Virtual Organization Employment Law

Globalization and the development of the Internet technology have brought serious changes in our world today. It is as if the other side of the world is just a few seconds away. Countries which previously closed their borders to the international community were forced to open up. People who were previously isolated from the rest of the world are now being brought together by the necessity for survival in this competitive world. The desire for strong trading relations with other countries forced countries to build political alliances with other countries. Corporations need to continuously grow to meet the ever-changing needs of the consumers. Riordan Manufacturing Inc is no exception. Riordan Manufacturing, Inc is currently the leader in the field of plastic injection molding. Its mission is to provide innovative solutions, products and services at a reasonable cost and to develop long-term relationships with its customers. To meet the demands of its world-wide clientele it opened its facilities in San Jose, California, Albany, Georgia, Pontiac, Michigan and Hangzhou, China. These changes, however, which were brought about by globalization also created complexities on the part of the employers insofar as employee management is concerned. The differences in cultural identities and the unique practices of employees are bound to create employee-related problems for the company. With the congregation of different people, each having his own identity, in one single company, tension and conflicts were likewise created. (Diana Ayton-Shankar) Discrimination and sexual harassment issues are also bound to arise which the company is bound to anticipate. Research shows that in a study conducted by the National Organization for Woman, they found that 80% of women surveyed in a wide variety of industries had been sexually harassed. The EEOC now handles some 5,000 new sexual harassment cases annually, double the caseload of only a few years ago. (David J. Bowman) If these concerns will not be addressed by the company, then the company may expose itself to suits. There was a case in San Francisco wherein the jury awarded the amount of more than $7M to a legal secretary harassed by a male partner in a law firm for failing to act swiftly on a sexual harassment complaint. Gerald D. Bloch) Thus, creating a non hostile and friendly working environment should also be one of the top priorities of Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. Discrimination Issues in the Workplace Since the business organization is composed of personnel coming from different countries, there is a possibility that the company may have in its employ Americans and Asians. The possib ility, therefore, of racial discrimination and sexual harassment issues among the employees is not remote. In a multi-racial organization, racial discrimination is a pressing issue which must be properly be addressed by the management. Some Managers, consciously or unconsciously prefer white employees over the black employees or Asians, considering that Riordan has facilities in China. In some business organization, the white Americans are given better work opportunities than Black Americans or Asians. In some organizations, most black employees are being hired for rank-and-file positions or they are disqualified for promotion on the simple basis of their color or race. Another issue that the Riordan Manufacturing Inc may encounter is gender discrimination. Although the labor laws expressly prohibit gender discrimination in the workplace, it is still being practiced in several business organizations. For example if Riordan Manufacturing, Inc prefers to hire male applicants over a female applicant though they are similarly qualified for the position, it will be an outright discrimination on the ground of gender discrimination. As mentioned, there is always the possibility that sexual harassment may occur in Riordan Manufacturing Inc. Sexual Harassment is defined by the EEOC as any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: a) submission to the conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as condition of an individual’s employment, or b) submission to or rejection of the conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or c) the conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. â€Å"Preventing Sexual Harassment: A Fact Sheet For Employees†) State and Federal Statutes on the matter of discrimination are clear. Job treatment which includes the hiring of employees, firing of employees, and promotions of employees, must be based on qualifications and merit and not on race, gender, age, sexual preference, disability. (â€Å"Workplace Harassment and Employment Di scrimination†) In these cases, it is not only the legal duty of every Human Resource Manager but its ethical duty as well to incorporate in its policy manual the rules against discrimination. They must include in their policy manual that the management does not tolerate any form of discrimination in the business organization. It must define the acts that constitute discrimination. The policy manual must likewise include the procedure for filing of complaint against the person who utters discriminatory remarks or practices discrimination in the workplace and the penalty for those who will be found guilty after investigation is conducted. Indeed, communication is a key to avoiding discrimination in the workplace. There must be communication by the employer in the sense that they must inform their employees that discrimination will not be tolerated by the company and that any incident of discrimination will be seriously dealt with. There must also be communication between the offended party in the sense that both parties must be given by the management opportunity to meet so that the offending party may know that the act or remark given is offensive and discriminatory. It is possible that the other person does not have any knowledge or idea that the remark he has just uttered or the act he has just committed is offensive to the sensibilities of another. If despite the fact that he has confronted and communicated his feelings to the other person he still continues making discriminatory acts and remarks, the victim of discrimination must seek assistance from his supervisors. If there is no company policy against discriminatory acts, the victim of discrimination must report and notify immediately his immediate superior, the supervisor or the Human Resource Manager so that this could be acted upon. To strongly implement the policy against discrimination sanctions against those who have proven to commit such acts must be put in place. Among the sanctions that could be imposed are written warning, letter of reprimand, suspension, change of job or class assignment and termination or expulsion. Conclusion I have identified three major discrimination issues that is likely to happen in Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. and explained the manner by which the company may address these issues. Indeed, discrimination issues in the workplace should not be treated as something which ordinarily happens in the workplace. It can be avoided. A friendly, nondiscriminatory, and non-hostile environment is not a utopia. The task therefore of Managers is to anticipate these problems or if it already exists in the workplace the Managers must find solutions to these problems. Indeed, the failure to resolve these issues may lead to serious losses to the employer as it affects the performance of the employee involved.

Is space exploration worth the cost?

Editor’s Note: On January 11, the New York Times blog â€Å"Freakonomics† published a lengthy post titled â€Å"Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost? A Freakonomics Quorum†. The post featured comments provided by a number of people, including David Livingston, in response to the question. The part attributed to Dr. Livingston was just a highly-edited version of what he originally submitted to the Times. What follows is the full article that Dr. Livingston submitted on December 31 in response to their invitation to answer the question, â€Å"Is manned space exploration worth the cost?Why or why not? † As the host of a nearly seven-year-old radio talk show, The Space Show, designed and devoted to furthering space development and manned space exploration, I hear this question often. It is challenging to answer because I find often that I am left wanting for a better response, even from some of the guests and listeners to The Space Show. In general, I do think that collectively we, in the space community, do a lousy job of letting people across America know why manned space exploration is important and worth the cost.I would like to see NASA and those members of Congress most supportive of the manned space program convincingly let the public know that the value is there, where the value comes from, and why it is there. But then, I have a long wish list for what I would like to see our government do, say, and explain regarding this and other issues. In my opinion, the manned space exploration program is absolutely worth the cost. But first, consider the following because understanding the following points is crucial to understanding what manned space exploration affords us in so many areas:1. The money spent on manned space exploration is spent right here on Earth and most of it is spent in the US. We do not yet have a Bank of the Milky Way, the First International Bank of Mars, or a Lunar Mutual Savings and Loan. The money that is spent g oes to manufacturing, research and development, salaries, benefits, insurance companies, doctors, teachers, scientists, students, blue- and white-collar workers, and corporations and businesses both large and small. The money disperses throughout the economy in the same ay as money spent on medical research, building houses, or any other activity we engage in with government or even private spending. |In general, I do think that collectively we, in the space | |community, do a lousy job of letting people across America know| |why manned space exploration is important and worth the cost. | 2. Whenever we look at government spending (or any spending for that matter), it is important that we understand what is being purchased and whether there is a value for that investment.We should also ask if the value benefits a narrow group of people or a special interest, or does it have the potential to benefit large groups, even humanity. Clearly, several types of public expenditures can be con sidered investments and they can benefit large groups of people and humanity. So I also look for qualitative factors, such as the ability to inspire others to do hard work, to go the next step, to push the envelope for the next level of advancements for all our benefit.I also look to see if the public expenditure can change lives for the better and, if so, over what period of time. There are several types of public expenditures that can do some of this, but manned space exploration is able to do it all. 3. The space age is 50 years old if we calculate using the launch of Sputnik as the beginning point. Manned flight began with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, thus manned spaceflight is almost 47 years old.A good portion of our space technology, development, and know-how was developed here on Earth when the two space powers of the time, the USSR and the US, were making treaties to work together in space, prohibit weapons in space, to rescue each other’s astrona uts/cosmonauts if necessary, and to treat celestial bodies in a way that prevented territorial ownership while allowing room for resource development for all mankind. Mankind worked together to prevent conflict in space and these efforts now have a proven and unparallel track record.Today, we have an International Space Station (ISS) with multiple countries working together for its completion, support, science, and management. The ISS Station Agreement is a model agreement that works and the two former Cold War enemies are working together to be the best we humans can be. This has always been the case with manned space exploration, as well as with all of space exploration. Did we have competition? Yes. Do we have conflict and tension? No . No other discipline, activity, venture, or multinational effort has a track record equal to manned space development.While there may be challenges ahead for our space behavior, so far we are doing fine in space, certainly much better with each oth er than we are doing back here on Earth. This is all fine, but how does this translate to manned space exploration being worth the cost to millions of taxpayers when there are other competing and important priorities for a finite amount of taxpayer money? Of course, we say that the entire NASA budget is less than 1% of the entire US budget, but I have found that saying that does not resonate with most people.Still, according to the GPO budget information, the US 2007 budget was about $2. 784 trillion and NASA got a little more than $16 billion. This means all of NASA’s spending is marginally more than half of 1% of the total US budget. In contrast, social programs receive about 98 times the amount of money spent on NASA. Another way of looking at this would be to understand that a 1% reduction in government social expenditures could just about double the NASA budget for any given year. When I started this piece, I said I hear this question a lot.So a few years ago, I decided to see what really happened to a public dollar spent on a good space program in comparison to spending that dollar on an entitlement program as well as a revenue-generating infrastructure program. I used the school breakfast program for the entitlement program. I chose Hoover Dam for the revenue generating infrastructure program. The space program I chose was the manned program to the Moon consisting of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Let me briefly summarize what I discovered.All of these programs or other similar programs, if properly managed, can produce benefits in excess to the original invested dollar. There is no guarantee that a program will be properly managed and this includes a space program. Properly managed implies many things, but I don’t think space is any more or less likely to be well managed than anything else the government does. Not all of our space programs made the short list, as I looked at several public space programs for this study before d eciding that our Moon program was the best. A mismanaged space program wastes money, talent, and time just like other programs the government does. I decided to see what really happened to a public dollar spent | |on a good space program in comparison to spending that dollar | |on an entitlement program as well as a revenue-generating | |infrastructure program. | What happened to the dollar invested in each of the respective programs? The school breakfast program was successful, increasing the number of kids getting breakfast. However, when funding for this program or this type of program stops, as soon as the last of the funds goes through the pipeline, the program is over. It has no life past government funding.There was no residual benefit lasting years after the demise of the program. I was unable to find an inspirational or motivational quality for the program leading to downstream business, economics, science, or other advancement and development. One could make the case that kids who benefited from the program went on through school to accomplish great things and I don’t doubt that. I simply could not document it in my research. Hoover Dam was very interesting. This project paid off its bond cost early, was a major contributor to our winning World War 2, and has been a huge economic factor for development in the western part of the country.It’s a major wealth builder for the United States. However, Hoover Dam requires overhead and maintenance investment on a continual basis. It needs repairs, updates, modernization, security, and it employs a labor force. Were we to stop investing in Hoover Dam, over time it would lose its effectiveness and cease to be the value to our nation that it is at this time and has been during its history. Its value to us depends on our willingness to maintain, protect, and update it as necessary.Hoover Dam and Lake Mead have given birth to thousands of private businesses, economic growth for the region, and much more. However, as with the entitlement program above, I could not find an inspirational or motivational aspect to Hoover Dam. I’ve not heard anyone say they wanted to be an engineer because of Hoover Dam. I’m sure this factor exists to one degree or another, but I could not document it either. What I discovered about our manned lunar program was different. When I did this study, it was 34 years after the last dime had been spent on Apollo, the last of the manned Moon programs.Thirty-four years later, when I would ask guests on The Space Show, students, and people I met who were involved in science, engineering, and space-related fields and businesses about what inspired or motivated them to start a space business or pursue their education, over 80% said they were inspired and motivated because of our having gone to the Moon. Businesses were started and are now meeting payrolls, paying taxes, and sustaining economic growth because the founder was inspired by the early d ays of the manned space program, often decades after the program ended!This type of inspiration and motivation seems unique to the manned space program and of late, to some of our robotic space missions. Interestingly, I found the same to be true when I asked the same question to Space Show guests from outside the United States. Thirty-four years after all funding had stopped for the Apollo program, investment and wealth building, both for our nation and others, was still going on as a result of our manned space exploration years earlier. This was a standout feature when comparing manned space exploration to other two types of government spending.As for the return we received on the dollars spent going to the Moon, the results are often controversial and inflated depending on the source. Some specific narrow segments such as medical and other technical fields have returns several hundred times the dollars invested. In fact, one bit of research I found said that the Office of Managem ent and Budget (OMB) had to refute some of very high returns because at the time they could not do the computer work to determine an effective multiplier with so many variables leading to such high outcomes.Overall, the return was probably more modest, perhaps four to seven dollars returned to the taxpayers for each dollar invested. This return outperformed the other investments as well, though in many ways my project was like trying to compare apples and oranges. However, I can accurately report that manned space exploration has the potential to return to the taxpayer many times the dollars initially spent on the program. Since we spend this money right here, employing our own people to do cutting-edge as well as traditional workforce projects, our people and our nation benefits from the manned space program.This means we build wealth for our nation and our people. Equally important, we inspire millions of school children to do the hard schoolwork in math, business, science, engine ering, and finance so they can work in space and related scientific and technical fields. This is important to us all as these disciplines are needed to lead us to new and better ways of living right here on Earth, now and in our future. Finally, we must not forget the spinoff technologies from our entire space program, but especially from manned exploration, and the fact that the manned space rogram continues to generate wealth and investment long after the program has ceased and its federal funding has been terminated. |It’s not just about what we learn out there in space, or about | |ourselves, or how to be a better steward of precious Earth. | |It’s about how we live here on Earth together and what type of | |future we want for ourselves and children. | We have our work cut out for us as we move forward in this new century. We don’t seem to get along well with each other here on Earth, but we do quite well in space.Space is our model for all nations. Notice how many more nations are talking about and wanting to get into the manned space act. India, Russia, China, Japan, and the European Space Agency, for starters, all want a manned mission to the Moon and it won’t stop there. These countries and agencies know that manned space exploration builds wealth for their nation, solves problems and enhances life for their people right here on Earth, and shows us the way for how we can all live together in peace.Manned space exploration is absolutely worth the investment. It’s not just about what we learn out there in space, or about ourselves, or how to be a better steward of precious Earth. It’s about how we live here on Earth together and what type of future we want for ourselves and children. Manned space exploration is the path to how we build a better life for ourselves here on Earth, and how we can give hope and provide inspiration for our youngsters to grow up, do the schoolwork, and accept the challenges that await them to make our world even better.Whatever we spend on manned space exploration is a bargain and our investment will be returned to us many times over, both quantitatively and qualitatively. From my perspective, we are getting this value at a bargain, as if we were all going to the dollar store for an end of the year sale. [pic] Dr. David Livingston ([email  protected] com) is host and founder of The Space Show, the only radio talk show dedicated to expanding space commerce, understanding the importance of becoming a spacefaring culture, and how best to achieve that status.The Space Show’s interviews with national and international space business, development, and science leaders are streamed online and podcasted. All programs are available for free download through The Space Show website. Dr. Livingston holds a Masters and Doctorate in Business Administration and has nearly 40 years of experience managing and starting various types of businesses. David is also a business, financial, and marketing consultant and holds a position as an adjunct professor in the Space Studies Department at the University of North Dakota.

Chromate Conversion Coating replacement Term Paper

Chromate Conversion Coating replacement - Term Paper Example This paper focuses upon corrosion as an essential process. It is one of the many ways in which nature recycles its contents. Kamis indicates that it is the destruction or deterioration of materials as a result of reaction with the environment and involves the electrochemical conversion of metals to its original form. Though the process of corrosion cannot be prevented, the rate at which it takes place can be reduced. Kamis in the article entitled â€Å"Cost of Corrosion† indicates that corrosion affects all materials, whether they are metal or non-metal. Chromate coating is a process that is used to reduce the rate of corrosion. Zhao et al indicates that it is a widely used method especially for A1 alloys in aerospace applications as it is considered to be very effective. However, Zhao et al points out that a number of factors including environmental regulations; the requirements for increased service life of airplanes; and the high cost of preventative maintenance has forced the US Air Force to search for other environmentally friendly methods of reducing the rate of corrosion that are also an improvement over the use of chromate. Zhao et al also indicates that an understanding of how CCCs protect metal surfaces against corrosion is fundamental to any research. As Kamis points out a proper understanding of corrosion along with the appropriate engineering application would lead to a major reduction in its damaging effects as well as the costs associated with it. 2.0 Factors influencing chromate replacement There are a number of factors that have contributed to the need for replacing chromate as a coating. They range from environmental concerns which have led to regulations governing the quantities of chromium that is included in certain processes. Additionally, the need to increase the service life of assets means that the replacement required should be able to exceed the level of protection that chromate provides. Furthermore, it needs to be a cost effe ctive technique that will facilitate cost savings in situations where the cost of corrosion preventative maintenance is considered too high. 2.1 Environmental Regulations The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in their report – â€Å"Alternatives to Chromium for Metal Finishing† points out that the need to find alternatives to replace chromium has been mainly influenced by the effects on the health of humans as a result of exposure to hexavalent chromium which is considered to be a cancer causing agent in humans (1.1). In fact, Pellerin and Booker in their article â€Å"Reflections on Hexavalent Chromium: Health Hazards of an Industrial Heavyweight† indicates that from as early as the 1920’s people who worked in the chrome ore industry in Germany were found to be developing cancer at a rate that exceeded that of the general population (A402). Additionally, people who worked in areas where industrial processes were being carried out suffered from higher rates of both lung and nasal cancers (A402). Therefore, NCMS sees it as no surprise that there are concerns relating to high exposures of the substance in the workplace and the environment generally. NCMS points out that various concerns have led to a number of consequences including: i. increased liability associated with claims for both exposure at the workplace and environmental exposure; ii. increases in the cost of tracking inventories, monitoring and controlling emissions, reporting the use of compounds that consist of chromium, as well as the disposal of waste which contains chromium; and iii. strict rules and regulations relating to the limits for discharging dissolved chromium in waste water (1.1). Kermani and Harr (8) indicate that if corrosion is left unchecked other health and safety issues arise. If plant and equipment are not maintained then the integrity of plant and equipment as well as their serviceability. This will result in leaks and discharge of fla mmable

Management Accounting Techniques and decisions Essay

Management Accounting Techniques and decisions - Essay Example The aspect of erasing the salary part improves the wholesome performance of the managers with the development of workplace initiatives, team work, adaptability, compliance to business policies thereby resulting in increase of the production and the service levels of the organization. The incentives are often linked in the right way to the performance measures with appropriate weight-ages to the several benchmarks of performance measurement (Marr and  Gray, 2012, p.68). The manager’s ability to meet the benchmark standards determine the rewards and the compensation that are received by them. The higher the achievements of the manager in comparison to the benchmark standards, the higher the rewards the managers should be eligible to receive. The benchmarks are set in the various areas of operation of the organization in order to fulfil its organizational objectives. These areas which include benchmark standards of performance of the employees are aimed at fulfilling the financ ial goals of the company, the customer service, the standards of the internal processes and the learning goals of the organization (Tonchia and  Quagini, 2010, p.78). The financial benchmarks of the manager’s performance indicates the desired output from the managers that would contribute to the attainment of certain production volumes in line with the quality standards to be maintained for the products. Thus the benchmarks help in assessing the extent to which the manager has been able to contribute to the production volumes of the company and at the same time maintained the quality of production (Niven, 2010, p.34). The use of benchmarks in measuring the performance helps to identify the short cut approaches adopted by the employees which is aimed at fulfilling the short term goals but do not fulfil the organizational objectives. The benchmark system helps to understand whether the performance of the managers has been up to the mark in all aspects of the manager’s performance, like in this case both product quantity as well as quality. The benchmarks set in the area of customer service is also important to measure the performance of the managers as this is also an important area considered for the sustainability of the business of the organizations. The various benchmarks in the area of performance measures for customer service includes the turn-around time to the customers, the number of complaints that have been lodged by the customers, the time taken for the resolution of complaints by the manager. These benchmarks help to measure the extent to which the manager has been able to respond to the customer requests which is determined the turnaround time. The compromise of any one of the performance measures may lead to complaints from the customer. The benchmarks determine the rate at which complaints have been filed against the work of the managers and thus indicate the gaps with the benchmark standards of performance. The benchmark system a lso provides an insight on the effectives of the manager in resolution of customer complaints. The inputs received from the

Education and Social Mobility Aspects in Dickens's Nicholas Nickelby Essay

Education and Social Mobility Aspects in Dickens's Nicholas Nickelby - Essay Example Dickens obviously was happy that his attack on the kind of schoolmasters of the time typified by Squeers had hit its mark, and here we have an instance of an author who has found social authority. After the success of Pickwick Papers, Dickens was secure in the knowledge that he could become an established writer, but that he wanted to become a novelist was decided at the time of Nicholas Nickleby, as Chesterton so eloquently points out: 'It must be remembered that before this issue of Nicholas Nickleby his work, successful as it was, had not been such as to dedicate him seriously or irrevocably to the writing of novels. He had already written three books; and at least two of them are classed among the novels under his name..... the Sketches by Boz, The Pickwick Papers, and Oliver Twist......Had he continued along this line all his books might very well have been note-books......We might have lost all Dickens's novels; we might have lost altogether Dickens the novelist....All his books might have been Sketches by Boz. But he did turn away from this, and the turning-point is Nicholas Nickleby'. (Chesterton, 1911) Thus, Nicholas Nickleby became the ... struggle he had to make to reach eminence as a writer, his work also became a voice that decried all that was ill with education and the issues involving social mobility during his time, and from his public activities in both these areas, we can see that he realises that power and authority, and wields it consciously in his writing. As Cairns says of Dickens and his contemporaries in his work Figures of Finance Capitalism: Writing, Class, and Capital in the Age of Dickens : 'Professional novelists became not only providers of relatively lucrative cultural products, but also voices of great social authority, and representatives of that middle-class wisdom and success ..... The novel became a locus of middle-class symbolic power....'(Cain, 2003) 2.1 Personal Background To understand Dickens's treatment of the issues involving education and social mobility in Victorian society, one needs to understand the influences on him at various periods of his life, and the environment which made him what he was. Born to a genteel family lineage, Dickens had an early encounter with poverty, and simultaneous fall in social status. In 1824, when barely twelve, he was taken away from school, separated from his family and packed off to labour in a North London shoe-dye factory as a consequence of his father's financial incompetence. Even though he could escape the squalor within a year owing to a windfall inheritance, the experience he went through during this time was to become a life-defining moment for him. The trials he went through at this factory had a profoundly psychological effect on him: 'In the entire district there was not a single boy whom the sensitive Charles could have accepted as a playmate. His own room was a miserable garret overlooking a damp, malodorous court.

Article Abstract Assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Article Abstract Assignments - Assignment Example The researchers used both the empirical method and the theoretical approach but their empirical research is limited and does not provide insight regarding the outcomes of holding major sporting events. The researchers figured out that certain times investment in a particular city’s infrastructure is over utilized and due to this other cities suffer. Secondly, host cities may end up investing more than the supply of tourists and they may face a loss. The researchers even figured out that tourists who come to watch the event can only help in covering the operational cost and not the infrastructure cost. Thirdly, the event can only attract short term tourism and in order to maintain the attraction of the region, more investment needs to be done. The researchers were successful in determining that investment in infrastructure should be done in compliance with the demand and they even provided insight that to keep attracting more tourists, new investments will be required so it inv estments conducted to attract tourist is not a onetime investment. The researchers lacked in conducted a long empirical research on providing details regarding the experiences of the tourists of such

Blueprint for Professional and Personal Growth Assignment

Blueprint for Professional and Personal Growth - Assignment Example The reason this is so is that the individual employees will know their left from their right, and have their competences well developed to deliver the best of service. It is expected that the new understanding that has been gained will go a long way to contribute to the productivity levels of the organization because a new era that gets the best out of employees will be developed. As far as the way I thought of the manager’s role is concerned, I can clearly stay that I have developed a new understanding that makes me realize that the manager’s role is more of a shared responsibility rather than a one man show. Before the course, I used to have this thinking, I believe must best be described as a misconception. This is because I used to think that managers were lords over their employees and only dictated for their employees to follow. With the content and assignments however, there has been a new realization that managers function best if they would do so in collaborati on with their employees; whiles empowering the employees to be at their best competence levels. I have also come to know of the manager as a facilitator of change rather than an implementer of change. Having come to develop the kind of new understanding I have about managers, my goals for my organization have tremendously been influenced. Earlier, most of my goals were self centered and focused on way in which I could make myself better as a manager. What is more, I focused the human development roles within the organization around only few people within the organization. For now, my goals have changed towards the development of personal goals of all people within the organization. My goals are now focused on the larger development of all people within the organization, knowing that their development will lead to the total development of the organization. Their personal developments would also make my own work as a manager much easier. Strategy for Professional and Personal Life Ear lier in the course, I had made a personal sentence to â€Å"support others for the collective success of the organization†. Having come this far with the course and with specific inspiration from the article of Christensen (2010), I find the need to develop a strategy that will aid in my professional and personal life. The first component of the strategy has to do with ways of ensuring that I am happy in my career and become the manager I aspire to be. Christensen (2010) admonishes the need for output to match expected input in order for any manager to be happy with his position. This is to say that the efforts that the manager puts into the service delivery at the organization must be promising enough to bring enhanced productivity. In relation to my sentence, I will ensure this by putting in place motivational factors that urge my workforce to give off their best. Once the employees gain satisfaction, there are most likely to give off their best and ensure productivity, whi ch would in turn bring me joy as succeeding in my position. Whiles putting these structures in place within the organization, it will be very important not to neglect or abandon my social responsibilities, especially as a family person.

Women's Rights in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Women's Rights in India - Research Paper Example Some held positions of seers and sages. However, there were practices that undermined women rights, for example, forceful immolation of a widow on her husband’s funeral and Purdah which imposed restrictions on women. It required women to cover themselves excessively hence they could not interact freely. In Devadasis, where women were â€Å"married’ to the temple or a deity, cases of sexual exploitation were reported (Menon-Sen and Kumar 113). According to Kashyap (115), women are currently holding positions as the president, the speaker, prime minister and opposition leader among other positions. According to the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, a third (33%) of the political sits in all locally elected bodies is reserved for women. Panchayat Raj institutions have produced more than a million women who have joined politics. The percentage of women active in various levels of politics has notably increased. Women from scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) Institutions have secured 65% and 54% sits respectively, an excess to the allocated 33%. A better representation of women increases the chances of their issues being highlighted. However, women still experience representation in decision-making and governance. Male dominion in politics is still present. Whenever women make initiatives, these initiatives are not accepted in politics. Democracy is the best tool for protecting human rights. Such political subordination has undermined efforts towards the realisation of full human rights by women in the India (Sood 32). Women in India have been allowed to participate in education, science and technology. This has enabled them to find their way into top government and leadership positions. They also work in other sectors within the country and abroad. The government has taken steps to ensure an improvement of women education since

Negative Impacts of Oil Exploration on Nigerias Biodiversity Essay

Negative Impacts of Oil Exploration on Nigerias Biodiversity - Essay Example It is Africa’s largest wetland, which consists of flat and low lying swamps that are a result of sediment deposition beautifully arranged in a terrain. The area has four different ecological zones which include coastal barrier islands, mangrove swamp forests, fresh water swamps and lowland rainforests. Due to this diverse ecosystem, the delta is one of the world’s most concentrated regions in biodiversity. Not only does it have the potential of supporting abundant fauna and flora, it has the potential of sustaining agricultural production. The freshness of the water gives it the ability of harbouring fresh water fish as well as a water catchment area for domestic consumption. However, the biodiversity has been destroyed by oil exploration activities around the area, and is proving to be a threat to the environment of the place. This paper will look at the various negative impacts of oil exploration in Nigeria has had on the biodiversity. Statistically according to Kadaf a (2012, p. 18) Nigeria ranks at first position in the world with flare gas, constituting 46% of Africa’s total flared gas per tonne of oil produced. This accounted for 19.79 per cent of the total global figure in the 1990s. During the period between 1970 and 1979, the average rate of gas flaring in Nigeria stood at 97%. In the period between 1980 and 1989 saw 97% of gas being flared while the years between 1990 and 1999 saw a total of 97% of gas be flared in Nigeria. Most of the gas extracted in the delta is immediately flared into the environment at a rate of 70 million/m3 per day. Gas flaring is the biggest contributor of air pollution in the Niger delta (Edino, et a., 2010, p. 67). Gas flaring emits greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere which include methane and carbon dioxide, the major contributors of global warming. Environmentalists argue that air pollutants are highly concentrated in the Niger Delta than in the rest parts of Nigeria as a result of oil extraction. Gas flare sites produce a lot of heat, which is as high as 1,600 Celsius, making it a major contributor of thermo pollution. Moreover, areas as far as 43.8 metres away from the sites experience temperatures of close to 400 Celsius, which negatively affect the vegetation and animal life and affects ecological equilibrium (Emoyan, 2008, p. 30-34). Global warming is potentially dangerous to the sea level of the low laying coastal areas as it potentially raises the sea level. Evidence of environmental degradation of the delta include inundation on large scale, increased coastal erosion, modification of habitats as wildlife are redistributed in the area, increased intensity of high rainfall events which is associated with increased run off. Soil erosion is a major occurrence as flash floods are common in the region while ocean storm surges have been a frequent occurrence (Kadafa, p. 2012, p. 20). Combined, these effects on the environment potentially jeopardize the survival of communities l iving in the region. Gas flares have been responsible for rain water and ground water acidification, research has indicated. Evidence shows that the Niger delta has high levels concentration of volatile oxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur oxide which exceeding normal standards of federal environmental protection agency. Due to the increased pollution levels, water from shallowly dug wells has indicated the presence of low pH levels, a cause of acid rain. The effects of acid rain cannot be underestimated. Not only does it corrode roofing sheets of houses and commercial buildings, it also damages vegetation as well as contaminate pools, lakes and rivers which are home for fish and other marine life (Akpomuvie, 2011, p. 206). Oil mining in the Niger delta

Corrective measures for today and the future Essay Example for Free

Corrective measures for today and the future Essay There are many ways to stop war drivers and hackers and these methods may be as simple or complex depending upon the nature of the network. First, one should understand that war drivers and hackers can easily tap into a network because of the plug-and play nature of modern devices. Also some advanced security systems such as the Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) system used by 802. 11b wireless networks is plagued by some common errors in the system, including failure to engage it entirely by itself or engage WEP encryption key set at default. Thus, method such as WEP, IPSEC, and Wi-fi protected Access, DMZs, Firewalls and Virtual Private Networks can be established to deter war drivers and hackers (â€Å"War Driving†, 2004). WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is basically a security protocol, specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard (which is 802. 11b) designed to provide the WLAN a security level that matches a wired network. Security for a WLAN can be tricky, as access to a WLAN is not hindered by most physical barriers. WEP works by encrypting data before transmitting it to the wireless network. This encryption can be done in conjunction with other protection methods such as password protection, end-to-end encryption and virtual private networks (VPNs) (â€Å"Wired Equivalent Privacy†, 2006). But WEP is not without it flaws, as proven by a research group from the University of California at Berkeley. The group was able to intercept and change data transmissions and gone as far as gaining access to restricted networks and data. On the other and, WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance) claims that WEP is not the only security system method available for WLAN. WEP is popular because most consumers have put up much of their trust in WEP that other methods (â€Å"Wired Equivalent Privacy†, 2006). IPsec IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) is defined as the backbone for a set of security protocols for network communications. IPsec claims to be effective in establishing virtual private networks and remote user access in dial-up accounts and private networks. One obvious advantage of IPsec is that security arrangements can be taken cared of without changing computers or users. CISCO (a major promoter of IPSEC) provides support for IPSEC on their network routers (â€Å"IPsec†, 2005). IPsec has two options for security service. First is the Authentication Header (AH), which basically authenticates the identity of the data sender and the other one is Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) which handles both sender authentication and data encryption. Both services packages specific information into packets in a header that follows the IP packet header. Separate key protocols can be selected for this such as the ISAKMP or Oakley protocol (â€Å"IPsec†, 2005). ISAKMP (Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol) is a coded protocol based on the IKE key exchange protocol (ISAKMP, 2006). On the other hand, the Oakley protocol is a security system in which two authorized parties can exchange confidential material through the Internet (Oakley Protocol, 2006). Both protocols can be used on a secured connection and is defined by RFC (Request for Comments) 2408 and 2412 respectively. Wi-Fi Protected Access Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a new security protocol that was designed to replace WEP. It is technically an improved version of WEP. Though WPA has improved data protection features, WEP is still considered to be best for home use. However, WEP is not recommended for corporate use because it is prone to eavesdropping and hacking, because it is not able to handle the bulk of data that WPA is capable of handling. WPA uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) which uses pre-packet mixing function, extended initialization vector, and a re-keying mechanism. WPA is also said to have stronger user identification because it is based on 802. 1 xs and has an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). Also WPA relies on RADIUS (a central authentication server) to identify each user â€Å"Wi-Fi Protected Access†, 2005). WPA is actually under IEEE 802. 11i, and there are rumors that a second version called WPA2 is on the works. It is also predicted that by 2003, there will be software updates that will allow both the client and server to establish WPA in their system. â€Å"Hotspots† can then operate within a mix of WEP and WPA modes to support both home and corporate clients. In case of a home client, the identification system would be simpler than the one that will be issued for corporations (â€Å"Wi-Fi Protected Access†, 2005).

The History Of Virtualization Information Technology Essay

The History Of Virtualization Information Technology Essay Introduction Virtualization is one of the hottest innovations in the Information Technology field, with proven benefits that propel organizations to strategize for rapid planning and implementation of virtualization. As with any new technology, managers must be careful to analyze how that technology would best fit in their organization. In this document, we will provide an overview of virtualization to help shed light on this quickly evolving technology. History of Virtualization Virtualization is Brand New Again! Although virtualization seems to be a hot new cutting edge technology, IBM originally used it on their mainframes in the 1960s. The IBM 360/67 running the CP/CMS system used virtualization as an approach to time sharing. Each user would run their own 360 machine. Storage was partitioned into virtual disks called P-Disks for each user. Mainframe virtualization remained popular through the 1970s. During the 1980s and 1990s, virtualization kind of disappeared. During the 1980s, there were a couple of products made for Intel PCs. Simultask and Merger/386, both developed by Locus Computing Corporation, would run MS-DOS as guest operating systems. In 1988, Insignia Solutions released Soft PC which ran DOS on Sun and Macintosh platforms. The late 1990s would usher in the new wave of virtualization. In 1997, Connectix would release Virtual PC for the Macintosh. Later, Connectix would release a version for the Windows and subsequently be bought by Microsoft in 2003. In 1999, VMware would introduce its entry into virtualization. In the last decade, every major player in servers has integrated virtualization into their offerings. In addition to VMware and Microsoft, Sun, Veritas, and HP would all acquire virtualization technology. How Does Virtualization Work? In the enterprise IT world, servers are necessary to do many jobs. Traditionally each machine only does one job, and sometimes many servers are given the same job. The reason behind this is to keep hardware and software problems on one machine from causing problems for several programs. There are several problems with this approach however. The first problem is that it doesnt take advantage of modern server computers processing power.[11] Most servers only use a small percentage of their overall processing capabilities. The other problem is that the servers begin to take up a lot of physical space as the enterprise network grows larger and more complex. Data centers might become overcrowded with racks of servers consuming a lot of power and generating heat. Server virtualization tries to fix both of these problems in one fell swoop.[16] Server virtualization uses specially designed software in which an administrator can convert one physical server into multiple virtual machines. Each virtual server acts as a unique physical device that is capable of running its own operating system. Until recent technological developments, the only way to create a virtual server was to design special software to trick a servers CPU into providing processing power for several virtual machines. Today, however, processor manufacturers such as Intel and AMD offer processors with the capability of supporting virtual servers already built in. In the virtualized environment, the hardware doesnt create the virtual servers. Network administrators or engineers still need to create them using the right software. [11] In the world of information technology, server virtualization is still a hot topic. Still considered a new technology, several companies offer different approaches to server virtualization. There are three ways to create virtual servers; full virtualization, para-virtualization, and OS-level virtualization. In all three variations there are a few common traits. The physical server is always called the host. The virtual servers are called guests. The virtual servers all behave as if they were physical machines. However, in each of the different methods uses a different approach to allocating the physical server resources to virtual server needs. [11] Full Virtualization The full virtualization method uses software called a hypervisor. This hypervisor works directly with the physical servers CPU and disk space. It performs as the stage for the virtual servers operating system. This keeps each server completely autonomous and unconscious of the other servers running on the same physical machine. If necessary, the virtual servers can be running on different operating system software like Linux and/or Windows. The hypervisor also watches the physical servers resources. It relays resources from the physical machine to the appropriate virtual server as the virtual servers run their applications. Finally, because hypervisors have their own processing needs, the physical server must reserve some processing power and resources to run the hypervisor application. If not done properly, this can affect the overall performance and slow down applications. [11] Para-Virtualization Unlike the full virtualization method, the para-virtualization approach allows the guest servers to be aware of one another. Because, each operating system in the virtual servers is conscious of the demands being placed on the physical server by the other guests, the Para-virtualization hypervisor doesnt require as much processing power to oversee the guest operating systems. In this way the entire system works together as a unified organization. [11] OS-Level Virtualization The OS-level virtualization approach doesnt use a hypervisor at all. The virtualization capability is part of the host OS, instead. The host OS executes all of the functions of a fully virtualized hypervisor. Because the OS-level operates without the hypervisor, it limits all of the virtual servers to one operating system where the other two approaches allow for different OS usage on the virtual servers. The OS-level approach is known as the homogeneous environment because all of the guest operating systems must be the same. [11] With three different approaches to virtualization, the question remains as to which method is the best. This is where a complete understanding of enterprise and network requirements is imperative. If the enterprises physical servers all run on the same OS, then the OS-level approach might be the best solution. It tends to be faster and more efficient than the others. However, if the physical servers are running on several different operating systems, para-virtualization or full virtualization might be better approaches. Virtualization Standards With the ever-increasing adoption of virtualization, there are very few standards that actually reign as prevalent in this technology. As the migration to virtualization grows, so does the need for open industry standards. This is why the work on virtualization is viewed by several industry observers as a giant step in the right direction. The Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) currently promotes standards for virtualization management to help industry suppliers implement compliant, interoperable virtualization management solutions. The strongest standard to be created for this technology was the Standardization of Management in a Virtualized Environment. It was accomplished by a team who builds on standards already in place. This standard lowers the IT learning curve and complexity for vendors implementing this support in their management solutions. Its ease-of-use makes this standard successful. The new standard recognizes supported virtualization management capabilities, including the ability to: discover inventory virtual computer systems manage lifecycle of virtual computer systems create/modify/delete virtual resources monitor virtual systems for health and performance Virtualization standards are not suffering as a result of poor development but rather because of the common IT challenge involved in pleasing all users. Until virtualization is standardized, network professionals must continue to meet these challenges within a dynamic data center. For example, before the relationship between Cisco and VMWare was established Ciscos Data Center 3.0 was best described as scrawny. 150 million dollars later, Cisco was able to establish a successful integration that allows the VFrame to load VMware ESX Server onto bare-metal computer hardware something that previously could only be done with Windows and Linux and configure the network and storage connections that ESX required. In addition, Microsoft made pledges only in the Web services arena, where it faces tougher open standards competition. The companys Open Specification Promise allows every individual and organization in the world to make use of Virtual Hard Disk Image Format forever, Microsoft said in a statement. VHD allows the packaging of an application with that applications Windows operating system. Several such combinations, each in its own virtual machine, can run on a single piece of hardware. The future standard of virtualization is in Open Virtual machine Format (OVF). OVF doesnt aim to replace the pre-existing formats, but instead ties them together in a standard-based XML package that contains all the necessary installation and configuration parameters. This, in theory, will allow any virtualization platform (that implements the standard) to run the virtual machines. OVF will set some safeguards as well. The format will permit integrity checking of the VMs to ensure they have not been tampered with after the package was produced. Virtualization in the Enterprise Microsofts Approach (Toms needs references) Virtualization is an approach to deploying computing resources that isolates different layers-hardware, software, data, networks, storage-from each other. Typically today, an operating system is installed directly onto a computers hardware. Applications are installed directly onto the operating system. The interface is presented through a display connected directly to the local machine. Altering one layer often affects the others, making changes difficult to implement. By using software to isolate these layers from each other, virtualization makes it easier to implement changes. The result is simplified management, more efficient use of IT resources, and the flexibility to provide the right computing resources, when and where they are needed. Bob Muglia, Senior Vice President, Server and Tools Business, Microsoft Corporation The typical discussions of virtualization focus on server hardware virtualization (which will be discussed later in this article). However, there is more to virtualization than just server virtualization. This section presents Microsofts virtualization strategy. By looking at Microsofts virtualization strategy, we can see other areas, beside server virtualization, where virtualization can be used in the enterprise infrastructure. Server Virtualization Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 In Server virtualization, one physical server is made to appear as multiple servers. Microsoft has two products for virtual servers. Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 was made to run on Windows Server 2003. The current product is Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, which will only run on 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008. Both products are considered hypervisors, a term coined by IBM in 1972. A hypervisor is the platform that enables multiple operating systems to run on a single physical computer. Microsoft Virtual Server is considered a Type 2 hypervisor. A Type 2 hypervisor runs within the host computers operating system. Hyper-V is considered a Type 1 hypervisor, also called a bare-metal hypervisor. Type 1 hypervisors run directly on the physical hardware (bare metal) of the host computer. A virtual machine; whether we are talking about Microsoft, VMWare, Citrix, or Parallels; basically consists of two files, a configuration file and a virtual hard drive file. This is true for desktop virtualization as well. For Hyper-V, there is a .vmc file for the virtual machine configuration and a .vhd file for the virtual hard drive. The virtual hard drive holds the OS and data for the virtual server. Business continuity can be enhanced by using virtual servers. Microsofts System Center Virtual Machine Manager allows an administrator to move a virtual machine to another physical host without the end users realizing it. With this feature, maintenance can be carried out without bringing the servers down. Failover clustering between servers can also be enabled. This means that should a virtual server fail, another virtual server could take over, providing a disaster recovery solution. Testing and development is enhanced through the use of Hyper-V. Virtual server test systems that duplicate the production systems are used to test code. In UCFs Office of Undergraduate Studies, a virtual Windows 2003 server is used to test new web sites and PHP code. The virtual server and its physical production counterpart have the exact same software installed, to allow programmers and designers to check their web applications before releasing them to the public. By consolidating multiple servers to run on fewer physical servers, cost saving may be found in lower cooling and electricity needs, lower hardware needs, and less physical space to house the data center. Server consolidation is also a key technology for Green computing initiatives. Computer resources are also optimized, for example CPUs will see less idle time. Server virtualization also maximizes licensing. For example, purchasing one Microsoft Server Enterprise license will allow you to run four virtual servers using the same license. Desktop Virtualization Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) Desktop virtualization is very similar to server virtualization. A client operating system, such as Windows 7, is used to run a guest operating system, such as Windows XP. This is usually done to support applications or hardware not supported in the current operating system (This is why Microsoft included Windows XP mode in versions of Windows 7). Microsofts Virtual PC is the foundation for this desktop virtualization. Virtual PC allows a desktop computer to run a guest operating system (OS) which is independent instance of an OS on top of their host OS. Virtual PC emulates a standard PC hardware environment and is independent of the hosts hardware or setup. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) is a managed client-hosted desktop virtualization solution. MED-V builds upon Virtual PC and adds features to deploy, manage, and control the virtual images. The images can also be remotely updated. The virtual machines run on the client computer. Also, applications that have been installed on the virtual computer can be listed on the host machines Start menu or as a desktop shortcut, giving the end user a seamless experience. MED-V can be very useful to support legacy applications that may not be able to run on the latest deployed operating system. The virtual images are portable and that makes it useful for a couple of scenarios. Employees that use their personal computers for work can now use a corporate managed virtual desktop. This solves a common problem where the personal computer might be running a home version of the operating system that does not allow it to connect to a corporate network. This also means that the enterprise only makes changes to the virtual computer and makes not changes to the personal computers OS. The other scenario where portability plays a factor is that the virtual image could be saved to a removable device, such as a USB flash drive. The virtual image could then be run from the USB drive on any computer that has an installation of Virtual PC. Although this is listed as a benefit by Tulloch, I also see some problems with this scenario. USB flash drives sometimes get lost and losing a flash drive in this scenario is like losing a whole computer, so caution should be exercised so that sensitive data is not kept on the flash drive. Secondly, based on personal experience, even with a fast USB flash drive, the performance of the virtual computer running from the USB flash drive is poor as compared to running the same image from the hard drive. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is server based desktop virtualization. In MED-V, the virtual image is on the client machine and runs on the client hardware. In VDI, the virtual images are on a Window Server 2008 with Hyper-V server and run on the server. The users data and applications, therefore, reside on the server. This solution seems to be a combination of Hyper-V and Terminal Services (discussed later in this section). There are several benefits to this approach. Employees can work from any desktop, whether in the office or at home. Also, the client requirements are very low. Using VDI, the virtual images can be deployed not only to standard desktops PCs, but also to thin clients and netbooks. Security is also enhanced because all of the data is housed on servers in the data center. Finally, administration is easier and more efficient due to the centralized storage of the images. Application Virtualization Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) Application virtualization allows applications to be streamed and cached to the desktop computer. The applications do not actually install themselves into the desktop operating system. For example, no changes are actually made to the Windows registry. This allows for some unusual virtual tricks like being able to run two versions of Microsoft Office on one computer. Normally, this would be impossible. App-V allows administrators to package applications in a self-contained environment. This package contains a virtual environment and everything that the application needs to run. The client computer is able to execute this package using the App-V client software. Because the application is self-contained, it makes no changes to the client, including no changes to the registry. Applications can be deployed or published through the App-V Management server. App-V packages can also be deployed through Microsofts System Center Configuration Manager or standalone .msi files located on network shares or removable media. App-V has several benefits for the enterprise. There is a centralized management of the entire application life cycle. There is faster application deployment due to less time performing regression testing. Since App-V applications are self-contained, there are no software compatibility issues. You can also provide on-demand application deployment. Troubleshooting is also made easier by using App-V. When an application is installed on a client, it creates a cache on the local hard drive. If an App-V application fails, it can be reinstalled by deleting the cache file. Presentation Virtualization Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services Terminal services, which has been around for many years, has been folded into Microsofts Virtualization offerings. A terminal server allows multiple users to connect. Each user receives a desktop view from the server in which they will run applications on the server. Any programs run within this desktop view actually execute on the terminal server. The client only receives the screen view from the server. The strategy employed here is that since the application will only use resources on the server, money can be spent on strong server hardware and money saved on lighter strength clients. Also, since the application is only on the server, it is easier to maintain the software, since it only needs to be updated on the server and not all of the clients. Also, since the application runs on the server, the data can be stored on the server as well, enhancing security. Another security feature is that every keystroke and mouse stroke is encrypted. The solution is also scalable and can be ex panded to use multiple servers in a farm. Terminal services applications can also be optimized for both high and low bandwidth scenarios. This is helpful for remote users accessing corporate applications from less than optimal connections. User-State Virtualization Roaming User Profiles, Folder Redirection, Offline Files This is another set of technologies that have been around since Windows 95 but have now been folded into the virtualization strategy. A user profile consists of registry entries and folders which define the users environment. The desktop background is a common setting that you will find as part of the user profile. Other items included in the user profile are application settings, Internet Explorer favorites, and documents, music, and picture folders. Roaming user profiles are profiles saved to a server that will follow a user to any computer that the user logs in to. For an example, a user with roaming profiles logs on to a computer on the factory floor and changes the desktop image to a picture of fluffy kittys. When he logs on to his office computer, the fluffy kittys are also on his office computers desktop as well. When using roaming profiles, one of the limitations is that the profile must be synchronized from the server to the workstation each time the user logs on. When the user logs off, the profile is then copied back up to the server. If folders, such as the documents folder, are included, the downloading and uploading can take some time. An improved solution is to use redirected folders. Folders, such as documents and pictures, can be redirected to a server location. This transparent to the user, for the user will still access his documents folder as if they were part of his local profile. This also helps with data backup, since it is easier to backup a single server than document folders located on multiple client computers. A limitation with roaming user profiles occurs when the server or network access to the server is down. Offline files attempt to address that limitation by providing access to network files even if the server location is inaccessible. When used with Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection, files saved in redirected folders are automatically made available for offline use. Files marked for offline use are stored on the local client in a client-side cache. Files are synchronized between the client-side cache and the server. If connection to the server is lost, the Offline Files feature takes over. The user may not even realize that there have been any problems with the server. Together, Roaming User profiles, Folder Redirection, and Offline Files are also an excellent disaster recovery tool. When a desktop computer fails, the biggest loss are the users data. With these three technologies in place, all the user would need to do is to log into another standard corporate issued computer and resume working. There is no downtime in trying to recover or restore the users data since it was all safely stored on a server. Review of Virtualization in the Enterprise Virtualization can enhance the way an enterprise runs the data center. Server virtualization can optimize hardware utilization. Desktop virtualization can provide a standard client for your end users. Application virtualization can allow central administration of applications and fewer chances of application incompatibilities. Presentation virtualization allows central management of applications and allowing low end clients, such as thin clients and netbooks, to run software to perform beyond the hardware limitations. User state virtualization gives the user a computer environment that will follow them no matter what corporate computer they use. Benefits and Advantages of Virtualization Virtualization has evolved into a very important entity and a platform for IT to take a step into computing history, being used by countless companies both large and small. This is due to Virtualizations capability to proficiently simplify IT operations and allow IT organizations to respond faster to changing business demands. Although virtualization started out as a technology used mostly in testing and development environments, in recent years it has moved toward the mainstream in production servers. While there are many advantages of this technology, the following are the top 5. Virtualization is cost efficient Virtualization allows a company or organization to save money on hardware, space, and energy. Using existing servers and/or disks to add more performance without adding additional capacity, virtualization directly translates into savings on hardware requirements. When it is possible to deploy three or more servers on one physical machine, it is no longer necessary to purchase three or more separate machines, which may in fact have only been used occasionally. In addition to one-time expenses, virtualization can help save money in the long run as well because it can drastically reduce energy consumption. When there are fewer physical machines this means less energy to power (and cool) them is needed. Virtualization is Green GreenIT is not just a fashion trend. Eco-friendly technologies are in high demand and virtualization solutions are certainly among them. As already mentioned, server virtualization and storage virtualization lead to decreased energy consumption; this automatically includes them in the list of green technologies. Virtualization Eases Administration and Migration When there are fewer physical machines, this also makes their administration easier. The administration of virtualized and non-virtualized servers and disks is practically the same. However, there are cases when virtualization poses some administration challenges and might require some training regarding how to handle the virtualization application. Virtualization Makes an Enterprise More Efficient Increased efficiency is one more advantage of virtualization. Virtualization helps to utilize the existing infrastructure in a better way. Typically an enterprise uses a small portion of its computing power. It is not uncommon to see server load in the single digits. Keeping underutilized machines is expensive and inefficient and virtualization helps to deal with this problem as well. When several servers are deployed onto one physical machine, this will increase capacity utilization to 90 per cent or more. Improved System Reliability and Security Virtualization of systems helps prevent system crashes due to memory corruption caused by software like device drivers. VT-d for Directed I/O Architecture provides methods to better control system devices by defining the architecture for DMA and interrupt remapping to ensure improved isolation of I/O resources for greater reliability, security, and availability. Dynamic Load Balancing and Disaster Recovery As server workloads vary, virtualization provides the ability for virtual machines that are over utilizing the resources of a server to be moved to underutilized servers.   This dynamic load balancing creates efficient utilization of server resources. In addition, disaster recovery is a critical component for IT, as system crashes can create huge economic losses. Virtualization technology enables a virtual image on a machine to be instantly re-imaged on another server if a machine failure occurs. Limitations and/or Disadvantages of Virtualization While one could conclude that virtualization is the perfect technology for any enterprise, it does have several limitations or disadvantages. Its very important for a network administrator to research server virtualization and his or her own networks architecture and needs before attempting to engineer a solution. Understanding the networks architecture needs allows for the adoption of a realistic approach to virtualization and for better judgment of whether it is a suitable solution in a given scenario or not. Some of the most notable limitations and disadvantages are having a single point of failure, hardware and performance demands, and migration. Single Point of Failure One of the biggest disadvantages of virtualization is that there is a single point of failure. When the physical machine, where all the virtualized solutions run, fails or if the virtualized solution itself fails, everything crashes. Imagine, for example, youre running several important servers on one physical host and its RAID controller fails, wiping out everything. What do you do? How can you prevent that? The disaster caused by physical failure can however be avoided with one of several responsible virtualized environment options. The first of these options is clustering. Clustering allows several physical machines to collectively host one or more virtual servers. They generally provide two distinct roles, which are to provide for continuous data access, even if a failure with a system or network device occurs, and to load balance a high volume of clients across several physical hosts.[14] In clustering, clients dont connect to a physical computer but instead connect to a logical virtual server running on top of one or more physical computers. Another solution is to backup the virtual machines with a continuous data protection solution. Continuous data protection makes it possible to restore all virtual machines quickly to another host if the physical server ever goes down. If the virtual infrastructure is well planned, physical failures wont be a frequent problem. However, this solut ion does require an investment in redundant hardware, which more or less eliminates some of the advantages of virtualization. [12] Hardware and Performance Demands Server virtualization may save money because less hardware is required thus allowing a decrease the physical number of machines in an enterprise, it does not mean that newer and faster computers are not necessary. These solutions require powerful machines. If the physical server doesnt have enough RAM or CPU power, performance will be disrupted. Virtualization essentially divides the servers processing power up among the virtual servers. When the servers processing power cant meet the application demands, everything slows down. [11] Therefore, things that shouldnt take very long could slow down to take hours or may even cause the server to crash. Network administrators should take a close look at CPU usage before dividing a physical server into multiple virtual machines. [11] Migration In current virtualization methodology, it is only possible to migrate a virtual server from one physical machine to another if both physical machines use the same manufacturers processors. For example, if a network uses one server that runs an Intel processor and another that uses an AMD processor, it is not possible to transfer a virtual server from one physical machine to the other. [11] One might ask why this is important to note as a limitation. If a physical server needs to be fixed, upgraded, or just maintained, transferring the virtual servers to other machines can decrease the amount of required down time during the maintenance. If porting the virtual server to another physical machine wasnt an option, then all of the applications on that virtual machine would be unavailable during the maintenance downtime. [11] Virtualization Market Size and Growth Market research reports indicate that the total desktop and server virtualization market value grew by 43% from $1.9 Billion in 2008 to $2.7 Billion in 2009. Researchers estimate that by 2013, approximately

Till We Have Faces Essay -- Till we Have Faces Essays

Till We Have Faces In Till We Have Faces, C. S. Lewis retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche from the point of view of Psyche's sister, with powerful insight into the nature of human affection and the relationship between human and divine. In the original myth, Psyche is the youngest of three princesses, so beautiful that men begin to worship her instead of Venus. The goddess avenges herself by commanding that Psyche be exposed on a mountain to die, but her son Cupid secretly rescues her, having fallen in love with her. He hides her in a palace where he visits her nightly, but he forbids her to see his face for fear of his mother. After a time Psyche is granted a visit from her sisters; seeing the splendor of her palace, they are jealous. They tell her that her "husband" must be some horrible monster, and they persuade her to disobey the god's command and light a lamp while he sleeps, to see if it is not so. This she does, but he wakes and rebukes her, and she goes into exile to be tested until worthy of her husband. Lewis's retelling makes the god's palace invisible to mortal eyes; thus Psyche's sister Orual, the narrator of the tale, can insist it is not jealousy but concern for Psyche that motivates her to act as she does. Told from Orual's point of view, the story shows her journey to self-discovery and understanding--her quest to find her face, for as she learns, the gods cannot "meet us face to face till we have faces"--until we know our own selves. Faces are thus a strong source of imagery and symbolism in the book. One's face is a reflection of one's soul and true character. It is, symbolically, one's identity. The faces of Orual and Psyche, of Ungit and her son the God of the Grey Mountain, give us insight into their ... ..., both beautiful. The faces of the gods do not change; but those of Psyche and Orual do, and in their developing we see the developing of character--the search for identity. Psyche, who was born nearly divinely beautiful, becomes even more so when she is married to the god, and her "brightface" appearance reflects the new joy and maturity created in her character by that union. Orual's character development takes longer, for she fights it; she is unwilling to believe in the god, and even when she sees his face she becomes bitter against him for her loss of Psyche. Yet through great suffering and a long time of facelessness, she too finds her face--her identity--and becomes beautiful in the end. She is finally able to meet the gods face to face, when she has a face of her own. Work Consulted: Lewis, C.S. Till We Have Faces. Harcourt Brace: New York, 1980.

The Child Playing Alone :: Personal Narrative Nigeria Childhood Essays

The Child Playing Alone "I was once a rapturous child drawing at the dining-room table, under a stained glass chandelier that sat like a hat on the swollen orb of my excitement. What is exciting that child, so distant from us in time and space?" Squares of different colors are splattered all over the sheet I am staring at. Some are yellow, others pink, a few green and lots are blue. Unfortunately I am not staring at some great artwork or beautiful quilt from Alabama. I am look at my weekly planner, pasted on the wall with a few worn looking pieces of tape. Blue for physics and green for chemistry, orange for calculus and yellow for expository writing; I leave no activity plain white. Not only different colors are used in the squares, but different designs as well. Some are striped, others are spotted. Some are solid squares while others have empty centers... some are even a combination of colors. At a first glance it appears this creativity is due to necessity. I needed to organize my time, or at least try, and so I produced a colorful chart. A deeper look transports me back to my childhood in Nigeria. My home country, in the heart of the tropics, is interesting. The nomadic cattle herdsman is constantly covered with white specs of salt from his evaporated sweat in the arid and hot atmosphere of almost 40 degrees centigrade in the north of the country. Surrounded by a few shrubs scattered over sandy plains, he is constantly in search of pasture for his cattle and water to drink. The market women chat away in the high humidity of the south watching their kids play in the shade of the few palm trees left, after development has robbed the land of its natural dense vegetation. My home was there in the south, near the coast, with the Atlantic Ocean knocking at our door. There was the constant danger of the beach being eroded by the angry ocean, intent on claiming back its space, as about 50% of the island I lived on is land filled. Thus my mother refused to allow me onto the closest beach to my home as it had many dangers, from the ocean to bored louts hanging around looking for innocen t victims. I could never feel angry at her though because she gave up her career, by choice, to take care of her children.

The Legend of Narcissus :: Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, â€Å"Narcissism" has its roots from the legend of Narcissus, a young man whom most deemed extremely handsome. A nymph named Echo developed an obsessive infatuation with Narcissus but he was unwilling to reciprocate such feelings to her or others. She finally gave up and isolated herself. Narcissus was then cursed to become socially isolated and reviled due to his complete self absorption by loving his own shadow from the pool (Wall & Loewenthal, 1998). Havelock Ellis (1898) first developed the concept of narcissism as a psychological construct referring to excessive masturbation by the people become their own sexual objects. Then this concept was adopted by Sigmund Freud (1914/1957) and other prominent psychoanalysts. Interestingly, the term â€Å"Narcissistic Personality Disorder† was first introduced by Heinz Kohut (1968), the founder of self psychology, and â€Å"Narcissistic Personality† by Otto Kernberg (1970) who is the major contributor of modern object relations theory. The DSM did not adopt the diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder until in the third revised edition published in 1980 (Siomopoulos, 1988). Thus, throughout the last century, the general term â€Å"narcissism† has been usually seen in the literature rather than Narcissistic Personality Disorder. From a recent study by Pincus et al. (2009), narcissism has been conceptualized as â€Å"one’s capacity to maintain a relatively positive self-image through a variety of self-, affect- and field-regulatory processes. It underlies individuals’ needs for validation and affirmation as well as the motivation to overtly and covertly seek out self-enhancement experiences from the social environment† (p.365). Normal and pathological narcissism. Researchers usually use the terms normal and pathological features of narcissism to describe adaptive and maladptive personality structure respectively, representing different psychological needs for self enhancement, validation, and regulatory mechanisms (e.g., Kernberg 1998, Kohut 1977, Morf 2006, Pincus 2005, Ronningstam 2009, Stone 1998). Some believe that normal and pathological narcissism are situated on a single continuum or dimension from healthy to disordered functioning (e.g., Cooper, 2005; Miller, Hoffman, Campbell & Pilkonis, 2008; Paulhus, 1998; Ronningstam, 2005b & Watson, 2005), while others contended that adaptive and pathological narcissism may be two distinct personality dimensions (e.g., Ansell 2006, Dickinson & Pincus, 2003; Pincus et al., 2009; Rathvon & Holmstrom, 1996; Wink, 1991). It could be found that the studies of social and personality psychology have more interest in the normal narcissism (e.g. Miller & Campbell, 20 08 ), whereas those researchers in clinical psychology focused more on the studies of pathological narcissism (e.

Government Should Focus Its Budgets More on Environmental Protection Than on Economic Development. Essay

Nowadays, whether government should focus its budget more on environmental protection than on economic development has triggered a heated debate. Some people think that the government should concentrate more on economy. Because they believe that the only way to make people live and enjoy better is developing economic. However, from my own perspective, it’s necessary for government to put more budgets on improving environment. Reasons are as follows. First of all, environment and our life are closely bound up. If the environment is contaminated, we will be infected with several disease and even die. For instance, once I watch news in a website said that a group of students graduated from college in 1982.Thirty of them still stayed in Beijing while others chose to go abroad. Thirty years later, eight people who work and live in Beijing had cancers and finally die because of the contamination such as air pollution and water pollution. But people who live abroad still keep healthy . We can learn from the news that environment is close to our daily life, and sometimes pollution poses a potential hazard to health. It’s widely accepted that people’s life is more important than everything. If most people are ill and die due to inefficient environmental protections, development of economy will seem to be useless. Second, if we don’t attach more importance to environmental protection, there will be various catastrophes which may influence the society and do harm to economic development. Some developing countries are good case in point. To earn more money, they make numerous things which destroy the environment such as cutting down trees, overstocking, over-exploitation, discharging polluted water to the rivers but do not think about consequences. As a result, they suffer from many natural calamities ranging from mud-rock flow, sand storm to earthquake, which surely will influence the rate of economic growth. If they focus its budgets more on en vironmental protection and nip the potential hazard of natural disasters in the bud, maybe these kinds of things will not happen. In a nutshell, compared with developing economic, I think it’s essential to put more budgets on protecting our environment because environment plays an important role in human’s daily life and the development of finance and society.

Web And Media Technologies Platform Health And Social Care Essay

The WMTP is one of the spouses in the Zisukhanyo Schools Project that is funded by an Irish charity, the Protea Education Development Project. This undertaking provides computing machine labs and support services to three schools: Eastville, Liesbeeck and Mitchell Heights Primary Schools in Mitchell ‘s Plain, South Africa over a period of three old ages. The function of WMTP in this undertaking is to present three wellness publicity intercessions[ 3 ]to educate and raise consciousness on HIV among the participating schools.BackgroundHIV and AIDS have reached epidemic proportions in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa and have therefore become globally important in the broader wellness environment. By 1997, 20.8 million HIV and AIDS instances were recorded in this part ; this constitutes two-thirds of the planetary sum of people populating with AIDS for that twelvemonth ( Paul-Ebhohimhen, Poobalan & A ; Van Teijlingen, 2008 ) . It is, nevertheless, the impact of the pandemic on striplings ‘ wellness that causes much more concern. Bankole ( 2008 ) estimates that 4.3 % of immature adult females and 1.5 % of immature work forces aged between 15 to 24 old ages were populating with HIV at the terminal of 2005. Current estimations are that half of all new instances of HIV infection occur in people under the age of 25 and that 80 % of AIDS instances worldwide are between 15 and 24. In the same survey it was reported that really immature striplings ( ages 12-14 ) are already going sexually active. In the above-named survey it was found that although these immature people had cognition of HIV and contraceptive method, they earnestly lacked the in-depth apprehension on these subjects that could perchance forestall them from undertaking HIV and other sexually familial infections, or going pregnant. Therefore, it is important to convey the right information to these immature people before they become sexually act ive. The overpowering grounds suggested that aiming striplings as a bad group for preventive intercessions at the right phase should go a critical portion of any scheme reacting to HIV and AIDS. With this in head the WMTP developed its attack to steer the HIV intercessions for the Zisukhanyo Schools Project.Our attackThe PPKTM was developed and refined by the WMTP over several old ages ( Van Zyl & A ; Mattheyse, 2007 ) and its rules provide ongoing counsel for the execution of the HIV Prevention and Education Events. High-level rules include to: set up a relationship of trust with the mark communities transportation accurate information on HIV and AIDS in a manner that it is understood and impacts on the life styles of communities empower members of the communities, through instruction, with HIV cognition and accomplishments that they in bend can circulate to the wider community affect engagement of non-government administrations ( NGOs ) and community-based administrations ( CBOs ) to promote ownership of the cognition sharing events by the communities. perform ongoing monitoring and rating of intercessions. This attack farther intends to steer the scholars towards purposes of behaviour alteration as demonstrated with the overall subject to develop youth leading. Harmonizing to Mahat G et Al ( 2007 ) purposes of behaviour alteration can further efficaciously be achieved through authorising attacks such as equal instruction. The attack relies on the wellness belief theoretical account ( Rosenstock, 1966 ) which suggests that if a individual has a desire to avoid unwellness or to acquire good ( value ) and the belief that a specific wellness action would forestall unwellness ( anticipation ) , so a positive behavioral action will be taken. Groups of parents and pedagogues have undergone two equal pedagogues ‘ classs and another is planned for 2010.Intervention implemented in the Zisukhanyo Schools Project 2008-2010The 2008-2010 Zisukhanyo Schools Project insofar as it relates to HIV, comprised of three intercessions: HIV Prevention and Education Events to raise consciousness on HIV and AIDS on appropriate yearss in the South African calendar such as Youth Day and Women ‘s Day every bit good as the planetary World AIDS Day. The mark groups are the broad school community: all the scholars and pedagogues every bit good as sing parents and invitees. Three events take topographic point at each school for each undertaking twelvemonth.Summary of 2009 studyThe WMTP ‘s attack to these intercessions was based on old ages of experience in carry oning appropriate eHealth research in the application of a Peer to Peer Knowledge Transfer Model ( PPKTM ) for community wellness publicity intercessions. HIV events were organised at each of the three take parting schools: Liesbeeck, Eastville, and Mitchell Heights Primary Schools, on three outstanding yearss in the South African calendar, viz. , Youth Day, Women ‘s Day and World AIDS Day during 2009. The intercession aimed to enable the mark groups to go knowing on HIV bar, which harmonizing to the Health Belief Model theory, would take to purposes of behaviour alteration. The overall subject for the events was â€Å" Develop our young person, the leaders of tomorrow † . Four aims were identified with pre-determined indexs to mensurate the extent to which the purpose of this intercession was met. All these aims were either met or exceeded. Consequences showed a entire addition of 11 % in scholars ‘ HIV cognition and a 17 % addition in their cognition on HIV leading. The 2nd aim indicated that the pedagogues intended to recycle the stuffs which were supplied to them for the events, in their instruction of Life Orientation in school. There was an addition in the attending of parents at the events, particularly where they had heard of the event on the wireless beforehand during the particular proclamations that were broadcast in the preamble taking up to the event. The concluding aim, to construct a platform for HIV cognition sharing and networking among the mark groups, was besides met as measured by four of the indexs. Recommendations for the concluding twelvemonth include that results from all three HIV intercessions should be integrated where possible to derive optimal benefits. Emphasis should be placed on the sharing of HIV bar schemes with scholars, every bit good as encouraging of parents ‘ engagement. The wireless run plays an built-in function to prosecute the wider community and should be maintained. The overall subject, of making young person leaders, should besides be expanded upon. This is driven by research grounds that communities are much more likely to go sceptered to alter their behavior when information and behavior alterations are advocated by members from within their little community and the fact that learners rely to a great extent on their friends as a beginning of cognition on the subjects of safe sex and HIV. A Peer Educators ‘ Course taking to develop pedagogues and parents as HIV equal pedagogues who would take part in the HIV Prevention and Education Events and community enterprises. One class attended by pedagogues from all the schools is presented per twelvemonth for the continuance of the undertaking rhythm.Summary of 2009 studyThe Peer Educators ‘ Course is a cognition merchandise that was developed to construct capacity on HIV among pedagogues. The class is presented yearly to pedagogues and parents of the Zisukhanyo Schools Project. These consequences refer to the September 2009 class presented to parents and pedagogues of the Zisukhanyo Schools Project in Mitchell ‘s Plain and the Intshayelelo Primary School in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Quantitative information analyses showed that 37 % of the pedagogues who attended the class taught Life Orientation, the acquisition country where HIV is addressed in the South African course of study. The norm of the pedagogues ‘ experience in learning the topic was nine old ages. Many of these pedagogues do non hold the assurance, accomplishments or cognition to educate primary school scholars on HIV and AIDS or discourse sensitive subjects such as sex instruction. Yet, they do gain the importance of sharing cognition of these subjects with their scholars. The class proved to be a great aid to the participants with statistically important betterments in all countries after the class. There was a 54 % addition in HIV cognition and a 40 % addition in accomplishments development to discourse sensitive issues with scholars. Further analyses were conducted through categorising and aggregating qualitative informations which showed that pedagogues ‘ outlooks before the class ( 46 % ) were largely related to factors which came from outside the schoolrooms, such as the assorted cultural backgrounds of scholars and the general ignorance of society sing AIDS. Before the preparation, 51 % of participants arrived with an outlook of increasing their HIV cognition and 26 % of beef uping their educational accomplishments in these countries. All the participants commented after the class that their outlooks of the class had either been met, or exceeded. A notable observation was the greater figure of parents ‘ attending. Their increased inv olvement implies more HIV equal pedagogues to go active in the greater community. The consequences serve to show that the preparation class is an effectual tool to construct capacity of these important accomplishments and cognition among participants to enable them to move as HIV equal pedagogues in circulating HIV cognition and educating these communities which have been badly affected by the HIV epidemic. By utilizing pedagogues and parents at schools as members from within this community, the cognition has a much higher opportunity of conveying about the needed behavior alterations ( Hilfinger et al 2009 ) .HIV/AIDS eLearning UndertakingDuring the first undertaking twelvemonth ( September 2008 to May 2009 ) , Eastville Primary School in Mitchells Plain was selected to take part with an Irish school, Wesley College in Dublin to undergo in-depth eLearning on different facets of HIV. After the eLearning stage, conducted in a unafraid country of the AfroAIDSinfo Web portal, scholars from both schools sub-divided into little groups with two South African and two Iri sh scholars in each group. These scholars collaborated via an email treatment forum to develop HIV booklets as end product of their cognition consumption. The Collaborative eLearning Undertaking is considered by the MRC as an advanced intercession on cognition transportation and sharing. The purpose of this intercession is to reassign cognition on HIV and AIDS to South African ( SA ) and Irish scholars through the technique of eLearning. The undertaking was initiated in response to the high prevalence of HIV in South Africa and four aims were identified for the undertaking. These aims included: proviso of dependable HIV cognition ; utilizing Information and Communication Technologies for cognition sharing ; enabling communicating between two schools ; and development of a cognition merchandise ( brochure/pamphlet ) by scholars as an result of the eLearning and cognition sharing undertaking. It was the first chance for scholars from both states to be exposed to eLearning. Information and Communication Technologies ( ICTs ) to which scholars were exposed included electronic mail, the Web, hunt engines and a listserv ( email treatment forum ) . An online questionnaire which measured HIV cognition degrees of scholars involved was implemented before and after the intercession. A comparative analysis of the informations on scholars HIV cognition degrees showed an addition of 20.9 % for SA and 17.4 % for Irish scholars. Further analysis revealed an addition of 26.1 % for SA and 23.2 % for Irish scholars in the usage of ICTs. The minimum difference between the two groups reflected that the Irish scholars had better IT skills than their opposite numbers based on their old exposure to ICTs. There were two inquiries in the post-questionnaires that scholars completed after the programme intercession which focused on bridging socio-economic and cultural divides. Both the Irish and South African scholars scored more than 50 % on bridging the cultural barriers. These consequences were supported by qualitative analysis where both SA and Irish scholars made self-generated remarks on get the better ofing cultural barriers. During the collaborative stage the scholars developed HIV booklets in group work as a merchandise of their HIV cognition consumption during the Collaborative eLearning Project. All the groups submitted booklets and received base on balls Markss. The scholars reported the collaborative group work and interaction as the high spot of the programme intercession where 67 % of the SA and 85 % of the Irish scholars mentioned how much they enjoyed and benefited from the intercession. An Irish scholar said â€Å" I greatly enjoyed the undertaking. It opened my eyes to the universe ‘s jobs with AIDS/HIV. I besides learned a batch about the south African civilization and people through speech production with my spouses through electronic mail. † A South African scholar commented â€Å" I enjoyed it really much, it was merriment I liked being portion of this undertaking. I learned more about computing machines and to populate a healthy life style. When I grow up and run into person I will be faithful to him and condomise. † The two groups were guided through the HIV/AIDS eLearning Undertaking by pedagogues who submitted regular milepost studies. For the pedagogues it was the first clip that they were exposed to eLearning and it was a learning procedure with many challenges for them every bit good. The Irish pedagogue mentioned in his concluding study â€Å" I would extremely urge the coaction stage as it allows a existent dimension to the undertaking and sets it apart from other topics a pupil might take at school. † A concluding word from the South African pedagogue was â€Å" my scholars afterwards excelled in Life Orientation appraisals where they were tested on gender and HIV/AIDS and I attribute it to the HIV/AIDS eLearning Undertaking. †Suggested HIV intercessions for the drawn-out undertakingBased on the successful execution of the 2008-2010 Zisukhanyo Schools Project, the undermentioned recommendations are made for the extension of the undertaking: Settings attack: The drawn-out undertaking insofar as it relates to the HIV and AIDS intercessions, will be managed harmonizing to a wellness publicity scenes attack. A settings attack for schools is selected as a school is considered a little community with its ain civilization and is a wellness advancing environment in its ain right ( Naidoo & A ; Wills, 2009 ) . A holistic bottom-up authorization and educational attack will be followed. The intercession aims to systematically consequence alterations in wellness and societal wellbeing for the whole community based on participative planning. A Highly positive societal and wellness instruction activities will authorise scholars to take control over their lives.A Empowerment of scholars as persons and as a group intends to ruffle alteration throughout the school setting.A Outcomes include: Improved self esteem among scholars, moving as agents to act upon the community ; Development of HIV cognition, accomplishments and assurance among scholars ; A supportive and caring community ; School community influenced to take healthy life styles. Interventions are: HIV Prevention and Education Events: These are suggested to be continued on three selected yearss during the class of a twelvemonth at each school as they are the chief channels to raise consciousness on HIV and AIDS. Based on the aims of wellness publicity, extra efforts will be made to authorise the school community to develop HIV cognition, accomplishments and assurance to better their wellness ( Naidoo & A ; Wills, 2009 ) . In a societal context, self-pride will be developed through assorted group activities to enable scholars to do independent determinations for positive wellness action ( Wallerstein, 2002 ) . As a personal resource, empowerment develops power and assurance in persons for proactive stairss towards personal wellbeing ( Ottawa Charter, 1986 ) . The other intercessions listed below are introduced to back up this intercession. Peer Educators ‘ Course: Different customised equal pedagogues ‘ classs are suggested for pedagogues, parents and scholars. Our current class for pedagogues has been modified for community members and will be more suited for presentation to parents. A customised class will be developed and presented to youth leaders as a continuance of an overarching subject to develop young person leaders in an HIV context. The primary focal point will be pedagogues and scholars with some for parents during the complete undertaking rhythm. These classs intend to lend to the cognition, accomplishments and assurance of participants to move within the school community as agents to reassign HIV cognition, create supportive environments for larning and engagement – taking to swear, authorization and community spirit.HIV/AIDS eLearning Undertaking:A research survey will predate the first Extended Zisukhanyo Schools Project eLearning to compare schoolroom larning to eLearning, organizing portion of the initial Zisukhanyo Schools Project 2008-2010 between SA/Irish eLearning scheduled to get down in May 2010. Funders: Protea Schools Development Project ( eLearning constituent ) ; MRC, WCED and SA Dept of Treasury ( schoolroom constituent ) . Two suggestions for eLearning are proposed: That the South African schools participate in the eLearning intercession as a group ( 8 schools each in their second undertaking twelvemonth ) . These intercessions should non take topographic point until all the schools have computing machine labs and received computing machine literacy preparation. Alternatively one of the first eight schools participates in their second undertaking twelvemonth with an Irish school ; and one of the following eight schools participates in their second undertaking twelvemonth with an Irish school. The specific intercession will be implemented harmonizing to the discretion of the funder. The budget below is presented in one-year format.Proposed budgetYear 1 – 20108 schoolsMRCFunderProject direction, disposal, scientists R 300A 000,00 R 300A 000,001 ) HIV Peer Educators ‘ Course( 1 for pedagogues and 1 for scholars @ 40 participants each ) Peer Education class, statistical analysis, study authorship, refreshments R 296A 254,84 Development of scholars Peer Education stuff R 78A 000,00 Travel of pedagogues and scholars to peer instruction class R 43A 200,002 ) HIV Prevention and Education events( 3 events for 8 schools ) HIV activities aligned to the SA course of study, presentation, address, parents ‘ stuff R 30A 000,00 Guidance to radio Stationss & A ; function theoretical account in colloquialising research content R 16A 084,54 1 hr programme for broadcasts before events – Radio Stations R 40A 000,00 R 83A 490,00 Outside broadcast on yearss of events – Radio Station Engagement of the function theoretical account R 183A 678,00 Development & A ; printing of difficult transcript resources for events R 20A 000,00 R 24A 000,00 Traveling R 20A 000,00 R 20A 000,00 Repackaging of all broadcasts into podcasts and composing articles for online publication R 5A 000,00 R 10A 235,00 Telephone connectivity R 33A 396,00 Refreshments – parents and pedagogues R 36A 000,00 Statistical analysis and concluding year-end study R 83A 490,00EntireR 509A 084,54R 1A 113A 743,84MRC fiscal disposal levy @ 15 %R 167A 061,58Grand sumR 509A 084,54R 1A 280A 805,42Percentage part by each spouse 31.37 % 68.63 %Year 2 – 201116 schoolsMRCFunderProject direction, disposal, scientists R 350A 000,00 R 350A 000,001 ) HIV Peer Educators ‘ Course( 1 for pedagogues, 1 for parents and 2 for scholars @ 40 participants each ) Peer Education class, statistical analysis, study authorship, refreshments R 681A 386,13 Travel of pedagogues and scholars to peer instruction class R 99A 360,002 ) HIV Prevention and Education events( 3 events for 16 schools ) HIV activities aligned to the SA course of study, presentation, address, parents ‘ stuff R 69A 000,00 Guidance to radio Stationss & A ; function theoretical account in colloquialising research content R 36A 994,44 2 hr programme for broadcasts before events – Radio Stations R 92A 000,00 R 192A 027,00 Outside broadcast on yearss of events – Radio Station Engagement of the function theoretical account R 422A 459,40 Development & A ; printing of difficult transcript resources for events R 46A 000,00 R 55A 200,00 Traveling R 46A 000,00 R 46A 000,00 Repackaging of all broadcasts into podcasts and composing articles for online publication R 11A 500,00 R 23A 540,50 Telephone connectivity R 76A 810,80 Refreshments – parents and pedagogues R 82A 800,00 Statistical analysis and concluding year-end study R 192A 027,003 ) Collaborative HIV eLearning UndertakingProject direction, disposal, portal development R 300A 000,00 Revision and updating of HIV content in educational faculties, appraisal & A ; activities R 89A 700,00 Graphic art and development of synergistic apps, treatment platform R 44A 806,30 Web development + portal license part R 125A 000,00 R 57A 500,00 Customised Jerseies R 33A 284,68 R 16A 642,34 Statistical analysis of questionnaires R 48A 006,76 R 24A 003,38 Evaluation of scholar remarks, pedagogues studies and concluding study R 76A 810,80 R 38A 405,40 Orientation session for SA scholars R 32A 004,50 R 16A 002,25EntireR 1A 266A 601,18R 2A 508A 670,50MRC fiscal disposal levy @ 15 %R 376A 300,58Grand sumR 1A 266A 601,18R 2A 884A 971,08Percentage part by each spouse 33.55 % 66.45 %Year 3 – 201216 schoolsMRCFunderProject direction, disposal, scientists R 402A 500,00 R 402A 500,00 1 ) HIV Peer Educators ‘ Course ( 2 for pedagogues, 1 for parents and 1 for scholars @ 40 participants each ) Peer Education class, statistical analysis, study authorship, refreshments R 783A 594,05 Travel of pedagogues and scholars to peer instruction class R 114A 264,002 ) HIV Prevention and Education events ( 3 events for 16 schools )HIV activities aligned to the SA course of study, presentation, address, parents ‘ stuff R 79A 350,00 Guidance to radio Stationss & A ; function theoretical account in colloquialising research content R 42A 543,61 2 hr programme for broadcasts before events – Radio Stations R 105A 800,00 R 220A 831,05 Outside broadcast on yearss of events – Radio Station Engagement of the function theoretical account R 485A 828,31 Development & A ; printing of difficult transcript resources for events R 52A 900,00 R 63A 480,00 Traveling R 52A 900,00 R 52A 900,00 Repackaging of all broadcasts into podcasts and composing articles for online publication R 13A 225,00 R 27A 071,58 Telephone connectivity R 88A 332,42 Refreshments – parents and pedagogues R 95A 220,00 Statistical analysis and concluding year-end study R 220A 831,053 ) Collaborative HIV eLearning UndertakingProject direction, disposal, portal development R 345A 000,00 Revision and updating of HIV content in educational faculties, appraisal & A ; activities R 103A 155,00 Graphic art and development of synergistic apps, treatment platform R 51A 527,25 Web development + portal license part R 143A 750,00 R 66A 125,00 Customised Jerseies R 38A 277,38 R 19A 138,69 Statistical analysis of questionnaires R 55A 207,77 R 27A 603,89 Evaluation of scholar remarks, pedagogues studies and concluding study R 88A 332,42 R 44A 166,21 Orientation session for SA scholars R 36A 805,18 R 18A 402,59EntireR 1A 456A 591,36R 2A 884A 971,08MRC fiscal disposal levy @ 15 %R 432A 745,66Grand sumR 1A 456A 591,36R 3A 317A 716,74Percentage part by each spouse 33.55 % 66.45 %Year 4 – 20138 schoolsMRCFunderProject direction, disposal, scientists R 462A 875,00 R 462A 875,001 ) HIV Peer Educators ‘ Course( 1 for pedagogues and 1 for scholars @ 40 participants each ) Peer Education class, statistical analysis, study authorship, refreshments R 450A 566,58 Travel of pedagogues and scholars to peer instruction class R 65A 701,802 ) HIV Prevention and Education events( 3 events for 8 schools ) HIV activities aligned to the SA course of study, presentation, address, parents ‘ stuff R 45A 626,25 Guidance to radio Stationss & A ; function theoretical account in colloquialising research content R 24A 462,57 1 hr programme for broadcasts before events – Radio Stations R 60A 835,00 R 126A 977,85 Outside broadcast on yearss of events – Radio Station Engagement of the function theoretical account R 279A 351,28 Development & A ; printing of difficult transcript resources for events R 30A 417,50 R 36A 501,00 Traveling R 30A 417,50 R 30A 417,50 Repackaging of all broadcasts into podcasts and composing articles for online publication R 7A 604,38 R 15A 566,16 Telephone connectivity R 50A 791,14 Refreshments – parents and pedagogues R 54A 751,50 Statistical analysis and concluding year-end study R 126A 977,85EntireR 662A 238,20R 1A 700A 477,66MRC fiscal disposal levy @ 15 %R 255A 071,65Grand sumR 662A 238,20R 1A 955A 549,31Percentage part by each spouse 28.03 % 71.97 %