Mobile Phone Addiction Essay

The mobile phone is one of the greatest invention in 20th century. We can not imagine how is our life without the mobile phone. It is an obvious truth that the mobile phone gives us benefits in some aspects of life. Using mobile phone distributes our communication to make it easier than before. Besides a mobile phone can provide us with a lot of functions like relaxing with music, chatting or playing games. However, today people especially young people are becoming addicted to using the mobile phone. They can not stay away from their phones, even for a minute. Perhaps, because of the benefits of the mobile phones, most people do not realize lots of negative effects that the mobile phone has brought to us. Using mobile phones too much not only affects our health seriously but also causes some personal problems and limiting communication face to face. In the high-tech world, the mobile phones are equipped with all necessary functions. People can chat together for hours whenever they ha ve time. They talk together from hour to hour, from day to day. As a result, using mobile phone for a long time affects our health. Do you know how dangerous the wave from the cell phone is for our brain? The waves from cell phone are very harmful to our physical body such as our heart and brain. A recent study tells that our brain is seriously damaged when using mobile phone too much. Have you ever experienced the headache with talking on the cell phone for a long time? It is the wave from the mobile phone that causes the headache. Due to the danger of the cell phone wave to our brain, using phones too much can cause a poor memory. Besides, the wave of cell phones is very strong so it can cause heart disease if we keep cell phone near our body, especially under the pillow while sleeping. With many functions of the cell phone, the young can listen to music anytime they want. By using a headphone, people can enjoy some video, some music all time without annoying anyone. However, one effect of listening by earphones for a long time is that it damages our ear, even it can cause deaf. Moreover, the excessive use of cell phones causes teens and young adults to experience restlessness and it can make them feel difficult to fall asleep. It is an obvious fact that using cell phones too much can affect our brain, because sleep loss and damage our ears. Our life is becoming more and more convenient and the mobile phone has become an indispensable and inseparable object. People use mobile phones in every place, every time to manage their business. They talk on the cell phone when working, even when they are on the road. A lot of drivers listen to cell phone conversations while they are driving on the road. Consequently, they can cause dangerous accidents for other drivers on the road. Getting caught up in conversations on a cell phone can lead to the loss of focusing and highly distracted driving. Furthermore, it is generally observed that drivers using cell phones often forget to give proper signals disobey street signs and tend to cut lanes without warning. It is such a careless driving that results in many crashes and fatalities every day. Therefore, our government should give the law to ban drivers from using mobile phones while driving. Besides, another result of using phones too much is the expenses for cell phone cards every month. We often spend a lot of money using mobile phone. Not only the expenses for cell phone cards, sometimes using phones in a public places also causes some problems. We can see some rude people who speak loudly in public places, particularly in libraries, trains and theatres, which disturb other people a lot. For example, the camera of mobile phones sometimes disturbs a person’s privacy. Some people use the Bluetooth and the camera in a bad purpose. In short, using mobile phone can cause some personal problem like accidents on the road, money for cell phone cards and some trouble in public places. Mobile phone has become crucial part of our life. One of the most important functions of the phone is that it helps the communication become easier and quicker. However it also causes a lot of problem in communicating. Firstly, cell phone use has effects on the direct human to human interaction. Talking on the cell phones is gradually replacing the communication face to face between people. There was a time when the purpose of a telephone was to convey the important messages and not many people owned telephones. Thus, to talk together about something, they often met directly. Today owning a cell phone is held as a necessity and anyone including children have their cell phone. Therefore, the communication face to face between people is limited. Nowadays parents can be at the work place to talk to their children, to remind them of studying at school. Friends like chatting together for hours by mobile phone so they do not have anything to tell together when meeting at school. It seems that using cell phones too much destroys the pleasure of direct interaction. Another effect in communicating by mobile phone is misunderstanding between people. Always, people send messages to ask for information or congratulate someone. And the problem is that sometimes they forget to type the punctuation marks or they misspell, which makes the receiver misunderstand. More seriously, this can destroy the relationship between them. Therefore, to avoid some problem in communicating by cell phone, people should be careful in using it. Mobile phone is really necessary for our life because of many convenient functions of it. However, sometimes mobile phone can cause us many problems. The advantages or disadvantages of using mobile phones depend on the way how we can use it in right ways or in wrong ways.

I Knew This Was My Moment

I could remember when I was young, one day, my mother suddenly dragged me out to a concert that I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about. I was planning on persuading my mother otherwise, but the moment I stepped in and the concert started, I immediately fell in love. I was enchanted by the stage effects, the dancers, and the pure vocal talent of the artist. It was then that everything had started, and my world had changed. At that moment, I knew what I wanted in life.Immediately after the concert, I told my mother that I wanted to sign up for vocal and dancing lessons. Needless to say, she was astonished at my sudden change of attitude, but she seemed to understand. Over the years, I trained, and over the years, my passion grew. My life revolved around the dance and vocal lessons I took. But of course, my studies weren’t neglected; I needed a back-up plan if my plans to become a star fell through, though I would definitely prefer if it didn’t.Many people said that a spiring to become a singer was not realistic, that it was just that, a dream. But I never wavered, I never felt discouraged, and most importantly, I never lost hope. When I was sixteen, I took part in a local singing competition, and was unexpectedly scouted by a representative of a small talent agency. He gave me his name card, introduced himself, and told me to call if I was interested. That day, I ran all the way home, and told my parents.Although they didn’t seem to agree with me, being only sixteen and all, they eventually caved in with my constant begging. With their consent, I immediately dialed the number on the card, I wasn’t about this chance pass me by. After that phone call, my life took another turn. I was thrown into a busy life with almost no free time for myself. I’d spend the whole morning in school, and then my afternoons, and sometimes evenings, as a trainee at the agency. Although every day was tiring, I enjoyed those days.That life lasted fo r about four months. After four months as a trainee, they decided that I had enough training, that I was good enough and could finally have my debut, with all the lessons I had before entering the agency. The moment I received the news, I was ecstatic for days, almost nothing could bring me down. The two months after that were spent writing and composing songs. It was decided that they would strip away all other stage effects and focus on my voice, which was my forte.And now, sitting in the preparation room while make-up artists do their final touch up on my face, I recall the past and how my dream had started. Instead of letting my dream remain a dream, I was about to make it come true. More than nervous, I feel excited. Instead of standing below the stage, watching performers enchant the audience, it was finally my turn to stand upon that ground and demand the attention of the whole stadium. Standing backstage and watching the audience of hundreds, maybe a thousand, I could feel t he nerves getting to me, and then the excitement overriding the nerves.The curtains closed upon the end of the previous act, a signal for me to go on stage. This was it, I thought, as the MC introduced me, the curtains opened, and the lights blinded me. Blinking a few times as my eyes adapted to the light, I could see clearly right in front of me, the thousands of people in the audience. At that moment, I knew. I knew that this was my moment, and it was going to be all or nothing. This was the moment I have been waiting for all my life, the moment I have gone through all the blood, sweat and tears for.This was the moment that would change my life, for good; the moment that would decide if my career as a celebrity would turn for the better or for the worse. After all, in the entertainment industry, it’s the first impression that counts. Standing on the extravagant stage, half blinded by the lights, in awe of the number of people in the audience, and excitement rushing through every pore of my being, I sung my heart out, expressing my ineffable feelings for it, for music. Giving it my all, all I could do now was hope that my all was enough.

Literature review on How do School Nurses perceive their Public Health

On How do School Nurses perceive their Public Health role - Literature review Example These services can include: provision of health and sex education to students, developmental screening activities, and administering immunization (Burns and Grove, 2003). School nurses are normally employed by schools directly, or they can be employed by the primary care trust, community trust or the local health authority. For most o the roles of school nurses, some prior experience in healthcare is required. DeBell (2006) acknowledges the service has shifted to a Public Health focus. She decided to conduct a ‘scope review’ to identify how this shift affects the school nurse service, particularly in relation to training needs. Public health principles, which have a strong preventive emphasis, have always played an important role in school nursing (Department of Health, 2002). The new child centered public health approach to school nursing makes it possible for school nurses to work within their public health roles, while at the same time, providing an environment to ensure that they make a maximum impact in their child or student-based work. Goodman-Brown and Appleton (2004) established that nursing practitioners working in the school environment perceived their role in different ways and evidence suggests this is mainly influenced by their understanding of Public Health.  For many nurses, public health is a different concept from school nursing. They do not see any connection between the services offered by school nurses and the general wellbeing of society (Wood and Ross-Kerr, 2010). McMurray and Cheater (2004) revealed that School Nurses believed that their Public Health role was misunderstood and unrecognized. According to the researchers, nurses thought that the public still perceived them as the ‘nit nurse’ (Burns and Grove, 2003). Most people do not realize the important role that school nurses play in the development of children and young people. Nurses feel that their work normally goes unnoticed since people do not

Foreign Ethics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Foreign Ethics - Coursework Example The rural parents view children as an investment because they provide labor for agricultural production. The children are also a resource because they help in taking care of their siblings. Since the families cannot afford to employ nannies, the elder children have to look after their younger siblings. Besides, parents expect the children to support them financially during their old age (Kiriti & Tisdell 2013). Things are, however, different in the U.S. There are no parents who opt to have many children. Most parents limit to one or two children. It is widely regarded as unethical for couples to have many children because most parents are economically stable. A couple with several children cannot afford to give each of them appropriate parental attention (AAP 2015). In addition, giving birth in large numbers would add more people to the already populated country. Kiriti, T., & Tisdell, C. (2013). Family size, economics and child gender preference: A case study in the Nyeri district of Kenya. Social Economics International Journal of Social Economics, 492-509. Retrieved July 3, 2015, from http://www.uq.edu.au/rsmg/docs/ClemWPapers/SEPD/WP

Fallacy Burden of Proof Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fallacy Burden of Proof - Essay Example Time and again the expression 'fallacy' is applied to assign some mistake whatever it is, but is maltreatment. Logic is occasionally mentioned as the capacity to rationalize accurately, but it is more appropriately described as the appraisal of the connections between declarations that are frequently given with the purpose of proposing a line of reasoning. Regulations of conjecture characterize appropriate derivability, that is, they assign the kinds of reports that may be derived from particular given kinds of statements. Usually the concluding statement is named as the conclusion, and the others are called premises. To state an argument or reach a conclusion that appears, on superficial examination, to follow these rules of inference but that actually breaks them is to commit a fallacy. 'Argumentum ad ignorantiam' denotes "Reasoning as of unawareness". This type of fallacy takes place there has been reasoning about truthfulness of something only on the ground that no one could evidence it as wrong. On the other hand, if an argument is made about falseness of something simply because it could not be confirmed as correct. For instance, accepting any holy book as true only on the ground you cannot prove it other way. Moreover if somebody says that there is no existence of telepathy as nobody has provided evidence. Within systematic examina... n an occurrence is recognized to turn out a particular proof of its incidence so the lack of that particular proof may dependably be utilized for concluding the non occurrence of that event. (Methew, 1997) Shifting the Burden of Proof The 'shifting of Burden of Proof' is a specific instance under 'Argumentum ad ignorantiam' and is usually over the individual making a statement. In other words we can say that it is a type of fallacy where the burden of proof is put on the individual who contradicts or interrogates about that statement. This type of fallacy is based on the postulation that any statement is regarded as true if there is no evidence to prove it wrong. (Methew, 1997) As stated by Bailenson and Rips (1999) while making arguments intimates put forward declarations and endeavor to support them with established confirmations. The legal structure in USA entails regulations administering 'the burden of proof' with potential conclusions based on proofs. Such as, that a person being not in attendance for around eight consecutive years and not being informed throughout this period can be accepted as deceased. In this case the burden of proof lies on group making effort to confirm that individual as living. Even though, law provides more than one denotations for the burden of proof, related regulations usually resolve the default result if there is no more proof for the concerned issue is expected. An associated example of burden of proof is frequent in political an educational field where the party having the burden of proof has to be defeated by default except additional confirmation comes out in its backing. Thus in terms of law, the burden of proof is apt to shift during an argument. On one occasion if a party completed its burden through providing persuasive

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Marketing plan - Essay Example It presses towards creating resources that earn it a global reputation. Haier group mainly manufactures appliances that are used in homes. They are manufactured to meet quality needs of customers all over the world. Heir classifies its products into four: white, brown, client solution business and manufacturing group’s equipment components. The classification facilitates departmentation and focus in the company. The white products include refrigerators, water heaters, washing machines, air conditioners and kitchen appliances. Brown products include computers, mobile phones and colored television sets. Client solution business products involve medical equipment, interior kitchen decoration, integrated kitchen, intelligent home appliances and central air conditioners. Manufacturing group equipment component include electronic control integration and metal and plastic product plate production line. To increase their market, the products will have their quality increased and manufactured in technologically competitive way in order to attract customer s. In the year 2008, Haier was in command of 30% of China’s local electronic market of its products. The company aims at getting the market share to over 50%. The product air conditioners’ market in the same year was 145, way below that of its competitor named Media and Gee that was 47%. The company has divided China into five sections of the market in order to enable it win over the competitors. The products’ market across the world are fair, facing competition from the local products. With increased products’ quality, the sales of the products in the target markets are expected to increase with up to 20% upon execution of the marketing plan (Stapleton 1982). Haier Group Company has its headquarters at Qingdao. The company has established 11976 service centers, 56 trading centers and 38000 sales offices in the areas that it distributes its products. They are able to get the products

Food security in Pakistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food security in Pakistan - Essay Example It will also attempt to provide evaluative recommendations to shape more efforts toward human security. Pakistan Situation Hunger is a chronic malady that causes malnutrition, illness, and death. Food crisis swept across Pakistan affecting (Husain, 2009) half of its total population who can’t avail the minimum consumption needs since most of its 121 districts confront problems on malnutrition, hunger and economic depravity. As it confronts the demand of contemporary social affairs, the government is on one hand dispensing governance amid (Husain, 2009) economic instability, a condition that aggravated the condition of the hungry and those in deplorable circumstances. Sociologists expressed serious concern that tribal areas, Baluchistan and Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), resided mostly of landless farmers, are the most vulnerable to hunger. Toor (2000; 100) posit that the crisis started when there was mis-prioritization of government’s agenda to extraction industr y instead of agricultural programs. It was perceived that the decision of debt-ridden Musharraf’s administration to undergo structural adjustment packages under the policies of World Bank-International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF) as one of the major causes of poverty. The adjustment trimmed down the budgetary subsidy for wheat production and exported produce to external markets, thus prompting farmers to divert to cash-crops farming to meet both ends (Toor, 2000: 101). Said structural adjustment directly affected social services too, such as education, health, public utilities and transportation. Worst, as subsidy for agriculture was compacted, the percentage of taxes levied to people also increased but there is less empirical evidence of outcomes that ‘augmented taxation’ contributed to vigorous delivery of social services in the country. Throughout the last decade, the Islamic Republic, with an ideation of democratic governance for an estimated population of 187 mil lion (UN, 2011 and Statistics Division Government of Pakistan, 2011) suffered fluctuating level of foreign investment, extreme poverty, slow growth rate and unemployment. Its foreign and domestic debt reached to $57.21 billion (2010 estimates). Of their human resource, 15% are unemployed, 40% were landless (Toor, 2000: 103) while the economy ailed with budget deficit as national expenditures rose to estimated $ 36.24 billion as against the revenue of $25.33 billion (WFP, 2011). Inflation of commodities coupled with agricultural devastation caused by disasters is seriously affecting them (UN, 2011). The situation is further compounded in the mid part of the millennium when the whole country suffered catastrophic destruction due to earthquakes and flood. Aside from this ecological concern, they are beset with heightening tension in Kashmir-- a region considered under territorial dispute (WFP, 2011) although the region is currently deployed with peacekeepers to diffuse tension among cl aimant countries: China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas) (WFP, 2011). Moreover, Pakistan is also host of Afghan refugees estimated at 1.05 million of displaced population. Due to domestic conflict, the country also suffered millions of displacement in 2010 (WFP, 2011).

Epidemiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Epidemiology - Essay Example This entails food safety to ensure monitoring of food to avoid causing foodborne diseases. Therefore, the research question is â€Å"what can consumers do to protect themselves from foodborne illness. The study is purely cross-sectional and investigates the control measures used to enhance prevention of foodborne illness among the consumers. First the study identifies the community, who are the consumers. Some of the basic steps towards prevention of foodborne illness include buy of foodstuffs from reputable sources to enhance any follow-up in case of an emergency. The consumer should ask the supplier of the standards they normally impose to ensure food safety (Lindell & David, 2001). The consumer must choose foodstuff that is wholesome and appears fresh. Any unfamiliar color or odor causes for alarm, and any produce with excessive soil or dust on edible portions must be avoided. The foodstuff should be stored in dry and cool place, and the consumer should follow all directions for use. Washing of hands should be exercised before preparation of any food. All produce must be washed in a clean colander or sink under running water. The cutting boards should be washed in warm water, and any raw produce like fruits should not be chopped in a board used for poultry or raw meat (Lindell & David, 2001). The cross-sectional design involves the collection of data at a definite time to assess the prevalence of chronic or acute conditions. The study involves the collection of special data like the questions about past, and they rely on the originally collected data (Lindell & David, 2001). The design is relatively easy and quick to conduct, and the collection of data on all variables happens at once. This is because the design involves observing the entire population. The method is applicable where the prevalence can be measured for all the factors investigated. Also, multiple outcomes can be studied. The prevalence of any health related characteristics or

Lamb to the Slaughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lamb to the Slaughter - Essay Example The use of irony can easily captivate and excite us. Many a times in order to understand the moral of the story or the theme; it needs one to be able to recognize irony. There are multiple uses and examples of irony throughout this short story. One example is when Mary Maloney goes to the grocery store after she kills her husband; she acts as if nothing has happened and gives the grocery store clerk the idea that everything is fine. This is considered dramatic irony because the reader knows more about what’s taken place than some of the characters in the story. The clerk thinks Patrick is at home waiting for dinner, but we know he is dead. Another example is when the policemen are eating the leg of lamb and one says "Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack? "(Dahl 9).This is dramatic irony because the weapon used to kill Patrick really is right under their noses. Yet they have obviously committed one of the worst errors possible in this crime scene, and lo st the pivotal evidence they would need to for finding the killer, they continue eating, assuming the leg of lamb could never be a weapon, while Mary Maloney is giggling in the other room. In other words, Dahl is trying to capture here, and the dramatic irony really catches the tone of the dark comedy. That makes the audience feel the ideas of a tragedy as something funny. Therefore, relating back to the overall picture of the piece of literate as a dark comedy. The conflict then begins to arise again as she creates an alibi and brings in the police to catch the murderer. There are two external conflicts in this story.

Influence on the General Motors Corporation Essay Example for Free

Influence on the General Motors Corporation Essay This report analyzes the primary internal and external influence on the General Motors Corporation and the influence of changing political environment on policy making and response of the corporation. Then the report discusses the changing political environment in and its influence. The influences of political environment on policies and decision making to the corporation are analyzed. The corporation response to the political environment changing is critically evaluated. At last, some improvement suggestion for the corporation in the response of the changing political environment is demonstrated. IntroductionGeneral Motors Corporation is the largest automobile manufactures in the world. The corporation, which is located in Detroit, employs more than 260 millions people and sells cars and trucks in about 35 countries. The corporation has a dominant influence in automobile market in the United States and other developed market such as the United Kingdom, Canada and so on. The corporation also enjoys a large market share in the rapid growing market of developing countries such as China and Brazil. However, the corporation is in face of changing internal and external environment. Discussion and AnalysisIn the first part of the report, the primary internal and external influence is analyzed following the SWOT Matrix, which is a modern tool for analysis of internal and external environment. In the SWOT Matrix, the S stands for strengths, W for weaknesses, O for opportunities, and T for threats. The strengths and weaknesses are the analysis of internal influence while the opportunities and threats stand for the influence of external environments. In the following part of the report, the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that have influence of the organization is discussed one by one. Internal influence: Strengths This section analyzes the internal strengths of the corporation. The General Motors are rich in brands and product lines. The General Motors Corporation acquired and mergers many brands and auto companies in the early stage of its history. The General Motors Corporation acquired Buick and Oldsmobile after it is founded. Then it brought Cadillac, Elmore and Oakland and so on. As a result, the corporation owns many brands  which are fit for different segmented markets. Comparing to Fords only providing black Model T cars in the early years the General Motors Corporation provides various models, colors and brands for different markets. For example, the practical and economical Chevrolet are designed for entry level consumers, the Buick are make for middle class buyer and luxury Cadillac for high end consumers. (Warell, 2008) The advantage of multi brands strategy is to satisfy the needs and wants of different group of consumers to enter more segmented markets. The multi brands make GM a giant automaker and enjoys large market share. The General Motors Corporation has the strength that it governs the advance technology and has an influencing power in the distribution channel. The General Motors Corporation has developed for a century since it is founded in 1908. During the time, the technology and channel influence is accumulating and increasing. The technology is of great importance in the motor industry, but the technology accumulating needs a long period. The General Motors Corporation now governs the advanced technology that it can make more sophisticated automobiles which are more durable, more safety, and have a rapider speed. On the other hand, the General Motors Corporation has a dominant power in the distribution channel. The General Motors Corporation has been the top automobile manufacturer for a long time accordingly it has a strong bargaining power in the distribution channel. The corporation can distribute it product in the United States and all around the world. The technology and distribution chan nel can be a great assistant in the further development of the organization. Internal influence: Weaknesses This section analyzes the internal weaknesses of the corporation. One of the most significant weaknesses is that the cost of production is too high. The Japanese automakers such as Toyota are dangerous competitors for the General Motors Corporation and the have scrambled for quite a large part of market shares if the GM in America and the global markets. The Japanese competitors cut down the cost tremendously by lean production. However, the production cost is still high in the General Motors Corporation. And the inefficiency of production cause the high price of its automobiles and the market share shrinks accordingly.  (Coffey, 2005) Especially in face of the financial crisis, the General Motors Corporation has much to learn form lean production to cut down its production prices. The bureaucratic culture is another weakness in the corporation. The General Motors Corporation employs more than 260 millions staff, which composes a huge and complex organization. The General Motors Corporation had taken the lead in organization. For example, the corporation had injected into matrix organization that combined the functional and project patterns of department in the same corporation in early years. The General Motors Corporation also organized with strategic business unit that classified products and product lines in the same independent business department in ahead of other corporations. The decentralization makes each department a profit centre. However, after ages of development the departments and business units concerns more on their own benefits and become bureaucratic. The well defined division of departments and united became deficiency and resistance to change. Formal and informal networks formed in the corporation. The bureaucratic culture is accumulating and hander the further development of the corporation. External influence: Opportunities This section analyzes the external opportunities of the corporation. The emerging markets of developing countries provide a great opportunity for the General Motors Corporation. The market of developed countries is fully covered and closed to saturation in the modern days. For example, in the United States there are two cars in a family in average so the market can not keep a rapid growing rate. On the country, market in developing countries shows their potential. The sales volume in China and Brazil is second only to the market of the United States. Many international automaker groups are scrambling for these markets. The large and potential markets of developing countries will provide opportunities for the corporation. The achievement in technology is a great opportunities for the General Motors Corporation. The technology makes breakthrough achievement in fields of information, manufacturing, fuel and so on. The advance of information  technology and implementation of management information system make it possible to collect and analysis accurate data and information all around the huge organization. The computers and instant communication tool help the corporation to organize and manage the supply chain. The new methods in manufacturing, such as lean production, can increase the efficiency of production while cutting down the cost. The leading edge achievement on fuel and new energy engine can promote the upgrade of automobiles. The General Motors Corporation is huge enough to afford the cost of RD center and the implement of new technology, which in turn can raise the competency of the corporation. (Sengi et al, 2004) External influence: Threats This section analyzes the external threats of the corporation. The increasingly growing price of petroleum is a threat to the General Motors Corporation. On the one hand, consumers turn to other transport tools when they can not afford the high petro price. On the other hand, they want to purchase energy saving automobiles. Many products of the General Motors Corporation are large in size and heavy in weight and they are high fuel consumption motors. The fluctuation of oil price has a negative effect on the sales volume of the automobile of the General Motors Corporation. Some political affaires such as wars and conflictions in the Middle East, the oil shock caused by OPEC with economic and political purpose, the environment protection organizations anti-automobile movement and so on, enhance the threats of oil price turbulence. The competition, both in the United States and the global market, is a vital threat to the General Motors Corporation. There are three automaker giants in the United States. They are the General Motors, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler. They compete fierce in the United States and in global market. In the Europe, there are strong competitors such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Peugeot etc. In the 1970s, with the raising of oil price, some Japanese automakers gradually seized the automobile market shares. The low cost and energy saving cars, such as Toyota, Honda and so on became world famous brands. More and more automobile brands enter into the United States and they also scramble the global automobile market. (Loomis, 2006) They compete and try to meet consumers different needs and wants with lower production cost. The competition in and abroad America is fierce and threats the  survival of the General Motors Corporation. The following is the second part of the report. This section of the report discusses the changing environment in and aboard the United States. First, the influences of political environment on policies and decision making to the General Motors Corporation will be analyzed. Second, the corporation response to the political environment changing will be critically evaluated. At last, some improvement suggestion for the corporation in the response of the changing political environment will be demonstrated. Influence on policies and decision makingThis section analyzes the influence of political environment change on the policies and decision making of the corporation. The political environment has great influence on the operation of the General Motors Corporation. One of the key political influences of the General Motors Corporation and automobile industry is the increased protectionism for fear of the decline of employment in the industry. The major automakers employ so many employees that the decline of automobile sales volume will cause the significant increase of unemployment in a country. As a result, many governments tend to support the automobile industry, no matter in the form of fund assistant, protective tariff or quota. The government of the United States has a tradition of protecting its automobile industry. For example, the America government used high protective tariff to protect the automakers from the competitors from Europe and Japan in the last century. The government also gave financial assistant to the automaker that is at the verge of bankruptcy such as Chrysler. In the modern time, the automakers fall into trap again and the financial crisis enhance the tendency. The America government aims to give a large quantity of money to the automakers and use other protection methods to protect the automobile industry. It can be seem that the changing of political environment has significant influence on the policy and decision making of the General Motors Corporation. (Bowler et al, 1996) However, different presents and its government in the United States may have different attitudes on the protectionism of the Automobile industry. The General Motors Corporation should take serious consideration on the change of political environment and make full use of it. The Country Alliances and Economic Blocs and other regional cooperation organizations are another main tendency of the political environment. The competition extends form national to blocs, even global. (Cho, 1998) The North American Free Trade Agreement, which including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, formed in 1994 with the purpose of freeing the trade, eliminating tax barriers and promoting fair trade in the North America. The NAFTA also extended to Free Trade Area of the Americas, which including country in the North America, Latin America and Caribbean countries. Many European countries ally with each other to form the European Union. After years of development, the union own 27 membership countries and creates a common economic area, in which people move and trade freely. There are many other Country Alliances and Economic Blocs such as Association of Southeast Asian and so on. The political tendency of regional cooperation requires the top managers of the General Motors Corporation to consider and resolve the benefit conflicts between one power countries blogs and another when making decisions and policies. The Country Alliances and Economic Blocs and other regional cooperation organizations provide opportunities for the automobile manufacturers but the organizations in other area also became threat to the United States. The decisions and policies makers of the General Motors Corporation have to make strategy to cope with the tariff and nontariff barriers within and between the Country Alliances and Economic Blocs. The corporation should rethink its strategy. (Tay, 2007) The structure of the corporation according to different regional cooperation organizations should be considered when making decisions and policies. (Sastry, 1997) The new staffing and leading methods to deal with culture diversity also influence the policy and decision making of the Genera l Motors Corporation. The labor union, environmental organization and other political groups are gaining more and more power. The United Auto Workers is a key labor union in the automobile manufacturing industry. The union fights for the benefits of workers such as less working hours, more salaries, health insurance and pensions and so on. The labor union cause the high cost of the General Motors Corporation. The total expense on employees is almost twice as much as the workers in other industry in the United States, and much more than  the employees in competitors factories, such as Honda and Toyota. (Benders and Morita, 2004) The union is blamed as the reason of the uncompetitive of the General Motors Corporation and the crisis of the automobile industry. However, the methods to deal with the strong political power are the problem to the policies and decisions makers of the General Motors Corporation. In 2007, the United Auto Workers went on a strike against the General Motors Corporation, which causes tremendously negative effects on the General Motors Corporation. So the policies and decisions of the corporation should balance the interest of the employees. The environmental organizations are gaining more and more power. With the increasingly dangerous environment problems, many green groups, which become independent and influencing political power, claim for the protection of the earth. Motor vehicle exhaust is considered as the main effects of the greenhouse effect. Some green groups are against the using of automobiles, which cause the decline of the automobile sales volume. As the increasing of environment protection power and the widely acceptance of the green opinion, the managers should make new policies and decisions such as designing alternative fuels vehicles. Evaluation of GMs responseThis section critically evaluates the corporations response to the changing political environment. In face of the dynamic changing political environment, the General Motors Corporation makes some responses accordingly. The General Motors Corporation makes full use of the protectionism policies and financial assistance of the government to maximize its benefits. In order to be more influence in political, the General Motors Corporation spends a lot of money on political contributions. Statistics shows that the General Motors Corporation spent quite a lot of money as the political contribution for both the Democrats and the Republicans. The spending on lobbying the members of parliament is also quite large. Besides the political contributions, the General Motors Corporation also spends plenty of money on charities. For example, the General Motors Corporation is the exclusive financial source of Safe Kids Buckle Up program, which protect the children through ed ucation and inspection. The political and charitable contributions are positive and active response to the changing political environment. On the one hand, the General Motors Corporation strengthens its influence and enhances the  connection with the government. On the other hand, the corporation undertaken its social responsibility, which wins the corporation positive reputation so the General Motors Corporation can easily get the support when in crisis and consumers tend to purchase automobiles of the corporation. In the behavior of giving political and charitable contribution, the General Motors Corporation well response to the political change and gain more political influence, which helps the corporation get protection from the government. The Country Alliances and Economic Blocs and other regional cooperation organizations are a main political change these decades. In order to minimize the hindrance and the conflict between different Economic Blocs, the General Motors Corporation makes trade strategy, ally with other automaker group, and establish joint venture in some countries. For example, the United States and China have different ideologies and economic situations and they belong to different Country Alliances and Economic Blocs. The Chinese government forbids the wholly foreign owned subsidiary in the automobile industry. The China customs also charge tariff on the automobiles. In order to enter the market of other Country Alliances and Economic Blocs, the General Motors Corporation establishes joint venture with Chinese company. The Shanghai GM joint venture is created by the General Motors Corporation and a Chinese company, in which the automobiles of Chinas market were manufactured. The General Motors Corporation brings advance technology, operation experience to the venture. The joint venture employs local workers whose salaries are quite low comparing with the workers of the United Auto Union. The joint venture brings profits for both sides and the General Motors Corporation avoids the high tariff and nontariff protection between different countries and different Economic Blocs. The General Motors Corporation makes an effective response to cover the gap between the Country Alliances and Economic Blocs. The labor union and environmental organization become increasingly influencing political powers. The General Motors Corporation tries hard to response properly to the increasingly strong power of the labor union. The United Auto Union is blame as the cause of uncompetitive of the General Motors Corporation for the members salaries in the union are much higher than its foreign competitors. The General Motors Corporation tries to cut down costs of the workforces in face of the financial crisis and problem of the automobile industry. The General Motors Corporation makes a policy of eliminating the lifetime health benefits of the white collar retirees. It is a hard decision after negotiation to response the political environment change and the automobile industry crisis. The General Motors Corporation has a long way to go, but it has taken a constructive step to response to the changing of political environment. In response to the political force of green groups, the General Motors Corporation designs energy saving vehicles which implement alternative fuels and electric. The corporation researches and designs some alternative technology vehicles and some flex fuel burning vehicles. The General Motors Corporation also builds an automotive battery laboratory to research on battery for the electric vehicles. The hybrid electric vehicles are a more practicable automobile in the future. The General Motors Corporation introduced the hybrid concept vehicle in 2005. Up to now, the corporation owes several hybrid electric automobile models and even all electric vehicles. The General Motors Corporation does a good job in developing alternative fuels and electric vehicles in response to the environment protection political power. Areas for improvementThis section demonstrates some areas for improvement of the corporation. The General Motors Corporation does well in response to the challenge of changing political environment. However, there are still some areas for improvement for the corporation. The most important improvement area is to raise the manufacturing efficiency. The average cost of manufacturing in the General Motors Corporation is high comparing with its main competitors such as Toyota. The Toyota is scrambling the market share of the GM little by little in the United States and all around the world. The competitiveness of Toyota come form the low cost caused from lean production. The core spirit of lean product is more value with less work. The purpose of production is to provide value to the final consumers. The expense for other goals is considered as a waste, by which the waste of resource is eliminated and the manufacturing efficiency promoted. It can introduce advance assembly line and reorg anize the logistic department,  through which the supply chain is organized. (Kochan, 2003) The lean production and be combined with six sigma quality and total quality management to maximize the efficiency and cut down the cost. (Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park, 2006)The General Motors Corporation can make a reform on culture. It can build a harmonious culture as in Japanese automobile manufacturing factories to coordinate the relationship and benefits between managers and workers. On the one hand, the harm of the Union Auto Workers can be minimized and the cost of manufacture can be cut down. On the other hand, the harmonious culture can promote the efficiency of manufacturing. The General Motors Corporation also needs to fight against the bureaucratic culture. The organization structure can be reformed and reconstructed break out the barriers between different departments and stimulate the cooperation of different profit centers. Different methods can also be implemented to motivate confidence, communicate and collaborate between staff in different level. ConclusionThis report analyzes the internal and external environment of the General Motors Corporation in the first paragraph and then discusses the changing political environment of the corporation. In analysis, the strengths of branding strategy and advantage in technology and channel, the weaknesses of high production cost and bureaucratic culture, the opportunities of emerging markets and achievement of technology, and the threats of petroleum price fluctuation and strong competitors are analyzed with the SWOT model. In the second part of the report, the influence of political environment change is discussed in three perspectives. They are the protectionism from government, the tendency of Country Alliances and Economic Blocs, and the growing in strength of labor union, green groups and other political groups. Their influence on policies and decision making and the response of the corporation are analyzed and critically evaluated. Then some suggestions are given on several areas for improvement of the corporation. Recommendations As is analyzed in above, the General Motors Corporation can improve in two ways. First, the corporation can introduce new manufacturing methods, such as the lean production, the six sigma quality and total  quality management and so on. By implementing advanced manufacture methods, the corporation can promote its efficiency in manufacturing while reducing the cost. Second, the corporation can build a harmonious culture and fight against the bureaucratic culture, through which the barriers between different departments are broken while the staff in the corporation is motivated. Reference: Benders, J. and Morita, M. (2004), Changes in Toyota Motors operations management, International Journal of Production Research, 42(3), pp: 433-45. Bowler, S. et al. (1996), The growth of the political marketing industry and the California initiative proces European Journal of Marketing, 30(10/11), pp: 166-78. Cho, D.S. (1998), From national competitiveness to bloc and global competitiveness Competitiveness Review, 8(1), pp: 11-23. Coffey, D. (2005), Delineating comparative flexibility in car assembly: the problem of wide selection International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 5(1), pp: 18-31. Dahlgaard, J.J. and Dahlgaard-Park, S.M. (2006), Lean production, six sigma quality, TQM and company culture The TQM Magazine, 18(3), pp: 263-81. Kochan, A. (2003), GM creates flexible assembly line at its Ellesmere Port plant in the UK Assembly Automation, 23(1), pp: 32-5. Loomis, C.J. (2006), The tragedy of General Motors, Fortune, 153 (3), pp: 31-45. Sastry, M.A. (1997), Problems and paradoxes in a model of punctuated organizational change, Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(2), pp: 237-75. Sengir, G.H. et al (2004), Modeling relationship dynamics in GMs research-institution partnerships, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 15(7), pp: 541-59. Tay, H.K. (2007), Rethinking competition in the world auto market: cultural determinants, strategic Strategy Leadership, 35(4), pp: 31-7. Warell, A. (2008), Multi-modal visual experience of brand-specific automobile design The TQM Journal, 20(4), pp: 356-71.

Security models

Security models EXECUTIVE SUMMARY One of the most essential part of securing access to data, information, security, as well as computer organization is by having security policy. A computer security policy consist of a clearly defined and precise set of rules, for determining authorization as a basis for making access control decisions. A security policy captures the security requirements of an establishment or describes the steps that have to be taken to achieve the desired level of security. A security policy is typically stated in terms of subjects and objects, given the desired subject and object there must be a set of rules that are used by the system to determine whether a given subject can be given access to a specific object. A security model is a formal or an informal way of capturing such policies. Security models are an important concept in the design of a system. The implementation of the system is then based on the desired security model. In particular, security models are used to test a particular policy for completeness and consistency document a policy help conceptualize and design an implementation check whether an implementation meets its requirements We assume that some access control policy dictates whether a given user can access a particular object. We also assume that this policy is established outside any model. That is, a policy decision determines whether a specific user should have access to a specific object; the model is only a mechanism that enforces that policy. Thus, we begin studying models by considering simple ways to control access by one user. In this paper, we would briefly explain about two main security models that have already known and been used in securing a system. The two of them are BIBA and Bell La-Padula. Basically this two known system have been used widely in the world and it is essential for us as security technology students to understand and implement it in the future system. We highly hope that this paper can help the student to understand the security policy that being implemented by the BIBA and Bell La-Padula model. CATEGORY OF SECURITY MODELS Biba Model The Biba integrity model was published in 1977 at the Mitre Corporation, one year after the Bell La-Padula model (Cohen ). As stated before, the Bell La-Padula models guarantees confidentiality of data but not its integrity. As a result, Biba created a model use address to enforcing integrity in a computer system. The Biba model proposed a group of integrity policies that can be used. So, the Biba model is actually family of different integrity policies. Each of the policies uses different conditions to ensure information integrity (Castano). The Biba model, in turn, uses both discretionary and nondiscretionary policies. The Biba model uses labels to give integrity levels to the subjects and objects. The data marked with a high level of integrity will be more accurate and reliable than data labeled with a low integrity level. The integrity level use to prohibit the modification of data. Access Modes The Biba Model consists of group access modes. The access modes are similar to those used in other models, although they may use different terms to define them. The access modes that the Biba model supports are: Modify: allows a subject to write to an object. This mode is similar to the write mode in other models. Observe: allows a subject to read an object. This command is synonyms with the read command of other models. Invoke: allows a subject to communicate with another subject. Execute: allows a subject to execute an object. The command essentially allows a subject to execute a program which is the object Policies Supported by the Biba Model The Biba model can be divided into two types of policies, those that are mandatory and those that are discretionary. Mandatory Policies: Strict Integrity Policy Low-Water-Mark Policy for Subjects Low-Water-Mark Policy for Objects Low-Water-Mark Integrity Audit Policy Ring Policy Discretionary Policies: Access Control Lists Object Hierarchy Ring Mandatory Biba Policies The Strict Integrity Policy is the first part of the Biba model. The policy states:  § Simple Integrity Condition: s ∈ S can observe o∈ O if and only if i(s) ≠¤ i(o).  § Integrity Star Property: s ∈ S can modify to o∈ O if and only if i(o) ≠¤ i(s).  § Invocation Property: sâ‚  ∈ S can invoke sâ‚‚ ∈ S if and only if i(sâ‚‚ ) ≠¤ i(sâ‚  ). The first part of the policy is known as the simple integrity property. The property states that a subject may observe an object only if the integrity level of the subject is less than the integrity level of the object. The second rule of the strict integrity property is the integrity star property. This property states that a subject can write to an object only if the objects integrity level is less than or equal to the subjects level. This rule prevents a subject from writing to a more trusted object. The last rule is the invocation property, which states that a subject sâ‚  can only invoke another subject sâ‚‚, if sâ‚‚ has a lower integrity level than sâ‚ . The strict integrity policy enforces â€Å"no write-up† and â€Å"no read-down† on the data in the system, which is a subject, is only allowed to modify data at their level or a low level. The â€Å"no write up† is essential since it limits the damage that can be done by malicious objects in the system. On the other hand, the â€Å"no read down† prevents a trusted subject from being contaminated by a less trusted object. Specifically, the strict integrity property restricts the reading of lower level objects which may be too restrictive in some cases. To combat this problem, Biba devised a number of dynamic integrity polices that would allow trusted subjects access to an un-trusted objects or subjects. Biba implemented these in a number of different low-water mark policies. The low-watermark policy for subjects is the second part of the Biba model. The policy states:  § Integrity Star Property: s ∈ S can modify o∈ O if and only if i(o) ≠¤ i(s).  § If s ∈ S examines o ∈ O the i†² (s) = min(i(s),i(o)), where i†² (s) is the subjects integrity level after the read.  § Invocation Property: sâ‚ Ã¢Ë†Ë† S can invoke sâ‚‚ ∈ S if and only if i(sâ‚‚ ) ≠¤ i(sâ‚  ). The low-watermark policy for subjects is a dynamic policy because it lowers the integrity level of a subject based on the observations of objects. This policy is not without its problems. One problem with this policy is if a subject observes a lower integrity object it will drop the subjects integrity level. Then, if the subject needs to legitimately observe another object it may not be able to do so because the subjects integrity level has been lowered. Depending on the times of read requests by the subject, to observe the objects, a denial of service could develop. The low-watermark policy for objects is the third part of the Biba model. This policy is similar to the low-watermark policy for subject. The policy states:  § s ∈ S can modify any o ∈ O regardless of integrity level.  § If s ∈ S observe o ∈ O the i†² (o) = min(i(s),i(o)), where i†² (o) is the objects integrity level after it is modified. This policy allows any subject to modify any object. The objects integrity level is then lowered if the subjects integrity level is less than the objects. This policy is also dynamic because the integrity levels of the objects in the system are changed based on what subjects modify them. This policy does nothing to prevent an un-trusted subject from modifying a trusted object. The policy provides no real protection in a system, but lowers the trust placed in the objects. If a malicious program was inserted into the computer system, it could modify any object in the system. The result would be to lower the integrity level of the infected object. It is possible with this policy that, overtime; there will be no more trusted objects in the system because their integrity level has been lowered by subjects modifying them. The low-watermark integrity audit policy is the fourth mandatory policy under the Biba model. The policy states:  § s ∈ S can modify any o ∈ O , regardless of integrity levels.  § If a subject modifies a higher level object the transaction is recorded in an audit log. The low-watermark integrity audit policy simply records that an improper modification has taken place. The audit log must then be examined to determine the cause of the improper modification. The drawback to this policy is that it does nothing to prevent an improper modification of an object to occur. The Ring Policy is the last mandatory policy in the Biba Model. This policy is not dynamic like the first three policies. Integrity labels used for the ring policy are fixed, similar to those in the strict integrity policy. The Ring Policy states:  § Any subject can observe any object, regardless of integrity levels.  § Integrity Star Property: s ∈ S can modify o∈ O if and only if i(o) ≠¤ i(s).  § Invocation Property: sâ‚  ∈ S can invoke sâ‚‚ ∈ S if and only if i(sâ‚‚ ) ≠¤ i(sâ‚ ). The ring policy is not perfect; it allows improper modifications to take place. A subject can read a low level subject, and then modifies the data observed at its integrity level (Castano). Advantages Disadvantages Advantages: Ø Easy to implement So, It is no harder to implement the strict integrity policy. Ø Provides a number of different policies If the strict integrity property is too restricting, one of the dynamic policies could be used in its place. Disadvantages: Ø The model does nothing to enforce confidentiality. Ø The Biba model does not support the granting and revocation of authorization. Ø This model is selecting the right policy to implement. Bell La-Padula Model The Bell La-Padula model is a classical model used to define access control. The model is based on a military-style classification system (Bishop). With a military model, the sole goal is to prevent information from being leaked to those who are not privileged to access the information. The Bell La-Padula was developed at the Mitre Corporation, a government funded organization, in the 1970s (Cohen). The Bell La-Padula is an information flow security model because it prevents information to flow from a higher security level to a lower security level. The Bell La-Padula model is based around two main rules: the simple security property and the star property. The simple security property states that a subject can read an object if the object is classification is less than or equal to the subjects clearance level. The simple security property prevents subjects from reading more privileged data. The star property states that a subject can write to an object, if the subjects clearance level is less than or equal to the objects classification level. What the star property essentially does is it prevents the 2 lowering of the classification level of an object. The properties of the Bell La-Padula model are commonly referred to as â€Å"no read up† and â€Å"no write down†, respectively. The Bell La-Padula model is not flawless. Specifically, the model does not deal with the integrity of data. It is possible for a lower level subject to write to a higher classified object. Because of these short comings, the Biba model was created. The Biba model in turn is deeply rooted in the Bell La-Padula model. There is a slightly embellished Mealy-type automaton as our model for computer systems. That is, a system (or machine) M is composed of  § a set S of states, with an initial state s0 2 S,  § a set U of users (or subjects in security parlance),  § a set C of commands (or operations), and  § a set O of outputs, Together with the functions next and out:  § next: S Ãâ€" U Ãâ€" C → S  § out: S Ãâ€" U Ãâ€" C → O Pairs of the form (u, c) 2 U Ãâ€" C are called actions. We derive a function next*: Ø Next*: S Ãâ€" (U Ãâ€" C)* → S (The natural extension of next to sequences of actions) by the equations Ø Next*(s, Λ) = s, and Ø Next*(s, ÃŽ ± ââ€" ¦ (u, c)) = next (next*(s, ÃŽ ±), u, c), Where Λ denotes the empty string and ââ€" ¦ denotes string concatenation. Based on these two primitive types of access, four more elaborate ones can be constructed. These are known as w, r, a, and e access, respectively: w : write access permits both observation and alteration, r : read access permits observation but not alteration, a : append access permits alteration, but not observation, and e : execute access permits neither observation nor alteration. In order to model formally this internal structure of the system state we introduce a set N of object names, a set V of object values, the set A = {w, r, a, e} of access types, And also the functions contents and current-access-set: contents: S Ãâ€" N → V , current-access-set: S → P(U Ãâ€" N Ãâ€" A) (where P denotes power set) with the interpretation that contents(s, n) returns the value of object n in state s, while current-access-set(s) returns the set of all triples (u, n, x) such that subject u has access type x to object n in state s. Observe that contents captures the idea of the value state, while current-access-set embodies the protection state of the system. Thus, we introduce functions alter, and observe: alter : S → P(U Ãâ€" N), and observe : S → P(U Ãâ€" N) with the definitions: observe(s) def = {(u, n) | (u, n,w) or (u, n, r) Є current-access-set(s)}, and alter(s) def = {(u, n) | (u, n,w) or (u, n, a) Є current-access-set(s)}. That is, observe(s) returns the set of all subject-object pairs (u, n) for which subject u has observation rights to object n in state s, while alter (s) returns the set of all pairs for which subject u has alteration rights to object n in state s. Definitions of Bell La-Padula Definition 1 (Simple Security Property) A state s Є S satisfies the simple security property if Є N: Ø (u, n) Є observe(s) clearance (u) ≠¥ classification(s, n). A rule r is ss-property-preserving if next(s, u, r) satisfies the ss-property whenever s does. Definition 2 (*-property) Let T U denote the set of trusted subjects. A state s Є S satisfies the *-property if, for all un-trusted subjects u Є UT (we use to denote set difference) and objects n Є N: Ø (u, n) Є alter(s) âŠÆ' classification(s, n) âŠÆ' current-level(s, u), and Ø (u, n) Є observe(s) current-level(s, u) âŠÆ' classification(s, n). A rule r is *-property-preserving if next(s, u, r) satisfies the *-property whenever s does. Note that it follows from these definitions that: Ø (u, n, a) Є current-access-set(s)current-level(s, u), Ø (u, n, r) Є current-access-set(s) classification(s, n), And Ø (u, n,w) Є current-access-set(s) classification(s, n) = current-level(s, u). Also, as a simple consequence of the transitivity of ≠¥, if a state s satisfies the *-property and u is an un-trusted subject with alteration rights to object n1 and observation rights to object n2 (in state s), then Ø classification(s, n1) ≠¥ classification(s, n2). The original formulation of the *- property was somewhat different than that given above in that it did not employ the notion of a subjects current-level. The formulation of the *-property given in [1, Volume II] is, u Є TU, and m, n Є N: Ø (u,m) Є observe(s) ^ (u, n) Є alter(s) âŠÆ' classification(s, n) âŠÆ' classification(s,m). Definition 3 (Security) A state is secure if it satisfies both the simple security property and the *-property. A rule r is security-preserving if next(s, u, r) is secure whenever s is. We say that a state s is reachable if Ø s = next*(s0, ÃŽ ±) for some action sequence ÃŽ ± Є (U Ãâ€" C)*. A system satisfies the simple security property if every reachable state satisfies the simple security property. A system satisfies the *-property if every reachable state satisfies the *-property. A system is secure if every reachable state is secure. Applications of Bell La-Padula Bell and La Padula demonstrated the application of their security model by using the results of the previous section to establish the security of a representative class of 11 rules. These rules were chosen to model those found in the Multics system. 1. Get-Read (rule 1 of [2]) A subject u may call the rule get-read(n) in order to acquire read access to the object n. The rule checks that the following conditions are satisfied. clearance (u) ≠¥ classification(s, n) If u is not a trusted subject (i.e., u Є UT), then o current-level(s, u) ≠¥ classification(s, n) If both these conditions are satisfied, the rule modifies the protection state by setting  § current-access-set(s0) = current-access-set(s) {(u, n, r)}, where s0 denotes the new system state following execution of the rule. Otherwise, the system state is not modified. The security of get-read follows directly from Corollary 9. 2. Get-Append, Get-Execute, Get-Write (rules 2 to 4 of [2]) These are analogous to get-read. 3. Release-Read (rule 5 of [2]) A subject u may call the rule release-read(n) in order to release its read access right to the object n. No checks are made by the rule, which simply modifies the protection state by setting  § current-access-set(s0) = current-access-set(s){(u, n, r)}, where s0 denotes the new system state following execution of the rule. The security of release read follows directly from Theorem 10. 4. Release-Execute, Release-Append, Release-Write (rule 5 of [2]) These are analogous to release-read. 5. Change-Subject-Current-Security-Level (rule 10 of [2]) A subject u may call Change-Subject-Current-Security-Level(l) in order to request that its current-level be changed to l. The rule checks that the following conditions are satisfied. clearance(u) ≠¥ l (i.e., a subjects current-level may not exceed its clearance). If u is an un-trusted subject (i.e., u Є UT) then assigning l as the current level of u must not cause the resulting state to violate the *-property—i.e.,n Є N:  § (u, n) Є alter(s) âŠÆ' classification(s, n) ≠¥ l, and  § (u, n) Є observe(s) âŠÆ' l ≠¥ classification(s, n). If both these conditions are satisfied, the rule modifies the system state by settingcurrent-level (s0, u) = l, where s0 denotes the new system state following execution of the rule. Otherwise, the system state is not modified. 6. Change-Object-Security-Level (rule 11 of [2]) A subject u may call Change-Object-Security-Level(n, l) in order to request that the classification of object n be changed to l. The rule checks that the following conditions are satisfied. current-level(s, u) ≠¥ classification(s, n) (i.e., no subject may change the classification of an object which is currently classified above its own level). If u is an un-trusted subject (i.e., u Є UT), then current-level(s, u) ≠¥ l and l ≠¥ classification(s, n), o (i.e., untrusted subjects may not â€Å"downgrade† the classification of an object). v Є U, (v, n) 2 observe(s) âŠÆ' current-level(s, v) ≠¥ l (i.e., if any subject has observation rights to the object n, then the current level of that subject must dominate the new classification of n). Assigning l as the classification of n must not cause the resulting state to violate the *-property. If these conditions are satisfied, the rule modifies the system state by setting classification (s0, n) = l, where s0 denotes the new system state following execution of the rule. Otherwise, the system state is not modified. There are several limitations of BLP: Restricted to confidentiality No policies for changing access rights; a general and complete downgrade is secure; BLP is intended for systems with static security levels. BLP contains covert channels: a low subject can detect the existence of high objects when it is denied access. Sometimes, it is not sufficient to hide only the contents of objects. Also their existence may have to be hidden.

The Aerospike :: physics aerospike rocket engine

When a rocket's fuel ignites, the molecules in the fuel release a tremendous amount of energy in the forms of heat, light, and sound. They expand rapidly as they move from the "throat" of the nozzle into the "bell." The compressed air inside the balloon wants to expand outward. Therefore it presses against the walls of the balloon in every direction except the place where there is no wall - the "nozzle" of the balloon. Because there is no force vector in this location, adding the vectors yields a net force to the right. A bell nozzle, where a fuel (liquid Hydrogen) mixes with an oxidizer (liquid Oxygen) at a rate "m." As they ignite they are forced into the throat, where they are compressed substantially. As they move out into the bell, they steadily expand, pushing against the nozzle and creating a net upward thrust, similar to the compressed air pushing on the walls of the balloon. Luckily, a rocket can be controlled more than a released balloon. Nozzles do not have to be bell shaped - as long as gas is expanding and pushing against a surface, creating thrust, any shape can be used! One alternative to the bell engine is the spike configuration. In particular, the Aerospike engine will be described and analyzed. The "Spike," or annular, engine is one of three basic engine designs: cones, bells, and annulars.The Cone is the simplest engine design. A cone with a narrow angle provides the greatest thrust, but a longer engine means increased weight. A short, wide-angle cone tends to be unstable under pressure (in the atmosphere). For example, the Apollo Saturn 5 featured long, relatively thin nozzles for optimum thrust at sea level. The Command Module, which operated only in space, utilized a comparatively wider engine for more expansion in space. The Bell nozzle is a compromise, opening up more rapidly near the throat and then opening more slowly near the end. However, bell nozzles are optimized for specific altitudes, therefore they will only provide their maximum thrust at a given altitude - at all other points they will provide less-than-optimum thrust. The annular, or "altitude compensating" engine is a more recently developed design. Commonly referred to as Spike engines, annulars operate with exhaust flow outside what is typically thought of as the nozzle. The exhaust flows around a central spike, rather than being contained by walls. They are called "annular" because the throat is donut-shaped, with the spike protruding from the middle.

Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreisers An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie :: essays research papers

Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Through the social criticism of Theodore Dreiser, the plight of the poor is compared against the actions of the rich. In both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Dreiser presents characters who are driven â€Å"by ignorance and in ability to withstand the pressures of the shallow American yearning for money, success, fashion -- dreams about which Dreiser himself was indeed an authority† (W.A. Swanberg 254). Throughout his career, Dreiser wrote for a variety of periodicals in order to earn enough money to support himself. His success there lead him to write novels, which in turn guided his path to fame and fortune.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mirroring the life and ambition of Dreiser, the characters in An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie demonstrate the same goals and hopes for their lives. Like Dreiser, both Clyde and Carrie came from modest roots. In American society at the turn of the century, however, it is money that ultimately makes the man. As a result, both characters spend their lives working their way into this mold, even at the cost of compromising themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the book An American Tragedy, a poor boy is working his way up to become known. In his society, a name is known for the amount of money its holder makes. His actions in and out of work reflect what his social life of popularity will become. He strives for richness and a life of prosperity, but it is not always what he wants. His choices with love have to be that of wealth and success or he is dishonored.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This character, Clyde, takes a series of miscellaneous jobs to help him succeed. His first high paying job was as a bell hop in a hotel frequented by the rich. From there he went on to work at the shirt factory owned by his extremely wealthy uncle, Uncle Griffiths. Beginning in the wash rooms, Clyde eventually worked his way into a managerial position keeping tab of the payroll. While at the shirt collar factory Clyde engages in a relationship with Roberta, one of the workers under his charge. Clyde then falls in love with Sondra, a woman of the upper class. Not long after, he discovers that Roberta is pregnant. Rather than jeopardize his own rise into the upper class, Clyde must find a way to get rid of Roberta. His only thoughts are that of murder, but he lacks the courage to do it himself.

Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech and Sign Language Storytelling :: Language Education Teaching

Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech and Sign Language Storytelling There are many hearing individuals who do not know sign language but move their hands when speaking. Chances are these people would have a hard time telling the same story if asked not to use their hands. Additionally, the story told without the assistance of gesture would likely seem lackluster by comparison. The question becomes, to what degree is gesture an integral part of effective storytelling and how much does it add to the complexity and richness of a story? How does the gesture used in oral storytelling compare to that used in American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling? If gesture is taken into consideration, will the complexity of information conveyed be equivalent between languages? These are questions that Drs. Sarah Taub, Dennis Galvan, and Pilar Pià ±ar sought to answer in their recent study on the contribution of hand and body movements to the complexity and depth of ASL, English, and Spanish storytelling (Taub, Galvan, & Pià ±ar, 2004). Dennis Galvan Pilar Pià ±ar Sarah Taub Psychology Foreign Languages Linguistics Forming Questions The inspiration to explore the above questions grew from the .ndings of Galvan and Taub’s previous study (2004) in which they compared narratives by native ASL and English users. Results from this study indicated that when compared with English users, ASL signers consistently incorporated much more conceptual A Publication of the Gallaudet Research Institute at Gallaudet University Spring 2005 Kozol Presentation Combines Wit, Wisdom, Outrage, and Compassion** By Robert C. Johnson Jonathan Kozol, author of such books as Death at an Early Age and Savage Inequalities, gave a presentation at Gallaudet on March 30 called â€Å"Shame of the Nation: Resegregation, Inequality, and Over- Testing in Public Education.† The talk was sponsored by the Gallaudet Research Institute as part of its Schaefer Distinguished Lecture Series. In addition to the presentation, Kozol participated in several other sessions with Gallaudet faculty and students in which he reported learning a great deal about deaf students and their educational needs. He said he was particularly intrigued to learn from Gallaudet Department of Education faculty and students—deaf and hearing— that the statement â€Å"separate is never equal† does not necessarily apply to deaf students, many of whom thrive in education programs outside the mainstream. Kozol said his focus has not been on separate programs that are well designed and effectively meeting students’ needs. His concern is that current governmental and socioeconomic factors in America are depriving many students of quality educational experiences because of â€Å"racial apartheid† which is forcing too many minority children to stay in inferior learning environments. During a question and answer session with Kozol, Dr. Barbara Gerner de Garcia, a faculty member in Gallaudet’s Department of Educational Foundations and Research, pointed out

A Person Who Is Trying to Study

WR7 – 1 Week Seven Homework No-Name Name: Writing Assignment Task WR7. 0 1. Knowledge Assessment: Lesson 8 – Managing Users and Computers (50 points). a. Fill in the Blank: Complete the following sentences by entering the correct word or words in the blanks: 1. In a case where multiple PSOs are configured for a particular user, Active Directory will determine which one to apply by using the PSO's precedence . 2. You can automatically add a technical support user to the local Administrators group of each domain workstation by using Restricted groups . 3. The pupate. exe command allows you to manually refresh Group Policy settings on a particular computer. 4. Tattooing refers to a Group Policy setting that is not removed when the GPO setting reverts to â€Å"Not Configured. † 5. You would audit account logon events to determine who is authenticating against your Active Directory domain controllers. 6. Each Active Directory domain controller acts as a(n) to enable t he distribution of Kerberos tickets. 7. folder redirection Key distribution center allows you to configure a user's Documents, Desktop, and other folders o that they are stored on a network drive rather than the local computer. 8. Settings in the kerberos poloicies section of Group Policy allow you to configure the maximum allowable clock skew between a client and a domain controller. 9. Auditing for Policy change events will alert you when a change is made to User Rights assignments, IPSec policies, or trust relationships. 10. You can create a consistent service startup configuration for multiple computers by using the system services node in Group Policy Knowledge assessment continues on the next pageIT222 Microsoft Network Operating System II b. Select the correct answer. c WR7 – 2 1. What type of object will you create to enable multiple password policies within a Windows Server 2008 domain? a. msDS-MinimumPasswordLength b. msDS-MultiplePasswordPolicies c. PasswordSetting sObject (PSO) d. msDS-PasswordObject b 2. Which configuration item has a default value of 90 minutes for workstations and member servers, with a random offset of 0 to 30 minutes to optimize network performance? a. Refresh time b. Refresh interval c. Clock skew d. Clock interval d . To determine which users are accessing resources on a particular member server in an Active Directory domain, which event type would you audit? a. Account logon event b. Policy change event c. Account management event d. Logon event a 4. Monitoring a system such as Active Directory for the success and/or failure of specific user actions is called a. auditing b. inspecting c. scanning d. sniffing c 5. Which audit category includes events such as server startup and shutdown, time changes, and clearing the security log within the Windows Event Viewer? . Process tracking b. Privileged use c. System Events d. Policy management Knowledge assessment continues on the next page WR7 – 3 Week Seven Assignment s a 6. Which feature allows you to control how much space a user can take on a particular hard drive volume, configurable via Group Policy? a. Disk quotas b. Folder redirection c. Offline files d. Object access auditing d 7. To prevent users from re-using a certain number of network passwords, what can you configure as part of a domain-wide policy or as part of a Fine-Grained Password Policy? . Minimum password length b. Minimum password age c. Maximum password age d. Enforce password history b 8. A PasswordSettingsObject (PSO) within Active Directory is also known as which type of object? a. msDS-PasswordSettingsPrecedence b. msDS-PasswordSettings c. msDS-PasswordComplexityEnabled d. msDS-MinimumPasswordLength c 9. Which Group Policy feature allows users to access user files when the user is disconnected from the corporate network? a. Folder redirection b. Disk quotas c. Offline files d. Object access auditing b 10.Which audit event type is triggered when user or group accounts are created, deleted, renamed, enabled, or disabled? a. Account logon events b. Account management events c. Privileged use events d. Policy management events IT222 Microsoft Network Operating System II 1. Knowledge Assessment: Lesson 9 – Software Distribution (50 points). a. Match the following definitions with the appropriate term. WR7 – 4 Definition a. This feature of Group Policy software installation will automatically reinstall critical application files if they are accidentally or maliciously deleted. . Group Policy software installations rely on this file type to create an installation package that can be cleanly Assigned and Published and that has self-healing capabilities. c. This Default Security Level in Software Restriction Policies will disallow any executable that requires administrative rights to run. d. This Group Policy software installation option is not available in the Computer Configuration node. e. When deploying software with Group Policy, you need to create one or more of these to house the installation files for the applications that you wish to eploy. f. his software restriction policy rule will prevent executables from running if they have been modified in any way by a user, virus, or piece of malware. g. If you need to deploy a software installation package that does not have an . msi file available, you can create one of these as an alternative. h. This describes a series of bytes with a fixed length that uniquely identifies a program or file. i. This software restriction policy rule will allow or prevent applications from running that are located within a particular folder or subfolder. j.This GPO software installation method can be used to automatically install an application when a computer starts up or a user logs in. g j Term Zap file Assign Basic User Hash Path Rule Publish Self-healing Distribution Share Msi file Hash Rule c h i d a e b f WR7 – 5 Week Seven Homework b. Select the correct answer. c 1. Which of the following rule types apply only to Windows Installer packages? a. Hash rules b. Certificate rules c. Internet zone rules d. Path rules d 2. Which file type is used by Windows Installer? a. .inf b. .bat c. .msf d. .msi file c 3.Which of the following is not one of the Default Security Levels that can be used with a software restriction policy? a. Basic User b. Unrestricted c. Restricted d. Disallowed d 4. As part of your efforts to deploy all new applications using Group Policy, you discover that several of the applications you wish to deploy do not include the necessary installer files. What can you use to deploy these applications? a. Software restriction policies b. .msi files c. .mdb files d. .zap files b 5. Which of the following describes the mathematical equation that creates a digital â€Å"fingerprint† of a particular file? . Hash rule b. Hash algorithm c. Software restriction policy d. Path rule IT222 Microsoft Network Operating System II d WR7 – 6 6. Which of the following rules will allow or disallow a script or a Windows Installer file to run on the basis of how the file has been signed? a. Path rule b. Hash rule c. Network zone rule d. Certificate rule c 7. You wish to deploy several software applications using Group Policy, such that the applications can be manually installed by the users from the Add/Remove Programs applet in their local Control Panel.Which installation option should you select? a. Assign b. Disallowed c. Publish d. Unrestricted b 8. You have assigned several applications using GPOs. Users have complained that there is a delay when they double-click on the application icon, which you know is the result of the application being installed in the background. What option can you use to pre-install assigned applications when users log on or power on their computers? a. Uninstall when the application falls out of scope b. Install This Application At Logon c. Advanced Installation Mode d.Path rule b 9. Which of th e following is used to develop information systems software through a structured process that includes analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance? a. Hash algorithm b. System Development Life Cycle c. Software Restriction Policy d. Group Policy Object c 10. Which of the following Default Security Levels in Software Restriction Policies will disallow any executable from running that has not been explicitly enabled by the Active Directory administrator? a. Basic User b. Restricted c. Disallowed d. Power User

The Female Function In Homer’s Iliad

In the story of Homer's Iliad, the roles of women are clearly drawn. The function, from mortal to immortal is to influence male characters. The main female roles also have the functions of mother, daughter, wives, goddesses, and prizes. Through out this poetic recount of war, telling of battles on the field, and in heaven, of all the varying roles of the female characters, each one can be pared down to influencer of a male, whether god, or mortal. One of the main figures of the Iliad is Helen of Troy. Her function is that of a prize.She is to be won, taken, and the group that has her is the one who wins. There are other instances in which females are used for the sole purpose of prizes, to be bargained or fought for. Towards the beginning of the Iliad, King Agamemnon is so upset that he has to give Chryseis back to her father, Chryses, in order to make Apollo stop attacking his country, that he takes Achillies' â€Å"prize†, Briseis. Later on in the story, when trying to make this up to Achillies to try and get him to save Agamemnon and the rest of the Danaans ships, the role of the woman is again to be used as a prize.King Agamemnon states' â€Å"I have three daughters†¦ let him take the one of his choice, freely and without gifts of wooing,† (Book 9). Even daughters are used as bargaining tools, or prizes by their own fathers. Daughters have different roles in the story, depending on if the daughter is mortal, or immortal. The daughters that are mortal have very little to say about who they are going to marry, or what will happen to them if their city gets â€Å"sacked† and they are to be divided among the fighters as loot.The daughters of the immortals, however, have a much more functioning role, as they are influencer to men and god alike. Minerva, in particular, has a way of getting what she wants from her father Jove. She influences his decisions, so that she can get her own way. Minerva also does as she's told to, and sends infl uential messages down to the men in battle more then once, being the good daughter that she is. Minerva is just one of the goddesses listed in the Iliad, and the functions of the goddesses vary, although, the roles are all influential to a male character in some way.Some of the roles of the goddesses are to be a messenger, like Minerva. Jove's wife, Juno, functions in much the same way as a mortal wife though, when the situation comes to Juno trying to argue a point with her husband, he ends up putting his foot down, and telling her to go sit down and be quiet. This is when they're discussion whether or not the city of Ilius is going to lose in battle. Even as the goddess with the most power over the other goddesses, she still sits down and does what she has been told.After finding out that Juno and Minerva were on their way down to earth to get into the battle, Jove makes the remark, â€Å"I am less surprised and angry with Juno, for whatever I say she always contradicts me,† (Book 8) Though, Homer does point out that just because Juno has done what Jove told to do, does not mean that she is happy about sitting down and being quiet about not wanting the city destroyed. Juno's character also serves in the role of the mother. In this role, she remains very protective over the men that she cares about, and influences them not to fight against each other.This role is shown from the very beginning of the work when she sends Minerva down to earth to stop Achillies and Agamemnon from fighting and killing each other, â€Å"because she cares for both of them so,† (Book 1). Immortal mothers are very protective of their mortal sons, but there is an example of a mortal mother not being so protective. During the battle, Hector runs to find his wife, who is looking down at the battle from the top of a wall, with her nursemaid carrying the baby.She pleads with him not to go back to the fight, stating that if he dies, she would have nothing left to live for. Bo ok 8) This would read that she would kill herself, because of his death, and therefore would not be there to raise her own child. Another female role in this epic is of sister. Juno is not only Jove's wife, but also his sister. The fact that they are related is brought up a few times in the story, when she is called Daughter of Saturn, and Jove being the Son of Saturn. Juno also plays the role of the trickster, as she gets Venus to help her, and Sleep to help her so that she can get Jove to fall asleep. This is detailed about the middle of Book 14.Juno gets Jove to want to have sex with her, and then he falls asleep while holding her. Juno uses her beauty and influence to get Jove to go to sleep. Another sisterly role is played by Althea, Meleager's mother, as the tale tells of her, â€Å"grieving for the death of her brother, prayed the gods,† (Book 9). Of all the influential roles that women play in the Iliad, the most influential would be that of messenger. Iris is depicte d in the role of messenger when she is sent down by Jove to deliver the message to Minerva and Juno that he forbids them to join in the battle.Another major influential messenger is Minerva herself. She is sent down more then once to deliver messages from Jove, and others immortals from heaven. Throughout the story, the functions of the female roles are varied, and are contemporary to their time, during which a man worshiped a female goddess, only to take a young girl from a far away land in order to have more wealth. Most of all, every role can be seen to show that females' influence over society at the time of Homer was great in some respects, yet even goddesses were subservient to the mighty male Jove.The role of the females concerning war was to influence the soldiers, and to be good wives, taking care of the children. And if the city in which the female lived gets â€Å"sacked†, it then becomes the females role to strictly be property. Though the male character that took her may or may not have feelings for her, she is still at best, loot. Daughters played very influential rules, especially the daughters of Jove, whether trying to get their way, or making Jove mad or happy, the role of his daughters was to influence him, and to have him decide what would come of the great battle.

Health Law and Regulations Essay

In understanding regulatory agencies the differences between regulation and legislation needs defining. Legislation is the law that has been passed by a voting process and regulation is the responsibility of the regulatory board appointed to enforce laws once the law is passed; it sets forth rules on how the laws are to be implemented and to what degree. In health care the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has the predominant responsibility to enforce legislation that impacts the health and well-being of Americans. Under the umbrella of HHS there are 13 regulatory agencies tasked with setting rules on the enforcement of the legislation passed by lawmakers. Regulatory Agencies Two of the most influential regulatory agencies within HHS are the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), these two agencies have substantial influence on every aspect of health care delivery. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, medical devices, drugs, vaccines, blood products and biologics. In addition, they monitor medical errors and adverse reactions and reporting such to providers, (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). CMS controls the Medicare program and works in collaboration with state governments to oversee Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In addition to these responsibilities, CMS dispenses criteria from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), surveys and certifies quality standards in long-term care facilities, and clinical laboratories, (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). The proportion of national health spending sponsored by both federal, state, and local governments was 45% in 2010, a significant source of revenue depended on by providers of health care, (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2011). Current FDA Regulations The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPAC Act), amended the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) to create a shortened authorization route for medications found to be â€Å"highly similar† or â€Å"interchangeable† with an FDA-approved medication, (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). The goal is similar to the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (â€Å"Hatch-Waxman Act†), which produced condensed methods for the approval of drug products under Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFD&C Act). The outcome is aimed at the FDA’s instituted policy of allowing confidence on what is already known about a drug, thus protecting time and resources, (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). To help increase access to affordable prescription medications, the FDA implemented measures to expedite the development and approval of generic drugs. Generic drugs cost 50 to 70% less than their brand-name counterparts equating to a savings of eight to ten billion dollars a year at retail pharmacies, (Crawford, June). These savings do not include the use of generic drugs in an institutional setting. PPAC expands on the practice of generic drugs and incorporates using medications that have the same efficacy as another more expensive medication leading to more options in the prescribing of medications. The practice of using generic drugs is not without concern. As evidenced by the case Pliva v. Mensing where the question was; the safety standards for brand-name drug labeling also apply to generic-drug manufacturers. The patients in the case took the generic drug metoclopramide and developed tardive dyskinesia, which was listed on the label. The patients argued the warning was not adequate and the manufacturer argued the â€Å"changes being effected† process was not available to generic-drug manufacturers because the FDA requires labels for generic versions of drugs to be identical to those of the brand-name drugs, (Glantz & Annas, 2011). The FDA upheld the manufacturer’s claim although the FDA added the manufacturer had a responsibility to request a label change if the manufacturer knew a stronger warning was needed to market the drug safely. The court found in favor of the manufacturer stating â€Å"federal law still preempted injured patients from bringing lawsuits in state courts, because the state laws in question require a safer label, not communicating with the FDA about the possibility of creating a safer label,† (Glantz & Annas, 2011, p. 682). Despite this regulatory standing, a controversial issue may entail for the FDA in the allowance of medications to be â€Å"interchanged† to promote an additional avenue for savings in prescription medications. Much foresight needs to be included to protect the safety and well-being of patients. Current CMS Regulations The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), is legislation aimed at the adoption and â€Å"meaningful use† of health information technology. CMS was authorized to establish incentive programs for eligible Medicare and Medicaid providers who adopt, implement, upgrade, or â€Å"meaningfully use† certified electronic health records (EHR). The term â€Å"meaningful use† is an acknowledgement that improved health care is not the product of technology but a method to exchange and use health information to support clinical decisions at the point of care. To qualify for CMS’ incentive program the provider must obtain certified electronic health record technology. An incentive of $44 thousand can be achieved by an eligible professional who shows â€Å"meaningful use† over a five year period. Hospitals implementing a certified EHR system can qualify for a t wo million dollar base payment. In 2015 Medicare will implement a reduction in payment to those not displaying â€Å"meaningful use†. The decrease in payment begins at one percent and rises each year that hospitals and providers receiving Medicare payments do not make evident â€Å"meaningful use,† to a maximum reduction of five percent, (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2011). The use of EHRs is encouraged by touting improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, quality, and safety of health care delivery. A study on the use of EHR in 2952 hospitals in the United States revealed 12% of hospitals had instituted electronic physicians’ notes across all clinical units and 17% had instituted computerized provider-order entry for medications in all clinical units, (Jha, et al., 2009). The cited barriers to implementation of EHR were inadequate capital (74%), maintenance costs (44%), resistance of physicians (36%), unclear return on investment (32%), and lack of available staff with expertise i n information technology (30%), (Jha, et al., 2009). Ironically, the hospitals who had implemented the use of EHRs cited financial reasons such as additional compensation for electronic health record use (82%) and financial enticements for implementation (75%), (Jha, et al., 2009). The estimated cost of purchasing, installing, and implementing an EHR system in a provider’s office is approximately $40,000 and this figure does not reflect the cost of maintenance, (Blumentha, 2009). A survey by the American Hospital Association revealed â€Å"the median annual capital investment on information technology was over $700,000 and represented 15% of all capital expenses. Operating expenses were much higher at $1.7 million, or 2 percent of all operating expenses,† (National Institutes of Health, 2006, p. 18). Although there are indisputable reasons for implementing an EHR system, CMS’ incentive program is merely a pittance compared to the ongoing costs of operational expenses. The concept of all health care providers possessing an EHR system is ideal. As with any form of electronic technology comes the prospect of personal information being violated. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) does provide for penalties from $100 to $1.5 million, depending on the violation and whether it was done unknowingly or willfully and can include imprisonment up to 10 years. HIPAA protects the health information of individuals; â€Å"it does not create a private cause of action for those aggrieved,† (The General Counsel Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Conclusion Federal regulatory agencies are a necessity to interpret and assist in the implementation of legislation. Without federal regulatory agencies the United States would have over 50 different interpretations on one piece of legislation. The FDA and CMS play a significant role in the ever changing health care arena. The FDA is based on scientific integrity evidenced by the recent publication of defined key principles of scientific integrity. Through this commitment to scientific integrity and quality the FDA provides medical safety to the American people. Through research and establishing guidelines the FDA has been instrumental in making generic drugs available to the public, saving them more than eight billion dollars annually. The PPAC tasked the FDA has been tasked with expanding on the generic drug practice by discovering medications that have the same efficacy as another medications leading to more cost saving options in the prescribing of medications. CMS has been tasked with implementing HITECH that has the promise of decreasing costs and errors in health care delivery. This is a lofty goal with over 80 percent of the United States hospitals without any type of electronic health record in place. The financial incentive provided by the federal government through CMS does not seem to be enough of a motivator to encourage the financial commitment of an EHR. Although, after 2015 when hospitals and providers have not demonstrated â€Å"meaningful use† these providers of Medicare services may be more inclined when losing one percent of their Medicare payments. These regulatory agencies and the legislation cited in this paper are a minute representation of the responsibility and obligation the federal agencies have to protect the well-being of the American people. The cited legislation delegated to these regulatory agencies is not only focused on health but financial constraint and safety of the American people. References Blumentha, D. (2009, April 9). Stimulating the Adoption of Health Information Technology. Retrieved from The New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0901592 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2011, October 17). Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Basics. Retrieved from CMS.gov: https://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/35_Basics.asp Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2011, September). National Health Expenditures 2010: Sponsor Highlights. Retrieved from CMS.gov: https://www.cms.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/sponsors.pdf Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from CMS.gov: http://www.cms.gov/home/aboutcms.asp Crawford, L. (June, 23 2004). The Law of Biologic Medicine. Retrieved from FDA: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Testimony/ucm113745.htm Glantz, L., & Annas, G. (2011, August 25). Impossible? Outlawing State Safety Laws for Generic Drugs. Retrieved from The New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1107832 Jha, A., DesRoches, C., Campbell, E. G., Donelan, K., Rao, S., Ferris, T., . . . Blumenthal, D. (2009, April 16). Use of Electronic Health Records in U.S. Hospitals. Retrieved from The New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa0900592#t=articleBackground National Institutes of Health. (2006, April). Electronic Health Records Overview. Retrieved from National Institutes of Health: http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/publications/informatics/EHR.pdf The General Counsel Departmentof Health and Human Services. (2005, June 1). SCOPE OF CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT UNDER 42 U.S.C.  § 1320d-6. Retrieved from The United States Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gov/olc/hipaa_final.htm U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2011, November 16). FDA Fundamentals. Retrieved from About FDA: http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm192695.htm U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2011, March 10). Implementation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009. Retrieved from U.S. Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm215089.htm