The culture of Zulu Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The culture of Zulu - Research Paper Example This led to the Battle of Isandlwana where the British suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Zulus. They were eventually defeated by the British in the battle of Ulundi in 1979 (Dougherty & Sievert, 2008). During the Apartheid years, Zulus were classified as third class citizens and were forced to suffer discrimination at the hands of the state. Zulus have played an important role in the end of Apartheid and in the development of modern South Africa. The two important political parties of the country – African National Congress and the Inkatha freedom party were both formed by Zulus. They also participated in large numbers in the struggle to end Apartheid in both the parties. In this essay, discussions will be focused on the culture of Zulus especially their Religion, political organization of Zulus before the arrival of British and the Gender relations in Zululand (Dougherty & Sievert, 2008). Mode of Subsistence Farming and cattle rearing were the primary modes of subsistence of the Zulus. Cattle especially the Ox was very important for the Zulus. Cattle were also given great significance and there was also a special place for the cattle in the family .The cattle was reared largely for eating purposes. Although all the cattle and the farms were owned by the head of the family who was a man each of his wives was provided with a set of her own farms and cattle which were used by her in order to feed her immediate family (Dougherty & Sievert, 2008). Zulu Religion The Spirit World Zulus placed a lot of importance on their ancestors and their spirits. These ancestors were supposed by them to be living in Unkulunkulu which was considered as the world of the spirits. The ancestors were the link between the living and the spirits. For this reasons they needed to be remembered by the family members, praised regularly and also appeased by maKing offerings to them. In case a family failed to do so, the spirits are were to visit them in the form of trou bles. These troubles can be solved only if the mistake of the family is rectified and the spirits of the ancestors are pacified by some offerings and by showering praises on them. The Sangoma was the spiritual healer and the priest of the Zulus. In case of a mishap such as failure of crops, death of livestock, draught or any other natural calamity the Sangoma was the one who declared the reasons for the calamity. The calamity could have been caused by the unhappy spirits or by witchcraft. If it was the former, the family was supposed to appease the ancestors but if it was the latter a witch-hunt and the elimination of the witch responsible was carried out (Monteiro-Ferreira, 2005). Another important religious person among the Zulus is the Inyanga. The Inyanga can be said to be the doctor of the Zulu tribe. He mostly used local plants and animals in order to find cure of the common diseases like cuts, bruises. The cure was usually followed by religious rituals in which the spirits we re praised and pacified and asked to restore the health of the person who is sick (Monteiro-Ferreira, 2005). It is not only ancestors whose spirits were worshipped by the Zulus. The spirits were also supposed to exist in animals, forests, mountains and caves. Thus animals should be fed properly and cared for, the forest and the mountains should not be made angry or the spirits living in them will have their vengeance on the people. The Zulus are afraid of the phenomenon of lightning. They believed

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 20

Reading Response - Essay Example Topik argues that voyages lead to the global trade which allowed other goods from Asian countries, particularly tea in becoming part of the European culture2 (Topik 2006). Topik in his article highlights that the revolutionary boom and the voyages boost the trade of cheap drug food like tea in the European region. With the passage of time, people become excessively addictive of tea. On the other hand, James states that the expansion of global trade made cheap goods like tea available to people and they became fashion symbols. I am of the view that James in the article emphasizes on the West Indians of East India Company and salves were the reason for making people addictive, whereas Topik in his article states that the control of the production of the tea plantation was the major issue, and trade of cheap products. In my opinion, both articles present the same idea that the global trade made tea one of the most significant and most widely used commodities. In addition, the adaptation and accessibility of these commodities made tea common in the people. There is a minor difference in the idea presented by the authors. James talks more tea as an imperia l commodity whereas, Topik talks about the trade and slavery as a cause for tea to become a common

The concept of self-determination in international law is, in Essay

The concept of self-determination in international law is, in practice, less wide-ranging than might be supposed - Essay Example It is in terms of whether the human element within several states is entitled to choices that may lead to severing their destiny from that of a given state and ultimately disrupt the state’s body politic. (Coicaud, 2001, p.53). The uniqueness of self-determination makes the existence of a corresponding international rule whether contractual or general far more problematic. This also varies in degree according to whether its conceived as a right conferred by international law or as a right which states an internationally obliged to ensure within their legal systems self determination as seen as a freedom within the internal logic of declaration, human rights and fundamental freedom which every state would be bound under general law, charter or other instruments to ensure it to persons or groups within their legal system, a matter de lege ferenda. (Karen, 2002, p.29). Exceptions are allowed in given arrangements of conventional law. Personality of individuals is not believed in international law. Thus the existing international law is even further from ensuring a right of self-determination as a matter of direct right under international law itself. International law and international politics comprise the rules and reality of the international system so that it makes sense to study one without the other. Scholars decide to separate the so called `real politiks from the utopian idealism on the emphasis that the failure of League of Nations and the rise of fascism were clear demonstrations of the ineffectiveness and irrelevance of international law and institutions’2. This described reality was as anarchic international law system in which the state was the primary actor and its interaction with other states was in a context of a competitive war of all against all motivated by national self interest and a thirst for power. (Karen, 2002, p.42). The tribunal created

Social psychology (within a school setting) Essay

Social psychology (within a school setting) - Essay Example Behaviorism argued that a subject matter of psychology must be firmly grounded in observed human behavior rather than in unobservable mental constructs. This approach suggested completely new theoretical structures and empirical approaches. Thus at a time it seemed that the majority of social psychologists were behaviorists, which asserts that human behavior can be understood in terms of stimulus response relationship without necessarily referring to underlying mental state. Then Gestalt inspired group dynamics (MCGARTY, 1997:1-15). He claimed that social environment is not only made up of things but of relations bettering things, Thus Gestalt's tradition promoted a concern with groups as real social entities. Another trend 'Attitude Change' came in vogue with the end of World War II. The third major Trend that was occurring in 1960s, with the breakdown of the dominance of attitude concept, was the rise of 'Attribution theory'. The ground work of this theory was laid by Heider's book, 1958 "The Psychology of Interpersonal Relation" during 1970s and became the most dominant concern in social psychology. Cognitive Dissonance (McGarty, 1997:20-26): According to Festinger, theory of Cognitive Dissonance is a deft blend of motivational and cognitive constructs. Cognitive dissonance is a type of psychological discomfort, produced by having attitudes in consistent with behavior, which creates pressure to change those attitudes. When a teacher has to mould or change children's attitude, most of the occasions, reward and punishment is applied but the previous notorious behavior is seen to be repeated in some other social context or situation. The application of cognitive dissonance theory can bring stability and positivism when applied for a purpose of attitude change. Freedman in 1965 conducted an experiment "forbidden toy" of Aronson and Garlsmith regarding the permanence of dissonance induced opinion change. Its utility in school setting is thus: If the children become aggressive when punished for touching forbidden things then dissonance should be generated in them through mild threat for that thing. So this cognitive dissonance generated in them makes the forbidden item less attractive. This mild threat will bring in them self persuasion which will lead to neutral attitude for that thing. (MCGARTY, 1997:20-26) Self-Perception VS. Cognitive Dissonance (Bem 1972:1-62) : Self-perception theory differs from cognitive dissonance theory in that it does not hold that people experience a "negative drive state called "dissonance" which they seek to relieve. Instead, people simply infer their attitudes from their own behavior in the same way that an outside observer might. Self-perception theory is a special case of attribution theory. Attribution Theory (Heider, 1958): This theory is concerned with the ways in which people explain (or

Google Analytics Results Essay Example for Free

Google Analytics Results Essay Within a week, your site should get some traffic. The report of this traffic will be found on the dashboard of your site as well as the Google site. Take your screen shot of the main analytics page (from the Google site) and paste it to a word document. In addition to this screen shot, include the following items: 1.Visit the Google site and analyze the total visits, bounce rate, traffic sources, and page views on your site. Write a short paragraph summarizing the specific numbers and what they mean (not the definitions of these fields but what the data is telling you). I found 1 visitor in my Google site. The bounce rate and traffic source was 100%. The page view was 1. 2. List three specific changes you can make to your site to increase the total visits. Search engine optimization is about ways to get your website to the top of search engines: This cannot be stressed enough. I can do this by generating useful content like articles and blogs, by social networking and the development of multimedia. This sounds easy but it’s a lot of hard work. Still, I can also strategically spread my content in different websites while keeping my target niche in mind. Be very careful not to over link to pages within my site, this is a new penalty from Googles most recent update. Use social media: Post compelling content and I’ll soon build a loyal following. Follow and share with other users, who may reciprocate and follow me. Keeping up to date with social media and finding time to post can be tricky, but it’s well worth it. Let people talk and become part of a community and they’ll promote your content for me. This will save me a great deal of time, and it will share much further. Be patient: Search engines need a lot of time to index a new website and domain. They need time to index all my content; its worth the wait and should be factored into my website profitability and/or popularity timeline. In the meantime, continue to add high quality content to my website and keep it up to date and relevant. 3. Write a short paragraph which explains how you could use this tool in the future to help you distribute information or sell products/services on the web more effectively. The good thing about the internet is that I can reach people from different countries of the world. Not only that, I can also find a plethora of great info on the web with a bit of research. Just imagine how my business can benefit from the powers of the internet when online users find me. Your business can be at an advantage if I can create your own website. Your site should be fully optimized and should contain highly relevant content so that online users can easily find me. Provide different pages for various information products that I am trying to sell. I can use articles, images, videos, and other effective marketing tools. What kind of info do I want to sell? Perhaps I can offer the info product in downloadable form or I can have your own shopping cart. The cart can provide a different shopping experience to all your customers and so they will not hesitate to come back again soon. My information products should also be updated regularly. No one is interested in obsolete information and make sure that I focus on the in-demand info or topics. Determine what other people are interested at the moment or perhaps in the near future. From there, I can already create the info products that can provide me with higher earnings. Monitor my sales and take out the ones that don’t get much attention from buyers. I can even ask for feedbacks so that I can choose my products well.

Security And Confidentiality On The Internet Information Technology Essay

Security And Confidentiality On The Internet Information Technology Essay On 9th of November 2009 The Internet teacher requested 3000 word report related to the FETAC Internet module. This report was to be submitted by 14th of January2010. The topic of the report is Security and Confidentiality on the Internet with reference to cookies, viruses, encryption, digital signatures, firewalls, filtering software and personal privacy. Recommendations were requested. 2. Method of Procedure I found most of the information on the internet. In order to obtain the relevant information, I used Google Search Engine with keywords in English: Internet Security, Privacy on the Internet, Malware, Computer Viruses, Cookies, Firewalls, Filtering Software, Encryption, Digital Signatures, Computer Protection, Threats on the Internet. Keywords in Lithuanian: Privatumas Internete, Saugumas Intenete, Kompiuteriniai Virusai, UgniasienÄ-s, Filtravimo PrgraminÄ- Ä ®ranga, Ã…Â  ifravimas, Skaitmeninis ParaÃ…Â ¡as, Pavojai Internete. Also, some printed sources of information such as books and a periodical press in English and Lithaunian were adopted. Several pages for each topic were checked to confirm that the information was correct and fully understud. That hepled me to make conclusions and to give recommendations. 3. Findings 3.1 Importance of Subject With the progress of affordable technology more of us store more and more of our life in bits and bytes. By the end of 2009 there was more than 1,5 billion Internet users in 260 countries on every continent. The Internet is not a single network, but a vast array of connected networks situated all over the world, easily accessible by personal computers, notebooks, netbooks, smartphones, PDAs, game consoles, advanced TVs, same photo cameras or even kitchen appliances as hi-tech fridges and microwaves in a variety of ways. Today, the Internet uses gateways, routers, broadband connections, Wi-Fi spots and Internet service providers (ISPs) to make itself available at all times. Individuals and organizations worldwide can reach almost any point on the network without regard to national or geographic boundaries or time of day, there is some exceptions regarding to Internet censorship. Nowadays, it become hard to find the business without any connection to the Internet, because of its excellent source of marketing, convenience, high speed, low cost, and almost unlimited possibilities. Institutions of education, hospitals, banks, institutions of public service, providers of mobile service and internet, utility companies and of course our government has our personal information on their computers and they are connected to the Internet. With the birth of Social Networking Sites such as Bebo, Facebook, MySace, Twitter ect., we sharing our pictures, personal details, our thoughts and lives with friends and if we are not careful with everybody on the Internet. Just Facebook on its own has more than 400 million users. Even more, with new generation of Internet- Cloud Computing, individuals and business users are storing less data on their hard drives and more in the cloud- remote servers, operated by giants like Google and Amazon. However, while using the Internet, along with the convenience and speed of access to information come new risks. Among them are the risks that valuable information will be lost, stolen, corrupted, or misused and that the computer systems will be corrupted. If information is recorded electronically and is available on networked computers, it is more vulnerable than if the same information is printed on paper and locked in a file cabinet. Intruders do not need to enter an office or home, and may not even be in the same country. They can steal or tamper with information without touching a piece of paper or a photocopier. They can create new electronic files, run their own programs, and even hide all evidence of their unauthorized activity. So if we are closing and locking the door in our house to prevent criminals gain access to our valuables, we must take care of our house and life in the digital world and use all possible security and privacy on the Internet measures against the threats. WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS World Regions Population ( 2009 Est.) Internet Users Dec.31,2000 Internet Users Latest Data Penetration (%Population) Growth 2000-2009 Users %of Table Africa 991,002,342 4,514,400 67,371,700 6.8 % 1,392.4% 3.9 % Asia 3,808,070,503 114,304,000 738,257,230 19.4 % 545.9 % 42.6 % Europe 803,850,858 105,096,093 418,029,796 52.0 % 297.8 % 24.1 % Middle East 202,687,005 3,284,800 57,425,046 28.3 % 1,648.2% 3.3 % North America 340,831,831 108,096,800 252,908,000 74.2 % 134.0 % 14.6 % Latin America/Caribbean 586,662,468 18,068,919 179,031,479 30.5 % 890.8 % 10.3 % Oceania / Australia 34,700,201 7,620,480 20,970,490 60.4 % 175.2 % 1.2 % WORLD TOTAL 6,767,805,208 360,985,492 1,733,993,741 25.6 % 380.3 % 100.0 % Copyright  © 2001 2009, Miniwatts Marketing Group 3.2 Personal Privacy Total privacy does not exist on the Internet, but it is possible to minimize the risks. Most security breaches are not done by technology, but by social engineering. In security, people is the most risky factor of all, yet its the one thing thats often forgotten. A company may setup firewalls, security software, locks and fingerprint scanners, but if they forget to establish and enforce a well designed security policy, they have forgotten the most important part. The easiest way to get a password from someone is just to ask! In more likely situations, an attacker may simply call random people and pretend they are a tech support person trying to fix a problem, and ask for confidential information as part of the diagnostic. Pretexting Pretexting is the way of stealing information by providing just a little bit of known information, and pretending to be someone youre not. Thats how identity thieves can call banks and, after a few tries, by simply providing basic information about the target, get all the data they want. Phishing Phishing is when you receive an email that looks like its from your bank, Paypal, online shop or another secure site you use, and asking you to login to confirm your information. It works in this way: the criminals sets up a website which looks like the genuine one and then sends phishing email to thousands of people, until they find somebody. Then when the person tries to login, his login information is intercepted by the bad guys and used to steal valuable information. Malware Malicious programs, especially Key loggers can record what keys on the keyboard you are pressing when login to secure websites, to obtain your username and password. Often Key loggers are incorporated together with Trojan Viruses, programs which pretends to be useful software i.e. antivirus or computer maintenance programs, to send stolen information to the criminals. Privacy threats on Social Networking Sites Internet users have to be very careful with the private information that they share on the web. Internet is becoming very popular way to communicate with people. Most people who give too much of private information about themselves arent aware about the risks they taking. There are people who can pretend to be your friends, gain information and use this information against you for blackmailing, psychological terror or for access to secure private pages. Conclusions and Recommendations The offenders are always inventing new methods to steal private information. We have to be aware about that, constantly refresh our knowledge about security and existing scam schemes and take all possible security measures by using trusted up to date security software. Never click a link in an email from unknown sender, never download from an untrusted source, and always type in the address of your financial sites to access them. Need to avoid to disclose sensitive information online especially to the people we dont know very well. Also we have to remember that these attacks also can be done offline. Most identity thefts are done by people simply going through rubbish bins and getting confidential data that was thrown out, like a bank statements, invoices, payslips ect. We cant do much to secure our personal data collected and stored by businesses and institutions which can also be stolen or misused, just hope that they will take same good care as we do. 3.3 Cookies What are Cookies? Cookies are a piece of text that a web server sends to web browser and are stored on a users hard disk. Main purpose of cookies is to help prepare customized web pages with our settings, interests, browsing habits. It works in similar way to loyalty cards i.e. if we bought a book in Amazon internet shop, next time when we come back to Amazon first it will offer similar books to our purchase. Cookies do not act maliciously on computer systems. They are text files that can be deleted at any time. Cookies cant be used to spread viruses. But because any personal information that we gave to a web site will be stored in a cookie some people can accept it as a threat to privacy and anonymity. To prevent misuse of information in the cookie if its stolen, information in the cookie is encrypted. How do They Work? When we visit a site that uses cookies, it can ask the browser to place one or more cookies on the visitors hard drive. It will contain our name and password, fill in form i.e. delivery addresses and basically what we do in the page. Next time, when we come back to the site the web browser sends back the cookies that belong to the site and then we will see personalized Web page with our details. Generally cookies help us to save a little bit of time. And we always have possibility to switch it off, however internet shopping web pages requires cookies to accesses them. How Could I Prevent/Manage Cookies? If we want to delete cookies we have to follow these steps: Internet Explorer: Tools /Internet options/Security /Set security level to high or custom level/Cookies/Disable. Mozilla Firefox: Tools/Options/Privacy/Cookies/Uncheck/Allow sites to set cookies Other options are to use designated Cookie Managing software or to use advanced Antivirus programs which also have the option to control cookies, to block cookies that we dont want and save only the cookies that we want. Conclusions and Recommendations I think that cookies are useful because we can get personalized information to read, do not spend time on security questions where it is necessary to enter a password, we dont have to spend time filling up same forms. Cookies do not collect information saved in the computer, it can contain only private data that we give to a website on our own free will. And if we dont want some cookies we are able to remove them from computer when we want. Some websites such as internet banking, e-shops and similar are impossible to use properly without allowing the cookies. 3.4 Viruses What is a Virus? Computer viruses are small malicious program codes, which are designed by using various techniques to hide themselves inside the executable files. Their aim is to replicate, spread between the computers using removable media or network and to interfere with computer operation: slowing down computer, damaging or deleting data, disturbing users and wasting time by showing annoying massages. Virus can be classified by several characteristic: depend on the origin, on the way how they infect computer, on the place where they hide, on the damage that they can cause However, the computer virus is only one type of the malicious software or malware, but majority of computer users referring to all malicious programs (Trojan horses, worms, rootkits, spyware etc.) as the viruses. Type of Virus Different viruses can have many common characteristics and constantly appearing viruses with new specifications or combinations. Resident Virus. Loads the replication module into RAM memory when is executed, after this virus can infect all files that are accessed by user or operating system. If the antivirus program fails to spot the virus in the RAM it can infect all scanned files. FAT Virus. The File Allocation Table is a fundamental element in the system it works like an index, keeping information where is the files stores on the hard disk drive (HDD), which sectors are empty etc. If this vital index is destroyed by virus, it makes impossible for computer to locate files. It also can overwrite the files or entire directories corrupting them permanently. Sometimes the only solution to fix the computer affected by FAT virus is to format hard disk drive. Huge downside of this is that all information on HDD will be permanently erased. Virus of Direct-Action. Sometimes referred as Non-Resident Virus, they are unlike to resident virus, not loading in to RAM memory. They try to infect the programs and cause damage at the moment of execution of infected file. Most of viruses are Resident. Overwriting Virus. Most destructible type of virus, it overwrites the information in the infected files corrupting them permanently. If you dont have the back-up copy of your files its a bad news because the only way to get rid of this type of virus is to delete infected files. Boot Virus. Also known as System Virus. These viruses infect critical section with boot code on hard disk or another bootable media storage that helps to start computer. When the computer starts up and the boot virus is launched, it can take complete control over infected computer and does everything it wants (steal private information, delete system files etc.) Clean bootable antivirus software required to disinfect the system. However depend on the virus this solution is not enough to clean bootable sector. Macro Virus. Macros are micro-programs associated with a file that serve to automate joint complexes of operation. Macro virus expand from applications which use macro, word document (file with extension .doc),Excel (file with extension .xls) data of Access (file with extension .mdb), Power point (file with extension .pps). When we open a file containing a virus of this type of macros are automatically loaded causing the infection. Most applications that use macros have, but many macro viruses easily circumvent this protection. Multipartite Virus.Very advanced type of virus that can perform multiple infections combining different techniques. These viruses are considered very dangerous, for its ability to combine many techniques of infection and harmful effects of their actions. File Virus. Infect programs or executable files (files with extension .ex and .com) when run the infected program, the virus becomes active, producing different effects. The majority of exiting viruses are of this type. Logic Bombs.Neither virus is considered strictly as they do not reproduce. They are not separate programs, but hides in an unmarked segment within another program.They aim to destroy the data on a computer or cause other significant damage on it when certain conditions are met. While this does not happen, no one notices the presence of the logic bomb. Its action can be extremely destructive. Trojan Virus.Trojan arent considered virus, because they dont replicate themselves. Trojans are commonly hidden in the programs that appliers to be useful, but instead opens unauthorized access to users computer. Trojans also can be installed thorough web pages with executable content (ActiveX control), email attachements. The effects of the Trojan can be very dangerous, allowing remote control from other computer (downloading, uploading, modifying or deleting files), installing key loggers and other malware, connecting computer to botnet (sending SPAM messages, perform network DDos attacks). How can computers become infected and what damage can cause? Viruses can infect computers through: Internet (email attachments, infected web pages, downloading infected files) Computer networks Removable Media Drives Virus Symptoms: The computer runs very slow Reduces the available memory The computer shuts down or freeze frequently There are programs which do not work or malfunction There is less free space on your hard disk Computer files disappear Strange messages appear on the screen. Some file are renamed or extended Conclusions and Recommendations Not everything that affects the normal functioning of a computer is a virus. Is very important to have means to detect and disinfect viruses use an antivirus program and update daily (use default settings). Scan all removable disks before use it and scan computer periodically at least once a week. 3.5 Firewall A firewall is a system that protects a computer or computer networks blocking unauthorized network access while permitting authorized communications. Firewall can be implemented in software, hardware or combination of both. Firewall is placed between protected and unprotected networks and acts as a gate to protect network or single computer, by inspecting network traffic, applying rules and allowing or denying connection. Firewall can use different techniques to do so: Packet filter (inspects every information packet passing through the network) Application gateway (applies rules to specific applications such as FTP, Telnet servers.) Circuit-level gateway(applies rules to TCP or UDP connections, when are made there is no further inspection.) Proxy Server (checks all network activity passing through network.) Conclusions and Recommendations Everyone should use a firewall against network intruders to protect computer and private information. Most of the antivirus programs and operating systems have integrated firewall software. Minor disadvantage of firewall, it can slow down Internet traffic and can be tricky for not advanced users to set-up it properly (not blocking traffic for useful programs). 3.6 Filtering Software The filtering software is designed to control what contents are allowed to be accessed on Internet. Often its installed on the computers of educational, government organizations, private companies. Filtering software is commonly used by parents to prevent their children from having access to certain web places unsuitable for minors. It also can be used as the mean of censorship in some countries. How does it work? Nowadays on the market there are many options of filtering software with various techniques and content filtering to prevent from harmful online material. The filtering programs works like that: Address blocking websites containing such content Controlling access times Accepting default address list Possible to establish your own list of addresses Assigning different profiles or different days and times(work, leisure, etc.) Controlling which services can be used at any time and for each user (mail, chat, etc.) Advantages and disadvantages of Filtering Software. Advantage of filtering software is that does not allow minor to access pages of violence, pornography, racism. In a work place it prevents employees of wasting their time and resources for personal proposes (chatting online, social network pages, etc.). Main disadvantage is over-zealous filtering. Par example, in some filters attempts to block the word sex would block words such as Essex and Sussex and etc. Internet censorship in some countries limits freedom of speech for different reasons and that is not a good thing. Some Filtering Software examples. Netnanny, Mobicop, DansGuard, CleanFeed,Web Sence 3.7 Encryption Its a method to convert the characters of a text that can not be understood unless it is read with the corresponding key. Used to protect the integrity of secret information if it is intercepted. Encryption is also used when data is sent via secure intranet (VSPN). Encryption is used for electronic commerce to protect credit card information. How does it work? The keys are the heart of the encryption. The keys are complex mathematical formulas (algorithms) used to encrypt and decrypt information. If someone encrypts a message, only one with the appropriate key can decrypt the message. Algorithms are used to perform a hash function. This process produces a unique MD5 for this message. The MD5 is encrypted with the senders private key resulting in a fingerprint. Conclusions and Recommendations Everyone who has and important or secret information (banks, hospitals, government, universities, e-commerce sites) they have to keep this information in secret from fraudsters. In recent years, it was few cases when portable computers of government organizations with secret information were lost or stolen. Laptops (portable computers) became more and more popular and most of us have some kind of personal information on our computers. So it is very important to have that information encrypted, in case of losing it. 3.8 Digital Signatures A set of data in electronic form attached to or associated with others which are used to identify the signatory, which allows you to check the provenance, authenticity and integrity of messages exchanged over the Internet. There are two types of electronic signatures: basic and advanced. The basic does not guarantee the identity of the signer, neither the veracity of information received since the sending does not ensure that the issuer has made it known to us, while the advanced signature identifies the signer and detect any subsequent change of data that could occur. The digital signature is a specific techology signature and created by the so-called System Asymmetric key cryptography and it works like that : The holder has two keys : public key and private key ,private key is only known to the issuer and is associated to the information you send .while the person who received only know their public key . Two keys are needed and complement each other to get the encrypted message appears as the original . When we want sent private information the information is encrypted by system which use mathematical operations so the information becames encripted ( strange numbers and letters) so the message only can be deciphered by the people who know the instruction and have a public key Conclusions and Recommendations It should be used by the organitations which have an important or secret information as banks, universities, hospitals, etc., these organitations should use digital signatures in order to avoid the risk of fraud .they have to be sure about the authenticy of the sender.

The Operational Strategy for Gap Inc

The Operational Strategy for Gap Inc It is clear in the market that as an organization Gap is struggling. Profitability, changing customer needs and tastes and increased global competition has affected our performance. The Gap North America division for instance, has not posted an annual increase in sales at stores open at least a year since 2004. In 2009, sales were $3.82 billion, down almost one-third from where they were in 2004, Clifford (2011). At least four changes at CEO level have occurred, and as the new CEO, the need to determine and implement an effective operational strategy is of paramount importance. The objective of this presentation is to obtain board approval on the proposed Operational Strategy for Gap and any possible changes to the recommendations and conclusions drawn by the executive team. The methodology adopted involved reviewing the entire business operations of Gap and that of its leading competitors (especially Zara). This involved using secondary data from the case study, internet searches on trends and developments in the global fashion industry and that of the company. In the development of this operational strategy it was important to note that, the operational strategy is sub servant to the broad corporate strategy and using the Porters (1985) value chain analysis. This according to Heizer and Render (2011) uses identified activities that represent strengths or potential strengths and maybe opportunities for developing competitive advantage. It must be noted early, however, that an alternative perspective exist that the use of resource view approach. Using the resource view approach means that Gaps effectiveness is predicated by determining the optimum fit for the firms resources in the dynamic environment as noted by Heizer and Render (2011). A hybrid response and differentiation strategy shall be adopted as apposed to the traditional cost leadership strategy within Gap. Our focus and competitive advantage as an organisation has thus shifted from just become cheaper to becoming better and faster. This means that we are aligning to changes in cus tomer needs, increasing global competitiveness and a dynamic business environment. (A justification for this strategy is provided for in annexure 1 of this report). The CSFs necessary to ensure the success of the operational strategy included, effective communication, internal marketing, change management and while communication was found to be the most Cost of implementing changes to ensure that successful execution of the operational strategy was determined asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. The recommendations put forward to the board included the need to adopt the operational strategy in line with understanding that radical change is a prerequisite. Critical Success Factors to include, internal marketing of the operational strategy, building a performance culture, ensuring effective communication and putting in place a reward-systems that are linked to performance are a must. Table of Contents Page 1.0 Design of goods 2.0 Process and Capacity Design 3.0 Location Selection 4.0 Layout design 5.0 Supply Chain Management 6.0 Inventory Management 7.0 Scheduling 8.0 Conclusion and Recommendations List of References Annexures 1.0 Design of goods 2.0 Process and Capacity Design 3.0 Location Selection 4.0 Layout design 5.0 Supply Chain Management Hanna and Newman (2002) define SCM as the configurations, coordination and improvements of a sequentially related set of operations. It is the output from operations referred to by Hanna and Newman (2002) that customers get, and therefore, the strategic emphasis of well-managed supply chain is to have a competitive advantage driven primarily by strong customer focus. Heizer and Render (2011) define SCM as the management of activities that procure materials and services, transform them into intermediate goods and final products and deliver them through a distribution system. The authors believe that in todays business competition is not between companies but rather supply chains. This means that if internal operations at Gap can be improved to surpass that of competition it will give our organisation a competitive advantage. This section of the report will focus on how Gap can change its relationship with suppliers and distributors and most importantly an evaluation of managing our purchasing and outsourcing activities in line with increased competitive activity. In reviewing the above the objective it to build a chain of suppliers that focuses on maximising value to the ultimate customer Heizer and Render (2011). The major challenge within Gap has been our inability to control and determine what is to be made and what is to be purchased effectively. As we maximise value along the chain we will be able to ensure that we improve on quality, delivery and innovation. Our global presences demands that the review of the supply chain be linked closely to the overall strategy of the business. In other words this means that the operational strategy must link back to the broad corporate strategy for GAP. Key aspects of this the broad corporate strategy and operational strategy is driven primarily be the need to increase competitiveness through product customisation, high quality, cost reductions and speed to market with the added emphasis being on the supply chain Heizer and Render (2011). Refer to the corporate strategy in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. It is proposed that a new integrated supply chain be adopted with Gap. This means that, having fewer suppliers and building on a centralised manufacturing. The advantages will be cutting down on unnecessary costs by suppliers while building on a pool of highly effective supplier base that is aligned to the firms overall vision and direction. Zara continues to use vertical integration as a method to build on expandin g its supply chain. The Japanese, method of Keirestu would work well as we combine both few suppliers and vertical integration. Whilst our traditional many-supplier strategy worked in the past suppliers were responsible for maintaining the technologies and expertise, costs and quality controls the surge in competitive activity especially form Zara has shown that centralised and or few supplier strategy works better. The need to focus on controlling supply and building on technological advantages is an imperative to the success in the industry. It will be necessary as few suppliers will help on improve inventory management as we move closer to the implementation of a JIT system. These few suppliers will be asked to participate in the design of goods by helping in the partnering in research and development initiatives to include, provide design innovations, input on changing customers tastes and needs and technological expertises. Review of existing Suppliers: our focus is to cut down on scatter and huge number of suppliers and thus focus on building dependable close yet very few suppliers with long-term strategic relationships Heizer and Render (2011) Because of the shift in focus of our broad strategy (differentiation) it means that the selection of our suppliers inevitably has to change. This change however is radical demanding that our lower end suppliers that are not cost effective and do not meet the changing requirements set by the organisation must be immediately cut out. Whilst the medium to long-term aspect of our strategy demands that we build a centralised manufacturing. This means that, existing risk associated with the environment (customs duties, tariffs, security screening, natural disasters, currency fluctuations, terrorists attacks and political issues), controls (management metrics and reliable secure communication for financial transactions product designs, and logistics scheduling) and process performance (raw material and component availability, quality and logistics) need to be considered, Heizer and Render (2011). Ongoing reviews of competitors centralised manufacturing performance will continue in line with building on the above necessary changes to ensure that risks identified can be mitigated. Heizer and Render (2011) proposes that while changes in the supply chain management happens differently in different organisation its success will depend on the building mutual agreement of goals, trust and compatible organisational culture. These are discussed in the conclusion section of the report. Fisher (1997) offers insight on how supply chain decisions affect strategy. Because Gap desires to use a hybrid strategy various aspects of Fishers input are critical to the success of the organisation. Our Supplier goals will equate to those of Benetton and that is to share market research jointly and develop products and options. Our Primary selection criteria however will select primarily for capacity, speed and flexibility. Gap would need to invest aggressively to reduce production lead time while use product design that lead to low setup time and rapid production ramp-up. 6.0 Inventory Management Effective supply chain management that is aligned to both a well-structured operational and corporate strategy has ensured that Zara remains highly profitable. It has also meant that it (Zara) can continue to build on its in-house production and inventory management systems. Backed by advanced technologies and inventory optimisation models Zara has been able to improve on its efficacy. To this end, Zara has a failure rate of 1% compared to the industry of 10%. The experiences that we have faced as an organisation in managing inventory has greatly performance because our 10% error rate in our clothing collection is very high and makes us very uncompetitive. In-part our many-supplier strategy is to be the cause of theses failures while in turn the fact that suppliers are many, makes the handling and processing of inventory very difficult from inbound logistics of raw material inventory to delivery of finished goods inventory. Two categories of inventory posses the biggest threat to our organisation and are a major concern. These are the management of raw material inventory and finished goods inventory. It is key to note that in line with changes in supply change, a review of our customer satisfaction (refer to Goods and service design à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) suppliers, production schedules and human resource planning are key in achieving success in inventory management as noted by Heizer and Render (2011). Poor record keeping of inventory has also been a major problem this has been caused by the huge stock of unsold items returned from own store retail chains in exchange of in-season stocks. While the existing many-supplier strategy has also increased stock and warehouse as lead times for stocks continue to negatively affect stock holding levels and record keeping. This also in turn increases holding stock costs and insurance charges while our competitors especially Zara centralised distribution warehouses hold stock for only 72 hours. A very effective and simple system to implement in store is a two -bin system. It is the view of the executive that going back to basics in inventory control will play a critical role in ensuring that we succeed in tracking and monitoring stock movement for the group. If is difficult to worry about more scientific approaches such as probabilistic models when the major challenge is that we have excess stock of clothing lines that have not been sold. Art P eck the former CE for Gap the Northern American rightfully notes Unless we put cute clothes in front of our customer on the shelfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦everything else we do isnt going to matter. 7.0 Scheduling Contracting manufacturing has created major challenges for our organisation in the past, as lead times have been long, late deliveries and prevention of out-of stock situations become an on going exercise. Lessons from the industry have shown the need to restructure our scheduling in line with proposed changes in supply chain and inventory management. According to Heizer and Render (2011), the scheduling decision addresses the problem of matching productivity to fluctuating demands. It is however important to note that different processes suggest different approaches to scheduling. Based on our selected strategy and the position taken by our competitors such as Zara and HM, it is important that we build on process focused facilities in the medium to long term period as we seek to centralise our operations. This means that we generate a forward-looking schedule, where MRP generates due dates that are refined with finite capacity scheduling techniques as noted by Heizer and Render (201 1). Automated scheduling systems will be put in place with trained and competent personnel. This is necessary to ensure that accurate and relevant production database is maintained throughout the entire organisation. Therefore in the first few months of operationalising the CE and Operations Director will review item master file, routing file, work-centre master file to ensure that scheduling is down to satisfactory standards (something that my predecessors failed to effectively manage). In own store retail structures Gap will employ a strategy current used by Zara to effectively manage staff. This method involves cyclical scheduling as it has been proven to reduce man-hours and increase staff motivation. Software to perform scheduled staff based on stores forecasted sales volumes with location staffing even during peak periods has been identified and been purchased to achieve the above requirement of cyclical scheduling at own store retail locations. Feasible and efficient schedules of production must be developed, the demands of human resources and facilities must be determined and controlled Heizer and Render (2011). 8.0 Conclusion and Recommendations The above analysis has clearly shown that change is eminent within the organisation. It is important to note that this change is radical and has to be implemented immediately. The criticality of the operation strategy (like all other major programs such as the balanced score card) demands that executives are tasked with specific duties and responsibility to ensure its success. To this end, executive management must ensure that operational decisions assigned to them be coordinated and communicated effectively among all operational structures and divisions (a schedule for the critical implementation has been shown below). The major concern from a marketing perspective is our failure to provide customers with products that clearly meet their specific needs and or tastes. The ever-changing business environment and increased competitiveness globally has also worked against the firm. However, from a purely operational perspective this has meant that we need to change our operating model an d ensure that it is aligned to the broad corporate strategy. In this regard the most effective strategy will be a hybrid response and differentiation strategy. This strategy will be different to the traditional cost leadership strategy within Gap. Our focus and competitive advantage as an organisation has thus shifted from just become cheaper to becoming better and faster. This means that we are aligning to changes in customer needs, increasing global competitiveness and a dynamic business environment. Key aspects of differentiation that will be incorporated are innovative design and a shopping experience unmatched to competition whilst the response aspect of our strategy will ensure flexible manufacturing reliability in our inventory, supply chain and scheduling structures and quickness in process design (as this will now be a lean structure). Key Operations Decision Major activities to be conducted Responsibility Due Date Design of Goods Process and capacity design Location Selection Layout design Supply Chain Management Inventory Management Scheduling The success of the Operational Strategy will not solely be based on its adoption and approval by the board but also by the need and realisation that it has to be implemented. However, implementation will also involve change, Burnes (2004), effective communication, Thill and Bovee (2001), internal marketing, Keegan (2001) and redefinition of reward systems and performance culture, Hitt, Black and Porter (2004). These critical success factors will help build on trust, ownership, teamwork and transparency while ensuring the successful implementation of the Operational Strategy. 8.1 Performance culture Reid (2005), sums up a performance culture that Gap must adopt to achieve a credible performance learning system these are: Openness and trust: candor must be encouraged and managers have to be willing to speak the unspeakable. Trust produces an environment where there is less defensiveness when issues are raised; people react more honestly and ask questions. Managed differences: conflicts are addressed and unfulfilled commitments exposed, options and alternatives are looked at without predetermined outcomes. Simplicity and focus: there is focus on implementation, with clarity and precision defining what needs to be accomplished and how. There is commitment at every level to remove complexity from the way of doing business. Playing to peoples strengths: leaders know their people and match effectively talent and task, as they understand their peoples strengths and how best to elicit them. 8.2 Internal marketing Internal marketing must become part of the on-going process within Gap. This will involve functional process alignment, motivation and empowerment of employees at all levels to consistently deliver and satisfy customer experience. Internal marketing must empower employees and give them accountability and responsibility because it helps non-marketing staff to learn and be able to perform their tasks in a marketing-like manner. For the internal marketing to be effective, employees must internalise the core values of the organisation. Sponsors can print t-shirts, caps and merchandise to give employees to wear every Friday so that they remember the importance of the project. 8.3 Reward systems To address motivation and morale within Gap there is need to initial review the existing reward and performance bonus scheme. The traditional approach of linking this to bottom line heavily undermines long term sustainability of the organization, as managers and employees race to meet target. Having worked in operations, the risk is made high as we near the festive season sales personnel dump long shelf life products on customers (on the basis that they will be in critical short supply) so as to meet targets. This works well until two months down the line, customers either refuse to replenish orders and or return product because it is nearing expiration. These losses are usually only accounted for way after the productivity bonuses have been paid out and annual accounts drawn. Whilst it is important to inform or remind employees what results are desired and motivate them to achieve and exceed the performance targets, the performance learning system (balance score card will help addre ss ensure this is done with great transparency). To achieve the above, sponsors through the HR department must ensure: Drafting job description based on process requirements and characteristics Translating process goals and action plans, personal training and development requirements into personal performance measures. Defining appropriate performance targets based on known capability and desired characteristics. Formally appraising performance against the range of measures developed and compare with target performance. Rewarding and recognizing superior performance. A balance must be struck in selection of reward system mix for both long term and short term success of Gap. Thus, in the short-term, rewards such as bonuses, commissions and piece-rate payments can be used long-term rewards can constitute stock based incentives i.e. stock options, stock appreciation rights and phantom stock plans. 8.4 Change Management Having internally marketed the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard as a PMM system, performance measure owners, must manage the change process. The change being implemented in Gap is planned as it is being consciously embarked upon, Burnes (2006). Stages of the planned change will entail: exploration, planning, action and integration. During each stage identified above it will be necessary for performance measure owners to involve employees for the change process to be successful. The change process reinforces behaviors that are aligned to Gaps objectives through feedback and full utilization of the reward system being created. However, in the implementation of the balance scorecard and in effecting change as a critical success factor to the entire project barriers might impede the successful execution of the project. According to Burnes (2006) the barriers to effective change programs are: competing resources, functional boundaries, change management skills, communication, Them and us- the opposition element, people needs and training, unrealistic timetables, resistance to change and initiative fatigue These factors can occur at any stage and can affect employees both the general labour force and even managers and the executive. To overcoming these barriers, Burnes (2006) proposes communication, ability to establish high trust relationships, negotiation, Influencing and build on self confidence.