Becoming A Master Student Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Becoming A Master Student - Term Paper Example The book contains both study and life skills for the students to learn. The students can use these skills to invent their own ways of being successful in the Master studies. One of the most useful lessons in the book is the learning styles inventory. The author has explained a whole range of learning styles and has left upon the students to choose their styles from among them as they match their individualistic needs. The author has explained it with the example of a cell phone. A user can learn how to operate a new cell phone in numerous ways. He/she can either just start playing with the keys to know their respective functions, he/she can use the knowledge of the past cell phone and try that on the new one to see how the new set compares with the old one, he/she can use the user’s manual as a guide to learn the use of phone or else, he/she may consult someone who already posses the very phone. Likewise, students can discover their own learning preferences and check out vario us styles to see what best works for them. After the learning styles inventory, the reader is supposed to complete an exercise so that the concepts thus gained become ingrained in mind. Then, the author discusses the multiple intelligences and the VAK system.

Employee Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee Motivation - Essay Example However, in the event of a major organisational or operational change in an organisation, the administration or management should inform the staffs in advance which gives makes the employees feel more indulged and appreciated part of the organisation. Different organisations have different ways of motivating their labour force. Most frequently, rewards are given depending on the factors of operation and results. Many employees think of motivation as monetary reward. According to Jan-christoph & Koen (2005), monetary motivation does not provide the required concentration among the human resources. Taking all matters into consideration, employee motivation should be a strategy used by companies to increase the levels of production and operations. Any form of a major change in an organisation should be a cause to worry. This is because the reaction of the employees is unpredictable (Schermerhorn, James & Richard, 2004). A good number of employees do not feel comfortable when embracing change especially when it is an operational change. They perceive it to be a new internship procedure in a familiar environment. However, change in an organisation is an important factor to consider. The change is not the crucial factor of concern, but how employee will embrace the change in the organisation. In modern day business environment change is important as much as human resource is. As much implementing change is vital in an organisation the tools of operation in these case employees need to be considered (Bruno & Margit, 2002). With a proper approach it is easy to effect change in organisations. Effective discussions with the head of HR can lead to the best solution when employees are concerned. Additionally, training should be provide d to familiarise the staffs on the new operation methods. If the employees will be required to do more complicate duties and their operation level increase, the organisation must consider a proper and efficient reward system. In words of Sharlyn (2005) with an efficient training and reward system implementing change in companies should not be a difficult step as far as human resource is concerned. It is an obvious assumption that productivity levels go hand in hand with employee motivation levels. The organisation’s productivity level can be maximised if motivation levels among employees are also maximised (Aidan, 2008). Future operations structure should consider employees need. These needs include social needs, financial needs, psychological needs, safety needs, esteem needs and self actualisation. The satisfaction of these needs will lead to definite employee motivation. If the organisation is dedicated to fulfil these needs the employees will feel obligated to dedicate to flourish the productivity of the organisation. Self actualisation means the ability of an employee to reach his full potential by working and increase his abilities (Cable & Parsons, 2001). The operation structure should be in way it puts the employee full potential in activities. Additionally, the operations should not undermine the capabilities of the employee. An employee working in full potential is likely to be dedicated to his work more than employee who does not exploit his full potential. Safety need require assurance of good health and treatment in case of accident during operations (Geoff & Jan, 2000). Fulfilment

Analysis of Open Source Content Management Systems

Analysis of Open Source Content Management Systems Chapter 1 Introduction Background Although most of us take information for granted, good information is easy to come by. Lets investigate the difference between data and information, the characteristics of good information and the process of transforming data into useful information. To make sound decisions managers need reliable, accurate data that can be transformed into information. Organisations use many methods to collect data , including survey ,interviews, documents reading and even brain-wave monitoring. Sophisticated voice activated technology is available that allows people to store data merely by speaking into a computer. Today it is widely recognized that information systems knowledge is essential for managers because most organisations need information systems to survive and prosper. Information systems can help companies to extend reach to faraway location, offer new product and services, reshape jobs and work flows, and perhaps profoundly change the way they conduct business. The past decade has seen a rigorous change in the way we understand and use Information Technology within a business context. Advancements in the field of research and development has led to technologies such as; distributed computing, content management, data mining and processing, all of which fulfil a range of business needs. The move from localised computing platforms to distributed web technologies has been caused by, among other factors, the take-up of commodity computer and network components based on faster hardware and sophisticated software. About The Project The objective of this report is to analyse and compare a specific category of open source content management systems, within the context of small to medium businesses; this specific category is about web portals. The project aims to create a comprehensive comparison which deals with the specific requirements of small to medium businesses only. Thus, providing a clear understanding of the current trends within the commercial sector and the open source community. This report involves a comparison between existing open source, web portal content management systems. The comparison is based on a set of business requirements which represent the needs of small to medium businesses, which aims to find an open source solution as an alternative to commercial solutions. Due to the nature of this subject, this report assumes that the reader has some understanding about Information Technology. Chapter 2 Content Management Content From A Business Perspective Computers where initially created to perform time-consuming or complex mathematical computations and in many ways replace human labour. Boiko (2001) describes the computer model as follows: â€Å"If you can reduce a problem to a series of simple mechanical operations on numbers and logical entities (entities that are either true of false), it is amenable to solution by a computer†. At their lowest level, computers process data. The data processed by computers at a low level is not immediately readable or understandable, because it is made to be understood by the computer only. This data is used to perform a set of operations as described above. The fact that computers are data-processing machines makes it hard to process content, which by definition is not just data. Technology has evolved over the years and computers are now required to perform computations on content while retaining their human meaning. Electronic Commerce ,Electronic Business, And Digital Relationship The changes we have just described represent new ways of conducting business electronically both inside and outside the farm that can ultimately result in the creation of digital firms. Increasingly, the internet is providing the underlying technology for these changes. The internet can link thousands of organisations into a single network creating the foundation for a vast digital marketplace. A digital market is an information system that links together many buyers and sellers to exchange information, products, services and payments. Through computers and networks, these systems function like electronic intermediaries, with lowered cost for typical marketplace transactions such as matching buyers and sellers establishing prices ordering goods and paying bills. Buyers sellers can complete purchase and sale transactions digitally regardless of their location. New Opportunities With Technology Although information systems are creating many exciting opportunities for both businesses and individuals, they are also a source of new problems, issues and challenges for managers. In this course we will learn about both the challenges and opportunities information systems pose and we will be able to use information technology to enrich our learning experience. New technologies open up far more possibilities for reproducing previously published work online than we can afford to pursue, so we have to pick and choose the most useful ones for you, our audience. The Journal would like to gather and benefit from all of the ideas, suggestions, and hard work that readers are willing to provide. Constructive technology assessment (CTA) differs from other technology assessment methods by emphasizing implementation and development of new technologies over a simple assessment of those technologies potential impact. CTA, which was developed in Denmark and the Netherlands, seeks to moderate the impact of potentially damaging technologies while taking full advantage of beneficial technologies. Nowadays, the development of integrated circuit (IC) industry and scientific researchers rely more and more on the nanofabrication technologies. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has been included on the ITRS lithography roadmap for 32nm, 22nm and 16nm nodes. However, there are numerous other applications for NIL. This patterning technique shows great potential in fabrication of nanostructures at all. Metadata Encapsulation Of Content Processing such content will produce the required results for the human user. Those results will contain an abstract meaning that can only be interpreted by a human user. Defining data with information and making it into content is a process similar to the operations performed in every day situations. For example, searching for a book in a library or finding a movie in a video store. Both operations have the similarity of providing information about other information. A library, offers a computerised search engine that searches through categories of â€Å"author† and â€Å"title†, while the video store may search for â€Å"actor† and â€Å"year of release†. Therefore, a room full of books may be seen as a pile of data, while the same room with a categorised search engine may be seen as real content. The books become more than just data, because they have been given a description. The method of content description is called metadata. Metadata is data about data, which defines the human aspect of content. Metadata first appeared on the web when the immense amount of data over the internet became impossible to process or to even understand. Some of the leading technologies and standards on metadata are seen. Metadata technologies are themselves based on published internet standards. This method of creating a new standard based on another existing standard is very useful within businesses in order to make the exchange of content as smooth as possible. The leading standard technologies are eXtensible Markup Language (XML), which defines the Resource Description Framework (RDF) syntax as recommended by the W3C. Building on top of metadata and XML, are a number of advanced technologies and project. Concurrent Changes Management Project completion skew occurs once the team has grown into a substantial number of developers, at which point they are all working on different parts of the project, possibly in small groups. These small groups usually work on diverse activities separated from each other or sometimes in conjunction. As a result, each group will be developing, integrating and testing their work separately, before committing their work into the complete project. These groups will also be working under different schedules. This implies that a group may be starting its work while another is getting ready to commit theirs . Structure Of The Comparison Each business has its own set of requirements for a CMS solution, which depend on various parameters such as; the size of the business, field of operation, type of managed data and target customers. It is highly unlikely that a single product will have all the required functionality. As a result, this report tries to identify potential products which are scalable and expandable. Applications Data repository Deployment Integration Revision control User interface User management Workflow Applications are about general functionality which compliment the entire CMS solution. Availability of the development API allows developers to expand the existing functionality and add custom processes per business requirements. Marketing and advertising features allow the website to display banner advertising or offer opt-in permission marketing forms. Localisation and multi-language support for all documents and processes. Time-based event functions, like scheduling. Site-wide searching engine which allows transparent searches over different content. Finally, e-commerce functionality which allows the system to perform online transactions. Data repository is about flexibility in content storage. Information is an asset to every business, proper management of the data storage can be an advantage. A CMS solution may use multiple storage methods, including a Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS) and Network File System (NFS) or other file system based storage. Apart from the storage medium, it is also important to use a standards compliant storage format such as XML. In particular, XML provides transformation services and content validation along with the split between content, format and business logic. Deployment can be one of the most important features from a business per-spective. Medium to large scale systems use multiple servers for fault tolerance and improved availability. A CMS products ability to scale through multiple servers gives the extra advantage for reliability. Replication is also an issue, the flow of updates that go from testing into production should be able to replicate reliably and with roll back support, as discussed in section Finally, multiple output formats can increase the target audience, for example; by providing mobile phone access via SMS or WAP. Integration deals with the every day management of the system. Metadata management via content classification systems which enable arbitrary data to become useful information assets for the business. Information can be used along with 3rd party web applications, such as log analysers and spam filters. Data conversion, allows users to publish or submit data in different format from the one used to publish their data, for example PDF to HTML conversion. Integration is also about compliance with the internet standards published by the W3C such as; HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0/1.1. Based on those standards are the requirements for compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 chapter 50 (HMSO 1995) which came into effect in the United Kingdom. This Act enforces new rules for websites to create content which is accessible by disabled people. Standards compliance means that a CMS product must be able to generate code that is compliant with the Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines. Revision control, as seen in section 2.3.1, is about management of changes, while keeping track of known milestones and working versions of the entire web site development and content. Revision control allows users to keep track of changes, while protecting them against overlapping changes by other users. Roll back functionality gives the user a chance to return to a known working copy of data, which also makes it easy to compare changes over time. User interface is not just about the client â€Å"visual† interface. The user interface is a collection of interface features which help the user or administrator to effectively manage the system. Interface tools enhance the control of processes, some of these tools are; HTML forms, WYSIWYG content editor and document linking. The user interface should provide the choice between high and low level editing, either edit the code directly, or provide a suitable interface which generates the required code. User management is about access and control of the system. The system should allow for 3rd party authentication, such as; SQL database, LDAP, NIS/YP, PAM. In addition, the interface should provide adequate user management control, for example; system-wide user modification. Workflow is a collaboration process for the development and maintenance of business assets which involve steps such as; varied information types, cross departmental staff and functions based on a submit/review/approve steps. As seen in section 2.3.4, workflow is important to clearly define processes which perform specific functions, with various dependencies between them. These functions automate routing of information, review and finally approve changes. Chapter 3 Open Source Software Free Software This report deals with certain types of free software; open source content management systems. Therefore, it is very important to define the term free software, because the concept itself is ambiguous. A wide range of software is distributed as â€Å"free† because it does not cost anything to download or use. However the source code is not made available or the software is distributed with a restrictive license. Binary or source code distributions could be copyrighted and covered by a license agreement, which could hold a range of few to extreme restrictions, like a disclaimer of reliability. â€Å"Free software† is a matter of liberty, not price. The Open Source Model The freedom to run the program, for any purpose. The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. Requirements of free software Restrictions on these ‘free software come with licenses which; prohibit its use or require a fee for commercial user, prohibit or limit redistribution, including redistributing modified versions. Some licenses also require redistribution of derived works to use the same license as the original product or even release the modified source code. A few licenses also discriminate against individuals or groups. The term free software is widely used in the Information Technology industry. However, its ambiguity hampers communication due to arguments over whether a particular piece of software is ‘free or not (OSI 2004). lists the rules which define the term â€Å"free software† as published by the FSF (2004). Banner Advertising Banner advertising is on a pay-per-view basis, according to the following rates: Home Page Other Pages Number of Views Cost ($US) Cost ($US) 4,000 $100 $50 10,000 $200 $100 25,000 $400 $200 75,000 $1000 $500 175,000 $2000 $1000 400,000 $4000 $2000 Either a large (46860 pixels) banner advertisement strategically placed at the top of every page on the site (or a selection of pages, at your choice), or a 120600 pixel â€Å"skyscraper† banner ad in the left hand column of every page on the site (or a selection of pages, at your choice). We can also arrange text only advertisements. A hotlink to your web site (or email address) when prospective buyers click on the ad Full on-line statistical information, by day and overall, on the number of ad exposures, and the click-through ratio for your ad We can customize a banner advertising program that targets those visitors that you wish to be exposed to by only displaying your advertisement on those selected pages on the site that best suits your product or service. We also have the capability to target ads by geographical location or by keywords. We can accept banner ads in most graphic formats, including rich media formats such as Flash. On all pages, (except where an exclusive advertising arrangement is in place, subject to negotiation) banner ads are placed on rotation with other banner advertisements. Current site statistics indicate that each visitor to the site visits approximately 5 pages per visit, so advertising is limited to a maximum of 5 advertisers on each page each with equal probability of exposure on the page. Newsletter Sponsorship/Advertising Advertising and Sponsorship opportunities our free monthly newsletter on topics of interest to Maintenance professionals around the globe. This newsletter is issued via plain text e-mail to an opt-in subscriber base numbering in the thousands, with a web version also published. Two advertising slots are currently permitted within each newsletter, and the advertisement consists of: Four lines of text in the e-mail version of the newsletter, and Four lines of text plus a banner advertisement in the web-based version of the newsletter The banner advertisement comes with full on-line, real-time statistical reporting, as for site banner advertisements (detailed above) Advertising rates depend on the number of subscribers to the newsletter. For more information on current rates, subscribers and the availability of space in future newsletters. Direct Mail To Our Opt-In Mailing List In addition to our opt-in subscriber base for the M-News newsletter, we have a further opt-in list of contacts who have expressed interest in receiving occasional e-mails containing information about maintenance-related products and services. We can issue an email to members of this list on your behalf promoting your products or services. Once again, advertising rates depend on the number of subscribers to the opt-in mailing list. For more information on current rates and the number of subscribers. General Terms And Conditions We will typically invoice you for your advertising program either shortly before completion of your advertising run, or quarterly. Payment terms are strictly 30 days on issue of invoice We can accept your payment either by check or by major credit card. We are based in Australia, and so payment in Australian dollars is preferred (and is required when paying by credit card). We will advise you of the exact Australian dollar equivalent before receiving payment from you. In general, we use the Currency Calculator /for making currency conversion calculations. Where we have concerns about your credit worthiness, we reserve the right to receive payment before commencing your advertising program. Free Redistribution â€Å"The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale† (OSI 2004). By ensuring free redistribution, open source software is not hampered by short-term gains which would affect real long-term sales from customised versions of the software or contracted support and maintenance. Thus, a supplier may generate copies of the software and sell them or give them away without paying anyone for that privilege. As a result, many open source software can be bought on CD or DVD by paying for the cost of the medium only, since the supplier is not adding any extra costs. â€Å"The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form. Where some form of a product is THE OPEN SOURCE MODEL not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicised means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction costpreferably, downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program. Deliberately obfuscated source code is not allowed. Intermediate forms such as the output of a preprocessor or translator are not allowed† (OSI 2004). To evolve and expand open source software, the source code must be available and in a modifiable state. The original or modified source code is then provided along with the software and any derived works, in order to ensure future repair or modifications. â€Å"The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software† (OSI 2004). Future software updates and maintenance of the distributed source code, as seen in section 3.2.2, has no real use if the modified software cannot be distributed. Therefore, the ability to simply modify the source code is not enough to support independent peer review and rapid evolutionary selection. Instead, it should be possible to redistribute the modified software along with the modified source code. Redistributed software can use the same license terms as the original software. Although this is not a requirement to do so but an option at the hands of the distributor. This requirement means; a license may not allow re-licensing or modification of its terms, or may allow re-licensing and sub-licensing of derived works. Chapter 4 Content Management Systems CMS Categories Content Management Systems (CMS) are not just a product or a technology. CMS is a generic term which defines a wide range of processes which underpin the â€Å"next-generation† of medium to large-scale websites (Browning Lowndes 2001). A content management process; creates, stores, modifies, retrieves and displays data, or content, as seen in chapter 2. The applications of CMS cannot be clearly defined. Even though a CMS is range of processes and managed software, the boundaries of the CMS space are blurred. The area covered by CMS overlaps with a wide range of traditional software systems, as seen in figure 4.1. As a result of this overlap of functionality, an intranet groupware system or virtual learning system can easily be implemented via the same CMS (Browning Lowndes 2001). CMS have no single interface or implementation, they are effectively designed on the requirements of each business. The implementations of CMS differ from web based to integrated server-side applications. Requirements Prerequisites Document management systems Knowledge management systems Enterprise application integration systems E-commerce solutions Web portals CMS categories implementations vary from PHP, Perl and Python. Integrated application server implementations use popular languages like Java 2 Enterprise Edition and C++. Figure 4.2 shows a visual interpretation of the structure of a typical CMS. This report does not deal with the application or use of CMS, for example; document management or virtual learning. Instead, this report takes a comparative approach to web portals only, based on their functionality from a business perspective. Web portals are websites which act as a main â€Å"point of entry† for users. They offer a range of services, for example; news section, search engine and web catalogue. Web portals are CMS solutions which offer content over the web, thus they may seem limited in functionality over traditional applications. To the contrary, due to the pervasive nature of the internet, the web has become the preferred method for content delivery (Browning Lowndes 2001). Requirements Prerequisites Although requirements on software packages vary between businesses, they still have certain common requirements. The objective of this report is to compare the widest possible selection of open source content management systems, which can be used by businesses. The most suitable CMS solutions Requirements Prerequisites Applications Deployment Workflow Versioning Integration Content User Management Data Repository Integration Authentication Services Syndication Management Link Interface User Data Repository Relational are selected based on a set of clearly defined requirements, all others have been rejected. Figure 4.3 lists these requirements. All the systems compared within this report are required to be licensed by an OSI-approved open source license, as defined in chapter 3. Open source software is widely recognised for its standards compliance, which is vital for businesses. For example, creating a website which uses proprietary data structures will hinder future expansion to new systems or technologies due to incompatibilities. Open source software are more likely to follow standards like the W3C Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) or XML specifications while ensuring they can interact with each other. Commercial software tend to be incompatible with each other in order to keep the customer hooked to a specific technology or supplier. Compatibility with the Apache HTTP server is vital. The Apache HTTP server is the most widely used web server on the internet. Netcraft (2004) reports that more than 67% of the websites on the internet are using Apache, with 4 million new hostnames growth in the first half of 2004. Chapter 5 Planning to implement MIS in the organisation: Information System An information system is a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organisation. In addition to support decision making, coordination, and control, information system may also help managers and workers analyze problems and visualize complex subjects and create new products. Information systems contain information about significant people, place and things within the organisation or in the environment surrounding its. By information we mean data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to human beings. Data is contrast are streams of raw facts representing events occurring in organisation or physical environment before they have been organised and arranged into a form that people can understand and use. Theres more growth and innovation in computing and ICT than in any other area of business. The individuals and organisations best equipped to respond to the challenge of rapidly changing technologies are those with the vision to ensure that their skills and knowledge are kept current and set in a broad educational context. Computing and ICT professionals with a strong skill set are much in demand today, and enrolling on a postgraduate computing course with the OU will keep you at the forefront of this influential discipline. Our Postgraduate Computing and ICT courses provide you with the range of innovative, practice-based courses and qualifications that you need to develop your career. We offer several certificates, diplomas and masters degrees in computing and ICT, and you can choose to study topics such as software development and management, project management, computer forensics, information security, communication technologies and networks. You dont need to have a first degree to register for a course, but you do need either previous study to the equivalent of HND level in the UK, or practical experience, which will enable study at postgraduate level. Management Data Resources Implementing a database requires widespread organisation change in the role of information, the allocation of power at senior levels, the ownership and sharing of information, patterns of organisational agreement. A database management system challenges the existing power arrangements in an organisation and for that reason often generates political resistance. In a traditional file environment each department constructed files and programs to fulfill its specific needs. Now with a database files and programs must be built that take into account the full organisations interest in data. Moving database environment can be a costly long term process,. Electronic Business, Electronic Commerce Throughout this edition we emphasize the benefits of integrating information across the enterprise, creating an information technology infrastructure in which information can be flow seamlessly from one part of the organisation to another and from the organisation to its customers, suppliers, and business partners. The emerging digital firm require this level of information integration and companies increasingly depend on such an infrastructure today to remain efficient and competitive. Internet technology has emerged as the key enabling technology for this digital integration. Chapter 6 Conclusion The internet has been introduced major changes in the way companies conduct business. It has created a dramatic drop in the cost of developing, sending and storing information while making that information more widely available. Millions of people can exchange massive amounts of information directly, instantly, for free. These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it. Reference Linux (2004), The linux kernel archives. Last access: 20-4-2004. URL: http://www.kernel.org Maglio, P. Farrell, S. (2000), Liveinfo: Adapting web experience by customization and annotation, in ‘Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-based Systems. Michelinakis, D. (2003), SotonOne project, Masters thesis, University of Southampton, Department of Electronics and Computer Science. MozillaFoundation (2004), The mozilla browser. Last

Privacy Concerns Essay -- Technology, DNA Databases

Privacy Concerns Most studies have shown that popular opinion holds that without a doubt national DNA databases have proved useful in criminal investigations (Wallace, 2006, pS27). The concept of a national DNA database has raised concern about privacy and human rights as seen through the scope of public safety. All of these concerns are elevated with databases include convicted, arrestee, innocent, and â€Å"rehabilitated† offenders (Suter, 2010, p339). Robin Williams of University of Duham (2006) asserts that: â€Å"The rapid implementation and continuing expansion of forensic DNA databases around the world has been supported by claims about their effectiveness in criminal investigations and challenged by assertions of the resulting intrusiveness into individual privacy† (p545). To determine the balance between privacy and public safety legislation must address many questions including (but not limited to): when is a sample required to be obtained and by whom, is consent required, is force ever acceptable to obtain a sample, and which samples should be retained? Dr Katina Michael has reported that some instances that constitute acceptable DNA sample collection and storage (Table 4). The United States, England and Wales contain legislation that authorizes the collection of DNA from individuals arrested for violations of certain federal criminal laws and inclusion into the national DNA database of all profiles. Primary concerns focus these legal authorizations address privacy of a person and legal search and seizures of biological samples. For many countries like the United States there is a need to enact special legislation which led to delays in the implementation of DNA databases (Goodwin, et al., 2007, p102). In the United Sta... ...data from law enforcement databases† for those who receive acquittals or whose convictions are overturned; there is no reference to physical DNA samples (Lwin, 2010, p21). Historically, legislative proposals purpose indefinite retention of evidentiary DNA samples, however the US, unlike England and Wales, does not refer to retention periods for genetic information post sentence completion. Individuals may find concern for personal genetic identifiers if the physical sample is retained post sentence completion, acquittal or if found innocent (Congressional Research Service, 2010, pp13-14; Beiber, 2002, p14). Studies assert the method of sample collection, accreditation of agencies collecting samples, legislative limits on retention periods for biometric information and a focus on balancing privacy and crime deterrence will structure a successful DNA database model.

Daughter from DaNang Essay

Micro Assessment The majority of developmental theories say that children must develop a secure primary attachment in order to develop in a healthy manner. A secure and strong attachment is clearly essential for healthy future relationships. John Bowlby’s studies in childhood development led him to the conclusion that a strong attachment to a caregiver provides a necessary sense of security and foundation. Without such a relationship in place, Bowlby found that a great deal of developmental energy is expended in the search for stability and security. In general, those without such attachments are fearful and are less willing to seek out and learn from new experiences (Hutchison, 2013). The video did portray a close relationship between Heidi’s siblings and their mother. Heidi says she has happy memories from her child hood growing up in Vietnam (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). This leads me to believe she had formed an attachment with her mother. Bowlby says if the attachment figure is broken o r disrupted during a child’s critical developmental stage the child will suffer irreversible long- term damage. Heidi was completely uprooted toward the end of this critical period (Hutchison, 2013). She was 6 years old when her mother dropped her off at the orphanage operated by the Holt Adoption Agency. This is traumatic, and she says how she used to cry for her mother. She said she believed there was something wrong with her and that is why she was sent away (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Once in America Heidi was adopted by a single woman named Ann Neville. Heidi describes Ann as a cold, non – loving person. She provided material things but never any affection. One summer evening while Heidi was home from college, she came home one night to find herself locked out. When she returned the next day her mother had Heidi’s bags packed and said she was no longer welcome in her house. As far as Ann was concerned, she no longer had a daughter. Heidi has not spoken to her adopted mother since (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). This was the second time Heidi had been abandoned  by her mother figure. According to Erik Erikson’s stages of Psychosocial Development she would not make it past the 1st stage (Hutchison, 2013). Although Heidi is well over the age the trust vs. mistrust stage occurs, she still is unable to believe that either one of her mothers’ love her. After visiting Vietnam, she is quite sure it was not love driving her mother to show such affection, but rather financial reasons (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Her family is poor and they see Heidi as an escape from poverty. Heidi’s adaption to her American life is an example of a component in Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory called accommodation. Children are motivated to maintain a balance. Any experience that we cannot assimilate creates anxiety, but if our schemata are adjusted to accommodate the new experience, the desired state of equilibrium will be restored (Hutchison, 2013). In order for Heidi to adapt to her environment, she had to change the way she viewed everything. She was unable to change the environment so she had to change herself. Heidi became 101% Americanized (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Mezzo Assessment This documentary reveals the many confrontations of two cultures. It begins when an American soldier and a Vietnamese woman, Mai Thi Kim, who was abandoned by her husband, ensue a sexual relationship that results in a daughter, Mai Thi Heip also known as Heidi Bub. When the war ends and the American troops leave, Mai Thi Kim and her children are left to face the ridicule and scorn for Kim’s indiscretion of sleeping with an American soldier (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). This child was born half American and half Vietnamese. At the time there were rumors the Communist government was going to search for these children and kill them. They were a part of the enemy. In order to escape this persecution, the American government, along with several others governments, created Operation Baby Lift. They would put these children on planes and fly them to the United State where they would be given the opportunity for a better life. This is extremely telling of North American’s ethnocentr ism, assuming Americans could provide a better life to these children than their own parents (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). In America Heidi lived with her adopted mom in Pulaski, Tennessee. Ann was a dean at Pulaski’s Martin Methodist College. Heidi was baptized into the United Methodist Church, where she attended services, and Sunday school. Ann provided many material things for Heidi, taking her on great trips to various places and yet Heidi’s heart still longs for more. Heidi said she had everything growing up, but that she didn’t have a very loving mother. Ann sought hard to Americanize Heidi and often warned her to keep her Vietnamese heritage a secret. Ann is extremely adamant that if anyone asks where Heidi was born, she is to tell them Columbia, South Carolina (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). As Heidi enters her teenage years her relationship with her mother is strained. Anne cannot tolerate Heidi’s growing independence. The relationship comes to an abrupt end when Ann kick Heidi out of the house and denies she ever had a daughter (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Heidi’s biological mother does not have the money to provide material things like her adopted mother. She does have the capacity to love Heidi and expresses it openly, unlike her adopted mother (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). When Heidi returned to Vietnam to reunite with her family she experienced a dramatic culture shock. She was not properly prepared for the reunion. As a child she was forbidden to inquire about her heritage, so it was never discussed and she was never encouraged to learn about the Vietnam culture (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Heidi has a naà ¯ve idea that it is going to be a fairy tale ending. Heidi places huge expectations upon this visit to emotionally fill a void in her life from an unloving and damaged childhood. One of the major challenges Heidi faces was the dreadful clash between the two cultures. Heidi is overwhelmed by the open and often displays of affection. She says she was not raised in such a touchy, feely society so all of this affection was extremely uncomfortable. Heidi was raised as a single child by a single parent. She is not used to large families and having so many people around all the time. Heidi complains that she has only had 2 hours to herself the entire time sh e has been in Vietnam. She begins to feel the roles have been reversed because her mother is so clingy. It is as if she is the mother and her mother is the child (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). In Vietnamese culture family is very important. Extended family often live close or in the same home. In American this is not a common tradition. Generally when the children grow up they move out of their parents’ house to live independently and eventually begin a family of their own. Often families live hundreds of miles apart and may only see each other on holidays or special occasions. Vietnamese live in a collective society where the prosperity of the group is  the goal. They are community oriented, they take care of each other. So when Heidi’s sister, who is extremely poor, asks Heidi for more money that is entirely acceptable in their culture. It is normal and even expected for the wealthier family members to take care of the poorer ones. Those who make it to the States or another prosperous nation, are expected to send money back to their family. The children are expected to take care of their parents because the parents took care of the children when they were young (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). The video displays another example of how Vietnamese have a collective culture when Heidi returns, not only is her entire family excited to reunite, but the entire community is waiting to see her, they never forgot Heidi (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Heidi thought her sister was rude and she was insulted by her bold request. When Heidi’s brother mentions it is her turn to take care of their mother, Heidi explodes in anger (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). The United States is stigmatized an individualistic society, people tend to look out for themselves. What is theirs is theirs and no obligation to provide for others. This is most often true in urban areas, but in more rural parts, families do take care of their own. People in smaller communities tend to take care of each other, maybe not to the extent they do in Vietnam, but they do look out for one another. Language is a barrier for Heidi. Although her mother and some of her family members are able to speak English, Heidi does not speak Vietnamese and does not understand the language. It is difficult to communicate and makes interactions challenging (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Macro Assessment Daughter from Danang originates with American’s ethnocentrism and the declaration of â€Å"Operation Babylift.† by President Ford. Many American soldiers had left behind what was referred to as national embarrassment, American soldiers had slept with the enemy and fathered children with the women of Vietnam, these children came to be known as Amerasians. It was feared that the Communists threatened to kill both mother and child of this mixed race. President Ford made available over two million dollars for the needs of thousands of children that would be airlifted out of Vietnam to in efforts to avoid mass slaughter of the innocent, and provide a better living for the children (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). The ethnocentrism is clear when  the video shows a clip of an American social worker attempting to convince Vietnamese women to send their children to the United States. The Vietnamese feared the Communists could kill their children and the United States, along with other countries, were taking them away. What an awful experience for the mothers and children.  Heidi’s new life in the United States did provide her with opportunities she would have never received otherwise. The United States is a wealthier country than Vietnam. Most Vietnamese live in poverty and have little opportunity to improve financially. Vietnamese do not have the access to education that Westerners have. Heidi is a college graduate and her sister only made it through the 6th grade (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Vietnam lack many of the modern conveniences Heidi has grown accustomed to. Vietnam is a poor country, the people cannot afford the common luxuries American’s use in their daily life. When she is walking through the town she is stunned to see people cooking food on the side walk. At the market Heidi cannot get her mother out of there fast enough. The hot temperature, raw fish, and the smells are all too much for her to handle (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). You can see the surprise on her face when she first arrives to her family’s home. The family does not have indoor plumbing, the family must go to the bathroom outside and shower by pouring a bucket of water over themselves. Heidi also observes her mother washing laundry outside in a basin with a bar of soap, the dishes were also washed outside in basin as well (Dolgin & Franco, 2002). Summary The video portrays though Vietnamese have less materials belongings than Westerners does not mean they are less happy. Vietnamese place much more importance on the family relationships and love for each other. I think if Heidi had prepared herself for her visit by educating herself on the Vietnamese culture, thing would have turned out differently. At least she would not have been taken off guard with so much touching, constant family around, and their forwardness about money. The movie ends with Heidi consciously alienating herself from her cultural roots. She goes back to the familiar world of her adopted grandma’s home, where the most profound conversation is whether the corn is rotten in the refrigerator. She goes  back to a dopey husband who has not a clue. â€Å"We stopped talking about your (Heidi’s) trip because we were not getting anywhere.† Unfortunately it has been 2 years and Heidi has not responded to any of her families letters. It seems unlikely she ever will. My hope is that she can overcome her scars and teach her children about their heritage. Provide them with the opportunity to learn who they are. References Dolgin, G.(Producer), & Dolgin, G., Franco,V. (Directors). (2002). Daughter from Danang [Video].Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AU VUe2HX0 Hutchison, E. D. (2013). Essentials Of Human Behavior: Integrating Person, Environment, and the Life Cycle. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Guest Loyalty Programs

Implementing a Guest Loyalty Program is a form of building a loyal client base, and also enticing new guests to patronize a particular business establishment. The inclusion of Guest Loyalty Programs is part of managing a business establishment that aims to develop   sound and desirable relationships with its clients and take advantage of their worth for the business, such as added revenue. Primarily, Guest Loyalty Programs attract guests and encourages them to return for more offers and services. (Otwell & Davis, 2005) Moreover, guests who frequent business establishments are awarded benefits and advantages in order to show appreciation for their loyalty and patronage through the Loyalty Program Guest Loyalty Programs come in different forms. For instance, businesses allow guests who frequent their establishments to earn advantage points for their every visit in the establishment. These points allow them to redeem added services and offers that fit their most pressing needs. These benefits include for example health and relaxation services such as spa treatment services and a day at the gym programs for luxury hotels, food discounts, freebies and gift certificates for restaurants, etc. while others include complimentary full course meals of breakfast, lunch, or dinner buffets, etc. In order to gain a better understanding of Guest Loyalty Programs, several examples that are widely used at present in business establishments shall be compared and contrasted in the following paragraphs. Visible Results Limited has launched an innovation for the purpose of Loyalty Programs, called the Graphicardâ„ ¢. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is a form of a loyalty card the exceeds the standards of ordinary membership cards that we know of. The Graphicardâ„ ¢ is digitized and it incorporates elements of technology that make it easier to use and track down accumulated points as well as the corresponding benefits that shall be granted to the client. For every transaction in the particular establishment that a client makes, it is reflected on the face of the card. Moreover, as the client accumulates more points, the benefits and advantages granted to him are also reflected on the face of the card. (Visible Results, 2006) The good thing about it is that it updates itself for every transaction, it shows value for every transaction that the client makes, it utilizes a pointing system that is needed to establishing the particular Loyalty Program, it is much more enticing than other Loyalty Programs because it employs high technology, which represents the current trend, and it also accumulates all the benefits and services that are incurred during a specific period of time, with the client’s continuous patronage. Another example of a Guest Loyalty Program is one that is employed by the Carnival Cruise Lines. It also implements subscriptions for a membership card called the â€Å"Platinum† card wherein a client gets to be a member of the â€Å"Carnival Concierge Club.† Upon membership, the client is automatically granted specific and identified benefits and services that he may enjoy while aboard the ship. Benefits and services include personalized club items such as stationeries, priority laundry services and dinner reservations, etc. (Carnival Cruise Lines, 2006) The similarity between the Graphicardâ„ ¢ and the loyalty program implemented by Carnival Cruise Lines is that they both grant benefits and services to their clients. However, the difference lies on how clients are included in the program and what benefits and services shall be granted to them. For instance, the Graphicardâ„ ¢ shall be given to clients and the benefits and services that they receive shall depend on how often they use the card. On the other hand, the loyalty program of Carnival Cruise Lines shall only be awarded to clients who have sailed with their ships for over ten times and the benefits and services that shall be granted to them is fixed and applies for all. Some industry best practices that businesses employ include personalized loyalty programs that allows clients to get involved with how they become members of loyalty programs (such as personalizing membership card themes and mode of payments, etc.), partnership marketing or an business establishment’s links to other establishments and organization in order to provide benefits and services for clients wherever they are, â€Å"green† marketing or a business establishment’s involvement with nature that allows him to establish a socially responsibly image and reputation,   and digitized types of membership. (Pearson, 2007) Business establishments are able to implement different types of guest loyalty programs. Rewards Loyalty Programs allow customers to earn points for their every transaction. Accumulated points are redeemed through rewards that the business establishment shall grant to their clients. Rebate Loyalty Programs provide for gift checks or cards that the client is able to redeem during the next transaction. Usually rebate checks and cards are granted to clients if they reach a certain amount throughout their course of spending within the business establishment. Loyalty Programs that show appreciation to the continued patronage of their clients are not granted in monetary form. They are usually non-monetary benefits and services such as complimentary meals in restaurants, room upgrades in hotels, etc. Partnership Loyalty Programs are benefits or services awarded to clients that are provided for by the business’ partner establishment. For valued guests who have proved their loyalty to the business establishment, the loyalty program by affinity is implemented, such that benefits and services are additions to preview rewards and bonuses. (Summers) Guest Loyalty Programs are successful if it encourages clients to purchase or patronize services and offers provided by a business establishment. After the client’s primary experience, he is convinced to return to the particular business establishment. Basically, loyalty programs are successful for the obvious facts that they attract many clients, not only to the point of attracting them but also in making them stay. Moreover, successful loyalty programs are those, which encourage clients to spend more, thus, increasing the revenue of the business establishment. (Customer Service Point) The advantages of employing different approaches in Guest Loyalty Programs is that it motivates clients who have already been a member long before, to learn more and explore about the new offerings of the business establishment. Moreover, innovations are appreciated by clients because of the efforts that business establishments do to satisfy their clients. Generally, people are always encourage to try things that are new to them, so introducing innovative loyalty programs shall motivate them to continue patronizing the services that business establishments provide. The disadvantage is that, perhaps, new members who have been part of the previous loyalty program might get discouraged if the system of gaining points and earning rewards, without having them to accumulate points in order to gain rewards, is changed ever so often. In addition, membership cards that are needed to be renewed for the changes in loyalty programs might become costly for clients who have to pay for the membership again. (De Weaver, 2002) References Carnival Cruise Lines. (2006). â€Å"Carnival Cruise Lines Rolls Out New Past Guest Loyalty Program.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Carnival Cruise Lines. Customer Service Point. (2008). â€Å"Loyalty Programs Characteristics.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Customer Service Point. Website: http://www.customerservicepoint.com/loyalty-programs-characteristics.html De Weaver, G. (2002). â€Å"The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Loyalty Programs.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from B&T Today. Website:   http://www.bandt.com.au/news/6a/0c010f6a.asp Otwell, K. & Davis, D. (2005). â€Å"Guest Loyalty Programs for the Vacation Rental Industry.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visual Data Systems. Website: http://www.vdsys.com/presentations/garezfest.pdf Pearson, B. â€Å"The Global Loyalty Infusion: Best Practices and Innovations Around the World.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Penton Media, Inc. Website: http://chiefmarketer.com/cm_report/global_loyalty_0211/index.html Summers, J. (2008). â€Å"Five Types of Loyalty Programs: Which is Right For You?† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Restaurant Coaching Solutions. Website: http://restaurantcoachingsolutions.com/five-types-of-loyalty-programs-which-is-right-for-you/ Visible Results. (2006). â€Å"Graphicardâ„ ¢.† Retrieved April 17, 2008, from Visible Results Limited. Website: http://www.visibleresults.com/loyalty/graphicard.htm