The Fair Trade Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Fair Trade Movement - Research Paper Example The contemporary reasonable exchange development follows its underlying foundations back in the 1950’s when it was known as the Alternative Trade Organizations (ATO). Obviously, Alternative Trade Organizations were framed by philanthropic gatherings that tried to address the appropriate issue of neediness in the creating nations through mitigation measures. To this end, the philanthropic gatherings received the methodology of removing the go between from the gracefully chain of exchange between little scope organizations in the Southern side of the equator and little scope makers in the Northern half of the globe (Warrier, 100). Obviously, Oxfam UK interceded by selling craftwork in Oxfam shops which were created by Chinese outcasts (Hutchens, 5). To this end, the outcome was expanded measure of benefits for the work power in creating countries. In 1988, the Dutch part of the Alternative Trade Organizations, Solidarid, creatively made a naming system. Clearly, it supported in the presentation of items inside standard markets without selling out purchaser trust in their demonstrations of helpful help. Foundation Information In 1964, Oxfam UK framed the principal Fair Trade Organization (Warrier, 100). In such manner, there were equal mediations being embraced in Netherlands. Thusly, a bringing in association known as Fair Trade Original was made in 1967. To this end, Dutch third world affiliations began to sell sugar stick under the trademark, â€Å"by purchasing sugar stick, you offer needy individuals in third world countriea a possibility in the sun of prosperity†. Also, the third world Dutch gatherings continued to sell Southern handiworks and by 1969, they opened the first ‘Third World Shop.’ ... Thus, this prompted the making of various Southern Fair Trade Organizations which built up systems with the recently made Northern associations (Hutchens, 5). Clearly, the North and South co-activity was fixated on regard, exchange, straightforwardness and association. The common objective was towards accomplishing better value in universal exchange. Likewise, creating nations were occupied with global political stages towards tending to the disparity and injustice in worldwide exchange. In such manner, during the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development that occurred in Delhi in 1968, the creating countries were tending to the issue of ‘Trade not Aid.’ To this end, the underdeveloped nations underlined on the formation of common, and fair exchange organization with the South. This was in rebellion toward the North’s approach which was associated with getting all the advantages and offering piecemeal advantages took on the appearance of formative guide. Clearly, improvement exchange has been ascribed to the development of Fair Trade Movement since the late 1960s. Besides, its development is ascribed to the responsive mediation against destitution just as halfway because of calamity exuding from the South. Its significant concentration during its beginning was the advertising advancement of specialty things. The famous originators of the Fair Trade Movement were drawn from huge philanthropic and strict associations situated in European nations. Thusly, joint effort with Southern partners prompted the production of Southern Fair Trade Organizations (Warrier, 100). Obviously, the Southern Fair Trade Organizations played out crafted by

Evolution of Color Vision in Mammals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Development of Color Vision in Mammals - Essay Example Alongside visual framework adjustments, these progressions have caused critical contrasts in the remarkable quality and nature of warm blooded creature shading vision (Schwab et al 11). This paper will try to examine how shading vision has advanced in warm blooded creatures, particularly concerning marsupials, dolphins, and primates, talking about the applicable organic components, shading vision utility, and varieties in shading vision among the recorded vertebrates. Greater part of well evolved creatures can't separate shading by any means, rather living in a kind of high contrast condition. Primates and marsupials are among the couple of well evolved creatures that can recognize hues, which is demonstrated by the unmistakable cells present in their retinas that can envision hues (Schwab et al 23). Cone cells are principal in the capacity to recognize hues, accordingly shading vision, while bar cells are found in creatures that don't have the capacity for shading vision. Larger par t of warm blooded animals just have the bar cells, aside from primates and marsupials. ... There are just two kinds of bars; one that has a short frequency sensation, which empowers it to detect blue shading, and another for long frequency impression that permits it to detect for red shading (Schwab et al 24). Shading vision advanced from a dream in highly contrasting with long frequency detecting poles isolated into red cones that sense red shading and green cones that sense green shading. Marsupials have additionally been found to have three types of cones. As may be normal, shading vision development in marsupials was particular from the advancement of shading vision in primates. This prompted some unmistakable contrasts. The three cones that marsupials have are not blue, red, and green. Or maybe, they are ultra violet, blue, and red on the grounds that the poles for short frequency detecting isolated into ultra violet and blue cones (Gegenfurtner et al 44). Notwithstanding, starting today, nobody recognizes what shading sensations these cones have. The best way to disc over something about marsupial vision is through conduct testing. The quendka and cathemeral dunnart marsupials have trichromatic vision that is distinctive to that of primates since their S-cones can detect UV light, while the L-cones of the fat-followed dunnart have an extraordinary affectability for the phantom district in the green-yellow locale. It has been estimated that the L and M cones join to take into account detecting of earthy colored and enigmatically hued green. For the nectar possum, the L-cones advanced to a further length than for individual marsupials that presented yellow-red affectability (Gegenfurtner et al 44). Shading vision advancement for primates contrasts enormously contrasted with different eutharians. Primates are thought to

How to Do a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment

How to Do a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment A risk assessment is like filling a rubber balloon with water and checking for leaks.Instead of a balloon, a cybersecurity risk assessment scans for threats such as data breaches to negate any security flaws affecting your business.Successful cybersecurity risk assessment ensures it’s cost-effective to the business without blowing your budget out of the water.Today, we’ll learn how to effectively circumvent digital threats utilizing effective risk assessment techniques to fit your business goals. WHY BOTHER WITH A CYBERSECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT?The most obvious answer is to safeguard your business from the malicious hands of hackers grabbing your sensitive information and displaying it online for public viewing.This information ranges from financial information, internal vulnerabilities, private customer information, and other sensitive data that causes your business a great deal of distress if there was a security breach.Here are the reasons why cybersecurity risk assessment is r equired.1. Long-Term Cost ReductionThe golden quote â€" “Prevention is better than cure” applies to digital threats as well. It’s best to identify threats before they hamper your business instead of dealing with it after an attack.Cybersecurity risk assessment helps in early warnings to your business and mitigates any damage eliminating the need to go into quarantine mode.2. Always-On VisibilityImagine having a 24/7, year-round security that warns you of all the latest threats, sounds tremendous, doesn’t it? That’s exactly why cybersecurity risk assessment is required.An effective cybersecurity risk assessment is one that is always updated and expels even the well-executed data breach.It’s also an effective way to remain ahead of your competitors in terms of protecting your business.3. For Cyber InsuranceThe days where insurance meant only ‘Life’ and ‘Health’ are behind us.Today, modern businesses insulate themselves with cyber insurances that act as a barrier in case of a security incident and to protect them from financial loss.Companies that provide these cyber insurances require a mandatory cyber risk assessment system in place before they issue their policies.If you’re thinking of insuring your online business, a risk assessment check must be performed.4. Increase Company ValuationWhen your stakeholders and clients know you are well-versed with risk management and have deployed a cybersecurity risk management, it automatically boosts your company’s net worth.Eliminating any risk in data breaches creates an aura of confidence for future investors to feel like their investments are in good hands.THE CYBERSECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGYAn effective risk evaluation to weed out illegal data attacks is the ‘101 survival guide for digital businesses.Your questions may range from â€"Where do I begin? Do I simply hire personnel to look after my security breaches? What if I don’t have the required budget?Let Cleverism answer your se curity concerns with the following cybersecurity recommendations. 1. Map out the SystemWhen you spend time understanding the type of business you’re dealing with, it becomes easy to sort out the risks that you’re most vulnerable to.Here are a few questions to ask yourself regarding your business.What kind of business company am I? Small and medium businesses have a lower budget compared to large organizations. Hence, the cost to create a cybersecurity risk assessment should be considered to ensure you don’t overspend.Do I have IT personnel working in my team or do I employ one?If you work with IT specialists, speaking with them will familiarize you with the type of security system your organization utilizes. The type of data to track and protect. If you don’t have any IT professionals on your payroll, hire a freelancer.Do I run complete network diagnostics?Every electronic item from smartphones, printers, laptops, and computers should be identified. Plenty of vulnerabilities arise from unauthorized access and it’s necessary to mitigate electronics connected to your network by identifying them.Attackers can gain access via the internet so it’s necessary for Wi-fi devices like hotspots and routers to be a part of the network program.If you’re a large organization, paid applications like Nessus Professional provide a breakdown of all the vulnerabilities affecting your network.Free programs such as OpenVAS are ideal for small businesses.Ensure the entire system, applications, network, and other firmware are updated daily or weekly. When the firmware is outdated, your system remains at risk of the latest exploitations.Microsoft Windows 10 users have an update assistant at their disposal that notifies the user if any software or application has an update queued.2. Understanding the RisksEvery breach is different and carries a different level of threat. Knowledge of the type of vulnerability is required when a cybersecurity risk assessment is carried ou t.Let’s look at some of the popular risks.Data Distortion. During cyber espionage, a cybercriminal attempts to distort or modify data. This is typically done to steal identities such as social security numbers and payment information. Cybercriminals switch the personal information of an organization’s database and are considered among the biggest cyber crimes.Phishing. Imagine having your clients login to your brand’s website only for them to have their information stolen. A phishing attack is carried out in order to steal personal credentials while mimicking the authenticity of a verified site. Unsuspecting users enter their user information and passwords on such sites and have their sensitive information hacked.Ransomware. Ransomware utilizes intelligent techniques to embed into your system. An infected USB drive, a malicious email, a malware website, etc. Unlike other cyber crimes, ransomware takes their own time to infect the entire system. If you’ve noticed your systems slowing down, chances are you’ve been afflicted by ransomware. Ransomware transfers sensitive data to the hacker.Trojan Toolkits. System vulnerabilities in the form of automated attack toolkits exploit spamming techniques by installing Trojans on your system. Once your system is infected, it requires a complete quarantine which may require you to completely erase all data on your drive due to the duplicating nature of toolkits.Data Leaks. Sometimes the hacker isn’t looking for personal profit. In such a case, all data that is stolen is made public and it becomes a huge embarrassment for the organization in question. Data leaks threaten big corporations like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. every year. Assessing the type of risk is critical to understand how to solve the issue. Analytical questions can then be prepared based on a threat.How large is the risk?What are the immediate containment plans to prevent further spread?How many machines are affected?How did the atta ck occur? Find the start point.Is it safe to take the entire system offline to conduct a complete investigation?How many files were contaminated in the attack?Having a set of questions prepared beforehand will allow you to assess the attack quicker without wasting precious time.3. Hire an IT Professional to Evaluate the Internal SystemMany small businesses usually fall prey to cyber-attacks as they don’t know what they are looking for during an assessment.It’s incredibly important to perform a thorough risk assessment of your internal system, framework, and other network interfaces.If you’re a small business and trying to save money by doing the risk assessment yourself, then you’ll end up costing your business a ton of money without in-depth knowledge.Similar to how it’s impossible to drive a car without prior knowledge of driving, it’s impossible to perform a risk assessment with limited knowledge on the subject.According to cybersecurity expert Kyle David, “Small bu sinesses that suffer from a data breach end up closing their doors.”An IT specialist will identify the following â€"Run a complete network evaluation to check if your system isn’t already infectedIf infected, the vulnerabilities are identified, and countermeasures are deployedIf not infected, the specialist performs all safety checks to ensure your defense system is activeThe specialist provides a detailed breakdown of the threat source to ensure the incident doesn’t repeatEvery organization’s internal system is different, a full evaluation provides you with information on how well your current cybersecurity is performing.IT professionals perform checks on your control system such as â€"Operations ControlsAuthentication ControlsSecurity ControlsAdministrative ControlsRisk Management ControlsUser ControlsThe control section provides complete information on the background of the attack, personnel access, and other data protection protocol.Once the evaluation of your internal n etwork is performed. The IT professional will provide an assessment rating such as â€"Satisfactory â€" Your defense system is working as intended and there are no requirements necessaryFair â€" Your defense holds up to the current wave of attacks but isn’t ready for new-age threats. Recommendations to upgrade are provided by the specialist.Average â€" Your security is lacking but there have been no attempts or breaches. An immediate revamp of your security is necessary.Poor â€" Your security is failing at all levels and there are multiple breaches. An in-depth data assessment must be performed to see the level of damage.Depending on what category you fall into, the next steps of a cybersecurity risk assessment need to be considered.4. Limit Personnel AccessDid you know your entire system can be infected by a single employee clicking a suspicious link through email?Human error is among the largest causes of a network breach. Simple video attachments via USBs or malicious email conn ected to the network causes a vulnerability in the entire system.If your employees aren’t well trained, the use of insecure channels to transmit data causes internal threats to the system. This gives way to bigger threats such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and malicious worms that steal sensitive data.Another threat that plagues businesses are phishing websites. Assuming your employees enter private user credentials into secure websites without double-checking the SSL certificates, the data is stolen via phishing attacks. The damage can be irreversible to recover from.An efficient way to counter human error is by providing cybersecurity awareness to every person connected to your organization.The following checklist ensures you always provide a full rundown of all the necessary security protocols to be followed by your personnel.Ensure unencrypted flash drives and USBs are strictly prohibited in the workplace.Ensure all employees use a strong password with a mix of numer als, alphabets, and special characters. A good password should ideally be above 10 characters.2FA or Two-factor authentication is an effective way to add a 2nd layer of defense to private credentials.Utilize phishing simulators to send your work colleagues suspicious emails to test if they follow security protocol. If they’re a victim to phishing, demonstrate the importance of following best security practices. Appreciate the ones that don’t fall prey to your phishing attempts.Emails with attachments should always be dealt with carefully by your team. If an antivirus doesn’t clear the attachment or if the sender’s email isn’t recognized, it’s best to have the email flagged and sent to the higher-ups for evaluation.Create a strict policy against installing games and other software on workstations.Restrict websites in your office environment to control browsing activity by your employees. Social media should be accessed on their own data network.If your business requires f ull browsing access to websites, then set up a training program to educate your employees on safe browsing guidelines.Every workstation must be password protected and an active high-rated antivirus should be installed before any work is performed.Don’t play the blame game with your colleagues if a security breach occurs.The responsibility of your organization is solely on you.Ensure your employees are following the company’s rules and regulations. Have them sign a contract forbidding them to share sensitive information. A confidentiality agreement is a must to safeguard your trade secrets.If an employee has breached the contract, a warning may be issued to the person responsible. On repeated offenses, it’s critical to terminate the employee before things get out of hand.When you minimize human errors, you cut down outside threats and the other half is controlled through automation.5. Review New Cyber SecurityOnce a new risk management system has been installed to thwart future cybercrimes, it’s necessary to run different tests to ensure your cybersecurity holds.Here are the common assessments to run.Simulated Penetration Vulnerability TestA penetration test creates a mock cyberattack on your overall system to test the full extent of your risk management system. This type of test seeks to evaluate the following â€"The entire network structure’s defensive capabilitiesWeb and mobile appsWi-fi and firewall accessOnce the test is complete, a full test report is provided that demonstrates if your system is under threat or safe.System AuditsA cybersecurity professional performs a complete review of every physical and digital component to ensure there are no vulnerabilities.This type of testing is done purely through a security expert. The expert will run an evaluation on â€"Database serversWi-fi routersDirectory serversApp serversNetwork workstationsSystem FirewallsDesktops, Printers, and LaptopsSmartphones connected to the networkMiscellaneous servers con nected to the networkOnce a thorough investigation is complete, the expert provides a comprehensive report that your system is protected. Ensure this report is saved to compare towards future reports of the same.Employee Awareness TestWe had previously discussed how it’s critical to ensure your employees are on board with your security program.But how do you test their resolve?By running random phishing campaigns without alerting them.When you unleash a simulated phishing attack on your team, you’ll have a clear vision of the members falling prey to these attempts and which ones remain vigilant.The ones that fall prey can be trained and demonstrated in utilizing the best practices of cybersecurity.The employee awareness test aims to maintain an alert workforce and in doing so, a secure organization.As with anything, practice makes perfect. The following tests are to be run periodically on a routine to ensure your system remains protected. It’s critical to save test reports for future analysis. CONCLUSIONA cybersecurity system is like a house with many doors. If one door remains unguarded, the entire house is under threat of collapse.With constant updates and risk management tests, ensure that you regularly identify threats and neutralize them to stay ahead in the security race.Did you learn a new method to protect your system using our guide? Comment below. We’d be happy to hear from you.

Critical Thinking about Post-Independence in Africa and the Anglophone Caribbean

The African continent and the Anglophone Caribbean region share a common history. The two regions were colonized. Majority of the countries gained independence, through peaceful negotiation and armed struggle. Evaluating the progress of the two regions in the last five decades of independence is not easy. The task of evaluating becomes objective and reliable when the task is approached from the perspective of African and Anglo Caribbean nationalism, and the expectation of independence. Both the regions harbored complex nationalist. It’s possible for     one to; argue that the two regions sought to achieve the objectives of decolonization, nation building, development, democracy, and regional in integration (John, McLeod 2007:15-25). State formation Decolonization was one of the great historical phenomenon and achievements of the twentieth century. It marked the achievement for African and Anglo-Caribbean society. The period after 1945 culminated in the demise of colonialism in Africa and Anglophone Caribbean. The taunting task was state formation and setting up basic infrastructure to drive the economy. The independent governments successfully managed to put in place a functional civil service. Education At independence, there were very few institutions of higher learning in both regions. The citizens of these colonies received basic education to enable them render cheap labor in colonial farms. Countries like Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago in have established many institutions of higher learning like universities and polytechnics to increase access to higher Education. Besides, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda provides free primary Education hence improving the quality of education (John McLeod 100-105). Democracy Every modern government must embrace democratic culture. This is an area where most states in these regions have underscored.   A decade preceding independence saw most of the states degenerate to despotism. Most of the states in Anglophone Caribbean adopted Liberal authoritarianism while others like Guyana went too far to adopt dictatorship where young black men were extra- judicially prosecuted by the government. Majority of African states adopted one party state, which was used as a symbol of oppression and exploitation. Although, elections in Africa have been conducted on a regular basis, they are not always free and fair. The current crisis in Kenya and Zimbabwe is a great testimony. Independence Most of the states in Africa and Anglophone Caribbean are not fully independent. They have continuously depended on financial aid from Britain and North America. The issue of neocolonialism is imminent in both the regions, because the affairs of these states are in directly controlled by powerful states. These countries are always required to undertake some structural adjustments programs. (Gogfrey Mwakikagile 2006:40-48) Development Africa and the Caribbean Anglophone harbor the most impoverished countries in the world. In the recent statistics released by the World Bank, African countries featured prominently in the bottom fifty. The genesis of economic under- development was the adoption of the colonial economy by the independent governments.   Plantation agriculture as opposed food crop farming has made these regions to become, victims of over dependence on food aid from the most industrialized states. The last fifty years of independence in Africa and Anglophone Caribbean have witnessed great periods of success and failure in the areas democracy, economic development and national integration.   Africa and the Anglophone Caribbean need to restructure their economic system to bring in an aspect of mixed economy. Besides, the culture of democracy must be entrenched to span economic development because persistent wrangling has had a negative influence on the economy. Work Cited John, McLeod Rout ledge companion to postcolonial studies Publisher Routledge, 2007 John McLeod Beginning post colonialism Manchester University Press, 2000 Gogfrey Mwakikagile Africa after independence: realities of nationhood llustratedPublisher, 2006

Richard Wright s Letter From A Birmingham Jail - 1120 Words

It is clearly apparent in society that segregation causes unneeded violence and hatred that can be stopped once everyone learns to respect and notice their differences. Although, this transformation does not seem to be as easy as it sounds. In this case, fear impacts equality and when fear prevents equality, people s’ opinions are not able to be heard, leading to discrimination and injustice. The fear of differing ideas and opinions makes it hard to reach independence and freedom because a negative mindset is preventing the transformation. Throughout history and into today, the largest injustice in our society deals with racial prejudice, and the fear of emerging cultures often leads to superiority with the majority of the population and inferiority with the minority. Throughout reading Native Son by Richard Wright, â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King Jr., â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity† by John Winthrop, looking at the historical and biographical facts from my research on Richard Wright, and noticing my classmate’s and my own thoughts, I have recognized many concepts used that reflect the authors’ work that explain their contrasting perspectives on life. Two main concepts that I saw repeating throughout this semester in our readings were fear and equality and how the two conflict. As we read Native Son, Bigger’s resulting attitude toward the whites is a combination of anger and powerful fear. He fears the whites as an overpowering force that he cannotShow MoreRelatedThe Rights And Civil Liberties2009 Words   |  9 Pagesentitled, I Hear America Singing, on America s workforce striving for the best outcome in life. The poem - which had been published in 1860 - serves as a perfect example towards freedom of speech in a positive light as an American citizen. It consists of American citizens simply having the freedom to say - or in this case, metaphorically sing - whatever they want regarding their job while no one is judging them. These individuals in the poem vary from women, to men and people of different workingRead MoreAfrican Americans from 18652319 Words   |  10 PagesAfrican Americans from 1865 Sandelle Studway HIS204 Joseph Scahill 01/22/13 African Americans from 1865 African Americans have fought a great battle to become a part of society in America. Since being taken from African as slaves in the 1600’s there has been a continuous battle for equality since. Since the end of slavery Black Americans have had many accomplishments along with hardships. In this paper I will discuss some of the Major events in African American history beginning with the endRead MoreLiterature Has The Power Of Literature3178 Words   |  13 Pagesthe power to change lives, minds, and hearts, and more than that, it has the power to free, and it has since the colonial era to present time. Since slavery began in the early colonies, slaves were mistreated. They were whipped, they were separated from land and family, treated as property, and perhaps the worst treatment of all: they were not allowed to have schooling. In that time, it was considered unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read (Douglass ). In the words of Frederick Douglass’s

Case Study An Analysis of Google Inc Free Essays

Introduction A case study approach is used in analyzing the sustainability of effective staff training and development in the workplace. Google Inc was chosen as the case study subject because the company had been twice voted as ‘Best Company to Work for in America’ in the years 2007 and 2008 (Great Place to Work 2010). An examination of Google’s organizational culture, human resource policies, and employee training and development programs will help in analyzing the dissertation topic more concretely and concisely. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Study: An Analysis of Google Inc or any similar topic only for you Order Now This will also aid in meeting the study’s objectives. 1.1. Background of the Organization In January 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google as a research project for their PhD studies at Stanford University (Google Milestones 2013). At that time, conventional search engines ranked search results by counting the number of search terms on the web page. Page and Brin introduced a search engine with a better mechanism that was based on the analysis of relationships between websites (Page et al 1999). They named the new search engine BackRub. This research project became the foundation of Google Inc. By September 1998, Google was incorporated as a privately-held company. In June 2000, Google was recognized as the world’s largest search engine. By 2002, Google earned several awards including Best Search Feature and Best Design awards. The company gained success by continuously enhancing its products and services. The company also launched a free email account, called Gmail (Google Milestones 2013). On August 19, 2004 the company has its initial public offering (IPO). The IPO earned Google USD $1.67 billion, which gave the company a total market capitalization of USD $23 billion (Elgin, 2004). Google has achieved great success in growing its internet-related products and services. In line with this, it has acquired several small entrepreneurial ventures like Keyhole Inc, YouTube, Double Click, Grand Central, Aardvark and On2 Technologies (Google Milestones 2013). In recent years, Google has become a significant player in the telecom industry with its development of the Android mobile system. The company is also increasing its hardware business through its partnerships with major electronics manufacturers. 1.2. Corporate Mission and Organizational Culture Google Inc has promoted its corporate mission of ‘to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.’ The company seeks to empower individuals by providing its customers with the right products and/or services at the right time and by encouraging its employees to be innovative and productive. The company’s human resource policies are vertically integrated with this vision. Despite its success, Denning (2011) criticizes Google’s corporate mission. Denning contends that Google’s mission does not truly reflect its core business. The company’s mission statement, which focuses on organizing the world’s information, describes the workings of a library instead of a web-based search engine. Denning cites the failures of Google Health and Google Power Meter, which were tools constructed from a library mindset and were designed to help people assemble information about their health and energy use respectively. Adhering to Google’s mission statement caused these business ventures to fail. However, supporters of Google believe that its mission statement has paved the way for the creation of innovative products and services. Google is fundamentally built upon a culture of openness and sharing of ideas and opinions. This is primarily influenced by the company’s beginnings as an internet startup company. In line with this principle, the company has encouraged its employees to ask questions directly to top executives about various company issues (Google 2013). Google is a dynamic company wherein everyone’s ideas are respected and heard. In a comparative analysis of Google vis-a-vis other information technology companies, it was observed that Google has a more employee-friendly working environment. The company also provides flexibility both in terms of working hours and work place in order to foster creativity and the flow of ideas (Business Teacher 2011). Google’s organizational culture is built upon intrapreneurship. Employees are encouraged to be proactive, self-motivated and action-oriented, with the goal of developing new and innovative products or services They are motivated through the challenge of creating something new rather than waiting for their managers to provide them with next deadline or a prescribed project proposal. The vision of Google is to sustain the same level of devotion and enthusiasm among its employees as Larry Page and Sergey Brin themselves had when they were conceptualizing Google at Stanford University (Hammond 2004). Google is also well-known for its attractive compensation packages, various on-the-job perks, and luxurious offices. These have been credited as motivating factors that encourage Google’s employees to be dedicated and hardworking. The company also utilizes training and development to maximize employees’ creative potential. 1.3.Human Resources as a Strategic Partner for Business Google’s human resource development policies help the company to align its workforce with its vision. The company promotes its human resource department as a strategic partner of employees. Google values innovativeness and creativity in its employees. Innovation is very important for the long-term success and future growth of the company. To achieve this, the company encourages new ideas from employees and provides rewards/incentives to motivate them (Forster 2005). Furthermore, the company makes an effort to create a workplace with an atmosphere that is conducive to fostering creativity, imagination, and innovativeness. The human resource department of an organization has the responsibility of keeping its work force motivated and helping the company to meets its targets. An important strategy in helping to achieve these goals is through the continuous provision of training and development in the work place. In line with this, the human resource department must ensure that resources allocated to the development and training of employees does not affect market dynamics in a negative manner. Human resource managers have to act as service providers to the organization’s workforce by rendering the employees as internal customers (Gupta 2005). Adhering with this line of thinking, Google’s work places provide various amenities to enable them to create and innovate. At Google, the process of employee development starts from recruitment. As such, it is important for the company to hire the right talent that fits comfortably within Google’s organizational setting. Google prioritizes hiring employees who are willing to work as team players, with an attitude of looking for new solutions, and are capable of leading small creative projects (Horn 2011). Google hires employees who are willing to continuously train and develop themselves both as individuals and as part of larger groups within the company. As an organization, Google can shift the burden of learning to employees because it focuses on hiring individuals who already demonstrate a passion for self-directed learning (Sullivan 2011). 1.4.Training and Development After hiring the right talent, the company, led by the human resource department, has the responsibility of enhancing and sustaining its talent pool through further training and development. Similar to other information technology companies, Google has one of the youngest work forces with a median age of 27 years (Great Place to Work Institute Inc. 2008). Sustaining such a young work force can be challenging as this age group is usually characterized by a quick change of associations. Google sustains its young work force by providing ample opportunities for learning and development. Professional development opportunities at Google include trainings for individual and team presentation skills, business writing, content development, delivering feedback, executive speaking, management and leadership. Google also sponsors free foreign language classes (i.e. French, Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin) for all its employees. Every young product manager is also assigned with career and management coaches/mentors, who teach them various skills and encourage them to establish their own start-up venture. Such mentoring and coaching is believed to have engendered a lot of loyalty among employees (Walker, 2012). Google also pays particular attention to its engineers by providing them with unique development opportunities. For instance, ‘EngEDU’ is a highly specialized training and development program in which Google engineers conduct internal trainings to other engineers within the company. Additionally, the company has several leadership programs aimed at developing the company’s future leaders. Google is able sustain its highly talented workforce through its training and development program called ‘GoogleEDU.’ This initiative is aimed at formalizing learning for managers and executives. It relies on data analytics to understand what kind of training is needed by employees. It uses employee reviews of managers in suggesting the right courses for managers. All these training and development efforts are made to sustain the company’s talented workforce, especially in the face of stiff competition from other internet and social media companies. A 2008 survey conducted by ’Great place to Work‘ revealed that more than 90% of the company’s employees mention that they were provided with adequate training and development to enhance their potential. Moreover, 97% of employees believe that they were provided with all the essential resources to perform their jobs. Google provides its employees a minimum of 120 hours of training and development each year. This figure is almost thrice as much as the IT industry average in North America (Great Place to Work Institute Inc. 2008). 1.5. Google Inc: A Learning Organization A learning organization is one that seeks to create its own future; that assumes learning is an ongoing and creative process for its members; and one that develops, adapts, and transforms itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people, both inside and outside itself (Navran Associates Newsletter 1993, p.1). An important characteristic of learning organizations is that they do not strictly dictate their employees’ functions. Employees are instead provided with adequate flexibility to pursue their interest based on the premise that they are strategically aligned with the organization’s goals. By doing this, employees play an active role in shaping the organization rather than passively following prescribed routines. Employees are encouraged to express ideas and challenge themselves with new targets, which consequently contribute towards an improved work environment. Such active employee participation is a paradigm shift from the traditional authoritarian management, which was deemed less potent at harnessing greater human potential. Learning organizations can ‘create the results they truly desire and where they can learn to learn together for the betterment of the whole’ (Rheem 1995, p.10). Through its strong commitment towards learning and development, Google has thrived as a learning organization, which provides its employees with a work environment based on openness and creative thinking. As a learning organization, Google embraces the idea that the solutions to the challenges and ongoing business problems reside within its employees. Google taps into the creative base of its workforce by giving them the ‘ability to think critically and creatively, the ability to communicate ideas and concepts, and the ability to cooperate with other human beings in the process of inquiry and action’ (Navran Associates Newsletter 1993, p.1). Google’s management and leadership style is critical in enforcing such a learning organizational culture. Google values the common wisdom of its employees and considers freedom, flexibility and information sharing as vital for organizational learning and bringing out the best ideas to the table. The company’s former CEO and current Chairperson, Eric Schmidt, mentions that ‘in traditional companies, the big offices, the corner offices, the regal bathrooms, and everybody dressed up in suits cause people to be afraid to speak out. But the best ideas typically don’t come from executives’ (Manyika, 2008). Google encourages learning and development at all levels of the organization. It follows the ‘70-20-10’ rule, wherein its employees spent 70% of their working hours on core business activities; 20% on assignments related to the core business activities; and 10% on projects that are not directly related to Google’s core business activities. Schmidt himself followed this policy during his tenure as CEO by spending his time in the prescribed manner in three different rooms (Battelle, 2005). This strategy is based on the company’s view that managerial oversight is counter-productive for exploratory research and that ‘new ideas emerge with freedom from thinking about obligations’ (Manyika 2008). Likewise, Google encourages its core engineers to spend 20% of their time pursuing new projects that interest them in the absence of any formal regular duties. This is referred to as ‘Innovation Time Off’ (Battelle 2005). This strategy proved to be very productive as more than half of new product launches originated from this scheme (Mayer 2012). Furthermore, in its efforts to boost learning and development, Google adheres to a very flat organizational hierarchy, where employees do not obey managers just because of their titles without having them make a convincing case (Walker 2012). Google’s approach towards fostering a learning and development environment is unique because it not only encourages ambitious ideas but also supports them by limiting bureaucracy and approving viable ideas of employees within days rather than months (Sullivan 2011). Employees at Google enjoy a very informal organizational culture and have access to several on-site amenities such as gyms, massages, pool, volley ball courts, and ping-pong tables, as well as stocked snack rooms and other recreational amenities (Google Culture 2013). The learning and development efforts of Google and its overall human resource practices have yielded impressive results for the company. One of the most remarkable of these results is in terms of employee productivity. The mean revenue of each Google employee per year is estimated at more than USD$1 million. Google’s productivity metric is an efficient indicator of how the organization leverages its employees (Sullivan 2011). Conclusion Hout (1999, p.161) contends that ‘the invisible hand of the marketplace should displace the visible hand of the manager. The markets can determine where one team or initiative or company ends and another begins. Managers interfere at their peril.’ This signifies the importance of a talented, learned and flexible workforce. It is only through commitment to effective development and training that an organization can tap the collective wisdom of its executives and all of its employees in order to yield bright ideas and solutions that can be translated into the company’s success. Moreover, providing proper training and development can help to keep employees motivated and enthusiastic about their work. Google is a good example of a company that is able to sustain its highly talented work force through its open organizational culture and effective training and development policies (Carlson, 2009). Google’s organizational culture, which has its roots from the internet start-up business model, encourages direct communication between employees and company executives. Google fosters an informal, friendly atmosphere among its employees. The company’s founders promote independent learning and encourage its employees to challenge conventional wisdom. Moreover, its offices are designed to cultivate creativity, innovativeness and imagination (Walker 2012a; Anurag 2009). Over the years, Google has continuously enhanced its employee training and development programs. These programs are aimed at improving employees’ skills and to help them achieve better work performance. One of the company’s most recent initiatives is GoogleEDU, which is a way of determining what training programs are needed by employees based on data analytics and other statistical measures (Walker 2012b). In 2011, Google provided classes to a third of its global work force and offered 186 different classes, ranging from presentation skills to marketing and advanced negotiations. The company regularly retools its classes to ensure that employees get the right training. In an effort to make its training and development courses more effective, Google has also offered specific classes based on an employee’s work area and career stage. The company also promotes knowledge sharing among its employees through its coaching and mentoring programs. Moreover, it provides in-house training provided by some of its employees (Walker 2012a). Google also hires external experts for its training programs. Google uses innovative human resource approaches in achieving its goals. It decentralizes the training, development and learning effort and eschews traditional training methods. The company provides the necessary tools for development but places the responsibility of learning to its employees. In this regard, it hires individuals who demonstrate the ability for self-directed learning (Sullivan 2007). Google allocates as much as 30% of an employee’s time for learning. Based on a 70-20-10 time allocation model, 10% of work time is allocated for ‘innovation, creativity, and freedom to think; while 20% is for personal development that will ultimately benefit the company’ (Sullivan 2007, p.1). Google is able to sustain effective staff training and development in the work place through the support of top management combined with the efforts of the human resource department. The company’s open organizational culture allows for the integration of the company’s business goals with human resource practices. Moreover, Google prioritizes the well-being of its employees through the implementation of various training and learning programs, the provision of highly attractive compensation packages, and offering of various on-the-job perks because the company believes that its success is due to its people. Google recognizes that having great employees contribute significantly to the company’s success. Thus, it ensures that its training and development programs are sustainable and effective (Cope 2012). References Battelle, J. (2005). Google CEO Eric Schmidt gives us his golden rules for managing innovation. CNN/Money. Available: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/12/01/8364616/index.htm. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Business Teacher. (2011). Google’s vision and mission. Available: http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-management-essays/googles-vision-and-mission.php. Last accessed 28th Feb 2013. Carlson, N. (2009). Google CEO Eric Schmidt: â€Å"We Don’t Really Have A Five-Year Plan† Business Insider. Available: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-05-20/tech/30099731_1_google-ceo-eric-schmidt-googlers-google-people. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Cope, K. (2012). Employees: The Best Companies Know They’re the Foundation of Success. Available: http://www.tlnt.com/2012/02/20/employees-the-best-companys-know-theyre-the-foundation-of-success/. Last accessed 28th Feb 2013. Denning, S. (2011). Google: Rethink Your Mission. Available: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/07/05/google-rethink-your-mission/1/. Last accessed 28th Feb 2013. Forster, N (2005). Maximum Performance: A Practical Guide to Leading and Managing People at Work. Australia: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. p.1-594. Google Inc. (2010). Yahoo Finance. Available: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=goog. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Google Milestones. (2010). Google. Available: http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/history.html. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Great Place to Work Institute Inc. (2008). Available: http://resources.greatplacetowork.com/article/pdf/100-best-2008-google.pdf. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Gupta, A. (2005). Design Education: Tradition and Modernity; Treating Employees as Customers: A Human Resource Equity. P.7-9 Hammonds, K. (2004). A Googler’s Admission: Life amid Semantic, Visual, and Technical Esoterica. p.24 Horn, L. (2011). Google Receives 75K Job Applications. PC Mag. Available: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379379,00.asp. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Hout, T M. (1999). Books in Review: Are Managers Obsolete. Harvard Business Review. 77(2) pp. 161–168. Manyika, J. (2008). Google’s View on the Future of Business: An Interview with CEO Eric Schmidt. The McKinsey Quarterly. Available: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Googles_view_on_the_future_of_business_An_interview_with_CEO_Eric_Schmi t_2229. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Mayer, M. (2010). Marissa Mayer at Stanford University. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soYKFWqVVzg. Last accessed 28th Feb 2013. Page, L; Brin, S; Motwani, R; Winograd, T (1999). The PageRank Citation Ranking: Bringing Order to the Web. Stanford University. Available: http://ilpubs.stanford.edu:8090/422/1/1999-66.pdf. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Rheem, H. (1995). The learning organization. Harvard Business Review. 73(2), p.10. Sullivan, J. (2011). Search Google for Top HR Practices. WorkForce.com. Available: http://www.workforce.com/article/20071130/NEWS02/311309983/search-google-for-top-hr-practices. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Technical Overview. (2010). Google. Available: http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. Walker, J. (2012a). The Google Way of Learning. Available: http://it-jobs.fins.com/Articles/SBB0001424052702303918204577448500101101414/The-Google-Way-of-Learning. Last accessed 28th Feb 2013. Walker, J. (2012b). School’s in-session at Google. The Wall Street Journal. Available: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303410404577466852658514144.html. Last accessed 19th Feb 2013. How to cite Case Study: An Analysis of Google Inc, Free Case study samples

War On Drugs free essay sample

The United States legal and political system is very complex. There are two major political bodies governing each state: The Federal Government, which imposes laws on the national level, and the State Government, which has its own agenda. In the recent years, four to five States have introduced legislation which conflicts with Federal law. Thus, the question arises, should the Federal Government have the final say or should each State Government have the power to overcome Federal decisions. This paper will use the issue of drug policies in the United States to give an insight on the conflicts that marijuana laws have caused between the Federal and State Governments and will use examples from the States that have already legalized marijuana as a medicinal and/or recreational drug. Since the late 20th century the U. S Federal Government has been at war, a War on Drugs. This war is very complex and too elaborate to focus on as a whole; therefore, the predominant focus will be on the prohibition of marijuana. We will write a custom essay sample on War On Drugs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Popular culture has augmented the presence of marijuana in the U. S society and has created many controversies regarding its use. In addition, this essay will provide a short outline regarding what the â€Å"War on Drugs† is and will try to answer the question, has this war been effective? The 1960’s marked a phase of social unrest and rebellion. The two main issues at hand were the Jim Crow Law, attitude against African Americans living in the south, and the U. S involvement in the Vietnam War. There were many demonstrations which lead to Riots where innocent people died. In 1970 Kent State Massacre was one of the demonstrations where innocent lives were lost. Students protests lead to four deaths, one paralyzed, and eight wounded. Social unrest was at an all time high. Since the 1960s drugs were seen as a symbol of youthful rebellion, social upheaval, and Political strife. Therefore, to try to end such social unrest, all aspects causing it were attacked by the Federal Government. The War on Drugs was used to mitigate the exposure of such revolutionary symbols and to decrease youth consumption of illegal drugs. It was a campaign introduced by President Richard Nixon, in June 1971, where he dramatically increased the presence of Federal drug control agencies. In 1973, congress accepted the proposal to merge the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement. Thus, the Drug Enforcement Administration was formed, a more centralized agency which is the dominant force behind the War on Drugs. This is a great example of U. S Federalism at play. The â€Å"War on Drugs† aims to reduce illegal drug trade by enforcing harsher sentences for violators. The goal is to protect the citizens of the United States, but, when one looks at the war on drugs closely it becomes evident that this war has been rather counter productive. The U. S citizens have suffered the most and the real criminal organizations are the ones who benefit the most. The process of eradicating drugs from the streets of the United States is rather flawed. The Enforcement agencies such as the DEA and local state police make arrests and the violators are prosecuted. The Federal Government regulates drugs through the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (21 U. S. C.  § 811), which doesnt differentiate between medical and recreational use of marijuana. The Federal Government places every controlled substance in a scheduled base on its potential for abuse and medical gain. Under the CSA, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug alongside cocaine and Heroine. Firstly, this highlights the arrogance of the Federal Government that, despite medical experiments, labelling marijuana is more beneficial than harmful. The Federal Government views marijuana as highly damaging with no medical value. Further, a conviction of marijuana will be treated the same way as the conviction of cocaine related violations. As a student living in Canada where marijuana is rather more acceptable, it seems rather irrational and irresponsible to view a conviction of cocaine and marijuana in the same category. In regard to the War on Drugs, the Federal Government hasnt sufficiently handled the marijuana issue. The U. S popular culture promotes the medicinal and recreational consumption of marijuana. These laws have led to much violence and corruption and yet marijuana is still classified as a drug like cocaine and heroine regardless of its proven medicinal benefits. The reason Ive decided to use marijuana as the basis of my argument is because its the epicentre of this war. An ample amount of the budget for mitigating drug use and trade has been used to deal with marijuana. Marijuana is the most popular and most debatable drug amongst the drugs that the Federal Government has been fighting. There is a great deal of conflict amongst Americans whether marijuana should be compared to drugs like cocaine and heroine due to its health benefits. Its a drug which has received the most publicity, high ranking public officials and politicians have admitted to trying marijuana in their youth. Former President Bill Clinton and current President Barack Obama have admitted to using marijuana in their past. The problem becomes even more complex, where you have a sizable popularity and appeal for the drug/plant yet it is classified as dangerous as cocaine or heroine. The Controlled substances act of 1970 is completely flawed, it has a repeat prohibition but instead of alcohol it’s drugs. As the prohibition of alcohol created further chaos instead of mitigating it, the same can be stated for the War on Drugs. Americans caught within this conflict have paid greatly. Since the 1970s, drug war policies have lead to the conviction and marginalization of the U. S Citizens and disproportionately the poor and non white, while completely failing to mitigate illegal drug use, drug-related deaths. In 2011, 1. 53 million Americans were arrested for non violent drug charges and about 663 000 were arrested for the possession of marijuana. If you compare these numbers to the total number of people arrested, 2. 3 million, almost half of the people arrested in the United States in 2011 were minor drug users. There is no logic behind the harsh punishment for drug users. Incarcerating for nonviolent drug offenses destroys the life of the offenders. A criminal conviction on anyone’s resume will make it almost impossible for them to find a job. Further, if a student is convicted, any governmental assistance or loan for education will be denied to them. The focus needs to be less on obtaining convictions and more on prevention of the addictions. Imposing moral values on the mass public creates crime waves. The war on drug gives gangsters an environment to sell drugs, tax and duty free, to any individual regardless of age or health requirement due to an unregulated market. The gangs are used to market the product, why must a marijuana dealer be deemed a criminal? Because marijuana, due to the scheduled I labelling, has been infused with real hard core drugs (cocaine, heroine). A substance that can be grown at home can’t easily be prohibited. A rational analysis will claim that the drug laws do more harm than drugs themselves. The Tenth Amendment goes as follows The Powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States \respectively, or to the people. † The main reason, through empirical analysis, it can be concluded that the U. S Federal Government has been promoting anti-drug laws for so long that it has become an image, a slogan for their agenda. If the Federal Government passes a law on marijuana, firstly it affects the Federal Government and the President’s image in a negative manner because how can the Government go back on what they were fighting for all this time. The â€Å"War on Drugs† will is highly criticized. Secondly, if marijuana becomes legalized there will be pressure for other legal drugs in the States to become legalized by the Federal Government as well. Crimes are caused more by people under emotional stress than by people under the influence of marijuana. Marijuana, ounce per ounce, is worth more than gold plus the drug dealers who make $30000 a year wouldn’t want marijuana to be legal. An unregulated market makes it easier for kids to get a hold of marijuana. In fact, an unregulated market for marijuana makes it easier for kids under drinking age to get marijuana than to get cigarettes thus the law doesnt work; it cannot regulate immorality by completely banning a drug and then arresting hundreds of thousands of people for simply being in possession of it. Decriminalization is illogical!