Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Corporate Governance Essay

In a commercial organisation, the board of directors is typically charged with the key responsibility for corporate governance – protecting the rights of shareholders and creditors, ensuring contractual obligations and regulatory compliance. In the public sector, the elected government is typically responsible for corporate governance, and in semi-government and statutory bodies like State Rail, Sydney Water, the Australian Broadcasting Authority, the University of NSW, etc – and in not- for-profit organisations – governments will usually mandate a body similar to a board of directors with the responsibility for corporate governance. What does corporate governance involve? In a recent article, Gomez & Korine (2005, pp. 739-752) propose that: Corporate governance can be understood as a set of contracts that defines the relationships among the three principal actors in the corporation. To simplify what this actually means, corporate governance is the set of relationships where: †¢A key stakeholder whom they refer to as the sovereign (in the case of commercial organisations this would be the shareholders; in the case of public sector agencies, the elected government; for not-for-profit organisations this is often the ‘members’ or other key stakeholders as defined by legislation) †¢sets in place a governing body (eg, board, council, senate, etc) with responsibility for overseeing the actions of the governer (management, staff, employees, volunteers, players, etc) Increasingly, societies and governments are reacting to a rapidly changing world surrounding them, and modifying the regulations affecting ‘corporate governance’ accordingly. The numbers and interests of stakeholders who are affected by the actions of organisations is expanding. Organisations are being seen to impact on: the economy the natural environment society through opportunities for work and employment conditions of work family life, etc Consequently, there are increasingly complex expectations placed on organisations of all sizes to consider and take responsibility for decisions and actions beyond simply their ‘money making’ or other purposes and goals. Corporate governance covers a large number of distinct concepts and phenomenon as we can see from the definition adopted by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – â€Å"Corporate governance is the system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, such as, the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions in corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance†1. From this definition we see that corporate governance includes the relationship of a company to its shareholders and to society; the promotion of fairness, transparency and accountability; reference to mechanisms that are used to â€Å"gov ern† managers and to ensure that the actions taken are consistent with the interests of key stakeholder groups. The key points of interest in corporate governance therefore include issues of transparency and accountability, the legal and regulatory environment, appropriate risk management measures, information flows and the responsibility of senior management and the board of directors. Harshbarger and Holden (2004) point out that while many of the governance issues that organizations face are not new, the environment in which they confront them is more challenging than ever: State and Federal law enforcement have applied significantly increased resources and a more aggressive philosophy toward confrontation of governance lapses; the media spotlight has increased awareness among those constituents directly affected as well as the business community as a whole; shareholder proposals are taken more seriously; and the judiciary has demonstrated its willingness for a more stringent definition of good faith. As well, there are a number of factors that have brought ethical issues into sharper focus, including globalization, technology and rising competition. Van Beek and Solomon (2004) also note the ability to deliver a professional service will necessarily take place in an environment in which there is an increasing tendency towards individuality, while society as a whole becomes more global. The new realities of corporate governance show that no entity or agent is immune from fraudulent practices and have altered the way companies operate; they have re-defined the baseline for what is considered prudent conduct for businesses and executives (Dandino, 2004). CORPORATE STRATEGY Strategy can be developed at many levels – in a multi-layered organisation there may be: †¢Corporate level strategy – decisions made for the whole corporation or organisation to gain the better of adversaries or attain ends. Business unit or divisional strategy – decisions made for the business unit or division to gain the better of adversaries or attain the business units end. Functional strategies – such as marketing/finance/huma n resources/IT/technology/ operational/production/etc. strategies. There would be marketing decisions (or finance or HR decisions, etc) designed to get the better of an adversary or attain a marketing/finance, etc, end. †¢So what do we mean by ends? Other terms that are frequently used here for the same concept are goals or missions or visions. Organisations typically have (or should have) a set of goals, desired outcomes or a view of their purpose (mission), or their future achievements and positions (visions) in mind. Ideally these are clearly articulated and understood by everyone in the organisation. When these ends (goals, mission, vision) are clearly understood, then the board, management, staff and partners of the organisation are able to ‘develop’ strategy to achieve these. What is a strategic plan? A plan, whether strategic, tactical, operational, marketing, finance – or whatever – is really just a set of decisions that have been captured in some form (document, web page, PowerPoint presentation, video, etc) that set out the answer to three key questions: 1. Where are we now? 2. Where are we going? 3. How will we get there? Accordingly, a plan is formed by: †¢analysing the existing and ex pected future trends and factors affecting the organisation/business unit, etc †¢setting down clear statements of the outcomes that will help to achieve the ends that the organisation has set itself (these statements of outcomes are commonly called objectives) †¢describing some tactics and actions that will lead to achieving the outcomes ETHICS IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT The dawn of a global knowledge society with information-driven economies and expansion of cross-border trade as consequences of liberalization and globalization policy is placing new demands on business organizations for more innovative approaches in business ethics at both local as well as global business environment (Nissanke and Thorbecke, 2005). This premise is consistent with Brownlie et al. (1999) who indicate that; â€Å"What is it like to think new thoughts†¦ to undo the fragile web of assumption†¦ to render new images to the familiar†¦ to look anew at the world†¦ to see the ordinary and everyday from a fresh perspective?† Many research scholars today share this view and indicate that what they took for granted, assumed, believed and worked towards has been upended by those who argue that in order to ‘get it right’ in a global business environment, organizations must rethink their business ethics approach. Sheth and Sisodia (1999) also support this hypothesis by asserting that, the context of ethics in global business environment is changing in fundamental ways. The acceptance of law-like generalizations has to be, as they suggest, â€Å"Either enhanced or modified†. The old opinion of business ethics as â€Å"an oxymoron†, or that â€Å"business organizations do not have ethics† (Laczniak and Murphy, 1993) is being re-thought. The business ethics is increasingly being called into question from various quarters (Brownlie et al., 1999) and research scholars are developing the discipline in order to challenge the ethical complacency that existed in the past. Business ethics is ultimately the ethics of power, of how to handle the power of business and how that power is acquired, increased and exercised. The need for ethics in business has never been greater, precisely because the power of business was never so manifold and as extensive as it is today (Mahoney, 1997). The term ‘ethics’ has generally been used to refer to the rules and principles of right and wrong conduct. It therefore boils down to morality and good or bad conduct. Business ethics are a set of rules that stipulate how businesses and their employees ought to behave (Aldag and Stearns, 1991). DiPiazza (2002) says â€Å"I see ethics as a mission-critical issue†¦. deeply embedded into who we are and what we do. Its just as important as our product development cycle or our distribution system†¦its about creating a culture based on integrity and respect, not a culture based on dealing with the crisis of the day†¦We speak to ourselves every day, ‘Are we doing the right things?† Sheth, Gardner and Garret (1988) opine that ethical decision-making in a business environment is very complex, and that allegedly â€Å"guilty business practitioners have quite sincerely stated that they honestly did not realize that their actions could possibly create ethical problems†. Business organizations operating at international levels often find that many countries differ in what is considered wrong or right in a business market. IN TERMS OF SONY: ETHICS Ethical business conduct and compliance with applicable laws and regulations are fundamental aspects of Sony’s corporate culture. To this end, Sony has established a Global Compliance Network comprised of the Compliance Division at the corporate headquarters, a global compliance leadership team, and regional offices around the world; adopted and implemented the Sony Group Code of Conduct; and set up Compliance Hotline systems through its Global Compliance Network — all in order to reinforce the Company’s worldwide commitment to integrity and help assure resources are available for employees to raise concerns or seek guidance about legal and ethical matters. In July 2001, Sony Corporation established the Compliance Division, charged with exercising overall control over compliance activities across the Sony Group, to emphasize the importance of business ethics and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and internal policies. The Compliance establishes compliance policies and structures for the Sony Group and performs crisis management functions. In July 2003, Sony established a regional compliance network comprised of offices in the Americas, Europe, Japan, East Asia*1 and Pan-Asia,*2 which are charged with exercising regional control over compliance activities to strengthen the compliance system throughout the Sony Group. Officers responsible for compliance in each region have the authority to issue instructions concerning compliance to Sony Group companies in their respective regions and, by cooperating with one another, are working to establish and maintain a comprehensive global compliance structure. To further reinforce global compliance efforts, a Compliance Leadership Team was formed in September 2009 as an additional component of the global compliance organization. The Compliance Leadership Team assists the Sony Corporation General Counsel and Compliance Division in identifying, developing and implementing key compliance strategies and compliance-related measures; encourages more active participation in Group-wide compliance activities from a larger group of key Sony personnel by involving not only the Regional Compliance Officers but also experienced legal/compliance personnel from Sony Group companies; and creates a global framework that by its very structure highlights the company’s compliance priorities and commitment to best practices. *1Coverage area of East Asia compliance office: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea *2Coverage area of Pan-Asia compliance office: Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa and Oceania *3 The Americas Office is responsible for Sony Corporation of America, the Sony Pictures Entertainment Group, and the Sony Music Entertainment Group, in addition to the Electronics Group companies in the America ’s Region. The Sony Europe, East Asia and Pan-Asia Offices are responsible for the Electronics Group companies in their respective regions. The Japan Office is responsible for Sony Corporation, the Sony Computer Entertainment Group, and Sony Financial Holdings, in addition to the Electronics Group Companies in Japan CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Sony is committed to strong corporate governance. As a part of this effort, in 2003, Sony adopted the â€Å"Company with Committees† corporate governance system under the Companies Act of Japan. In addition to complying with the requirements of applicable governance laws and regulations, Sony has introduced its own requirements to help improve the soundness and transparency of its governance by strengthening the separation of the Directors’ function from that of management and advancing the proper functioning of the statutory committees. Under Sony’s system, the Board of Directors defines the respective areas for which each of the Corporate Executive Officers is responsible and delegates to them decision-making authority to manage the business, thereby promoting the prompt and efficient management of the Sony Group. Sony Corporation is governed by its Board of Directors, which is appointed by resolution at the shareholders’ meeting. The Board has three committees (the Nominating Committee, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee), consisting of Directors named by the Board of Directors. Corporate Executive Officers are appointed by resolution of the Board of Directors. In addition to these statutory bodies and positions, Sony has Corporate Executives who carry out business operations within designated areas. Board of Directors: Determines the fundamental management policies of the Sony Group Oversees the management of Sony Group’s business operations Appoints and dismisses the statutory committee members Appoints and dismisses Representative Corporate Executive Officers and Corporate Executive Officers Nominating Committee: Determines the content of proposals regarding the appointment/dismissal of Directors Audit Committee: Monitors the performance of duties by Directors and Corporate Executive Officers (with respect to processes in place to ensure the adequacy of the financial reporting process, to enable management to ensure the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, to ensure timely and appropriate disclosure, and to ensure compliance with applicable law, Articles of Incorporation and internal policies). Monitors the status of any other items described in the â€Å"Internal Control and Governance Framework† determined or reaffirmed by the Board of Directors in accordance with the Companies Act of Japan. As part of its monitoring, attends the Nominating Committee and Compensation Committee meetings. Oversees and evaluates the work of the independent auditor (including to evaluate the adequacy of its independence and its qualification, to propose its appointment/dismissal or non-reappointment, to approve its compensation, to evaluate the appropriateness of its audit regarding the financial results and internal control over financial reporting, and to pre-approve its engagement for any services other than audit services to be provided) Prepares the Audit Committee Review Report in which the Audit Committee expresses its opinion on the performance of duties of Directors and Corporate Executive Officers, on the Business Report and on the independent auditor’s audit procedures and results based on its review activities including review of the matters subject to the Committee’s opinion in the Audit Committee Review Report. Compensation Committee: Sets policy on the contents of individual compensation for Directors, Corporate Executive Officers, Corporate Executives and Group Executives, and determines the amount and content of individual compensation of Directors and Corporate Executive Officers in accordance with the policy Corporate Executive Officers: Make decisions regarding the execution of Sony Group business activities within the scope of the authority delegated to them by the Board of Directors Corporate Executives: Carry out business operations within designated areas, including business units, h eadquarters functions, and/or research and development, in accordance with the fundamental policies determined by the Board of Directors and the Corporate Executive Officers

Constitutional Commissions of the Philippines

Civil Service Commission FUNCTIONS: The Civil Service Commission has the ff. powers and functions: 1. Administer and enforce the constitutional and statutory provisions on the merit system. 2. Prescribe, amend, and enforce suitable rules and regulations for carrying into effect the provisions of the Decree. 3. Promulgate policies, standards, and guidelines for the Civil Service adopt plans and programs to promote economical , efficient, and effective personnel administration in the government. 4. Supervise and coordinate the conduct of civil service examinations. 5.Approve appointments, whether original or promotional, to positions in the civil service. 6. Inspect and audit periodically the personnel work programs of the different departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and other instrumentalities of the government. 7. Hear and decide administrative disciplinary cases instituted directly with it or brought to it on appeal. 8. Perform such other functions as properly belonging to a ce ntral personnel agency. NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS: Civil Service Commission is composed of a Chairman and two Commissioners. QUALIFICATIONS: 1. They must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines . They must be at least 35 years of age at the time of their appointment (rather than assumption of office)3. They must be persons with proven capacity for public administration. Knowledge of law or experience in the practice of law is not required by the Constitution presumably because the position calls more for administrative ability rather than legal competence. There must be a showing that they have been in the service as an effective public administrator. This is necessary because the Commissioners are responsible for an agency that performs significant functions . They must not have been candidates for any elective position in the elections immediately preceding their appointment. This requirement insures the political neutrality of prospective appointees and effectively precludes th e appointment of political lameducks. TERM: 7 years of term without reappointment †¢ Commission on Elections FUNCTIONS: The  Commission on Elections  has the following powers and functions: 1. Enforce and administer all laws related to the conduct of elections, plebiscite, referendum and recall. 2.Judge all contests relating to elections, results, and qualifications of all elective regional and provincial and city officials; 3. Deputize law enforcement agencies of the Government, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to ensure free, orderly and honest elections; 4. Register and accredit political parties; 5. Recommend to the Congress effective measures to minimize election expenses and prohibit all forms of election frauds and malpractices, political opportunism, guest or nuisance candidacy or other similar acts; and 6.Submit reports to the President, the Congress on the conduct of each election, plebiscite, referendum or recall. NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS: The Commis sion on Elections is composed of a Chairman and 6 Commissioners. QUALIFICATIONS: 1. They must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines. 2. They must be at least 35 years of age at the time of their appointment. 3. They must be at least holders of a college degree. 4. They must not have been candidates for any elective position in the immediately preceding elections. TERM: 7 years of term without reappointment Commission on Audit FUNCTIONS: The  Commission on Audit  has the following powers and functions: 1. Examine, audit and settle, in accordance with law and regulations, all accounts pertaining to the revenues and receipts of aid expenditures or uses of funds and property of the government and all government-owned or controlled corporations; and 2. Submit to the President and the Congress an annual financial report of the government including government-owned or controlled operations, and recommend measures necessary to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.NUMBER OF C OMMISSIONERS: The Commission on Audit is composed of a Chairman and 2 commissioners. QUALIFICATIONS: 1. They must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines. 2. They must be at least 35 years of age at the time of their appointment. 3. They must be certified public accountants with not less than 10 years of auditing experience or members of the Philippine Bar who have engaged in the practice of law for 10 years. 4. They must not have been candidates for any elective position in the elections preceding their appointment. TERM: 7 years of term without reappointment

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Ptlls Assignment 1 Ground Rules

Edexcel (PTLLS) Michelle Brunton Theory Task One (Unit 5) – part 1 How would a teacher/tutor establish and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for their learners? It is important to provide a safe and supportive learning environment so that all learners feel comfortable, relaxed and able to explore learning regardless of their previous experiences. For example if student behaviour is not managed, bullying, intimidation and discrimination can occur. There are a number of methods and approaches which could be used to achieve this. Establish ground rulesIn order to create safe and supportive learning environments, it is important to agree rules and boundaries with learners. Gravells stated â€Å"Having ground rules gives a firm boundary for all learners to work within† (2008:8). Ground rules can be established in a number of ways. For example they can be dictated by the teacher/tutor or developed by the students through group exercises, designing posters to illustrate them. By establishing ground rules the learners will be more aware of what behaviour is expected of them, and therefore promotes respect between learners.In turn, this will establish a positive, agreeable and respectful environment in which to learn. According to Petty, â€Å"experiments show that classrooms become much more orderly when rules are stated, or better still negotiated, discussed and fully justified. † (2006:3) this is supported by Gravells who states that encouraging students to take part in making the ground rules, â€Å"allows the group to take ownership of their own rules, then they are more likely to keep to them† (2008:8) Build a strong classroom communityThe classroom environment allows learners to build stronger and larger networks beyond their own community. In â€Å"Evidence based teaching† Petty states â€Å"Good teacher-student relations ensure that students have a more positive attitude to the teacher and to learning, and m ake them more likely to accept rules and any disciplining. † (2006:6) The teacher/tutor can use a number of approaches to facilitate a strong classroom community such as Ice breakers, which provide students with an opportunity to share information about their backgrounds and cultures, exploring the diversity they bring to the classroom.Encouraging students to work in pairs or small groups is another way to encourage students to work with people they would not usually interact with. By building networks in the classroom, students can create supportive relationships with both peers and teachers. Valuing student diversity The classroom should provide students with an environment that is conducive to learning. Valuing diversity within the classroom encourages learners to recognise and respect the fact that people are different. Their differences could include age, cultural background, literacy and numeracy levels and learning styles.Gravells’ definition of diversity is â₠¬Å"valuing the differences in people, whether that relates to gender, race, age, disability or any other individual characteristics they may have†. (2008:18) If a student feels uncomfortable, unsafe, or not respected, then their chances of success in that class could dramatically decrease. Evidence suggests that to establish and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment it is essential to have agreed ground rules and boundaries in place, a strong classroom community which is co-operative and supportive and a strong value for diversity within the classroom.The Teacher should create an environment which outlines clear and reasonable expectations for behaviour, has a relaxed atmosphere and where social and cultural differences are respected and cultivated as resources for learning. Word count (533) Petty G. (2004) Teaching Today 3rd Edition, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Petty, G. (2006) Evidence Based Teaching: a practical approach. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Free additio nal chapter for ‘Evidence Based Teaching’ by Geoff Petty (2006) Nelson Thornes. www. geoffpetty. com. Gravells, A. (2008) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Exetor: Learning Matters.

Monday, July 29, 2019

ABB OUTSOURCING TO IBM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

ABB OUTSOURCING TO IBM - Essay Example Most of the tasks that are outsourced are considered to be core to the business. Tasks such as billing, pay roll and data entry are some of the services that are outsourced to other companies. Outsourcing involves signing contracts that can last for many years and can also involve a lot of money. There are some very well known outsourcing companies or service providers across the world. IBM is one of the best known of the service providers who offer outsourcing services to other companies. One of the recent contracts that the company signed was with the Swedish company ABB. At the time when it was outsourcing its IT services, ABB had been suffering from serious financial problems. The executives decided to outsource the services as they thought that this would greatly help to lower the production cost incurred by the company. The company executives settled on IBM since it is a top player in the Information technology field (ABB Press Release, 2003). Being a Swedish company, ABB decided to use an international company that is based in the US. This off shoring agreement was valued at 1.1 million dollars. IBM was supposed to perform IT related services for ABB for ten years, as from the year 2003. IBM took over the IT infrastructure in ABB’s 14 stations in Europe and North America. This represent around 90% of Client Company’s IT based infrastructure. IBM was tasked with the duties of server management as well as the management of personal computers, operating systems, help desks and corporate networks that were part of the larger ABB group (The Hindu, 2002). IBM is a multinational company that deals with IT services among other things. This means that they have the machinery to ensure that all IT operations work out as they are supposed to. This explains ABB’s confidence in choosing IBM as the ideal company to carry out its IT functions. Different organizations have a variety

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Comprehensive Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comprehensive Project - Coursework Example This provides a backup measure to cover the holes in the federal statutory codes when resolving a dispute. In the UAE, courts do not keep an accounting of cases gone to trial or decisions from those cases for building on previous case law. Building on case law benefits the person seeking relief from the courts as there is at least one other person who in a similar situation received a ruling in their favor. Case law would then support the argument made in the new case and provide a standard of proof necessary to make the original argument. In the UAE, this does not happen so every case must present with sufficient evidence and on its own merits before a judge. Judges have no expectation to render a decision based on previous decisions, meaning there is no precedent set outside of relying on the civil codes. Simply put, a judge can base his decision solely on the facts of the case in front of him and make a decision that is contrary to other decisions he or other judges have made in s imilar situations. For a contractor seeking relief in the UAE, understanding the civil codes and the federal laws is the best manner of protecting oneself. In the UAE Civil Law no. 2 of 1987 (the â€Å"civil code†) articles 870 to 896 specifically, provides the legal framework for the construction industry (Beamish, 2). The codes explain the expectations of both parties and the manner to find resolution without relying solely on a decision from the courts. In commercial transactions involving a contract, it is necessary for all parties to understand the significance this document has in their business dealings including the limitations of their agreement (Coburn). More importantly, both parties must understand what course of action is valid for them to undertake to ensure fulfillment of the contract including when one party will not pay for services rendered or materials provided. The UAE Commercial Transaction Law no. 18 of 1993 (the â€Å"CTL†), articles 6 and 11spel l out the criteria required to become a party to a construction claim (Al Tammi & Company, 1). By familiarizing oneself with the statutes is the best manner to understand the elements a contract should contain and what course of action to take, such as arbitration and a mechanics lien when the other party refuses to pay for services and materials (Al Tammi & Company, 1). The Civil Procedure Law of 1992 (the â€Å"CPL†) articles 203-219 specifically discusses the use of arbitration and the manner in which the arbitral awards are authenticated (Al Tammi & Company, 1). The amount of unpaid contractors in the UAE has increased in recent years costing â€Å"hundreds of millions of dirhams to hundreds of millions of US dollars† (Delmar-Morgan). These cases had been clogging up the court systems when arbitration of these cases became popular. Now, the arbitration cases have increased to a point where it is difficult to tend to the client’s needs in a timely manner. The se are not cases of a couple hundred or thousands of dollars or dirhams but millions. One case involving British consultants and engineers who were never paid equaled $636 million (Delmare-Morgan). WS Atkins, a company that designed Burj Al Arab waited for payment of $39.7 million (Delmar-Morgan). Through the arbitration process, WS Atkins expected payment by the first quarter of the next year, yet WS Atkins continued to wait for

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Technology in Policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology in Policing - Essay Example First, crime on the net is on the rise, identity theft is another issue of high importance, which is the key tool in fighting terrorism and financial crimes. Thus crime prevention can occur at two levels: one to prevent crimes that are repeating in nature and the other is by analyzing possible future seat of crime. Thus, through analysis and research of recorded crimes and criminal investigations it is possible to get some statistics into the kind of future prospect of how this kind of crime will be dealt in the future by the judicial system or by the police. In case of Internet crimes; therefore, repeated crimes may not always occur as there are always some ingenious method by which the criminal escapes the law - this gap is to be identified as art of the risk management study, which should be more extensive and which should focus more on how the malpractice defenses may be made stronger. In March 2008, a former employee of Compass Bank stole a hard drive and the database containing customer information and all their financial status was breached. This employee used a credit card encoder and several blank cards to create several new cards and withdraw money from several customer accounts1. What are the monitoring approaches that can be fathomed by the state and the court or by the security organization In 2007, the US Federal Trade Commission reported that 8.3 million Americans had been victims of identity theft over a 12-month period2. In cyberspace, such identity theft may make way for further offences. Like Newburn says that in cyberspace three acts of trespassing occur, that involve viruses that immediately attack or attack at a later date citing the example of the shut-down of websites of yahoo, Amazon, ebay, and CNN which incurred a loss of 1.2 billion. He also cites the example of the Timothy Llyod, the sacked employee of Omega Engineering who planted a softwa re time bomb that detonated 20 days after he left which incurred a loss of 10 million and 80 job losses. In 2007 transatlantic fashion retailer TK Maxx was hit by hackers, who stole 45.7 million customer credit card details (Newburn 2008). By this hacking rule, even the military system is under threat and policing or the crime fighting should extend in this front effectively. However, the main problem with policing cyber crime is the amount and volume of information that is available and that cannot be restricted effectively all the time and across the boundaries of a specific place, where cyber crime laws may not even exist. In such a case probable cyber crime laws need to be implemented by predicting probable loss of information security or theft of anything that can range from information to intellectual property rights to manhandling of organizational data or system by a third party. The whole gray space that exists between identifying cyber crime that vary between countries and the definitions of it are so varied across geographical spaces that it is impossible to always thwart such mischief from happening or being conducted from across the boundary of the US. Newburn also cites the example of Russia, which has become a major source of child pornography, as it has no laws against it and therefore becoming the host for broadcasting such films by other illegal traders. Ironically, such content is not being produced there

Friday, July 26, 2019

The Presence of Racism is Shakespeare's Othello Essay

The Presence of Racism is Shakespeare's Othello - Essay Example Therefore, after the Reformation, it represented an antagonistic political and religious force against Protestantism in England. At that time, Italy was the site of classical Roman history and civilization which paved the way for the "Renaissance" of European culture from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. (Nostbakken, 2000) Differences matter. Othello was not a Venetian by birth and therefore his status is ambivalent: he both belongs and does not belong to the city of Venice. He belongs because he is Venice's military general whose main role was to defend the city from possible invaders, and he is a Christian who shared a common religion with his fellow Venetian citizens. However, he is also a real stranger from a strange country, a foreigner and an outsider. The play manifests the inherent tension which exists between the differences that set him apart and the qualities that allow him to play a respected and vital role in the city's day-to-day life. Cassio, another key character of this play, is an outsider but he is less of a stranger compared to Othello for he is a European gentleman. Cassio comes from the beautiful Italian city of Florence. Othello, in contrast comes from the unknown and misunderstood world of Africa. (Nostbakken, 2000) The courtesans of Venice were prostitutes serving an upper-c... In this play, Shakespeare presents the strong positive and negative impact of identity by exploiting many degrees of difference between various characters of the play as distinguished by their rank and status, and by their places of origin, adoption, or conquest. Shakespeare wrote this play for English audiences in the early seventeenth century and this play reflected and responded to problems, situations, and problems of the period. Hence, the play showed identities defined by differences as well as similarities. In a sense, the responses of English audiences were also influenced by their own sense of identity as a nation.Iago's character speaks for the corruption and intrigue in Venice. In the first scene, he implies the practice of political prejudice, as opposed to impartiality, by explaining that friendship gained Cassio the title of lieutenancy while Iago's attempts had failed. Iago acts as a model of self-interest rather than duty. Iago's advice to Roderigo to "put money in th y purse" exemplified the naked greed that foreigners identified with Venice's highly prosperous merchant economy. Iago is inherently revengeful, scheming, and manipulative. His dominance in the play mirrors the dark side of humanity and also the dark side of Venice. Iago is a true native of Venice and he belongs there in a way that Othello, the outsider, does not. (Nostbakken, 2000) Venetian women were perceived to be very deceptive. Desdemona was shown as a "super-subtle Venetian" and suspects practically every man and woman as being unfaithful, adulterous, or promiscuous. However, Desdemona does not fit the Venetian stereotype of infidelity and deception. She was a faithful woman.