Final Exam questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Exam questions - Assignment Example Qualitative risk assessment however applies rationale to develop fixed values of factors to risk. Qualitative risk assessment method is the most suitable for homeland security. This is because of its diversified advantages, over the quantitative method, that meets the scope of Homeland security’s need for fast and accurate reactions. The advantages include simple analysis and results that facilitates prompt detection and response to risks (Landon, 2011). Risk management refers to a strategic process of managing probability of loss that is associated with a peril. Risk management strategies involve identification of involved risk, followed by its analysis that culminates to mitigation. The strategies are â€Å"avoidance, reduction,† and transfer (Akitonye, and Beck, 2009, p. 245). The three major threats facing the United States today are terrorism, natural disasters, and cyber crime. Terrorism is however the greatest of these threats because of its source and its political aspects. Being caused by human beings means that it can happen any time and its risk is enhanced by the United States international positions as a world power. The nation’s participation in international wars, especially in the Middle East also identifies significance of the threat. The relationship between risk, critical assets, threats, vulnerability, and consequences is that risk is a factor of critical assets, threats, and vulnerability, and its occurrence leads to adverse consequences. Risk defines exposure to a peril or potential peril. Critical assets define those assets that are instrumental to attainment of an objective while threats define phenomena that induce unpleasant effects. Vulnerability refers to the susceptibility to a threat and consequences define the results of manifestation of a threat. The presence of critical assets, threats, and vulnerability integrates to

10 Tenets of MOT and the IT Organization Essay Example for Free

10 Tenets of MOT and the IT Organization Essay A tenet is a principle based on observation, intuition, experience, and in some cases, empirical analysis. Based on a study presented in the Handbook of Technology Management by Gerard Gaynor, Ten tenets are proposed as guiding principles for an organization to operate within a technology cycle framework. These are: 1. Value diversification is a poor substitute for MOT. 2. Manufacturability must keep pace with inventiveness and marketability. 3. Quality and total productivity are inseparable concepts in managing technology. 4.  It is management’s responsibility to bring about technological change and job security for long term competitiveness. 5. Technology must be the ‘servant’ not the ‘master’; the master is still the human being. 6. The consequences of technology selection can be more serious than expected because of systematic effects. 7. Continuous education and training in a constantly changing workplace is a necessity, not a luxury. 8. Technology gradient is a dynamic component of the technology management process, to be monitored for strategic advantage. 9.  The RTC factor must be carefully analyzed and meticulously monitored for gaining the most out of any technology, particularly a new one. 10. Information linkage must keep pace with technology growth. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay In the case of an IT Organization, the essence of the management several factors of technology are realized based on the above specified MOT principles. The following may be derived: †¢ Importance of Core Technologies and Core Competencies. Analysis of the competencies and technological capability of an IT Organization will provide information on the inherent competitive ability of the organization, or the absence of such. This is a step towards active management of technology. †¢ Inventiveness versus Market Drive. For an IT Organization, this translates to building an output-driven innovative culture versus customizing products and processes based on Market-demand. †¢ Total Quality Management. Quality Assurance and Quality Control procedures are essential to monitor processes and the process improvement practice within an organization. †¢ Initiation and Management of Technological Change. Conscious effort to improve current technology should e a consistent activity in an IT Organization. This may be a result of observed updates in the industry or an internal effort to innovate and update according to changing business needs. †¢ Security for Competitiveness. As an industry with established processes, functions and professional track, job security through skills-based retention and promotion should be encouraged. This will invite constructive competitiveness and improve the industryà ¢â‚¬â„¢s workforce. †¢ Technology is the medium and the tool, it is not the solution.  The main product for an organization that offers Information Technology as a service is the solution. The technology is the enabler, while the process is the company-specific activity that adds value to the solution. †¢ Organizational Systems and the Effect of Technology. The effect of information technology to the organization encompasses structures and organization systems. As processes and needs are updated, technologies or the manner that it is implemented should be revised complementarily. The reverse does not always follow. The Essence of Training and Education in an IT Organization. With the Human Resource as the main and sole source value and new service introduction, investment in further education is essential to an IT Organization. Technology managemet assessment: TA is the study and evaluation of new technologies. It is based on the conviction that new developments within, and discoveries by, t he scientific community are relevant for the world at large rather than just for the scientific experts themselves, and that technological progress can never be free of ethical implications. Also, technology assessment recognizes the fact that scientists normally are not trained ethicists themselves and accordingly ought to be very careful when passing ethical judgement on their own, or their colleagues, new findings, projects, or work in progress. Technology assessment assumes a global perspective and is future-oriented, not anti-technological. TA considers its task as interdisciplinary approach to solving already existing problems and preventing potential damage caused by the uncritical application and the commercialization of new technologies. Therefore any results of technology assessment studies must be published, and particular consideration must be given to communication with political decision-makers. An important problem, TA has to deal with it, is the so-called Collingridge dilemma: on the one hand, impacts of new technologies cannot be easily predicted until the technology is extensively developed and widely used; on the other hand, control or change of a technology is difficult as soon as it is widely used. Some of the major fields of TA are: information technology, hydrogen technologies, nuclear technology, molecular nanotechnology, pharmacology, organ transplants, gene technology, artificial intelligence, the Internet and many more. Health technology assessment is related, but profoundly different, despite the similarity in the name. Forms and concepts of technology assessment The following types of concepts of TA are those that are most visible and practiced. There are, however, a number of further TA forms that are only proposed as concepts in the literature or are the label used by a particular TA institution. 2] †¢ Parliamentary TA (PTA): TA activities of various kinds whose addressee is a parliament. PTA may be performed directly by members of those parliaments (e. g. in France and Finland) or on their behalf by related TA institutions (such as in the UK, in Germany and Denmark) or by organisations not directly linked to a Parliament (such as in the Netherlands and Switzerland). [3] †¢ Expert TA (often also referred to as the classical TA or traditional TA concept): TA activities carried out by (a team of) TA and technical experts. Input from stakeholders and other actors is included only via written statements, documents and interviews, but not as in participatory TA. †¢ Participatory TA (pTA): TA activities which actively, systematically and methodologically involve various kinds of social actors as assessors and discussants, such as different kinds of civil society organisations, representatives of the state systems, but characteristically also individual stakeholders and citizens (lay persons), technical scientists and technical experts. Standard pTA methods include consensus conferences, focus groups, scenario workshops etc. [4] Sometimes pTA is further divided into expert-stakeholder pTA and public pTA (including lay persons). [5] †¢ Constructive TA (CTA): This concept of TA, developed in the Netherlands, but also applied and discussed elsewhere[6] attempts to broaden the design of new technology through feedback of TA activities into the actual construction of technology. Contrary to other forms of TA, CTA is not directed toward influencing regulatory practices by assessing the impacts of technology. Instead, CTA wants to address social issues around technology by influencing design practices. †¢ Discursive TA or Argumentative TA: This type of TA wants to deepen the political and normative debate about science, technology and society. It is inspired by ethics, policy discourse analysis and the sociology of expectations in science and technology. This mode of TA aims to clarify and bring under public and political scrutiny the normative assumptions and visions that drive the actors who are socially shaping science and technology. Accordingly, argumentative TA not only addresses the side effects of technological change, but deals with both broader impacts of science and technology and the fundamental normative question of why developing a certain technology is legitimate and desirable. [7] †¢ Health TA (HTA): A specialised type of expert TA informing policy makers about efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness issues of pharmaceuticals and medical treatments, see health technology assessment.

The Causes of World War II Essay -- Papers

The Causes of World War II At the end of the First World War all the different countries such as France, United-Kingdom, United-States and Germany thought that the peace would last forever. However, as we have seen, they were terribly wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In 1939 a more violent and destructive war began. This time people fought all over the world, in Asia, Europe and also in the United-States (Pearl-harbour). I shall now explain what the main causes of the war were. The aggression began at the end of the First World War, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed and Germany was forced to pay a lot of money to France for the reparations of the obliterated cities. Their country (Germany) had to be divided in two parts, and they also had to limit their army to 100,000 men. The French army occupied the Rhineland, and the Sudetenland was also taken away from them. They couldn't say anything at the time, as they were held responsible for the war by the countries involvedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but this increased friction between the countries. The Treaty of Versailles was a really important trigger because Hitler used the revocation of this pact as one of his main points to gain votes during the election of 1933. In 1933 Hitler became a part of the German government. In 1936 the president of Germany asked him, under the 'pressure of the parliament' to become the new Chancellor. Here he seized the opportunity and asked for full power. The entire parliament agreed, and felt that he was the man who could pull Germany out of the economic crisis that the country was going through. When he got full power, Hitler started to change and rebuild the German economy. His ... ... 1939 Hitler was signing pacts with countries so he wouldn't fight alone against countries that were at this time supposed to be powerful. There are a lot of reasons for World War Two to take place. Conclusion ========== The ending of the First World War I think carries the most important value because Germany was treated very harshly with the treaty of Versailles. It is fair to say that if the treaty of Versailles had not extracted so much from the Germans, it would not have made them so aggressive, or hungry for 'revenge'. It is like snatching a major part of your income awayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is obvious that you will not appreciate it and that there will be friction between you and the person who engulfed your money! With Germany, it is a similar case, but on a larger scale, and with much larger consequences.

Medical Research and Dependent People Essay -- Medicine Science Argume

Medical Research and Dependent People How may children and other dependent individuals are subjects in research projects to which they cannot consent and from which they cannot benefit? This topic was much discussed in the United States about twenty-five years ago, but has recently reemerged in the discussion of the European Convention on bioethics and through current discussion in the medical literature of the kinds of consent and experiments appropriate in the Third World. I summarize the U.S. discussion and "solution," present the current European discussion, and conclude with a proposal for understanding and organizing the participation of dependent people in medical experiments. Most of the attempts to understand dependent individuals’ participation in non-therapeutic experiments have attempted to assimilate that participation to a model of informed consent appropriate for adults. I argue that such understanding is false to the nature both of dependency and non-therapeutic experiments. The dependency of child hood, which serves my model, is best viewed in the context of a family committed to the full development of children. Given that commitment, the family involves itself in many activities in the hope of the physical, intellectual and moral development of its members. Non-therapeutic experiments are best seen, not in terms of risk, but in terms of the time and energy commitments they require of participants. Given these understandings of dependency and non-therapeutic experiments, I argue that care-givers are competent to involve themselves and their dependents in scientific work. How may children and other dependent individuals be subjects in research projects to which they cannot consent and from which they canno... ...and the Freedom to Take Risks," NEJM (1982) 307:1157. Paul Ramsey, The Patient as Person (New Haven, 1973). Paul Ramsey, "The Enforcement of Morals: Nontherapeutic Research on Children," Hastings Center Report 6(1976), 26 - 28. Paul Ramsey, "Some Rejoinders, Journal of Religious Ethics (1976) 4:215 - 223. Trials of War Criminals before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals (Washington, D.C. 1948), reprinted in Mappes and DeGrazia, Biomedical Ethics, 4th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1996), p. 199. United States National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, Research Involving Children: Report and Recommendations (Washington, D.C., 1977). World Medical Association, Declaration of Helsinki: Recommendations Guiding Physicians in Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, Reprinted in JAMA, (1979) 277: 925 - 926.

A Review of Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is the story of tribal Africa both before and during the colonial period.The story follows the main character, Okonkwo, through his life as a highly respected man in his tribe, an accident that forced him away, his anger at the white man moving in and changing things, and his untimely death at his own hand. Things Fall Apart is a moving tale that speaks of the normalcy of tribal life before the arrival of the white man, and the falling apart of society as it was known due to the introduction of Christianity and the white man’s law.Chinua Achebe’s purpose in writing this story was to present the colonial period in Africa through the eyes of the people it really affected. Achebe uses the first and second portions of his novel to explain what everyday life was like in a fictional section of Africa before the white man came (Achebe, 1959).Through his writing, the reader learns much about the way these people lived. Every part of their so ciety, from cooking to house building to tribal ranks, is covered in detail, but it is told through the eyes of people who would have really lived that way.Achebe seems to wish for his readers to see that there was more to African tribes than what little was told about them in history books. He pulls the reader in and makes them a part of the tribe by explaining everything in minute detail. It almost feels as if one is in the camps as they read.The controversy that Achebe focuses on is the ruin of tribal society by the arrival of the white man, the Christian religion, and the white man’s law. The tribes had their own ways of dealing with problems and the breaking of their laws, but the white men moved in and changed all of that. They built courts and prisons so they could carry out their own kind of justice (Achebe, 1959).The tribal religions were ancient, but Christianity was introduced and made many villagers turn away from the gods that their families had followed for life times (Achebe 1959). Achebe’s opinion of these actions appears to be less than accommodating.From the way that he writes, it seems that he sympathized greatly with the people who were undergoing such change. One gets the impression that Achebe believes that the tribes would have been better off left alone. His presentation of the information is split into three sections, and each section deals with a different part of the main character, Okonkwo, life falling apart.The first section is a description of his happy life in his tribe, the second part deals with his banishment to his mother’s family land, and the third deals with his encounters with the white man and his desperate bids to change things back to the way they were (Achebe, 1959).It is made very clear that things have been so changed that they will never be â€Å"normal† again, and that seems to be the reason for the three point process. Life changes before the reader’s eyes, just as it changes be fore the characters eyes.   In this way the reader feels the loss of the tightly woven society bit by bit, and that seems to be what Achebe hopes to accomplish.Things Fall Apart is a fictional work, and so it does not have a basis in outside printed sources, or at least none that Achebe lists. This book is based on a reality that has been passed down for generations, and no doubt Achebe used some old stories and songs to base his story upon. However, the purpose of this book is not to focus on any one area. Instead, it is meant to represent all of Africa and all of what was lost during colonization.Narrowing the scope to a place and people that existed in reality would lessen the scope of the book. Perhaps that is why Achebe did not choose to use printed sources as his guide. Melding the bits of knowledge that he had about the whole colonization process into one book gives the reader pieces of every tribe, not just one in particular.Things Fall Apart has many chapters, but three m ajor sections. The first section tells the reader all about everyday life in the tribes. The reader learns how important it is to be seen as â€Å"manly,† and how necessary it is to stay in the good graces of the gods (Achebe, 1959). Also covered in this section are descriptions of the diet of the tribe, the clothing they wore, and the buildings in which they lived (Achebe, 1959).Tribal lore is also introduced, such as the thought that twin babies were evil and must be left to die, and the idea of the obanje child, an infant born again and again to the same woman, only to die at a young age every time (Achebe,, 1959). The reader also learns of the tribal forms of punishment, particularly the rule that accidental murders lead to a banishment of seven years to the motherland of the convicted (Achebe, 1959).This rule is particularly important to the rest of the story, because it is the first step in the downfall of Okonkwo. Achebe’s argument in this portion of the story s eems to be that although tribal life could be hard and cruel to outside eyes, it was nearly perfect for the people who lived it.Everyone in the villages knew their place and their contribution to the tribe as a whole, and as long as everyone did their part and kept to the rules that had been in effect for hundreds of years, life ran smoothly.Achebe paints a picture of a society that might not make a lot of sense to outsiders, but worked out just fine for the people within it. The underlying argument is, â€Å"Why force change on something that works?†

9 Extraordinary Traits of Successful People

9 Extraordinary Traits of Successful People Success can usually mean whatever you want it to mean. So to gain success, in one form or another, isn’t that hard to achieve. It’s being really successful that takes significant talent and gumption. And there’s no one way to get there. There are, however, certain traits  of successful people that are more common than other traits.  Chances are, if you have any of these 9 qualities, you will most likely be successful in life. 1. You’re generousYou’re not just happy when you succeed; you’re able to find happiness in the success of others, particularly those on your team. You understand about rising tides and how the team that works together and succeeds together has the best chance of making each member an individual success as well. That positive, generous attitude linking your personal success to others’ success is key.2. You’re always looking to learnYou’re easily bored, but instead of sitting around complaining, yo u constantly seek out new and novel experiences. If you can manage to channel this urge constructively and not devolve into reckless excess, then you can foster your curiosity and growth over the course of your whole life and career. If you can add persistence to your sense of adventure, imagine what you can accomplish. Bottom line: your impulses are good, as long as you can keep them in control.3. You don’t get too nerdy about work/life balanceYou’re not constantly trying to figure out how to ease up on work to make time for family. You define yourself by your family, your interests, your business- all of it. So you’re constantly keeping all of it bubbling on your stove. You don’t strive for work/life balance. You just live your life. Your life is your work, and vice versa.4. You’ve got empathySo many innovators and entrepreneurs succeed because they are able to solve a problem. The best problem solvers are those who can put themselves in othersâ €™ shoes. And the most successful people realize that the success of their team and employees is just as important as their personal gain.5. You’re always strivingYou’re not just proving yourself to the world; you’re proving yourself to yourself. And you won’t accept anything but your personal best. This is where your dedication and drive come from, and how you stay motivated to succeed.6. You’re willing to work harderAll over the world, there are people working harder than you are. Longer hours, higher output, you name it. If you really have a hunger to succeed, you’ll put in the time and energy necessary to do so- even if it means working more than the standard 40-hour week.7. You see money differentlyEvery raise and bonus isn’t just another thing you can buy in your eyes, it’s an opportunity (and a responsibility). The more money you make and accumulate, the greater care you take managing your resources. You give it back to your employees, the community, etc.- way before rewarding yourself. And the more you spread what you have around, the more will come back to you.8. You don’t toot your own hornEverybody these days thinks they are a special snowflake. You realize how much help and luck and privilege you’ve had to get you where you are- and what debts of gratitude you owe. You focus on this, rather than crowing about your accomplishments on social media. This humility and openness to asking for help and advice will only take you higher.9. You don’t sacrifice your dignityYour dignity, character, and integrity are more important to you than the success of the moment. After all, success is never guaranteed to last a lifetime, but who you are will. If you’re already certain of what you aren’t willing to sacrifice, you’ll be in good standing in your pursuit of success.

Free Essays on Porters Five Forces

International Business Analysis Explain how Porters Five Forces determines the attractiveness of an industry? What are the implications of the five forces on a firm’s strategy? Is there such a ting as an unattractive industry? Although Michel Porter’s Model of Five Competitive Forces is subject to critique, it still remains, some twenty five years after its conception a valuable tool in that stimulates managers to conceptualise their current situation and proposed changes in a structured way. Classical economic theory suggests that rates of return (risk-adjusted) will be constant across firms and industries. The most profitable companies have a strong competitive position in a highly profitable industry with the less profitable companies having a weak position in weak industries. It is the level of competition within an industry that affects the profits. There is an inverse relationship between profit margins and the intensity of competition: as the intensity of competition goes up, margins and returns are driven down. By nature some industries will be potentially more profitable than others, principally because their competitive position is stronger and are placed within a more profitable industry. Businesses strive to develop markets in which they can achieve ‘super profits’- to reduce the intensity of competition. To achieve this they must utilize strategies that place them at on advantage over their real or potential competitors. Porters Five Forces is an analytical tool that lays the foundation for the development of such strategies. Porters Five Forces is founded on microeconomics. It takes into account supply and demand, complementary products and substitutes, market structures and the relationship between volume of and cost of production, Four of the forces, the bargaining power of customers, and of suppliers, the threat of new entrants, and the threat of substitute products combine with other va... Free Essays on Porters Five Forces Free Essays on Porters Five Forces International Business Analysis Explain how Porters Five Forces determines the attractiveness of an industry? What are the implications of the five forces on a firm’s strategy? Is there such a ting as an unattractive industry? Although Michel Porter’s Model of Five Competitive Forces is subject to critique, it still remains, some twenty five years after its conception a valuable tool in that stimulates managers to conceptualise their current situation and proposed changes in a structured way. Classical economic theory suggests that rates of return (risk-adjusted) will be constant across firms and industries. The most profitable companies have a strong competitive position in a highly profitable industry with the less profitable companies having a weak position in weak industries. It is the level of competition within an industry that affects the profits. There is an inverse relationship between profit margins and the intensity of competition: as the intensity of competition goes up, margins and returns are driven down. By nature some industries will be potentially more profitable than others, principally because their competitive position is stronger and are placed within a more profitable industry. Businesses strive to develop markets in which they can achieve ‘super profits’- to reduce the intensity of competition. To achieve this they must utilize strategies that place them at on advantage over their real or potential competitors. Porters Five Forces is an analytical tool that lays the foundation for the development of such strategies. Porters Five Forces is founded on microeconomics. It takes into account supply and demand, complementary products and substitutes, market structures and the relationship between volume of and cost of production, Four of the forces, the bargaining power of customers, and of suppliers, the threat of new entrants, and the threat of substitute products combine with other va...