Cross-Border Pollution A Growing International Problem

It’s a natural fact that wind and water don’t respect national boundaries. One country’s pollution quickly can, and often does, become another country’s environmental and economic crisis. And because the problem originates in another country, solving it becomes a matter of diplomacy and international relations, leaving the local people who are most affected with few real options. A good example of this phenomenon is occurring in Asia, where cross-border pollution from China is causing serious environmental problems in Japan and South Korea as the Chinese continue to expand their economy at great environmental cost. China Pollution Threatens Environment Public Health in Nearby Nations On the slopes of Mount Zao in Japan, the famous  juhyo, or ice trees — along with the ecosystem that supports them and the tourism they inspire — are at risk of serious damage from acid caused by sulfur produced at factories in Chinas Shanxi province and carried on the wind across the Sea of Japan. Schools in southern Japan and South Korea have had to suspend classes or restrict activities because of toxic chemical smog from China’s factories or sand storms from the Gobi Desert, which are either caused or made worse by severe deforestation. And in late 2005, an explosion at a chemical plant in northeastern China spilled benzene into the Songhua River, contaminating the drinking water of Russian cities downstream from the spill. In 2007, the environmental ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea agreed to look at the problem together. The goal is for Asian nations to develop a treaty on cross-border air pollution similar to agreements among nations in Europe and North America, but progress is slow and the inevitable political finger-pointing slows it even more. Cross-Border Pollution Is a Serious Global Issue China is not alone as it struggles to find a workable balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability. Japan also created severe air and water pollution as it pushed hard to become the worlds second largest economy after World War II, although the situation has improved since the 1970s when environmental regulations were imposed. And across the Pacific, the United States frequently places short-term economic gains before long-term environmental benefits. China is Working to Reduce and Repair Environmental Damage China has taken several steps recently to lessen its environmental impact, including announcing a plan to  invest $175 billion (1.4 trillion yuan) in environmental protection between 2006 and 2010. The money — equal to more than 1.5 percent of China’s annual gross domestic product — will be used to control water pollution, improve air quality in China’s cities, increase solid waste disposal and reduce soil erosion in rural areas, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. China also made a commitment in 2007 to phase out incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs — a move that could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 500 million tons annually. And in January 2008, China pledged to ban the production, sale and use of thin plastic bags within six months. China is also taking part in international talks aimed at negotiating a new treaty on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires. Before long, China is expected to surpass the United States as the nation most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions worldwide — a cross-border pollution problem of global proportions. Olympic Games May Lead to Better Air Quality in China Some observers believe the Olympic Games may be a catalyst that will help China turn things around — at least in terms of air quality. China is hosting the Summer Olympics in Beijing in August 2008, and the nation is under pressure to clean up its air to avoid international embarrassment. The International Olympic Committee gave China a stern warning about environmental conditions, and some Olympic athletes have said they will not compete in certain events because of poor air quality in Beijing. Pollution in Asia Could Affect Air Quality Worldwide Despite these efforts, environmental degradation in China and other developing countries in Asia — including the problem of cross-border pollution — is likely to get worse before it gets better. According to Toshimasa Ohohara, head of air pollution monitoring research at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Study, emissions of nitrogen oxide — a greenhouse gas that is the primary cause of urban smog — are expected to increase 2.3 times in China and 1.4 times in East Asia by 2020 if China and other nations do nothing to curb them. A lack of political leadership in East Asia would mean a worldwide worsening of air quality, Ohohara said in an interview with AFP.

Law Enforcement Should Deter Racial Injustice - 1341 Words

Communities of color are portrayed as drug handlers when in actuality there is an estimate of about 80 million Caucasian drug users compared to 15 million African American users according to the Substance of Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Fellner 3). Although opposing arguments would argue that the white population is six times greater than the black population, the absolute number of white drug offenders is far greater than that of black drug offenders (Fellner 6). But, with racial dynamics and social media’s part in shaping of what a drug offender would appear like, most would not picture a white middle-class man snorting cocaine. Because of this, â€Å"race has been and remains inextricably involved in drug law†¦show more content†¦The centerpiece of this public relations campaign was a new rhetorical strategy that sought to demonize drugs and ostracize drug users. Presidents Bush and Clinton continued the Reagan administration s anti-drug polici es. President Bush established a national office of drug policy, appointed a drug czar, increased anti-drug spending and intensified drug law enforcement efforts (Beckett 9). President Clinton, for his part, increased the anti-drug budget by twenty-five percent, proposed expanded drug testing rules and intensified efforts toward drug interdiction and prosecution (McCabe 4). No matter who has occupied the executive branch, the United States has pursued the same overall policies throughout the drug war. Anti-drug policies can be separated into two general camps, supply-reduction and demand-reduction’ (McCabe 5). Supply-reduction strategies seek to reduce the availability of drugs by limiting access to drug sources and increasing the risks of drug possession and distribution. Demand-reduction strategies, on the other hand, seek to reduce demand for illegal drugs through drug use prevention and treatment. The rhetoric of war helped shape the strategies that were used to combat the perceived drug threat. The Reagan administration embraced a supply-reduction strategy focusing on interdiction, seizure and criminal prosecution, rather

Power Work and Employment of 4 Pines †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Power Work and Employment of 4 Pines. Answer: Introduction 4 Pines, one of the most successful microbreweries in Australia will be taken as the case organization whose sustainability initiatives will be evaluated. Organizational sustainability indicates an organizations core capability and its initiatives towards expansion through optimal use of its resources (Carayannis, Sindakis and Walter 2015). This report will present the summative component comprising of the complexities of real-life situation faced by4 Pines organization. The entire discussion will be parted in four themes, which are sustainability initiatives identification, sustainability initiatives authenticity, initiative contribution towards social and human outcome enhancement and comparison of initiatives taken by 4 Pines with other organization. Identification of sustainability initiatives their authenticity Sustainability approach refers to the organizational approach, which is intended to maximize shareholders value through embracing opportunities and mitigating the risks towards social, economical and environmental development. According to 4 Pines Beer (2017), 4 Pines Brewing Company has enough capability towards earning adequate profit through increased sales volume. Therefore, the organization is quite capable of providing adequate return on investment to the shareholders. While considering the human resources, the organization has created positive working environment for the employees, which encourage the employees towards enhancing their productivity. Moreover, Aggerholm and Trapp (2014) opined that 4 Pines always provides adequate compensation package and rewards to the employees. Such motivating factors motivate the employees in providing high quality efforts towards achieving organizational success. Apart from that, Schaltegger, Ldeke-Freund and Hansen (2016) stated that 4 Pin es allows the employees towards participating in the charity programs for community development. In this way, it enhances employee value and develops the community around them. According to Herold et al. (2016), 4 Pines allows opportunity to every employee towards getting up to 1 x $500 donation matched by 4 Pines. The employees donate such matched donation to their chosen charity. The employees are allowed volunteering time for being involved in the charity programs and community development. Moreover, the employees are allowed with 1% added annual leaves towards volunteering the selected charity events. On the other hand, Kasem et al. (2015) opined that 4 Pines is also intended towards saving the pines in the country for environmental protection. Furthermore, the organization is intended towards reducing the waste by 95% through their venues. Apart from that, the organization has done their best towards optimum usage of water in preparing brew. 4 Pines uses 4.66L water/per towards saving water and protect valuable natural resources. However, Fakoya (2015) argued that 4 Pines does not have any initiatives towards promoting greenery in the community. Furthe rmore, the employees of the organization face quite much work pressure in their workplace, which hamper their work-life-balance. Authenticity of sustainability initiatives The authenticity of the sustainability initiatives of 4 Pines can be assessed though the report and median B score provided by B-Corporation over the sustainability initiatives of the organization. As per 4 Pines sustainability report, the organization allows employee volunteering time towards working for charitable purpose (4 Pines Beer 2017). Moreover, the organization provides adequate value to the employees at their workplace. However, as per the report of B-Corporation, the 4 Pines Company has gotten quite low median B score in regards to employee benefits. As per this score, 4 Pines do not provide adequate sense of ownership to the employees at their workplace. The score also signifies that the work environment of the organization is not quite flexible to the employees (Bcorporation.com.au 2017). According to Klovien? and Speziale (2015), the new production system of 4 Pines can save up to 150T of CO2 emission in the environment. However, Bcorporation.com.au (2017) opined that 4 Pines does not have any genuine effort towards saving the energy of the environment. Furthermore, as per the report, the organization does not also have genuine effort towards reducing the emission produced from the production process of brew. Therefore, sustainability initiatives for energy saving and reducing carbon emission seems to be unauthentic in 4 Pines. Jamali, El Dirani and Harwood (2015) pointed out that 4 Pines Brewing Company offers adequate compensation package to the employees as per the standard of other similar types of organizations. However, Bcorporation.com.au (2017) argued that 4 Pines do not have enough career advancement scope for the employees. Furthermore, the median score of B-Corporation also indicates that 4 Pines do not have adequate training and development programs towards developing and upgrading the skills and knowledge level of the employees. Furthermore, Watne and Hakala (2013) opined that 4 Pines always maintains high level of transparency ethics with the suppliers and distributors for making long-term relationship with them. On the other hand, Bcorporation.com.au (2017) opined that 4 Pines is always not ethical and transparent with the suppliers and distributors. However, genuine efforts can be seen in the organization towards maintaining transparency with the shareholders and community. Contribution of initiatives to enhancing positive social human outcomes for the case organizations human resources Sustainability initiatives of 4 Pines Brewing Company have huge level of contribution towards enhancing the positive social and human outcomes for its human resources. According to 4 Pines Beer (2017), 4 Pines provides standard salary package to the employees, which is competitive to other organization in the same industry. Therefore, the employees feel it quite worthy to work in this organization for long term basis. In this way, the organization has become able to enhance its retention rate. Furthermore, Gmez?Bezares, Przychodzen and Przychodzen (2017) opined that 4 Pines also provides lucrative rewards to the employees based on their contribution in the organizational success. Such lucrative rewards motivate the employees towards enhancing their level of performance in near future. Adequate rewards encourage the employees to work harder in getting overall organizational success. In this way, sustainability initiatives for human resources have actually enhanced the human outcome of the organization. Herold et al. (2016) opined that 4 Pines Brewing Company allow employee volunteering time, where the employees are allowed with extra time off towards contributing their effort for charitable purpose. Moreover, the organization provides charity for youth development, mitigating crisis of any region occurred from natural disaster and others. Such volunteering time enhances employee value, as the employees can get 1% of annual leave and work for charitable purpose. Such practice also enhances the motivation and performance level of the employees. On the other hand, Fakoya (2015) stated that sustainability initiatives of 4 Pines have also enhanced its social outcome through increased social engagement. Moreover, charity events and community engagement activity has enhanced the social image of the organization in the community it serves. Moreover, the employee volunteering time has both enhanced the human outcome of the employees and social outcome through increased corporate image in th e society. Furthermore, such sustainability initiatives have actually enhanced the performance level of the employees with increased employee value. The employees of the organization are also involved insaving the pines for saving the environment and society from pollution. Such initiative has also enhanced the social image of the organization. How outcomes might differ for the similar initiatives in a different business context Considering a different business context, Bulla Dairy standouts to be one of the most successful private sector dairy product manufacturer in Australia. Fund donation as a form of charitable purposefrom employees of Bulla Dairy will not have any considerable effect on overall capital management and cash flow for the organization. This is because this organization is financially quite strong and has the ability to support NGOs through fund contribution (Bulla.com.au 2017). However, considering waste reduction technique as adopted by 4 Pines, it can be said that Bulla Dairy will not be able to deal with such strategy because the organization still operates using the old and traditional machinery for manufacturing products. Incorporating new batch production machine that might reduce and recycle waste will require huge fund and even more budget will be required for human resource training, which cannot be implemented. On the other hand, environmental protection if compared with 4 Pines, it can be said that the organization is trying to protect Pines and limit operational optimization so that same resources (Pines) can be utilized in future for extraction (Kasem et al. 2015). Similarly, if Bulla Dairy tries to protect the cows by not injecting synthesized drugs for more milk production, then animal welfare will be justified and eventually environment will be protected. Finally, while considering the water consumption factor, it can be said that Bulla Dairy can similarly reduce water consumption rate by repairing water trough leaks, recycling plate cooler, adjusting line feed soakers and plugging evaporative cooling system leaks. All such techniques will incur a minimal expenditure which can be easily beard by the company. Conclusion While summing up, it can be said that 4 Pines sustainability approaches have not only let to the cultivation of corporate image in the society but also increased the motivational level of employees. It has been found that management of human resources through flexibility and fringe benefits direct performance growth and simultaneously initiatives for community development helps in boosting corporate image. However, the real situation has indicated that the organization has failed to justify carbon emission and environmental sustainability but at the same time has able to reduce water consumption and waste generation. Finally, it has been found that Bulla Dairy organization will be able to use most of the sustainability approaches that of 4 Pines and there will be very less differences in terms of outcome. References 4 Pines Beer. 2017.4 Pines Beer. [online] Available at: https://4pinesbeer.com.au [Accessed 6 Oct. 2017]. Aggerholm, H.K. and Trapp, N.L., 2014. Three tiers of CSR: an instructive means of understanding and guiding contemporary company approaches to CSR?.Business Ethics: A European Review,23(3), pp.235-247. Bcorporation.com.au. 2017.4 Pines Brewing Company | B Corporation Australia. [online] Available at: https://bcorporation.com.au/community/4-pines-brewing-company [Accessed 3 Sep. 2017]. Bulla.com.au. 2017.Cream, Ice Cream, Yoghurt, Cheese in Australia | Bulla Family Dairy. [online] Available at: https://www.bulla.com.au/#/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2017]. Carayannis, E.G., Sindakis, S. and Walter, C., 2015. Business model innovation as lever of organizational sustainability.The Journal of Technology Transfer,40(1), pp.85-104. Fakoya, M., 2015. Improving Waste Reduction Decisions through Resources Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness in a Brewery.J Hum Ecol,50(2), pp.153-160. Gmez?Bezares, F., Przychodzen, W. and Przychodzen, J., 2017. Bridging the gap: How sustainable development can help companies create shareholder value and improve financial performance.Business Ethics: A European Review,26(1), pp.1-17. Herold, D.M., Manwa, F., Sen, S. and Wilde, S., 2016. It's the yeast we can do: Untapping Sustainability Trends in Australian Craft Breweries.Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability,12(2), p.82. Jamali, D.R., El Dirani, A.M. and Harwood, I.A., 2015. Exploring human resource management roles in corporate social responsibility: the CSR?HRM co?creation model.Business Ethics: A European Review,24(2), pp.125-143. Kasem, E., Trenz, O., H?eb?ek, J. and Faldk, O., 2015. Key Sustainability Performance Indicator Analysis for Czech Breweries.Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis,63(6), pp.1937-1944. Klovien?, L. and Speziale, M.T., 2015. Sustainability reporting as a challenge for performance measurement: literature review.Economics and Business,26, pp.44-53. Schaltegger, S., Ldeke-Freund, F. and Hansen, E.G., 2016. Business models for sustainability: A co-evolutionary analysis of sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and transformation.Organization Environment,29(3), pp.264-289. Watne, T.A. and Hakala, H., 2013. Inventor, founder or developer? An enquiry into the passion that drives craft breweries in Victoria, Australia.Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness,7(3), p.54.

Placement Reflective Report Essay Example

Placement Reflective Report Essay My Placement journey has been one of many mixed emotions. I have found myself at times feeling very frustrated and despondent but on the upside I have been given opportunity to meet and learn from some very skilled and professional youth workers. My Placement began at my current workplace and I had completed 100 hours, but I was finding it hard to separate myself from my worker role to my student role also at times some minor conflict was present between my placement supervisor who was also my work peer when I was there on my normal employment days. At first the dual roles worked fine but soon issues started to arise as I felt when I was in my student role and attending groups my supervisor would undermine me in front of service users who in some instances were my clients. By undertaking my placement in my place of employment often staff and management were confused about the different roles and the boundaries associated with each role. Although I was a student I was also a paid staff member and I often felt some staff expected me to show unreasonable flexibility in work/ student activities. I don’t feel I achived any considerable learning from the 100 hours as it was assumed I already knew how things operated. I also admit as I already knew the requirements I just got on and did what needed to be done and forgot to stand back and observe the different family support workers practice methods. As I entered the placement with pre-conceived notions of â€Å" I knew what was expected of me† I did not set any proper learning objectives or tasks, this compromised my learning greatly. We will write a custom essay sample on Placement Reflective Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Placement Reflective Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Placement Reflective Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer My Placement was terminated and I was back at the beginning of trying to find something new. As I am a single parent and financially could not afford to work less than three days I requested to undertake my placement on weekends. Eventually a placement was secured for me at Uniting Care within the residential out of home care division. The aim of the service is to provide accommodation for young people between the ages of 12 to 17. This accommodation can be either long term or emergency short term. The young people who utilise the service are mostly children who have been removed from their homes because of child safety concerns, either as a result of serious parent-child conflict, or threat due to serious physical or behavioural health conditions which cannot be addressed within the family, these young people are all on child protection orders and have a Child Safety Officer who is responsible for the decisions regarding their care. The service delivery methods within the houses include working with the young people in the placement and in some cases with their birth families. It includes assessing strengths and needs, developing case plans, implementing and monitoring case plan activities, and liaising with stakeholders such as Child Safety and schools. At first I was a little apprehensive about this placement as I had previously worked in residential care for eighteen months and upon leaving promised I would never return to this type of work. When I was employed as a residential care worker in another organisation I felt over worker as sometimes I would be pressured to complete 50 hours shifts moving from house to house, as there was a intended sleep period between the hours of 10:00pm and 7:30am the management were not concerned by this. I would often grudgingly agree as I was afraid if I did not agree I would not be called for further shifts and I could not allow this to happen. In the end I was assaulted by a young person and I contacted the Police whilst on shift and both I and the relief worker felt it was appropriate; however management did not agree with my decision and refused to support me. Eventually I could not cope anymore and ended up quitting feeling exhausted and burnt out. I went into this placement thinking it was going to be exactly the same service delivery but steeled myself with thinking it was not long term only 270 hours and I did have a place of employment I could return to. However my first shift was at the emergency house went better than I had anticipated. I was pleasantly surprised at the differences between the organisations. Uniting Care operates on a two worker model and all the staff have formal qualifications relevant to the work they are undertaking. They are well trained and educated when incidents present they know how to professionally handle the situation. This is very different from my previous experience with residential care. I undertook my placement across three houses and the main office and attended student information session at the head office. My role was to shadow shift the permanent youth worker and if needed offer assistance where needed. Other tasks I was required to completed included †¢Assisting to maintain high standard of cleanliness, tidiness, comfort, safety, homeliness †¢Creating a dinner routine with nutritious meals †¢Provide transportation †¢Assist with homework †¢Supporting young people to engage in suitable activities in the school holidays and after school †¢Assisting the Education Officer to support the young people to learn life skills in a planned and supported way †¢Maintain a safe environment As part of a team, identify areas where young people’s needs could be better met †¢Implement new filing system for all three houses †¢Develop holiday programs and education plans and assist in implementing these at the emergency house and evaluating if the programs were successful or not. During the beginning of my placement I was attending my paid employment on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and placement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 9am to 7pm. I continued these hours for three weeks but I soon found myself becoming very tired and run down. I then applied part annual leave and part leave without pay and completed my placement on Monday- Friday which left my weekends free with my family. In regards to my placement experience I feel if I was not restricted by time restraints to return to work and if I didn’t have so many other commitment I may have enjoyed the experience more. I was at times frustrated and eager to just complete the placement as now with placement I had extra travel requirements and not a full income to fall back on and at the time had some very large unexpected bills arise and usually I would manage by trying to do overtime at work to earn extra money. Also I had been advised that my workplace had needed to give two of my days to another worker as they were not managing with the case loads. I think this influenced my experienced as I was more intent on completing what was required and returning to work as soon as possible. However as majority of the young people are engaged with education or employment during the day, I worked mostly with the office day staff who taught me how to archive files so they could be stored legally. I also attended appointments with medical professionals such as doctors, ounsellors and allied health. On one occasion I arrived and was informed I would be required to accompany the day worker to a meeting with the principal of the Murri School. A young person in our care had recently commenced at the school and as a condition of his enrolment he was to repeat year 8 despite being 15 years of age. When we attended the first day there had been a clerical mistake and he has been placed in year 10. The young per son had attended for 5 weeks in the year 10 grade before it was noticed. In this time he had established friendships and settled in. The school was now adamant to remove him from year 10 and place him in the original year 8 class due to his low academic results. I was not made fully aware of the full details until a few days later, and went to the meeting knowing only they wanted to change his grade and remove him from his friends. I felt this was unjust and very unfair. I quickly researched the long term negative impacts of children repeating grades and learned there were no benefits of making the young person repeat. Upon arrival I was adamant I would do my upmost best to keep this young person with his friends. I walked into the meeting and after hearing the schools perspective, I listed all the negative impacts socially, emotionally and the possibility of the young person losing all interest in attending school. I offered suggestions in which both the young person and staff at the house to do in order to help the young person reach the necessary academic levels. In the end I had persuaded the school to allow him to stay in his current grade. At the time I felt I had advocate for the client but upon reflection. I was able to see it was a combination of negotiation and advocating. In this situation and also when engaging with the young people I feel I was also able to draw upon â€Å"the use of self†. I believe the greatest skill/ attribute is my personality I have a friendly relaxed personality with a sense of humour which allows people to quickly become at ease with me. This allows me to quickly build relationships and rapport in a relaxed manner which puts the client at ease. As I grew up in a lower socioeconomic background and have faced many obstacles in my own life before I was in a position where I was able to attend university, I feel I am able to draw upon feelings and situations which I have experienced , this enables me to develop empathy and understanding for clients and the situations they find themselves in. I consider myself to be a genuine and transparent and I will reflect my â€Å"real self† at all times. â€Å"Although fundamental to social work practice, the social worker’s theoretical orientation and mastery of skills appear to have the least impact on client satisfaction when compared to the social worker’s authenticity and how they use personality traits as a therapeutic tool (Edwards amp; Bess, 1998; Baldwin, 2000). During this placement I was able to begin to understand how theories actually work in practice. Finally now I could begin to see the importance of human service values and how these values inform my thinking and practice. From my prior experiences with working in residential care, I already had some understanding and knowledge of some theories which are commonly used in residential care, and was able to reflect how I had previously applied these in practice. Two theories which have largely influenced my practice before entering and whist undergoing placement were trauma theory and attachment theory. As many children in care have experienced some form of trauma and /or disrupted attachment relationship, I feel these two theories provide a very useful framework for understanding behaviours and outcomes in children who have experienced neglect, violence and abuse. By applying Trauma theory in my practice I have been able to develop an understanding of the effects traumatic experiences can have on a young person’s psychological wellbeing. Cairns, 2002) suggests that when humans are exposed to highly stressful and frightening circumstances that overwhelm their ability to cope, certain neurobiological adaptations can take place which compromise normal social, emotional and cognitive functioning. At times during my placement I often found it difficult to understand and comprehend reasoning for some behaviour which was displayed by the young people. But upon critically reflecting and referring back to the theory I was able to begin to understand that in most case an undesirable b ehaviour is usually a method for an alternative motive they are seeking. Attachment Theory theorizes that human beings are born with a biological drive to seek proximity to protective adults (Schofield amp; Beek, 2006). This does not need to be the biological parent of the child but can extend to any primary caregivers that offer the child protection and nurturance. A strong and healthy attachment is the foundation for a child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physiological development. Often the young people in care have not developed this secure attachment and as a result this has had impact to their emotional, cognitive-behaviour and social evelopment. However as my placement progressed I was able to observe some of the young people had formed relationships with the workers especially the house coordinators and attachments were forming. I think this a result of the consistency within the houses and to the fact most of the staff were permanent and had been employed for lengthy periods. This has led me to believe that despite facing abuse and neg lect, if the needs are met, children develop and a sense of satisfaction and trust can be achieved from a worker the young people are able to develop a sense of attachment. One aspect I did find particularly interesting was in most cases the young people had the strongest relationships with the house coordinators. They are responsible for buying the food, advocating for the young people, the youth workers are answerable to them regarding their practice (so are perceived as protectors) and the first person they contact when they need assistance. I believe these attachments are the strongest as the young people as they are able to meet the most of their needs. Whilst observing many other youth workers, I noticed strengths perspective is most commonly drawn upon and frequently used amongst the staff when engaging with the young people. It allows the opportunity for the young person’s strengths, resources, capacities, and abilities to learn and grow to be recognised. By adapting a strength perspective young people can be viewed as taking an active part in advocating their own rights rather than be seen as incomplete adults whose rights can be ignored. It is important to be aware that the young people need to be actively involved in negotiating their own futures, lives and outcomes but whilst remaining in the context of specific social, political and economic circumstances and processes A strengths perspective takes into consideration the involvement of young people in decisions affecting their lives and in challenging social structure and practices that impact negatively on their lives. When I queried the senior youth workers on which theoretical perspectives inform their practice and influence them the most the consensus was Individualistic, liberalist and developmental perspectives as these tend to focus on the individual and their immediate social context or environment (e. g. family, carers, and programs they were engaged in). I also draw upon these perspectives as well as structuralist perspectives as it responds to issues that address broader social and structural issues like race, gender and sexuality. On the whole the youth workers tended to work from a holistic approach. This is approach has many positive benefits as it addresses the many and varied complex influences within the lives of the young people in care, it also enables the youth workers to recognise ways in which the young people can be active participants within their own lives and participate in decisions regarding their outcomes and futures This placement overall was a wonderful experience for me both personally and professionally. I feel as though I have learnt so much and have begun to grow into the human service worker that I know I want to eventually be and with the experience I have recently gained I feel this will be in the near future . Working with the young people has been very enjoyable. I have enjoyed meeting them and learning each of their stories and journeys and identifying with them their strength’s and resources they used to get them through the difficult situations they may have experienced. I have developed a level of acceptance and ability to be non-judgemental. I have also gained a more in-depth leaning and gained a further understanding of resilience. All the young people I had engaged with have faced some form of adversity, hardship or misfortune It amazed me how these young people have been able to not only survive some of the most horrific situations but have effectively learnt to cope and deal with lifes challenges and still be able to set themselves goals and work to achieve these by being committed to education, employment and eventually transition to independent living. I come to appreciate that resilience is not only about surviving difficult times, but is about being able to thrive despite adversity. â€Å"Resilience is not only about overcoming the odds, but being able to not only cope but recover† (Rutter, 1999). Throughout my placement I worked with many different youth workers across the three houses. As I was in a student capacity I was able to stand back and observe each worker’s direct practice and different approach to the way they interact with the young people and each have a different method of dealing with crisis. By observing these interactions this has offered valuable opportunity for critical reflection, as each young person I interacted with, youth worker, team leader or manager I observed, and crisis or incident I witnessed, these all presented new ways of thinking and learning. This in turn gave me opportunity to develop professionally and further learn about working from the human service values system. I believe the skills and knowledge I have gained will be incredibly useful and I will be able to transfers these across many fields in which I may work in. One of the main challenges I faced whist on placement was dealing with the amount of legal constraints and bureaucratic requirements. I decided to study Human Services as I enjoy helping people and assisting them to deal with difficult situations, but I often feel I spend more time filling in forms or I am so constrained by risk management I am unable to assist in way which I think would be most beneficial. A example of this was during a shift, a young person began to escalate very quickly. This young person had a habit of becoming worked up very quickly then begin degrading themselves which would end in them self-harming in front of staff or absconding. As this young person began to get agitated I quickly tried to divert their attention in attempts to calm them down by engaging them in conversation . I soon began telling them about a forest near where I live that has a massive waterfall, rope swing, crystal clear running water and boulders which you can climb to jump into the water from. The young person became calm and very interested to see the forest and creek. I agreed to take them with another youth worker and as I have taken my own children there regularly and it is visited my many locals, I did not think there would be so many formalities involved. After we had finally finished ringing around coordinators, managers and tracking down CSO’s, conducting risk assessments and completing paperwork, hours had passed and as the next shift was due there was no time left to take the young person. The young person who had been looking so forward to going to the creek was now feeling disappointed and let down. Shortly after they absconded, went to the local shops, stole some glue and a kitchen knife. They used the glue to sniff to get high and dull the pain while they slashed their wrists. A local lady who had been walking her dog saw the young person and contacted the police and ambulance. The young person ended up hospitised for 16 days as a result of their self-inflicted injuries. I agree I also need to accept responsibility for what happened as both I and the other worker agreed to take the young person on the trip, but I feel if there had not been so much red tape and the young person was able to have experiences as any other child of their age without so many constraints the whole situation may have been avoided. Although we are regularly made aware that the field of human services is emotionally challenging, it is not something you can fully grasp or begin to understand until you experience it for yourself. The disillusionment, frustration and dissatisfaction I experienced on placement is also experienced in my paid employment. However despite the discontent, I still truly believe social work/human services makes unmeasurable positive differences in the lives of people. I think the key learning for me is to not stop fighting for social justice and equality for all.

Information Systems and Security Audit Essays

Information Systems and Security Audit Essays Information Systems and Security Audit Essay Information Systems and Security Audit Essay INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SECURITY AUDIT 1. Define the following terms: (6 Marks) -Integrity In information security, integrity means that data cannot be modified undetectably. This is not the same thing as referential integrity in databases, although it can be viewed as a special case of Consistency as understood in the classic ACID model of transaction processing. Integrity is violated when a message is actively modified in transit. Information security systems typically provide message integrity in addition to data confidentiality. Confidentiality Confidentiality is the term used to prevent the disclosure of information to unauthorized individuals or systems. For example, a credit card transaction on the Internet requires the credit card number to be transmitted from the buyer to the merchant and from the merchant to a transaction processing network. The system attempts to enforce confidentiality by encrypting the card number during transmission, by limiting the places where it might appear (in databases, log files, backups, printed receipts, and so on), and by restricting access to the places where it is stored. If an unauthorized party obtains the card number in any way, a breach of confidentiality has occurred. Non-repudiation In law, non-repudiation implies ones intention to fulfill their obligations to a contract. It also implies that one party of a transaction cannot deny having received a transaction nor can the other party deny having sent a transaction. Electronic commerce uses technology such as digital signatures and public key encryption to establish authenticity and non-repudiation. 2. Describe the function of Record Layer in SSL Architecture (2 Marks) The SSL Record Protocol provides basic security services to various higher-layer protocols. In particular, the HTTP, which provides the transfer service for Web client/server interaction, can operate on top of SSL. Three higher-layer protocols are defined as part of SSL: the Handshake Protocol, the Change CipherSpec Protocol, and the Alert Protocol. These SSL-specific protocols are used in the management of SSL exchanges. 3. List the four phases of virus nature (2 Marks) The first phase of a virus code attack is the placement of the code where it may be executed so that it can install itself in the main memory. Listed below are some methods adopted for the installation of viral code in the computer memory. The first phase of a virus code attack is the placement of the code where it maybe executed so that it can install itself in the main memory. The second phase involves saving the viral code to hard or floppy disk in such a way as to make it difficult to be detected and removed. The layout of MicroSoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) provides the following areas in a hard or floppy disk which is largely hidden from users but accessible to DOS commands only. One of the most common techniques used by virus writers is to copy Boot Sector 0 to an unused sector on the disk and then overwrite Boot Sector 0 with viral code. Whenever the disk is booted, the viral code is executed and loaded into the memory. The viral code then loads the original boot sector from its new position and passes control to it, and then system is able to continue apparently normally. The third phase involves a test for a condition which if met, will activate the virus. A condition may be a specified time, date or after a specified number of copies of the viral code have been made. The fourth and final phase is the action phase of the virus. During this phase, the virus attacks the target system and the effect of the attack may be destructive or   non-destructive. 4. Briefly describe the three cryptographic algorithms (5 Marks) DES This is the Data Encryption Standard. This is a cipher that operates on 64-bit blocks of data, using a 56-bit key. It is a private key system. RSA RSA is a public-key system designed by Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman. HASH A hash algorithm is used for computing a condensed representation of a fixed length message/file. This is sometimes known as a message digest, or a fingerprint. MD5 MD5 is a 128 bit message digest function. It was developed by Ron Rivest. AES This is the Advanced Encryption Standard (using the Rijndael block cipher) approved by NIST. 5. Using Diffie-Hellman Algorithm show that KA=KB , use n=7 and g=3 (5 Marks) 6. Explain the process of generating Cipher and Decrypting Cipher using RSA (5 Marks) The algorithm is based on modular exponentiation. Numbers e, d and N are chosen with the property that if A is a number less than N, then (Ae mod N)d mod N = A. This means that you can encrypt A with e and decrypt using d. Conversely you can encrypt using d and decrypt using e (though doing it this way round is usually referred to as signing and verification). The pair of numbers (e,N) is known as the public key and can be published. The pair of numbers (d,N) is known as the private key and must be kept secret. The number e is known as the public exponent, the number d is known as the private exponent, and N is known as the modulus. When talking of key lengths in connection with RSA, what is meant is the modulus length. An algorithm that uses different keys for encryption and decryption is said to be asymmetric. Anybody knowing the public key can use it to create encrypted messages, but only the owner of the secret key can decrypt them. Conversely the owner of the secret key can encrypt messages that can be decrypted by anybody with the public key. Anybody successfully decrypting such messages can be sure that only the owner of the secret key could have encrypted them. This fact is the basis of the digital signature technique. 7. Without a diagram show DES steps and list formula of determining DES 16 rounds of Permutations for left and Right Block (5 Marks) DES exhibits the complementation property, namely that if we consider a triple length key to consist of three 56-bit keys K1, K2, K3 then encryption is as follows: Encrypt with K1 Decrypt with K2 Encrypt with K3 Decryption is the reverse process: Decrypt with K3 Encrypt with K2 Decrypt with K1 [pic] where [pic]is the bitwise complement of x. EK denotes encryption with key K. P and C denote plaintext and ciphertext blocks respectively. The complementation property means that the work for a brute force attack could be reduced by a factor of 2 (or a single bit) under a chosen-plaintext assumption. DES also has four so-called weak keys. Encryption (E) and decryption (D) under a weak key have the same effect: EK(EK(P)) = P or equivalently, EK = DK. There are also six pairs of semi-weak keys. Encryption with one of the pair of semiweak keys, K1, operates identically to decryption with the other, K2: [pic]or equivalently, [pic] It is easy enough to avoid the weak and semiweak keys in an implementation, either by testing for them explicitly, or simply by choosing keys randomly; the odds of picking a weak or semiweak key by chance are negligible. The keys are not really any weaker than any other keys anyway, as they do not give an attack any advantage. 1. Describe VOIP and explain SIP session setup as applied in VOIP Security VOIP refers to Voice over internet protocol. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an application-layer control protocol that can establish, modify, and terminate multimedia sessions such as Internet telephony calls (VOIP). SIP can also invite participants to already existing sessions, such as multicast conferences. SIP supports five facets of establishing and terminating multimedia communications in VOIP security: User location: determination of the end system to be used for communication; User availability: determination of the willingness of the called party to engage in communications; User capabilities: determination of the media and media parameters to be used; Session setup: ringing, stablishment of session parameters at both called and calling party; Session management: including transfer and termination of sessions, modifying session parameters, and invoking services. 2. Describe various types of Wireless Security protocols WEP encryption In the WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption security method, wireless stations must use a pre-shared key to connect to your network. This method is not recommended, due to known security flaws in the WEP protocol. It is provided for compatibility wit h existing wireless deployments. Note: The router and the wireless stations must be configured with the same WEP key. WPA-Personal: password authentication, encryption The WPA-Personal (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security method (also called WPA-PSK) uses MIC (message integrity check) to ensure the integrity of messages, and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to enhance data encryption. WPA-Personal periodically changes and authenticates encryption keys. This is called rekeying. This option is recommended for small networks, which want to authenticate and encrypt wireless data. Note: The router and the wireless stations must be configured with the same passphrase. WPA2 (802. 11i) The WPA2 security method uses the more secure Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher, instead of the RC4 cipher used by WPA and WEP. When using the WPA-Personal security methods, the ZoneAlarm enables you to restrict access to the WLAN network to wireless stations that support the WPA2 security method. If this setting is not selected, the ZoneAlarm router allows clients to connect using both WPA and WPA2. 4. To describe various types of Network firewalls and why they are vital component for maintaining a secure environment. Discuss how you can use various types of firewalls to be able to describe network forensics. . Explain various usage of biometrics and how they are used using real world examples IS AUDIT Case Study Background Displaytech, Inc. makes and sells with superior image quality for electronic viewfinders in consumer digital still cameras, camcorders, and mobile communication devices. Founded in 1985, it employs 50 employees at its headquarters in Longmont, Colorado. D isplaytech also has a partnership facility in Tokyo, Japan. The Challenge Displaytech experienced employee downsizing and shortly afterward hired a new management team. Its computer network was not given proper attention or resources during the transition. The new team was concerned with the systems security and stability. Displaytech wanted an unbiased assessment of the current network system with two specific goals: to identify vulnerable areas that could easily be breached and to define critical areas of the network that would likely impact the business during hardware or configuration failures. The company needed the assessment report to be easily translated into an action plan. It wanted to address network issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Result Mile High Networks conducted a security and stability audit of the entire network system including servers, routers and firewalls. Each component was evaluated with emphasis on device configuration and log files. Additionally, the entire network was evaluated for how the business was using resources to help identify vulnerable areas. Mile High Networks: Interviewed key department personnel to identify critical data and ascertain how the network was being used. Reviewed system logs for all network components to determine stability issues. Reviewed all network hardware identified as business critical to determine single points of failure. Evaluated all network perimeter device configurations that could make the network vulnerable. Evaluated company practices that could lead to system breaches. Assignment Assuming you are head of Mile High Networks that conducted security and stability audit. Write a comprehensive audit report giving detailed recommendations / Action plan . NB: Follow procedures of writing a academic research paper, Minimum of 8 pages. Check IS Audit power point

Discuss the major events of world war two Essay

Discuss the major events of world war two - Essay Example Among these are the attack on Pearl Harbor that began America’s involvement with Japan in such famous events as the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Coral Sea and the alliance that developed between America and the Western European nations as they engaged with Germany in battles such as the D-Day battle at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. The major events of World War II, such as those just listed, came to an end with the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan following Germany’s defeat, finally and decisively ending the last global war of the 20th century. On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked America’s Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. The two-wave assaults came at 7:53 and 8:55 AM. It ended by 10 AM and by 1 PM, the planes had rejoined the Japanese carriers and were headed on their way home to Japan. In the wake of the chaos that followed the attack, 2,403 American servicemen were dead, 188 planes were destroyed and eight battleships were either heavily damaged or completely destroyed (â€Å"Attack at Pearl Harbor†, 1997). The U.S. immediately began fighting on both European and Pacific fronts fully supported by the American public. The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Roosevelt made his famous ‘a day that lives in infamy’ speech to Congress that requested this body declare war against Japan. Congress quickly agreed to that request then declared war on Germany and Italy on December 11 (Holt, 2006). The Pacific War was the largest naval conflict in history. At the start of 1942, the United States was decidedly outmatched by the Japanese. As a way to raise the morale of the troops, Army Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle was sent to guide 16 bombers to raid Tokyo, and three other Japanese cities in April 1942. The bombing raid was not intended to nor did it inflict much physical damage to Japan, but the psychological damage of the attack was significant as the Japanese thought this

Medical data standards Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medical data standards - Research Paper Example Through various tools that were developed by the team for the content specifications, it was possible to implement the project. This project enhanced interoperability in health care organizations, which amplified information on health technology. The article has outlined that, it is extremely important to introduce interoperability in health care institutions since the lack of it has prevented access and exchange of data. Therefore, one advantage of this system that was developed is that; it has reduced costs of operating health institutions; it has enhanced efficiency and proficiency in managing health care facilities; and has ensured that services being offered at these centers are of high quality. The article has further asserted that, as a result of the new information system, electronic health records (EHR) have been improved in the sense that, it is now possible to display all data belonging to patients. However, the article has outlined that, even though interoperability is being applied in health care settings, more research is still being done on more efficient systems so that various shortcomings on data handling in health care settings can be addressed. There are various pragmatic and policy efforts that are being put into place so that the development of interoperability capabilities can be accelerated for the good of health care facilities. As part of the article, the authors have outlined the structure of the NHIN trial implementations Project and its objectives. Objectives of this project were to enhance health information exchange among many organizations. The authors have described the whole project by outlining project specifications and how the project team worked so that success would be realized. The article has also outlined various lessons learned from the project and how these assisted the efficient exchange of data between various health care systems. From this, the article has identified