Bmw Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Bmw Swot Analysis Essay Logo-BMW’s white-and-blue logo is recognizable worldwide, and recalls the company’s start as an aircraft engine manufacturer. It symbolizes a pilot’s view through a propeller as alternating white and blue segments. †¢Most successful multi-brand premium car manufacturer-BMW has three brands, BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. They delivered 141,952 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce automobiles in 2007 and sales increased by 7. 4% from the previous year. †¢Super luxury Rolls Royce car-The Rolls-Royce phantom holds the number one position in the super-luxury car segment. The Phantom was launched in 1993, and the final assembly, as well as all-wood and leatherwork are custom made for each customers individual specifications. The plant where they are produced, the Goodwood plant in England, contains only two robots to paint the space frame body; all other work is done by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition. †¢Spends one of the highest revenues on R;D-BMW Group employs about 8,000 people worldwide within the research ; development (R;D) network and has invested millions of dollars over the years. They employ engineers, designers, model builders, computer experts, and scientists of various disciplines FIZ co-ordinates and optimize research activities across the group to create the BMW cars of the future. †¢Brand-BMW ranked in the top 20 most recognized global brands. BMW is now the only multi-brand automaker that utilizes a pure, premium brand strategy. The objective behind this strategy is to generate higher income per vehicle on the basis of products with a high intrinsic value and a strong brand image. Their brand ranked number 15 in 2006. Longevity-Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) was formed in 1916 after two small aircraft engine manufacturers merged. In 1923, BMW began to build motorcycles, then its first car in 1928. †¢Driving School-Many manufacturers have associations with driving schools; BMW runs its own. The BMW Performance Center, adjacent to the BMW Manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, attracts owners and prospects from around the country for an ultimate br and experience. †¢Sales-BMW is one among the leading players in the premium cars segment. It achieved a record sales volume of 1,373,970 units in 2006. BMW is ranked among the ten largest car producers globally. Awards/Recognition-Reflecting BMWs commitment to developing quality and innovative products, the company has been honored with several awards in the past. For example, BMW was presented with the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany in February 2006 for the BMW 6 Series Coupe and Convertible models. Presented by the German Design Council, the award was the highest official German design award. Following this, the MINI model of the company won the Golden Steering Wheel 2006 award in seven out of 15 categories, ten days ahead of its official market launch in November 2006. Formula 1-BMW won its first Formula 1 championship in 1983 using a four cylinder, 1. 5-liter production based engine. Of course it was turbocharged and could develop well over 1,000 horsepower, some say over 1,500 for short periods of time. BMW continues to field a Formula 1 team because it provides the ultimate in competition and thus the ultimate in learning for BMW. †¢Excellence through quality innovation-BMW Group’s success is its strategic focus on developing customer-friendly innovations, coupled with an approach to innovations management that is unique within the motor industry Customize your own car-BMW has the option of seeing a sample of the car you’d like by selecting different options such as the color of interior design and exterior design, the wheels, the model etc. †¢Intelligent processes-the COSP(Customer oriented sales and production process) bases production on the customer’s customized version and not by company standards. They employ 70,000 workers in 23 different locations to build the customized cars. A customer can change or alter the options and style of the car right before it goes into production. †¢Environment-friendly-BMW considers environmental and recycling requirements. They use recycled products to build cars. They have environmental standards for all the plants throughout the world. They build cars that lower the amount of fuel consumption. †¢Superior technology and development of new products BMW is doing this is by developing a hybrid engine as part of a global alliance. The aim of this development is known as a â€Å"two-mode† hybrid vehicle, combining a combustion engine with two electronic engines. This design is aimed towards improving the performance, fuel consumption, emissions and range of conventional hybrid vehicles. The primary goal of modern hybrid systems is to save fuel. †¢Commitment to customers BMWs’ main goal is to focus on getting the product to the customer as quickly as possible. BMW has a program known as the â€Å"Customer oriented sales and production process. † This way, the customer is able to make any last minute changes to the equipment and accessories they’ve ordered shortly before the vehicle goes to assembly-without delaying the date of delivery. †¢Design Work design process of building vehicles is done by California Innovation Triangle. This state of the art firm uses computers to help aid the process of design. The highlight of this facility is what the industry has begun to call â€Å"the model plate. † The model plate is a measurement system that transfers the contours of the object being scanned to computers where a 3D model is produced. The designers can then go in and make changes to the object through the computer in order to make the part as suitable for its intended use as possible. What makes this machine so rare is the size of object that can be scanned. The model plate can scan very large object, up to the size of an omnibus. With the use of this technology BMW and California Innovation Triangle are able to layout and design entire vehicles piece by piece. †¢Involvement in community South Africa serves as good example of BMW’s social commitment. BMW works to bring change from within by enacting equality in the workface, and investing not only in the business, but also in education, healthcare and recreational facilities for employees. The factory at Rosslyn, near Pretoria, evolved from a CKD facility to serve the old South Africa, into a sophisticated facility that is now part of BMW’s international production-distribution network. This risk BMW took provided South Africa the ability to export. And in 2002, the South African factory captured the J. D. Power and Associates gold award for initial production quality. †¢Environmental commitment BMW factories meet the demanding ISO 14001 environmental standards worldwide. This is not only true for the oldest BMW factory in the city of Munich and at 10 year old American plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but also with new factories in emerging and less regulated markets like Thailand and Russia. Excellence through quality innovation-BMW Group’s success is its strategic focus on developing customer-friendly innovations, coupled with an approach to innovations management that is unique within the motor industry. From features like the twin-flat motorcycle engine, V-shaped overhead valves, and hemispherical combustion chambers introduced on the classics of the 1920s and 30s, to modern technology including ABS brakes, Xenon lights, smart airbags, the head protection system, Valvetronic and iDrive, BMW constantly reinforces its credibility as a premium manufacturer Management-Chief executive, Norbert Reithofer, who took office on September 1, will be seeking to build on the Bavarians’ global momentum. Reithofer has a brilliant track record as head of production, such as combining lean manufacturing and Japanese-like continual improvement with benchmark flexibility for a premium automaker which gives BMW a big cost advantage over leading competition and making it tough for competitors like Mercedes to gain any ground. †¢Young customer base-With the Mini and series 3, BMW has a significant dvantage of gaining younger and first time purchasers over other luxury brands. The youth market is critically important because if a young buyer chooses a particular brand for a first car, he or she is more than likely to buy others with the same name plate as they mature and move up in the market. Even though buyers in the 16-35 age category only accounted for a small percentage of overall sales it is important to gain there sales because as the old marketing principle goes it is easier to keep a customer than to gain new ones. WEAKNESSES †¢New Models-Is it really worth developing new models? It entails expenses along with shipping prices. Each day BMW is striving to produce and develop new cars to satisfy the customers. In the long run, who actually knows if these cars are going to be a big hit. The company might actually be wasting their time and money in producing a model that will not be worthwhile. When developing and producing cars it is important to decipher whether or not the car will become one that is popular on the market. †¢BMW’s heavy cost German base. -More and more competitors are shifting product development activities to lower cost countries. BMW could be forced to negotiate a way to maintain cost competitiveness and its reputation for German engineering excellence made in different countries. †¢Price-Another weakness of the BMW industry is getting the customers to buy these cars. Yes, the hybrid vehicle will save you fuel, but it will be so expensive that it might be hard trying to find customers to buy them at such a high price. Another reason the price of the vehicle is so high is because they are shipped across the United States and also come from a factory in Germany. The expenses of the vehicles and the shipping rate are two key weaknesses that many companies must work with. †¢Motorcycle Sales-The European market accounts for more than 60% of BMWs motorcycle sales on an average. The group is heavily dependent on this region with Germany being one of the largest markets for its motorcycles business. With the demand in Germany being highly inconsistent in the past six years, this high dependence on a particular region can have an adverse effect on the companys sales, during periods of demand stagnation in the region. For example, BMWs motorcycle sales in Germany declined by 9. % to 24,064 units in 2005, which further declined to 23,617 units in 2006. †¢Corporate image-too serious ad tradition-bound. †¢Hybrid Prices-These types of cars will save you a lot of money on fuel, but the problem BMW is having trouble with is pricing the hybrids. It would be hard for BMW to find customers that would buy the hybrids at a high cost. †¢Ship ment Cost-Most of the cars are shipped from Germany to the United States. The shipping cost would affect the price of the car. This is one the expenses that the BMW company’s would have to deal with in pricing their vehicles for the customers satisfaction. Online Strategies-BMW is not winning the â€Å"information war† in the market place about its own customers, their attitudes, complaints, wishes, etc. BMW is not operating in a manner, which acts to â€Å"include† its customers including their meeting and information sharing sources. Existing online efforts do not meet consumer needs. There is a lack of â€Å"human intelligence† and an over-reliance on visual marketing in BMW’s on-line strategies. †¢Dealer Networks-BMW’s dealer network is in the midst of great change. Overall basic product margins are down while business infrastructure requirements are up. Many dealers do not feel that the field reps are there to help them build their business but rather just to comment arbitrarily and deliver business change requirements from BMW headquarters. There is a problem with two way information flow in the distributor-dealer relationship. Dealers feel that they are not being listened to and are also not being serviced in critical areas of their business by BMWNA staff. †¢Management-Dealers want to be able to discuss key elements of their business given their limited capital resources. Given the size and nature of he motorcycle market many dealers feel that BMW’s current policies are overly restrictive to the healthy development of their business and that BMWNA should operate in a more flexible manner which could be seen as co-development of a dealer’s franchise not just top-down management by memo. †¢Changing Consumer Environments-Also, as it appears that BMW’s dealer strategy is to move to larger centralized â €˜corporate style’ stores, many of the smaller ‘mom and pop’ dealerships that historically or currently serve a key segment of the BMW owners/riders are being alienated and/or eliminated. By following this policy of upgrade or be eliminated BMW is removing both the habitat in which the consumers live as well as the knowledge base and support structure from which they engage in BMW oriented motorcycle commerce. OPPORTUNITIES †¢India-The Company has been launching several new initiatives and has been widening its product base since 2001. The company expects ample growth opportunities in India, and it is keen on expanding its bases in these countries. †¢The expansion of the euro. -In May 2004 more countries adopted the euro making it the world’s biggest trading block. This offers ample opportunities for BMW to leverage its strong European position in the premium car segment to gather more market share across new and expanding markets. †¢A Chinese luxury car market-Rigorous attempt to get into the Chinese luxury car market signifies an increase in the earnings of the company over the coming years. China already ranks as the third largest market for BMW’s 7 Series luxury limousines. BMW predicts that vigorous growth will place China among the company’s seven largest markets in a few more years. †¢Diesel Power-BMW foresees an immense opportunity in the diesel-powered cars segment. Tourism-the Zentrum building is located in South Carolina. This gives tourists the opportunity to take a look at the history of BMW, also at the cars, the speed and innovation free of charge. It is the only BMW museum in the United States. It is also located next to the only BMW manufacturing plant in the United States. BMW should take a look into bu ilding more museums throughout the world. †¢Expansion-although BMW is very successful they should think about expanding their manufacturing plants throughout the United States and other countries. They only have one location in the United States which is in South Carolina. †¢Have the best and most current technology-It is important for BMW to have the best research and development staff where they can keep the company up-to-date with technology. With the latest technology and supplies, BMW can create the best cars the fastest and most efficient way possible. †¢Broaden information sharing -BMW should broaden information sharing amongst their dealers, distributors, and factory. This will improve product repair knowledge resulting in improved customer service and satisfaction. Improve and run their business based on their business plan-Improving the capabilities of dealers to sell more BMW products in the marketplace through refinement of their business plan †¢Utilize the Internet more-Multiply the value of the ‘human capital’ in the BMW network by â€Å"e-knowledge† and â€Å"e-training. † †¢Better training of their salespeople-Deve lopment and implementation of business practices that harness the best of each individual dealer and make their unique market position/skills a valuable part of the entire network. Partnering with Sirius Radio-In 2005, BMW partnered with Sirius Satellite Radio to promote its new 3-serious car for 44 days. BMW used Sirius to promote its new car because the radio station had 1. 24 million subscribers and still growing. On the final day of promotion it broadcasted a live concert with various artists. †¢Acquiring Volvo-The chairman of BMW, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, is plan on expanding the business with a fourth brand name, Volvo. Although sales of Volvo has been slow in the North American and Europe, its brand name focuses mainly on safety and its fashion appeal is not attractive to the eye. BMW could help out by acquiring the company to make it a more global brand, also in the Asian Market. †¢Apple iPhone-The new Apple iPhone is one of the next best things of phones. It is a touch screen phone with a built in iPod. This would give BMW the opportunity to integrate the iPhone into their cars. †¢China market-An opportunity for BMW is the increase in the luxury automobile market in china. The most significant growth of the luxury market can be attributed to Jiangsu province which has created an 84 percent increase. Next to Jiangsu is Guangdong, making 79 percent recorded growth in the market. On the other hand, Zhejiang province also bagged a 54 percent increase. THREATS †¢Demand Patterns-BMW operates in an industry that is prone to cyclical demand patterns due to consumer wants and needs. †¢Currency-Any unfavorable trend in Euro valuation against major currencies can hurt BMWs performance. †¢Fuel Efficiency-While BMW continues to work on high performance, clean and efficient gasoline engines, the company is also committed to a green-house-gas- free hydrogen powered vehicle as a long-term strategy. At this time we have an active development program that will enable us still to bring to market a full size automobile, propelled with hydrogen, before the end of the decade. †¢The continuing decline of the dollar against the euro-This threatens to undercut BMW’s top-line thereby tempering its profitability. The euro to one-dollar ratio has dropped from 0. 702626 euros to 0. 690376 euros from October to November. †¢The rising price of raw materials -Materials such as steel threaten to offset the company’s earnings. BMW continues to face the rising cost of raw materials as the key challenge to maintain and improve their growth performance. The annual average market price of aluminum, copper and plastic rose by 34%, 76% and 13%, respectively, in 2006. Likewise, the price of industrial raw materials also increased by more than 30% in 2006. †¢Rising gas prices – with a weak U. S. market, steadily rising gas prices and gaining popularity in non-luxury vehicles there is the temptation to move down market.

Security Issues Concerned With E Commerce Information Technology Essay

Security Issues Concerned With E Commerce Information Technology Essay Rapid advancements in technology is allowing everyone to send and receive information from anywhere in the world. Initially people used to share information but slowly this technology started emerging to business areas such as marketing, buying and selling, is called E-commerce. In which all the business transactions are made online. E-commerce is providing many comforts to everyone at the same time there is a chance of misusing the technology. In this essay, E-commerce is discussed in detail about the security issues associated with that. Familiarity with securities increases the benefits of E-commerce to a maximum extent.   INTRODUCTION E-commerce is a type of business model for a small or larger business that enables a firm or individual to conduct business using electronic media such as internet. It can be divided into four major areas based on type of business and the parties involved in business. They are business to business, business to consumer, consumer to consumer and consumer to business. This essay explains about E-commerce, importance of E-commerce, latest applications, advantages and draw backs. This is also explains in detail about current security issues, E-commerce threats, risks and privacy issues related to various areas of e commerce. IMPORTANCE OF E-COMMERCE: In e-commerce, time plays a vital role in both the businesses and consumers. From the business point of view, with less time spent during each transaction, more transaction can be attained on the same day. As for the consumer, they will save up more time during their transaction. Because of this, Ecommerce steps in and replaced the traditional commerce method where a single transaction can cost both parties a lot of valuable time. For example, a banking transaction can be completed through the Internet within a few minutes compared to the traditional banking method which may take up to hours. This fact clearly proves that Ecommerce is beneficial to both business and consumer wise as payment and documentations can be completed with greater efficiency. APPLICATIONS OF E-COMMERCE: Now a days development of E-commerce applications is taking place rapidly. This is mainly due to the increased  number of internet users  and awareness of technology in people. Many people using internet to shop online, make bills payment and  money transfers  etc. ADVANTAGES OF E-COMMERCE APPLICATIONS: People paying more attention to do electronic transaction using internet because, they can do these from any place in the world at any time they wish. This is saving lot of time and effort and providing comfort.   The other important advantage of e commerce is the cheapest means of doing business. From the buyers perspective also ecommerce offers a lot of real advantages. Reduction in buyers sorting out time. Better buyer decisions Less time is spent in resolving invoice and order discrepancies. Increased opportunities for buying alternative products. DIS ADVANTAGES OF E-COMMERCE: However there are several benefits of E-commerce applications, there are few limitations and risks involved in using those applications. The main disadvantage of E-commerce is the lack of a business model, lack of trust and key public infrastructure, slow navigation on the Internet, the high risk of buying unsatisfactory products, and most of all lack of security. It has a great impact on traditional business system. For example,  telephone bill payment  in traditional method was expensive and time consuming than the recent online payment. Of course, the recent online payment system is cost effective but, cant provide employment in the transportation system like traditional payment method. So the major disadvantage of E-commerce applications is, it perpetuates unemployment. In some way it can provide employment to few people like  data base administrator,  internet security providers  etc. where as privacy, security, payment, identity, contract comes under drawbacks of the e- commerce. SECURITY ISSUES CONCERNED WITH E-COMMERCE: In spite of its advantages and limitations E-commerce has got some security issues in practical. E-commerce  security is nothing but preventing loss and protecting the areas financially and informational from unauthorized access, use or destruction.   Due the rapid developments in science and technology, risks involved in use of technology and the security measures to avoid the organizational and individual losses are changing day to day.  Ã‚  There are two types of important cryptography we follow for secured E-commerce transactions. Symmetric (private-key) cryptography:  This is an  encryption system  in which sender and receiver possess the same key. The key used to encrypt a message is also used to decrypt the encrypted message from the sender. Asymmetric (public-key) cryptography:  Ã‚  In this method the actual message is encoded and decoded using two different mathematically related keys, one of them is called public key and the other is called private key. To provide the maximum security using cryptography we target the following five areas: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Integrity 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Non-repudiation 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Authenticity 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confidentiality 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Privacy INTEGRITY: Integrity is nothing but message must not be altered or tampered with. There are several chances for damage of  data integrity  in the E-commerce area. Errors could take place when entering data manually. Errors may occur when data is being transmitted from one computer to another. Data could be modified or theft because of software  bugs  or  viruses. Data could be lost due to the unexpected hardware damages like server or disk crashes. There is possibility of data loss due to the  natural disasters  like  fire accidents. There are many ways to minimize these threats to data integrity. We can maintain the  Back up  of our data efficiently by updating regularly.  Ã‚  Modern technology provides us various security mechanisms to controlling access to data.  Ã‚  We can improve the data integrity through designing  user interfaces  that prevent the input of invalid data, for example menu driven applications which allow user to choose particular they are looking for.  Ã‚  We can use the  error detection  and correction software when transmitting data to develop integrity.   NONREPUDIATION: Prevention against any one party from reneging on an agreement after the fact.  For E-commerce and other electronic transactions, including ATMs (cash machines), all parties to a transaction must be confident that the transaction is secure; that the parties are who they say they are (authentication), and that the transaction is verified as final. Systems must ensure that a party cannot subsequently repudiate (reject) a transaction. To protect and ensure digital trust, the parties to such systems may employ  Digital Signatures, which will not only validate the sender, but will also time stamp the transaction, so it cannot be claimed subsequently that the transaction was not authorized or not valid etc. AUTHENTICATION: In E-commerce, authentication is a process through seller validates the information provided by the buyer like credit card information. In this  process verification of both the cardholders identity and the payment cards details are checked. In E-commerce transactions sellers must be very careful and responsible to provide good payment authentication services. A well developed and implemented transaction authentication process will decrease the number of customer disputes and charged-back transactions. If the E-commerce website do not have the good authentication system could lead a great loss of both data and money.     CONFIDENTIALITY: Confidentiality is protecting our data from unauthorized users. That means whatever the data or information shared by the merchant and the customers should be accessed by those two parties only. No other should be able to access such data. To maximize the confidentiality we must follow good  encryption and decryption methods, proper authentication and authorization procedures. We must use good antivirus or software error detections system. PRIVACY: Privacy is a major concern in E-commerce area which tells the E-commerce user how long his or her personal information is going to be stored in web site owners database, how safely they delete such personal information and what are the legal actions will be taken if the ecommerce website is misused. In online transactions, the website owner or service provider will have the ability to keep a record of all the purchases made by a consumer. Each E-commerce website has its own privacy policy, as per the needs of the organization.  Ã‚  So the customers must go through the privacy policy before they utilize E-commerce website for online shopping. Otherwise the customers have to phase big problem as the seller has the legal rights to take an action on customer for misusing their website. To get rid of this problem now a days we are able to use many tools like filtering website with low privacy ratings In the e-commerce security, some of the issues to be considered in this issue they are digital signatures, certificates, secure socket layers, firewalls. I will explain each and every concept with detail explanation. Digital signature is an electronic signature that can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender of a message or the signer of a document, and possibly to ensure that the original content of the message or document that has been sent is unchanged. A digital signature can be used with any kind of message, whether it is encrypted  or not, simply so that the receiver can be sure of the senders identity and that the message arrived intact. Digital certificate is an electronic credit card that establishes your credentials when doing business or other transactions on the Web. It is issued by a certification authority (CA). It contains your name, a serial number, expiration dates, a copy of the certificate holders  public key  (used for encrypting messages and  digital signatures), and the digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority so that a recipient can verify that the certificate is real. Some digital certificates conform to a standard, X.509. Digital certificates can be kept in registries so that authenticating users can look up other users public keys. In Security socket layer, Information sent over the Internet commonly uses the set of rules called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). The information is broken into packets, numbered sequentially, and an error control attached. SSL uses PKI and digital certificates to ensure privacy and authentication. The procedure is something like this: the client sends a message to the server, which replies with a digital certificate. Using PKI, server and client agree to create session keys, which are symmetrical secret keys specially created for that particular transmission. Once the session keys are agreed, communication continues with these session keys and the digital certificates. Some of the protecting networks are fire wall and proxy servers. Fire wall is to protect a server, a network and an individual PC from attack by viruses and hackers. Equally important is protection from malice or carelessness within the system, and many companies use the Kerberos protocol, which uses symmetric secret key cryptography to restrict access to authorized employees where as proxy servers (proxies) is a  server  (a computer system or an application program) that acts as a go-between for requests from  clients  seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource, available from a different server. E-COMMERCE SECURITY THREATS: However we follow security measures, there are is a chance of threats in several ways. We can classify such threats in to four types. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intellectual property  threats:  Ã‚  Some browsers use the information personally from a website without permission of the website owner. For example, music downloads, software pirating  etc. To get rid of this problem website owners have to use secured authentication system 2.  Ã‚  Client computer threats:  Ã‚  Sometimes client computers may impose for electronic threats like  Trojan horse, viruses. Which enters the client computer without users knowledge, steal the data and destroy or crash the client computer. To avoid these types of threats we need to use good antivirus system which should be updated regularly. The website owners should implement a strong privacy policy.   3.  Ã‚  Communication channel threats: As internet allows anyone to send and receive information through many networks. Data may be stolen, modified by unauthorized users of hackers. Hackers can develop software to steal the user Identification and pass words as well. Spoofing is another major threat while data is being transmitted electronically.  Denial of service  is also one of communication channel threat, where hackers sends unlimited number of requests to the target server, which big number of requests may not be handled by the server. Obviously the genuine user will find websites of that server are always busy.  Ã‚   We can overcome the communication channel threats using public key encryption and private key encryption.  Ã‚  We can also use proper protocols to get rid of communication channel threats. Digital signatures are another way we can follow to minimize these kinds of threats. Where the actual message which we need to send is decrypted and bound with senders private key and a signature is added to that will be send to the receiver. The receiver uses senders public key and signature for decryption to see the actual message. 4.  Ã‚  Server threats: Denial of service is a major threat for the servers, where hackers generate a program which sends many requests from the client side that cannot be handled by the server. Spamming  is another important threat for the servers. To protect our server from the above threats we can use authentication for web access, digital signatures and firewalls. Firewalls check the incoming requests packets and if anything which does not match with the server related data, they simply reject those requests. Some of the tools to achieve the security they are encryption, firewalls, security tools, access controls, proxy systems, authentication and intrusion detection. HOW TO DEVELOP AN E-COMMERCE SECURITY PLAN: Perform a risk assessment Develop a security policy Develop an implementation plan Create a security organization Perform a security audit Firstly, security plan starts with risk assessment which means an assessment of the risks and points of vulnerability. Secondly, security policy is a set of statements prioritizing the information risks, identifying acceptable risk targets and identifying the mechanisms for achieving these targets where as in the implementation plan it will take to achieve the security plan goals. Thirdly, security organization educates and train users, keeps management ware of security threats and breakdown, and maintains the tools chosen to implement security. Lastly, security audit involves the routine review of access logs. MANAGING RISK IN E-COMMERCE: To be able to manage the risk in E-commerce first step is identify the risk factor whether it is intellectual property threat, communication channel threat, client computer threat  Ã‚  Ã‚  or server threat. Then we take a counter action against the relevant risk as explained above. If we dont do this regularly, E-commerce may mislead the customer because of the data stealing of modification. Customers and the website owners may lose valuable account numbers; pass words and other personal information. As E-commerce is worldwide, it could lead for the global loss for both customers and sellers. CONCLUSION E-commerce is a type of business model for a small or larger business that enables a firm or individual to conduct business using electronic media such as internet. In e-commerce, time plays a vital role in both the businesses and consumers. E-commerce  security is nothing but preventing loss and protecting the areas financially and informational from unauthorized access, use or destruction.  Due the rapid developments in science and technology, risks involved in use of technology and the security measures to avoid the organizational and individual losses are changing day to day.  In the e-commerce security, some of the issues to be considered in this issue they are digital signatures, certificates, secure socket layers, firewalls. To develop a security plan five major steps have to be considered they are risk assessment, developing security policy, implementation plan, create a security organization and performing a security audit. To reduce the risk from the Trojans, worms ev ery one should implement the security plan.

The Conflict Between Individual And State And The Grammatical Fiction :: essays research papers

The Conflict Between the Individual and the State and the Grammatical Fiction in Darkness At Noon "The Party denied the free will of an individual-and at the same time exacted his willing self-sacrifice." The obvious contradiction of the above definition of the Communist party is depicts the conflict between the individual and the State in Arthur Koestler’s novel Darkness at Noon. Koestler’s protagonist Nicolas Salamanovich Rubashov, devout communist and former leader of the Communist party, falls victim to his own system during the time of the Moscow trials. Accused and imprisoned for crimes he did not commit, Rubashov is forced to choose between the ideology he has faithfully followed for the past forty years of his life, or a new found sense of self, which he calls the "grammatical fiction".During the beginning of Rubashov’s solitary incarceration, he begins to doubt the infallibility of the Communist regime, and for a time, views himself independent from the Party. Rubashov’s pulling away from Communism is evident in his conversation with the examining magistrate, Ivanov, during his first hearing. Rubashov addresses Ivanov’s collective viewpoint with the developing views of his own:"Your argument is somewhat anachronistic," said Rubashov. "As you quite rightly remarked, we were accustomed always to use the plural ‘we’ and to avoid as far as possible the first person singular. I have rather lost the habit of this form of speech; you stick to it. But who is this ‘we’ in whose name you speak to-day? It needs re-defining. That is the point."Apart from the Party, Rubashov no longer functions as part of the Communist unit, but rather as an individual. Within communist doctrine the individual is only a piece of a larger system, and for the true communist the pronoun ‘I’ is not even part of his or her vocabulary. Rather, the personal ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we’, which represents the Party. The significance of Rubashov’s statement is that even his speech patterns, a physical manifestation of one’s subconscious, display his self-detachment from the Communist Party in that he has lost his ability to associate with the communist We. Over and over Rubashov is tormented by the idea "I shall pay", an unrest due to his uncertainty about the foundation of Communism he has placed himself on. Shortly after his first hearing he writes in his diary "The fact is: I no longer believe in my infallibility. That is why I am lost.

Labor in Society :: Psychology Marx Capitalism Essays

Labor in Society The vision of hustling bodies performing their simple tasks in seemingly infinite repetition as part of a project too large to be understood from the particular action pervades our world to the extent that it becomes hard to imagine life without it. Indeed, the vision offers a larger narrative into which all of our experiences can fit, as if we were always just minor contributors to grand projects, where the only question is whether or not the projects are good. Marx considers this division of labor as it presents itself in society, in the form of social roles and subgroup responsibilities, as opposed to a seemingly similar order in capitalist factory organization. As a part of his wider critique of capitalism, Marx makes a distinction between the division of labor in society and in production, then uses the distinction to make capitalism appear merely contingent and vulnerable to substantial criticism. Marx delineates between the division of labor in society and in manufacture. He argues that many (or most) societies are structured with different roles for different people, â€Å"caused by differences of sex and age, a division that is consequently based on a purely physiological function† (Cap 392). This is because â€Å"different communities find different means of production †¦ which †¦ calls forth the mutual exchange of products† (Cap 393). An example might be that young men hunt and other groups perform other duties, and the community will share these goods. On the other hand, Marx claims that the division of labor in manufacture is purely a construct of capitalism. First, there is no reason that it would result from natural differences, such as physiology. Furthermore, the division â€Å"within the workshop implies the undisputed authority of the capitalist over men† (Cap 395), whereas, in the social division of labor, the work ers â€Å"acknowledge no other authority but that of competition† (Cap 395). The division of labor in manufacture is only a particular organization within the natural division of different industries. While social roles may be normal, Marx holds firmly that capitalism is not natural, neutral, or inevitable. For the division in the factory, Marx would count all of Smith’s arguments about the rationality of this mode as increases in efficiency, and thus (usually) of ‘relative surplus value’.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Essays Papers

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight What makes a man a hero? Where lies the line which when crossed changes a mortal man into a legend? Is it at the altar at Canterbury? in the Minotaur’s labyrinth? or is it an age or a time? Does a man become a hero when he transforms from a boy to an adult? or when he stops being a man and becomes a martyr? Where are the heroes of 1993? In whom do the children of this age believe? Like whom do they strive to be? Kennedy, Lennon, and even Superman are dead. World leaders are mockeries of real men, more like Pilates than Thomas Mores. Pop culture’s icons change daily. It is interesting that nearly 600 years ago someone was writing about heroism in a way that can be understood today. The poet of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells a tale in which a man is proven to be a hero through the seemingly un-heroic decisions made in the course of numerous tests. Sir Gawain is a hero for the 21st century. He is tried and trapped, he is inundated with opportunities to fail and yet he does not lose. More importantly though, in the end he learns an essential, inescapable fact about himself and human nature. What makes a man a hero? Just before he leaves Camelot in search for the Green Knight, Sir Gawain gives perhaps the best possible answer to this question: â€Å"In destinies sad or merry, True men can but try.† Tests and decisions are as numerous in any man’s life as are the beats of his heart. The consequences he incurs follow him forever; he is judged by them and they affect his entire existence. Gawain’s statement is not merely profound sentiment, useful even today as a measure of a man’s mettle. It is also, coming as early as it does in Part II of the poem, a harbinger of how Gawain’s tale may end. It tells a reader that Gawain means to do his level best in his grand endeavor and if in but one small way he should fail, do not persecute him until considering how a different man may have fared. Gawain, similar to most of the characters in the tale, is tested on several occasions. In the poem, as in real life, judgment should not be passed on a man’s single decisions individually, but only by observing how he has chosen to live his life. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Essays Papers Sir Gawain and the Green Knight What makes a man a hero? Where lies the line which when crossed changes a mortal man into a legend? Is it at the altar at Canterbury? in the Minotaur’s labyrinth? or is it an age or a time? Does a man become a hero when he transforms from a boy to an adult? or when he stops being a man and becomes a martyr? Where are the heroes of 1993? In whom do the children of this age believe? Like whom do they strive to be? Kennedy, Lennon, and even Superman are dead. World leaders are mockeries of real men, more like Pilates than Thomas Mores. Pop culture’s icons change daily. It is interesting that nearly 600 years ago someone was writing about heroism in a way that can be understood today. The poet of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells a tale in which a man is proven to be a hero through the seemingly un-heroic decisions made in the course of numerous tests. Sir Gawain is a hero for the 21st century. He is tried and trapped, he is inundated with opportunities to fail and yet he does not lose. More importantly though, in the end he learns an essential, inescapable fact about himself and human nature. What makes a man a hero? Just before he leaves Camelot in search for the Green Knight, Sir Gawain gives perhaps the best possible answer to this question: â€Å"In destinies sad or merry, True men can but try.† Tests and decisions are as numerous in any man’s life as are the beats of his heart. The consequences he incurs follow him forever; he is judged by them and they affect his entire existence. Gawain’s statement is not merely profound sentiment, useful even today as a measure of a man’s mettle. It is also, coming as early as it does in Part II of the poem, a harbinger of how Gawain’s tale may end. It tells a reader that Gawain means to do his level best in his grand endeavor and if in but one small way he should fail, do not persecute him until considering how a different man may have fared. Gawain, similar to most of the characters in the tale, is tested on several occasions. In the poem, as in real life, judgment should not be passed on a man’s single decisions individually, but only by observing how he has chosen to live his life.

Volleyball Expectations

My expectations from the team this year are to be good teammates for one another and everyone on the team. This looks like welcoming, encouraging, and helping each other during workouts, practice, and games. It doesn't mean that everyone has to be best friends, but Just that the players treat each other as our motto: â€Å"It's a team thing†. My expectations from the coaching staff this year are to watch and correct individual mistakes and not to let bad habits go unnoticed. I like how the coaches will focus on what we are doing and talk to us about how to fix anything.The personal attention for everyone helps us all to become better players. Skill wise, I bring to the table for this team that I am able to get a good pass to the setter, can play serve receive, and I have a Jump serve. I focus on back row because it all starts with a pass. In terms of attitude and leadership, I bring to the table for this team a positive attitude. If a teammate gets discouraged about what they' re doing, I want to encourage them to play the next ball and not worry about their mistakes.For adhering, when we are out on the court and come together in the middle to talk, I tell the girls that what we need to focus on or add motivation to finish a game. At this time, I perceive my strengths are that I am a fast learner and work at correcting my mistakes after instruction. I feel that my weaknesses are that I haven't learned all of the plays. For example, I'm most comfortable with hitting a 4 as an outside, and although Vive been introduced to other hits I'm not as familiar with them.I see my ole on the team this year as an all-around volleyball player. My role is to be a more efficient hitter/blocker, play defense, and go after every ball as hard as I can. I am to keep the ball in play no matter what. My individual short term goal for the next week at practice is to work on my hitting. I need to get more power and load up on my step-close so I can Jump higher. I also need to ti me my approach better to the ball (depending on its tempo) because at practice I was either too early or too late.My worth term goal for our team for the next week at practice is to talk more on the court, because it was pretty much silent last time. We only really talked after coach pointed it out. And even then, we didn't keep it up. Also, to call for the ball as loud as we can when hitting so the setter can hear us. A lot of confusion can be avoided this way. My individual long term goal for this season is to be able to become a better-rounded volleyball player. I want to improve on my hitting?I am off on my timing and don't get low on my step-close to Jump higher.Also, I want to be more accurate on hitting certain areas on the court. I want to be able to set and pass more on target as well, especially on out of system. My long term goal for our team this season is to be a team that other schools don't want to play because of both our consistency on defense and offense. I want ou r team to dig up balls that has the other side wondering how we were able to manage to get the ball up and hitting the ball so hard that the other players are hesitant to go after it. Volleyball Expectations

Same-sex Marriage in the Philippines

Most senatorial bets against same-sex marriage; Enrile is lone supporter ANDREO CALONZO, GMA NewsMarch 18, 2013 12:48pm 145 6 838 (Updated 11:17 p. m. ) Most senatorial bets for the May 2013 polls rejected the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Philippines, with Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile the only candidate expressing support for gay union, interviews conducted by GMA News Online revealed. Twenty-four of the 33 senatorial hopefuls said they are not keen on giving same-sex couples the chance to get married in the country, where over 80 percent of the citizens are Roman Catholics.Bangon Pilipinas senatorial candidate Eddie Villanueva, a religious leader who founded the Jesus is Lord Church, said he is against same-sex marriage because it is against Biblical teachings. â€Å"Sabi ng Good Book, huwag gayahin ‘yung nangyari sa Sodom and Gomorrah dahil darating ang paggunaw sa isang bansa ‘pag ‘yun ay ginawa,† Villanueva said in an interview. Ang Kapatiran Part y senatorial bet Rizalito David, meanwhile, said same-sex marriage is â€Å"against natural law. † â€Å"Ang lalaki, ang mapapangasawa niya ay babae, at sila'y mag-aanak at dadami ang sangkatauhan. Yan ang naturang batas at hindi kailanman nagkaroon sa natural law na pwede ang parehong babae o parehong lalaki,† David said in a separate interview. David's party lists in its political platform a â€Å"spiritual dimension† to â€Å"seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. † The issue on same-sex marriage recently came back to public attention with the election of a new head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. As a cardinal, the new pontiff openly opposed a bill to legalize same-sex unions in Argentina. He even described child adoption by couples of the same-sex as a form of discrimination to the child. A chance for happiness' Only one senatorial hopeful, Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, said he supports the legalization of gay unions in the Phil ippines. â€Å"Let's give everybody a chance for happiness. Let us not discriminate. If it is your inclination to be happy with a man, why discriminate against that? † Enrile said in a separate interview. He said his view on same-sex marriage was influenced by the years he spent living in the United States. â€Å"I have seen in other countries couples of the same sex who have lived very upright lives and raised children,† he explained. Legal recognition' Makabayan senatorial hopeful and Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino, who did not have a categorical stand on the issue, said he is open to giving some sort of â€Å"legal recognition† to couples of the same sex. â€Å"It's something I still have to study and learn. I'm willing to hear both sides, what the benefits and disadvantages are. I have an open mind,† Casino said. Liberal Party senatorial bet Paolo Benigno â€Å"Bam† Aquino IV, who rejected same-sex marriage, meanwhile said he is open to giving â€Å"some rights† to â€Å"long-term† same-sex couples.Former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, who is also running under the administration slate, for her part said she â€Å"upholds the rights of same-sex couples to form families,† but added that passing an anti-discrimination bill in the country may be the proper first step towards allowing gay unions in the Philippines. — DVM/RSJ, GMA News Don’t expect Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage to have an impact here. It was a historical and an inspiring gesture, one that would galvanize a changing cultural perspective on same-sex relationships inside and outside America.Here, it would spark debates on our readiness for same-sex marriage, but don’t hold your breath: it won’t alter anything here fundamentally. Don’t even think that this would suddenly lead President Aquino to push his allies in Congress to enact a law legalizing same-sex marriage. It just won’t happ en. This is not to say that the social attitudes and behavior of Filipinos toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage are not changing. They are, and social media has triggered a shift in how we digest controversial topics that in the past have been filtered and controlled by traditional institutions, such as the Church and our schools.I’m not saying that Filipinos are now more pro-LGBT, but the overall mood is changing, and there’s more openness to engage in an issue that is still otherwise considered taboo. Social media has democratized access to a wider range of narratives and stories on LGBTs and made them part of our common experiences, creating a climate that could help dismantle oppressive stereotypes about homosexuality. The bullying of LGBT kids in American schools, for instance, a Canadian transgender joining the Miss Universe, the coming out of Hollywood celebrities – these have all catalyzed conversations here.And while we know that these happened el sewhere, we have embraced the universal elements of these stories. More importantly, social media has given us access to participate in these conversations. To respond to a homophobic slur in the past meant writing press releases or letters to the editors, the fate of which would depend on the mood of the editors. Today, Facebook and Twitter could help anyone – the in-your-face LGBT activist, the closeted bakla, and their fag hags – push alternative perspectives on LGBTs, and influence how opinion gatekeepers and icons see the issue. Why the difficulty?If social attitudes are gradually shifting, why then is it hard to push for LGBT rights and same-sex marriage here in the Philippines? Many would automatically blame the Catholic taliban, and how it has been trying to control our political institutions. I think it is a wrong framing of the problem, and it grants the Catholic hierarchy a degree of influence that doesn’t exist. The Church has no control over public opinion, as proven by the continuing popularity of the RH Bill despite the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines's opposition to it and by the failure of the Catholic Church to mobilize the so-called â€Å"Catholic vote. What we perceive to be the Church’s political influence in fact indicates a fundamental weakness in our political institutions, a democratic flaw that makes our system beholden to interest groups like the Catholic taliban. The Church is powerful; the problem is that the state is weak. Legal recognition of same-sex partnerships, whether through marriage or civil unions, would not happen by engaging or reforming the Catholic hierarchy. It is after all the business of the Church hierarchy to be dogmatic, and we should just let it collapse under the weight of its internal contradictions.We should be engaging and reforming the state and make it modern, inclusive, and truly representative. Strategic battleground For the LGBT community, that would require a change in strategy. One, it means that LGBTs must reframe the debate on homosexuality along secular and non-religious terms. While I understand why Catholic LGBTs want to carve a more tolerant space within the Catholic faith, the more strategic battleground is in the Constitution, not the Bible.Same-sex marriage is understandably a sensitive religious issue, but it is above all about our sectarian values – about basic fairness and our constitutional rights, about human dignity regardless of the sex of the people we love. Two, we need to be more forthright about gay love and gay sex. For many years, LGBT activists have skirted the issue of same-sex partnerships and gay marriage as a non-priority, relegating it under more crucial issues, like discrimination in schools and the workplace.This sends the wrong signal – that same-sex partnerships are secondary and unimportant, when ironically the root of discrimination against LGBTs is the rejection of same-sex partnerships , both the sexual and romantic sides of it. We need to embrace gay sex and gay love and feel less guilty about them. A modern state, embracing gay sex and gay love. Who said that marriage is easy? – Rappler. com (The author is coordinator of Akbayan's LGBT Collective and a member of the Philippine National AIDS Council. ) BY JONAS BAGAS POSTED ON 05/11/2012 4:04 PM | UPDATED 05/13/2012 10:45 PMUpdated March 2013 Quick facts on key provisions State law and/or constitutional provision limits marriage to relationships between a man and a woman: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California*, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming California voters adopted a constitutional provision li miting marriage to relationships between a man and a woman in November 2008. This provision was challenged in federal court and ruled unconstitutional. Enforcement of this decision has been delayed pending a U. S. Supreme Court decision on the case. Supreme Court hearings are scheduled for March 2013 and a decision is expected by June 2013. State issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington and the District of ColumbiaStates allows civil unions, providing state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island Three of these states (Delaware, Hawaii and Illinois) also have laws limiting marriage to relationships between a man and a woman. Note: In Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire, same-sex marriage has replaced civil unions. State grants nearly all state-level spousal rights to unmarried couples (domestic partnerships)*: California, Neva da, Oregon, Washington** **Effective June 30, 2014 domestic partnerships in Washington will be limited to couples who are 62 years of age or older.State provides some state-level spousal rights to unmarried couples (domestic partnerships)*: Hawaii, Maine, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia State legislatures have been deeply involved in the public debates about how to define marriage and whether the official recognition of â€Å"marriage† should be limited to relationships involving one man and one woman or that same-sex couples should also be entitled to â€Å"marriage. † State legislatures have gone both ways in this debate: either enacting â€Å"defense of marriage† laws and constitutional provisions or, going the opposite direction, adopting laws allowing same sex marriage.Five states have adopted civil unions for same-sex couples that provide the same legal rights as marriage. Most states have adopted prohibitions of same-sex marriage. Most states do so by adopting â€Å"defense of marriage† language that defines marriage in their state constitution and/or state law in a way similar to the language in the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) —â€Å"the word ‘marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife. † Other states prohibit same sex marriages or marriages between persons of the same sex or gender.Thirty states have placed that language in their state constitutions (26 of these states also have statutory provisions adopting this language). A further eight states have statutory language adopting the restrictive language. Note that this count does include California, where federal courts have invalidated a 2008 initiative that added constitutional language defining marriage as limited to unions involving one man and one woman. The challenge to that constitutional provision is to be heard by the U. S. Supreme Court in 2013. Nine states and the District of Columbia currently allow same-sex marriages.In Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa, the states’ highest courts ruled that the state constitution required that same-sex couples be accorded the same marriage rights as opposite-sex couples. In Vermont, New Hampshire, the District of Columbia and New York, Maryland and Washington, legislative bodies have passed statutory changes that allow same-sex marriages. In Maine, the legislature passed a same-sex marriage law in 2009, which was repealed in a voter referendum. In 2012, Maine voteres reversed course and approved a same-sex marriage statute. Same-sex marriages are currently being performed in those states.Several states have also expanded the legal rights available to spouses in same-sex relationships while also limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples with civil unions and domestic partnerships. Same Sex Marriages in the Philippines (Affrmative) Resolved: Same sex marriages should be legalized in the Philippines. Let me start with a quote. If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work: â€Å"Hello. Can't work today, still queer. † That was by Robin Tyler. Instead of saying hey, I’m pulling off a sickie today, you say hey, sorry if I can’t go to work—I’m still gay. Can you imagine that kind of situation?If so, let’s start asking ourselves today. Why do homosexuals have to be discriminated anyway? Do they harm you or anyone in the society you live in? Same sex marriages have been an issue in the Philippines for a long time now, but since we live in a predominantly Christian country, people simply avoid further discussion of such. According to the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of Philippines, Article 2, Section 6; the separation of the church and state shall be inviolable. Meaning, no matter how grave the social issue may be, the church can never contradict the decision of the government and vice versa.It has been widely understood that the Roman Cat holic church will always be against same sex marriages considering the fact that their beliefs and principles are based from the sacred scripture. However, citizens who do not opt to engage into religious ceremonies have the option to be conjugated by means of civil wedding. It has been said under Article 7 of The Family Code of the Philippines, that marriage may be officiated by a person other than a priest, rabbi, imam or minister. Included are any incumbent members of the judiciary within the court's jurisdiction.