A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. † Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. † (O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! † (O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children† (O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. † (O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,† O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. † (O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. † Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. † (O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! † (O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children† (O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. † (O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,† O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. † (O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. † Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. † (O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! † (O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children† (O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. † (O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,† O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. † (O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it.

Love and conflict in Romeo and Juliet Essay

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet shows how love between the Capulet Romeo and Montague Juliet resolves an â€Å"ancient† conflict between the two families. The play was first performed in 1595, the play was Shakespeare’s first tragedy genre. Shakespeare believes the two lovers are bound by fate, â€Å"star-crossed†. We know that the hatred shown between both families is an â€Å"ancient grudge†, and that the rivalry is passed down the family tree. The prologue summarises the whole play in advance, this gives an overview of Romeo and Juliet’s actions. Shakespeare uses different styles of speech to represent social classes in the play. The upper class speak in a more knowledgeable blank verse, while the lower classes speak in prose. A clear example of this is the way the servants at the beginning insult each while speaking in prose, however as soon as soon as more aristocratic people come in, they speak in blank verse. From the start of the play we see the servants of both houses show their dislike to each other. This is one of the major conflicts in the play. Sampson and Gregory are servants of the house of Capulet. The fact that the family rivalry and hatred is present in the low status of a servant, shows how â€Å"The quarrel is between our masters and us their men. † The two Capulet servants show they are low in power as they speak in prose. They use puns as insults, â€Å"I mean, an we’ll be in choler we’ll draw†, as â€Å"choler† also means â€Å"anger†. They argue about their hatred for their enemy, insulting and mocking them in the process. They use sexual innuendo; Sampson says how he will rape the women of Montague, after he has dealt with the men, he will † be cruel to the maids- I will cut off their heads. † Gregory replies â€Å"The heads of the maids? † Sampson then answers his question with â€Å"Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads. † â€Å"maidenheads† meaning virginity. The servants try to denote the Montague servants by referring to them as animals, † A dog of the house of Montague moves me. † Shakespeare inserts dramatic action to the play; he applies it to the fight between the servants that is bound to occur. He achieves this by causing excitement over the argument of the servants, and the intimidation shown to start a fight. The Capulet servants show they have pride and look down on Montague men, but they do not want to start a fight and get the blame for it, â€Å"I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list. † The Capulet servants provoke the other house into fighting, by saying that they are leering them towards a fight, and if they reject they are cowards, â€Å"I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace to bear it. † Shakespeare intensifies the dramatic action by showing verbal duelling between the two houses. Montague â€Å"Do you bite your thumb at us sir? † Capulet â€Å"I do bite my thumb sir† Montague â€Å"Do you bite your thumb at us sir? † Capulet â€Å"No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you sir, but I do bite my thumb sir. † This verbal duelling creates suspense to the physical fight, by both houses verbally fighting. Following the servants’ conflict, another conflict occurs between Benvolio and Montague Tybalt. The peacemaker Benvolio comes to the scene to try and resolve the conflict in a non-violent method, while â€Å"the fiery† Tybalt comes only to stir more trouble and fight. Benvolio is seen as a negotiator, he tries to talk to Tybalt to make him stop the fight, â€Å"I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword or manage it to part these men with me. † Benvolio appears mature and sensible, we get the impression that he wishes to avoid any means of conflict and see the household grudge resolved. The â€Å"fiery† Tybalt on the other hand is violent and resents the house of Capulet with intensity. Unlike Benvolio he puts violence over peace, as he compares his hatred to that of hell, â€Å"What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee. † Because of his desire for violence, we see Tybalt as less mature and intelligent as Benvolio. The conflict between Benvolio and Tybalt sees uses of imagery and blank verse language; this shows their high status. Benvolio speaks calmly and peacefully, while he is commanding in his speech. His desperation to try and resolve could be because he likes to be in control, or he feels it is the right thing to do, or he is in fear of his life. His desperation is shown by his imperative tone. â€Å"I do but keep peace. † There is an opposite antithesis as Benvolio is calm in his speech, while Tybalt is argumentative and shows his inner ferocity and anger. â€Å"Have at thee coward! † Both men use their imagery based on fire. Benvolio describes Tybalt as â€Å"fiery†. Tybalt uses his infernal imagery as he shows his Montague hatred, equal to his hatred of hell, hell being a fiery place of evil. â€Å"As I hate hell, all Montagues. † Shakespeare again creates dramatic action in the conflict between Benvolio and Tybalt. The opposite interests of both men create this effect, as one is desperate to fight, while the other is desperate to stop the fight. Benvolio is demanding and desperate to keep peace, â€Å"I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, or manage it to part these men with me. † Dramatic action for Benvolio is created by his goal to resolve the conflict and search for peace. Tybalt wants to fight with his enemy and has no interest in peace, his violent conscious creates his dramatic action. I will now look into the triple way conflict between the Prince and the two houses. The Prince shows signs of resent to both houses, as they do not keep peace; he calls them â€Å"rebellious subjects,† and â€Å"enemies to peace†. The Prince, like Benvolio wants peace over brawling, he dislikes the way peace has been broken in Verona, where it is his job in his high state of Authority to keep peace and deal with disruptions against laws of Verona. â€Å"Three civil brawls bred of an airy word. By thee, old Capulet, and Montague. Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets. † As the Prince is the highest in authority, he rightly feels he should be respected by the houses, and the fact that they have again broke his laws and not listened to his warnings makes him believe they do not respect him as they should. This leads to the Prince becoming angry, and causes him to make a final deadly warning, that if any further violent outbreaks occur, lives shall be taken. â€Å"If you ever disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. † As a further punishment, the Prince tells the citizens to be angered of the wrong doing which has taken place, this leads to extra guilt on the houses, â€Å"And made Verona’s ancient citizens Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments. † Looking back at where the families went wrong, they did not show signs of keeping peace, possibly because if a family gives in and backs away from the other, they will look the weaker and more cowardly family, and with the strong pride that is present in both households, it is not a desired option. Capulet â€Å"What is this? Give me my long sword! † Montague â€Å"Thou villain Capulet! Hold me not! Let me go! † The Lords of both family have the same desire to fight as the servants, however this is not the way high class Lords should be acting. The Prince wants to be in control, and proves this by speaking in a commanding and powerful manner. He threatens lives of people that go against his orders, as he requires high amounts of respect because he is so high in authority. The Prince uses rhetorical language to display his anger at the families disobeying his laws and orders, â€Å"Will they not hear? † The Prince uses imagery of fiery blood, to show the houses’ violent rage, â€Å"That quench the fire of your pernicious rage, with purple fountains issuing from your veins. † The families speak angrily as they want to fight, â€Å"Give me my long sword! † Lady Capulet adds comedy to the play as she mocks her husband’s old age, â€Å"A crutch, a crutch! † Lady Montague shows her control over her husband, as she orders him not to get involved in the fight, â€Å"Thou shall not stir one foot to seek a foe. † Both families speak in blank verse to show their high status. The lords’ violent conscious adds dramatic action to the scene, as they immediately want to fight each other, â€Å"My sword I say! Old Montague is come! † Lady Montague adds comedy; this decreases the build up of tension, â€Å"A crutch, a crutch! † Romeo has an internal conflict, as he loves Juliet, but he feels he should hate her, as she is Capulet. The conflict is between his love for her and the traditional rivalry of the houses. â€Å"O dear account, my life is in my foes debt. † Romeo wants to still be loyal to his house, but he wants to love Juliet. He feels guilt when he marries her because he keeps it secret against his family and friends. â€Å"I pray, that thou consent to marry us today! † Romeo is also in fear as he is going against his family and house, â€Å"Ay, so I fear the more is my unrest. † Romeo’s love is so strong, he finally comes to the conclusion that he is ready to give up his name, so he can love Juliet without the guilt of being a Montague, â€Å"Call me but ‘love’ and I’ll be new baptised. Henceforth I never will be Romeo. † This is a big step for Romeo, he is ready to give up his pride and dignity of being a Montague. Romeo speaks in blank verse; this shows he is of a high social status. Romeo is desperate and eccentric in his speech as he is so infatuated with Juliet; he proves this by immediately wanting to kiss Juliet. â€Å"My lips, two blushing pilgrims ready to stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. † He compares Juliet with the shining dominant beauty of the sun, â€Å"what light yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. † He speaks rhetorically about his love, â€Å"Did my heart love till now? † When Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet, he speaks in praise of her as if she is an angel, and is too beautiful for this earth, â€Å"Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear. † Romeo then goes on to kiss Juliet, and then comes out with a rather fast decision that he is in love. Dramatic action is then created when his perfect love is spoilt when he discovers she is a Capulet, â€Å"Is she a Capulet? O dear account, my life is in my foes debt. † Dramatic action is then intensified when he decides he will give up his name for Juliet, â€Å"Call me but ‘love’ and I’ll be new baptised. Henceforth I never will be Romeo. † Romeo firstly is in sexually attraction to fellow Montague Roseline, his love is unrequited. â€Å"out of her favour where I am in love. † Romeo is depressed and in despair for he is â€Å"out of her favour† as his love is not being returned. The love is one way. Romeo is so mixed up with his love he is lost in thought, this causes Romeo to lose track of time, as he believes the day is dragging on, â€Å"Ay me sad hours seem long. † Romeo wrongly thinks he is in true love, however his attraction to her is only based on her beauty, â€Å"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sights. † This is courtly love. When Romeo speaks about his false love for Roseline, he shows his state of depression and despair, â€Å"Not having that, that makes them short. † Romeo uses imagery of Cupid to say that Roseline will not fall for his love. â€Å"She’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow. † He says she has â€Å"Diane’s whit† as Roseline will not show love back for his unrequited love, and she will not love anyone. Romeo uses oxymoron in his words to show his despair and confusion in his love. â€Å"O heavy lightness. Serious Vanity. † Shakespeare again creates dramatic action in Romeo’s love for Roseline, Romeo’s point of desperation and depression causes this. Romeo is in an illusion by thinking he is in true love while it is truly courtly love, this shows his inexperience in love, this also creates slight humour. â€Å"Why such is love’s transgression. Grieves heavy on my breast. † Romeo passes on his depression in his conversation with Benvolio. Romeo â€Å"Dost thou laugh? † Benvolio â€Å"No coz, I rather weep. † Romeo â€Å"Good heart, at what? † Benvolio â€Å"At thy good heart’s oppression. † The main love in the play is that of Romeo and Juliet. They fall in love at first sight, as they’re both attracted to each other’s beauty. Romeo shows Juliet’s beauty by saying she outshines the brightest torches in the room, â€Å"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright. † Again we see Romeo falling easily to sexual attraction, as he did with Roseline. â€Å"And touching her makes my hand rude. † He considers Juliet a holy object and therefore untouchable. Unlike Roseline, Juliet answers back to Romeo’s love, â€Å"My only love sprung from my only hate. † Romeo uses imagery to compare Juliet to the beauty of angels, â€Å"Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear. † He again refers to Juliet as holy, as he says his lips are pilgrims that have travelled to her to kiss her holiness, â€Å"My lips, two blushing pilgrims ready to stand. † Romeo uses hyperbole terms to express Juliet’s beauty, â€Å"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright. † Romeo and Juliet’s language is both really for the moment, as they wish for the moment never to end. They are both very lustful, as they both have the same desire to kiss each other. Romeo â€Å"My lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. † Juliet â€Å"Then have my lips the sin that they have took. † Both lovers speak in blank verse showing their high role in their houses. Dramatic action is created in the way that both Romeo and Juliet both fall in love at first sight. A big shock for both is when find out they are from rival families. Romeo says, â€Å"My life is in my foes debt. † Juliet shows the same reaction, â€Å"My only love sprung from my only hate. † Romeo’s praise of Juliet helps strengthen dramatic action. I believe Shakespeare wrote the play to show the power of love. He shows the dangers and advantages in the play. Because there love was so strong, Romeo and Juliet died and many people were killed. The advantages t this love is obvious, the way their tragic death and love resolves a great conflict between the two houses.

How The Meaning Of Democracy And Globalization Differs In Deferent Essay

Globalization is making international trade more easy and accessible. Business operations cut across transnational borders in contemporary times, more than before. Furthermore, there are increasing numbers of players in the international trade and deal transactions than ever before. The neo-liberalists views in international trade has always supported a globalize and open market order in which every countries is expected to open up its market and imbibe the culture of free trade, free economy entry and exit of labor and the opening of the state economy to the international market for active competition. The adoption of open markets have resulted in the political responses in terms of change in the political structure, that is hitherto exhibited and the way government intervene in her country’s economy. This change has resulted in the adoption of the neo-liberal stand. Even, the communist states are now gradually opening up to the trade zone to international transactions. â€Å"Globalization can be briefly defined as, the intensification of economic, political, social, and cultural relations across borders† (Holm & Sorensen, 1995:4). According to Yeung (2002), from an economic perspective the term globalization is defined as â€Å"the rapid proliferation of cross-border production, trade, and investment activities spearheaded by global corporations and international financial institutions that facilitate the emergence of an increasingly integrated and interdependent global economy†. Thus, globalization is a transformation of the world order to become accustomed to the changes of time and the pattern of the world order. Democracy is seen as a system of government where the government is accountable to the people, and sovereignty of the state lies with the people. Cultural differences in terms of the practices and way of living of people makes them adapt to different conceptualization and practice of philosophy associated with democracy and globalization. DIVERSITY IN CONCEPTUALIZING DEMOCRACY AND GLOBALIZATION IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES Williams (1983) try to capture in his book the differences between in articulated experience and the general conclusion reached in regards to democracy and globalization. This according to him has lead to the covert disappointments in the failure to formulate that tension abstractly. People’s experience in actual life sometime differs from the principles underlying democratic practices and the gains and pains attributed to globalization in the 21st century. Williams work preoccupies with the connections between human ideology and societal culture. The cultural difference between countries and political and economic settings tend to present different realities pertaining to democracy and globalization. For instance, in underdeveloped African countries democracy in the real sense which has to do with government by the people and where full public accountability is emphasized is a far cry from the realities. African leaders are corrupt and tend to infringe on people’s human rights. There is poor public accountability, amidst high level of corruption. The interpretation giving to democracy in the advanced western world respects the rights of the people and public accountability is emphasized. Sovereignty should lie with the people according to democratic principle, but in African countries that practice democratic rule, the leaders see themselves as custodian of sovereignty, as it is observed in a monarchical rule. The African culture embraces a fatalistic perspective to life, while the western culture tends to strive for change. This fatalistic lifestyle as made globalization not too beneficial to underdeveloped African countries, as they rely on primary goods production, which are grossly under priced in the international trade level. Williams thus, recognized the importance of taking individual and social circumstances into consideration as this bring about the differences in interpretation to vital issues of life, like democracy, human arts, industry, class and culture. The role of developing countries in globalizing the world is one in which they play significant role. Most raw materials utilized in both advanced economy and in processing into finish, products are sourced from developing countries from Africa, Asian, and Latin America. At the aftermath of the Uruguay Round Agreements (URA) the role of developing countries in global economy has increased significantly. Furthermore, the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is harnessing trade negotiations within developing countries. According to Michalopoulos (1999), â€Å"The integration of the developing countries into the multilateral trading system has been especially impressive for a group of perhaps 15-20 middle and higher income developing countries in Latin America and Asia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The increasing significant of developing countries in speeding up the global development ascribes on them certain responsibilities that is expected for them to play. This comes in way of putting in place a smooth export trade zone for its raw materials and free movement of labor in and out their national boundaries. Some developing countries in assuming this responsibility has formed export agency among them to enable the smooth export trade in raw materials. â€Å"†¦exports have risen b y more than 10 per annum in volume since 1970†¦ the developed countries combined gross domestic product (GDP); at the beginning of the 1990s†¦accounted for 1. 8 per cent of GDP, whereas the figure in 1999 was 3. 2 per cent† (Akyuz, et al 2001). Developing countries has developed policies in their exports, which is characterized by imposition of control and taxes on export of primary products and foodstuffs, and also they tend to provide incentives and subsidies to their exports manufacturers (Michalopoulos 1999). Thus, the need to create a trade free zone and easy passage of primary products to international zone where they would be converted into finished product is one responsibility developing countries need to carry out. Furthermore, the developing countries play the significant role in the supply of labor, in the production process, given their large population. Developing countries have large labor markets, thus the supply of this to the global labor market goes a long way in contributing to global development. Thus improving of labor skills in developing countries is a way the usefulness of labor in this part of the world would contribute significantly in area of global development. In this view, Akyuz, et al (2001), has it that â€Å"improvement in labor market conditions will also require a reorientation of development policies at the national and global levels, particularly with respect to the speed and pattern of integration of developing countries into the global economy†. The role third world countries play in globalization is directly connected to how their cultural background and interpretation to the phenomenon is connected to their occupation and way of life. For instance, countries in Africa, it has 70 percent of its workforce in peasant farming. Thus, the continent economy is agrarian and thus, its involvement in globalization is in the production of primary product. On the other hand, advance western countries like U. S. and EU states, including advance Asian countries like Japan, China, produce finish products like automobiles, electronics etc. While the western world would conceive globalization as an expanded place for trading, with the less barrier to trade, the underdeveloped countries something conceive this as a continue exploitation of the westerners and the dependency on their products. CONCLUSION Democracy has in contemporary times being widely acknowledged globally in the political realm and in work place. Workers participation are urging for more participation as a way to embrace democracy. In addition, this globalization phenomenon has made organized capitalism to transit from corporate capitalism to monopoly capitalism not it is in its customer capitalism. However, democracy is different interpreted by countries in line with their cultural setting. While the advance political states seeks for more respect for human rights and public accountability, the underdeveloped state in their nascent democracy are trying to fight huge level of corruption and leadership oppression as it is being notice in Zimbabwe where Mugabe is hindering any move of oppositions. In addition, the conceptualization of globalization by different countries depends on the receiving end they find themselves in the international trade. While those countries primarily engaged in the production of primary products such as raw materials cry for unfavorable term of trade, the advanced economic countries see globalization as a pattern for encouraging free trade and maximizing economic wealth. REFERENCES Akyuz, Yilmaz, et al (2001), â€Å"Globalization, Inequality and the Labour Market† http://www. flassbeck. de/pdf/GLOBALIZ. PDF. (02/12/07)Michalopoulos, Constantine (1999), â€Å"Trade Policy market Access Issues for Developing Countries: Implications for the Millennium Round† http://wbln0018. worldbank. org/research/workpapers. nsf/bd04ac9da150d30385256815005076ce/a70066326b8be18c85256818005b9fb6/$FILE/wps2214. pdf. (2/12/07) Williams, Raymond (1983) Culture And Society: 1780-1950, Columbia University Press. Yeung, Henry W. (2002), â€Å"The Limits to Globalization Theory: A Geographic Perspective on Global Economic Change† Economic Geography, Volume 78, Number 3, July http://www. europe. canterbury. ac. nz/courses/euro223/yeong. pdf. (02/12/07)

Group Goals, Communication, Decision Making, Controversy and Essay

Group Goals, Communication, Decision Making, Controversy and Creativity - Essay Example Background on Assessment of Group Goals From the previous diagnosis, it was found that as the group’s leader governing the participation of the advisory board composed of eight executive directors at the affiliated dental schools, the group goals were deemed to be weak in the areas of clarity, operability, relevance, and interdependence and commitment of group members. Despite being deemed to be understood by all members, the goals were not explicitly and formally written; were universal and generalized in nature; defined in abstract terms; with members exhibiting high cohesiveness but low in performance. In this regard, the recommendations are hereby detailed according to the set categories: Goals In the next general meeting to be scheduled this July 2011, as the group’s leader, I would prioritize in the agenda the need to explicitly state and formally write the goals of the group with identified time frames. As previously noted, the group goals which were assumed to b e clearly and explicitly understood are: student growth, integrity, student training for entry-level jobs in the dental field, financial strength (profit), compliance with state and federal regulations, and student outcomes (graduation and employment for our students). These generally stated abstractly defined goals should be stated as follows: Student Growth: we should envision increasing the number of students by 20% for the next school year, 2011 – 2012. Financial Strength: dental schools should aim to generate at least 35% net profits by the end of the fiscal year, 2011. Integrity: Members and associates are expected to adhere and conform to ethical standards, moral principles, uprightness, honesty and sincerity at all times. Student Training: Upon entry-level, students are encouraged to undergo specifically designed training programs to increase competency and qualifications in their fields of endeavor. Compliance with Regulations: Members and associates are expected to adhere and conform to state and federal regulations in the governance of the affiliated dental schools. Student Outcomes: Members and associates would seek affiliations with private and public institutions for possible employment of graduates from respective dental schools and target to assist more than 50% of graduates for future careers by 2012. Communication An open communication is always encouraged among group members to ensure that issues and concerns are immediately brought to light and could be discussed and resolved in the next scheduled meeting. While the ultimate goal of communication is to share meanings, it is also to share them in order to arrive at the outcome for which communication is intended. Communication is intended to elicit action towards the achievement of certain goals. The sender must clarify the goals if action is to be possible at all. According to Carnes (2010), â€Å"for a group to achieve a goal, three things have to happen. Goals must be formulated e ffectively according to sound goal-setting principles. Goals must be effectively communicated to every team member. Finally, team members must feel that they "own" these goals† (par. 1). Papa (2011) validated the importance of clearly setting goals in the

Interpersonal Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpersonal Conflict - Essay Example According to the paper the separation from his family over the past years has been difficult for him, especially considering how close he is to his family. Also we have one beautiful child who he very much wants to raise among family.   The conflict situation we are facing seems simple: do we go or do we stay? However we were unable to come to a decision as he firmly sticks by what he wants and the reporter refuses to so easily pack up and leave everything he has worked hard for behind. We are yet to come to an effective and healthy solution to which we both agree. The application of the conflict triangle can be seen as part of the situation in the way the presence of its three interrelated dimensions is undeniable; substance, procedure and relationship. The substantive dimension is a reflection of the concrete content of the conflict; that is, to be closer to my husband’s family and friends we will have to move to his home country whereas if he wants to get my PhD from here . The other dimension is that of the procedural dimension which depicts the process that is used to make the decision. This can be the intense long talks that we have, the number of pros and cons lists which we have made over the course of this entire conflict and the conversations that have taken place; all of which that have been conducted with the intent of solving this problem.  

Wine Industry Association of WA Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wine Industry Association of WA - Lab Report Example Today Australia is having more than one thousand wineries and about twenty thousand wine-industry workers are living in the country.† 1 If someone thinks the wine as a romantic unchangeable institution, he can be forgiven, but it is not true. The wine has always been influencing the market.† 2 sustain the global reputation. The organization is having 9 main wine producing regions and few sub-regions. Western Australia produces merely 3 percent of the Australia’s wine but astonishingly nearly 30 percent of its premium quality wines are produced in this region.† 3 The education centers are the new concept to pull up the sales. The top management takes the decisions and the lower level staffs follow that. The board of the Directors includes the top management team like producer [category A], Vice president Grower, treasurer producer, producer [category B], distributer, general manager and some other top ranked officers. Second level staffs are basically marketing and even manager, sales manager, export manager. These are basically the internal structures of the organization. Some volunteers are there to do exhibitions and trade fare and to manage the wine education centers. of the whole nation are produced in the Western Australian wine industry. South Australian Wine industries are very much reputed for the high volume of wine they produce. However, few of the promising competitors are Wine makers federation of Australia, Wine Grape Growers Association, Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation and Grape & Wine Research & Development Corporation. Most of these competitors are having their own wine education centers. The macro-environment is the larger view of the environment in which the particular wine industry is performing their acts. PESTEL analysis is very much important to understand the socio-economic impact on the industry. Economic Factors: These factors are

Services Marketing (encounter experiences) Essay

Services Marketing (encounter experiences) - Essay Example The aspect of degree of satisfaction as well as dissatisfaction is yet another problem that crops us in this regard. However, the measurement scales provided in the Annexure that details the experiences gives us a relatively better view into how satisfactory or for that matter dissatisfactory these experiences have been. In this regard, it should be mentioned at the very outset that service encounters refer to the customer’s most vivid impression of the service (Ziathaml, Bitner, Gremler & Pandit, 2011). Thus the report starts analyzing these experiences or to be more specific the service encounters from various managerial frameworks available to us as well as make comments on the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction it caused to the customers availing the service. Satisfactory Satisfactory experiences in terms of service encounters refer to those encounters of availing services that result in meeting the moot objective of the demand. However, nowadays, more and more serv ice sector firms are tending towards providing a more wholesome service experience to their clients and customers. In this regard, Clow and Kurtz (2003) have been of the opinion that satisfaction or dissatisfaction is known to be an episodic measure in that it normally relates to the last service experience. Thus, service quality becomes increasingly important an aspect from the point of view of services marketing as well as management of services as a whole. So far as the satisfactory service experiences are concerned, the present report presents six favorable or for that matter satisfactory service experiences are concerned, these focus on the aspects of favorable experiences that lead to repeat purchases or to be more specific result in customer loyalty. The first satisfactory service experience has been experienced has been in a cirque named Cirque de Soleil in London in the Royal Albert Hall. In spite of much hype as well as a long queue in front of the ticket counter along wit h the other encumbrances that any hyped show comes with, the cirque lived up to its expectations and thus customers left the hall satisfied. Of course, in terms of analysis, satisfaction in this case is due to the level of perfection that the show had attained given that the organizers had kept note of every minute detail thereby bringing parity as well as that they had taken care of the details of the service thereby referring to the impeccable service blueprint that they had put in action. Also, though the food has not been as exemplary as the other aspects have been, everything else has been just perfect thereby leading to an overall satisfactory service experience for the audience or for that matter, customers in this case. In this regard, a service blueprint refers to a graphic representation of the essential components of the service both front stage as well back stage (Fisk, Grove & John, 2008). In terms of the quality of food not being up to the mark, the concept of zone of tolerance comes into the picture. The food not being of the highest quality seemed to be well within the zone of tolerance and thus the customers were still happy with the overall

Search and Seizure Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Search and Seizure - Term Paper Example Failure to issue of a search warrant or the absence of a search warrant invalidates the evidence searched and therefore necessitates its exclusion as evidence against William. A search warrant is an issue signed by the judge or the magistrate that authorizes the police officers to conduct a search of a definite person, a definite object or material at a definite location and at a specified time. The search warrant will serve as the basis of what the police can search and seize in a person or a property through the specific descriptions indicated in the search warrant. If the search warrant only specifies to search the bedroom, the police cannot search the living room or the backyard for further evidence. Nor can they search for drugs if the search warrant specifies weapons. Over the years, the court has allowed a number of situations in which a search warrant is not essential. An example of this situation is called the emergency exception. For example, a police is in patrol, if the p olice hear an alarming shout from the resident while he is on duty, the police can enter the premises to search and arrest the suspect for spousal abuse or child abuse. But looking in William’s case, a warrantless search can only be valid and admissible if his consent of the search was asked, but it wasn’t, making this physical evidence excludable. This exclusion will not pertain to all evidences because there is a difference between the evidence collected from the Elli’s and Stevens’s townhouses. It is stated in the scenario that â€Å"Mrs. Stevens gives the police consent to search the house for any potential evidence that might identify her husband’s killer†. And it is stated above that a warrantless search can only be valid and admissible if the person in control of the premises consents to the search which Mrs. Stevens approved to. While in William’s case, there was no search warrant issued nor he gave his consent to the

The Canterbury Tales Literary Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Canterbury Tales Literary Analysis - Essay Example rough the eye of the narrator, who is a pilgrim himself, apparently ready to appreciate his companions for their worthiness, and also record their condition, their array, and their social degree: â€Å"To telle yow al the condicioun/Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,/And whiche they weren, and of what degree,/And eek in what array that they were inne;† The narrator took his â€Å"tyme and space† to relate his story which means that that he has considered his subjects for a period before putting their descriptions on paper, and his portrayals derive as much from his observation as his individual perceptions and opinions regarding the characters. The characters are described in order of their social rank: the military estate represented by the Knight and the Squire is followed by the clerical estates depicted through the Prioress, the Monk, the Friar and the Parson; and then by the laity represented by the wealthy Franklin to the poor Plowman; the upper middle class is followed by a lower one and the rascals at the end. The pilgrims include: a knight, a squire, a yeoman, a prioress, a second nun, the nuns priest, a monk, a friar, a merchant, a clerk, a sergeant of law, a franklin, a haberdasher, a carpenter, a weaver, a dyer, a tapestry weaver, a cook, a shipman, a doctor of physic, a wife of Bath, a parson, a plowman, a miller, a manciple, a reeve, a summoner, a pardoner, the host and the narrator himself. The number of professions depicted are representative of various sections of the society, and Chaucer presents a rich tableau of his times. The narrator is conscious of the social differences.He respects them, and in his description of the clothing, the accessories, and glimpses of behavior conjures up a wide array of characters. The Canterbury Tales was Chaucers attempt at realism in an era when most of the writers of his time were still engaged with larger-than life heroes; his character live, breathe drink and crack jokes as in real life, and Chaucer

English Department Essay Example for Free

English Department Essay From various literatures, there is no clear definition about what postmodernism is. Dr. Mary Klages (2003), Associate Professor in the English Department at University of Colorado, says that postmodernism cannot be defined in a single term. Instead, postmodernism can be considered as a complex term since it appears as a concept that exists in variety of study including art, science, sociology, and technology. Postmodernism present as the sign of new times, an outcome of changing trends in all areas of human life, the irruption of new social, political, cultural, and economic values which are maddening great human behavioural changes in organizations. In addition, the postmodernism is considered as a new expression of philosophic, ontological, methodological, scientific, artistic, political, social, economic, etc. trends, and therefore a new outlook which set limits and deficiencies on modern expressions. Moreover, postmodernism is a new paradigm approach to knowledge, and it is also a new paradigm of aesthetic. Concerning the discussion of postmodernism, information science and technology, this paper will take into account the discussion about knowledge management in organizations. The reason to include the discussion of postmodernism in organizations is because it represents the use of information science, sociology, and knowledge. I. 2 Characteristics of Postmodernism Organizations Any structure can be called as an organization because it is designed to carry out a given purpose. Organizations are living systems, oriented in the direction of a trend of self-organized patterns, structures and processes which respond to demands of a complex and confused, changing environment through constant and permanent learning. Historically, organization theory originated from academic institutions within the context of socially legitimized public institutions. Under such circumstances, learning capacity of organizations becomes key determinant in their survival to face various business challenges. Some characteristics of postmodernism organizations which influence on organizational analysis are as following: 1. Identification With â€Å"might being† 2. Emphasis Effectiveness 3. Structure In function of market needs 4. Focus of power Centralized in knowledge and experience 5. Orientation Toward Market (Boje, M Dennehy 2000) In organization practices, it is found that postmodernism tends to force the organizations to avoid human beings from bureaucratic structures. This is because postmodernism has the philosophy to provide simplicity instead of complexity (Boje, M Dennehy 2000). Links between modernity and postmodernism Modernity is often characterized by comparing modern societies to pre-modern or post-modern ones, and the understanding of those non-modern social statuses is far from an issue. To an extent, it is reasonable to doubt the very possibility of a descriptive concept that can adequately capture diverse realities of societies of various historical contexts. In term of social structure, many of the defining events and characteristics listed above stem from a transition from relatively isolated local communities to a more integrated large-scale society. There is a shift from the model of the modernist, factory-bureaucracy: a rigid structure, with everything in place to do its particular function to the place where it has a connected with different types changing formation in response to the conditions. II. Postmodernism, Social Science and technology In sociology point of view, there is a notion that postmodernism is considered as the results of the changes in economy, culture, and demography. In addition, postmodernism is also considered as the factors that contribute to the rise of service economy and the increasing interdependence of world economy. Concerning the relation of postmodernism in technology, there is a notion that technological utopianism is a common trait in Western history and it is true in postmodernism era with some changes in the manifestation. In postmodernism era, the expression of technology comes in the form of the sudden increase in analog mass broadcasting of television. In this situation, people see the mass broadcasting of television as a liberating force to human affairs since television has capability to provide various understandable symbols. This situation drives Newton N Minow to consider television as â€Å"a vast wasteland. † Another expression of technology in postmodernism era is the development of digital networking. In this view, digital communications are believed to provide modern society with positive feature since people are now enabling to experiences in art, culture, and community that they think as being correct.

Industrial Espionage Intelligence

Industrial Espionage Intelligence The information revolution and the advances in technology during the past decades has brought to fore many challenges and issues to both governments and businesses, the age-old crime of espionage or the practice of spying to gather secret information is one the most potential issues facing information-based societies such as the United States, today. Although, much has been documented as fact and fiction concerning the traditional foreign agents and spies, in todays world of multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporations, and industrial espionage is a growing danger. Furthermore, this is aggravated by the fact that many large businesses are physically disseminated which has distributed management and administration, and more job specialization. High technology offers the ability to collect and use information for competitive edge over others in meeting business and government objectives, it also makes modern information and technology-based nations and businesses vulnerable as information can be stolen from electronic storage media and transmitted in seconds without even physically removing the data. The paper attempts to examine and understand the challenge of espionage to industries and businesses in America. However, in doing so, it shall also look at the historical development of espionage and examines how the advances in technology in the recent years have facilitated the act of espionage, and also the measures that may prove useful in controlling Industrial Espionage. As a prelude to the research, it may be worthwhile to understand how industrial espionage is defined, its nature and implications. Industrial Espionage Definition and Nature The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines industrial espionage as â€Å"an individual or private business entity sponsorship or coordination of intelligence activity conducted for the purpose of enhancing their advantage in the marketplace.† [Cited Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 48] While this definition may imply Industrial Espionage to be more or less the same as business or competitive intelligence, John F Quinn explains the essential difference between the two while business intelligence is generally under private sponsorship using an â€Å"open† methodology, espionage may be either government or privately sponsored and clandestine. [Cited Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 47] My definition of Industrial Espionage is it is the process of collecting information and data for the purpose of generating revenue. Generating revenue is very important aspect for these people. They are not thrill seeker, if the compensation does not justify the reward they will not bother attempting to collect the required information. Individuals who commit Industrial Espionage are not looking for information for information sake, but for information that will produce a big payday when acquired by a second party or when the information is viewed by unauthorized personnel the value of the information is no longer valuable. Money and power are motivators and the stakes in todays billion dollar business environment the rewards far exceeds risks. In the highly competitive and globalized business environment, proprietary intellectual property and economic information is considered the most valuable commodity by all nations, particularly the advanced ones. Businesses and/or governments involve in espionage activities for the purpose of unlawfully or clandestinely obtaining sensitive financial, trade or economic policy information, proprietary/sensitive economic information; or critical technologies including but not limited to data, plans, tools, mechanisms, compounds, designs, formulae, processes, procedures, programs, codes or commercial strategies, whether tangible or intangible, for competitive business advantage. The proprietary information so stolen may have been stored, compiled or memorialised physically, electronically, graphically, photographically or in writing and may be reasonably protected by the owner and not available to the general public. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 48] Proprietary information may be stolen by employees accessing the business and company databases, hackers breaking into the company server, or sponsored teams of burglars. While companies may lose vital business information through employees leaving the job, espionage occurs when the employee willfully looks for the data, steals it, copies it and sells it for money, or for his own unit, when he intends to produce a similar item. Espionage by competitors involve spying the activities of other businesses and unlawfully gathering of secret information, so that they can steer their businesses by adopting appropriate strategies and stay at par with, if not ahead of, competition in the marketplace. Interested outsiders and competitors adopt many methods including bribery, detective spying through shady agencies, searching through garbage, also referred to as ‘dumpster diving, scams to trick workers through ‘social engineering, or even expose loopholes and weak points in the live s of workers and blackmail them for gathering information. The theft or unlawful receipt of intellectual property and economic information, particularly by competitors and foreign governments threatens the development and production of goods derived from such information and also results in loss of profits, market share and perhaps the business itself and may thereby result in the weakening of the economic power of ones country. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000] In the present information-driven business environment, businesses tend to address the threat seriously, and in their quest to gain power, maintain control, increase market share and beat competition, nations and businesses espouse espionage, treating it casually and engaging themselves in espionage, using information and technology as armaments of business and economic warfare. [Jones, Kovacich and Luzwick, 2002] The Process The process of Industrial Espionage can be divided into four categories: requirements, collection, analysis, and evaluation. First, the requirements have to be established. This is when the individual is targeted and approached to provide specific information concerning a specific job or task within a company or organization. Most often a third party will inquire to protect the inquiring person, organization, or corporation from liability. Most companies focus their espionage efforts only on certain task or functions. The second phase allows the collector to focus their efforts. Collection is the key component of Industrial Espionage. This is the key element for payment and has the most risk involved. These individuals must evaluate the risk of obtaining the needed information or data with the value of the fee that they will be paid and the risks of being caught. The individual collecting/obtaining the information may use any of the following to obtain the required information/data: physical attacks, electronic attacks, or even attacks against the employees to gain the necessary information. If the rewards are so great (finically), they will go to whatever lengths necessary to obtain the information, even murder if necessary. If the request is for a working copy of a companys product the Collector might simply have to go out and by one, then send away for the technical information any customer is entitled to. While this might see strange use of a Collector, remember some of the companies collecting information exist in embargoed nations such as Cuba or Iraq where state of the art US product are not readily available. If the request is for the complete production data for a complex computer chip the job might entail illegal, and therefore more risky, methods such as bribery or burglary. Analysis follows. Now that a Collector has accumulated a mass of data and information they must take time to see what they have. This entails everything from reading the contents of documents, both physical and electronic, processing raw data, and in some cases looking at the flow of employees and information to see what might be happening and where it is occurring. Once the data has been analyzed the Collector refers to the original Requirement to see if he has meet his goals. This is the Evaluation phase. If the clients Requirements have been met the information is package, transmitted, and the Collector paid. Extra information collected is evaluated for value to the current of future clients and recorded for future transactions. In those cases where the Requirements have not been met, the Collector uses the information to return to the Collection Phase, thus beginning the process anew. Espionage A Brief History The technological advances and the global Internet have drastically reformed the art of espionage. The practice of espionage has transformed revolutionarily over the years, as any aspect of life and civilization, from the old manual and human intensive profession to the sophisticated, hi-tech pursuit of stealing electronic information in networked societies. Toffler and Heidi provide a Three Wave Evolution model to explain the technological evolution, as well as the evolution of espionage. [Toffler, 1980; Toffler Heidi, 1994] Accordingly, during the First Wave period, extending from the beginning of human race to about mid 1700s and characterized by the agricultural revolution, information was passed by word of mouth or in written correspondence. The theft of information was minimal as most of the people could not read or write and espionage was manual, relying mostly on personal observation and one-to-one contact. The Second Wave or the ‘rise of the industrialized civilization, which followed and last until a few years after World War II, experienced exponential growth in communications and the sharing of information, made possible by such inventions as telegraph, telephone and computers. The later years of this period saw the development and use of cryptography as communication protection and anti-espionage tool, though essentially by governments. While businesses had also begun to use computers, most of the systems were stand-alone and hence the threat of espionage was limited. Espionage was thou ght of primarily as a government and/or military problem and anti-espionage measures during the period essentially consisted of some form of physical security of physical documents and equipment, such as combination of locks, guards, alarms and fences. Emphasis was also placed on personnel security hiring honest and ethical employees in computer field was deemed to limit espionage threats. As only few people operated computers, the threat to electronically stored information was limited. [Toffler, 1980; Toffler and Heidi, 1994] The Third Wave or the age of technology and information, sweeping the world today has seen more advances in communication and information sharing, and paradoxically more threats, than the First and Second Wave periods combined. While the Internet and the globally linked communication systems serve as a mainstream business medium, objectionable reports on how high-tech criminals in businesses and government intelligence agencies of all advanced nations are exploiting the possibilities of the cyber world to meet their various ends, continue to be appal the world conscience. Today, a large number of organizational actors and individual information-brokers sponsored by government and otherwise, are using the Internet to commit the old crime of espionage in a revolutionary new way what Boni and Kovacich terms the ‘netspionage or network enabled espionage. According to them, in the present information-driven globalized society, the distinction between espionage motivated wholly by m ilitary advantage and the quest for market domination is blurred of not completely eliminated. The researchers claim that the 21st century, envisaged as ‘the â€Å"Information Age† or the â€Å"Age of Technology† to be may instead come to be known as the â€Å"Age of Netspionage Agent and Techno-Spy.† [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 5] Before attempting to understand the occurrence of industrial espionage in America, it may be vital to understand the techniques used by the modern espionage Netspionage agents and techno-spies so that adequate and effective measures could be adopted to prevent the threat of espionage. Some of the common methods used by Netspionage agents include: Data Diddling changing data before or during entry into the computer Scavenging Obtaining information left around a computer system and in trash cans Data Leakage Removing information by smuggling it out as part of the printed document Piggybacking/ Impersonation Physical access to electronic data using anothers User ID and password to gain computer access and protected information. Simulation and Modelling Using the computer as a tool to plan and/or control a criminal act Wire Tapping Tapping into a computers communication links to be able to read the information being transmitted between systems and networks [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 58] Apart from the above, the use of software application programs, which are standardized over the years enable the use of a variety of hacker tools including Trojan Horse enabling covert placement of instructions in the program for unauthorized functions; Trap Doors for inserting debugging aids that provide breaks in the instructions for insertion of additional code and intermediate output capabilities; Logic Bombsor programs executed at a specific time period; and the common Computer Virus which are malicious codes that cause damage to the system information. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 59] The Cyber Threat With the advent of the cyber age where information roams free along the electronic corridors of the Internet at the speed of light, another arena has been opened up to the Collector. The tools used are those developed by Hackers and Crackers over the years coupled with the good old social engineering of days past. The potential for gathering information is unlimited. The arena, of course, is the World Wide Web and the target sits on your disk as you view this HTML document. In 1997 it was estimated there were fewer than 1000 people that qualified as Professional Hackers. That is, people who are capable of creating tools or developing original methods for Hacking. [11] Therefore it is safe to assume there are very few Collectors who are true computer geniuses. Collectors are just individuals adept at turning existing tools toward collecting information. An excellent Hackers Toolkit (a software package which contains scripts, programs, or autonomous agents that exploit vulnerabilities [6]) can be downloaded from the internet with just a few hours of searching. Converting computer tools to information collection is relatively easy, because with computers everything is information and everything created for a computer collects and/or transmits information to one degree or another. Corporate web sites hold increasingly detailed information regarding a companys structure, products, employees, and the physical layout of its facilities. Some sites boast fly thr ough tours of their facilities, pictures and bios of their executive officers, telephone numbers, and of course email addresses of key employees. The sole purpose of these web sites is to transmit the information to anyone who asks. Web browsers collect this information and provide it to the requestor who can view and store the information, as they desire. This type of information is invaluable to individuals who choose to exploit it as a means to collect further information. With the wealth of information freely available in todays on-line environment Collectors can do much of their preliminary research without leaving the comfort of their own home or breaking a single law. Armed with the freely available information Collectors are now prepared use the net to gather even more information. With the bios and names of executives and key employees they can search the net for their favorite electronic haunts. Spoofing can then be used. Spoofing is defined as masquerade by assuming the appearance of a different entity in network communications. [6] Emails or ICQ addresses can be spoofed, sent with the Collector poising as an investor, potential customer, a reporter, or even a student researching the rising stars of the corporate world. After receiving replies, Email spoofing can be further used to appear as someone in authority within the corporation who can direct mailing of information, the establishment of computer access accounts, and even grant greater access for established accounts. All of these gives the collector access to just a little bit more of the corporation and its secrets, all with minimal exposure of the collector and sets the stage for furt her attacks. These can range from accessing an unsecured port for downloading files, to exploiting any one of a number of known security holes to gain root access to a system. A good example of the potential for Cyber Industrial Espionage comes from a New York Times report that claimed Reuters Analytics, Inc. hired a Collector to steal the underlying software and codes for their rivals, Bloomberg, L.P, data terminals. Though Reuters had a head start in the industry, Bloombergs product was considered superior. Yearly sales of these data terminals exceeds $6.5 Billion. [11] By mixing Mundane and Cyber techniques collectors can multiply the effects of their collection efforts. The routine of the office, gathered by watching, can enable the collector to plan physical break-ins of the building. While roaming the halls of the corporation they can steal trade secrets, clone drives of key employees, and even set in place login captures, all acts that could go totally undetected because it does no involve the removal of a single piece of property. Well planned daytime entries over lunch the lunch hour can allow the informed collector time clone disks, copy key files, or even send emails from key employees desks to set into motion chains of events to leak information or disrupt company performance. Collectors can make use of internal networks to transmit the documents outside the building to avoid security. Industrial Espionage in America The United States being the most dominant economic power in the world today is also a major target of espionage. In 1988, the FBI accused a former Amgen Inc. researcher of peddling secret documents concerning the wonder drug Epogen. In 1989, U.S. agents tracked down three moles working at an IBM affiliate in France after they supposedly botched a sale of confidential documents. [Cited Crock, 1997] The massive information technology infrastructure enables businesses and industries to tap proprietary and secret information of competitors to gain control of the global market place. Research suggests that the threat of espionage and the loss of proprietary/sensitive information have hit the manufacturing industries particularly hard. As the R D expenses for manufacturing companies are costly, some companies, foreign or domestic, are tempted to catch up even if through unlawful means. [Naef, 2003] Industrial espionage is rampant in the United States according to the FBI, of the 173 world nations, 57 were actively running operations targeting the U.S. companies; about 100 countries spent some portion of their funds targeting U.S. technologies. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 50] A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the American Society for Industrial Security revealed that Fortune 1000 companies lost more than $45 billion in 1999 due to theft of their proprietary information alone. The study finds that â€Å"although manufacturing reported only 96 incidents, the acknowledged losses of manufacturing companies accounted for the majority of losses reported in the survey, and averaged almost $50 million per incident.† [Cited Naef, 2003] While current and former employees, suppliers and customers are considered to be responsible for 70 to 80% of proprietary/sensitive information losses, an unidentified survey suggests that 21 percent of attempted or actual thefts of proprietary/sensitive information occurred in overseas locations. [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 50] It is significant to note that the U.S is not only a target of espionage, but also actively indulge in espionage activities themselves. The US government has admitted using commercial espionage phone calls were illegally tapped to determine that a French competitor of a US firm was bribing Brazilian officials to obtain an air traffic control radar contract; it was later revealed that the US firm was also bribing officials. It is generally believed that large intelligence agencies of developed nations are involved in the practice of espionage. A commission of the European Parliament suspects that ECHELON, a communications espionage system operated by the U.S. National Security Agency and agencies of the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is used for political espionage and occasionally to help American companies against European competitors. [Vest, 1998] Economic Espionage Act of 1996 Economic and industrial espionage present many challenges to many American companies as rampant information breaches are costing companies substantial sums of money. While corporations and businesses often do not report espionage incidents to law enforcement, the Federal government today recognizes industrial and economic espionage as a crime; the Congress has legislated the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 in an attempt to aid companies to protect themselves from espionage. Section 19831 punishes the theft, misappropriation, wrongful alteration and delivery of trade secrets when accused parties intended to, or knew that their misconduct would benefit a foreign government, instrumentality or agent. The Act allows for legal action regarding â€Å"financial, business, scientific, engineering, technical and economic information,† if a company can demonstrate it has attempted to keep this information classified and protected. The prescribed maximum punishment for an individual offen der is 15 years imprisonment, $ 500,000 fine or both; for an organization the fine is $10 million. [Kelley, 1997] It is understood that many companies dont take advantage of the Act; companies safely exploit the law in full knowledge when news of the breach is known publicly. However, as Naef observes, if the trade secret theft is not publicly known, a company may have to meticulously assess the advantages and disadvantages of suing another company and thereby going public as news of the theft may damage the companys reputation. [Naef, 2003] Yet, cases of industrial and economic espionage have been reported since the enactment of the Act, though scantily. In September 2003 one man was pled guilty of copying trade secrets as defined under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996; the case was the first of its kind in Northern California. The US Attorneys office later publicized that Say Lye Ow, a 31 year old originally from Malaysia, copied sensitive information on Intels first 64-bit processor when he left the company in 1998. [Naef, 2003] Industrial Espionage and Corporate Vulnerability It is often the failure of corporations to adequately protect their information resources that makes them vulnerable to espionage. The vulnerability and the nonchalant attitude of companies are by no means excusable, given the economic implications of the threat of espionage as well as the weakening of the economic power of the subject nation. It may be worthwhile, perhaps vital, to understand the reasons for the vulnerability of corporations in order to prevent espionage and the resulting economic losses to businesses. Businesses make themselves vulnerable to espionage for a variety of reasons, including: Proprietary/sensitive business information not identified Proprietary information not adequately protected Computer and telecommunication systems not adequately protected Lack of or inadequate policies and procedures Employees not aware of their responsibilities Management attitude of â€Å" We dont have proprietary or sensitive information† and/or â€Å"It cant happen to us† [Boni and Kovacich, 2000; p. 50] These factors along with such other threats as increasing miscreants trying to steal information for money and the vulnerabilities of systems on the Internet facilitating information theft on a global scale present pervasive threat to information worth protecting as well as challenge managers, security personnel and law enforcement officials responsible for safety and security of information. Employees, a Threat or Defence Whether called Social Engineering, as in most Hacker manuals, or HUMINT (Human Intelligence), as the Department of Defense refers to it, your employees are targets of Collectors. People are a two-edged weapon in securing your corporate secrets being both the best protection, and the biggest risk. Proper training, education, and motivation can give people the tools and desire to keep your corporate secrets safe. Conversely, appealing to the vanity, greed, or vengeful nature of disenchanted or bored people has always been a tool of the traditional spy. Now these appeals can be made with protection of the electronic web. After gathering sufficient information on employees the Collector can choose his target. If the individual bites, a face to face meeting can be scheduled, if not the only thing that can be turned over the security is an email address or ICQ number, all easily disposed of with no trace to the Collector. Another method used to attack through your employees is to take the information gathered by Mundane and Cyber means and impersonate another individual or spoof them electronically. Calls are placed over the phone, or messages sent via email pretending to be someone with the authority to make decisions. A good choice would be one of those executive officers with the picture and bio on the corporate web page. Regardless of the role many bored or uncaring individuals will give out information to include IP addresses, system setup, and even passwords and userids over to phone when intimidated. Recruiting Insiders is another common practice among Collectors. Many publications on computer security identify the most common source of intentional disruption as authorized individuals performing unauthorized activity. [13] Again, much of the information on the individuals that you would like to recruit can be found in publicly accessible databases and web sites. From this, some casual research can yield those candidates who are most susceptible to bribes or extortion. Often after proper research the Collector can make his presence know to the Insider and have them make the first overtures. This allows the Collector to have some modicum of confidence the individual will no go running straight to corporate security. Insiders are the most valuable assets a Collector can have. They have the time and freedom to search peoples desks, read private memos, copy documents, and abuse coworker friendships. [3] The threat does not end when the Insider leaves the corporation either. In 1992 se veral General Motors employees were accused of taking over 10,000 documents and disks containing GM trade secrets when they defected to Volkswagen. GM sued and in 1997 received a payment of $100 million from Volkswagen. [11] Inserting Agents is one of the least risky forms of Industrial Espionage. The Collector handpicks the individual who they intend to insert. They provide the training, background story, and decide at which level to attempt to insert the individual. Once hired, even in a position of limited access, the individual becomes a trusted Insider for the Collector, able to provide increasing levels of access and perform some of the Mundane and Cyber attacks from within the corporation with minimum threat of being caught. Preventing Industrial Espionage While legal measures and legislations that send strong messages against espionage can be effective in preventing its occurrence, the role and responsibility of corporations is crucial. Even as companies take a non-serious approach to espionage, there is little debate that companies should guard themselves effectively against the ‘info-thieves, both insiders and those unleashed by outsiders, who try to get secrets by all possible means. Measures that may help companies to prevent espionage include: Conducting a survey of risk assessment, and identifying potential risk areas, Developing a security policy without much of safety risks. Frequently evaluating the security policy and procedures and modify if necessary Classifying and marking sensitive and valuable information Isolating information that should never fall into the hands of a competitor Detecting the vulnerable areas that could be exploited by a competitor Controlled storage of sensitive information Controlled destruction of materials Executing Nondisclosure Agreements for employees, vendors and contractors Securing computer systems and networks by installing appropriate information system security products Monitoring email and Internet use [Winkler, 1997; Boni and Kovacich, 2000] While the above methods may be useful in protecting against espionage, central to controlling the industrial espionage is security awareness and training of employees as one of the major points of vulnerability is spying activities by people belonging to the same organization. â€Å"Security awareness and training programs can serve to inform employees about their organizations information security policy, to sensitize them to risks and potential losses, and to train them in the use of security practices and technologies† [Denning, 1998, p.382]. By investing in security procedures and training, corporations may train employees in the areas of personnel, cyberspace and physical security; they can also be made aware of their responsibilities regarding information security of the organization. Conclusion The increasing value of trade secret information in the global and domestic marketplace and the possibilities of the information technology revolution have resulted in a significant rise in espionage activities in the recent years, particularly against the U.S. being the most dominant economic power in the world. While legislations may be useful in preventing the crime of industrial and economic espionage, the onus is largely on corporations to implement adequate security policies and measures to protect themselves from business losses as well as prevent the weakening of the economic power of their country. References 1. Boni W. Kovacich G.L. (2000) Netspionage: The Global Threat to Information MA: Butterworth- Heinemann 2. Crock, S. (1997) â€Å"Business Spies: The New Enemy Within?† Book Review: War By Other Means† Economic Espionage in America By John J. Fialka Business Week Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/1997/06/b351325.htm Accessed 02/26/06 3. Denning, D. E. (1998) Information Warfare and Security MA: Addison-Wesley 4. Jones A. Kovacich G.L. Luzvick P.G. (2002) Global Information Warfare: How Businesses, Governments and Others Achieve Objectives and At