Philippine Economy

A recap of how previous Philippine republics and administrations handled the country's economy since the Spanish era, including their management of the economy. In the days wherein the Philippines was under the Spanish Republic the country was at a good spot in Asia. Manila and Cebu were the only European cities; we were one of the best countries in Asia when it comes to trading domestically and internationally. Before, we were always trading with mexico sharing our culture to them and them sharing there culture to us.The country was at a good spot but as the Americans said the Philippines was like any other good but slow spanish colonized economy like the economies of countries in South America namely Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina and etc. According to an article â€Å"Economy during the Spanish Colonial Period. † n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . After being controlled under the Spanish regime which lasted for 300 years, the Philippines were in a new republic under the American go vernment. Our country once became a part of America.It was one of the American States just like Hawaii right now, no matter how far they are, they still belong to the United States. Our country's economy before was really pump-priming. It was rising back again because Americans knew a lot in controlling a country's economy. They knew how to make people more productive in each of their daily lives, they knew the importance of the english language to us and they knew how to make this country moving from a good Latin country to a bustling busy city.Americans taught Filipinos how to use the telephone that's why now, as you can see, we have PLDT, We were taught how to speak english that's why now, as you can see, we are now Asia's most competitive english speakers. We were taught how to use the television, how to function the air conditioner, how to operate the washing machine and etc. We were so Americanized before that in the whole Asia we were the first Asians to taste coke and that's why now, as you can see, coke has been a part of the filipino tradition like having coke and bread to your visitors – a way of showing Philippine Hospitality.Our country had a lot of investments coming from America and they built a lot of places that could've been a major city if they were to stay here longer like Makati, Subic, Taft, Commonwealth and Clark. Without the Americans we wouldn't have these right now. We should be grateful to them because now that the Philippines is growing, more call centers, condominiums, office spaces, retail , and commercial areas are sprouting in the place. According to an article â€Å"The Philippines: Changes in the American Period . † n. page. Web. . While Philippines was at peace with the Americans there came the Japanese soldiers.They controlled our country like any other country they controlled in other parts of Asia like Malaysia Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Korea, they stole many natural resources like gold, cop per and many other metals that would help they're country – Japan to get rich and have a good economic status. In the Japanese Era our country – The Philippines, experienced on of the worlds worst inflations. In that time everyone was struggling, striving to get a good life and exerting so much effort just to escape the poor situation.In the Japanese era, The Philippines became poor. According to Balabag, Marilyn. â€Å"The Japanese Period in the Philippines. † n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . While the Japanese people were busy harassing Filipino women, Americans fought back for us because they knew we had enough of it and we deserve peace. Surprising the Japanese, the Japanese men were preparing in case the situation will get real serious like secretly planning the attacks, secretly creating and formulating bombs, secretly building aero weapons and aquatic weapons as well.The Americans started it so both countries Japan and The United Stated of America began exchang ing bombs from place to place destroying each other's lands and properties and killing each other mercilessly. And finally Japan declared quits. The Philippine economy was at its worst. We couldn't grab time to recover our country's economy, our precious structures were being affected with all the bombs and missiles that soldiers threw on causing a lot of damage and money to recover it.Japanese people even stole billions from us and never even bothered to pay they're debts until now and to top it off they even stole gold from us like the huge beautiful golden statue called â€Å"Yamashita† †¦What a shame†¦ and to think its one of the richest countries in Asia to date. According to Jess Chin, Carlos Gavino. â€Å"The Philippines-American/Japanese War. † n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . After being under the Spanish, American, and Japanese republic, The Philippines finally declared independence.Philippines finally stood up on its own two feet. Former President, Glori a Macapagal Arroyo's Administration, The Philippine Economy was lagging. A proof would be the GDP Growth where it grew for only a tiny 1%. If you would compare Philippines to other South-East Nations, The Philippines was behind amongst them. Even Vietnam chased after The Philippines and almost Cambodia thank God Cambodia has not been able to chase us yet because if we're chased it just goes to show The Philippines is really Sick and not investor friendly.We were down by then in her administration. According to Africa, Sonny. â€Å"Dark Legacies: The Economy under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. † (2010): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . In The Present administration of President Noynoy Aquino, The Philippines is showing shocking results for example the GDP Growth. The 2010 GDP Growth in The Philippines early months were really high from 6% to 7% and to 8%. We were really in a good spot.Reasons why the GDP grew that way was because of election spending and if you're not familiar with elect ion spending, it means that politicians spending so much money for ads and commercial for them for example Manny Villar, and by the way I chose Manny Villar because in my own opinion, I think Manny Villar had the most ads and commercial in the elections season like the famous song that was produced and composed for him only few knew the title we mostly called it â€Å"Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura† so back to the topic, election spending is simply politicians putting they're whole money on the commercials and ads which would equal to opening doors for new jobs like the employees of the printing press getting more productive, people will get jobs for pasting they're posters, directors, writers and producers gets more productive and more people will be paid for talent fee. Well, those are the most common jobs when there is election spending there are still actually more jobs that are uncommon, more jobs that can help Filipinos sustain they're daily needs. According to Ed u Lopez, Chino Leyco. â€Å"GDP up by 7. 3% in 2012. † (2011): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , Remo, Michelle. â€Å"Election Spending to boost GDP. † (2009): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . As of now the Philippine GDP growth of 2012 in the 1st quarter is 6. 4%. Shocking everyone around the world for getting the second highest rank in asia only behind China.China is ranked as the highest because of the endless construction of condominiums which until now†¦stayed empty†¦ By the later years China will experience a huge property bubble burst which means when all condominiums are built and still stayed empty, what would happen is that, businessmen will go bankrupt and money will not be circulating anymore because why would China still build many condominiums when most of the condominiums are not even sold yet? Which would mean less construction equal to less people will be employed, equal to fewer people will get salary which would, in the end, equal to money not circulat ing around the country which would result to low GDP Growth even now, predictions for China's 2nd Quarter GDP Growth are smaller than there 1st Quarter GDP Growth of 8%. This is one of China's big problems, they keep on building infrastructures which in the end, it won't even be utilized. According to an article â€Å"Phl GDP up 6. 4% in Q1, highest growth in ASEAN. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , Rapoza, Kenneth. China's Housing Bubble Past, And Its Future. † (2011): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . The Philippines, as of now, is doing really good, our country has been really doing good that the media said that sooner, the Philippines will get an credit rating upgrade and an investment grade. If you're not familiar with credit rating upgrade and investment grade, these are somewhat like badges for countries interpreting how investor-friendly we are. If we get an investment upgrade than we will get noticed by investors easily and would mean the more investments this coun try will receive. To make it easier its like pasting more hashtags on an instagram photo.The more hash tags, the more people can easily find it and will be able to like it and the more exposure your photo will get. Now back to the topic, Our country, The Philippines has been getting so much news from Moody, Fitch and etc. that sooner or in the near future the Philippines will be getting an investment grade and a credit upgrade rating. Which would also cite a proof that The Philippine Economy is really doing good. According to PH credit rating. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , Malinao, Alito. â€Å"S;P upgrade makes PH bullish about economy. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , Raquel, Nick. â€Å"PHL economy shows signs of credit boom, says Fitch. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012.The Philippines shocked the whole world when it became a creditor to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) handing help to the other countries by donating dollars to the weakening c ountries like Greece. When The Philippines donated billions to IMF it made The Philippines more visible to everyone making businessmen think of the Philippines as a possible destination for putting up they're future planned investments. It proved to the rest of the world that The Philippines is now a decent country, its now having a fresh start, its now making its name again and its now making a new reputation. A reputation that will forever change the mindsets of people around the world thinking that the Philippines is a Sick Laggard Man of Asia to A Rare Bright Spot of Asia.According to an article â€Å"PH NOW AN IMF CREDITOR / IMF LOAN TO HELP STABILIZE WORLD ECONOMY. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . In the future we'll be expecting more good things to come because as of now, we have a lot of positive outlooks beginning with the Filipinos' capacity to speak english like no other non-english speaking countries in the world. Our Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industr y is currently rising with so much buildings under construction for the new office spaces for call center companies expanding they're company and for first timer call center companies finally entering the Philippines. A survey even showed that the Philippines still lacks office spaces.Which just goes to show that we will be expecting different skylines in the future especially with Manila, Clark, Cebu and Davao that would show the country's richness and status just like what they say, â€Å"You can simply estimate the country's economic performance through its skyline† Which is true as you've notice big cities like New York, Tokyo, London, and Singapore they're skylines are beautiful and it really compliments they're long term economic status. According to Dela Pena, Zennia. † Eton ramps up construction of new BPO buildings . † (2011): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , Dela Pena, Zennia. â€Å"SMDC mulls development of BPO buildings . † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , Dela Pena, Zennia. â€Å"Filinvest Land ramps up new BPO buildings . † (2011): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . The Filipinos' capacity to speak english so fluently led many foreigners from around the world to study here and learn how to speak english like how Americans speak the language. Most of the foreigners that come to The Philippines to study here are Koreans.Koreans decide to study here rather than in The United States because education here is cheaper and much worthy plus if you talk about the plane ride and the ticket price, its way cheaper and hours of traveling is also shorter so its less hassle. Be it French, Italian, Kenyan, Thai, Vietnamese , Iranian, Indian and so much more to mention they're purpose here is to study english for we Filipinos are good at it and they believe that too that Filipinos are really talented at it. But you would ask where will all of these expats stay for the time that they will be studying in this country? Well condominiums, houses, apartments are the answer. Lately, The Philippines' real-estate market has been rising and one of the reason are the foreigners coming here to study english.Real-estate in the Philippines is truly booming and when its booming that would mean the construction industry will also grow at a faster and plus not to mention the infrastructure projects and PPPs of the government. According to an article of â€Å"Why foreigners study English in the Philippines. † (2006): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. , â€Å"About 200,000 South Koreans study English in RP, says envoy . † (2008): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012, Cecil, Morella. â€Å"Property boom transforming Philippine skylines. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012. . The Philippines is truly blessed with Filipino people who are so eager to work that they would leave they're family and love ones just for the sake of earning money in order for they're children and love ones to sustain they're daily needs.Thanks to the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) The Philippines has been receiving money or shall we say remittances from them. Remittances are a plus for the country because its like receiving money from other countries and would equal to adding up the circulation of money in the country from a base of billions, it would turn to trillions thanks to remittances that OFWs worked hard for. With remittances, retail industry in the country will grow which means sufficient salary for employees in shops and around and again it circulates which means economic performance will improve. According to Remo, Michelle. â€Å"Overseas Filipino remittances up by 5% to P10 B in 1st half. † (2012): n. page. Web. Aug. 2012.

A day in the life of a bike warehouse worker Essay

It was six o’clock and for the first time in about two years I woke up before my alarm went off. My curtains were not pulled right together so a stream of light was shining on my face. I sat up in bed and looked on my calendar to see what day it was; it was Monday, the first day of my work experience. I got myself out of bed and headed for the shower. The house was so still, every little sound I made seemed to be ten times loader than what it actually was. Like every other morning I had a wash and got changed then crept down stairs to the kitchen. I took a quick glance at the big clock on the wall but the batteries which were destined to run out had finally run flat. I had to find my phone, which I’m constantly forgetting where I put, to know the time. I had put it by the cookery books so that I would see it and not panic like every other morning. It was six forty-five which left me fifteen minutes to grab some breakfast before leaving to do my normal everyday paper round. I took a look in the cupboard to find there was nothing worth having, probably a shopping day knowing my luck. I skipped breakfast and jumped on my bike and headed for the local paper shop. I knew that I had to be at the bike shop for my work experience at about nine o’clock so I figured that I had to hurry up on doing my paper round. When I got the the shop, the shop owner, Paul, was waiting at the door with some bad news. The shop has two paper rounds one which I do and another which my friend David did. He gave me the good news that David had quit with no warning. Usually I would be excited about this because if I did both the paper rounds I would be paid double but the only downfall was I wasn’t sure if I had enough time to do both the paper rounds. Anyway I put all the papers in the bag and did the most strenuous exercise I had done in a long time. It paid off though as that morning I witnessed the most beautiful sun rise. I finally got home, tired out and surprisingly quite cold. Looking at the clock on my mobile phone I had realised that I had been out delivering papers for one and a half hours, allowing me just thirty minutes to get ready and get the the other side of town. I quickly got changed into some suitable clothes and then made my way towards the town. On the way to the town I kept asking myself questions, what will I have to do? Will I be able to do the things which tom did last week? I wonder what the staff will be like? I managed to get myself really nervous about the whole idea of working with people I don’t know and if I was really up for the job. I arrived at the shop ten minutes early so that I could introduce myself and get to know the staff a little bit. The main person in charge, Luke, set me off to do my first task which he said was the most important task off all. I was expecting to hear something to do with the bikes but instead he said â€Å"I don’t suppose you can run up to Aldays and grab use a pint of semi skimmed milk†. It was when he told me to get the milk when I realised they were going to take advantage of me and make me do all the things which they didn’t want to. Anyway, I was there to experience work and if that’s what higher ranked staff do, and then that’s what I was there to experience. When I came back to the shop with the milk Luke told me to follow him to the kitchen. The kitchen was a small, dirty and smelly room which was mainly used to store bike parts. The only thing that made it a kitchen was the fact that it had a small, filthy sink, a kettle and a bag of tea bags which my best mate Tom had brought in the previous week. In the kitchen were a number of large boxes which contained bikes. Luke pulled one into the middle of the room and asked me to build it in the kitchen whilst he went back to the till to repair some other bikes. This was the part I was dreading most of all, I had never built a bike from flat pack before and there I was expected to know how it all goes together. I opened the box and took a peep inside. The only way of describing what the bike looked like then was simply a box of bits. I took out everything and placed them in an orderly fashion across the floor. I was expecting to find a small booklet or leaflet with instructions on how to build the bike but there wasn’t any. I didn’t want the staff to know that I came to the bike shop not knowing how to build a bike so I decided to have a go at making it how I thought it went. The first main problem I came across was the packaging. Everything was really well packaged and taped up and all I had to remove it with was a small pair of very blunt scissors. I took a look at the parts in front of me and got cracking with making the bike. Most of the building was pure common sense but there were a few occasions where I had to take apart previous parts so that I could correct myself in places. Once I had finished making the bike I had to adjust the brakes and make sure that everything was in good order. There were lots of bare cable ends which I had to cover but unfortunately I caught the end of my finger on one of the thin cable ends leaving me in agony. I stood up, took a step back and looked at what I had done. I had made my first ever bike from scratch and I must admit, I thought I had done a very good job of it. I went out to find one of the staff members so that they could see if I had done everything ok. A young worker there called Steve came into the kitchen to check over the bike. I was biting my nails and gritting my teeth, hoping that I had done the job correctly. He was being very precise looking at every adjustment and checking that every screw was tight. He stopped what he was doing, leant the bike against the wall and said â€Å"Well done, you can carry on with the rest of the bikes in the store room†. I was so over the moon. I had taught myself a new skill which in the future could help me out. Now that my confidence was a lot better, I found I could make the bikes a lot quicker. I made a further three bikes each a bit different before Luke came into the room and told me that I deserved a lunch break. I took advantage of my break by jogging home and getting myself some lunch. When I came back to the shop I wanted to get straight back into it but there were other jobs that needed to be done. During my break a small lorry fully of ready and unready made bikes had arrived at the shop. With help from John, another employee of the shop, I removed all the bikes and boxes from the lorry to one of two cellars. Once the bikes were all down in the cellar I had the job of sorting them all out into different groups. I didn’t really enjoy this much as the cellar was a dark, gloomy room with a not to pleasant smell in the air. I was happy to get out of there once I had finished sorting the bikes out. There was enough time to make a couple more bikes so I was sent back to the kitchen with my tools to make some more bikes from the store room. The radio wasn’t too good as the aerial had broken off, so I found myself a tape which I could work to. The time really flew as my mind was in working mode. At three o’clock Luke came back into the kitchen and checked all the bikes I had done. He was very impressed with what I had done and told me that I could go home. The room looked like a bomb had been set off in it so I cleared away all the tools I was using, put all the bikes I had built into stock and washed up the cups. I was now ready to go home. On the way out Luke said thank you for the work and said that he would discount me if I needed to buy any thing for my bike. I said good bye and went home. On the way home I thought about how my day had been. I realised that although I didn’t originally want to work at the bike shop, it wasn’t as bad as what I was expecting. In life you’re not always going to get the jobs you want so I decided that for the rest of the week I was going to make the most of the experience.

Anonymous Research Essay Example for Free

Anonymous Research Essay Internet (835) , Anonymous (16) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is a loosely associated hacktivist group. It (is estimated to have) originated in 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, representing the concept of many online and offline community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic, digitized global brain.[2] It is also generally considered to be a blanket term for members of certain Internet subcultures, a way to refer to the actions of people in an environment where their actual identities are not known.[3] It strongly opposes Internet censorship and surveillance, and has hacked various government websites. It has also targeted major security corporations.[4][5][6] It also opposes Scientology, government corruption and homophobia. Its members can be distinguished in public by the wearing of stylised Guy Fawkes masks.[7] In its early form, the concept was adopted by a decentralized online community acting anonymously in a coordinated manner, usually toward a loosely self-agreed goal, and primarily focused on entertainment. Beginning with 2008, the Anonymous collective became increasingly associated with collaborative, international hacktivism. They undertook protests and other actions in retaliation against anti-digital piracy campaigns by motion picture and recording industry trade associations.[8][9] Actions credited to â€Å"Anonymous† were undertaken by unidentified individuals who applied the Anonymous label to themselves as attribution.[10] They have been called the freedom fighters of the Internet,[11] a digital Robin Hood,[12] and â€Å"anarchic cyber-guerrillas.†[13] Although not necessarily tied to a single online entity, many websites are strongly associated with Anonymous. This includes notable imageboardssuch as 4chan, their associated wikis, Encyclopà ¦dia Dramatica, and a number of forums.[14] After a series of controversial, widely publicized protests, distributed denial of service (DDoS) and website defacement attacks by Anonymous in 2008, incidents linked to its cadre members have increased.[15] In consideration of its capabilities, Anonymous has been posited by CNN to be one of the three major successors to WikiLeaks.[16] In 2012, Time named Anonymous as one of the most influential groups in the world.[17] The name Anonymous itself is inspired by the perceived anonymity under which users post images and comments on the Internet. Usage of the term Anonymous in the sense of a shared identity began on imageboards.[14] A tag of Anonymous is assigned to visitors who leave comments without identifying the originator of the posted content. Users of imageboards sometimes jokingly acted as if Anonymous were a real person. The concept of the Anonymous entity advanced in 2004 when an administrator on the 4chan image board activated a â€Å"Forced_Anon† protocol that signed all posts as Anonymous.[14] As the popularity of imageboards increased, the idea of Anonymous as a collective of unnamed individuals became an Internet meme.[18] Anonymous broadly represents the concept of any and all people as an unnamed collective. As a multiple-use name, individuals who share in the â€Å"Anonymous† moniker also adopt a shared online identity, characterized as hedonistic and uninhibited. This is intended as a satirical, conscious adoption of the online disinhibition effect.[19] â€Å"| We [Anonymous] just happen to be a group of people on the internet who need—just kind of an outlet to do as we wish, that we wouldn’t be able to do in regular society. †¦That’s more or less the point of it. Do as you wish. †¦ There’s a common phrase: ‘we are doing it for the lulz.’| †| —Trent Peacock. Search Engine: The face of Anonymous, February 7, 2008.[19]| Definitions tend to emphasize that the concept, and by extension the collective of users, cannot be readily encompassed by a simple definition. Instead Anonymous is often defined by aphorismsdescribing perceived qualities.[2] One self-description, originating from a protest video targeted at the Churc h of Scientology, is: We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.[20] â€Å"| [Anonymous is] the first Internet-basedsuperconsciousness. Anonymous is a group, in the sense that a flock of birds is a group. How do you know they’re a group? Because they’re traveling in the same direction. At any given moment, more birds could join, leave, peel off in another direction entirely.| †| —Chris Landers. Baltimore City Paper, April 2, 2008.[2]| Anonymous consists largely of users from multiple imageboards and Internet forums. In addition, several wikis and Internet Relay Chat networks are maintained to overcome the limitations of traditional imageboards. These modes of communication are the means by which Anonymous protesters participating in Project Chanology communicate and organize upcoming protests.[21][22] A â€Å"loose coalition of Internet denizens,†[23] the group bands together through the Internet, using IRC channels[21] and sites such as 4chan,[21][23] 711chan,[21] Encyclopà ¦dia Dramatica,[24] and YouTube.[3] Socia l networking services, such as Facebook, are used for to mobilize groups for real-world protests.[25] Anonymous has no leader or controlling party and relies on the collective power of its individual participants acting in such a way that the net effect benefits the group.[23] â€Å"Anyone who wants to can be Anonymous and work toward a set of goals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  a member of Anonymous explained to the Baltimore City Paper. â€Å"We have this agenda that we all agree on and we all coordinate and act, but all act independently toward it, without any want for recognition. We just want to get something that we feel is important done†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [2] Anonymous members have previously collaborated with hacker group LulzSec.[citation needed] It is impossible to ‘join’ Anonymous, as there is no leadership, no ranking, and no single means of communication. Anonymous is spread over many mediums and languages, with membership being achieved simply by wishing to join.[26] Commander X and the People’s Liberation Front A person known as Commander X provided interviews and videos about Anonymous.[27] In 2011, he was at the center of an investigation into Anonymous by HBGary CEO Aaron Barr, who claimed to have identified him as a San Francisco gardener. Interviewed following the attack on HBGary Federal, Commander X revealed that while Barr suspected that he was a leader of the group, he was in his own words a â€Å"peon.† However, Commander X did claim to be a skilled hacker and founding member of an allied organization, the Peoples Liberation Front (PLF).[28] According to Commander X, Peoples Liberation Front, a collective of hactivists founded in 1985, acted with AnonOps, another sub-group of Anonymous, to carry out denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks against government websites in Tunisia, Iran, Egypt, and Bahrain. Explaining the relationship between Anonymous and the PLF, he suggested an analogy to NATO, with the PLF being a smaller sub-group that could choose to opt in or out of a specific project. â€Å"AnonOps and the PLF are both capable of creating huge â€Å"Internet armies.† The main difference is AnonOps moves with huge force, but very slowly because of their decision making process. The PLF moves with great speed, like a scalpel.†[29] On September 23, 2011, a homeless man in California named Christopher Doyon was arrested and stated by officials to have used the Commander X screen name.[30] He pleaded not guilty.[31] The Low Orbit Ion Cannon is a network stress testing application that has been used by Anonymous to accomplish its DDOS attacks. Individual users download the LOIC and voluntarily contribute their computer to a bot net. This bot net is then directed against the target by AnonOps.[32] Joining the bot net and volunteering one’s resources for the use of the group is thus one way of being a â€Å"member,† a concept that is otherwise hard to define. In April 2009, after The Pirate Bay co-defendants were found guilty of facilitating extensive copyright infringement â€Å"in a commercial and organized form†, Anonymous launched a coordinated DDoS attack against the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organisation responsible for safeguarding recording artists’ rights.[33] When co-founders lost their appeal against convictions for encouraging piracy, Anonymous again targeted the IFPI, labelling them â€Å"parasites.† A statement read: â€Å"We will continue to attack those who embrace censorship. You will not be able to hide your ludicrous ways to control us. On January 19, 2012, Megaupload, a website providing file-sharing services, was shut down by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[36] In the hours following the shutdown, hackers took down the sites of the DOJ and FBI, as well as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.[37]Barrett Brown, described as a spokesperson for Anonymous, called the attack â€Å"the single largest Internet attack in [Anonymous’] history.†[38] With the protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) protests only a day old, Brown stated that internet users were â€Å"by-and-far ready to defend an open Internet.†[38] Although the actions of Anonymous received support,[citation needed] some commentators argued that the denial of service attack risked damaging the anti-SOPA case. Molly Wood of CNET wrote that â€Å"[i]f the SOPA/PIPA protests were the Web’s moment of inspiring, non-violent, hand-holding civil disobedience, #OpMegaUpload feels like the unsettling wave of car-burning hooligans that sweep in and incite the riot portion of the play.†[39] Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle concurred, stating that â€Å"Anonymous’ actions hurt the movement to kill SOPA/PIPA by highlighting online lawlessness.†[40] The Oxford Internet Institute’s Joss Wright wrote that â€Å"In one sense the actions of Anonymous are themselves, anonymously and unaccountably, censoring websites in response to positions with which they disagree.†[37] Anonymous claimed responsibility for taking down government websites in the UK in April 2012 in protest against government extradition and surveillance policies. A message was left on Twitter saying it was â€Å"for your draconian surveillance proposals.†[41] Anonymous activists merged with Occupy Wall Street protesters. Anonymous members descended on New York’s Zucotti Park and organized it partly. After it became known that some Occupy protesters would get violent, Anonymous used social networking to urge Occupy protesters to avoid disorder. Anonymous used Twitter trends to keep protests peaceful.[42] A similar protest occurred outside the London Stock Exchange in early May 2012 during a May Day Occupy protest.[43] Alleged Internet predator Chris Forcand, 53, was charged with child sexual and firearm offenses.[44] A newspaper report stated that Forcand was already being tracked by â€Å"cyber-vigilantes before police investigations commenced.[45] A television report identified a â€Å"self-described Internet vigilante group called Anonymous† who contacted the police after some members were â€Å"propositioned† by Forcand. The report stated this was the first time a suspected Internet predator was arrested by the police as a result of Internet vigilantism.[46] In October 2011, â€Å"Operation Darknet† was launched as an attempt to cease the activities of child porn sites accessed through hidden services in the deep web.[47] Anonymous published in apastebin link what it claimed were the user names of 1,589 members of Lolita City, a child porn site accessed via the Tor network. Anonymous said that it had found the site via The Hidden Wiki, and that it contained over 100 gigab ytes of child pornography. Anonymous launched a denial-of-service attack to take Lolita City offline. The group is responsible for cyber-attacks on the Pentagon, News Corp and has also threatened to destroy Facebook.[54] In October 2011, Anonymous hackers threatened the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas in an online video after one of their members was kidnapped.[55] In late May 2012 alleged Anonymous members claimed responsibility for taking down a GM crops website.[56] In early September 2012 alleged Anonymous members claimed responsibility for taking down GoDaddy’s Domain Name Servers, affecting small businesses around the globe.[57] In mid-September 2012, Anonymous hackers threatened the Hong Kong government organization, known as National Education Centre. In their online video, Anonymous members claimed responsibility for leaking classified government documents and taking down the National Education Centre website, after the Hong Kong government repeatedly ignored months of wide-scale protests against the establishment of a new core Moral and National Education curriculum for children from 6–18 years of age. The new syllabus came under heavy criticism and international media attention, as it does not award students based on how much factual information is learned, but instead grades and evaluates students based on their level of emotional attachment and approval of the Communist Party of China, almost in blind brain-washing fashion.[58] In response to Operation Pillar of Cloud in November 2012, Anonymous launched a series of attacks on Israeli government websites. Anonymous protested what they called the â€Å"barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people.†[59] On November 30, 2012, the group declared an operation to shut down websites of the Syrian government, in response to a internet blackout the previous day believed to be imposed by Syrian authorities in an attempt to silence opposition groups of the Syrian civil war Reaction from law enforcement agencies â€Å"| First, who is this group called Anonymous? Put simply, it is an international cabal of criminal hackers dating back to 2003, who have shut down the websites of the U.S. Department of Justice and the F.B.I. They have hacked into the phone lines of Scotland Yard. They are responsible for attacks against MasterCard, Visa, Sony and the Governments of the U.S., U.K., Turkey, Australia, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand.| †| —Canadian MP Marc Garneau, 2012[67]| In December 2010, the Dutch police arrested a 16-year old for cyberattacks against Visa, MasterCard and PayPal in conjunction with Anonymous’ DDoS attacks against companies opposing Wikileaks.[68] In January 2011, the FBI issued more than 40 search warrants in a probe against the Anonymous attacks on companies that opposed Wikileaks. The FBI did not issue any arrest warrants, but issued a statement that participating in DDoS attacks is a criminal offense with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.[69][70] In January 2011, the British police arrested five male suspects between the ages of 15 and 26 with suspicion of participating in Anonymous DDoS attacks.[71] Matthew George, a Newcastle, New South Wales resident, concerned with forthcoming Australian internet filtration legislation, was arrested for his participation in Anonymous DDoS activities. George participated in Anonymous IRC discussions, and allowed his computer to be used in a denial of service attack associated with Operation Titstorm. Tracked down by authorities, he was fined $550, though he was not fully aware that his actions were illegal, and believed his participation in Operation Titstorm had been a legal form of civil protest. His experience left him disillusioned with the potential of online anonymity, warning others: â€Å"There is no way to hide on the internet, no matter how hard you cover your tracks you can get caught. You’re not invincible.†[72] On June 10, 2011, the Spanish police captured three purported members of Anonymous in the cities of Gijon, Barcelona and Valencia. The operation deactivated the main server from which the three men coordinated DDoS attacks. This particular group had made attacks on the web servers of the PlayStation Store, BBVA, Bankia, and the websites of the governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand. The operation revealed that their structure consisted of â€Å"cells† which at any given time could coordinate attacks through the downloading of software; the decision-making process to attack occurred in chat rooms. The Spanish national police stated that this operation corresponds to the fact that the Spanish government and NATO considers this group of hackers a threat to national security.[73] On June 13, 2011, officials in Turkey arrested 32 individuals that were allegedly involved in DDoS attacks on Turkish government websites. These members of Anonymous were captured in different cities of Turkey including Istanbul and Ankara. According to PC Magazine these individuals were arrested after they attacked these websites as a response to the Turkish government demand to ISPs to implement a system of filters that many have perceived as censorship.[74][75] During July 19–20, 2011, as many as 20 or more arrests were made of suspected Anonymous hackers in the US, UK, and Netherlands following the 2010 Operation Avenge Assange in which the group attacked PayPal, as well as attacking MasterCard and Visa after they froze Wikileaks accounts. According to US officials statements suspects’ homes were raided and suspects were arrested in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington DC, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio, as well as a 16 year old boy being held by the police in south London on suspicion of breaching the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and four being held in the Netherlands.[76][77][78][79] On February 28, 2012, Interpol issued warrants for the arrests of 25 people with suspected links to Anonymous, according to a statement from the international police agency. The suspects, between the ages of 17 and 40, were all arrested.[80] On September 12, 2012; Anonymous spokesman Barrett Brown was arrested at his home in Dallas on charges of threatening an FBI agent. Agents arrested Brown while he was in the middle of aTinychat session.[81] Anonymous Research. (2016, Dec 31). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Industrialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Industrialization - Essay Example The foundation of all Marxist leads to the analysis of political parties that formed in the early years in the British history. According to Marxists, the foundation of the Major political parties in Britain was based on the economic status of the society by then. The major aim of the political parties was to address the major issues affecting the life of the common people in the society. Politics of one class of people were being fought by all means and it was all aimed at ensuring equity in the places of work. There came to the formation of the Marxists in the early years. This brought the major political parties we have today in Britain. These are the; Tory Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Party (Daub 2005). The three major parties have not been seen to antagonize with the Marxist thesis rather they conform it. Marx revealed the driving forces of history in order to facilitate the making of history. In the course of the struggle between the classes, some acquire or lose coh esion and confidence. Thus political parties act as a weapon in the struggle between classes. In his argument Marx argued that there was a rising tension and disagreement between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. According to Marx, the proletariats were being exploited by the capitalists who were the bourgeoisie. The exploitation being experienced by the proletariat was based on the wealth that was being created and being enjoyed by the bourgeoisie. This major source of the tension being experienced by the two groups was on the economic exploitation where the working had little share of what they produced. The materials produced in the factories could be sold at a price higher than the workers’ wages. This meant that the workers who were mainly the proletariat could work in the factories but could not afford to build the items they produced due to the low wages (Barry 2005). The antagonism that Marx described was based on the wealth superiority. The oppressors wanted to ac quire all the wealth that was being made by the proletariats. This was the major cause of the tension between the two groups. Riots would arise as the oppressed advocated for the equal treatment of the two groups. There arose a revolution aimed at overthrowing the oppressors together with their supporters (Milkovinch 2010). According to Marx, he believed that capitalism was the destructor of the peace between the two major groups. He went on to describe in depth how the wealth being enjoyed by the bourgeoisies was a result of the hard work of the proletariat who were the main workers in the factories. In his observation, Marx argued that this antagonism would lead to a revolution that could be aimed at the oppressors who were the bourgeoisies. The rising competition among the two groups makes the commercial crisis get to a bad state. The increased rioting has been attributed to the oppression by the bourgeoisie (Daub 2005). Marx states that the exploitation of this group of people w ould lead to intensified resentment causing more hatred. A revolution would arise that would lead to the overthrow of the capitalists and their external supporters. However the situation that Marx described seems to have faded today. This is because there are groups that strongly advocate for the equal treatment of all classes of people in the society. There are some who stage their claims and strongly defend the working class calling for meaningful wages. The issue of one group dominating and

Operations and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operations and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example His model had classified government policies and regulations, corporate policies and firm size as moderating variables. Literature Review: Australian Manufacturing and Service Market Studies carried out to survey the service delivery have shown that the public sector has undergone significant reforms to meet public expectation on its performance. The government had addressed this through microeconomic reforms that were characterized by financial deregulation, improved monetary and fiscal policy, tariff reforms, labor market reform, and trade liberalization amongst others (Shergold, 1996, p. 18 and James, 2003, p. 96). In the later years, however, there was a shift to privatization of service delivery to NGOs and private sector (Tang, 1997, p. 98; Productivity Commission 1999. p. 6; Lyons, 1994, p. 182; James, 2003, p. 105 and Rapper, 2000, p. 23). Surveys carried out in Australia to determine whether government should outsource health services for an improved service delivery found o ut that there is the likelihood of poor performance in terms of quality, cost, and other externalities (Boardman and Hewitt, 2004, p. 921). This had left the house undecided on whether to privatize service delivery in this sector or not. Surprisingly, studies conducted to determine delivery speed and delivery reliability found transportation is very fast and reliable but quite expensive. The study shows that Australian gross value added of the transport and storage sector was $ 34, 496 million in 1999-2000. This was 5.6% of GDP. On comparison to other logistic costs, transportation occupies 29.4% of logistics cost, exceeding even warehousing cost, packing cost, management cost ordering cost and movement cost (Chang, 1998, p. 15 and BTRE, 2001, p. 9). Similarly,... Study has shown that the public sector has undergone significant reforms to meet public expectation on its performance. The government had addressed this through microeconomic reforms that were characterized by financial deregulation, improved monetary and fiscal policy, tariff reforms, labor market reform, and trade liberalization amongst others. In the later years, however, there was a shift to privatization of service delivery to NGOs and private sector. Surveys carried out in Australia to determine whether government should outsource health services for an improved service delivery found out that there is the likelihood of poor performance in terms of quality, cost, and other externalities. This had left the house undecided on whether to privatize service delivery in this sector or not. Surprisingly, studies conducted to determine delivery speed and delivery reliability found transportation is very fast and reliable but quite expensive. The study shows that Australian gross value added of the transport and storage sector was $ 34, 496 million in 1999-2000. This was 5.6% of GDP. On comparison to other logistic costs, transportation occupies 29.4% of logistics cost, exceeding even warehousing cost, packing cost, management cost ordering cost and movement cost. Similarly, studies conducted on new product introduction in the Australian market suggested that the rate of success of new products depends on the following: management style, marketing strategies, staff expertise, senior management support, available resources, organization size and distribution channels.

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Research Paper

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone - Research Paper Example In Africa, countries have experienced recurrent and various forms of armed conflicts and violence due to power struggles and control over natural resources. Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo have bore the brunt of violence and armed conflicts in past decades, a fact that has led to development mishaps and stagnation. This paper examines the role of ritual, culture and religion in the shaping up of the social, economic and political stability of Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo. It further explores the role of violence and conflicts in the development process. Sierra Leone is located on the west Coast of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean and it is bordered to the North with Guinea, Liberia on the Southeast and Atlantic Ocean on the Southwest (Harris, 1992). Different ceremonies were held in Sierra Leone as part of the culture and religion of the people. One of the ceremonies that were more conspicuous was the movement in rings or circles during ceremonies to honor ancestors (Harris, 1992). The movement of people in circles during ceremonies defined the art and religion of most communities in Sierra Leone. It is reported that the culture and tradition was seen as heathen by the missionaries and as such, they searched for strategies of eliminating and eradicating the practice. The missionaries did not succeed in eradicating the practice due to the strong influence that culture had among communities in Sierra Leone. ... e purposes included story telling, singing of songs, drumming and dancing, pouring of libations, cleansing ceremonies, proper burials, respect for the dead and forgiveness (Kaarsholm, 2006). The traditional cultural practices and rituals have played significant roles in the development process of Sierra Leone. Modern development strategies have incorporated traditional cultural practices in various health and human welfare initiatives such as fight against HIV/AIDS, ending of harmful traditional practices such female genital mutilation, understanding of human rights and other initiatives that are associated with human welfare and development in Sierra Leone (Burnell, 2008). The uptake and use of various traditional cultural practices and rituals in modern human development initiatives in Sierra Leone has been premised on the notion that the use of culturally appropriate interventions that are drawn from the experience and knowledge of communities has the potential of increasing the l ong-term self-reliance of communities, families and children (Francis, 2006). In addition, the use of traditional practices and rituals encourages community members to take active roles in identification of development problems that affect them and formulation of strategies and solutions to mitigate such problems. The role of culture and traditions of Sierra Leone communities was relevant and instrumental in the truth and reconciliation process that paved way for political stability and tranquility. Most of the healing activities and initiatives were based on the culture and traditions of the people of Sierra Leone. The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone relied on the assistance and help from traditional and religious leaders in resolving conflicts and promotion of

Lewis and Clarks attitudes toward Native Americans Essay

Lewis and Clarks attitudes toward Native Americans - Essay Example For Jefferson, he required maximizing their time looking for the natural resources and while learning more about the geographic of the American Interiors. Moreover, Jefferson required that they treat the natives America with kindness and establish a good relationship that would culminate to winning over their trust. This was a different tactic from that that the British exploration was using in their quest for American territory. Jefferson, Lewis, and Clark found an established natives in Mandan villages. The native had organized businesses and favorable settlement. For them, they required little effort to create rapport with the population of about 5000 natives. After they have spent the winter in the native’s villages, Clark and Lewis brought a new disease that wiped the entire populations of the natives. They unwittingly wipe away local natives by 1830s. However, except for the interruption of the native by the white disease Lewis and Clark had to achieve most of the things they were required to collect by President Jefferson. They had a wonderful time with a native, and they would feel lonely when they could not find any of Indians to talk to. More than the expectation of Jefferson, Clark, and Lewis were able not only to gather ethnographic data, but they established a relationship that later defined the expansion of Jefferson administration. Jefferson though had instructed Lewis and Clark to relate well with the native had his worst among the natives. He feared that they would end his political careers. His fear is confirmed by his spending on the study of the native to understand them better and offer opinions and recommendation on how to establish a working relationship.5 However, Lewis and Clark had cordial and well intentions to the local natives. For example, Clark argued that the native belonged to the Great Chief of the white people. Jefferson though had instructed Lewis and Clark to relate well with the native had his worst among the natives. He feared that they would end his political careers. His fear is confirmed by his spending on the study of the native to understand them better and offer opinions and recommendation on how to establish a working relationship.However, Lewis and Clark had cordial and well intentions to the local natives. For example, Clark argued that the native belonged to the 'Great chief of the white people.' For them, they did not fear the Native American but saw opportunities in their rich culture and settlements.

Love biblical narratives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Love biblical narratives - Essay Example In some ways, the teachings in Leviticus seem to equate physical imperfection with spiritual imperfection. Other topics in addition to instruction for the Levites concern how to remain pure by avoiding all sorts of activities and items that are considered unclean. The book of Job is one of the books of the Old Testament that is in the wisdom genre. The book begins by establishing Job as a righteous person. He has a large family, is pious and has been blessed with great wealth. Satan asks permission to tempt Job, accusing God of protecting Job too much. God agrees and Job looses his material wealth and family in a series of mishaps. Job is devastated but stays faithful to God. Three of his friends arrive to comfort him. By this time, Job has been afflicted with boils and other physical ailments. All of Job’s friends agree that Job must have sinned to warrant such treatment from God. Job denies this and stays faithful to God. After much debate, God’s voice can be heard congratulating Job for his faithfulness and scolding Job’s friends for their lack of understanding. The lesson to be learned is that God rules over all of his creations and requires faithfulness even during trials. The book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament is a narrative book. Nehemiah begins the story in the court or Artaxerxes, the ruler in Babylon. He convinces him to allow him to return to Jerusalem with a small group of Jews to reestablish the city walls and temple worship. Nehemiah is granted permission but is immediately opposed by Sanballat and other local leaders who are not pleased to see a return of Jews to Jerusalem. Nehemiah arms his laborers and they complete the construction of the wall and repairs to the temple. Sanballat continues to scheme against Nehemiah, but is thwarted by the righteousness of the people. Many Jews return to Jerusalem to worship. Ezra reads from scripture and Nehemiah

Service Learning Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Service Learning Reflection Paper - Essay Example It will also discuss the particular aspects in which I have gained experience from and compare them to how I see myself as someone who is constantly developing as an individual. My state of mind before taking part in this experience was fairly simple and didn't appear too complex at all. I assumed that I would perhaps gain some organizational experience and that was about it. However, I took a lot more away than when I first imagined. Perhaps the most positive aspect that I gained from the experience would be the leadership skills in which I have developed. By assisting in such relatively simple tasks, I was able to use my communication skills with other people, including the children (who most in the entertainment industry will assert are the worst kind of people to work with). However, it all proved to be a fairly enjoyable experience without any problems at all. With the assistance of the school teachers, we were able to work together as a team to selectively organise and seat the children into their respective positions without any aggravation at all. I believe that, during instances such as these, a leader must closely observe the kind of person they are, and only see what they can give to others. In general, that's basically what I consider a leader to be, someone who is assisting someone else in reaching a certain goal whilst undertaking the team work approach at the same time. Most importantly, this is where I was able to determine what kind of character I am, and in the process, strengthening my weaknesses and asserting myself as a leadership tool to others at the same time. Also, the fact that this was un-paid servant work furthermore signifies the most important aspect of learning that I was reaching out to other people by putting them first. Changes Through being a servant leader, I have been able to adapt to new environments a lot quicker and beneficently while at the same time feeling comfortable in what I am doing. As an individual, I see myself as someone who likes to take on new and unknown challenges with a simple goal in mind: to become a better person, a better leader and develop a stronger mind. It was through this term that I was able to gain and develop the necessary tools in which I need to mould myself into this type of person. Although I don't see myself as a perfect individual at all, I do believe that this experience has helped shape and influence the way I think about the world in which I live in. Additionally, with the development of these tools, I am now able to use them in standard situations in my daily life should I ever encounter them. In order to accomplish my future goals, I feel that the servant work I did primarily assisted in my aim to project myself as not only a leader, but as someone who can be looked up to and relied upon in complicated situations. This is particularly where I consider my virtues and apply them to this sort of work. As human beings with our own minds, we constantly change, some people change for the good, and some for the bad. This is where I hope that by excelling in leadership and various

The argument regarding guns Essay Example for Free

The argument regarding guns Essay The argument regarding guns on campus has been a hot topic ever since the widely covered tragedies at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University. Since those and other shootings have taken place, some states have decided to make provisions to gun carrying laws on campuses allowing students and faculty to arm themselves. However, not all states have been able to pass changes on such a polarizing issue, and are met by heavy opposition from anti-gun groups. The debate is one with deeply rooted emotions for some, as family members and friends have been directly affected by campus violence. No matter which side of the debate you stand on, one has to admit it is interesting to look at how past events may have been altered with different gun laws, as well as the possible risks and prevention that provisions could cause in the future. On April 16, 2007, a single gunman killed 32 people and injured 17 others before taking his own life on the campus of Virginia Tech. Armed with a backpack full of ammunition, Seung-Hui Cho went from classroom to classroom murdering students and teachers before the campus police finally broke down the barricade to the building he was in, and he turned the gun on himself. Although there is not a way to be sure of how something so random could have been prevented, there is also no doubt in the minds of some that it could have been stopped sooner and more innocent lives saved had there been permission to carrying handguns into the classroom. The response in regards to gun laws following the events in Virginia included â€Å"politicians in at least 25 states have considered new laws or policies designed to protect college students† (Lewis 1) within three months of the attacks. The Virginia Tech Massacre opened old wounds and created new ones, all while sparking nationwide interest and debate on how campuses deal with gun restrictions. In 2008, Arizona Senator Karen S. Johnson, following a shooting on the campus of Northern Illinois University, said that â€Å"the police, [Johnson] said, respond too slowly to such incidents and, beside, who better than the people staring down the barrel to take action? † (Archibold 1) Had there been a student or professor armed during the VTech massacre, there is a chance that the gunman could have been taken down much sooner, saving maybe even dozens of lives and preventing multiple injuries sustained during the attacks. Further supporting from 2008 were the figures on violent crimes on college campuses for the year. â€Å"There were 3,287 rapes, 60 killings, 5,026 assaults and 4,562 robberies across college campuses just in 2008†¦experts tell us campus crime is underreported. † (Burnett 1) Those numbers support the thinking that many self defense advocates use in believing they are at a higher risk of attack knowing that most likely someone walking around a college campus will not be armed. Also following the shooting at VTech, the â€Å"Students for Concealed Carry† was formed. Within 6 months of forming the group had chapters at 60 colleges across the nation, and today now has over 350 chapters in 46 states. In 2010 a Colorado court ruled in favor of the SCC claiming there were inconsistencies between laws enforced by the state and by campuses regarding the right to self defense. (Colorado Court of Appeals 3) Those opposed to the notion of allowing firearms on campus often hang onto the risks that such enactments could possibly result in. Eliminating gun-free campuses nationwide could, in a sense, create very tense and hostile environments in schools and brings up several questions such as, â€Å"Will students feel safer knowing that the student sitting next to them could be ’packing’? † (Siebel 1) The atmosphere created by the chance that there are people armed with guns sitting in close proximity to one another could spoil the integrity of academic debate (Rogers 1) in some if not most college campus settings, much pride is invested into the ability to share differing and sometimes controversial ideas on what could be an emotion stirring topic. [School] is a place where we depend on being able to speak our minds and offer sometimes controversial opinions in a free and open place, she said. The feeling among a percentage of faculty is that this will create a climate of fear and intimidation. (Frosch) The prospect of having guns in the classroom makes many people nervous or fearful for understandable reasons, and would likely lead to less focus on actual instruction and academic participation. This immediate effect could also hold larger ramifications as time goes on with the possibility of affected grades, graduation rates, and possibly even lower enrollment rate from state to state depending on the campus gun laws. However, contrary to this belief shared by anti-gun groups, there does not seem to be any major spike in crime on those campuses that do allow concealed weapons to be carried, â€Å"71 campuses in three states already allow licensed concealed carry on campus†¦done so for years without a single resulting incident. †(Burnett) This leads some to believe that the idea that allowing guns campus would turn them into potential warzones may be greatly exaggerated. Another major criticism gun carrying provisions say that the amount of issues that could arise from it outweigh the prevention possibilities suggested by supporters and would cause more gun related incidents to occur as a result. â€Å"[Critics] argue that the guns would make it easier for people barely out of adolescence, or perhaps emotionally troubled, to respond lethally to typical campus frustrations like poor grades or failed romances. † (Archibold 2) That mode of thinking was supported in 2002 when University of Arizona student Robert Flores Jr. shot and killed 3 of his professors then himself after reportedly being barred from taking an exam by one of his professors. It was determined to be premeditated and likely emotion driven as â€Å"police said [he] specifically targeted the instructors, killing one in her office on the second floor and shooting the others in a fourth-floor classroom as students dove for cover. † (Holguin) Of course in the same respect one could say that had the professors been armed some, if not all, lives could have been saved. One will almost never be able to definitively determine the emotions and motives behind someone going off on a rampage through a university, however it is not farfetched to predict that someone willing to take innocent lives would not be as likely to follow the laws concerning guns whether it was legal to carry or not. Opposition to the pro-gun stance in this issue claim that the chances of catastrophic events such as the VTech Massacre are â€Å"rare† and usually â€Å"either last long enough for armed campus security to respond, or are over before anyone can react. † (USA Today) While the likelihood of an attack occurring is admittedly not very high, it would be interesting to hear a Senator explain those odds to the family of someone killed in one of the many tragedies taken place across the country. Also needed to take into account is the fact that some reports on violent crime â€Å"excludes incidents in which only one person was killed or injured, as well as incidents in which a student started shooting, but no one died. † (CLAJ 291) Therefore leaving some reports skewed to the notion that an attack is not likely. The amounts of varying factors weighed in the decision whether or not to permit guns on campuses, causes a major divide between stances in the issue. Such a polarizing issue as gun control can never come to complete compromise. Those uneasy about the idea of having live firearms in a classroom are unlikely to ever feel completely comfortable, and those who feel their right to self defense is being violated will continue to do so. Whether or not more states decide to adopt changes to gun laws, there will continue to be close attention paid to the measures campuses and states take to ensure the safety of students and staff. We can always speculate what could have been prevented, however much can be taken from tragedies in the past in an effort to deter any future attacks and prevent any more senseless acts of violence.

Improved Supply Chain Management Benefits

Improved Supply Chain Management Benefits Improved supply chain management has the following benefits: Reduced stock holding. The implementation of effective supply chain a company can reduce the number of stocks it is keeping and at the same time improving the customer service. Reducing stocks on hand will avoid incurring holding costs which is the cost the company pays for storing stocks. It includes warehousing and labour to keep the stocks. Good communication between the company and its suppliers, knowing the minimum stocks needed before reorder, proper estimation of demand, and understanding the mode of transportation will help to determine the correct volume of stocks the company needs in a given period will help it to eliminate excess inventory. Managing the information and communicating and sharing it effectively to suppliers and customers will result to accuracy of the level of stocks needed at a certain period. The inventory level must be enough to meet the demands of the customers and with the minimum costs to be incurred. The supply and the demand for a product must be balanced. Reducing the sto cks avoid tying the company’s capital on unnecessary stocks. Elimination of waste. Waste in form of spoilages, defects, theft and obsolescence can be minimized and possibly eliminated through having the right inventory level to keep on a particular period. Overstocking or overproduction will result to wastes and losses for the company. Customers are only after receiving the right quantity and good quality at the right time. Activities such as unnecessary movement of goods within the warehouse, and warehousing which does not add value to customers should be eliminated. Implementation of an effective supply chain will make this possible. Proper coordination with suppliers and understanding logistics are the keys to deliver customer service and demand at the right place, quantity and time. Improved customer service. Effective supply chain will increase efficiency within a company. Efficient company can deliver best services to customers. It important to recognise what the customers really want and that is what the company will deliver. Only those value adding activities are practices within the company. Value adding activities are those processes within the company that will add satisfaction to customers. Products should be delivered to customers on time and in accordance to their specifications. The customers demand should not just be met but should also be exceeded. Reduced Labour Costs. Effective supply chain will reduce labour costs. Because the processes in the company is well planned and defined, duties and personnel are not redundant. Unnecessary functions are eliminated thus resulting to reduced labour costs. One example is that when a company is maintaining only the right volume of inventory, it will not be needing more people to do the stocking, operating forklift, people who will secure the warehouse and supervisor. Improved Manufacturing Planning. The raw materials required, the timing of deliveries and other activities and resources related to planning a manufacturing of product must all be considered in order to produce a product with the least costs but with good quality that at the end would satisfy customers. In planning the resources, the company should be ready for contingencies and should address the question â€Å"what-if†. Through careful planning, manufacturing a product can be carried on without any reservation because all the possibilities were considered. Just In Time. Just in time is an inventory strategy wherein goods are only received only when needed in production process  [1]. Through this strategy, wastes and carrying costs are minimized because a company is just holding right amount of stocks that will make it able to meet the demands of the customers. This strategy will be effective if the company has strong relationship with suppliers. These suppliers are willing to deliver more frequently and on time to meet customers demand. Methods to overcome barriers in an organisation when implementing a supply chain improvement strategy Inappropriate distribution networks. Distribution network as defined is interrelated arrangement of people, storage facilities and transportation systems that moves goods and services from producers to consumers  [2]. The distribution network should be reliable and fast customers want to get their products when they want it. Inappropriate distribution networks will hinder the proper and fast movement of products from manufacture to customer that is why there should be proper planning on who and what should be included in the distribution network. Ineffective distribution strategies. Distribution strategy is the plan how a manufacturing company will transfer products to intermediaries such as wholesalers to retailers until it reach the end user  [3]. The strategy must we well thought and should use distribution networks that are reliable so that the products will reach customers at the right time. Trade-offs in logistical activity. Trade-offs in logistics may happen for example when deciding to have fewer depots, lowering stocks requirements or using less protective transport packaging in exchange for some advantages such as reducing costs or no need to have large storage facilities. The impact of these trade-off should be considered because this might cause loss in sales due to wrong order picking and other instances related to trade-offs. Reduction of transportation costs. Transportation is one of the costly expenses in supply chain. It is important to have the best quality transport that will bring goods to places at the right time and price. In order to reduce the cost of transportation, a company may reduce the number of carriers, consolidate deliveries and by single sourcing  [4]. In reducing the number of carriers, large volume of works will be given to selected carriers and they will be able to give lower rates. Deliveries may also be consolidated if the trip is based on weight, distance and other variables so that fewer trips will be made. Single sourcing of carrier, the company is getting quotations from several carriers detailing what is required. The company may select the best quotation that can meet the requirements and evaluate if the carrier can perform on the whole duration of the contract. If the carrier has these qualities, the company can get a lot of saving on having single carrier. 5. Increased inventory holding costs Holding costs are cost associated to stocks that are not yet sold  [5]. It includes labour costs, space or rental, costs of damaged goods and other expenses related on keeping the stocks. The company must determine the level of volume of stocks that it needs to keep in order to avoid these costs. Holding cost is also an opportunity cost because having lot of stocks would mean tying the cash on the stocks instead of using the cash on other parts of operation of the company. Inability to integrate processes through the supply chain to share information Supply chain involves information sharing. Supply chain links companies to other companies. If information are shared between companies, it will be available on a real time basis and the companies will be able see the demand and with the ultimate goal of meeting the demands of customers. When companies have reliable and accurate shared information, their processes will be synchronized. All the processes are done to meet what is required. Uncertainties are reduces which results to holding low level stocks that is just right to meet the customer demand. Poor inventory management. Inventory management can be successfully implemented if a company can make a purchasing plan that will ensure that what they hold is just what is needed. It is not too much or too less. Just in time inventory is a good strategy to keep inventory at a certain level wherein the company plans to receive goods only when it is needed thus reducing significantly holding costs. A company can successfully implement through a purchasing plan which schedules delivery of material through the forecasts and projections made on sales. Cash flow problems Reducing costs and avoiding cash flow problems are benefits of effective supply chain. Holding large volume of unnecessary stocks at a given period will cause cash flow problem in a company. Keeping these stocks is equivalent to costs and cash outlays. The company will pay large amount to suppliers but the stocks are not yet sold, tying the cash to the stocks. This will affect the liquidity of the company and can cause problem in a company. References: http://www.shelfplus.com/material-handling-hotline/ten-ways-to-reduce-inventory/ http://viktorwong-logistics.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/characteristics-of-supply-chain.html http://erp.cincom.com/2012/10/the-wicked-wastes-of-warehousing-2/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_resource_planning http://logistics.about.com/od/forsmallbusinesses/a/Reducing-Transportation-Costs.htm http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inventory-management.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/holding-costs.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/distribution-network.asp http://www.adam-europe.eu/prj/7095/prj/CourieL_WP2_Chapter2_final.pdf [1] Investopedia. Just in Time. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jit.asp [2] Investopedia. Distribution Network. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/distribution-network.asp [3] Business Dictionary. Distribution Strategy. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/distribution-strategy.html [4] Murray, M. Reducing Transportation Costs. July 2014. Retrieved from http://logistics.about.com/od/forsmallbusinesses/a/Reducing-Transportation-Costs.htm [5] Investopedia. Holding Costs. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/holding-costs.asp