The Changing Role of National oil companies in the international Dissertation

The Changing Role of National oil companies in the international energy Market - Dissertation Example Oil prices increased in recent years from about $20 to about $100 per barrel, thereby expanding profits for many national and international oil companies. With decreasing supply and increasing demands for oil, oil companies have been competing with each other to seek more substantive oil sources. The fact that majority of oil reserved are under government control is giving a major advantage for national oil companies on access to oil sources. Having control over these oil reserves has also brought about greater pressure for oil companies, mostly pressure in relation to their national roles and responsibilities, especially those which relate to supply and demand, globalization challenges, physical security, and international oil competition. 1.2 Background of the problem National oil companies are oil companies which are partially or wholly owned by national governments. Recent surveys from the United States Energy Information Administration indicate that about 52% of oil companies ar e nationally owned; and about 88% of oil reserved is controlled by national oil companies (Energy Information Administration, 2009). National oil companies (NOCs) have become dominant in recent years and in relation to international oil corporations, including ExxonMobil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell, their dominance has gained much momentum. These NOCs have also increased their investments outside their borders. Some corporations have even abandoned their investments in various countries, as was the case for ExxonMobil abandoning its million dollar investments in the Orinoco basin in Venezuela (Mommer, 2001). This decision was caused by the breakdown of negotiations between the international oil companies on one side and President Hugo Chavez and Petroleos de Venezula (PDV) on the other (Kalicki and Goldwyn, 2005). Other international oil companies, including Total SA of France, Statoil of Norway, BP from Britain, and Chevron from the US agreed to raise the PDV share in the Orinoco pr ojects from 40% to 78% (Oil Daily, 2007). Under these conditions, ConocoPhillips found this decision very much unfavourable to their interests. The company was able to detect about 1.1 billion barrels of reserves from their interests in Venezuela and this represented about 10% of their total reserve holdings, and their Venezuela interests was equivalent to 4% of their total crude oil reserves (Oil Daily, 2007). ConocoPhillips suffered $4.5 billion dollar write-off under these conditions and was unable to meet its targets; as a result, its shares suffered a beating in the stock market (Oil Daily, 2007). On the part of Venezuela, PDV was able to increase its reserves and its production activities; as a result, it gained more power in the international oil market (Pirog, 2007). Venezuela has a major share in the crude oil imports of the US and their oil flow is not directly controlled by their government (Pirog, 2007). These conditions however, may not allow the crude oil market to fol low and be influenced by economic market dictates. The ranking of oil companies can be determined through various considerations. Various standards have to be used in order to evaluate the changing qualities of oil companies. In addition, investments in explorations and development are major considerations linking the present to the future, ensuring significant expansions for the company and preventing the depletion of reserves

Philosophy metaphysics Essay Example for Free

Philosophy metaphysics Essay In order to clearly answer the first question, it is important first to answer the question – â€Å"what is the soul for Aristotle† and as such give an account of how he views substance and separability. Aristotle posits in de Anima that the soul is the substance in the sense which corresponds to the definitive formula of a things essence. That means that it is â€Å"the essential whatness’ of a body of the character just assigned. (Book II, 412b). As such, the soul is the essence of being and the essence of being is its substance. By being, Aristotle refers to the thing itself while by essence he refers to the primary essence of the thing itself wherein one is treated as the subject in its own right i. e. the good itself is treated as the essence of the good. It can be deduced then, using hypothetical syllogism that if soul is the essence of a being and the essence of being is its substance, then the soul is the substance of a being. He argued further that whatever is has a being, whatever has a being has a substance – this as the grounding of his epistemology. Hence, whatever is has a substance. This implies then that being is identical to substance. If such is the case, then using the principle of excluded middle, being is also identical to soul. Now, let us elucidate the concept of separability. Aristotle first distinguished the difference between the body and the soul. The body as he stated corresponds to what exists in potentiality, it being the subject or matter of a possible actuality. Soul, on the other hand, is a substance (actuality) in the sense of the form of a natural body having life potentially within it; it is the actuality of the body. Aristotle, Book II, 421b) As he delineates the dissimilarity between the body and soul, one should not be mislead in regarding the two as separate entities. They are at some point seems to be separate for in the former we are talking about a corporeal body in its spatio-temporal existence while in the latter we are talking of an incorporeal body transcending in the spatio-temporal world. However, their separability in terms of space and time does not mean they are separate as whole – that is an entity having life. As Aristotle argues â€Å"the soul is inseparable from its body, or at any rate that certain parts of it are (if it has parts) for the actuality of some of them is nothing but the actualities of their bodily parts†. (Aristotle, Book II, 413a). He argues further that â€Å"body cannot be the actuality of the soul; it is the soul which is the actuality of a certain kind of body. Hence the soul cannot be without a body, while it cannot be a body; it is not a body but something relative to a body. That is why it is in a body and a body of a definite kind†. (Book I, 421a). It can be deduced then that soul and the body are inseparable with each other. It is because the essence of both their existence lies in the interdependency of their telos – the soul actualizing the potential life in the body while the body providing an entity for the soul to actualize itself in the material world. Since the soul is the actuality of natural body, then naturally it would have certain functions which it can actualize. Aristotle has identified these functions to be the following: (1. ) powers of self-nutrition or the nutritive function; (2. powers of sensation which includes the sensory and appetitive function; (3. ) the power of movement and rest or the locomotive function and (4. ) the power of thinking. With these functions, he posited a psychic power of hierarchy. He claimed that of the psychic powers mentioned above, some kinds of beings posses all of these, some possess less than all while others posses only one. As such, evidently, the plants possess the p ower of self-nutrition wherein they can grow up or down and increase or decrease in all direction as long they can find nutrients in the soil. It is through their own means that they continue tolive. Even though the plants possess only one function of the soul, it is a great wonder how they continuously subsist on their own. Next is the power of sensation, which is possessed by all animals. All animals possessed the power of sensation because they all have the primary form of sense, which is touch. Aristotle defended and further elaborated this notion in de Anima. To wit: if any order of living things has the sensory, it must also have the appetitive; for appetite is the genus of which desire, passion, and wish are the species; now all animals have one sense at least, viz. ouch, and whatever has a sense has the capacity for pleasure and pain and therefore has pleasant and painful objects present to it, and wherever these are present, there is desire, for desire is just appetition of what is pleasant. (BookII, 414b) From the arguments stated above, it can be evidently inferred not just how Aristotle proven that all animals possess at least one sense, the touch, but also how he sci entifically deduced that all animals by virtue of their sensory function, possess appetitive function, too. From all these animals, there are some which possessed the power of locomotion, advancing them to a higher stratum. These are animals which can execute any kind of movements together with the capacity to halt such movement. Lastly, the human beings possessed all of the above-mentioned functions placing them on the top of the hierarchy. They posses the power of thinking, which is the essential feature of the human beings and which separates them apart from all other species. Analyzing the theoretical framework Aristotle succumbed to, it can be construed then that for him every being has a soul. This is evidently manifested in his attempt to prove the groundings of his epistemology extending his claim to the psychic hierarchy wherein he posited that every kind of living thing – any entity for that matter possesses certain function/s of the soul It should be put in mind, however, that even Aristotle posited the different functions of the soul; they are in essence, inseparable. An example of this is the function of nutrition (by eating) which human beings in particular do in order to properly and clearly think. The latter being also a function of the soul. Evidently, every function of the soul is interconnected with each other especially in the case of the Homo sapiens, who possessed all the enumerated functions of the soul. Aristotle notions of intellect can be rooted in his conception of knowledge – in his epistemology. It is from his conception of knowledge arises his other assertions on how he views the world. It is common sensical then to claim that his conception of the mind or any other things transcending from their spatio-temporal existence, his metaphysics, is grounded on his epistemology. As such, it is with utmost importance to first answer how Aristotle regards the nature of knowledge and how does one able to acquire knowledge so as to provide an answer on his notion of intellect. Knowledge for him can only be found within the material world – that is things, which are intelligible by senses. It is then through our experience with this objects in their spatio-temporal existence that we come to know them. He mentioned the processes of how we can arrive to know these objects – by perception, discrimination and thinking. By perception here, I mean the process of how our senses operate to recognize things in the material word. Discrimination then comes simultaneous with perception in order to give a concrete description of the thing being perceived. In example, upon the perception of a certain plant, we can able to distinguish its structure and other ontical features as the mind started to categorized. As a corollary, we arrived at the conclusion that what we perceived is indeed a plant. From there, we judged that what we perceived is indeed a plant and hence, arriving in the state of thinking. It can be deduced then that through thinking, one can able to comprehend the ontical features of an object and by virtue one’s reason, its primary essence. By primary essence, I mean the telos or the end itself of a thing. Since reason for Aristotle is innate in human beings so is intellect. It is because for Aristotle, reason is an essential property of the mind – that is of the intellect. If that is the case, then reason for Aristotle is relatively tantamount to the intellect. Husserl, on the other hand regarded the process of intuition as the first level of cognition wherein the objects are grasp in its original thru experience. This is also the case when one is cognizing objects of mere representations which includes but not limited to pictorial intuitions and any means of symbolic indications. To wit, experiencing is consciousness that intuits something and values it to be actual; experiencing is intrinsically characterized as consciousness of the natural object in question and of it as the original: there is consciousness of the original as being there in person. The same thing can be expressed by saying that objects would be nothing at all for the cognizing subject if they did not appear to him, if he had of them no phenomenon. Here, therefore, phenomenon signifies a certain content that intrinsically inhabits the intuitive consciousness in question and is the substrate for its actuality valuation. (Husserl, p. 3) It is only but logical to infer that experience plays a vital role in the cognition of a certain object. As such, it is only upon experience, can one theorized and moved to a higher level of cognition. A thing must first be intuited before one can theorize about them. And after theorizing, comes the process of reflection. Evidently, both Aristotle and Husserl believed in the value of experience in which the former calls perception and the latter intuition. From these processes arises higher forms of cognition wherein the end result for Aristotle is thinking through the use of reason while for Husserl, it is pure reflection as a result of phenomenology. It is then with utmost importance to first clarify, what does Husserl meant by intellect and Ego. As such, in what process does a person uses his intellect. Furthermore, what is the difference of reflection from pure reflection and of the empirical Ego to the transcendental Ego? Also, one should answer the question â€Å"what is phenomenology? † and â€Å"why it is only through this process one can arrive at pure reflection? † For Husserl, intellect is identical with consciousness as Ego is identical to Self. As such, when one speaks of intellect, one is referring to consciousness and vice-versa. Such is also the case with the Ego and the Self. Reflection is the process wherein one is looking not towards the act of reflection itself but rather in the direction of the objects one is conscious of. As such, one is absorbed in reflecting how these objects exist rather than asking how they come into being or essentially, enquiring on their primordial existence. If the consciousness is moving towards this kind of reflection, then the Ego is only in his/her ontical (empirical) status. Pure reflection, on the other hand, is the process wherein the consciousness is reflecting his consciousness – that is the act of reflection per se. This is the case wherein the Ego transcends from his ontical stage by describing the events i. e. relating, referring, combining, et al in his consciousness. And this can only be done thru the process of phenomenology. What is phenomenology then? Phenomenology is defined as the science of consciousness. (Husserl, p. 5) It is the process of describing the things and events themselves in their primordial sense through the use of phenomenological reduction. Phenomenological reduction then is the process wherein one suspends his/her preconceived notion of things in order to objectively describe the objects and events as what it appears to them. It only thru this process that we can arrive at pure reflection because this is the only method wherein objects and events are describe as themselves without concurring to any established principle or assumption. Evidently, Aristotle’s notion of intellect and Husserl’s notion of Ego posited the strength of mind in general – transcending from space and time. If that is the case, then the conception of a person is not only confined within the physical realm – that is he can do things beyond the limit of his physical existence in his journey to unravel the primordial existence of objects and any discipline for that matter. However, what sets them apart from each other is their notion on how one can really grasp the ontological state of an object or in the words of Kant –their intentionality. Aristotle believed that one can only know the ontological state of a thing by referring to its primary essence, its telos as the context clue in able to grasp the object’s primary essence. For Husserl, on the other hand, it is only through the use of phenomenological method can one comprehend the ontological state of objects. In Being and Time, Heidegger attempted to know the meaning of a Being – that is the Dasein, by starting to ask and redefine the fundamental question of â€Å"What is a Being? † He further continued this method by asking the ontological question of Being – that only a being can know his Being because he is consciousness to his Being by his being. His starting point is the fact that a being is a Being-in-the-World. He is a being situated in this world. As such, it is only him who can know his being by virtue of his ontic-ontological character. If that is the case, then it is only him who can determine his possibilities by virtue of being a spatio-temporal entity. Since no other entities can determine his possibilities as a being conscious of his existence, then the Dasein solely can ascertain his existentiall. It can be deduced then that the task of Dasein is to transcend to his existentiell in order to arrive at his ontological status. He can only do this by maximizing his possibilities to know himself thru the things which are ready-at-hand – things which can help him to reveal his being to him. It should be kept in mind that this process of knowing the Dasein does not go in hermeneutic circles rather on a back and forth condition Dasein as a spatio-temporal entity is facing a hard time to know his being because there is a tendency that he might be too absorb in his world or fall. Yet what Heidegger wants to emphasize is that he as a Dasein should not conceive his being as a spatio-temporal entity an encumbrance to his Being. It is because it is only through this world he can have his possibilities. This separates him from other entities and makes him a Dasein. Evidently, Heidegger’s notion of Dasein greatly gives importance to the relationship of the Being and the world which is also apparent in Aristotle notion of intellect and Husserl’s notion of Ego. However, what separates the former from the latter is that it focused on providing an answer on how one can transcend to his facticity in order to ontologically know his Being. The latter, on the other hand, focuses in discovering the essence and the ontological existence of the objects in the material world. Transcendental phenomenology is defined in general as the study of essence. It designates two things: a new kind of descriptive method which made a breakthrough in philosophy at the turn of the century, and an a priori science derived from it; a science which is intended to supply the basic instrument for a rigorously scientific philosophy and, in its consequent application, to make possible a methodical reform of all the sciences. (Husserl, p. 15) Essentially, transcendental phenomenology then is a description of phenomena. Husserl, then, laid down the method to achieve the objective of reforming all the sciences. The first step is the use of phenomenological epoche or reduction or bracketing wherein one suspends or take away all his/her biases and prejudices in order to â€Å"objectively describe† a phenomena. By doing this, we can arrive at a universal description of a phenomena. This will be followed by the compare and contrast method which one will have to undertake in order to arrive at the pure data of things. It appears then that by suspending one’s judgment and undergoing the intersubjectivity test, we can arrive at the â€Å"pure data of things†. In relation to this, Husserl claims that this method should be followed by all sciences in order to answer their primordial condition. It is held that sciences cannot escape their dogmas because it fails to question how they come to be. What they are just doing is a mere adaptation of established principles proven in the past to be true. Since these established principles were proven in the past to be true, scientists or people who work in the sciences do not make any attempt to further verify the truthfulness of their established principles – that is how and why is it the case that such principles were held to be true. For indisputably, things cannot just come into being without any rationalization, scientific explanation for that matter. Sciences have constructed ready-made answers to all things – their nature, existence, feature, et al; grounded on the preconceived notion that sciences have already provided sufficient answers to the primitiveness of these objects. While sciences are busy in explaining these things [the ready-made answers], they failed to realized that they were not able to arrived at the Isness of these objects, on how they come into being. However, since the sciences had already deceived the people, that in the past, it already provided sufficient answers to the primordial existence of things, it appears then they are seemingly contented and satisfied by what the sciences have achieved. This is what phenomenology wants to deconstruct – it wanted to create a paradigm shift by destroying the â€Å"tradition† institutionalized by science and overcoming relativism and subjectivism by the use of phenomenological reduction. From these, one can arrive at the pure data of consciousness. It is in this sense, that phenomenology becomes transcendental. Phenomenology is different from descriptive psychology because it draws upon pure reflection exclusively, and pure reflection excludes, as such, every type of external experience and therefore precludes any co positing of objects alien to consciousness. (Husserl, p. 7) Descriptive psychology then does not depend upon pure reflection exclusively; it needs psychological experiencing which would result to the reflection of the external experience. As such, consciousness itself becomes something transcendent, becomes an event in that spatial world which appears, by virtue of consciousness, to be transcendent. (Husserl, p. 7) It can be inferred then that phenomenology focuses solely on the consciousness per se of a being making it the science of consciousness while descriptive psychology focuses on the consciousness of a being in his psychic experiences. Transcendental idealism states that everything intuited in space and time, and therefore all objects of any experience possible to us, are nothing but appearances, that is, mere representations which, in the manner in which they are represented, as extended beings or as series of alterations, have no independent existence outside our thoughts. (Kant, p. 1) As such, it posits that one cannot have the knowledge of the realm beyond the empirical – that is one cannot experience objects outside space and time. It is because the mind as Kant argues having certain constraints [in reference to space and time] – can only grasp the noesis of the object but not its noumena – the object’s intentionality. It can be inferred then that transcendental idealism’s fundamental assertions lies on two grounds: first, objects by themselves exudes intentionality; and secondly, we can never know their intentionality [or noumena] because our mind can only grasp the noesis or what is appearing to us. Phenomenology believes on Kant’s first claim that indeed objects have their own intentionality but vies the second assertion. As such, its emergence as a domain of study in philosophy is grounded on its thrust to prove that indeed the mind can know the noumena of objects. Phenomenology believes that this can be done using eidetic reductionism proving to all that the mind can transcend beyond the physical realm – beyond space and time. Essentially, all the philosophies which were tackled in this paper seek to explain and interpret the world – including the objects within it and the beings living in it; from the primordial existence of things up to the authentication of one’s Being.

Dsdm and information security management standards iso 27001

Dsdm and information security management standards iso 27001 Abstract This report presented two different topics related to information technology, specifically Dynamic Systems Dynamic Modelling and the ISO 27001. The first part of this paper discussed advantages and disadvantages, relevant case histories and potential issues of the two topics. This section included reflection on issues of social responsible computing. The second part reflected the relevance of the content of the assignment and unit while the last part will conclude the topics presented. Both of these systems have their own purposes and implementation of these standards and methods often provides benefits to the organizations involved. DSDM focuses on how software is developed while the ISO27001 ensures that protection against security is ensured within the organization. On the other hand, computer professionals as well as organizations that focus on information technology must also consider the disadvantages presented by these methods and standards before incorporating it within the o rganizational processes. 1. Introduction This report will present two different topics related to information technology, specifically Dynamic Systems Dynamic Modelling and the ISO 27001. The first part of this paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages, relevant case histories and potential issues of the two topics. This section will also include reflection on issues of social responsible computing. The second part reflects the relevance of the content of the assignment and unit while the last part will conclude the topics presented. 2. DSDM 2.1 Advantages and disadvantages The DSDM or the Dynamic System Dynamic Modelling method serves as an effort to define an industrial standard for IT systems development. This approach provides an iterative product-centred procedure model that is employed to establish incrementally the target. This method is also a user-centred technique which is mainly based on the combination of the user input on its entire software development process (Lind 2001). However, DSDM is not created as a general purpose technique; but rather as a specialized process for specific business applications in which most of the functionality of the system can be accessed through its user interface. In addition, the functions of the target system must be decomposable into several sub-functions and the technique can only be applied when the groups of designated users are already identified and when these users are available to the development team (Lind 2001). The advantages of DSDM are that it is more formal than usual prototyping techniques and it is also independent of specific tools and techniques. This method provides a technique-independent process and adaptable in terms of changing requirements. It also implements strict time and budget adherence and often considers stakeholders during the development process (University of Ottawa 2008). In addition, the DSDM supports institutional learning, an aspect often disregarded by other approaches (Lind 2001). One of the disadvantages of DSDM is that it is only appropriate to particular classification of applications and because of its heavy reliance on its user interactions; it needs a specific institutional framework for the software development process (Lind 2001). DSDM also involves progressive development of requirements and its emphasis of RAD may result to decline in code robustness. This method also needs full commitment to the process and considerable user involvement. DSDM also needs skilled development group in both technical and business areas (University of Ottawa 2008). 2.2 Relevant case histories During the early 1990s, a new phrase ‘Rapid Application Development was introduced within the IT industry. RAD is designed differently from the Waterfall techniques for development of application. Clearly, RAD emerged because of the users frustrations and people involved in the IT alike with approaches that were considered unsuitable for a rapid moving business environment. On the other hand, RAD developed as a movement in an unstructured manner since people involved did not created a generally accepted definition of a RAD process and various vendors and consultants created their own interpretation and approach (The History of DSDM Consortium). In 1993, a momentum in the market place has been increasing with expanding number of instruments for RAD and vendors repositioning their products to satisfy a growing demand for customers of RAD. However, each customer has their own specific needs in terms of development process. These forecasted requirements gave rise to the development of DSDM Version 1. The group improves DSDM through releasing different versions (The History of DSDM Consortium). DSDM has been providing solutions for those companies who have been experiencing problems with software delivery. One good example is an Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC). When they employed the DSDM, the operation of OCLC has improved. Their teams have tailored to work better for the organizations needs and implemented additional tools and techniques (DSDM Case Study nd.). 2.3 Reflection on issues of social responsible computing. Even though IT developers are aware with the issues regarding the disabilities, only few of them have made a step in supporting disadvantaged people. If an organization is supporting employees and customers who are disadvantaged, being service providers, the software developers should create programs that cater to their respective needs (Shneiderman 1992). They could also develop software intended for community communications and improve softwares intended to support entrepreneurs. Software development, whether for personal computers, mobile phones or for any relevant electronic devices, should also focus in satisfying the needs of the minorities, the elderly and other disadvantaged communities (Shneiderman 1992). 2.4 Potential issues in the future (five years ahead) Given the constant emergence of new IT programs and changing needs of customers and organizations, five years ahead, DSDM might either become an obsolete system or it may decrease its value for the organizations that use the system. Other systems might emerged which is more effective than DSDM (Guidelines for Introducing DSDM to the Organization 1998). However, assuming that the DSDM will not become obsolete since it will adopt to the changing trends of its industry, the potential issues that the company will face is the training and education of their existing development team. Since DSDM should undergo necessary changes, it would be necessary for the organization to give training and education to their development team (Guidelines for Introducing DSDM to the Organization 1998). 3. Information Security Management standards ISO 27001 3.1 Advantages and disadvantages ISO/IEC 27001 oversees all forms of organizations including government agencies, not for profit organizations and commercial firms. It presents requirements for implementing, developing, operating, monitoring, assessing, sustaining and enhancing a documented Information Security Management System considering the organizations business risks. It presents standards for the establishing security controls tailored to the needs of individual firms or its divisions. Certifying ISMS can bring various benefits for the firms (ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security 2010). The ISO 27001 provides an independent assurance of the organizations internal controls and satisfies business community and corporate governance standards. This is also effective for firms that handle information in behalf of other parties such as IT outsourcing firms. It assures customers that their information is fully secured. ISO 27001 illustrates that applicable policies and relevant rules are adhered and give competitive edge through satisfying the requirements contractual requirements and proving to the organizations customers that their security of their information is of the highest priority (ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security 2010). These standards independently assure organizations risks are appropriate identified, evaluated, and supervised while formalizing information security procedures and documentations. Following to these standards signifies that the organization has full commitment to assure security of information. Regular assessment encourages the organization to monitor their performance and improve further (ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security 2010). One of the few disadvantages however of ISO certifications is that the organization focuses too much on the certification and giving less attention to other necessary aspects of the business; for example, creating a good working environment that intrinsically motivates people involved within the organization. Although improving systems leads to better services, organizations tend to focus on the following audits and assessments but may ignore ‘human aspect of the business such as not giving incentives for the people who did the job well done since the budget concentrated on improving the systems to acquire the certification (Advantages and Disadvantages of ISO Certification 2010). 3.2 Relevant case histories ISO 27001 served as the replacement for BS7799-2, which is withdrawn. This standard for the ISMS matches with ISO 17799 and is compatible with ISO 4000 and ISO 9001 (PC History n.d.). Different organizations have implemented the ISO27001 and reaped significant number of benefits. One good example is the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. After the implementation of guidelines and processes towards acquiring ISO 27001, the agencys security environment has improved and they have now greater transparency. The ISO 27001 also provided the agency stronger rules and operational processes. The agency also serve as a role for model for other organizations, whether for profits or not for profit. It also ensures good corporate governance within the organization (ISO 27001 Case Study n.d.). 3.3 Reflection on issues of social responsible computing. Some public agencies and non-governmental organizations as well as investment analyst function as critics and evaluators of organizations to ensure that minimum standards are implemented within the workplace and ensure that workers are equally treated. While ISO 27001 ensures transparency within the organization, public agencies, NGO and employees are increasingly assessing organizations dedication to ensure fair and equitable working environment and this trend signifies that every organization must not only adhere to ISO certification but also they should demonstrate social responsibility (SA 8000 Social Accountability 2010). An organization that implements social responsible computing enhances its brand image and reputation and becomes more effective in enticing new customers. Social accountability also attracts ethical investment, demonstrate transparency to its stakeholders and it also improves employees morale and effectiveness (SA 8000 Social Accountability 2010). Therefore, social accountability reinforces the benefits provided by the IS0 27001. 3.4 Potential issues in the future (five years ahead) Potential issues that the ISMS will clearly face are the never ending evolutions of worms, viruses, Trojan horses, spywares and malwares. No one knows how these problems may evolve and become more serious that security programs implemented might find it hard to prevent them from entering and damaging the computer systems. Even though antivirus programs are performing great jobs in protecting the computers, new viruses that have not been recognized by antivirus programs can enter and damage computer programs, similar to Melissa worms and Love Bugs (Love Bug Virus 2007). 5. Refection on the relevance of the content of the assignment and unit The content provided as well as the unit itself can serve as guidance for researchers and students if they are planning to develop potential security standards and software development methods or even software. As part of curriculum in information technology, professors require students to create thesis or projects related to software or security standards. IT professionals also engage in similar endeavours. Developing software clearly requires systematic structure while establishing security standards must rely on the existing standards and make some modifications to satisfy the needs of the clients and to adopt with the changing trends of security threats. 6. Conclusion The DSDM or the Dynamic System Dynamic Modelling method serves as an effort to define an industrial standard for IT systems development. This approach provides an iterative product-centred procedure model that is employed to establish incrementally the target. ISO/IEC 27001 oversees all forms of organizations including government agencies, not for profit organizations and commercial firms. It presents requirements for implementing, developing, operating, monitoring, assessing, sustaining and enhancing a documented Information Security Management System considering the organizations business risks. Both of these systems have their own purposes and implementation of these standards and methods often provides benefits to the organizations involved. While DSDM serves as a technique-independent process and adaptable in terms of changing requirements, the ISO 27001 independently assures organizations risks are appropriate identified, evaluated, and supervised while formalizing information security procedures and documentations. DSDM focuses on how software is developed while the ISO27001 ensures that protection against security is ensured within the organization. On the other hand, computer professional as well as organizations that focus on information technology must also consider the disadvantages presented by these methods and standards before incorporating it within the organizational processes. DSDM also involves progressive development of requirements and its emphasis of RAD may result to decline in code robustness. This method also needs full commitment to the process and considerable user involvement. DSDM also needs skilled development group in both technical and business areas; otherwise they might need to hire additional staff to fill insufficient areas. Organizations that often aim for acquiring certification sometimes ignore other important aspects of the business such as social responsibility and ‘human aspects of the business.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee :: essays research papers

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the great novelists of nineteenth century Bengal. He was a literary pioneer and nationalist who had an exceptional ability to communicate with and arouse the masses. Bankim Chandra was born on 26th June 1838 in the village of Kathalpara, near Naihati, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He belonged to a distinguished family. Bankim was the yongest of three sons of Jadabchandra Chatterjee and Durgadebi. His father was a Deputy Collector. Even as a child Bankim showed great courage and virtuosity and never had any fear of the 'gora sahebs'- (the British). He was always brilliant in his studies and started writing poetry at a young age. Bankim studied law from the Presidency College in Calcutta and was one of the first two graduates of the Calcutta University in 1858. He was immediately appointed- Deputy Magistrate by the British colonial government - a job he grudgingly held for three decades. However, Bankim continued his literary pursuits. He chose fiction as his theme and the first novel by him to appear in print was Rajmohan's Wife. It was written in English. His first Bengali novel was Durgeshnandini, and was published in 1865. The next novel Kapalkundala(1866) is one of the best romances written by Chatterjee. However Bankim Chandra wanted to stimulate the intellect of the Bengali speaking people through his works and bringing about a cultural revival. With this end in view he brought out and edited the monthly Bangadarshan in 1872. Bamkim was also a nationalist to the core. His goal was the revival of national pride in protest against British rule. In 1882, Anandamath was published. Anandamath became his most famous as well as his most political novel and a source of inspiration for the patriots fighting for the freedom of our country from the British rule. The chant of "Vande Mataram", was coined in this novel and it soon became a patriotic hymn that arou sed the entire nation to fight for their freedom.

Change Management :: essays research papers

Change Management Abstract How do people survive in the changing business world today? Some people even excel with the dynamics of change. In today’s business would one must change or be left behind hold the proverbial empty bag. Wonderful leaders create there own opportunities and fight for what they believe in. During a transition teambuilding within a company is one of the most important things that will lead a team to success. A successful leader is one that strives to motivate and empower their team to get through the change. A company with leader that can lead their team through change will survive. There are five basic prerequisites for leading a team through transition. The first is knowledge. Knowledge worker are the cornerstone of successful business today. Knowledge workers are creative and treat there co-workers as there customers. The second is Vision. A successful team must have a mission developed and agreed upon by the entire team. They must believe in the mission. The third is Faith. The team must believe in what they stand for. Before a team can build faith they must first have a strong mission and be knowledge workers. Vision is only an illusion without knowledge and a clear vision. The fourth is Initiative. Peter Druker says that â€Å"sooner or later all plans degenerate into work.† In order for a team to be successful they must have initiative. One must make sure that the team fells like they are part of the mission. Thomas W. McKee states that â€Å"initiative without knowledge, vision and faith is misguided energy. Without initiative, knowledge, vision and faith are just a dream.† The final prerequisite is training and development. A company must continually train and develop their employees in order to survive today’s changes. Closing I thought that this was a very well written article and the author makes some very good points. Business today is ever changing and a company must always be ready to change.

Ocean Carriers Case Study Solution Essay

Executive Summary Given the current and expected market conditions, the financial department of the Ocean Carriers Group is to evaluate the potential revenues and expenses of commissioning a new capsize ship for cargo transportation in order to meet a received demand for lease. A recommended approach would consist in analyzing the expectations for the world economy, trends in world trade and potential contracts; however, an estimated time of service should be assigned in order to predict future cash flows. Summary of facts In January 2001, Mary Linn, vice president of Finance for Ocean Carriers, had to decide whether to accept an offered leasing contract for the duration of three years. In the event of acceptance of the above-mentioned contract, the profits of the company would depend on the agreed hire rates, operating costs, ship depreciation and inflation. After the closure of the contract, further income would be evaluated based on expected market daily hire rates. The conditions for the proposed lease are shown in exhibit 1. Statement of problem The duration of the leasing contract is quite short so the company has to analyze whether the investment as a whole will prove to be profitable even after the closure of the contract. In order to do so, they will have to take into account the fluctuations of the daily spot rates in the short and long terms, as well as existing differences in taxation policies within its offices in Hong Kong and in the United States. Last but not least, the company has to question the tenability of its 15-year policy. Analysis Spot hire rates Daily spot hire rates are predicted to fall in 2001 and 2002 due to an  increase in the fleet size (63 new vessels are scheduled for delivery) and expected stagnation in iron ore and coal shipments. Iron ore and coal imports are very important for the company because they are about 85% of the cargo it carries every year. Therefore, due to this future stagnation the company will face a weak market position, resulting in lower daily spot hire rates. Overall investment Despite negative market conditions in the upcoming 2 years, long-term prospects look much more promising. Iron ore vessel shipments are going to increase due to new players joining the iron ore industry: India and Australia. As a consequence, in this new global market, daily charter rates and spot daily charter rates will probably rise producing additional demand for shipments. Company’s 15-year policy The company used to scrap or sell ships just before their 15th year of navigation to avoid paying for maintenance expenses related to the 3rd special survey. According to our calculations presented in the Exhibit 2, scrapping the vessel before the 15th year is not recommended. Results show that the NPV of a ship after 15 years is higher than the scrap value of 5 million dollars. Thus, we advise the company to keep the ship longer than 15-year period, since operating the vessel over a longer period will earn additional profit and the ship can be scrapped some time later, granting the same million dollars. However, there are few factors that signal why company might be willing to get rid of the vessel. Firstly, if the company’s priority is to keep a young fleet of cargo ships, operating ships older than 15 years may not be the optimal choice. In fact, older ships are riskier and are less efficient. Secondly, due to low demand for older ships, leasing the same vessel in future might be an ineffective venture. Investment decision We computed two separate calculations for given two assumptions in Exhibit 2.  According to assumption A the company operates in United States, thus has to pay 35% of taxes, whilst according to assumption B, company operates in Hong Kong, and it’s exempt of taxes. Our calculations show that NPV in the first scenario is negative in both 2017 (-6,350,239) and 2027 (- 4,285,462) due to very high taxes, while in the second scenario the NPV is positive in both 2017 (1,719,018) and 2027 (4,025,600). It’s important to understand why we presented two columns for 2017. First column shows the numbers in the case of operating a vessel for 15 years, whilst second column shows the values in case ship was to be operated for a longer period. Another important fact to consider is that in the first scenario, when the company operates ship only for 15 years, we excluded the capital expenditure for 2017 related to the survey, Whilst, in the second scenario, while operating the ship for more than 15 years, we added the yearly capital expenditure back. We made an important assumption; we did not include capital expenditures linked to the last special survey, because we assumed that the company is scrapping the ship just before the special survey is conducted. Recommendations In conclusion, keeping in mind what we demonstrated before, the company should invest in the production of the new vessel only in Hong Kong and should not scrap it after 15 years, because its NPV will still be positive.

Analysis of a Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes Essay

This poem by Langston Hughes is a very complicated. In it the speaker paints a picture of what might happen to someone’s dream if it is postponed too long. This idea is the overall theme of the poem and it is what unifies and connects each line to the poem as a whole. There are also indirect references that this is not only the dream of an individual, but an entire race’s struggle to achieve peace and liberation. This poem consists of a series of answers to the question, â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† All of the lines following this first question are presented as different similes. The first line of this poem is the most crucial because it develops and sets the direction for the poem itself. It makes the reader think about what happens to a dream when you put it aside for an uncertain amount of time. It is not referring to the dreams someone might have when they are asleep, but rather the goals they have set out for themselves and wish to accomplish. The poem does not choose or assign a dream to the individual or group, but leaves it up to the reader to decide what they feel is important to them. There are two levels of interpretation that can be seen at this point in time. There is the dream of the individual person and what they wish to achieve themselves. There is also the dream of an entire race and what they hope to achieve as a group. The word â€Å"deferred† was a wonderful way to articulate the idea of a postponed and possibly overdue dream. This line is followed by a series of rhetorical questions that indirectly answer themselves. The speaker firmly states the idea that delaying any dream could lead to damaging effects. Each line describes what these destructive effects and to what end it could lead. The second line asks if the dream dries up â€Å"Like a raisin in the sun.† This metaphor of a dream as a raisin forces the reader to think about the changes that might occur to a dream if it is left alone too long. Does it dry up and wither away? Even though a raisin is already dried, if it is left out in the sun for an extended period of time it would become hard and tough which would make it much harder to enjoy. Thus, if a  dream is left to wither or is unused it could shrivel away to something that is no longer useful or capable of being enjoyed. Someone’s aptitude would surely grow stiff and dry up if it was not allowed to be used. This line creates the allusion that if you don’t achieve your dreams they could dry out and leave you feeling unnourished. As the poem progresses the images and comparisons made evoke more emotion from the reader. The poem suggests that if the dream does not dry up it could â€Å"fester like a sore- / And then run.† This creates an image and reminds the reader about the pain that is felt when you are injured. This line means that the dream could become irritating like a fresh sore that you wish would dry up so it can heal, but instead lingers and runs. The uncompleted dreams effects could become frustrating and the external wound would be a constant reminder of the things you have not yet attained. The line â€Å"fester like a sore-† creates a tender image and illustrates the exasperating and slow healing process the body must undergo in order to recover properly. This question alludes that when you don’t accomplish your dreams it can be like a sore that never completely heals and always appears fresh. The damaging effects of not completing your dreams becomes more explicit as the poem progresses. The speaker asks if the dream deferred stinks â€Å"like rotten meat.† It reinforces the previous grotesque question and the idea that if you leave a dream out too long it will eventually begin to fester and rot like meat. The idea that a dream has the potential to become rotten is an interesting concept. The dream could begin to rot in the person’s mind or heart, which would cause them to become sick. This line could also be an indirect reference to the lynching that occurred during the speaker’s era. It could be referring to the rancid smell of the dangling lifeless bodies. This reinforces the idea that the speaker is talking about the struggle of an entire race and how important it is to rise up as a group to accomplish your dreams because if anything is left alone too long it will eventually begin to decay. At this point the poem begins to talk about the lighter, but still negative effects of not completing a dream. The speaker implies that if the dream does not begin to rot it could â€Å"crust and sugar over- / Like a syrupy sweet.† This line compares not accomplishing a dream or goal to a sugary substance. If either  of these is exposed for too long it would begin to form a rigid and stale crust along the surface. This hard crust would make the substance more difficult to use and could make the dream more difficult to achieve. A dream that is hard and separated is much harder to achieve, and this could lead to feelings of depression. These feelings would make the dream appear more complex and create a bigger struggle for the person to obtain their goals. The other image this line depicts is a scab crusting over. Everyone has or will have some sort of injury that will result in a scab sometime in their life. This is a powerful image that connects the reader to the image the speaker is trying to portray. Although a scab is not typically thought of as something sweet it eventually crusts over â€Å"like a syrupy sweet† and becomes solid. Even though these two images are not typically compared, it reinforces the crusty and hard image this line is trying to convey. This question insinuates that you should savor and protect your dreams so they do not become old, sour, and stiff. They should be preserved properly so that they remain obtainable. In the second stanza the speaker proposes the idea that if the dream does not crust over â€Å"Maybe it just sags- / Like a heavy load.† This suggests that not following through with your dreams could weigh you down, which would be another damaging effect. It implies that maybe your dream sags, like when a person is carrying something heavy, causing them to move at a sluggish pace. This unhurried pace could lead to clumsiness, which could cause the load to appear heavier than it really is. The word â€Å"Maybe† reinforces that this line is not a question, but rather a suggestion. This suggestion implies that the dream could become hard to bear due to the mental uncertainty that could lead people to ask â€Å"what if† questions. Asking these questions is often a form of self-sabotage because they can never be answered. The development from line to line becomes more intense and graphic as the poem progresses. The last line asks the reader if none of these previous affects have happened, would the dream just â€Å"explode.† This word creates an image of a bomb that could cause a great deal of destruction. This idea is the most devastating effect of not accomplishing your dream because not many things are salvageable after an explosion and it is usually used as a last resort. This suggests the idea that if a dream is postponed too long it would eventually turn into a bomb. This explosion could potentially cause more damage to the person than if  they had attempted to accomplish the dream and failed, due to the fact that it could never be pieced back together. After a dream has been shattered it is no longer achievable. This line is more powerful than the others because it has a deeper message behind it. I think it is a threat on the level of the whole race. If a dream is deferred too long, then it could explode into violence. If this occurred, it would do an unspeakable amount of damage to the righteous cause and make the whole race appear barbaric. It could also cause an individual or an entire race to lose hope and â€Å"explode† with grief causing them to fall apart and feel helpless. These feelings could make someone feel that suicide is the only escape or might lead them to become more aggressive towards others. These two ideas are by far the most damaging affects that could happen if you don’t strive to accomplish your goals and dreams. This poem is very intricately woven and pieced together. The speaker uses comparisons in every line to reinforce and emphasize the main theme of the poem. The indirect references added to the overall complexity of the poem. Each line highlights and unifies the poem because every line relates back to the detrimental effects of what could happen if a dream is deferred. What happens to a dream deferred?