Hong Kong and Chongqing Air Pollution

Air Pollution Observation between Hong Kong and Chongqing Part 1 General Picture of Hong Kong and Chongqing and Meaning of Comparing A whole host of similarities between Hong Kong and Chongqing make this thesis's aiming to exploit air pollution and approaches governments take more pragmatic and meaningful. Among the aforementioned similarities, the geographical ones could be treated as lurking causes of air pollution and other relative issues. Hence, this part is intended to showcase a general delineation of this aspect of things in common.The cities of Chongqing and Hong Kong are both located at hilly areas that are highly opulated, with buildings and major highways located very close to slopes and earth- retaining structures. Landslides and rockfalls are very common in both cities, and large expenditures are being incurred by both Governments on the investigation, design and implementation of mitigation and preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of the loss of life and econom ic losses due to landslides. Both Hong Kong and Chongqing have a humid subtropical climate.Summer is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, and warm air coming from the southwest. Summer is when typhoons are most likely, sometimes resulting in flooding or andslides. Winters are mild and usually start sunny, becoming cloudier towards February; the occasional cold front brings strong, cooling winds from the north. The most temperate seasons are spring, which can be changeable, and autumn, which is generally sunny and dry. Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year, while the highest and lowest ever recorded temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory are 36. oc (97. 0 OF) and 0. 0 oc (32. 0 OF), respectively. On the other hand, known as one of the â€Å"Three Furnaces† of the Yangtze River, Chongqing has a monsoon- nfluenced humid subtropical climate, and for most of the year experiences very humid conditions. Besides, its summers are long and among the hottest and most humid in China, with highs of 33 to 34 oc (91 to 93 OF) in July and August in the urban area. Winters are short and somewhat mild, but damp and overcast. Because the city's location is in the Sichuan Basin, Chongqing has one of the lowest annual sunshine nationally.The fgure is only 1,055 hours, which is much lower than some nations of Northern Europe. (Wikipedia: Chongqing) Chongqing is adjacent to northeast part of Sichuan province, and the area of this city is over 23,000 km2 with 5million population. Chongqing is one of the most polluted cities in China: from 1981 to 1996, S02 (Sulfur Dioxide) emissions were about 800,000 tons, and TSP (Total Suspended Particulates) emissions were about 200,000 tons per year. The daily concentration of S02 reached to 0. 26-0. 49mg/m3, which is 3-7 times higher than the Class II national standard of air quality

Critical Review for a Research Article Based on Grammar Translation

INTRODUCTION For centuries, Strategies on teaching and learning second language has been formed and apply in the classroom. Based on that, many researches has been conducted to test these methods in teaching and learning process to examine whether it is efficient or just a waste of time. By reading through these researches, teacher has been given responsibility to choose which methods that can be adaptable to their own respective classroom and how it would help them with the lessons.Through this project, we have chosen a research articles that was conducted in China to find out how a specific teaching method will help in the teaching and learning process by examining the research articles written by Lingjie Jin, Michael Singh, and Liqun Li. Furthermore, we will identify the teaching methods that were used by them and it relevance to the teaching and learning process in China.The study sought to investigate whether the communicative approach could help students acquire their vocabular y while reading through communicative activities, and develop their ability of using language and arouse their interest in learning English. 1. 0 METHODS USED IN THE STUDY. 2. 1 The Grammar Translation Method This method is more focusing on memorization of verb paradigms, grammar rules and vocabulary. Application of this knowledge was directed on translation of literary texts which is focusing on developing students’ appreciation of the target language’s literature as well as teaching the language.Written and oral translation plays a prominent part in classroom work. This encourages the learners to think and translate into their first language. Classes were conducted in the  native language which is the first language. A chapter in a distinctive textbook of this method would begin with a massive bilingual vocabulary list. Grammar points would come directly from the texts and be presented contextually in the textbook, to be explained elaborately by the teacher. In thi s method, while teaching the textbook the teacher translates every word and phrase from English into the learners' first language.A number of methods and techniques have evolved for the teaching of English and also other foreign languages in the recent past, yet this method is still in use especially in Asian country such as China. It maintains the first language of the learner as the reference particularly in the process of learning the second/foreign languages. The main principles on which the grammar translation method is based are the following: 1. Translation interprets the words and phrases of the foreign languages in the best possible manner. 2.The  phraseology  and the  idioms  of the target language can best be assimilated in the process of interpretation. 3. The  structures  of the foreign languages are best learned when compared and contrast with those of first language. 2. 2 The Communicative Language Teaching Method Communicative has been developed by Britis h Applied linguists as a reaction away from grammar-based approaches. CLT also places great emphasis on helping students use the target language in a variety of contexts and places. It is a great emphasis on learning four language skills – listening, speaking, reading, writing.Its primary focus is on helping learners create meaning rather than helping them develop perfectly grammatical structures or acquire native-like pronunciation. This means that successfully learning the English language is assessed in terms of how well learners have developed their communicative competence, which can loosely be defined as their ability to apply knowledge of both formal and sociolinguistic aspects of a language with adequate proficiency to communicate. CLT is usually characterized as a broad approach to teaching, rather than as a teaching method with a clearly defined set of classroom practices.As such, it is most often defined as a list of general principles or features; 1) An emphasis o n learning to communicate through interaction in the target language. 2) The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation. 3) The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on the learning management process. 4) An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning. 5) An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom. 2. BACKGROUND OF CLT AND GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHODS IN CHINA The main purpose of CLT is to develop learners’ communicative competence. Communication is important in order to follow with the development of economy. When communicative language teaching (CLT) was introduced in China at first, it met with considerable resistance (Li, 2003; Zhu, 2003; Hu, 2002). Its pioneers changed the traditional grammar-translation method into a student-centred communicative approach. It is become unusual in learning f or the students because they need to communicate in class rather than hearing the teacher explanation.English language teaching in China was established by divergent stories and not a single narrative. According to Rao (2002), in learning the English language, the Chinese learners are more focusing on reading and writing; grammar and translation; memorization of vocabulary. However, the traditional grammar-translation method failed to make them improve in their communicative skill. In order to catch up with the development of economy and promote exchange, students’ communicative competence even their overall ability in language need to be improvedMost of the ELT teachers who had adopted CLT method grew less confident of it. This is because of their qualification and the National Testing System. At the end of 1990s’, a person named Zhu has summarized with an increasing series of CLT text books that were published. CLT started to be accepted and teachers were encouraged to teach communicatively and interactively in classes. Students were unable to communicate effectively in foreign language and they were dissatisfied with their communicative competence skills.Although CLT was introduced into the Chinese EFL classes in the early 1980s, the traditional grammar method is still employed in most classes. Before 2000, college English text books were used in most universities for more than 10 years designed for traditional methods such as grammar translation method. The students were being used to passive and obedient to teachers, waiting patiently and quietly what teachers give them. An experiment project was conducted about college English teaching with communicative approach and a new series of textbooks.The purpose was to find out the results of applying and assess of effectiveness of the communicative approach in English reading classes. 3. 0 PROCEDURES OF THE STUDY An experiment project was conducted about college English teaching in Automobile Coll ege of Jilin University. The study began on September 2002. 8 non-English major classes were chosen at random. 4 classes will use CLT method in the teaching and learning process (Group C) and another 4 classes will used grammar-translation method (Group T). It lasted for 2 semesters with 116 participants on Group C and 118 on Group T.Jin, Singh, and Li prepared a Pre-treatment questionnaire asked about the students’ perception of the discourse structures and reading strategies at the beginning of the semester. 116 students received the questionnaire and returned them. Then, they were told about learner-centred approach, learner autonomy, the roles of themselves and teachers in class. To conduct the study on communicative approach, three steps were taken, which is a warm-up activities, reading activities, and follow up activities. 3. 1 Warm up activitiesStudents were required to do a group discussion, pair work and individual presentation to familiarise the topic that they wer e going to read. The need of such thing is to make sure that everyone will take part in the activities. Teachers will sometimes have to join in as a partner. The students’ interest in English learning was encouraged in such a dynamic and active atmosphere. 3. 2 Reading activities In order to make sure that students understood the global structure and was aware of the main idea in the material they were reading, teacher and students analysed the characteristics of different discourse structures together in class.Predictive and jigsaw reading activity were organised to improve students’ clarity of the discussion. 3. 2. 1 Predictive Reading Activity The activities was suitable for narrative passages which were divided into parts for one group, then another to read one in limited time, then they also were asked to work in small group and had to offer their own prediction and share with the whole of the class. After that they went on to read and test their different expecta tions. Whoever share the same ideas with the author would be very excited, others with different prediction were amused, too. . 2. 2 Jigsaw Reading Activity Teacher divided the selected material into sections and divided students into group; with limited time given, they were asked to read only one paragraph for each group to find a main idea and prediction for the next and before the paragraph. When they come into problems, they will try to solve it discussing issues with their peers. There are two procedures for this activity: A- First, one student from each group made a report on their findings and other students will have to listen attentively to take note.After all the reports, students have collected all the main content from all groups then in their group, decide the order of the paragraph. At the end of the activities, the whole class will agreed on the logical sequences. B- Secondly, students were divided into different groups, with each member coming from a different group . Each student in the new group brought their materials and all of them organised the passage according to the most logical order. 3. 3 Follow up Activities By the end of the activity, teacher asked questions about the passage to acquire the feedback from the students.All the activities were arranged for all students in the class to participate actively in the interactions and eventually improved their overall English language ability. 4. 0 OUTCOMES The study done by Lingjie Jin, Michael Singh, and Liquin Li has achieved the following result which is the comparison on test result, time taken by the teacher in class, and feedback between Group C and Group T which practiced the Communicative Language Teaching and Grammar-Translation methods in class for two semesters respectively. 4. 1 Test ResultStudents were required to take a test paper to check their skills on reading (R40), listening (L15) and vocabulary and structures (L15). The numbers being allocated to it are the fullest mark s. Test papers were exactly the same in listening and reading. The part of vocabulary and structures were all from their respective textbooks. TEST/GROUP| GROUP C| GROUP T| R40| 30. 18| 29. 56| L15| 10. 58| 8. 54| V15| 9. 09| 8. 22| Table 1 : Test result for Group C and Group T Judging from the result of the test, students in Group C did better than those in T-group in all aspects.They were especially superior in listening, and slightly better in vocabulary. This does seems that a communicative approach can improve students’ performance in examination and does not undermine their capacity to succeed in tests. 4. 2 Tape Result The process of teaching and learning of the groups were recorded in audio and checked to see the differences between the two classroom management with grammar-translation and communicative approaches. In the GT classes, the teachers’ lectures took about 91% of the time in class.On the other hand, 64% of the time was spent in student-centred activi ties which ultimately give chances for all students in the classroom to speak English. 4. 3 Feedback Comments on the training program were obtained for a group of college students just graduated from high-school. 29 people out of 30 showed a favourable attitude and acknowledged their progress in all of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills during the three-month training. From the 116 students, 85% of them said they liked the CLT methods better.Students in Grammar-Translation group just sat there nodding mechanically with no chance to speak language. They commented that the teachers were training them to be like robot because they just accepted what the teachers gave them. At the end of the first semester, three university supervisors observed the class with CLT methods and confirmed the active, motivating atmosphere and the positive, effective functions of it. 5. 0 CHINESE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THE TEACHING METHODS. Another research study has been conducted by Z .Rao (2002) to investigate Chinese students’ perceptions of communicative and non-communicative activities and their difficulties in EFL classes that used CLT method. The instruments include a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. 30 Chinese English-major college students were chosen at random from those who exposed to CLT for completing a survey. 15 of them were sophomores, 15 were juniors, with 21 females and 9 males, ranging in age from 18 to 23. The questionnaire consisted of three parts. Part A was about the students’ background, English proficiency and their opinions of communicative and non-communicative activities.Part B composed of 19 items asking about communicative and non-communicative activities. Part C invited students to explain their difficulties in communicative activities in class. 5. 1 Research results. The data was examined after it was collected and analysed inductively. The survey results showed that the students preferred non-communicativ e activities, compared with communicative ones although they liked a variety of class activities. Almost all students preferred teachers’ grammatical explanations in English mother-tongue-avoidance strategy in class.Sometimes the lack of authentic English context and confidence in themselves prevent them from participating in communicative activities. Some dynamic, creative activities were welcomed by good English learners. All students thought it helpful for teachers to direct class discussions, and they were they were interested in authentic English materials, e. g. newspaper or magazine articles. All students were interested in CLT methods in class, twenty-two of whom liked non-communicative activities better, and eight preferred communicative activities.All of them thought the combination of communicative and non-communicative activities was better. Because of most examinations were grammar-based, and many students’ motivations for learning of English was career-or ientated. They didn’t attach importance to communicative activities although they were interested in them. And 25 of 30 students thought they were used to the traditional grammar-translation method which was teacher-centred, textbook-driven and emphasized rote memory. They consider their teachers were authority and reluctant to challenge them. CONCLUSIONAfter a deep look into the research articles conducted by three capable and professional professor of English Education, we realise that most classes in China uses Grammar-translation method on their teaching and learning process instead of the more modern approach on language teaching such as CLT. It is by no means an expired approach because students in China still preferred to use the method and claim it sufficient in learning English language. The paper done by Li, Jin, and Singh has explored the CLT method to college English and compared them with traditional method of grammar-translation.Li (2003) summarises that judging from the feedback from the students and the results of examinations, communicative approach was advantageous and favourable, it aroused their interest in English language and developing their learner autonomy. Although the study shown that CLT method is much more efficient with a higher result on English language skills (listening, speaking, writing, and reading), Rao (2002) has conducted one research on students’ own perceptions instead of looking at the end result of students’ proficiency in English language which resulted in favour of the more traditional method of grammar-translation.According to Rao (2002), teacher may help their students understand the nature of the language, the features of CLT, the function of the class, the role of student and the teacher. They could create environment for students to practise the language which give them some insights into real-life situation. Adding to that, teachers could be facilitators that help students to access authen tic English language materials. It will offer students knowledge into other nations, peoples, ultures, and everything significant. Thus it has come to our understanding that even though both methods might be applicable to English language classes depending on the variable of the students’ conception and environment, teachers could be the initiators that encourage students to accept the other modern methods and be the one who clear away misconceptions that might be used to hinder the teaching and learning process in classroom.REFERENCES 1- Lingjie Jin, Michael Singh, Liqun Li; Communicative Language Teaching in China: Misconceptions, Applications and Perceptions. (2005) Australian Association for Research in Education. 2- Rao, Z. (2002), Chinese Students’ Perceptions of Communicative and Non-Communicative Activities in EFL Classroom. System 30, pp. 85-105. 3- Xiao Qing Liao; How Communicative Language Teaching Became Acceptable in Secondary Schools in China.The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 10, October 2000; http://iteslj. org/. 4- Rao Zhenhui; Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal College, China. Modern vs. Traditional. Taken 10 October 2012 from http://eca. state. gov/forum/vols/vol37/no3/p27. htm. 5- Rhalmi Mohammed I’m Rhalmi Mohammed; articles on Grammar Translation Method (April 2009) and Communicative Language Teaching (Sep 2009) taken on October 2012 from http://myenglishpages. com.

The Value of the Internet for Terrorists - ALQAEDA Dissertation

The Value of the Internet for Terrorists - ALQAEDA - Dissertation Example It considerably extends their ability to manipulate the ways target audiences perceive them and to stage manage not only their own image, but also the images of their enemies. Although, for many groups, their target audience may be small, an Internet presence is nonetheless expected. Regardless of the number of hits a site receives, a well-designed and well-maintained Web site gives a group an aura of legitimacy (Conway, 2005). The Internet can serve as a mass media tool for the terrorist's such as TV or radio, newspaper or journal. Through web, worldwide broadcast can be made of events, in their original and uncensored form. Although a few filters at a few sites, chat rooms, websites, and bulletin boards are generally uncontrolled. This climate is ideal for an fund starved group to explain its actions or to offset both internal and international condemnation, especially when using specific servers. The Internet can target sympathizers as well as true believers with different messages, oriented to the target audience (Thomas, 2003). While the danger that cyber-terrorism spread through the Internet is today frequently debated, precious little is known about the enormity of the threat posed by such abuse of the Internet. The Internet has been converted into a forum for terrorist groups and individual terrorists, both to spread their messages of hatred and violence and to communicate with one another as well as other sympathizers (http://www.adl.org/ , 2006). The apparent virtues of the Internet-ease of access, lack of regulation, a vast potential audiences, and fast flow of information, among others, have been turned to the advantage of groups committed to terrorizing societies... As the paper declares the Internet can serve as a mass media tool for the terrorist’s such as TV or radio, newspaper or journal. Through web, worldwide broadcast can be made of events, in their original and uncensored form. Although a few filters at a few sites, chat rooms, websites, and bulletin boards are generally uncontrolled. This climate is ideal for an fund starved group to explain its actions or to offset both internal and international condemnation, especially when using specific servers. The Internet can target sympathizers as well as true believers with different messages, oriented to the target audience. According to the research findings while the danger that cyber-terrorism spread through the Internet is today frequently debated, precious little is known about the enormity of the threat posed by such abuse of the Internet. The Internet has been converted into a forum for terrorist groups and individual terrorists, both to spread their messages of hatred and violence and to communicate with one another as well as other sympathizers. The mass media, policymakers, and even security agencies while focusing on the proliferating threat of cyber-terrorism, have paid insufficient attention to the more routine uses made of the Internet. These uses are numerous and, from the terrorists' perspective, an invaluable tool with infinite possibilities. It is imperative that the security agencies continue to improve their ability to study and monitor terrorist activities on the Internet, and explore measures to limit the usability of this vulnerable medium by modern terrorists.

Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rhetorical Analysis - Assignment Example This paper is focused on the identification of rhetoric strategies in an academic and professional paper written by Saurav K. Dutta and Raef A. Lawson in the domain of managerial accounting. The title of paper is â€Å"Boosting Management Accounting’s Stature on Campus† and it has been published in year 2007. ANALYSIS OF RHETORICAL STRATEGIES Style and Tone The style adopted by authors of this paper is comprised of long and fluent sentences along with descriptive and appropriate usage of words. The appropriation of words used by the authors is strictly in concordance with the field which this paper has associations that is business. Structure of sentences is simple and effective which demonstrate the informative intention of authors. However, the paper is aimed to persuade the academic institutions, authors have adopted the straight writing technique in which simple structured sentences are presented to inform the audience about the criticality of the issue. As this art icle is professional as well as academic, the tone utilized by authors is highly descriptive. However, authors also have acquired a sarcastic tone to signify the criticality and to represent historic happenings in the domain of management accounting. ... Followed by the construction of the argument in which authors have demonstrated the flaw of contemporary academics on the basis of which the problems are developed as associative with the field of management accounting. By developing the whole explanation for the problem, authors have proposed a way out which is the basic purpose of the author to be developed. In this domain, the whole paper represents a systematic deliverance of the argument with a demonstration of excellence by the authors in the related field of study. Due to this, authors have successfully developed the stature of authors as credible and authentic which assists to imply the intended argument in a more sufficient manner (Dutta and Lawson 43-45). Pathos The presence of pathos in the article is distinctively highlighted with the explication of issue and its association with individuals who are professionally accountants in a negative manner. Authors have identified a significantly critical issue regarding the field of accountancy on the basis of which authors developed that this critical issue is decreasing the need of accountants. There are two prominent features in the paper which depicts the persistence of pathos acquired by authors in order to persuade the targeted audience on emotional plain. Firstly, authors have portrayed a factor of concern for the field of management, business and accounting that is the declining need and efficiency of accountancy in contemporary times. It creates an immensely persuading impact on the academies of business and field of accounting because of the importance which is intrinsically related to this discipline of studies. On the other hand, it illuminates problems for individuals who are acquiring the academic

Epidemiology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Epidemiology - Assignment Example It also discusses the three parts of the epidemiological triangle in a clear and outright way. Voigt explains various symptoms in the Hong Kong and SARS article. It is evident that the symptom common to all patients is a fever above 38 degrees Celsius. Some patients experience mild respiratory symptoms at the first stage, but later the cold experienced resembles influenza. Statistics shows that 10 percent to 20 percent of the patients have diarrhea. It is also apparent that SARS lead to either bacterial pneumonia or viral pneumonia. SARS was diagnosed in patients who had any of the symptoms. Also, SARS was suspected in patients who had contact with individuals who had been infected with SARS. One was advised to visit the health centers for diagnosis in the case where one had travelled to any of the regions identified by World Health Organization (WHO) as areas with prone to SARS (Voigt, 2013). Voigt also give statistics of the SARS epidemic as per the World Health Organization (WHO) report. The statistics showed that a total of 8,097 people worldwide became infected with SARS during the 2003 outbreak. The patients among these who died were 774. In considering the epidemiological triangle, the host of this epidemic was a farmer in Foshan county in the Guangdong province of china. He died soon after the infection, and there was no definite diagnosis done on his cause of death. The outbreak is believed to have been prone in November of 2002. The unfortunate thing is that the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) informed the World Health Organization (WHO) on February about the outbreak. The report they brought forward at that time showed 305 cases of infected individuals, and that there were 5 deaths caused by the epidemic (Voigt, 2013). Sars Legacy still felt in Hong Kong article shows that lack of openness by the government of china delayed the control effort to the SARS epidemic in the region and thus the disease spread at a high rate in the Guangdong

Architecture Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architecture - Article Example Architects should mix artistic designs in their work and scientific rationale and calculations to make their creations both attractive and functional. Any shortcomings between the two would cause major flaws in their profession as a whole and independent practice in particular. Because of the complicated nature of their profession, governments all over the world are regulating the architectural profession. Since any miscalculation and malpractice of architects may cause loss of lives and properties, legal codes should be implemented by the government for the regulation of the performance of their profession. Particularly in Canada, the national government has created an agency, such as the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Code, in overseeing and regulating this delicate profession. Regulation is a legal restriction implemented by government agencies by way of legislation. It attempts to "produce outcomes which might not otherwise occur, produce or prevent outcomes in different places to what might otherwise occur, or produce or prevent outcomes in different timescales than would otherwise occur (Regulation)." Based from the definition above, we can say that regulation aims to promote positive outcomes and/or prevent negative outcomes of the concerned organization or the specific group. Given this definition of regulation in the profession of architecture, I can say that the regulatory system in Ontario aims to protect the architectural profession more than the public. This does not mean, however, that the public is not addressed in the regulation policy or the rights of clients or the public is disregarded. Actually, the tone of the written policy is to protect architects, particularly the members of Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) [in Canada, every province has its own regulatory system regarding the architectural profession], from engaging into activities or situations where the image of architects will be tarnished. For example, the Provincial Government of Ontario has provided a law that will safeguard the rights of the architectural firm if the client prefers to backs out from the project. The government, under the Architects Act, require that the architect who accepts the project to write a registered letter to the architect that terminated stating that he has been engaged on the same building project for the same purpose by the same client (When a Client Changes Architects - Regulations Under the Architects Act)." This "courtesy turnover" letter actually aims to establish a professional relationship between the previous architect and the succeeding architect so that there will be a clear turnover of responsibility. As I see it, it is still the client and the public who will benefit from the regulatory system because there is a clear and unclogged communication line between the previous and the succeeding architects. Protecting the image of architects requires numerous and great responsibilities. These numerous responsibilities that architects should follow for their own protection seems to make architects in Ontario feel excessively regulated. In a news article from Ontario Building Officials Association, the Ontario Court of Justice will hear a matter concerning the arguments presented by the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and

VISUAL ANALYSIS PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

VISUAL ANALYSIS PAPER - Essay Example Furthermore, the different levels of art form as a function of the influences that spurred such levels of development will be manifested through this analysis. The first such piece of art that will be discussed is the Heron Class Olla (c. 750 BCE) pictured first in Appendix to this assignment. This particular urn was used as a funerary vessel in which the ashes of the deceased would be placed. Contextually, this piece will also be the oldest which this analysis will consider; therefore, it represents Greek antiquity in a way that the other art pieces do not (Osbourne 278). This geometric period, of which this particular art piece is representative, was a time of cultural and political upheaval. Due to the fact that Mycenae had recently disintegrated, many elements of writing, masonry, as well as distinct elements of reading and writing were all but forgotten. Such a political upheaval meant that the representative art forms of this time would likely be highly simplistic in both desig n and function. This is evidenced in the fact that smooth lines and simple construction typifies this particular piece. Similarly, it should be noted that the art form that is exhibited in the form of birds is also highly simplistic and not indicative of a high degree of professionalism. Additionally, the function over form aspect of this particular piece is striking (Carpenter 81). Whereas later pieces exhibited variance in the way that the handles were created, formed, and utilized, this particular piece utilizes its handles in the most simplistic of ways. The handles are provided to the user at the area of greatest circumference due to the fact that this is the region that is most amenable to carrying the urn. In this way, the function over form aspects of this particular preliminary art form is duly exhibited. Likewise, as one might expect, such a preliminary art form did not handle as many motifs and various nuances that one has oftentimes come to expect within Greek pottery pa inting. At least in this case, this is a result of the fact that the art form was not highly developed and/or function took a primary position to form at such an early juncture. The secondary piece of artwork that this author has chosen to examine is that of Orientalizing Period - Skyphos (Drinking Vesel) c. 600 BCE. This vessel naturally represents the second distinct and recognizable phase of Greek pottery and art form in that the recognizable incorporation of previously â€Å"non-Greek† themes and motifs at first strikes the viewer as somewhat incongruous. Due to the fact that Greek trade and colonization within the Mediterranean had reached a new height during this period, the level of intercultural exchange as well as the introduction to new art forms, ways of thinking, new gods, and new trading partners served to highly vary the type and structure of Greek art form during this period. This cultural exchange can be specifically noted in the piece (referenced as exhibit 2 in the Appendix) by the fact that the pottery exhibits decidedly Assyrian and/or Egyptian influence with reference the displays which are etched into the pottery. Whereas the common interpretation of the Greek panoply is manifest in a host of different artistries, this incorporation of winged gods and goddesses is a definite departure from the traditional images of Zeus and

Some aspects of marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Some aspects of marketing - Assignment Example For instance, consumer empowerment and increasing sophistication trends have prompted the video gaming makers and dealers to search for new markets, which are specialized, among the ones that are already saturated with customer diversity bases. A good example of such a market is the one in the United States. Therefore, it is important to note that venturing in the newly emerging markets, especially in the Latin America and South East Asia has promoted the video gaming dealers to establish production facilities in the overseas. This implies that such establishments have lead to business strategic partnerships and global alliances with foreign video gaming dealers, an achievement that is credited with the information technological advancement. Drawing arguments from sociocultural forces, it is necessary to note that businesses cannot exist as single entities and there is absolute need for them to be informed of the cultural and societal changes, which take place in their business envir onments. In this regard, businesses must adapt to sociocultural changes so that they can stay ahead of their business competitors and to remain relevant in the market. For such businesses to remain relevant, especially among their consumers and to outcompete their competitors, there is need to adopt new technology, and this is where, for example, online video gaming has found a lot of relevance in this discussion. Sociocultural forces include, but are not limited to changing preferences, demographics, advertising techniques, and internal environment. Changing preferences can be regarded as one of the major sociocultural factors, which influence businesses and decision making processes. For example, some items that were popular in the last two decades are no longer popular among the consumers. Various priorities and styles can derail the success of products and services in the market. Drawing reference from the clothing industry, a clothing company ought to be acquainted with the cha nging trends in the industry for it to remain relevant and up-to-date. Changing demographic trends also play significant role in business. In this regard aging population ultimately reduces the market for online video gaming technology and fashions, which healthcare products and luxury goods increase. Moreover, changing gender proportions, religious groupings, different race, and ethnic groups in a given society has significant effects on the way IT business is carried out. Advertising techniques are closely linked to sociocultural changes. Advertising sets trends for video gaming; keeps track and engage the society in the business. Values, moral and fashion changes are put into account when putting in place appropriate advertising technique. Drawing arguments from the internal environment, sociocultural forces affect the internal decision making process of a company. For instance, rising family life emphasis and dynamic gender roles have necessitated both maternity and paternity le aves in several organizations. In addition, attitudes regarding sexual harassment and racial discrimination have changed significantly due to sociocultural changes, which also impact on the video gaming business. Question 2 Marketing directly involves taking the products to the consumers, thus relieving them from looking for the products. This implies that customer orders for the products and, on paying for the cost, the products would be

Grammar as an Essential Part of Each Language Assignment

Grammar as an Essential Part of Each Language - Assignment Example According to the research findings, a teacher’s language is just required to be correct because it will be the examples for students to follow. It is especially true for those, whose first language is not English. Consequently, an ESL/EFL teacher has to know both descriptive and prescriptive grammar in order to teach students to communicate correctly. While descriptive grammar can be learned by students from examples (via reading, listening, and then imitation), it is important for them to know prescriptive grammar as well in order to be able to form own sentences correctly and independently from the models provided in class. Therefore, in my opinion, a future ESL/EFL teacher should know, and be ready to teach the prescriptive grammar rules. This knowledge will help to both structures the teaching process and clarify certain grammatical aspects for the students. In addition, knowledge of the basic rules of grammar will help the teacher to form own sentences correctly, and, as a result, be a good example for the students to follow. So, the correctness of the teacher’s speech adds to the students’ learning. Besides, the teacher must understand the basic rules of grammar because otherwise, one will not be able to teach grammar effectively. While such understanding involves the correctness of the teacher’s own speech, it also requires some additional knowledge that will help to explain to the students why this or that sentences is formed in a particular way. If students do not understand the reasons, they are usually unlikely to be able to form own correct sentences without the supportive examples. On the contrary, when students know the rules to follow, they are more likely to use them in independent speech or writing. Another important aspect of language for the teacher to know is ‘metalanguage’ – vocabulary used to describe the language. It is a tool for the teacher to explain grammar rules to the students.

Dwight D Eisenhower Contributions towards the USA Revolution Research Paper

Dwight D Eisenhower Contributions towards the USA Revolution - Research Paper Example Later on in life, he was married and had a family of two sons, serving as the Chief of Staff in the Army during the presidency of Harry Truman. He ventured into politics in 1952 and won with a clear majority defeating Democrat candidate Adlai Stevenson, himself being a Republican. During his reign as the United States President, he oversaw many political and social changes with the help of Richard Nixon his Vice President. In his presidency the implementation of the Highway Act cannot be overlooked and its importance in the transformation of American infrastructure and commerce. The country before his reign president had experienced great transformations in the automobile sector and ownership of cars had increased necessitating new and well-maintained roads. His National System of the Interstate and defense Highways was a great innovation that helped in the transformation of America (Bennett 451). The new highway system, arguably the greatest public works project to be engaged in Ame rica in its History, aided the speed of transport. However, every great side has a dark shadow and so did his noble idea. The great highway system is directly linked to hindering growth of cities, destruction of neighborhoods, and greatly hurt the environment. The great Interstate Highway system had elements of being helpful and at the same time destructive as has been argued by historian Evan Bennett who raised a question as to whether the highways were to ruin or highways to heaven.The highway was constructed in pursuant to the 1956 Federal Act.... The highway was constructed in pursuant to the 1956 Federal Act on aid to highways, following major campaigns by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The highway forms the second longest road in the world with its present day 47,182 miles its first phase having taken 35 years for construction. The need for the highway at that time was rife following the unsafe roads that had numerous accidents and had recorded high numbers of deaths than before its inception. The President’s quest to have the road constructed was reinforced by the defense part, as there were great fears of the Cold War (Mumford 234). His belief and support for construction of new highways is traced back to 1919 when he joined the first United States Army’s Cross-Country Motor Transport Train. The team was on a mission to learn how motor vehicles would cross the country (Whitman 70). He attributed his vision of the highway from Germany, which had made him see the wisdom of broader ribbons across America inste ad of two-lane highways (Murphy 50). Dwight D. Eisenhower took immediate action upon assuming office, writing a proposal to Congress on the creation of transcontinental highway system (Murphy 50). He signed the act on highways into law on June 26, 1956 that provide for federal government funding of the project to a tune of 90%. The states in this case contributed only 10% of the funding. The immediate negative effects of the construction were the increases in gasoline and tire taxes to fund the project (Faber 26). The highway also saw the first standardization across states in America making the roads less dangerous than before the inception of the highway (Frissell 2). The highway system did not benefit the transport sector only, but had other economic effects on different sectors. Faster

Guide for Ema Essay Example for Free

Guide for Ema Essay Guidance notes The three texts below provide information about the business environment for the Facebook company in May 2012. For this task, imagine you work for Facebook, and you have been tasked with carrying out a SWOT analysis on the company to determine whether this is the right time for the company to grow. Your job is to write a SWOT analysis and a report based on this analysis. You are writing this analysis and report for the senior management team. Your analysis should provide the team with a complete overview of the situation and should end with suggestions for what the company should do based on your analysis. This task requires you to demonstrate your skill in selecting and organising information to produce a company analysis. You should include a SWOT table or grid in your analysis and organise the document according to the SWOT framework. You should focus on the interaction between the Facebook’s internal environment (strengths and weaknesses) on the one hand, and its external environment (opportunities and threats) on the other. Your SWOT analysis should form the basis of the suggestions you make about the company’s future actions. To accomplish this task you will need to draw on the case study analysis skills covered in Book 1 of the module and the report-writing skills covered in Book 3. Remember to use the referencing conventions that have been taught in the module when you refer to the sources of information that you use. You may benefit from writing one or more drafts before you produce a final version of your report. The Influential Document Checklist will be a useful reference in this process (see the Appendix to Book 3). Your answer for Task 2 should be about 1000 words in length. Please note that all tables and diagrams included count towards your word limit. Your reference list does not count, however. Text 1 Facebook (Facebook IPO, May 2012) Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with 845 million active users around the world, and roughly 200 million in the United States, or two-thirds of the population. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg in his dorm room at Harvard, Facebook grew from being a quirky site for college students into a popular platform that is used to sell cars and movies, win over  voters in presidential elections and organize protest movements. It offers advertisers a global platform, with the exception of China, where Facebook does not operate. Facebook took its first step toward becoming a publicly traded company in February 2012, when it filed to sell shares on the stock market. The service is on track to be the largest Internet initial public offering ever — trumping Google’s in 2004 or Netscape’s nearly a decade before that. In its filing, Facebook said it was seeking to raise $5 billion. On May 3, Facebook set the estimated price for its I.P.O. at $28 to $35 a share, according to a revised prospectus. At the midpoint of the range, the social networking company is on track to raise $10.6 billion, in a debut that could value the company at $86 billion. Investors have been eagerly awaiting the Facebook offering, lured by the prospect of strong growth: in the first quarter, Facebook’s daily active users, a measure of engagement, increased by 41 per cent, to 526 million. Still, Facebook is experiencing the growing pains typical of a technology start-up. While revenue continues to rise, profit sputtered in the first three months of the year, falling 12 per cent, to $205 million, as expenses jumped significantly. Seeking to Offer More Disclosure to Users Facebook, unlike any other site, has come to define the social era of the Web. More than a portal, its value lies in its dynamic network of social connections and the massive amount of information shared by its users. Facebook, in many ways, is a data processor, archiving and analyzing every shred of information, from our interests, to our locations, to every article and link that we like. The collection of data is a potential goldmine for advertisers. On the other hand, all that information raises questions about Facebook’s privacy practices. Over the years it has faced intense scrutiny from privacy advocates and regulators worldwide over how it handles the data it collects from its 845 million users. As it prepares to go public, it has been seeking to offer more disclosure to users. In April 2012, it announced it was expanding its downloadable archive feature, called Download Your Information, to provide greater transparency on the types of data on individuals that the compa ny stores. More Advertising, More Dollars Facebook’s hundreds of millions of users could soon be faced with a lot more  advertising — in their newsfeed, on their mobile devices and even when they log off. In early March 2012, the company announced a new suite of advertising products intended to insert more ads into Facebook’s traditionally clean interface and to take more advantage of mobile ads, where the company has struggled. The announcement was made at the company’s first marketing conference, held at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. For users, the announcement could mean many more ads on Facebook. For advertisers, the effort offers a chance to reach more users in more places. Despite aggressively courting Madison Avenue for the last few years, Facebook has been an anomaly in the world of digital advertising. The ad units offered less creative options for advertisers who want to, say, take over the site’s home page or add moving text to an ad. Rather, the value in Facebook’s ads was in their data and personalization. The potential for more ad dollars was reflected in the company’s first filing for a public offering in February. At the time, analysts said the company was expected to be valued at $75 billion to $100 billion. But according to the filing, Facebook made only $3.7 billion in revenue last year, the bulk of that from advertising. Until now, advertisers were largely limited to a variety of ad spaces that were positioned on the right side of the Facebook home page, in addition to creating their own Facebook pages. The company said a new set of premium ads will run at different points in the site, with a special emphasis on ads running throughout a user’s mobile feed. Facebook’s Biggest Stumbling Block: Privacy Practices Facebook’s biggest stumbling block has been its privacy practices. As the world’s largest social network, Facebook has been under intense scrutiny from consumers, courts and regulators worldwide over how it handles the data it collects from its 845 million users. But as a company preparing to go public, it is under pressure to find new ways to turn that data into profit. The company has repeatedly alienated users over privacy — as in the case of the 2007 controversy over Beacon, a tool that automatically posted on Facebook what its users did or bought on other sites. It has also faced lawsuits over the use of its members’ like endorsements in ads and drawn scrutiny for a facial recognition feature. The scrutiny is at its most intense in Europe, where Facebook’s data collection practices have tested  the boundaries of stringent privacy laws. In the United States, Facebook faces government audits for the next 20 years about how it collects and share s data, along with an assortment of lawsuits that accuse the company of tracking users across the Web. In November 2011, the company announced a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission, which accused Facebook of having deceived its customers about privacy settings. After the F.T.C. order, Mark Zuckerberg conceded in a blog post that the company had made a bunch of mistakes, but he said it had already fixed several of the issues cited by the commission. In August 2011, Facebook made changes that it said were aimed at helping users get a grip on what they shared. When users added pictures, comments or other content to their profile pages, they could specify who could see it: all of their Facebook friends, a specific group of friends or everyone who has access to the Internet. Revamping Its Profile Design In December 2011, Facebook rolled out a revamped profile design called Timeline, which makes a user’s entire history of photos, links and other things shared on the site much more accessible with a single click. That could be when many of Facebook’s 800 million members realized just how many digital breadcrumbs they had been leaving on the site — and on the Web in general. The old Facebook profile page showed the most recent items a user posted, along with things like photos of them posted by others. But Timeline creates a scrapbook-like montage, assembling photos, links and updates for each month and year since they signed up for Facebook. For better or worse, the new format is likely to bring back old memories. Going forward, it could also make it harder to shed past identities — something that people growing up with Facebook might struggle with as they transition from high school to college, and from there to the working world. Analysts said Timeline was a significant evolutionary shift for Facebook. For starters, linking Facebook more closely to memories could make it harder for people to abandon the service for rivals. Buying Instagram for $1 Billion In early April 2012, Facebook said it had agreed to buy Instagram, the popular mobile-centric photo-sharing service, for $1 billion in cash and stock, giving it a stronger foothold in the market for mobile apps. It would  be Facebook’s largest acquisition to date by far. Instagram is a social network built around cellphone photos. It lets people add quirky filters and effects to their snapshots and share them with friends, who can like and comment on them. The service has been something of a rising star in the start-up world. Barely two years old, it has attracted close to 30 million users, even though it worked only on iPhones until early April, when it released an Android version of its app. Text 2 Facebook Cites Google+ With Mobile Shift Among Potential Risks By Brian Womack on February 08, 2012 Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) – Facebook Inc., the social network that filed for an initial public offering yesterday, listed rivalry with Google Inc., regulatory scrutiny, hacker attacks and the shift to mobile technology among the risks it faces. Facebook’s competition with Google, Twitter Inc. and other social-networking providers could impede growth, the company said in the risk-factors section of its filing. Facebook also said it would face competition in China if it manages to gain access to that market, where it’s currently restricted. Certain competitors, including Google, could use strong or dominant positions in one or more markets to gain competitive advantage against us in areas where we operate, Facebook said. Their tactics may include integrating competing social-networking platforms or features into products they control, the company said. Facebook, the world’s biggest social-networking service, has attracted more rivals as its popularity among users a nd advertisers soars. The company said it faces significant competition in almost every aspect of its business. The company also cited concerns about its mobile strategy. Almost all of its revenue comes from ads delivered to computers, not phones and tablets. Facebook’s mobile software currently generates no meaningful revenue, the Menlo Park, California-based company said. Facebook further cautioned that key mobile devices, such as Apple Inc.’s iOS products and gadgets running Google’s Android software, may not feature Facebook in the future. If either of these companies gives preference to another social network – say, if Google promotes its own Google+ more aggressively – Facebook’s growth could be jeopardized. Unforeseen Threats Bigger pitfalls could yet emerge, said Kevin Landis, the portfolio manager for the Firsthand Technology Value Fund, which holds Facebook shares. Google, for instance, couldn’t have foreseen the emergence of Facebook in 2004, when it went public. Let me put it this way: If you go back to Google’s S-1 in their risk factors, there’s no mention of Facebook, Landis said. Facebook was founded in 2004. Facebook also has considered entering China, which would bring its own challenges. The country has censorship laws that have kept Facebook and other social-media companies, including Twitter Inc. and Google’s YouTube, from operating there. We continue to evaluate entering China, Facebook said. China is a large potential market for Facebook, but users are generally restricted from accessing Facebook from China. We do not know if we will be able to find an approach to managing content and information that will be acceptable to us and to the Chinese government. Depend ent on Zynga Another risk: Facebook relies on Zynga Inc. for 12 percent of its revenue, according to the filing. San Francisco-based Zynga is the biggest developer of Facebook games, including CityVille and Texas HoldEm. The revenue comes from Zynga’s sales of virtual goods and from direct advertising purchased by Zynga. In addition, Zynga produces a significant number of pages on which Facebook displays ads. The dependence goes both ways. Zynga gets more than 90 per cent of its revenue from the social network. If we are unable to successfully maintain this relationship, our financial results could be harmed, Facebook said of Zynga. Facebook also said it faces pressure from governmental bodies. It’s possible that a regulatory inquiry might lead to changes to policies or practices, the company said. Regulatory Constraints Violation of existing or future regulatory orders or consent decrees could subject us to substantial monetary fines and other penalties that could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations, according to the filing. Text 3 As Privacy Concerns Grow, More Social Media Users Are Unfriending FEBRUARY 24, 2012 AT 7:00 AM PT by Lauren Goode As concerns about online privacy grow, users of social media sites are increasingly looking to unfriend other users and prune their personal profiles, according to a new report out today from Pew Research Center. More than 60 per cent of social media users said last year that they deleted people from their friends lists, up from 56 per cent in 2009; and 26 per cent of users who keep their profiles private say they apply additional privacy settings to limit what some friends can see. Profile pruning – deleting comments friends leave and untagging photos – is also on the rise, the report says. Women are significantly more likely to keep their profiles private, and are more likely to unfriend people than men are, with 67 per cent of women saying they’ve removed friends, compared with 58 per cent of men. Young people are more likely to manage their social media presences by deleting comments and untagging photos. The report comes just as the White House has moved to create a privacy bill of rights aimed at governing online data tracking. One of the issues at hand is a do not track tool which Web companies like Google have just agreed to support. Last week, Google was reported to be using deceptive practices to track Web users in certain browsers. As The Wall Street Journal notes, though, a do not track button would allow for some Web data collection – such as the data gathered through Facebook’s Like button. Pew is careful not to point to Facebook directly throughout the report, but notes that Facebook is by far the most popular U.S. social network (in its recent S-1 filing, Facebook showed that its user base has ballooned to more than 845 million). Pew’s report says that the term privacy settings – as well as unfriend – is part and parcel of the Facebook experience. The Pew survey on Internet usages was conducted between April and May of last year, and sampled more than 2,200 U.S. adults 18 and older. The survey found that two-thirds of U.S. Internet users had profiles on social networking sites, up from just 20 per cent in 2006. In terms of who was more likely to post things on social networks that they later admitted they regretted, males were almost twice as likely to do so, with 15 per cent copping to it, than were females, at 8 per cent. Young adults, age 18 to 29, were also more likely to post content that they’d later regret on social networks. Part 3 Task Write a reflective piece on your experience of participating on this module. Consider the questions that follow to guide you with your writing. * What was your overall experience of studying on LB160? * What were the most useful skills you learned on this module? Why? * If you engaged with the online activities on the module, what was your experience of using the Tutor Group Forum (TGF)? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the TGF you participated in? How would you evaluate the process of working collaboratively with other students? What did you learn from them? What skills did you develop through your online participation? * If you did not participate in the online activities, how did you find working on your own on the module? Do you think you would have benefited if you had been able to participate online? How? * Guidance notes * Your reflective piece should not be written in a question and answer format but as continuous text. Be sure to use examples as evidence to support your claims. * For this task we advise you to organise your text as Problem–Solution. Here, Problem implies a ‘gap’ in someone’s skills. You need to demonstrate in your text how such a ‘gap’ (if any) was addressed by LB160. You may also like to see your reflective piece as Claim–Evidence because generally you make a claim that certain skills were improved by presenting some evidence. If you like, you may want to use sub-headings too but they are not essential. * It is important to be honest in your evaluation. Negative experiences of the module are as valid as positive ones and you will not be penalised for reporting negative experiences. For the same reason, you will be assessed on the way you reflect on your learning, not on whether or not you were involved in the online activities. So feel free to use this opportunity to feed back to the module team on what the module experience was like for you. * Your reflective piece for Task 3 should be about 500 words in length.

The European Union As A Military Power Politics Essay

The European Union As A Military Power Politics Essay Matter of security in Europe and security of Europe has always been at stake. According to Hanspeter Neuhold security is the preservation or protection of essential values overtime, now and in the future He stresses that no total security is possible, but rather what matters is an effectiveness of protection of values. Systems established in Europe so far are serving to the aim of effectiveness for now and in the future  [2]  . Yet, varying conceptualization of EU as a power can be met in ongoing discussions among scholars and experts. Besides defining EU as a normative and civilian power, in conceptualization of the EUs role in the international arena certain experts also argue that the EU is a military power.  [3]  For instance Hedley Bull referring to the debate on civilian vs. military power dismissed the idea of civilian power, naming it as a contradiction in terms. He argues that the capabilities of powers in the international system are rather defined by their military resources. His vision of the Community is that to become more self-sufficient in defense and security, among other things, it needs to improve its conventional forces.  [4]  However, others believe that although the military capabilities of the EU are increasing, the role of the EU in the international arena can hardly be identified as a military power. The formulation of norms and objectives of a civilian power are accompanied by cooperation in the military area and a step-by-step strengthening of the military (defense) capabilities o f the EU.  [5]  Yet, whether and to what extent the Union will use its military capacities to defend and promote its civilian and normative objectives need to be discussed in the light of the provision of the respective framework and institutions. This paper attempts to add a point of view in the discussion of the definition EU as a military power. It has an aim to look at the development of the EUs military capabilities and their functional purpose in order to present authors standpoint on the issue at stake. The author believes that in order to define the presence of military power in EU one has to analyze the nature of its military capabilities and their applications. It is also believed that up-to-date conceptualization of the term military power has not been well developed by scholars of the field and hence suggests theoretical vagueness in the definition itself. First section of the paper will look at the origins of formation of the EUs military capabilities in order to define the original nature of the EU military capabilities. Second chapter scrutinizes the political path of development of CFSP in the light of formation of the EUs military forces. Going beyond analysis of historical and political developments, third section of the paper tries to define current features of the EU that largely influence the security and defense policies lead and accordingly the use of military forces by the EU. In the conclusion the author proposes a conditional response to the main questions of the paper is EU a military power? Section I Political path of development of European Defense Policy One of the websites providing the viewpoint of scholars and politicians on the EUs role in the world provided that the Union has been called an emerging superpower by many academics. Scholars and academics like T.R. Reid, Andrew Reding, Mark Leonard, Jeremy Rifkin, John McCormick, and some politicians like Romano Prodi and Tony Blair either believe that the EU is, or will become, a superpower in the 21st century. According to David Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, however, the EU is not and never will be a superpower according to David Miliband.  [6]  Lacking a unified foreign policy and with an inability to project military power worldwide, the EU lacks the substance of superpower, who by definition have first of all military reach and possess the capacity to arrive quickly anywhere with troops that can impose their governments will.  [7]   Theoretical conceptualization of the EUs role in the international arena offered by scholars proposes three main dimensions: EU as normative power, EU as civilian power and EU is military power. From the first glance of debates and argument suggested one can assume that EU is largely defined as a normative power the force that is able to promote transformation of norms in the international system. Second popular definition in the debates is EU as civilian power the power that has rather civilian means and economic weight in the international arena and may influence the course of development by this means. This way EU as a military power stands on the third place in row of these three definitions, though it should to be recognized that in the debate of recent years this third definition was placed more often in the centre of discussions. Hedley Bull, Franà §ois Duchà ªne, Kenneth Twitchett, Hanns Maull, Karen Smith and Ian Manners are some of prominent authors involved in this deb ate. Although the end of Cold War was defined by some scholars as the end of hard power politics in international arena and the end of militarization of the international relations, the reality was different. Militarization of the international relations did not stop after the Cold War and the conflicts emerged in post-Soviet world did not reduce in number. The US, Russia, China had the same level of military budget and increased involvement in conflict zones worldwide. First and second Gulf wars, War in Yugoslavia and brutal conflicts in Africa demanded the same level of military capabilities from the international community. So was the reality in terms of militarization in Europe. The continent, that became stronger and survived from self-destruction after the WW II thanks to the economic integration and strengthening of its potential as a civilian power, had another additional focus in its development in post-Cold War period. Since TEU and Maastricht the course of development of defens e and security policies became one of the main priorities. After the war in Yugoslavia that proved inability of Europe to respond to crisis in its territory, this dimension of the EUs potential building was further strengthened. And this is the reason why today scholars question the civilian nature of the EU and bring a notion on military power in the person of the EU. From the perspective of theories of international relations the notions of military power are often defined in the realist and neo-realist accounts that were explaining the world of power politics and post WW II realities. However, as Ian Manners mentioned, traditions of just war and humanitarian intervention may alter these theoretical foundations in the post-Cold War international system. The same way, the notions of military power may need amendments to their conventional frames. In the scope of understanding of EUs role in the international arena we would like to refer for the purpose of this paper to the notion of military power that is given by Ian Manners. He argues that normative power should be differentiated from military power by the extent to which conflict conciliation processes are at work, i.e. whether these are through military actions or through changing the structures of conflict. Empirically, these two approaches can be differentiated in terms of whether conflict i s resolved through longer-term conciliation of the parties (i.e. changing the norm of conflict), or through shorter-term intervention in the conflict (i.e. changing the conflict itself).  [8]  Hence, given the nature of emergence and currents of EU military capabilities, we assume that defining the military power of the EU in terms of application of is military forces in the conflict reconciliation processes is one of possible ways of looking at the EUs nature as a possible military power. For developing this understanding it is crucial to see how EUs military capabilities have been developed and to what end they are aimed to be applied. Today the political cooperation in the framework of the EU is reflected in Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which covers two main fields of cooperation foreign policy and security. However, the history of political union in Europe brought to formation of CFSP is much broader. To understand the development of CFSP one can divide the path of European political cooperation into two stages: 1. Stage of initial Political Union: European Defense Community and European Political Community; 2. Stage of foundation of CFSP and its functional mechanism 1. Stage of initial Political Union: European Defense Community and European Political Community The history of political unification of the community goes back to 50th, when immediately after initiation of the integration process in the framework of ECCS the idea of establishment of European Defense Community (EDC) came to the agenda (1952). In 1952 the Treaty on EDC was concluded. According to number of authors, most interesting part of the EDC was the consent of states to create European army under the control of supranational organization, which meant reducing of sovereignty and independence of the Community members. According to the Treaty EDC were to be subdivided into homogeneous national units with Community status  [9]  . Nevertheless, the role of NATO in this consideration was not excluded and was thought to have key role in providing security and defense in the continent. Yet, the Treaty failed because of the French parliaments position in 1954. At the same time, this Treaty also entitled the Assembly of ECSC to investigate possibilities for European Political Com munity. Draft treaty for the foundation of European Political Community (EPC) was elaborated, with the invitation of Council of Ministers by Consultative Assembly, after the Luxemburg decision of September 10, 1952.  [10]  EPC, designed in the manner of todays European Union, provided the process of integration with quasi-constitutional basis  [11]  . Art.5 of the Draft Treaty embodying the Statute of the European Community with strict language set that existing institutions shall constitute a single legal entity.  [12]  Being a legal entity means possession of personality. This part of the Statute differentiated EPC from the EU which lacks the legal personality today.  [13]  The community to be established would deepen the process of integration and meant that the founding idea has been reached. Yet, formal achievement of the goal failed again, due to resistance of France. Nonetheless, since then the idea of political integration was reconsidered for several times. Although in 1960 reconsideration by Fouchet Plan was unsuccessful and had no vivid results, in 1970 as the consequence of the suggestions made by Davignon Committee the idea was revived in the form of the institutionalized procedure  [14]  . These suggestions promoted intensification of cooperation in one of the key fields of political integration, namely f oreign affairs. This was the beginning of next stage European Political Cooperation (EPC). Formalization of EPC was realized by signature of Single European Act in 1986 in Luxembourg, art. 30 of which obliges states to inform and consult each other on foreign policy matters.  [15]  This was the first serious step towards the formalization of the EPC. In general, the Single European Act made EPC part of the integration, resulting in revival of political integration in very soft manner and including it at later stages into the Treaty of Maastricht under the title of Common Foreign and Security Policy. This way political cooperation was broadened with security issues and hence majority of decisions were possible in this field as well. To sum up this brief account, we can conclude that that the ancestors of CFSP were EDC, EPC and political cooperation. Two draft Treaties, respectively, on EDC and EPC, contained the part of legal history of CFSP. In the field of legalization a breakthrough took place in July 1987 with Single European Act entering into force. One interesting point in this process is that EDC was talking about the army and putting the Treaty itself under the jurisdiction of ECJ. Yet, it could not be done 40 years later by CFSP. Section II CFSP ERRF a new phase towards political union or a path of being a military power? 2. Stage of foundation of CFSP and its functional mechanism Second phase started with making special emphasis on foreign policy development and closer cooperation in this field during the Maastricht Treaty negotiations. Consequently, in the Treaty of European Union (TEU) the CFSP was included as the second pillar of the EU. TEU called for member states to consult on any matter of foreign and security policy of general interest in order to determine a common approach and provided that Member states shall ensure, through the convergence of their actions, that the Union is able to assert its interests and values on the international scene.  [16]  Moreover, the Maastricht Treaty made provisions for using the Western European Union (WEU) as the military arm of the EUs new Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and declared that the CFSP would include the eventual framing of a common defence policy, which might in time lead to a common defense (Article J.4.1).  [17]  However, after the inclusion of CFSP into the TEU for some time there was a period of silence and no actions in practice were taken, though Europe was witnessing conflicts in its territories and its neighborhood. The main message was that the CFSP was established to address the issues of security on the whole continent. Yet, in the period of silence the general goals set in Petersberg in 1992 were not much realized in practice. During the time from 1992 to 1998 the whole process was characterized with inaction. Then the central question of debates suggested that though the name given to it was common security and foreign policy, the issue causing problems was defense. But, in this light there was and still is an existing guarantor of defense in Europe NATO. Article 24 (ex article 11 of TEU) of the consolidated version of TEU addressing defense implications of CFSP mentions that CFSP shall include the progressive framing of defense policy, which might led to common defense.  [18]  . Yet the TEU in another paragraph provides that the policy of the Union in accordance with this Article shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defense policy of certain Member States and shall respect the obligations of certain Member States, which see their common defense realized in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), under the North Atlantic Treaty and be compatible with the common security and defense policy established within that framework.  [19]  This paragraph of the TEU illustrates that the document recognizes and to the extent states priority of NATO over CFSP in providing defense and security in Europe. Nonetheless, it was believed that to defend Europe through CFSP required formation of military forces. At the same time, although (1) humanitarian and rescue tasks; (2) peacekeeping tasks; (3) tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking were defined as the tasks for military troops by Petersberg Tasks  [20]  , TEU did not have a specific provision on formation of possible armed forces of the Union. Hence, the only instrument was summits of heads of states that could be concluded with decisive and concrete declaration on this matter and so provide steps forward in this direction. In the result of lengthy debates on granting Europe autonomy in the military and defense matters, in 1998 heads of states of Britain and France met in St-Malo. This summit can be outlined as one of those that played a decisive role in drawing the principles of future activities under Title V of TEU. As the result of the British-French Summit, well known St-Malo declaration was adopted. This declaration recognized .the capacity of autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces and stated that military forces should be supported by a strong and competitive European defense industry and technology.  [21]  But this proposed autonomy was rather restricted by the power of NATO. Declaration also provided: Europe can make its voice heard in world affairs, while acting in conformity with our respective obligations in NATO   [22]  This became another statement providing that NATO would have priority in maintaining security and leading defense policy in the continent. On the other hand, circumstantial factors have been significantly influencing the path of development of the EUs own military capabilities. Particularly the war in Yugoslavia became one of the key influencing factors. After the so called humanitarian intervention was realized in Yugoslavia by NATO forces, Europe, facing its own inability to take action for conflict prevention in its territory, started elaborations on possible implementation of Petersberg tasks and particularly principles of St-Malo Declaration. We may assume that in this elaborations NATO was perceived by the EU as a competitor, although its role in providing European security has been central for more then 50 years. Nonetheless, it was definitive that CSFP could not take the place of NATO in the matters on its competence. One of the first steps forward in this path was Cologne Summit in June of 1999. Cologne European Council in its Declaration on strengthening the common European policy on security and defense decided that to this end, the Union must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises.  [23]  Moreover, decision of the Summit gave a mandate to European Council to strengthen the CFSP. In its Declaration on strengthening the common European policy on security and defense, the Cologne European Council agreed to transfer from Western European Union (WEU) to the European Union (EU) the responsibility of decision-making and the capacity for action in the area of the Petersberg tasks.  [24]  Underlying the need for military forces, Cologne Declaration also identified main features of future activities as deployability, sustainability, interoperability, fle xibility and mobility  [25]  . Yet two aspects of the overall message of the Declaration were particularly significant for the issue of our discussion. Firstly, it did not necessarily specify military forces as a common army of the Union as it is conventionally understood. Secondly, it determined that the Atlantic Alliance remains as a foundation of the collective defense of its members, thus excluding determination of NATO as a foundation of collective defense of Europe. By this point the EU has shaped its attitude to NATO in terms of using its military capabilities, declaring that communities defense is not provided by NATO, which ensures rather defense of its members. Cologne in the result became one of the key EU council meetings that according to Bono Giovanno was an expression of desire of the EU to develop military and civilian capabilities to project its power regionally and globally, potentially autonomous from NATO  [26]  . Next important shaping Summit was the Helsinki Council of 10-11 December 1999. By its declaration the Helsinki Council agreed that the objective for the Union was to have an autonomous capacity to take decisions, and where NATO as a whole is not engaged to launch EU-led military operations in response to international crisis.  [27]  It introduced Political and Security Committee as an institution. Moreover, it created Military Committee as a supporting unit for Political and Security Council. Also it was in Helsinki that the post of High Representative for CFSP had been introduced. Furthermore, if in St-Malo and Cologne the intention of capable military forces were resolved with final documents, Helsinki meeting drew schema for the military forces including contingent, size and minimum period of sustainability naming it European Rapid Reaction Forces.  [28]  Generally, it was concluded that the formation of forces will need to be accomplished in 2003. This way, Cologne and He lsinki Conclusions laid first stones to the foundation of ESDP and to the formation of European Military Forces. Yet, although commitment on establishment of ERRF and ESDP was clearly made in the results of St-Malo, Cologne and Helsinki, the autonomy of the EU military capability could not be fully established. Already in one of the next meetings in Feira in June 2000 it was again declared that Council should establish a framework of cooperation with NATO. Feira Declaration mentioned that, Council has identified the principles on the basis which consultation and cooperation with NATO should be developed  [29]  . This was certainly connected to the fact that EU members had already military commitments as NATO members with the organization that is supposed to provide European defense. However, in general, the processes outlined above through the row of summits illustrate that EU was determined to take measures for implementation of Petersberg tasks and to form the autonomous military forces to respond to emergency and crisis situations in its territory and neighborhood. So, at later stages in the framework of Capabilities Commitment Conference (CCC) the EU identified details of functional mechanism of its military forces, where the clear picture of ERRF had been drawn. On 20-21 November at CCC in Brussels, states agreed to 100 000 persons and approximately 400 combat aircraft and 100 vessels, though the question was still whether this was a real army of the Union.  [30]   Interestingly enough answer to this question was given in European Council in Nice in December 2000. Declaration of this meeting declared that the European Union will be able to carry out the full range of Petersberg tasks which does not involve the establishment of European army.  [31]  Thus, it was announced that the EU military forces are not an army, but rather an ad hoc forces that are aimed to address concrete missions and respond to crisis situations. Firstly ad hoc forces were established and brought in action in 2003, when NATO forces were replaced by ERRF in Macedonia, which became the first military deployment of EU forces.  [32]   Further development in establishment of EU military forces was formation of Battle Groups based on the adopted headline goals 2010 in 2004. The decision taken created the EU Battle Groups whose duty was to provide rapid reaction in emergency situations within 5 days and to complete missions of at least 30 days with a maximum number of 1,500 men.  [33]  It is argued that the need is defined by Unions willingness to lead more than one crisis management operation simultaneously. In the result Battle Groups became an additional part of the EU military forces, but did not still transfer the EU military capabilities into EUs army. Nonetheless, following the establishment of ERRF and Battle groups the ESDP missions deployed after 2004 became illustration of the EUs ability to accommodate the goals defined in the TEU (under Petersberg Tasks) and take quick actions in response to emergency situation in the high military level. As former EU HR for the Common Security and Foreign Policy Javier Solana underlined in one of his remarks by above-mentioned actions the EU has proved the credibility of its military capability on the ground in Africa, in Congo and Chad and now is proving it everyday in the difficult waters off Somalia.  [34]   Thus, we can assume that, all in all crisis management operations, originally described as one of the areas covered by the Petersberg Tasks, have been identified in the result of dynamic and stable cooperation since 1998 as the area in which the EU military forces found their main occupation and effective usage. Originally described in Amsterdam Treaty in 1997, crisis management mandate was confirmed in the Treaty of Nice (2000), elaborated later in rather wider detail in the European Strategy Security (ESS) in 2003 and, finally, recognized in the Lisbon Treaty (2007).  [35]   Two general conclusions can be drawn based on the above outlined process of formation of the EUs military capabilities. Firstly, formation of EU CFSP and its own military forces (ERRF and Battle Groups) have been successful due to stable and structured cooperation intensified in 1998 that, at the same time, have had influence of certain circumstantial factors triggered by the realities of post-Cold War international system. Secondly, in the process of establishment of EU military capabilities NATO has still been viewed as a strong competitor that made the Union to form its own potential taking always into account the presence of already existing military alliance. This way, the process of formation of EUs military capabilities has been accompanied by certain institutional and political restrictions that have shaped the CFSP and its up-to-date functional mechanism (ESDP). Section III Purpose, unanimity and global dimension of the EU security policies If the above brought paragraphs demonstrate that in the result of stabile and structure cooperation the path towards strengthening political union ended in the direction of establishing own military forces of the Union, thus making the EU stronger in terms of common policy in security and defense dimensions, the question that occurs is whether this development sufficient for defining the EU as a military power. There is no doubt that the emergence of ERRF as a functional mechanism of EU common security and defense policy significantly extended the political competence of the EU as a Union of states. Yet it could not provide the EU with full capacity of being unitary actor in terms of its defense policy and military capacities. Several aspects deserve particular attention in developing further discussion about the role of military capabilities of the EU in the conceptualization of the Union as military power. Firstly, the purpose of established military forces, namely ERRF should be scrutinized in order to define the EUs competence as an actor both internal and external, as in theoretical terms military power is and instrument for internal and external policies. European Security Strategy identifies the general reason for establishment of ERRF and Battle groups. It declares: Our traditional concept of self- defense up to and including the Cold War was based on the threat of invasion. With the new threats, the first line of defense will often be abroad. The new threats are dynamic.  [36]  Furthermore, the field of application of ERRF and Battle Groups was defined in the framework of Petersberg Tasks that include humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping and combat forces in crisis management. Moreover, if we look at the overview of ESDP missions we can see that objectives of the military forces are formed on a case by case basis depending on an operations and missions abroad. For i nstance, the EU military missions (apart from civilian ESDP missions) have largely peace-enforcement and peacekeeping mandates and are used most of the time as an instrument of quick response to humanitarian emergencies. Majority of missions in Africa for instance aimed at peace building and peace enforcement by use of military capabilities of the EU. Secondly, the EU in becoming power and launching missions depends on member-states willingness and policy priorities. It has been not once mentioned by various authors that CFSP and defense policy has a distinctive feature in comparison to Unions policies in economic and social field that have greater unanimity. It is largely argued that another fact that, for now, impedes the effectiveness of the CFSP is the unwillingness of the me

Signs That My Site Hacked Information Technology Essay

Signs That My Site Hacked Information Technology Essay Assume you are the owner of an e-commerce web site. What are some of the signs that your site has been hacked. Discuss the major type of attacks you could expect and resulting damage on your site. Prepare a brief report based on your findings. You are required to propose web site development to one of the IT entrepreneurs in your area. Consider there are two opinions for building the site in-house with existing staff, out sourcing the entire operation. Discuss which options are in the companys best interest and the reason for choosing that opinion. Provide pros and cons for each option. Prepare a report based on your findings. Introduction to Question (1) Hacking used to be defined as One who is proficient at using or programming a computer; a computer buff. However, this use has been turned around now, to mean that of a cracker One who uses programming skills to gain illegal access to a computer network or file. This information is about this second meaning, cracking. Before we begin I would like to point out that hackers HATE crackers, crackers have given them a bad name. The main differences between the two are that hackers try to make things, crackers try to break things. Hackers made the Internet what it is today. Hackers program websites (among other things) and they do not try and harm the work of others as is thought in todays society. However, as the word hacker is now in such popular use that it is thought it means cracker I will use the words hacking and cracking for describing these cracking methods. Define question (1) Hacking is not a simple operation or sequence of commands as many people think. Hacking is a skill. To hack you must change and adapt your approach depending on the obstacles you come across. Hacking is not a specific term; there are many types of hacking. Answer for Question (1) Some of the signs that my site has been hacked: One of the goals for a hacker is to hack a website without alerting the website owner. Months go by, and a website owner hosts a hacked website without knowing the site has been compromised. The website owner may notice some strange occurrences, but here are some hacked signs that alert the owner of a compromised website. Websites that are hacked can spread malware, and the hacker sometimes steals your customers information. The Eval Base64_decode Function at the Bottom of Your Code The Eval function is used to hide code in PHP blogs such as Blogger and WordPress. The base64_decode decodes encoded text that you are unable to read when you view your website code files. The hacker places a redirection code using eval and base64_decode at the bottom of your PHP file, so you are unable to read the hacked code and dont notice the redirection to the hackers web page. If you did not put the functions on your page, then your blog or website has probably been hacked. Drop in Google Search Engine Results Rank If my site is hacked with a redirection to an online pharmacy, the Google algorithm detects a problem and lowers your search engine rank. If you check your rank often, you notice a drop in rank. You can drop several pages and even hundreds of pages in the search engine results. A Red Warning Alert in Google Chrome or Firefox When Google detects a hacked website, Firefox and Chrome use the Google API to show a warning message to users. Instead of seeing your website, the web browser shows a red screen alerting the reader to a hacked website address. Users can hit the back button or proceed to my site. In most cases, the user prefers to click the back button to avoid infecting the computer. The best way to detect a hacked website is enter your domain name into Chrome or Firefox and see if the red warning screen shows. Google Indexes Your Site with Pharmacy Text If your site has been hacked and redirects to a pharmacy, search your domain name with pharmacy text such as Viagra, pharmacy, or meds. Pornographic search phrases are also used to check if your site has been hacked and redirect to adult websites. This type of check gives you a heads up, and lets you know the hackers code is somewhere in your website code. Check the .htaccess File on Your Host Server The .htaccess file is a part of an Apache server host. One web hack is placing a redirect code in the .htaccess file. Open the .htaccess file located on the root of your web host directory. Read through the file and locate any odd website addresses. If you have a website address that is not yours in the .htaccess file, your file has been hacked. These tips help you identify a hacked website. After I fix the hack, I must identify where my site vulnerability is is located. If I do not identify the security hole, you are susceptible to hacks after you go through the trouble of fixing hacked code. The type of attacks I could expect and the damages Password cracking In most of the cases, user passwords are encrypted to protect the privacy of passwords and maintain security of the system. Password cracking is the process of decrypting encrypted passwords. A program that performs cracking is known as password cracker. Some crackers are also capable of disabling password protection system and may cause free access to anyone and the owner will be losing a lot of information in his web site. Ip spoofing IP spoofing is used to commit criminal activity online and to breach network security. Hackers use IP spoofing so they do not get caught spamming and to perpetrate denial of service attacks. These are attacks that involve massive amounts of information being sent to computers over a network in an effort to crash the entire network. The hacker does not get caught because the origin of the messages cannot be determined due to the bogus IP address. IP spoofing is also used by hackers to breach network security measures by using a bogus IP address that mirrors one of the addresses on the network. This eliminates the need for the hacker to provide a user name and password to log onto the network. Hijacking an Authorized Session With the ability to generate the correct sequence numbers, an attacker can take over an authorized session by simply taking over one of the parties to the session. Having inserted himself in the session, the attacker will simply tell the party taken over that the session has ended, while connecting to the other half of the legitimate session and continuing communication, but this time, according to the attackers dictate. Haven taken over a trusted communication channel, the attacker can then probe the network for vulnerabilities. Sequesnce Guessing Every connection between two hosts using TCP contain sequence numbers for both data and acknowledgement. These numbers, used by the TCP protocol to determine out-of-order and lost packets, is one of the facilities of the connection-oriented TCP design, to ensure reliable delivery to the application layer. The sequence numbers are generated pseudo-randomly and an attacker might send spoofed packets to a victim to determine the algorithm generating the sequence numbers, and then use that knowledge to intercept an existing session. RIP Attacks Routing Information Protocol (RIP) Routing attacks is often seen in routers which implemented the original RIP. Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is used to distribute routing information within networks, such as shortest-paths, and advertising routes out from the local network. The original version of RIP has no built in authentication, and the information provided in a RIP packet is often used without verifying it. An attacker could forge a RIP packet, claiming his host X has the fastest path out of the network. All packets sent out from that network would then be routed through X, where they could be modified or examined. An attacker could also use RIP to effectively impersonate any host, by causing all traffic sent to that host to be sent to the attackers machine instead. Buffer Overflows A Buffer Overflow is a flaw that occurs when more data is written to a block of memory, or buffer, than the buffer is allocated to hold. Exploiting a buffer overflow allows an attacker to modify portions of the target process address space. This ability can be used for a number of purposes, including the following: Control the process execution Crash the process Modify internal variables   The attackers goal is almost always to control the target process execution. This is accomplished by identifying a function pointer in memory that can be modified, directly or indirectly, using the overflow. When such a pointer is used by the program to direct program execution through a jump or call instruction, the attacker-supplied instruction location will be used, thereby allowing the attacker to control the process.  In many cases, the function pointer is modified to reference a location where the attacker has placed assembled machine-specific instructions. These instructions are commonly referred to as shellcode, in reference to the fact that attackers often wish to spawn a command-line environment, or shell, in the context of the running process . Conclusion If I cannot connect to my web site or log in to your control panel, I have to contact your web hosting company. The hacker attack has changed your password and I need to get a new one. The hacker might have also changed your email address associated with my account at the web hosting company but this is unlikely because the password and the email information are generally segregated. Anyway, depending on the company policies, a web hosting firm would either send you a new password over email OR revert with what they need to send you a new password (because they need to verify that the new password request is legitimate). In some cases, I might need to send a fax because the hackers have messed up your email too. Introduction to Question (2) Nowadays, it seems like everyone is saying, I want to site. If you want to build a web site and you know what you want, dont know what you want, trying to learn about it then we have information for you. If you already own a website or a webmaster looking for the best and latest information on successful website development, then we have the website builder for you. Also on this site we have articles and free eBooks on every aspect of website development, including internet marketing, home based businesses and affiliate marketing. Define question (2) There are many different routes a web site owner can go for getting all of the content done for his online business. The two directions he could take, whether its hiring in-house or outsourcing to a content creation company, allow for many different options and different ways to get your content project done. The route you take can have effect on a number of things, like quality of the content, your expenses, and the time it will take to get everything done. Since the content will probably be the most important part of your web site, you will want to take all things into consideration before making your final decision. Answer to Question (2) IN-HOUSE WITH EXISTING STAFF Hiring in-house definitely has its own advantages. This is because anytime you have a valuable resource like a team of writers in the Internet industry you are able to accomplish many different things because there are so many ways that you can use content on the Internet (it doesnt always just have to be on-site content). It all really depends on your own companys content needs however. You will be able to train writers and mold their styles to the way you want your content to be written. ADVANTAGES: Gives you Control If design services are part of your business, then keeping it under your control allows you to provide the best services for your customers. This means that if your business sells design services, or depends on a strong, dynamic online presence for the bulk of its revenue, an in-house design team is essential. You dont want to rely on a contractor over whom you do not have complete control to make or break your business. Communicate Better and Save Time Interacting with outsourced talent can be challenging, especially if your contractor is . People under your purview are easier to find and easier to direct, so when you need something done, you can explain it to them in person. Save (lots of) Money You will find that you will save money in the long run by using in-house talent. Even though you will have to make the investment in payroll and infrastructure, over time you get better results and spend less money than you would by hiring an outside firm. In-house design also benefits from the standpoint of project cost. Contractors often will pocket some or all of the difference if they finish a project below cost. If your In-house team completes the project at less cost, that cost savings shows up in your bottom line. DISADVANTAGES Maintenance contract with an external agency Although probably the most expensive approach, maintenance contract with an external agency does provide the best level of service. If the agency provide the right kind of service this can be very much like working with an outsource team. The agency will really get to understand the business, evolve your website on a regular basis and still provide all of the benefits of an external agency. Part time contractors For smaller organizations that cannot afford fulltime in-house staff but who wish to enjoy the benefits that come with that approach, there is the option to take on a part-time contractor. These individuals will probably have 2 or 3 websites they manage on a regular basis but still will be able to work more closely with you than an external agency. Ad-hoc specialists For larger organisations it may sometimes be appropriate to bring in specialists to compliment an existing in-house team. For example specialists in accessibility, usability or design can often work well alongside an in-house team primarily made up of coders. Outsourcing Outsourcing is contracting out the management and development of a process or production to external sources. Many online businesses have found it desirable to outsource their website. While some businesses lack the in-house expertise, others find the logistics of managing the website distracts their attention from their core competencies and some other find it to be cost-effective. In the present scenario of IT, all organizations whether big or small, depend on outsourcing to stay competitive. This is quite advantageous as a wide range of options is available, in the form of experienced reliable companies offering their services. Outsourcing helps a company to focus on its core business more efficiently. Outsourcing Advantages: You can be assured that if you go this route you are leaving all of your content needs in the hands of very well experienced and trained writers writers that have written for the Internet for a long period of time. There will more than likely be a whole team of editors, project managers, and writers and they will have a their system down pat already and will be ready to take on whatever kind of volume you need to push. You will have a faster turnaround time, and therefore you will be able to scale up quite easily. Outsourcing your content will also save you a lot of time and money. Hiring and training in-house writers takes a lot of time and can also be quite expensive. Outsourcing your content to a company usually means you will spend less money because they usually charge less and you wont have to spend money building up your own resources . Disadvantages: One of the major disadvantages is the differences in writing style that you may see. Outsourcing your content means outsourcing to a number of different writers, all of which have their own unique writing style. Since they have already been trained to write a certain way for the Internet, you will have to make sure that the writers will be able to fulfill your standards in terms of style and SEO needs. For example some people may want a double space after each period and some people like the single space approach. It seems like a small problem, but little problems like that can cause a lot of trouble if not worked out before the project gets started. This problem really escalates if you are outsourcing your content to many different freelancers. Language or cultural differences: Struggling to understand your tech support specialist can make a frustrating situation even worse. Unfortunately, many small businesses choose offshore outsourcing as their least-expensive option, while not considering the time and aggravation spent on communication issues. This can be mitigated either by carefully interviewing various offshore firms and giving them a test drive, or by hiring a local firm. The latter may also allow you to have the specialist on-site, which is highly recommended for handling most IT support needs. Not part of the team: Because outsourced IT specialists are there only when scheduled or when you need them to fix a problem, youll spend time bringing them up to speed when issues do arise or when you want them to provide advice on future technology initiatives. Again, there is a solution: Get an outsourced firm involved in your IT needs on an ongoing basis via managed services. Companies best interest The best for my company would be outsourcing because its gives us a saver web-hosting and trusted from virus. Although its not cheap but it would be easy for us because its been maintain and updated always. This could increase our web viewers and customers too. Conclusion Once you have a team of writers, you will always have to find a way to keep them busy or else you will risk losing them. If you dont have the ability to keep a team of writers busy for a substantial amount of time, then hiring in-house writers would prove to be a big waste of time. Your turnaround time will also not be as fast, and you will spend more time dealing with your writers time that probably could have better been spent elsewhere. A good route to go (a route that many companies take) is to hire a few in-house writers as well as outsource content needs that make sense to outsource. The Internet business calls for unique situations and needs, and the route you go with your content creation should definitely be based on these specific needs. One thing to be aware of is that some information technology consultants that you outsource to, will in turn outsource services to their own partners. Look for companies that take final responsibility for your system, no matter whether the y or a partner provided a particular service. This will help make things simpler for your organization, especially at times of stress and concern when you most need things to be easy.