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Needle-Free Diabetic Care

Needle-Free Diabetic Care

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Needle-Free Diabetic Care

Introduction

According to World Health Organization statistics of 2014, diabetes has a prevalence rate of 8.5% with 422 million people suffering from the condition globally. Diabetes is a condition of metabolic disorder that causes an individual to have higher than normal blood glucose levels. The condition is mainly caused by inadequate production of insulin in the body or the inability of body cells to respond to the insulin produced in the body. Diabetes occurs in two types; Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Some of the symptoms of diabetes include weight loss, hunger, thirst, fatigue, impaired vision, hyperglycemic conditions, and excessive urine excretion. If patients fail to respond well to oral treatment, insulin therapy is often the first option in the line of treatment. To diagnose diabetes, blood pricking is the procedure employed in analyzing the levels of blood glucose in a patient’s body. Pricking one’s finger with a lancet can be a painful and uncomfortable experience for many people and it often leads to less frequent testing and poor management of blood levels. If phobia of needles is an obstacle that keeps many people suffering from diabetes from observing their medication protocol, then needle-free injection devices are a game-changer. Although needle-free injections come with their fair share of challenges, they are a step in the right direction in ensuring millions of people battling diabetes access effective and patient-friendly treatment. This essay highlights various innovations in medical technology in the provision of needle-free diabetic care including Eversense, D base, GlucoTrack, NovioSense, GlucoWise, SugarBeat, and Occuity Indigo. The paper also touches on the advantages and disadvantages of needle-free diabetic care in general.

Eversense

To begin with, eversense is one of the recent developments that companies around the world have come up with to facilitate the non-invasive monitoring of glucose. Eversense is an implant developed to continuously monitor the level of glucose in an individual’s blood. It was developed by Senseonics, a US-based company. Worth noting, the device has to be initially deposited under the patient’s skin by a doctor. However, it has a sensor that is capable of lasting a period of three months before it can be replaced. Eversense uses a polymer that responds to blood sugar levels enabling it to measure the amount of glucose within the interstitial fluid (Kojic, Goyal, Lou, & Corwin, 2017). The device is put under the skin in the upper arm of a patient. It sends data in real-time to a transmitter which shows the number of glucose levels in the patient’s blood. The eversense device was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 which struck a deal to distribute it with Roche. There was a six-month version which was approved in 2017 in Europe and FDA is set to approve the version by the end of 2021. Senseonics is currently in the process of developing an eversense device capable of lasting a year.

D-Base

D-base is another needle-free development in the treatment of diabetes. D-base is a blood sugar monitor which is the size of a shoebox. The D-base monitor is a development of DiaMonTech, a German-based firm. The monitor measures the level of sugar in a patient’s blood through beaming infrared lasers on a finger’s skins causing the glucose to convert light to heat. Then, depending on the level of heat increase on the patient’s skin, the device is able to calculate the level of glucose. The increase in heat is too small for the user to notice it. In 2019, the D-base devise was approved for use by medical professionals in diabetes centers and clinical trials in the European Union. The German-based developer company is now in the process of developing a similar device for use in the US market. Furthermore, DiaMonTech is also working to develop smaller versions including a small sensor for use in wearable devices and a handheld D-pocket device.

GlucoTrack

Glucotrack is another recent innovation in the management and treatment of diabetes. It is a development of Integrity Applications, a US-Israeli Company. GlucoTrack monitors sugar levels in a patient’s blood using a combination of electromagnetic, ultrasonic, and thermal waves. The sensor is often clipped on a person’s ear to enable it to provide readout. Worth noting, the monitor device is used by adults that suffer from type 2 diabetes and is marketed mainly in Europe. Integrity Applications is aiming at expanding its market in the United States. The company is in the process of developing second-generation GlucoTrack devices that will feature wireless earless clip sensors that will be paired with smartphones..

NovioSense

NovioSense is another medical technological innovation in needle-free diabetic care. This is a Dutch-based startup that is seeking to develop a sugar-based monitor placed under patients’ lower eyelid to enable it to send measurements of glucose levels to a smartphone directly and in real-time (Ji, Gao, Chen, Wang, Ma, Ran, & Shan, 2020). The monitor has a flexible metal coil that is two centimeters long containing nanosensors inside. The coil is in turn covered with a layer of soft hydrogel for protective purposes. The coil measures glucose levels in tear fluid by the minute and uses a similar enzyme technology as the glucose strip tests are based upon. Results from a clinical study show that the monitor can be compared to the Freestyle Libre in terms of accuracy. In 2020, NovioSense was acquired by a private equity firm based in the United States and is licensing the technology to various players within the diabetes treatment space.

GlucoWise

Glucowise is another development that is worth recognizing in the field of needle-free diabetic care. Although it is still under development, it is a sensor that measures the amount of glucose levels in the blood. It does this by simply positioning it on the patient’s skin between the forefinger and thumb. It then sends measurements in real-time to a smartphone application. Its developers hold that it is more accurate than other wireless monitors because it employs specific radiofrequency waves to calculate the amount of glucose levels in a patients’ blood. MediWise is the firm behind this device. In 2018, the UK-based firm was taken over by Metamaterial Technologies, a Canadian specialist for smart materials and photonics. Metamaterial Technologies has since continued with the work of developing GlucoWise. In July 2021, the company commenced human trials of a GlucoWise version that blends machine learning and an array of wavelength sensors to attain more accurate results.

SugarBEAT

SugarBEAT is another device that has proved useful in needle-free treatment. It was developed by Nemaura, a United Kingdom-based Biotech Company. SugarBEAT is a skin patch which is replaceable and is often attached to a transmitter. SugarBEAT non-invasively measures the level of glucose in the blood of a patient (Yale, Dulude, Egeth, Piché, Lafontaine, Carballo, & Guzman, 2017). It does this by passing across low-level electric currents on the skin and draws samples of interstitial fluid located just beneath the skin. The transmitter is rechargeable and it sends data to the patient’s smartphone via Bluetooth thus making it possible to monitor the reading with an accompanying application. Worth noting, SugarBEAT has already attained marketing approval within the European Union. The device is set to gain FDA approval later in the year.

Occuity Indigo

Occuity Indigo is another innovation to diabetes treatment that takes literally, the expression of the eyes being the window to the soul. Occuity Indigo is a glucose meter which is eye-focused. Instead of measuring fluid in tears as did their counterparts, the developer opts to look at the eyeball as it is a stable and transparent environment whose level of glucose relates with the levels in the blood. The Occuity Indigo device sends faint beam lights to the eyeballs and calculates the amount of light which bounces to the device. It can measure the level of glucose in the eye depending on how much the returning lights refract. Occuity continues to fuel the advancement of monitoring technologies with Seedrs crowdfunding campaigns. The company is also in the process of developing another device capable of screening people at increased risk of suffering from diabetes among other health problems in the future.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Needle-free Diabetic Care

Needleless syringes are effective in diabetic care and treatment because of various advantages. To begin with, needless syringes help eliminate the phobia of needles that patients struggle with. Because no needles are required, there is reduced psychological resistance to diabetes treatment. Needleless syringes increase compliance with medication particularly for young children that suffer from diabetes. Additionally, insulin treatment is not easy for patients as they have to deal with injections and holding their tummy on a daily basis which is quite an uncomfortable experience. However, the use of needless syringes makes it fun. Another advantage of needle-free diabetic care is that it is safer as there is a reduced likelihood of needles breaking (Xing, Xie, Xu, Liu, He, Yang, & Ji, 2019). Furthermore, the use of needleless syringes minimizes the risk of treatment as well as the cost and trouble of disposing of medical waste. This is because some patients carry serious infectious diseases. Additionally, needleless medication saves on money and medicine. This is because the body of needle-free injectors can be reused repeatedly and by different individuals which greatly improve the economy as it completely eliminates injection change. Additionally, needleless syringes eliminate the formation of induration which forms in the injection site following repeated injections. On the downside, needless syringes are more costly than conventional syringes. Additionally, there is the worry of the liquid not being injected successfully since the injection process is rapid and mild which is contrary to the traditional syringe. Another disadvantage is that the needless syringes are large in volume compared to the traditional syringe making them more complicated to and use.

Conclusion

In closing, needleless approaches to diabetes care are more effective when compared to convectional ways of administering medication. In recent years, there has been various innovations in medical technology in providing needle-free diabetic care including, Eversense, D base, GlucoTrack, Novio Sense, GlucoWise, SugarBeat, and Occuity Indigo. Although they have their fair share of disadvantages, they have proved effective because they have eliminated the use of needles, a mode of treatment that is notorious for evoking fear among patients. Diabetes patients tend not to follow their medication because of the process of injecting insulin that they must undertake on day-to-day basis. Needless syringes help in saving money and medicine and eliminate the formation of indurations at the injection site. Needlessness syringes are effective for self-injection but they have the downside of having a larger volume compared to traditional syringes. Needleless syringes are also more expensive and may take time for the patients to its use. In the future, there is a need for developers to undertake mass media sensitization to improve the confidence of people in needleless diabetic care. This will make its use more effective as a result of increased uptake.

References

Kojic, N., Goyal, P., Lou, C. H., & Corwin, M. J. (2017). An innovative needle-free injection system: comparison to 1 ml standard subcutaneous injection. AAPS PharmSciTech, 18(8), 2965-2970.

Ji, L., Gao, L., Chen, L., Wang, Y., Ma, Z., Ran, X., & Shan, Z. (2020). Insulin delivery with a needle-free insulin injector versus a conventional insulin pen in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A 16-week, multicenter, randomized clinical trial (the FREE study). EClinicalMedicine, 23, 100368.

Xing, Y., Xie, X., Xu, J., Liu, J., He, Q., Yang, W., … & Ji, Q. (2019). Efficacy and safety of a needle-free injector in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with basal insulin: a multicentre, prospective, randomized, crossover study. Expert opinion on drug delivery, 16(9), 995-1002.

Yale, J. F., Dulude, H., Egeth, M., Piché, C. A., Lafontaine, M., Carballo, D., … & Guzman, C. B. (2017). Faster use and fewer failures with needle-free nasal glucagon versus injectable glucagon in severe hypoglycemia rescue: a simulation study. Diabetes technology & therapeutics, 19(7), 423-432.

Needs And Important Of Shareholders

Needs And Important Of Shareholders

Introduction

Stakeholders are directly or indirectly involved with the organization and they include suppliers, customers, employees, financiers, communities and so on. The stakeholders’ theory is a concept that has gained popularity as a contributor to business ethics. The theory can be applied in the management of organizations, and business ethics which focuses on the morals and values in management of organizations (Phillips,2003). The concern for stakeholders has become a highly recognized and defining feature the ethical management of organizations. The theory requires that managers strike a balance when it comes to all the interests of the stakeholders rather than advancing the interest of shareholders only .I concur with this argument and this outline will highlight the areas to be covered on the issue.

Importance of stakeholders

The section will highlight the importance of each of the stakeholders associated with the organization .It will also look at the roles and contributions of the stakeholders to the organization (Friedman, Andrew, &Samantha 2006). With this knowledge t is easy to get the relevance and importance of striking the balance of their interest.

What stakeholders want

It is of great importance to find out exactly what the stakeholders want from the organization. This section will look at the association that exists between the organization and stakeholders’ .It will clearly give an indication of exactly what the stakeholders want to achieve from their association with the organization. The managers will be able to strike a balance of the interests of the stakeholders knowing exactly what each of them wants.

Balancing the interests of all stakeholders

This section highlight on exactly how managers are supposed to strike a balance between all the stakeholders interest. It will give an indication of actions the managers should take in order to achieve this (Phillips, 2003).

Importance of striking a balance in stakeholders interests

This section will highlight on the benefits an organization and stakeholders will get if there is a balance between the interests of all the organizations stakeholders.

Position of shareholders

This section will look at the views of those for the idea that the interests of shareholders being advanced exclusively (Hollington, 2006). It will look at various reasons why the shareholders should be the people to be exclusively considered in an organization.

Conclusion

The conclusion will contain overall remarks on why the managers of organizations should ensure that they strike a balance in the interest of shareholders instead of advancing the interests of the shareholders only. It will explain how the stakeholders’ theory can be put into application in organizations.

References

Friedman, Andrew L., and Samantha Miles. Stakeholders: theory and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Hollington, Robin. Shareholders’ rights. 5th ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2007.

Phillips, Robert. Stakeholder theory and organizational ethics. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2003.

Zakhem, Abe J., Daniel E. Palmer, and Mary Lyn Stoll. Stakeholder theory: essential readings in ethical leadership and management. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2008.

Cyberloafers and Cyber sleuths

Title of Essay: Cyberloafers and Cyber sleuths

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Introduction

Advances in technology have given rise to a more sophisticated ways of social interaction. Man can now interact with the real world via computer-stimulated systems. This has encouraged social interaction which in turn improves the welfare of the concerned parties. However, the use of company facilities to pursue personal ambitions has raised eye brows between the employees and the employers.

To begin with, the functionalists argue that a society is comprised of different and interdependent structures including economy, education, religion as well as the family. These institutions are related and interdependent and functions together to enhance the stability and social order. It is therefore important that employers understand the significance of such relations and allow their workers to coordinate with their environments on pertinent issues in the society (Layder, 1981).

Besides, it is important to appreciate the differences and conflicts that emerge in a society. According to Karl max in his conflict theory, embraces the tensions and conflicts in the society and argue that such conflicts are necessary in fostering social stability and cohesion. The employers have a right to control what their employees are doing with the company computers during work time. On the other hand, the employees are social beings and have to interact with their colleagues in the society. Cyber slacking should not be encouraged in the workplace as employees are supposed to perform their office duties during such times. In cases where the activity of cyber slacking is rampant, the employers may be forced to initiate cyber sleuthing so as to enhance accountability in the workplace (Lichgate, & Zuckerman, 1997).

Interaction theory on the other hand emphasizes on the creation of social structures through interactions among the people in the society. According to the theory, the people themselves define what a social reality as well as what other people are doing. In a workplace for instance, the employers and the employees’ choice of behavior should be determined by existing situation. The interaction between the two parties should bring forth a standardized code of behavior in the company. Employees should understand that the company computers are only used to perform company duties during work time and not other social duties. However, such computers may be used to perform personal duties when situation demand. For example, an employee may want to attend to argent matters of his family such as sickness of a family member. In such situation, the employer should understand and allow the employee to use the company asset. In cases where employees are engaged in rampant cyber slacking, the employer has a right to initiate cyber sleuthing to ensure worker responsibility as well as accountability (Layder, 1981).

Generally, positive interaction between the employer and the employees in a workplace creates an atmosphere enjoyed by all the parties in the environment. Employees are entitled to respecting the company rules and regulations so as to execute their duties responsibly. They are supposed to carry out company duties during work time and perform personal work outside work time. They should not be engaged in cyber slacking or cyber loafing in an attempt to pursue their personal duties using the company computers during work time. However, employers should embrace some tolerance in situations of agency as mentioned earlier. Employers on the other hand are bestowed with the authority to ensure that the company regulations are adhered to. In cases where the employees are involved in rampant cyber slacking, the employers are left with no other alternative except to initiate cyber sleuthing so as to ensure responsibility and accountability in the workplace (Layder, 1981. However, cyber sleuthing may create conflict in the workplace as many employees would feel that their privacy has been invaded. In such cases, the company should adopt other methods of controlling cyber slacking including assigning workers duties that would be completed within the stipulated office hours.

Conclusion

All the stakeholders in the society should embrace the changes in the technologies as well as appreciate the importance of social interactions as a means of enhancing social stability. Companies should adopt strategies that do not create conflict between the workers and the employers as they pursue their duties and responsibilities in the workplace. Very strict rules in the company should also be avoided including cyber sleuthing which is considered invasionary to the privacy of the workers. More importantly, all the stakeholders should be encouraged to understand and respect the corporate culture and do what is right at the right time and place.

Referencing List:

Lichbach, M. & Zuckerman, A. (1997). Comparative politics: rationality, culture, and structure.

Cambridge University Press.

 Layder, D. (1981). STRUCTURE, INTERACTION AND SOCIAL THEORY. Routledge.

Negative Impacts of Social Media on People’s Lives Analysis of Social Media is Attention Alcohol by Derek Thompson

Negative Impacts of Social Media on People’s Lives: Analysis of “Social Media is Attention Alcohol” by Derek Thompson

In his article, Derek metaphorically compares social media usage to alcohol consumption. He argues that social media is a product that is beneficial but addictive and naturally unwholesome in large doses. Derek writes that although many people use social media regularly, love it and are okay with it, many abuses it, and some develop unhealthy compulsions. Additionally, he proposes that thinking of social media as alcohol can guide reform efforts towards managing its use and impacts. Social media has serious negative effects on people lives; it creates feelings of inadequacy, affects mental health, enhances bullying, creates unrealistic expectations and creates addiction.

Social media creates feelings of inadequacy about life and appearance. Social media gives people a tool to compare themselves with others and to question their self-worth. The life and photographs people view on social media make them feel insecure about what is going on in their lives and how they look. Resulting in feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction with their real personal lives. Similarly, social media provides a platform for people to show their best looks, from classic clothes to body and facial appearance. This impacts self-esteem and triggers feelings of inadequacy in people who do not feel good enough. For instance, Derek documents that Facebook and Instagram make young women, especially teen girls, feel worse about their bodies.

Secondly, social media negatively affects the mental health of its users. Social media triggers comparison in people, which is a sure path to anxiety and depression. Social media users tend to post the best parts of their lives, which most people compare to the worst in their personal lives; comparing yourself to another person creates the idea of missing out and negatively impacts self-esteem resulting in depression and anxiety. Derek documents that Instagram and Facebook users, especially teen girls, admit that what they see on these sites negatively affects their mental health. Also, those who already struggle with mental health acknowledge that Facebook and Instagram usage makes it worse. Similarly, the growing use of social media is limiting face to face interactions. Human beings need face to face interactions to be mentally healthy. Therefore, the more people use social media over face-to-face interactions, the more they risk developing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Additionally, social media encourages bullying. Cyberbullying is a constant and ever-present threat in society. Social media platforms provide avenues for people to spread hurtful rumours, abuse or lie about others anonymously or use their real names. Most people who use social media, especially teens, experience bullying from their peers or are subjected to offensive comments. Victims of cyberbullying remains with lasting emotional scars, and some end up harming themselves physically or committing suicide.

Furthermore, social media creates unrealistic expectations, promotes self-absorption and creates confusion between reality with online. Social media platforms form unrealistic expectations of friends and life in individuals minds nurturing a severe lack of authenticity and encouraging lying. For instance, people use social media platforms to showcase exciting adventures, their love for friends and significant other and different successfully aspects of their lives. Although this can be a façade, people always use them as a yardstick to what life should be, creating unrealistic expectations in their personal lives. Similarly, social media platforms provide an avenue to make friends; most people confuse this with actual communication, in-person interactions, and socialising. Most friends on social media networks are not friends and can even be strangers. Additionally, sharing endless information about personal life and innermost thoughts on social media creates unhealthy self-absorption and can affect people’s ability to develop real-life connections.

Besides, social media creates addiction. Social media like cigarettes and alcohol can be addictive. Social media has a powerful draw that keeps people checking all the time without thinking. It is difficult for people with social media accounts to go an entire day without checking updates, commenting or posting. For instance, when individuals post a picture or update on social media platforms, they keep on motoring the likes and comments and replying. These activities can take an entire day without an individual realising. Also, it can build the need and desire to do so the following day. Derick documents that young teenagers often feel addicted to social media sites and are unable to stop themselves. He also documents his personal experience, “sometimes the content is unfavourable, and I regret how I spend my time…only to open the applications again, several minutes later (Thompson, 2021)” This shows some level of addiction.

In conclusion, although social media has beneficial qualities, its dark sides negatively impact the lives of individuals in society, especially teenagers. It affects people’s self-worth, causes cyberbullying, negatively affects people’s mental health, and wastes time due to its addictive nature. Like Derek Thompson proposes in his article “Social Media is Attention Alcohol”, social media should be subjected to guidelines like alcohol consumption to limit its impacts on individuals, especially teens.

Bibliography

Thompson, D. (2021, September 17). Social media is attention alcohol. The Atlantic. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/social-media-attention-alcohol-booze-instagram-twitter/620101/.

Cyberwarfare, which is defined by Clarke (2010) as action by a given nation-state

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Introduction

Cyberwarfare, which is defined by Clarke (2010) as action by a given nation-state to maliciously penetrate another state’s computer networks for the main purpose of disrupting or causing damage is a major cause of national and global concern. This threat, which is often politically motivated, has in this year and for the very first time, been regarded to be a larger threat than terrorism or Al Qaeda by various U.S intelligence authorities (Dilanian, 2013). Computer security is indeed is an important concern for governments, businesses and individuals (OPC, 2011, p.11; Guttman & Roback, 1995). In this paper, we investigate the concept of cyberwarfare and explain why it is an area of concern for governments, businesses and individuals. Also investigated is how individuals attempt to breach computer security in this domain (methods of attack). This paper also presents the active and passive defenses that governments, businesses and individuals can use in combating cyber attack. The methods that security specialists employ in safeguarding computer systems are also explored in great detail.

The concept of cyberwarefare

The concept of cyberwarfare is basically a computer hacking activity which is politically motivated for the sake of espionage and sabotage. It is a special kind of information systems warfare which is sometimes viewed as analogues to the conventional warfare (O’Connel, 2012).As noted earlier, this threat, has in this year and for the very first time, been regarded to be a larger threat than terrorism or Al Qaeda by various U.S intelligence authorities (Dilanian, 2013).Indeed this makes cyberspace the 5th domain of military warfare (Taddeo, 2012, p.209).

So grave is the issue of cyber security that the U.S Department of Defense (DoD) has formally acknowledged it as a new domain in global warfare (Lynn, 2010).Lipman Report clearly indicated that several of United State’s key sectors of the economy as well as other nations are at great risk of cyber attacks. Cyber threats range from those targeting private to public facilities such as banking and financial sectors, transportation, education, medical, and manufacturing and government operations. In this regard, we can safely regard cyberwarfare as an event exhibiting characteristics of a conventional warfare but waged only in the cyberspace.

Methods of attack

According to Andress and Winterfield (2011), individuals and nation-states can use several methods in order to wage a cyber attack. These range from the use of malware, viruses, Distributed-denial of service (DDoS) attacks to the use of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) bombs. Wilson (2008) categorized the methods into three distinct issues; physical damage of computers as well as communication lines, the use of electromagnetic pulse to damage computers and the use of malware to manipulate as well as sabotage computer networks.

Malware attack involves the use of malicious software to infect individual, corporate or government computers. A perfect example of a malware that has been used in the past is Stuxnet, a malware which is arguably the most sophisticated cyberweapon ever designed (Bodenheimer, 2012). This malware was developed by United States in collaboration with Israel in order to sabotage the Iranian nuclear enrichment program. Its deployment was hugely successful to its creator since it completely destroyed the computers that were being used for the enrichment operations.

Physical damage of computers as well as communication lines is another method used in waging a cyber attack. This is usually achieved through the destruction as well as sabotage of computer hardware, aerials, cables as well as satellites. The use of EMP is also effective since it completely destroys all computer and communication equipment that are transistor-based.

Manipulation of computer networks is yet another example of cyberwarfare. It involves the use of programs to interfere with the integrity, availability as well as confidentiality of the computer and communication systems. This type of attack involves the use of DDoS attacks as well as man-in-the-middle attacks.

How to combat cyberwarfare

Cyber attacks can be combated through the application of active and passive anti-cyber attack strategies. There is a need for individuals, corporations and governments to develop methods for predicting, identifying and countering cyber attacks. Currently, several entities within the United States cyber community campaigning for the adoption of an anti-cyber attack campaign that is able to strategically as well as tactically deal with the eminent cyber threats (Menn, 2012). These anti-cyber attack strategies involved the application of active and passive defensive strategies to protect computer and communication systems against cyber attacks. Anti-cyber-attack strategies are mostly associated with both active and passive cyber attack defense measures that are used in protecting computer systems while counter-cyber-attack measures are mainly pre-emptive offensive techniques that are used to analyze behaviors and signatures and then subsequently deter, prevent, pre-empt as well as neutralize all sorts of hostile acts or intrusions (Swanson,Astrich,Robinson,2012).

Individuals, corporations and governments must therefore work together with security specialists in coming up with proper anti and counter-cyber-attack measures in order to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer and communication networks are never compromised. Intrusion detection systems must be used to help in forming a strategy that is more predictive than reactive. An early warning framework such as Lockwood’s 12-step Analytical Method for Prediction (LAMP) must also be implemented (Lockwood, 1996).The use of antivirus updated software such as Kaspersky Antivirus must also be used. Firewall must also be used with suitable policies put in place.

Conclusion

Cyberwarfare is a concept that can never be avoided in our current and future societies. Individuals, corporations and governments must therefore work together with security professionals in combating all sorts of offensive cyberwarfare. Active and passive defense mechanisms must therefore be designed to be used for predicting, identifying and countering cyber attacks. Otherwise, we might just be headed for a cyber Armageddon!

References

Andres,J.,Winterfield.,S. (2011).Cyber Warfare: Techniques, Tactics and Tools for Security

Practitioners. Waltham,MA: Syngress

Bodenheimer,DZ.(2012).Cyberwarfare in the Stuxnet Age Can Cannonball Law Keep Pace

With the Digital Battlefield? The SciTech Lawyer, 8 (3) (Winter,2012).Retrieved on 17 April,2013 from HYPERLINK “http://www.crowell.com/files/2012-bodenheimer-the-scitech-lawyer.pdf” http://www.crowell.com/files/2012-bodenheimer-the-scitech-lawyer.pdf

Clarke, R,A.(2010).Cyber War.New York,NY:Harper Collins

Guttman,B., Roback,EA. (1995). An Introduction to Computer Security: The NIST Handbook.

Nist special Publication800-12. Retrieved on 17 April,2013 from HYPERLINK “http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-12/handbook.pdf” http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-12/handbook.pdf

Dilanian, K (2013)”Cyber-attacks a bigger threat than Al Qaeda, officials say”, Los Angeles

Times, March 12, 2013. Retrieved on 17 April,2013 HYPERLINK “http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/12/world/la-fg-worldwide-threats-20130313” http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/12/world/la-fg-worldwide-threats-20130313

Lynn, W.J. ,III. “Defending a New Domain: The Pentagon’s Cyberstrategy”, Foreign Affairs,

Sept/Oct. 2010, pp. 97–108

Lockwood, J. (1996). Lockwood Analytical Method for Prediction, DC: JMIC.

Menn, J. (2012, June 18). “Hacked companies fight cyber criminals.” Retrieved on 17

April,2013 from the Canada.com website: HYPERLINK “http://www.canada.com/technology/Hacked+companies+fight+cyber+criminals/” http://www.canada.com/technology/Hacked+companies+fight+cyber+criminals/

O’Connel,ME (2012).Cyber Security without Cyber War. Oxford :Oxford University Press

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (2011).

“Fundamental Privacy Rights within a Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness”.Submission by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to the  Government of Canada’s Beyond the Border Working Group public consultation.

Taddeo, M (2012). “Information Warfare: a Philosophical Perspective.”Presented at the 2012

4th International Conference on Cyber Conflict. Retrieved on 17 April,2013 HYPERLINK “http://www.ccdcoe.org/publications/2012proceedings/3_5_Taddeo_AnAnalysisForAJustCyberWarfare.pdf” http://www.ccdcoe.org/publications/2012proceedings/3_5_Taddeo_AnAnalysisForAJustCyberWarfare.pdf

Wilson,C (2008). Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism:Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for

Congress.CRS Report for Congress Order Code RL32114.Updated January 28,2008. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL32114.pdf” http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL32114.pdf

Negative Leadership Behaviors

Negative Leadership Behaviors

A leader’s behavior is an authoritative demonstration of mannerisms that bear the prospects and standards of an organization and establish the organizational climate (Grojean et al., 2004).Leadership behaviors are either task or relations oriented. Task-oriented leaders gear to reaching organization goals. A leader who displays task-oriented behaviors explains staff roles and objectives, monitors individual performance and actions as well as set short-term goals (Yukl, O’Donnell)

Relations-oriented leadership behaviors dwell with developing close, trustworthy relations with staff (Holloway, 2012). A relations-oriented leader displays supportive, developmental and approval behaviors (Holloway, 2012). Behaviors that indicate a leader supports his employers are showing acceptance, being concerned and sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. A display of developmental behaviors is seen when a leader provides probable welfare to supervisors, peers, subordinates or colleagues new to an organization. Approval mannerisms are illustrated through compliments and gratitude for effective performances, achievements and imperative assistance to an organization (Holloway, 2012).When a leader fails to possess the task or relation oriented leadership, the leader is considered to have negative leadership behavior. Leaders who display negative behaviors are incompetent, inflexible, intemperate, insensitive, fraudulent, blinkered or evil (Kellerman, 2004)

EXPERIENCE

In 2009, I joined a community based organization comprising of members from my community volunteering to assist teenagers live positively. The organization was started by six couples. The purpose of the organization was to guide teenagers on life issues like employment, relationship, dressing and communal living as well as sensitize the teenagers on the challenges and risks associated with being a teenager. According to the organizations policy, membership was free and so were the services. The organization operations relied on sacrifice from parents and teenagers. On each meeting, one or maximum two of the committee parents were assigned to perform the duties to educate and train .it was mandatory that all Sunday afternoons, the committee members would confine in one of the homes and analyze the progress of the organization as well as possible improvements. With time, word spread and the organization nurtured to a point where teenagers outside our community enrolled for the project. However, this positive progress did not last long. Concerned persons commenced raising concerns on negative behaviors among the organization leaders.

First, a committee couple accused a fellow committee member of being unwilling to adjust to new ideas and developments. There were complaints that a male committee member was having a sexual relationship with girl member. One leader was accused of being offensive and harsh to the teenagers. According to the sources he was fond of humiliating teenage members and was not concerned with their welfare. He only claimed to be part of the organization because his wife dragged him into it. This same leader was accused of posing as the organization’s treasurer and used the title to charge new uniformed families for the services. When investigations were conducted, all these accusations were confirmed true. Unfortunately, it was too late for the organization to recover as it had collapsed due to bad image.

ANALYSIS

The leadership traits mentioned in the experience segment above are negative leadership traits which steered the downfall of the organization. Leaders were corrupt, intemperate, callous, corrupt, rigid and insular. Corruption is displayed where a leader lied to be the treasurer in order to extort money from the newly joining families. By posing as a treasurer, he lied. By extorting money from the unknowing families, he cheated. He was dishonest to both the family and the organization. A corrupt leader is one who cheats, lies or steals (Kellerman, 2004).This is a negative leadership trait because leaders should place public interest prior to private interests. Corruption leads to mistrust among followers.

Rigidity is displayed where some leaders declined to adapt new ideas. A rigid leader is one who is reluctant to adapt to fresh information, changing times or new notions (Kellerman, 2004).Rigidity is a negative leadership trait because it deters development yet a good leader is supposed to initiate and perpetuate development. Without development, organizations cannot grow or adapt to external factors not within their control. This way the organization will always be a victim of such factors. An organization whose growth is stagnant cannot achieve its goals.

Intemperance is displayed when a male leader had sexual relationships with a female teenager. An intemperate leader falls short of self-control (Kellerman, 2004).As a leader; one should always be an example to followers. It was bad enough for the leader to educate the disadvantage of teenage sex but still have intercourse with a teenager. Such a leader is no role model. Intemperance is a negative leadership trait as it misleads the followers who are susceptible to emulate their leader’s actions. The objectives of an organization cannot be achieved if both the leaders and followers are behaving unethically.

Callous leadership was displayed when a leader criticized the teenage group members. This was ill and insensible. It is easy to conclude from the critics words “I am here because my wife dragged me into this” that the welfare of the teenagers was not of his concern. This was an insular leader. A callous leader is unkind and uncaring (Kellerman, 2004). The leader under limelight did not care for the teenagers’. A leader who is callous displays negative leadership trait. This is so because by being insensitive and hostile leaders show no support to follower who in turn loose moral and reduce productivity. A good leader should support, appreciate and care for his follower’s welfare failure to which the followers will lose interest and trust in their leadership, collapsing an organization. This leader was also insular. An insular leader degrades the welfare of others (Kellerman, 2004). A perfect example is that of Bill Clinton ignoring the Rwanda genocide or George Bush failing to intervene when summoned to help sojourn the Liberian massacre (Kellerman, 2004).

Summarily, it is recommendable that leaders strengthen their leadership. This is possible if leaders embrace ethics. An ethical leader puts public interest before personal interest. Leaders should incorporate positive character traits in work such as courage, patience and time consciousness. In addition, should be committed to their duties and impose interest for common good. In addition, leaders should support and listen to their followers, be good role models, be honest and perform their tasks with utmost efficiency.

References

Grojean, M. W., Resick, C. J., Dickson, M. W., & Smith, D. B. (2004). Leaders, values, and organizational climate: Examining leadership strategies for establishing an organizational climate regarding ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 55(1), 223-241.

Holloway .J.B (2012) Leadership Behavior and Organizational Climate: An Empirical Study in a Non-profit organization. Retrieved November 25, 2012 from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/elj/vol5iss1/ELJ_Vol5No1_Holloway_pp9-35.pdfKellerman, B. (2004) Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters Leadership for the Common Good Series. Boston: Harvard Business Press

Yukl, G., O’Donnell, M., & Taber, T. (2009). Influence of leader behaviors on the leader member exchange relationship. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(4), 289-299.

Cycle Menu Plan for Irish family

2379345-361950Cycle Menu Plan for _______Irish family_____________________

Cycle Menu Plan for _______Irish family_____________________

Week 1 of 2 week Cycle Menu

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Breakfast

3 ounces of Pineapples(Fresh), 1 cup of Beverages(Hot)

2 Boiled eggs with 3 ounces of Corn flakes 3 ounces of Seasonal fresh fruit

3 ounces of Fresh toast

1 cup of Milk 1glass of Grape Juice

3 ounces of Special K

3 ounces of Sliced of Bread 1 glass of Apple Juice

3 ounces of Pancakes syrup

1 cup of Milk 3 ounces of Fresh Orange wedges

1 Scrambled egg with 3 ounces of cheese

1 cup of Milk 1 glass of Orange Juice

1 cup of Milk

3 ounces of Biscuits 1 glass of Orange Juice

3 ounces of Banana Muffin

1 cup of Milk

Lunch

3 ounces of Apples, 4 ounces of roasted Turkey, 3 ounces of rice, with 1 scrambled egg 4 ounces of left over roasted Turkey and 3 ounces of sandwiched Cheese

3 ounces of Whole wheat roll 3 ounces of Spanish rice

3 ounces of Mexican cone 1 cup of Milk 4 ounces of Breaded Fish

3 ounces of Mexican Cone

1 cup of Milk 4 ounces of Baked chicken

3 ounces oof Whole wheat roll

3 ounces of Peaches 3 ounces of Baked beans

3 ounces of Tossed Salad, 1 cup of milk

3 ounces of of Peas and carrots

4 ounces of Chicken nuggets

3 ounces of Lettuce, 3 ounces of Pickle and tomato

Snack

2 ounces of Animal Crackers

4 ounces of Yoghurt 3 ounces of Blue berry Muffin

1 cup of Milk 3 ounces of Fruit cocktail

4 ounces of Yoghurt 1 glass of Orange Juice

4 ounces of Cheese crackers 3 ounces of Oatmeal meal cookie

1 cup of Milk

3 ounces of Graham Crackers

3 ounces of Banana

1 cup of milk 3 ounces of Vanilla Wafers

3 ounces of Apple sauce

1 cup of milk

Dinner

4 ounces of grilled Chicken and 2 noodles

2 ounces of Peaches

3 ounces of Conned bread 4 ounces of roasted leftover Turkey and 3 ounces of Cheese

4 ounces of left over roasted Turkey and 3 ounces of Spaghetti

3 ounces of Peaches 4 ounces of barbeque Chicken and 3 ounces of Vegetable star fry

3 ounces of Pineapple Tidbits

4 ounces of left over roasted Turkey

3 ounces of Cooked carrots

2 ounces of Oven fries 4 ounces of Barbeque Chicken

3 ounces of Mixed vegetables

3 ounces of Brown rice

4 ounces of roasted Turkey 3 ounces of Mashed potatoes

4 ounces of Broccoli

2 ounces of Green Peas

Notes On Sunday there was a party in which a whole turkey was roasted, the leftover turkey was then used for lunch on Monday The family has tried to minimize its consumption of red eat to avoid problems with their weight On Saturday dinner upon receiving visitors another turkey was roasted its left over was used for dinner on Tuesday 2903220-361950Cycle Menu Plan for __________ Irish family _____________________

Cycle Menu Plan for __________ Irish family _____________________

Week 2 of 2 Cycle Menu

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Breakfast

1 glass of Orange Juice

1 cup of Milk

2 ounces of Waffles

3 ounces of Cantaloupe cubes

2 ounces of Crispix Cereal

1 cup of Milk

3 ounces of Banana

2 ounces of Apple zings cereal

1 cup of Milk

2 Scrambled eggs

3 ounces of English muffin

2 ounces of Toast

1 cup of Milk

1 glass of Orange Juice

1 cup of Milk

2 ounces of Waffles

3 ounces of Apple sauce

1 cup of Milk

4 ounces of Banana bread 1 glass of Grape Juice

1 cup of Milk

2 ounces of Cinnamon Toast

Lunch

4 ounces of roasted Turkey and sandwiched Cheese

3 ounces of Whole wheat roll 4 ounces of left over roasted Turkey and sandwiched Cheese

3 ounces of Whole wheat roll 4 ounces of Barbeque Chicken

3 ounces of Mashed potatoes

4 ounces of Broccoli

3 ounces of Green Peas 4 ounces of Chicken nuggets

3 ounces of Lettuce, Pickle and tomato 4 ounces of left over Barbeque Chicken

2 ounces of Mixed vegetables

2 ounces of Brown rice

4 ounces of Sliced Turkey

3 ounces of Mixed vegetables

2 ounces of Mashed Potatoes 4 ounces of roasted Chicken and 3 ounces of Vegetable star fry

3 ounces of Pineapple Tidbits

Snack

1 cup of milk and 2 ounces of cheese slice and Pita bread 2 ounces of Granola bar milk 1 cup of Milk and 1 ounce of Oatmeal

cookies 3 ounces of Fresh Broccoli Florets 2 ounces of Assorted crackers and I cup of milk, 4 ounces of Cheese crackers and 1 glass of Orange Juice

I cup of milk, 3 ounces of Orange wedges and 2 ounces of Graham Crackers 1 cup of milk and 2 ounces of cheese slice and Pita bread

Dinner

4 ounces of fried fish

2 ounces of Whole wheat roll

3 ounces of Spinach salad

3 ounces of Sliced 4 ounces of fried fish

1 ounce of Pizza

1 ounce of Fruit cocktail

2 ounces of Macaroni and cheese

3 ounces of fried fish

1 ounce of Hamburger patty

2 ounces of Mixed vegetables

1 ounce Peaches 3 ounces of Salisbury steak

1 ounce of Broccoli

2 ounces of Tater tots

1 glass of Milk 4 ounces of fried fish

2 ounces of Whole wheat roll

3 ounces of Spinach salad

3 ounces of Sliced tomatoes 3 ounces of Salisbury steak

2 ounces of Baby Green lima

3 ounces of Pineapple Tidbits 4 ounces of roasted Chicken strips

2 ounces of Mashed potatoes

2 ounces of Black eye Pears

Notes The family prefers white meat to red meat because it is healthier. Since the family has issues with weight, they are allowed to take between 3-4 ounces of roasted chicken and turkey. On Sunday, Lunchtime the family roasted a whole turkey and the remainder was used as left over on Monday lunch. Milk is a rich source of proteins and the family has ensured it is in every breakfast meal. On Tuesday lunchtime the family bought a lot of Barbequed Chicken the remainder was used as left over on Thursday lunch time. The family of Mister and Miss Robert and Stephaney Williams is an Irish family that lives in Massachusetts. Mr. Robert Williams is a banker by profession and works for the America Bank as a manager in charge of logistics. Mrs. Stephanie Williams is a nurse by Profession and works at the John Hopkins hospital as a Ward Manager. The two live with their aging mother and a son and daughter aged 12 and 10 respectively. The two are in elementary school. Andrew Williamson, their son, has a knack for carbohydrates but since the entire family is ten to fifteen pounds overweight, they have tried to reduce their calorie consumption levels. On the other hand, Susan has stopped taking calories since her peers tease her for her overweight. She takes more of skimmed milk and few snacks.

The family, which lives in Massachusetts, meets every day for all their meals since the children go to the nearby elementary school while the parents work near the home. The parents have two different cars while the children are chauffeured in one car. The Irish family has a liking for Irish food but since they have lived in America for quite a long time, they have tried to blend it with the American and Mexican food types.

Massachusetts is a multicultural state and is made up of over 80% white and 75% non-Hispanic whites. The Irish in Massachusetts are part of the many immigrants who have moved into this state over the years. Owing to cultural assimilation, most of their foods complement a mix up of all the cultures in this state. While some have a liking for Spanish foods, others have a liking for Mexican dishes while others just like it American. The Williamson have been in Massachusetts for at least two decades and are familiar with most of the groceries in their neighborhood where they prefer to go for shopping. The family also loves the great outdoors and in most cases do their own cooking. Since all members of this family are overweight, all their meals are special starting with breakfast with plenty of fresh juices and fruits, Chicken and turkey that are preferred because they are white meat for lunch and supper. . Since the family has a chauffeur, they ensure that he takes packed food for the children in school every day at lunch hour.

Negotiation Case Study

Negotiation Case Study

Presented by

Institution

Organizations mostly find it difficult managing their finances especially when some employees stay dormant because their services are not required. Medical Care centers have different types of staffs who have specified duties. As a manager in one of the leading healthcare center, I wished to cut down the overhead costs while maintaining the revenue cycle. The process was critical, but I managed to resolve some of the key issues. The following is a negotiation plan and the resolving steps.

Negotiation plan

Goal statement

Every financial, year Medical Care centers find themselves looking for ways of cutting down their operating costs in order to maintain their financial friability. The current business environment is extremely demanding, and managers should ensure every activity or operation in the medical practice has a financial benefit. A manager should plan on how to achieve the best results at the lowest cost possible (CaliforniaHealthline, 2012). Medical Care physicians receive much salary, but their duties are remarkably minimal because they only attend to patients when there is an emergency. In my plan to cut down the operations cost in my Healthcare center, I decided to reduce the number of visits for the physician to once every two weeks, and later once every two months. This negotiation will analyze the process of minimizing dormant staff operations, and come up with alternatives and possible outcomes for such decisions.

Analysis of the perspectives/positions of the parties involved

The physician has a clean reputation for the healthcare, and we have a perfect professional relationship although he seems to take advantage of this by visiting the patients more often. Every visit costs money and the more he comes the higher the cost of maintaining the medical practice. When medical practices fail to reduce the cost of operations several instances occur. First, the medical practice faces a drastic fall in the wealth of stakeholders due to the high cost of paying physician unnecessary salaries. This reduces government revenues leading to more pressure on Medicare and Medicaid funding whose full recovery might take years. Second, the medical practice faces a reduction in the availability of investment and credit funds. This would lead into the healthcare receiving no credits from financial institutions (Allawi, 2009). With all this pressure as a manager, I will have to analyze the productivity of this physician and design a good visit plan saves the overall cost.

The number of visits made by the physician in the medical practice should be minimized because most patients are stable and monthly prescriptions would work perfectly for them. The reduction plan would involve a perfect strategy. Budget reduction in a medical practice requires each department to cut down its expenses to a certain amount. This only occurs through doing away with operations that seem to spend more money. The physician is an external party who only comes to visit his patients. Rescheduling his visits would save the medical practice more cash and allow more staff retention. In addition, some permanent staff members receive little pay, whereas they undertake a lot of duties. The state federal law does not allow physicians to see their patients more often because they might be interested in patients’ money and not their health (Minnesota Department of Health, 2012).

The fact that the physician was my best friend led to delays in my plans because I feared he might terminate all his visits to the healthcare center. The physician could just write prescriptions for his patients, which less costly and time saving for both patients and the medical practice. On the other hand, a proper understanding between me and the physician would make things work out smart (American HealthCare Solutions, 2012. First, the approach method I used was very poor. All other negotiations were achieved but he could not allow me to cut his visit days. The expected goals were not fully met because I never involved anyone in my decision.

Cost reduction strategies in an organization require the involvement of many parties. Availability of restructuring manager ensures the strategies are well structured, and any default is fully dealt with. Second, the managers should set cost reduction goals. Negating on the impact of reducing the visiting time should be analyzed in terms of the positive and negative outcomes of the process to the medical practice, patients, and the physician. In addition, there was lack of pre-performance objectives that could only focus on the importance of reducing the amount of time the physician spends in the healthcare to twice per month.

The possible alternative outcomes

From the above negotiation, some possible outcomes could be felt at the end. First, the physician could demand a full explanation regarding why his visits should be reduced and yet the medical practice had signed a contract with him. The following outcome carries a lot of weight because the physician could sue the medical practice for neglecting patients their rights. Second, the physician could request for a compensation for the cut days. This would cost the healthcare more revenue, since the physician would be receiving his normal salary even when the trips to the medical practice are minimized. Moreover, the organization could consider offering him permanent employment with the same salary, but more duties. The following outcome could make the medical practice lay-off some of casuals in order to cater for the new salaries induced by the physician.

The steps that led to resolution 

In resolving the following issues, a labor steps were followed.

Assessing the compatibility of the suggested plans with the Fair Labor Standard Act helps in determining the best options that a manger should take while dealing with un-employment or reduction of duties.

Using conduct of labor negotiations in collective bargaining between the physician and mangers about the contract and the reasons for such decision,

Negotiating with the physician concerning the reviewed duties and their benefits to the medical practice.

Analysis of the outcomes

According to Bossidy & Charan (2002), most managers have a hard time resolving organizational issues because they always believe they are very perfect in management. Executing some critical issues in an organization is a hard task that requires techniques and understanding of the possible outcomes of the strategy. Moreover, the vision component in an organization should focus on the future results that allow equal sharing of resources. The targets and missions derived by the management wishes to achieve assists in identifying the guiding objectives that an organization adopts in order to improve its performance (Hertz, 2006). On the other hand, medical practices sometimes consider reducing the cost through in-house operations where they make use of their staff to check the patients.

References

Allawi, S. A. (2009). Reducing Costs: Execution is Critical. Retrieved from;

www.performancelogic.com

American Healthcare Solutions. (2012). Labor Relations. Retrieved from:

http://www.americanhs.com/strategy/labor-relations.aspx

Bossidy, L. & Charan, R. (2002). Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Atlfeld,

Inc.a

CaliforniaHealthline. (2012). Medical practices Taking Steps To Reduce Operating Expenses.

Retrieved from:

http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2011/2/7/medical practices-taking-steps-to-reduce-operating-expenses.aspx

Cassidy, J., (1995). An evaluation of Section 232(4) of the Corporations Law and the

directors’ duty of due care, skill, and diligence. Australian Business Law Review, 23(3), pp. 184-184.

Hertz, H. (2006). Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence: Baldrige National

Quality. Business and Economics. DIANE

Minnesota Department of Health. (2012). Code of Federal Regulations Medical practice Conditions of

Participation. Retrieved from:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fpc/profinfo/lic/cfrhosp.htm

D& G Promotional Plan

Promotional Plan for D & G

Name

Institution

Promotional plan for D & G

Dolce and Gabbana (D & G) represents authentic and eccentric luxurious products. It is a brand that signifies elegance and represents a kind of clothing that is classy based on new innovations and creativity. The brand has over the years maintained its identity based on the standards, roots, and the pillars in which the organization is based. D & G has continually evolved over the years through the use of male and female models to market and promote its brands. For example, it has used a Russian 22 year old model called Andreea Diaconu to advertise its products. According to Richard (2010), the company has realized that the use of such attractive models make the company products more attractive to the consumers. This has made the product stand out in the market and develop a very strong brand name in the market. The company has also displayed itself and come out as a brand that represents simplicity, glamour, and trend. Musicians have also played a great role in promoting the brand as witnessed by the rappers who portray a flashy lifestyle. They have helped the product develop a sense of luxury and brand power. D & G have a target customer of people between the age of 15 and 30 years who are sensitive about trends and fashion.

In order to achieve an effective promotional plan for the brand, it is important to carry out a competitor analysis that would enable the organization develop a competitive advantage and at the same time establish the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. The major competitors for D & G include Gucci, Channel, Prada, Versace, and Dior. However, D & G has out matched the competitors because of its unmatchable strong fashion contemporary and quality (Richard, 2013). It has also expanded its boutiques that target specific segments of the market across the world, thereby making it stand out above all its competitors. The other promotional plan or promotional idea is the aspect of advertising, whose main aim is to persuade customers to purchase the brand under promotion. An effective advertisement should be able to promote the product consumption as reflected in the increase in sales.

However, it is important to analyze the kind of advertisement used. This is because an advertisement that elicits negative public reaction can seriously dent the company’s public image and consequently lower its sales. D & G has not had an effective advertisement strategy since the kind of advertisement it uses is non-specific and lacks thematic balance. It also does not take into consideration the psychological requirements of particular market segments. The organization’s advertisement is also not effective in the sense that it has some form of gender sexual objectification of women. According to Blasberg (2014), a good media advertisement should be able to exhibit a content that is of thematic harmony and be able to target a particular market segment at a particular time. An advertisement that has some form of sexual objectification only portrays the organization as one that advocates for female sexual objectification, which only gives the company a negative public image. If such a thing happens to Dolce and Gabanna, it may only make its customers escape to its competitors. The other market strategy that has made Dolce and Gabanna enjoy a huge market share is its ability to develop a variety of product designs in every market segment. It has stocked product designs for children, adults, and even the middle aged.

References

Blasberg, Derek. (2014). Andreea Diaconu’s Model Behavior. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from:http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303933104579304763970245636

D’Avene, Richard. (2010). Fashion Conscious: Lessons in Commoditization from the Fashion Industry. Ivey Business Journal, Retrieved from:HYPERLINK “http://iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/strategy/fashion-conscious-lessons-in-commoditization-from-the-fashion-industry” l “.UuavfdKDrIU”http://iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/strategy/fashion-conscious-lessons-in-commoditization-from-the-fashion-industry#.UuavfdKDrIU

D’Aveni, Richard Anthony. (2013). Beating the Commodity Trap: How to Maximize Your Competitive Position and Increase Your Pricing Power, Harvard Business Press, USA

Dabase Security for 21st century business

Database Security for 21st century business

Name

Professor

Institution

Course

Date

Database Security for 21st century business

Introduction

Most companies have servers for different purposes; however, the most critical servers any company has is the database servers. Data such as client details, financials, and human capital are the data that support any business in operations. For this reason, there is an increasing concern about the general protection of databases. Any breach of security would lead to either loss of data, exposure of sensitive data, unauthorized access to sensitive information or access to classified files. As companies develop, so is the need to secure the data stored within the databases. The benefits of controlled, protected access to the classified files as well as the preservation of the general integrity, standards and consistency of these data is much more expensive (Shamimabi, & Nicholas, 2008).

The concept of database security is much more focused on the, physical security, network security, encryption and authentication. The main constructs that the concept of database security thrives on includes confidentiality or protection from informal disclosure, integrity or prevention from illegal data access, and availability of equipment for identifying and recovering errors that might cause a denial of access to information. In the process of ensuring that the data stored are secure, most companies try to restrict access using software, reduce vulnerability, eliminate interference as well as upgrade their database auditing mechanisms.

Database security problems

Physical Commuters are becoming physically accessible to unauthorized users

Personnel Organizations are becoming more involved in system administration and database security

Procedural Most organizations have same people manage various operation of the database. This exposes the organization and its data to various risks, which necessitates the need for background checks.

Technical Storage, manipulation, and transmission of the data stored in the database. This needs safeguarding by technology that can enforce particular information control policies.

Database securities current and future trends

Database has undergone a number of metamorphoses; the main metamorphosis is the security lay out. Amongst these is the activity monitoring and blocking, classification, Encryption, consolidation, and configuration. However, organization can achieve these using various software. In this light, most companies dealing within database security have tried to developed software and application, but the most effective one is the product of oracle. it has solution for activity monitoring and blocking protection of databases irrespective of the platform is important, however, it should also be cost effective. Most companies use firewalls for windows based databases forgetting the vulnerability of their databases if open source software are used to hack into these databases (Shamimabi, & Nicholas, 2008).

The activities of the database on any network need monitoring to prevent any form of unauthorized access. Oracles have achieved this by preventing SQL injection and role escalations. Any database security system must prevent these in real time. The SQL grammar technology is an effective platform for reducing millions of SQL statement to few SQL characteristics. It has a high level of accuracy, performance and flexibility (Sandhu, 2008).

The system should be able to enforce white; lists and blacklists (positive and negative security model to provide protection without costly false positives. It should be able to allow for addressing SOX, PCI, HIPAA/HITECH, any other regulatory requirement. This should be easy to achieve without necessarily changing the existing databases.

Privileged User and Multi-Factor Access Control:

The cost of protecting corporate data should not be hefty therefore; organization should seek ways of protecting their data cheaply. The most trusted is the Oracle Database Vault; oracle database vault is an effective way by which organization can address regulatory directives. Organization also needs to secure their existing application, as is a mandatory requirement by some regulation of which Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) is the key. They call for separation of the duties from the any other activities related to data management with the aim of securing data and make certain that the veracity of data is managed. Organization face increased challenge of proactively safeguarding of their application data kept in their databases. In this way, organization will use data for the intended purpose and not adversely. Only Privileged database clients should only access data. This requires the need for multifactor policy within the organization that can control the level of access by use of any built in factor. This may include instance, IP address, application record, application bypasses as well as the authentification methods.

Data Classification:

Shamimabi, & Nicholas, (2005), argue that industry leading application software is important. The bottom line of any database security is to classify data effectively in order to mediate access to organization data stored within the databases irrespective of the classification. A good database security system should be seamless to meet all the level of security. Organizations specifically design these systems to meet the requirement of the multilevel security requirements. Organization need systems that can classify data to allow access based on need to know. In this way, organization can protect the privacy of their data and realize the regulatory compliances.  Label security should be integrated with identity management to enable centralized definition of the organization policy. The database systems should be able to support parent Data Encryption and offer hold up for PKI, Kerberos, and any other RADIUS-based well-built validation systems.

Sandhu, (2008), argues that database security should be cost effective and comply with various privacy and regulatory requirement such as the Sarbanes-Oxley, or the Payment Card Industry (PCI) and even the latest Data Security Standard (DSS). However, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is a new regulatory mandate, which might require constant upgrading necessitating the need for flexibility and compatibility of systems. Customers should be able to transparently encrypt any of their application data and other sensitive columns like their credit card numbers social security and PIN numbers while in the database as well as in back up devices or even over then networks. The systems need to be cost effective.

Consolidated Auditing And Reporting:

There are many insider threats that most organizations phase. However, databases security systems need to automatically collect and consolidate the audits that the organization carries out in search of quality and total security. Organization are in need of systems that offer them secure and scalable audit warehouses that also enable simplified recording and automating the collection and final consolidation of audit data. Organization need to control database audit centrally and managed from within the database security system to reduce the cost related to IT security.

Secure Configuration Management,

According to Baker, et al, (2009), organization should be ready to increase the level of the database security and compliance with the IT control frameworks. This includes frameworks like Control Objectives for Information and related Technology: (COBIT), global directives require internal control, database security configuration management global directives. It should enhance discovery, and vulnerability scanning while ensuring compliance benchmarking, including any other functionality such as central management of database configuration. Organizations require this to detect and prevent configuration drift in the databases. Organizations should also have systems that can alert them in case of critical patches issued by various security framework developers. This, might help in invoking a patch wizard that automatically deploys patches and ensure that application databases within organizations are always updated and secure from unauthorized access (Bertino, Byun, & Kamra, 2007)..

Data Masking

There is increasing need for marking of sensitive information by replacing them realistic values. In this way, organization can use production data for the purpose of analysis, development, and even sharing with the out-sourced partners. Organization can also share these data with offshore partners as well. This might apply the use of templates readily available in libraries and the format rules. This consistently transforms data with the view of maintaining referential integrity for all application used within the organization.

Conclusion

While protecting the database from intrusion is important, it is also important to underscore the need for management restrain and controlled access. This will go a long way in ensuring that the company has the best protection from espionage, hacking, data leaks and data theft. The main database protraction platforms include oracle.

References

Baker, H., Hutton, A., Hylender, D., Novak, C., Porter, C., Sartin, B., Tippett, P., & Valentine, (2009). The 2009 data breach investigations report. Verizon Business. Retrieved January 31, 2010,

Bertino, E., Byun, J., & Kamra, A. (2007). Database security. security, privacy, and trust in modern data management (Data-centric systems and applications) (pp. 87-102).New York: Springer-Verlag.

Sandhu R., (2009). Database security concepts, approaches, and challenges: IEEE Dependable secure computing

Shamimabi P., & Nicholas R., (2008).Protocol engineering for web service conversations: journal of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Special Issue on Agent-oriented Software Development