Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The Transformation of the Music Industry Supply Chain Essay

The Transformation of the Music Industry Supply Chain - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that developments such as Information Technology (IT) have had profound impacts on the way companies do business. Of late, companies have had to rethink the way their activities are coordinated from production to the final consumers. These shifts in company’s actions have not been initiated by technology alone. The theory of investment, changes in consumer preferences, taste and fashion have had a profound impact in shaping company’s strategy. Supply chain management (SCM) has been considered as the most popular operations strategy to help companies sail through these challenges and for improving organisational competitiveness in the twenty-first century. In the 1990s, agile manufacturing (AM) gained momentum and received due attention from both researchers and practitioners as SCM gradually attract interest. Both AM and SCM appear to differ in philosophical emphasis, but each complements the other in objectives for improving organisational competitiveness.Supply Chain Management (SCM) activities are related to problem-solving, information sharing, and cost reduction initiatives. The influences of individual-level antecedents on post-adoption utilisation of a specialised IT within an SCM context were examined by Bradley. Bradley found out that 92% of the people he questioned in1999, were planning to implement one or more supply chain initiatives. Supply chain plans to integrate key business activities through improved relationships at all levels of the supply chains. In short, SCM has become a necessity for any firm seeking to solidify its position in the marketplace. An effective supply chain includes a variety of firms, ranging from those that process raw materials to those engaged in wholesaling and retailing. It also includes organisations engaged in transportation, warehousing, information processing, and materials handling. 1.2 Supply-Chain and the Music Industry Supply chain is a competitive management technique employed within the last two decades to ensure the effective flow of resources, information, services within and organisation network. Today, organisations have adopted it as a strategic competitive weapon as they continue to seek competitive advantage. This quest by organisation explained the recent influx of research into SCM. Hines, P. & Rich, N. (2005) postulated that SCM has become a converging ground for various disciplines and integrate key business activities through improved relationships at all levels of the supply chains (Internal operations, upstream supplier, networks and downstream distribution channels. In figure 1.0 below, I try to look at key players in the music industry and some of their labels. This table has been adapted from http://www.soc.duke.edu . 1.2.1 Warner Music Group Being the largest in the industry, it has total assets of over $16.7 billion. The company started in the 20s following an attempt to control music. It owns the Warner music group with publisher, Warner/Chappel Music Publishing. It merger with EMI Ltd. in 2000 took it to the dominant market position. 1.2.2 Sony Music With the main publisher Sony music publishing and Columbia records, to complement its hardware operations, the management of Sony created a software manufacturing and distribution system. Sony music is a key player in the music indusrty 1.2.3 PolyGram N.V. The company has a Dutch origin and is 75% own by Phillips. The position of the company today resulted from a

Monday, February 3, 2020

Western and Chinese landscape painting Research Paper

Western and Chinese landscape painting - Research Paper Example The essay "Western and Chinese landscape painting" compares Western landscape painting with Chinese landscape painting. Most of these landscapes do exist up to now because they were and are still being used as archeological sites. Although landscape painting is believed to have been practiced all over the world, it is the Western and Chinese landscape paintings that are more predominant in archeological sites and art galleries that focus on landscape painting. Western and Chinese cultures depict a wide range of landscape painting. In most paintings, the background always contains a physical feature. In China, this is always accompanied with a waterfall or a mountain while in the West it is accompanied by rivers and lakes . To discus more about Western and Chinese landscape paintings, we will use landscape painting (1), Poet on a Mountain c. 1500 by Shen Zhou, to represent Chinese culture, as well as landscape painting (2), Poppies Blooming by Claude Monet to represent the Western cul ture. In Chinese culture, landscape painting was inspired by philosophy, represented by pure landscape and devoid of human life. Most of the landscapes were based on imaginary sceneries, such as mountain, but there was a common problem in bridging the gap between the foreground and background, or objects in far range. To solve this problem, most Chinese painters used a dead ground or the use of mist. However, in Chinese culture, there was a slight difference between the East and West Asia in the landscape paints.; in West Asia there was the classification of art according to its prestige and cultural value. This practice was known as hierarchy of genres while in East Asia the form of mountain-water ink was the most common and valued form of landscape art. East Asia dealt with imaginary landscape while the West painters dealt with history painting. With time, they required landscape painting and a poem inscribed on the painting with the use of figures to make landscape look more reli gious. A good example is one of the Chinese masterpieces by Shen Zhou which combined the painting and the poem as a religious saying: â€Å"White clouds encircle the mountain waist like a sash. Stone steps mount high into the void where the narrow path leads far. Alone, leaning on my rustic staff I gaze idly into the distance. My longing for the notes of a flute is answered in the murmurings of the gorge5." In Western culture, landscape painting philosophies were based on religious practices and carried significant spiritual weight. Also in the Western culture, artists tried to make the landscape art as real as possible6. In Chinese culture, their landscape painting aesthetics involved a lot of white or blank space, which allowed the observer to fill the void with his or her own imagination enabling different viewers to have different view of the painting, as this will depend on what or how they decided to fill the void. In addition, the Chinese landscape painting allowed the viewe r to focus on a particular image, as most of the paintings were usually blank, as in filled with mist or fog, to scrap the unwanted information, and with focused imagination allowed the observer to express his or her fillings to the image easily. In Western culture, landscape painting aesthetics included all the details that a naked eye could see when looking at a scene and this was to help the viewer to feel as if he or she was present t

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Three Major Categories Of Software

Three Major Categories Of Software Software can be divided into three major categories according to popularity: application software, system software, and web applications. Within each category there are dozens, if not hundreds, of specialized software types, but for the purpose of this study, we will concentrate on the most popular software type of each category. Software applications refer to programs on a client machine which are written to perform specific tasks. Nowadays, there is a wide range of software applications being developed including word processing programs, database management tools, photo editing software, etc. But during the last decade the web has become the new deployment environment for software applications. Software applications that were previously built for specific operating systems and devices are now being designed specifically for the web (web-enabled). Because of this new movement, and as the web becomes increasingly a universal interface for software development, the software industry is experiencing a major evolution toward web-related software applications (Festa 2001). For example, the recent release of Googles Chrome web browser which was specifically designed to enable the execution of web applications and services in the web browser confirms this trend. As the web evolves, the surrounding and supporting technologies are becoming more complex. This is especially relevant in web-enabled applications such as web browsers, email/news clients, VoIP and chat clients which allow the interaction with the web from the client side. Web browsers specifically have become the doorway to the Internet and are currently the most widely used applications and the standard tool for consuming Internet services. This evolution toward web-related applications had a direct impact on the security of such applications. For instance, vulnerabilities and attacks against web browsers became more popular as such attacks compromise the security and privacy and have serious implications for web users. Once a web-related software is infected, the users web interaction can be fully exposed to the attacker. For instance, an infected web browser can expose the victims web addresses, data typed into forms, user sessions and cookies. Moreover, vulnerability risks in a web browser can have a serious implication for intranets (Anupam and Mayer 1998). Most users use the same browser to access information on the intranet as well as the Internet. A user who has been attacked through vulnerable web browser has compromised his or her firewall for the duration of the browsing session (c). Examples of such vulnerability risks against web browsers include key loggers. Key loggers are a form of spyware which can be installed through vulnerability in a web browser and then logs all pressed keys whenever a user visits a certain online banking web site. The increase in vulnerability risks in web-related software is related to the exponential growth of the Internet. As we enter through the second decade of the 21st century, the rapid adoption of the Internet market along its ubiquitous presence will continue to make Internet technologies such as web-related applications a prime target for attackers as they constitute the largest mass of victims. Hypothesis 1a: Vulnerability type will be highly positively related to web-related software applications Hypothesis 1b: Frequency of vulnerability will be highly positively related to web-related software applications Hypothesis 1c: Severity of vulnerability will be highly positively related to web-related software applications System Software: System software refers to the set of computer programs which are required to support the execution of application programs and maintain system hardware. Operating systems, utilities, drivers and compilers are among the major components of system software. Such components are the enablers and service providers to software applications. Among these components, the operating system is the most popular and important one. The operating system market for client PCs has evolved along the lines predicted by theories of increasing returns and network externalities (Shapiro and Varian 1999). But with this increase in network externality, there has been a dramatic increase in vulnerabilities (cite xxx). For instance, between 2007 and 2009, the number of operating system vulnerabilities almost doubled from 220 to 420 vulnerabilities (CVE 2010). Such increase in vulnerabilities can be caused by several reasons. First, network externality implies larger user base which makes operating systems an a ttractive target for hackers. In addition to that, viruses and worms can spread more rapidly because of the large installed user base and network effect. Second, the architecture of some operating systems like Windows allows vulnerabilities to gain a direct access to the operating system files through external scripts; meaning that if malicious scripts are sophisticated enough, they can exploit system files through software applications or through system software directly. And last, the fame factor for discovering vulnerabilities in systems with significant installed user base make them potentially significant target for hackers. Lately, new technologies such as web-based cloud computing, virtualization and Just enough Operating System (JeOS) have been gradually diminishing the importance of the traditional operating system (Geer 2009). With cloud computing technologies, users can access web applications through their web browser; meaning that an OS like Google Chrome will only be needed to run the web-browser. Moreover, with virtualization technology a personal computer or a server is capable of running multiple operating systems or multiple sessions of a single OS at anytime without having the user rely on a single OS. Similarly, Just enough Operating System (JeOS) focuses on running applications which require minimal OS. As these technologies are gaining popularity and becoming more adopted by users, the role of an OS is starting to decrease so does its network externality. With this is mind, we hypothesize that attackers interests and vulnerability risks will gradually shift to other technologies as they become more popular. Hypothesis 1d: Vulnerability type will be positively related to system software Hypothesis 1e: Frequency of vulnerability will be positively related to system software Hypothesis 1f: Severity of vulnerability will be positively related to system software Web Applications: The remarkable reach of web applications into all areas of the Internet makes this field among the largest and most important parts of the software industry. As of today, the Internet consists of hundreds of thousands of small and large-scale web applications ranging from e-Commerce applications to social networking sites to online gaming. This popularity has attracted large user base which made web applications lucrative targets for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities. Web applications are currently subject to a plenty of vulnerabilities and attacks, such as cross-site scripting (XSS), session riding (CSRF) and browser hijacking (Mansfield-Devine 2008). Hence, the landscape of vulnerabilities has changed significantly during the first decade of the 21st century. Previously, buffer overflow and format string vulnerabilities accounted for a large fraction of all vulnerabilities during the 1990s, but as web applications became more popular, new vulnerabilities and attacks such as SQL injections and XSS attacks exceeded earlier vulnerabilities. According to CVE surveys, security issues in web applications are the most commonly reported vulnerabilities nowadays. In response, web application vendors dedicated more resources towards securing their products as they tend to receive more attention as potential targets because of their large pool of possible victims (Mercuri 2003). The problem of web application vulnerabilities is becoming more complicated with the recent movement towards Web 2.0 technologies. The landscape of Web 2.0 enables new avenue of vulnerabilities by using sophisticated scripts on the client side. Moreover, Web 2.0 websites are becoming riskier than traditional websites because they use more scripting capabilities to allow users to upload content, share information and gain more control. Despite the growth of web applications and Web 2.0, these technologies are still limited by the available resources such as network bandwidth, latency, memory and processing power. More specifically, its argued that web applications are constrained by the capabilities of the web browser they are running in. With this drawback, web application users will ultimately have to rely on their own resources to accomplish magnitudes of tasks. Compared to system and software applications, we hypothesize that web applications will continue to experience vulnerability risks but at a lower rate than other popular software. Hypothesis 1g: Vulnerability type will be least positively related to web applications Hypothesis 1h: Frequency of vulnerability will be least positively related to web applications Hypothesis 1i: Severity of vulnerability will be least positively related to web applications Targeted Operating System Software producers often create applications to run on a single or a combination of operating systems (OS). From a software viewpoint, maintaining security is the obligation of both the OS and the software program. But since computer hardware such as the CPU, memory and input/output channels are accessible to a software programs only by making calls to the OS, therefore, the OS bears a tremendous burden in achieving system security by allocating, controlling and supervising all system resources. For the most part, each of todays streamlines OSs has a main weakness. For instance, earlier OSs such as Windows NT, UNIX and Macintosh had a weakness in their access control policies (Krsul 1998). Such OSs didnt specify access control policies very clearly which meant that applications that ran by users inherited all the privileges that the access control mechanisms of the OS provided to those users (Wurster 2010). An access control policy requires an OS to give a program or a user the minimum set of access rights necessary to perform a task. In his work, Denning (1983) illustrated the working of an access control policy which typically consists of three entities namely, subjects, objects and access rights matrix. Subjects refer to users or domains whereas objects are files, services, or other resources and access rights matrix specifies different kinds of privileges including read, write and execute which are assigned to subjects over objects. A configuration of the access matrix d escribes what subjects are authorized to do. Vulnerabilities in OSs tend to rely on weaknesses in configuration of access control matrices to gain access to software applications and system software. This creates a serious problem since vulnerabilities can exploit software applications through the OS gain access and ultimately take over the system. An example of an access control policy failure is Java virtual application. The Java virtual machine was among the applications which defined, and enforced its own access control matrix. Its sandbox was compromised of a number of OS components which ensured that a malicious application cannot gain access to system resources. But once the access control mechanism of the virtual machine fails, a malicious applet can be given access beyond the sandbox (McGraw and Felten 1997). Meaning that the OS can allow a malicious applet full access to the users files because to the OS there is no difference between the virtual machine and the applet. Moreover, even with an access control policy in place, consideration must be given to system design. The OSs which are in use today have different architectures and are designed with different kernels without considering security and controlled accessibility as significant design criteria. For instance, a large portion of UNIX and Linux vulnerabilities result from boundary condition errors which are commonly known as buffer overflow (cite xxx). These boundary conditions result from a failure to properly check the bound sizes of buffers, arrays, strings. Attackers tend to exploit this weakness in UNIX and Linux OSs to gain access to system software and software applications. On the other hand, vulnerabilities in Windows OS tend to be evenly divided among exceptional conditions, boundary conditions and access control validations (cite xxx). With these types of vulnerabilities root break-in and execution of arbitrary code are common types of attacks. When it comes to writing software for different platforms, programmers must acknowledge the potential vulnerabilities and threats targeting their software. Since different OSs have different vulnerabilities, the task of designing a secure application tend to become much difficult since they have to consider vulnerability risks of each OS. Therefore we hypothesize that: Hypothesis 5a: Vulnerability type will be positively related to software which target more operating systems Hypothesis 5b: Frequency of vulnerability will be positively related to software which target more operating systems Hypothesis 5c: Severity of vulnerability will be positively related to software which target more operating systems Software Free Trial Free trial strategy is used by many vendors to promote and sell their goods. This strategy is especially popular and found to be effective to promote and sell digital goods such as software and music. Unlike physical goods, the intangibility of digital products prevents consumers from assessing the products before the consumption and adoption (Heiman and Muller 1996). Such uncertainty of product functionality reduces consumers motivation to adopt the product and is considered a source of market failure. Nowadays, offering software free trial at a low marginal production cost has resulted in the prevalence of free trials strategy. For the software market, there are two strategies of free trial, namely a fully functional free version with limited trial period (time locked version) and a limited functional version (demo version). Each of these strategies has its own advantages and disadvantages. For instance a demo version has an advantage of capturing the network effect from both trial users and the buyers. In contrast, some consumers may find it adequate to use only the limited functionalities provided in the demo version rather than purchasing the full version software. Similarly, offering time locked software version can negatively affect the software vendor as consumers with limited usage can utilize this short-term to fully take advantage of the free trial without buying the full software product. Based on these trial strategies, there have been numerous studies regarding the effect of free trial on software learning curve (Heiman and Muller 1996), software piracy (Chellappa and Shivendu 2005) and software performance (Lee and Tan 2007). For this study, we are interested in measuring the effect of free trial strategies on software vulnerabilities. Although software vendors often release demo or time locked versions, such versions can still contain good source of information for the attackers. Attackers typically misuse the trial versions to look for, find and exploit vulnerabilities. Furthermore, attackers can reverse engineer the limited code and find vulnerabilities (Sutherland et al. 2006). This technique has become particularly important as the attacker can apply vulnerabilities found in free trial versions to exploit full version software. Moreover, there are many hacker groups on the internet who specialize in cracking free trial and full versions software and releasing them on the internet under what is known as warez. Such groups usually compete with one another to be the first to crack and release the new software. These cracked versions (warez) can also serve as potential targets for attackers looking for vulnerabilities. Hence, while providing free trial versions of software by software vendors is a marketing strategy, vendors should also expect such free versions can become targets for vulnerabilities and early exploits. Hypothesis 6a: Vulnerability type will be positively related to software which offer trial versions Hypothesis 6b: Frequency of vulnerability will be positively to software which offer trial versions Hypothesis 6c: Severity of vulnerability will be positively to software which offer trial versions Software License The diversity of the software business model drives the need for different types of software licenses. A software license is a legal agreement forming a binding contract (relationship) between the vendor and the user of a software product and its considered an essential part in the evolution of the software to a market product. Software license is regarded as one of the fundamentals of OSS as there are currently close to 73 different licenses (Perens 2009). Most OSS licenses are classified based on the restrictions they impose on any derivative work (Lerner and Tirole, 2005). Examples of OSS licenses include GPL, LGPL and BSD. General Public License (GPL) is currently the most popular OSS license which states that any derived work from other GPL software has to be distributed under the same licensing terms. The Lesser GPL (LGPL) and the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) are other popular alternatives to GPL with similar characteristics. OSS projects rely heavily on code reuse as shown by DrDobbs (2009). In their work, 1311 OSS projects were analyzed and 365000 instances were found of code reuse among those projects. In principle, most of the OSS licenses allow programmers to modify and reuse existing code. This degree of code inheritance can have positive and negative effects on the security of the software. In their work, Brown and Booch (2002) discussed how reuse of OSS code can inherent insecurities and talked about the concerns which companies have regarding OSS code and how it was developed and in particular the origins and the reuse of its code. Indeed an analysis study by Pham et al. (2010) suggested that one of the key causes of vulnerabilities is due to software reuse in code, algorithms/standards, or shared libraries/APIs. They proposed the use of new model which uses algorithm to map similar vulnerable code across different systems, and use the model to trace and report vulnerabilities to software vendors . Reuse of OSS software has caused concerns as developers might inherent vulnerabilities from existing code but regardless of the open source community or software vendors positions on this debate, the possibility of security issues by reusing OSS code has been sufficient to the point where some vendors stopped reusing OSS code in their software. From a security perspective and when it comes to reusing OSS, vendors tend to follow one of the following approaches. Abandon OSS software; only reuse code which has been extensively reviewed; or maintain a relationship with the OSS community and get involved with the development process (Brown and Booch 2002). Its our belief that licenses which allow developers to reuse source code will be more susceptible to vulnerabilities than closed source proprietary licenses. Meaning that software licenses which allow code reuse are more likely to inherit or contaminate derivate work. In contrast, commercial licenses which dont share or allow code reuse are less susceptible to inherit or contaminate vulnerabilities. Hypothesis 4a: Vulnerability type will be positively related to open source software licenses Hypothesis 4b: Frequency of vulnerability will be positively related to open source licenses Hypothesis 4c: Severity of vulnerability will be positively related to open source licenses Source Code Availability Security of open source software (OSS) and closed source software has been a hot topic with many arguments repeatedly presented. Advocates of OSS argue that more reviewers strengthen the security of the software as it eases the process of finding bugs and speeds it up given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow (Raymond and Young 2000). Opponents of this idea disagree and claim that not all code reviewers and testers have enough skills and experience compared to code reviewers at companies who are more skilled at finding flaws. The argument is that oftentimes code reviewers and testers need to have further skills other than programming such as cryptography, stenography and networking. Moreover, proponents of closed source software claim that security by obscurity is the main strength of closed source software since its harder to find vulnerabilities when the code is not accessible. However, proponents of OSS argue that its possible to gain access to closed source code through publicl y available patches and disassembling software (Tevis 2005). Its important to note that the impact of the availability of source code on security depends on the open source development model. For instance, the open source cathedral model allows everyone to view the source code, detect flaws/bugs/vulnerabilities and open reports; but they are not permitted to release patches unless they are approved by project owners. OSS projects are typically regulated by project administrators who require some time to review and approve patches. Attackers can take advantage of the availability of source code and published vulnerability reports to exploit them (Payne 2002). However, proponents of OSS argue that vulnerabilities in OSS projects can be fixed faster than those in closed source software because the OSS community is not dependent on a companys schedule to release a patch. Despite the continuous debate on OSS security, advocates from both sides agree that having access to the source code makes it easier to find vulnerabilities but they differ about the impact of vulnerabilities on software security. First of all, keeping the source code open provides attackers with easy access to information that may be helpful to successfully launch an attack. Publically available source code gives attackers the ability to search for vulnerabilities and flaws and thus increase the exposure of the system. Second, making the source code publicly available doesnt guarantee that a qualified person will look at the source and evaluate it. In the bazaar style environment, malicious code such as backdoors may be sneaked into the source by attackers posing as trustful contributors. For instance, in 2003 Linux kernel developers discovered an attempt to include a backdoor in the kernel code (Poulsen 2003). Finally, for many OSS projects there is no a priori selection of program mers based on their skills; project owners tend to accept any help without checking for qualifications or coding skills. Given the issues surrounding source code availability in OSS, we hypothesize that making source code publically available will induce attackers and increase vulnerability risks. Hypothesis 1a: Vulnerability type will be positively related to source code availability Hypothesis 1b: Frequency of vulnerability will be positively related to source code availability Hypothesis 1c: Severity of vulnerability will be positively related to source code availability Software Programming Language Selecting a suitable programming language is one of the most important decisions which have to be made during software planning and design. A chosen programming language has direct effect on how software ought to be created and what means must be used to guarantee that the software functions properly and securely. Software programs which are written using an insecure language may cause system dependent errors which are known to be difficult to find and fix (Hoare 1973). For example, buffer overflows vulnerabilities and other low-level errors are well known issues in C and C++ languages (Cowan 1999). As of today, there exist numerous programming languages but the topic of security in programming languages has been widely disregarded as its believed that programming errors and flaws should be eliminated by the programmers themselves. Current approaches to this issue are essentially ad hoc where best programming practices and secure programming techniques are implemented during or after the design stage. Although this approach helps in preventing coding errors and flaws by relying on programmers skills and experience, it is difficult to say with any certainty what vulnerabilities are prevented and to what extent. More importantly, the ad hoc approach doesnt protect against new and evolving vulnerabilities as it only handles known vulnerabilities and specific coding flaws. In his paper, Hoare (1974) stated that a programming language is secure only if the compiler and run time support are capable of detecting flaws and violations of the language rules. The main issue with this statement is that current compilers and debugging tools are not reliable since they parse code differently; therefore, its impossible to guarantee the same results for programs. Additionally, such tools dont help the programmer in finding vulnerabilities or flaws as they only report syntax errors. Typically, compilers and debugging tools dont allow for security checks on debugging runs, therefore no trust can be put in the results. An evolving trend in secure programming has been the use of formal language semantics. Formal language semantics try to reason with and prove security properties of the code. For example, in their paper, Leroy and Rouaix (1998) developed a formal technique to validate a typed functional language to ensure that memory locations always contain appropriate values to avoid buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Although the use of formal language semantics has been advocated (Dean et al. 1996, Meseguer and Talcott 1997, Volpano 1997), it wasnt widely adopted among programmers. When it comes to software languages, security is essentially dependent on numerous factors such as language developers, programmers and debugging tools. With so many factors, we believe that correlating software language with vulnerability risks will be insignificant. Hypothesis 2a: Vulnerability type will be insignificantly correlated with software language Hypothesis 2b: Frequency of vulnerability will be insignificantly correlated with software language Hypothesis 2c: Severity of vulnerability will be insignificantly correlated with software language Targeted Software Users There are many different types of computer users with a wide range of background, skills, and learning habits. Computer users are typically classified into two distinct groups, namely sophisticated and novice (unsophisticated) users. Sophisticated users have an advanced understanding of computer and Internet technologies; they tend to be more security-aware. Novice users refer to non-technical personnel who are not experienced with computers and the Internet; they rely on computers for simple tasks such as word-processing, spreadsheets, and occasional web surfing. Such users are more prone to security issues due to their inexperience. For instance ignoring software updates and security patches, failing to run essential protection utilities such as an anti-virus or firewall applications are typical security issues with novice users. Because of differences in experience level between both groups, some argue that vulnerabilities affect novice users more than sophisticated ones. Although this might be true for viruses and worms and old vulnerabilities, but when it comes to dealing with zero-day vulnerabilities everyone becomes a victim regardless of their sophistication level. Zero day vulnerabilities refer to unreported exploitable vulnerabilities for which a patch is not available from software vendors (cite xxx). Moreover, when it comes to attackers and potential targets, eventually everyone is a target. Despite the type of computer users, the objective of vulnerability attacks is to hack as many computers as possible with the least amount of effort (Spitzer 2002). Attackers tend to focus on a single vulnerability and use automated scanning tools to search for as many systems as possible for that vulnerability. Such automated tools are often called autorooters and can be designed to scan a specific network for vulnerable machines or scan a range of IP addresses until a victim is found. Its important to note that these tools dont distinguish between software user s as they look for any vulnerable target in sight. Hypothesis 8a: Vulnerability type will be insignificantly correlated with to targeted software users Hypothesis 8b: Frequency of vulnerability will be insignificantly correlated with to targeted software users Hypothesis 8c: Severity of vulnerability will be insignificantly correlated with to targeted software users Software Price Software price plays an important role in modifying the individuals attitude toward the software in many ways. For example, research studies which looked at software piracy found that software price to be a significant factor (incentive) which influenced the intention to pirate (Gopal and Sanders 2000). In their work, Peace et al. (2003) conducted a survey of 201 respondents and found that software price was among the major reasons for illegally copying software. Following the same analogy, studies have shown that attackers attitudes and hackers motivations for finding vulnerabilities are associated with several factors such as: peer approval, self esteem, politics, publicity, financial gains, curiosity and sabotage (Shaw et al. 1999). Within the hackers community, hacking achievements typically help individuals gain higher and more respectable status as it refers to the persons skills and mastery level. Reaching a higher status is oftentimes associated with noteworthy achievements such as hacking popular software. For those hackers who seek publicity or peer approval, they tend to target software with large user base due to their significant reach. So despite software price, hackers look for vulnerabilities in open source and proprietary software as long as there is a significant user base. Similarly, infamous social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace are constant vulnerability targets regardless of their service cost. Outside the hackers community, hackers incentives tend to vary among political reasons (example: Google-China Hacking 2010), financial gains (example: ransom money attacks), self esteem and sabotage. Again, by analyzing each incentive, we find that software price doesnt play any role in v ulnerability risks. We therefore hypothesize that: Hypothesis 7a: Vulnerability type will be insignificantly correlated with to software price Hypothesis 7b: Frequency of vulnerability will be insignificantly correlated with to software price Hypothesis 7c: Severity of vulnerability will be insignificantly correlated with to software price

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Child Care Nvq Level 3 Unit 8 E3

Many parents adapt to changes in their lives and usually have the support of family and friends to provide assistance. Many families however can face issues that affect the family life and often need support to help them. Factors such as financial Difficulties could become an issue as this would mean that they are unable to afford food or clothing therefore leading towards poverty and poor health which can cause depression.Also poor housing would effect the child as they may not even have a garden to move about in and there may not be a play park around making the child become restricted from outside play. Another factor could be unemployment, meaning no job, which may effect the child as there would be no income. If a single parent, this would mean that they would have to work but also meaning that the child would have to be moved somewhere to be taken care of meaning sepaeration would have to happen between the parent and child.Divorce and separation would also mean that the child would possibly have to move home to a smaller building meaning that the conditions would be cramped and the parent may have to recieve lower income Lower income Smaller housing / cramped conditions There are four different types of Sectors that provide care and education for children. They are; Statutory Sector Voluntary Sector Private Sector. Independent A Statutory Sector is a Sector that has to be there by law, so dentist, local schools and hospitals are part of this.Local schools have to be there by law and get some funding by the government. The age range that schools cover is from 5 years to 11 years olds. They follow a set routine where reception covers the EYFS and then year one to year six covers the national curriculum. Schools are open from nine o'clock in the morning to half three in the afternoon, from Monday to Fridays, term times only. This means that schools are closed at Christmas, Easter, summer and half terms.Schools are in easy access areas, where there is enough space for an outside play area for example the playground and indoor space, for example somewhere to do P. E. A local school can be adapted, for example ramps for people with disabilities and for people to find it easy to access the school. A local school should also include snacks; they should be healthy snacks like fruit and vegetables. They should also include toileting times for the children. Statutory Schools are usually free except payment for school dinners, school trips and some snacks.A Voluntary Sector is a sector, which people volunteer to organise and run, so mother, toddler and Pre school groups are apart of this. The aim of a Statutory Sector School is to provide opportunities of education for every child and to support their learning also making a safe and secure environment for children to keep them from harm. Another aim is to provide social opportunities for the child this will include learning to make friends, learning to socialise with people, learning the diffe rence between adults and children and learning to respect others.It may also provide opportunities for the family by meeting new parents so they are making new friends and it may also prove as support for families as they might find people to rely on and also some services though school to help support them. An independent sector are companies with more freedom to organise their provision. Their services may not rely on government funding and does not have to follow the EYFS or the National Curriculum. However the service may be OFSTED inspected to make sure children's welfare needs are being met. Services of independent provision include independent schools and nurseries. Child Care Nvq Level 3 Unit 8 E3 Many parents adapt to changes in their lives and usually have the support of family and friends to provide assistance. Many families however can face issues that affect the family life and often need support to help them. Factors such as financial Difficulties could become an issue as this would mean that they are unable to afford food or clothing therefore leading towards poverty and poor health which can cause depression.Also poor housing would effect the child as they may not even have a garden to move about in and there may not be a play park around making the child become restricted from outside play. Another factor could be unemployment, meaning no job, which may effect the child as there would be no income. If a single parent, this would mean that they would have to work but also meaning that the child would have to be moved somewhere to be taken care of meaning sepaeration would have to happen between the parent and child.Divorce and separation would also mean that the child would possibly have to move home to a smaller building meaning that the conditions would be cramped and the parent may have to recieve lower income Lower income Smaller housing / cramped conditions There are four different types of Sectors that provide care and education for children. They are; Statutory Sector Voluntary Sector Private Sector. Independent A Statutory Sector is a Sector that has to be there by law, so dentist, local schools and hospitals are part of this.Local schools have to be there by law and get some funding by the government. The age range that schools cover is from 5 years to 11 years olds. They follow a set routine where reception covers the EYFS and then year one to year six covers the national curriculum. Schools are open from nine o'clock in the morning to half three in the afternoon, from Monday to Fridays, term times only. This means that schools are closed at Christmas, Easter, summer and half terms.Schools are in easy access areas, where there is enough space for an outside play area for example the playground and indoor space, for example somewhere to do P. E. A local school can be adapted, for example ramps for people with disabilities and for people to find it easy to access the school. A local school should also include snacks; they should be healthy snacks like fruit and vegetables. They should also include toileting times for the children. Statutory Schools are usually free except payment for school dinners, school trips and some snacks.A Voluntary Sector is a sector, which people volunteer to organise and run, so mother, toddler and Pre school groups are apart of this. The aim of a Statutory Sector School is to provide opportunities of education for every child and to support their learning also making a safe and secure environment for children to keep them from harm. Another aim is to provide social opportunities for the child this will include learning to make friends, learning to socialise with people, learning the diffe rence between adults and children and learning to respect others.It may also provide opportunities for the family by meeting new parents so they are making new friends and it may also prove as support for families as they might find people to rely on and also some services though school to help support them. An independent sector are companies with more freedom to organise their provision. Their services may not rely on government funding and does not have to follow the EYFS or the National Curriculum. However the service may be OFSTED inspected to make sure children's welfare needs are being met. Services of independent provision include independent schools and nurseries.

Friday, January 10, 2020

The Idiots Manual to Columbia University Essay Samples

The Idiot's Manual to Columbia University Essay Samples Columbia University Essay Samples for Dummies There's, naturally, a limit on the variety of pages even our finest writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but usually, we figure out how to satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. Your list will just supply you with a headache if you don't locate a remedy to end your problems. Content-wise, make certain that as you're compiling this list, you go in-depth into what type of person that you are as well. Therefore, you ought to keep your answer sweet and easy. If your high school counselor knows these conditions, he or she could also use the Counselor Recommendation to explain this info. Children aren't taught all the intricacies as to when they may apply one of the numerous particular rules in English and when they might not. Students lead busy lives and frequently forget about an approaching deadline. Admitted students who decide to enroll will have to subm it official SAT or ACT test scores ahead of matriculation. Specialisations in the area include Systems Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and you're able to benefit from a wide array of career opportunities within this field after graduation. The core curriculum is intended to educate all undergraduate students utilizing the very same texts and issues. For example, an upcoming engineering student may decide to select the chemistry and math subject tests. Simply take a look at the well-known fields of study and the very best Universities to pursue the exact same. Our premium plans provide different degree of profile access and data insights that could enable you to get into your dream school. In the long run, you will need to describe how you want to take advantage of Northwestern's many offerings, so decide on a couple that go together. You should have your reasons, and our principal concern is that you wind up getting an excellent grade. Be certain to keep a look out for different colleges who m ight have extended deadlines on account of the storm, or reach out to schools if you believe the storm will impact your capacity to finish your application. Columbia University Essay Samples: the Ultimate Convenience! The Columbia University School of the Arts offers one of the greatest programs for film making not just in the usa, but all around the world. It's possible to examine how Columbia-specific opportunities in New York will impact your education positively. Share academic or private experiences that demonstrate your passion for your preferred field, and the way the faculty and resources at Columbia will help you get to your potential. Have a look at the CollegeVine Mentorship Program. Also, Ivy League schools are the sole places where one can find a good education. The greater part of schools have that. They want to understand what type of student you may be at Columbia. Describe why you're interested in becoming part of the Columbia community. There are a lot of unique topics you may pursue for your Why Columbia essay. Ideally, you will want to explore certain topics that you're able to speak about in-depth. Start working on your essays by building a list of essays you want to finish. Our application essay writing service is regarded as the best by our clients, that are located all over the world and contact us on a standard foundation for their difficulties linked with application essay writing. The admissions committee wishes to understand the types of topics you find interesting. Perhaps among the most important essay questions Columbia and a number of other schools ask is why you wish to attend. However, subject tests might be from topics beyond your potential major. Along with essay responses, Columbia requests several lists. Columbia University Essay Samples at a Glance Be aware that cookies utilized by Adobe Flash cannot be controlled by browser settings. For that reason, it's required to remember the application submission deadlines for each institution. Even in the event the deadline is truly tight, feel free to get hold of our managers. Deadlines and normal decision differ widely, based on the institution. Leadership can be available in many forms. Match opportunities at Columbia to certain goals which you have. Your aim is to convey what's important to you and the way the school fits into your future objectives. Whenever you choose to ask us for expe rt aid, don't hesitate to get in touch with our support managers. Our customer support will gladly tell you whether there are any special offers at the present time, along with make sure you are getting the very best service our business can deliver. They have websites which offer direct contacts between writers and customers and allow them to discuss details and get the very best result. Additionally, a customer may ask the writer to submit part of the job for review and, if needed, ask them to make corrections.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Negative Effects of Imperialism in Nigeria (its...

Nigeria is a country with abundant resources and the potential to be a very powerful nation, but it is hampered by many problems. These problems are caused by NigeriaÂ’s colonization by England. Because of this intrusion on their way of life, their future was altered dramatically. The nation of Nigeria as a whole has suffered greatly as a country because of this colonization, its problem is rooted in the way it was colonized and ruled. The background of the situation is essential to understand its full impact From the way Nigeria was colonized, it was clear from the start that it would bode ill for the future inhabitants of Nigeria. Beginning in the 19th century, the British started to make their presence felt along the coast. In earlier†¦show more content†¦Instead of focusing on diversifying, the leaders of the country focus on gaining power and standing in the government. “NigeriaÂ’s most daunting challenge lies in overcoming the severe divisions among its competing religious and ethnic groups” . Moreover, once they gain it, their problems do not end, since they must look over their back, never knowing how long they will hold on to the little power they have. Meanwhile, the common person suffers, as he is neglected by his government and must survive on his own. “The standard of living declined even further than before and external debts increased.” This neglect of the common man bode s ill for the government, as it is the common man who votes in the polls. However, the vote does very little, since corruption is rampant in Nigeria. Two futures for Africa are possible-one with a democratic and stable Nigeria, and one with a Nigeria stricken by autocratic rule, corruption, and intermittent coups. An entire continent awaits the result of the Nigerian experiment with democracy. Nigeria has the resources and can provide leadership to foster greater regional and international cooperation, leadership that many of Nigerias neighbors need. A successful Nigerian democracy would provide hope for many of Africas other burgeoning democracies. The biggest problem with the government of Nigeria in regard to its malpractice towards the people is the unchecked corruption. “AShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesBehavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town DubaiRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages E SSAYS ON TWENTIETH-C ENTURY H ISTORY In the series Critical Perspectives on the Past, edited by Susan Porter Benson, Stephen Brier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and CultureRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pages Strategic Marketing Management Dedication This book is dedicated to the authors’ wives – Gillian and Rosie – and to Ben Gilligan for their support while it was being written. Acknowledgements Our thanks go to Janice Nunn for all the effort that she put in to the preparation of the manuscript. Strategic Marketing Management Planning, implementation and control Third edition Richard M.S. Wilson Emeritus Professor of Business Administration The Business School Loughborough University Read MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pages Rastafari This page intentionally left blank Rastafari From Outcasts to Culture Bearers Ennis Barrington Edmonds 2003 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford It furthers the Universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata KualaRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pages. Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Essay about Smoking Cigarettes - 3025 Words

Thank you for your warm welcome. Good afternoon. David, thank you for your introduction. To David, Dr. Cynthia Callard and all the others in the organization known as Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, thank you for having invited me to be part of this day. Also, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak with you about our common commitment against smoking. And let me also say how much I admire the work that has been done by the members of the Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. As David mentioned, because of the nature of your profession, you see up close and first hand the effects of tobacco use. You have seen its toll and you have decided to move beyond treating its symptoms to confronting its causes and by bringing your†¦show more content†¦They are making services available to people who do smoke now but who want to quit. Each year, this week is an opportunity for health partners to assess our collective progress and to identify the work ahead of us. And we all know there is much work to do. Smoking is, by far, the leading cause of preventable death in Canada today. As David Esdaile mentioned, the current estimate is that 45,000 Canadians lives end prematurely every year because of tobacco use. The hundreds of young people who start smoking every day run the risk of developing a lifelong addiction that will sap their vitality, reduce their enjoyment of life and lead to an early death. And I am someone who knows the power of that addiction. I began smoking cigarettes when I was 13 years of age and I smoked heavily until I was 35. I tried in vain a hundred times to quit. And although it has now been 15 years since I quit, I can still understand vividly and very personally the difficulty that smokers face when they try to put it aside. As a father of children who are now at the most vulnerable age in terms of the temptation to smoke, I want to do everything I can to keep them from that addiction. And like probably everybody in this room, my family has been touched by illness caused by tobacco. That experience lends a special sense of urgency to the work in which we are engaged together. So, this National Non-Smoking Week presents an opportunity for the government of Canada and for this MinisterShow MoreRelatedThe Smoking Of Cigarette Smoking855 Words   |  4 Pageschild as well. What a mother ingests is what her growing fetus ingests through her umbilical cord; the life line from the mother to the precious innocent life she holds so dear. The goal of this paper is to give some insight on the use of cigarette smoking in pregnancy. Let’s begin with a short history of what was previously called Nicotiana. Today it is known to humans as Tobacco. Tobacco has been in existence prior to Pre-Columbian America (900 – 1500) when it was first discovered as an herbRead MoreThe Dangers Of Cigarette Smoking Essay1669 Words   |  7 Pages People smoke cigarettes for various reasons. Some smoke only when they are drinking alcohol and others smoke regularly. The level of smoking among the regular smokers varies from individual to individual. There are those who smoke a cigarette or two during the day and their others who smoke at least a pack a day. How people start to smoke varies. The main entry point however is peer pressure. Many smokers came to be introduced to the habit at a young age in either high school or in college or toRead MoreElectronic Cigarettes And Cigarette Smoking774 Words   |  4 PagesTobacco cigarette smoking includes various physical associations such as hand and mouth motions, suckling, and taking cigarette breaks (Oh Kacker, 2014). According to Patrounova, 2015, in comparison to other forms of nicotine replacement therapies, Electronic cigarettes satisfy smokers’ needs to fulfill certain smoking rituals. Electronic cigarettes may be able to quench certain urges and cravings due to its design, which can also assist in fulfilling the habitual dependence of smokers (PatrounovaRead MoreThe Dangers Of Smoking Cigarette Smoking Essay1627 Words   |  7 Pagesbecome popular around the globe, such as cigarette, cigar, e-cigarette, and chewing tobacco. The origin of the tobacco plant was in North and South America where the American Indian utilized tobacco for religious and medical purposes. Later on, many forms of tobacco have been created and harmful substances have been integrated in. After world war 1, the use of cigarette became significantly notorious. Several decades later in 1964, the hazards of smoking cigarette became known to the public (Boston universityRead MoreThe Death Of Cigarette Smoking Essay2110 Words   |  9 Pagespreventable cause of death and disease in the United States of America is Cigarette smoking. In America yearly, more than 480,000 deaths occur due to cigarette smoking; within those numbers more than 41,000 deaths are due to inhalation of second hand smoke. As we progress and advertisement for the serious complications of cigarette smoking continues to increase our world begins to show a decline in the amount of cigarette smokers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that there hasRead MoreThe Dangers of Cigarette Smoking1040 Words   |  5 PagesCigarette smoking is a dangerous habit that most users regret starting on. Nowadays, smoking can cause health problems for any human. Whether or not cigarette smoking should be banned completely, has become an object of controversy in many countries. Some people think that smoking cigarettes are a helpful way to reduce stress for the moment. In my point of view, tobacco smoking has seriously negative effects such as smoking-related cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancer and it costsRead MoreThe Dangers Of Smoking Cigarettes786 Words   |  4 PagesDangers of Smoking Cigarettes are everywhere. They’re sold in almost every gas station, pharmaceutical store, and even ordinary grocery stores in the United States. Cigarettes have endorsements from celebrities, big tobacco companies, advertised on billboards, and through commercials. Smoking is a problem because it causes diseases which cost billions of dollars a year in healthcare. It is also the leading cause of diseases and deaths in the US. Smoking cigarettes is an unhealthy habit that unfortunelyRead MoreEssay Smoking Cigarettes538 Words   |  3 PagesSmoking Cigarettes In todays society, three out of five Americans are addicted to smoking cigarettes. In other words, every individual in America is either a smoker or has a friend or relative who smokes. The tobacco industry is one of Americas largest growing industries. There are many smokers and non-smokers in the world and just the same there are many differences and similarities between the two. From being treated different publicly to being looked atRead MoreThe Death Of Smoking Cigarettes Essay1532 Words   |  7 Pages Living a life without smoking cigarettes seemed like death, ironic for what cigarettes do to a human. Who couldn’t love the sensation after smoking just one cigarette? That question always confused me. That was until I saw the light in my life. I found a reason to stop, a reason to be human again and not some obsessed, crazy girl who was seen living in the shadows of her life rather than in the important stages of youth and mortality. Addiction, whether it is cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs, canRead MoreSmoking Cigarettes Should Be Banned927 Words   |  4 Pagestruly is to themselves and the ones around them. How is it so bad for someone who isn’t smoking, but is around a smoker? Why are cigarettes so damaging to a person’s body? Why do some people get so bent out of shape when a person smokes in a public place? What is so wrong with smoking in the car with children? What is so wrong with smoking an electronic cigarette? Smoking cigarettes and electronic cigarettes are very harmful to your body, but when you smoke in a public place or around other people