average. The growth of the luxury market has led to the entrance of many luxury fashion brands, increasing the competition (Kim Ko, 2011). Therefore, LV should design competitive marketing strategies. Competitor analysis LV has many competitors such as Hermà ¨s, Dior, and Gucci. Hermà ¨s expanded its operations by employing more craftsmen and acquiring several companies of French origin (Delpal, 2011). On the other hand, Delpal (2011) reported that Dior, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent eliminated most license agreements to have better control of its operations. Then, LV launched several production units to keep up with increasing demands (Delpal, 2011). These strategies employed by luxury brands show that the companies sometimes do replicate the marketing strategies of its competitors competitively. Objective / Goal of the company The goal LV is to be the undisputed leader of the luxury goods sector (LVMH Codes of Conduct, 2010, p. 5). This objective is backed up by the values shared by the company employees: (a) Innovation and creativity: because our future success will come from the renewal of our product offering while respecting the roots of our Houses. (b)Excellence of products and services: because we embody what is most noble and accomplished in the artisan world. (c)Brand image enhancement: because our brands represent an extraordinary asset, a source of dreams and ambitions. (d) Entrepreneurship: because this guarantees our ability to react and our motivation to create and seize opportunities. (e) Leadership-Be the best: because it is through continually excelling that we accomplish the best and achieve the best results. Source: LVMH Code of Conduct, 2010. What is the need for organizational objectives? Yip (2007) mentioned that it provides a sense of direction and focus, maximizing the potential for long term success. What is the promotional objective and strategies of the company? The general promotional objective of the companies is to build a luxury brand image so that the brand is associated with luxury among its customers (LVMH Codes of Conduct, 2010). What is the relationship of corporate strategy and promotional objective The promotional strategy is closely related to the corporate strategy of LV because it is derived from the overall objective of the company which is to become the leading luxury goods company. The company utilizes the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) (Yip, 2007) guidelines to create its five core values. Budget and other resources Finocchiaro (2010) reported that the company increased its total advertising expenditure in 2010 by 57 percent from 2009 to 2010. This major increase may be attributed to a rebound from the bad economic conditions in 2009. It was also mentioned that in 2010, from the month of January to June, $ 22 million was allocated for advertising, compared to $ 14 million of the last year (Finocchiaro, 2010). This is a promising development in keeping up with the competitive environment. What are the differences between sales and communication-based objectives? Sales based objectives are more concerned with the bottom line of the company and short term profits of the company whereas communication based objectives focus on building a favorable image of the company (Berman Evans, 2010; Kotler Armstrong, 2008). Message Strategy of the company LV utilizes newspapers and magazines to display image ads as a pull strategy rather than aggressive ads which uses the push strategy to attracts customers (Shiganawa, 2008). Source: Kotler Armstrong (2008) Figure 3 Push versus Pull Promotion Strategy The push strategy pushes the product to consumers while the pull strategy creates consumer demands for a product through marketing activities (Riley, 2012). Accordingly, LV has a principle of avoiding mass advertising such as television commercials to build its image as a luxury good (Shiganawa, 2008). Target Audiences What is the target market According to Diniz (2009), the target market of LV is males and females between the ages 30 to 50 years old, with income of  £35, 000 or more. The company also targets graduates and professionals with sense of self worth and novelty seekers (Diniz, 2009, target segmentation). Plus, the company focuses on people who value luxury brands as a symbol of status as well as those who respond to peer pressure (Nunes, Drà ¨ze Young, 2011). Consequently, the feedback of these customers is important in order to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing efforts towards one of the most important goals which is customer satisfaction. What is the feedback from customers The figure below shows the least things that customers like about shopping at LV based on a survey of 2,318 respondents from all over the world (Lee, 2009). Source: Lee, 2009. Figure 2 What do you Like the Least about the Louis Vuitton Shopping Experience? From the figure, service is seen as the least thing customers like about the brand while the second least liked attribute is the price-value relationship. However, Lee claimed that the satisfaction of LV customers has little to do with the price-value relationship as customers who purchase the brand value the prestige of owning the brand, not its economical benefits. The survey also outlined several interviews with the customers of LV to obtain their feedbacks. One customer said I dont look like a typical LV customer, so the salespeople were in a hurry to have me out of their store as fast as possible while another customer remarked I guess I did not fit the image I was not wearing all labels(Lee, 2009, Voice of the Customer from Louis Vuitton Shoppers). Lee (2009) said that the brand focuses its promotional activities and services towards people who seem to embody the target market of the brand, which are people with high social status. Although this is a differentiation strategy w hich may benefit the company, it may have adverse effects in the long run if the company does not recognize that they have diverse clientele from various backgrounds, not necessarily high status. This may be because today, people who are average in terms of income level has changing needs and is moving more towards satisfying their wants for status rather than physiological needs. Marketing communication The aim of marketing communication (Brief) and role The aim of marketing communications is to engage the target audience in terms of processing rational information or emotional information (Fill, 2009). Dion and Arnould (2011) said that LV is more concerned with the emotional aspects of consumption, due to its association with luxury goods. However, Fill (2009) suggested that there should be a balance between both elements (rational and emotional) rather than focusing on solely one need. The promotion tools For LV, the focus of the promotional tools is more towards enhancing the brand image rather than directly generating sales. Advertising LV does not use mass advertising to create sales volume (Shiganawa, 2008). In fact, the company does not advertise in television commercials, which is one of the common ways of advertising. Television commercials are considered mass advertising. On the other hand, the company also uses magazines to display image ads. According to Laitinen (2009), this form of advertising is quite powerful because of its ability to be passed down to many people and retained in the magazine for a period of time. Personal selling According to Shiganawa (2008), LV values the richness of communication between sales persons and customers because then, they are able to communicate more effectively about the product information and other details which cant be achieved through mass advertising. Sales promotion Sales promotions are focused on creating value for money which involves tools such as coupons, deals, discounts and other means which create quick sales (Kotler Armstrong, 2008). However, LV has a principle of prohibiting bargain sales and selling in value sets due to its emphasize on quality rather than price (Shiganawa, 2008). This is related to the objective of LV which aims to become the leading luxury goods brand. Public relations Public relations are concerned with building trust of the public through sponsorships, events, features and others to form a good image for the company (Kotler and Armstrong, 2008). As Fujiwara (2012) reported, 64 percent of luxury goods customers are in favor of socially responsible brands. Thus, LV puts great importance in being involved with the community. This is evident through the companys effort in constructing a forest in Japan, contributing scholarships in China, creating an arts course in London and making a playground in Russia (Fujiwara, 2007). The focus of its social responsibility activities towards local context shows how the company is aware of the needs of its local customers. Direct marketing The company markets the product by showing demonstrations on how to care for the products and providing relevant information face-to-face. This encourages feedback and enquiries can be made directly while receiving prompt responses. Intercultural Marketing communication It is advisable to take into consideration the local factors in carrying out marketing communication. LV demonstrated its ability to adapt to local context by organizing various marketing strategies to build public relations. For example, the company built 40 playgrounds in 30 Russian states through the Naked Heart Foundation, preserved the environment in Japan through the Louis Vuitton Forest through More Trees program, participated in fundraising activities in South Africa through the Mandela Rhodes foundation and other social responsibility programs in Thailand, Spain, China, France, and many other parts of the world (Fujiwara, 2007). This shows that the company pays attention about the happenings in different parts of the world and takes part in helping as part of it public relations effort. Problem statement of the Company The LV brand has the potential to increase its performance through various marketing communication tools. However, several issues must be highlighted. Nunes, Drà ¨ze and Young (2011) reported that the recession may have an adverse effect on the performance of businesses such as LV which emphasizes luxury. Another problem faced by the company is the wide availability of counterfeit products, an estimated of 99 percent which is a very high percentage of counterfeits (OFlaherty, 2008). Recommendation During recessions, the company can temporarily change its marketing strategies to reflect the changing market situation. For example, instead of prohibiting the placement of ads in televisions to reach the mass community, the company can employ this method to increase awareness and create new trend towards better value. Plus, the company can be more flexible towards its target audience to include younger generations who has increasing buying power as well as having the ability to generate greater word-of-mouth communications. In terms of combating counterfeit products, the company should reinforce the Principles Prohibiting Appraisal of Authenticity more strictly and adhere to the rules set by the companies themselves. Conclusion The LV company has a differentiated promotion strategy and is more selective in the way it conducts marketing activities such as ad placement, pricing, and others. This is important to build an exclusive brand image in line with its aim to become the leading luxury brand in the market. The company also avoids mass advertising to a certain extent and mainly aims to advertize to its target audience. However, the company still maintains good public relations through its socially responsible strategies. In conclusion, the planning of marketing communications is important and is mainly dependent on the key objective of the company. In the case of LV, it is to become the leading luxury brand. (2180 words)

THROAT CANCER Essay -- essays research papers

Throat Cancer Each year, smoking kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car accidents, murder, suicide, and fires---combined! The use of tobacco increases the risk of contracting throat cancer. Throat cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers within the United States. Cancer of the larynx (or voice box) is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the larynx. The larynx is a short passageway shaped like a triangle that is just below the pharynx in the neck. The pharynx is a hollow tube about 5 inches long that begins behind the nose and goes down to the neck to become part of the esophagus (the tube that goes to the stomach). Air passes through the pharynx and then the larynx on the way to the windpipe (trachea) and into the lungs. Food passes through the pharynx on the way to the esophagus. The larynx has a small piece of tissue over it, called the epiglottis which keeps food from going into it or the air passages. Throat cancer occurs when cells in the pharynx or larynx begin to divide abnormally and out of control. Most throat cancer begins on the vocal cords, later spreading to other parts of the larynx and pharynx. One of the most reliable and earliest symptom of throat cancer is sudden, unexplained hoarseness in the voice. About 10,000 new cases of throat cancer occur in the United States per year, generally affecting older males who use chewing tobacco, or those who have been heavy smokers (cigarettes, cigars and/or pipe smokers), or alcohol abusers. Studies indicate that the incidence of throat cancer in women and young people has increased due to the greater use of tobacco and alcohol products in this bracket. Throat cancer is more common in men, because smoking is a more common habit among males. Only one-fifth of the patients diagnosed with throat cancer will be women. Throat cancer is also closely associated with other cancers. Fifteen percent of throat-cancer patients also are diagnosed with cancer of the mouth, esophagus, or lung. Surprisingly another ten to twenty percent of these patients develop these cancers later on. Other people at risk include those who consume large quantities of alcohol, especially in combination with smoking. The most affective way to prevent throat cancer is to cease the use tobacco products entirely and cut back on alcohol. When throat cancer affects the vocal cords, the ... ...sed back up to produce sound for speech. This is a very difficult procedure to master for the common person. A popular method of speech production following laryngectomy is the voice restoration procedure. A puncture is placed through the back wall of the trachea windpipe into the esophagus and held open with a one-way valved prosthesis. By occluding the opening in the neck (tracheostoma), air is directed through the voice prosthesis into the throat causing vibration of the soft tissue and generating voice. Fluent speech that is usually readily understandable is produced (See picture #3). In conclusion, the evidence of the rise in the number of people being diagnosed with cancers caused by the use of tobacco products should be a sufficient warning to people to avoid the use of these products entirely. It is important to pay attention to symptoms that may indicate a potential problem and to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Family medical histories should be considered as well when reporting the development of unusual symptoms to the physician. As always, a healthy diet and regular exercise are the best preventative measures to take ensure a long and productive life.

freedom of speech -- essays research papers fc

â€Å" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press† -First Amendment, U.S. Constitution. According to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, one of the basic principles our country is based on is the freedom of speech. Because of this, as eras and ages have passed in this still young and growing country, this amendment has had a greater use then stated, as to just insure a citizen of this right; rather it is used and many times directed towards individuals who have suffered great injustices and forms of oppression in the nation and their strive for liberation. However, what speech is such thus uses to reach this liberation and freedom? What hidden phantom is it that can improve the reality of an individual being oppressed and transcend them from injustice in America? The answer is none other than the English language. It is the use of this language, written and spoken, which has altered the subjectivity lived in the past, as well as today. Take for instance the first official document our country based its freedom on, in the The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies. This document has laid the foundation of freedom and liberation from past oppression (British injustices)and in this country still existing today. However when viewing this document, one must take careful note of not only the theme of the document, rather the text itself to fully understand the genius and skill put forward in scribing such an influential document. For instance, a couple lines from the top, the author(s) state â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (Declaration 1). First should be noticed the type of voice used in this segment of the document. From this passage, throughout the rest of the document, the voice is of plural (or as seen â€Å" We hold...†). With using â€Å"We† rather than â€Å"The individuals of the colonies† or such else, the author(s) intern portray an equal status with the reader, as not only a citizen rather as a peer. A second passage from this document which personifies the use of the English language in the str... ...ng this metaphor, especially in this context, King compares that to church bells and other form of peaceful bells that ring. As a result, seen once again, is this emotional appeal through metaphorical analysis. In conclusion, the English language has and still plays an essential role in the liberation of the past and the oppositions still faced today.. Since the beginning of the nations existence, through the civil rights movements, carrying over till today, the first amendment, with this English language, has proven to be of great validity and importance. It can thus be concluded that the English language is essentially, the speech of freedom! Works Cited Breitman, George Malcolm X Speaks (pp. 23-44), (Ed). Published in 1965 by Grove Weidenfeld: New York, NY. King, Martin Luther: "I Have a Dream"delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

Ethnobotany Essays -- essays papers

Ethnobotany An Available Option Try to imagine yourself or someone you hold close to you being very sick, so sick that just being alive each day gives more pain and suffering than the previous day. Not one person should have to suffer from a disease that is incurable and leads inevitably to death. With an assisted suicide a person and his or her family can be relieved of the agony of the illness. Euthanasia is sometimes considered to be the best option for a loved one who is in intractable pain, and should be an option available to patients who meet qualifications and agree to the assistance in suicide. There are two different forms of Euthanasia: Active and Passive. Active Euthanasia is the causing of a person’s death through a direct action in response to a request of that person. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is most well known for his acts of Active Euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia is, according to www.religioustolerance.org, hastening the death of a person by altering some form of support and letting nature take its course. Examples of Passive Euthanasia include â€Å"pulling the plug† on a patient in a coma or turning off a respirator to aid in the breathing process. These two processes should, at times, be performed on some patients so that death will occur sooner and suffering will no longer happen. Although some pains that are effects of terminal illnesses can be controlled to a level that can be endured, most people who are suffering from these illnesses do not...

Crowd Behaviour Essay

People are likely to act in bizarre ways in a crowd compared to as an individual. A crowd can be defined as a set of individuals who share a common social identification of themselves in terms of that crowd. Crowd members should also share common goals and act in a coherent member (Reicher, 2008). There have been extensive amounts of research into crowd psychology, investigating the apparent causes and reasons for such behaviour to occur. Many different theories exist to attempt to explain why people fall into this interesting state of social influence when they are in crowds. This essay will attempt to investigate how we might best explain crowd behaviour. Le Bon’s (1896) early attempt to explain this phenomenon suggested that crowd behaviours are pathological and abnormal, where people are reduced to a primitive or instinctive mode of behaviour. This theory proposes that feelings of anonymity cause people in a crowd to lose their sense of self and responsibility and act in ways that stem from a ‘group mind’. Through this group mind people are freed from social norms and natural animal instincts are released causing riots and irrational violence. However, since the initial suggestion of the ‘group mind’, this theory has been largely rejected. The main reasoning for this being that the theory does not acknowledge the importance of power in crowd behaviours, which appears to be a key factor in collective behaviour. One speculation that remains important from Le Bon’s group mind theory is that the feeling of crowd anonymity appears to be influential in creating various subsequent theories to explain crowd behaviour, such as the theory of deindividuation. However, the rejection of the group mind does not mean that we should then reject the study of group processes as groups have distinctive properties from individual behaviour. Instead, we should begin to look at group processes with a different perspective. Tajfel (1970) claims that all social behaviour falls on a continuum that spans from interpersonal to intergroup behaviour. Intergroup behaviour is defined with these three criteria: the presence of two distinct groups, low variability in attitudes and behaviour of group members, and low variability in one person’s attitudes to group members.  This helps to explain this readiness in which a person can switch from one view of someone to another (e.g. saying all catholics are bad people, and then going on to say the neighbor (who is a catholic) is such a lovely person). This can arise because when you become part of a group you start to see people as a category not as individuals. The theory of Deindividuation (Deiner, 1976; and Zimbardo, 2007) followed on to these early speculations. The model states that when surrounded by others in a crowd people lose self-awareness. Consequently, people become more susceptible to external cues and to the groups motives and emotions. Ultimately, these factors may lead group members to engage in unsocial and possibly antisocial behaviours. According to Zimbardo, being part of a large group can create a sense of anonymity and diffuses personal responsibility throughout the group for the consequences of one’s actions. This can lead to the loss of identity and a reduced concern for social evaluation. Behaviour resulting can then be impulsive and irrational as there are different set ‘normal’ social and personal norms. Zimbardo’s electric shock experiment gives support to the deindividuation theory, providing evidence that the mean duration of the shock administered by deindividuated participants (they were wearing a coat and a hood to increase anonymity) was nearly twice as long than that of the people who retained their individual identities. Further research also suggests that this sense of anonymity is increased as the size of the group increases and also increases in darker conditions. For example: the violent crowd in the Bristol riots, as darkness fell, violence escalated thus increasing the anonymity of the crowd members. Research by Jaffe and Yinon (1979) compared the mean intensity of shock administered by individuals with that administered by participants in groups of three. As they predicted, those who participated in groups consistently gave much stronger ‘shocks’ than those acting on their own giving evidence for the idea that the sense of anonymity increases with the size of the group. However, some research disagrees that increased anonymity leads to increases antisocial and aggressive behaviour. Some argue that deindividuation and anonymity may in fact result in decreased aggression and improved group relations, indicating that these antisocial behaviours may not be automatic or inevitable consequences of anonymity. Despite much of the early literature proposing that deindividuation factors such as anonymity, loss of self-awareness and group size are associated with antisocial and aggressive behaviours, some more recent findings suggest that deindividuation influences are often sometimes related to increases in pro-social normative behaviour. Zimbardo (1969) provides support for this criticism of the deindividuation theory, having participants either dress in KKK cloaks, or a nurse uniform in an electric shock learning experiment. Results showed that those wearing the nurse uniform chose to reduce the level of shocks administered, and especially in the deindividuated conditions – the person wearing no name tag. In fact, deindividuation by itself did not increase aggression significantly, even for those wearing the KKK outfit. These findings have an influential effect on the understanding of group behaviour as they show that being in a group does not necessarily lead to destructive, antiso cial behaviour as Zimbardo implied. It seems that crowd behaviour often tends to depend on the situation and how salient the norms are. Given the previous literature, Diener (1980) argues that the main factor in crowd behaviour is determined by a loss of self-awareness. He then suggests that factors present in crowd situations such as cohesion and anonymity, can lead people to focus their attention outwards and less on themselves and on personal standards. As a result, people’s behaviour becomes less self-regulated and more determined by immediate cues and norms present in groups around them. Subsequently, these cues will not always direct violence, but will vary across different situations. The literature also fails to consider the context of behaviour or to distinguish anonymity when someone is in a group from anonymity when they are alone. In addition, members of a crowd are barely ever truly anonymous; as individuals identities are often known to other members of the crowd, and they therefore only will appear anonymous to outsiders of the crowd. People often gain a sense of pride rioting together in a group, such as supporters of the same team at a football match, which is far from losing their identities. All of the previous models focus on what is lost when part of a crowd – loss of identity, loss of individuality, and loss of self-awareness. This perspective of understanding group behaviour is a negative and highly  unproductive way to think about collective behaviour; it would be much more productive to think about change (Reicher et al., 1995). Reicher’s research into crowd behaviour has come up with three important features of crowd situations. Firstly, crowds nearly always involve more than one group. This intergroup factor has been essentially ignored in the previous literature for crowd behaviour since the group mind fallacy. Secondly, he suggests that people do not become anonymous, but take on a new identity in a crowd. Reicher (1984) studied vivosection attitudes in Science and Social Science students, with science students generally being more PRO and social sciences students more ANTI. In each category, half of the students were made aware of group membership (e.g. seated together, reffered to as groups, wore KKK membership clothing, etc). Attitudes of Science students became more pro-vivosection and social science students become more anti-vivosection. These findings oppose Deiners theory that deindividuation leads to a loss of self-regulation and gives support to Reicher’s view that you don’t lose your identity in a group based situation, but your identity changes to fall in line with group norms. This follows on from Turners (1983) suggestion of the distinction between personal and social aspects of the self. There is a shift along the interpersonal group continuum from personal identity to social identity. There is then a change in what is seen as the appropriate standard of behaviour. These standards of behaviour and norms are now determined by the group’s social identity rather than by personal or environmental factors. This can help to understand why the behaviour of rioters and police can be so different, when they are exposed to the same stimuli, for when they adopt their respective identities they become influenced by very different goals and social norms. This shows that when a person becomes part of a crowd or group, their social identity as a group member becomes more important and their individual identity becomes less important. Although people may sometimes lose some sense of their identity at times, they will often adopt a stronger sense of their social identity as a member of that particular group. Crowd behaviour, according to Reicher, therefore involves a change rather than a loss of identity. Reicher’s new theory of  crowd behaviour raised four issues that do not fall in line with Deiner’s deindividuation theory. 1. Although crowd behaviour is violent, it is often under control at the same time. 2. Crowds are not always anonymous. 3. Though people are previously suggested to lose self-awareness in crowds and thus respond to cues in particular situations, how come people will respond differently? 4. If crowd behaviour leads to a loss in identity, how come a sense of pride often results from crowd interaction? When Reicher (1987) interviewed people who were part of the St Paul’s riots he received some interesting feedback such as â€Å"we feel great, we feel confident it was a vic tory† and â€Å"You were grinning at everybody, because everyone was from St Paul’s†. These statements provide evidence that those feelings of anonymity and a suggested loss of identity in groups are not present when people are successful in their groups perhaps gaining a sense of pride in their group and coming together to celebrate. To conclude, there are three important points that I would like to reiterate. Firstly, Zimbardo’s pessimism about groups is seemingly unjustified with much evidence pointing in the opposite direction. Depending on each particular situation and the norms that are important in each, behaviour can become either pro-social or anti-social in crowd environments. Though where Zimbardo does seem to be right is that people’s behaviour in a group situation can become much more extreme than how they would behave on their own. The second point is that people’s behaviour in crowds does not always worsen. Support from both Zimbardo and Deiner suggest that in groups people are subjected to a loss of identity and loss of control. However, Reicher’s more recent research into crowd behaviour suggests that this idea is mistaken. It has been shown that people’s behaviour is still in control, yet by different psychological processes. Groups seem to have a common goal in mind in acting as they do, and also that their actions are often motivated by identification with some group. Finally, when viewing group behaviour from an intergroup perspective, the goal and identity directed aspects of collective behaviour are more evident. In almost every situation of crowd behaviour, it is possible to determine an out-group, which will play an important role in the actions of the crowd. Overall, there are many different crowd psychology theories, some of which explain different aspects of crowd behaviour. However, research gives much support to the use of intergroup perspective rather than interpersonal theories to explain this phenomenon. References Diener, E. (1976). Effects of prior destructive behavior, anonymity, an group presence on deindividuation and aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33, 497-507. Diener, E. (1980). Deindividuation, self-awareness, and disinhibition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1160-1171. Le Bon, G. (1947). The Crowd: a study of the popular mind. London: Ernest Benn. Reicher, S. D., Spears, R. and Postmes, T. (1995). A social identity model of deindividuation phenomena. European Review of Social Psychology, 6, 161-198. Reicher, S. D. (1984b). The St. Pauls’ Riot: An explanation of the limits of crowd action in terms of a social identity model. European Journal of Social Psychology, 14, 1-21. Reicher, S. D. (2008). The Psychology of Crowd Dynamics. Blackwell Handbook of Social Psychology: Group Processess, 9, 151-168 Tafjel, H. (1970). Experiments in intergroup discrimination. Scientijic American, 223, 96102. Turner, J. C. (1983). Some comments on ‘the measurement of social orientations in the minimal group paradigm’. European Journal of Social Psychology, 13, 351-368 Zimbardo, P. G. (1969). The Human Choice: Individuation, reason, and order versus Deindividuation, impulse and chaos. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 17, 237-307

The Value of Higher Education

Ruben Zamudio English 1 Section 1739 Dr. Garnica Assignment 1 The Value of a Higher Education As the predecessor for success in America since the 1970s, college is questioned more and more this generation whether its stature is essential for socioeconomic mobility. What once was seen as the eroding force of class divisions has sadly become the reason for its fortification. This eroding force does however give a pleasant image of a better life with a higher earning career at hand.The instability of the nation’s economy has made it difficult for students of low-income class to get access to colleges and universities and surpass the invisible barriers that hold them back from achieving the American dream every citizen has. One major drawback for access to higher education can be focused directly on the nation. Since the tragic incident of 9/11, our nation’s spending towards defense has dramatically increased. What does that mean? Not enough dollars are going towards what m atters most: education.The Bush’s administration’s 2007 budget proposed the largest cut to federal education funding since the twenty-six years of existence for the Education Department—a loss of $2. 1 billion. This cut meant that schools and colleges throughout the nation had to compete more than ever for proper funding from the government, both at the state and federal level. As resources are being stripped from schools, struggling students will only continue to struggle, while students with money and resources continue to add on to the legacy that has preceded them.This information does not include another economic sector that has made it difficult for students to access higher education, the ever-growing cost of college tuition. â€Å"College tuition has increased 66% beyond inflation within the last ten years, and 26% at private institutions†. Higher education was looked at to further the knowledge of our nation’s citizens, to expand and bette r what we had, but due to the difficulty of accessing it, all we continue to do is increase the gap of class stratification.Gary Rhoades of the Center of the Future of Higher Education stated, â€Å"Our current policy path, of continued cuts in state support and continued increases in tuition will only increase the stratification in the future†. This is an adverse trend, as our nation is in dire demand for more educated graduates and workers, not fewer. Yet, policymakers continue to steer their focus away from increasing access to schools, and making it that much harder for students who struggle already. In the world we live in today, money is the motive and the drive.Elementary and post secondary schools with a high property tax are two linked reasons for the inequality of education. Schools rely heavenly on property tax revenue using as much as half for funding. A report done by Daphne A. Kenyon, a member at the Lincoln Institute, displayed the correlation of property tax a nd school funding of seven states: California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Texas, Ohio, New Jersey, and Michigan, with â€Å"Massachusetts ranks the highest and California the lowest, according to the respective property tax relief and school funding principles presented in the reports. This report associates itself with the most educated states in the country, with Massachusetts being one of the most educated and California being one the lowest. Giving you an idea how this source of revenue actually helps the students in the long run, getting a higher quality of education, as schools are able to buy more materials for the classrooms, and pay for workshops which could improve teachers. Educational value depends on the educational spending in students and institutions, as does the quality.This inequality for students enforces class stratification, as students who receive better quality of teaching throughout their academic career, will be better prepared for colleges and universit ies and the workforce ahead. As these students leave a form of legacy behind them in their alma mater, access for their children will be easier, as children with parents who’ve attended college are more likely to go than those with parents who have not. Unfortunately for those who receive poor quality education, their mobility will be limited than what it should be, ignoring general income as a factor.Students with lower income have always trailed behind their affluent colleagues in school performance, not saying that they cannot advance, but the way the system is being operated against them. Universities have grown selective in their admission process, aiming towards students with higher incomes, as they contribute and pay more than those with lower income. A trend that has continued to grow and debated about is the acceptance of out-of-states students over in-states students.Populated states with tight higher education budgets have grown to rely on out-of-state students due to their higher tuition payments to help sustain the schools. Another issue that universities and institutions present is the administration blight. A 2010 study has shown that administrators have grown 39% per 100 students compared to professors, researchers, and other staff members, who have only grown 18% per 100 students. Schools need more professors and researchers, not administrators, who make an average of $390,000 a year.This steers universities’ mission away from providing a proper education and more and giving those in higher power more power. Full time professors and researchers are being replaced, and do not have time to perform research to further the advancement of knowledge. Despite the numbers flown around everywhere, what you earn from a college degree is in fact beneficial to a person. Those with a post secondary education will genuinely earn a bout 64% more than someone with just a high school degree or a drop out ($1053 vs. 638 earned a month). The earnin g gap in today’s society has been the highest since 1915, and in today’s economy, you need to have that stable income to be ready for whatever policies and laws and raises in tax rates that the country might throw at you. So attending college will definitely have it’s advantage, most of the times. Although attaining and completing your post secondary education, the work field will not always guarantee you a job solely due to a degree.Post secondary education has taken it share of hits from legislators and policymakers, but this should not affect the access for students who are working hard to achieve a better future for themselves and potential families to come. Despite, the intense competition that has grown, post secondary is essential in the today’s world and a little competition is always healthy. Our state and national government, as well as schools and parents have to understand the importance of post secondary education for our future generations, and must find a way to restructure our budgets to help students succeed as much as possible.