Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Response - Essay Example If the mother will perish, no one will take care of the children and the children will also become casualties. The mother is equivalent to three full lives. If I would be questioned about her criminal record, my reply would be it is not my lot to judge people or punish people but rather to heal. My second priority is the six year old kid who will be blind and unable to walk if he survives. Now again, I may asked why not prioritize a child over a criminal. Again, my criteria of the order of treatment who would benefit the most of the medical care and not emotion. Our emotion may dictate us that a child should come first. But he would still not benefit that much of the medical care because he would still go blind and unable to walk even if he survive compare to the mother who has two dependents. This explains why the child is next to my order of priority of care. The sixty year old surgeon is the least of my priority. I may be asked that i should prioritize the surgeon because he or she is charitable. Again, it is not my lot to assess people but rather on who would benefit the most of medical care. The surgeon has already lived a full life compared to the mother who has two child dependents and the kid who has his full life ahead even if he would be

Protein Families Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Protein Families - Coursework Example The analysis of a single gene sequence is done by establishing similarity with other known genes, determining phylogenetic trees and evolutionary relationships; identifying well-defined domains in the sequence, identifying physical properties, binding sites and modification sites comprising of the protein sequence features. For analysis of complete genomes and to determine which gene families are present in the protein and which are not present, several techniques such as location of genes on the chromosomes, correlation with function or evolution, expansion of duplication of gene families, identification of missing enzymes, and presence or absence of biochemical pathways are considered. Large scale events that have affected the evolution of organisms are also studied for genome analysis. When genes or genomes are analyzed with respect to functional data the techniques used are expression analysis, micro array data, mRNA concentration measurements, protein concentration measurements, proteomics, and covalent modifications. For analysis of gene and genomes from a functional perspective, comparative analyses of biochemical pathways are made along with deletion or mutant genotypes vs. phenotypes and identification of essential genes, or genes involved in specific processes in structure and functions of the organisms. Analysis of protein structure and functions are done with the help of computer simulations which are used as tools to investigate protein structure and dynamics under a wide variety of conditions.... When genes or genomes are analysed with respect to functional data the techniques used are expression analysis, micro array data, mRNA concentration measurements, protein concentration measurements, proteomics, and covalent modifications. For analysis of gene and genomes from a functional perspective, comparative analyses of biochemical pathways are made along with deletion or mutant genotypes vs. phenotypes and identification of essential genes, or genes involved in specific processes in structure and functions of the organisms (Lengauer, 2002). Analysis of protein structure and functions are done with the help of computer simulations which are used as tools to investigate protein structure and dynamics under a wide variety of conditions, ranging from ligand binding and enzyme-reaction mechanisms to denaturation (in which protein molecules become biologically inactive) and protein re-folding (Ponder and Case, 2003). In all these simulations, the energy of a protein is represented as a function of its atomic coordinates. These functions are known as force fields as forces on individual atoms are related to the gradient of this potential energy function (Ponder and Case, 2003). The protein force fields are represented using a simple equation that shows the potential energy function (Source, Ponder and Case, 2003) Source, Ponder and Case, 2003 The summations shown here are on bonds, torsions and angles and this equation represents the very basic potential energy function that can reproduce only the essential features of protein energy at an atomic level. According to Ponder and Case (2003), the combination of potential energy function and the other parameters constitute a force field.

The Evolution of the Banking Industry Essay Example for Free

The Evolution of the Banking Industry Essay At independence, there were only two foreign banks, Barclays and Standard Chartered Banks that were dominant players in the country. Naturally, their operations were structured to support the colonial economy. Research indicates that the Bank of Gold Coast was later split into Ghana Commercial Bank and Bank of Ghana in 1957. In contrast to the existing Foreign Banks GCB was set up to provide banking services to a wider populace of Ghanaians and to support the development agenda of the indigenous government. Research indicates that the National Redemption Council, (military government) as part of its indigenization policy acquired 40% ownership in the two foreign banks but his did not change their business strategy. The main complaint against the foreign banks was that their lending policies were too conservative. During the PNDC era, two foreign banks were licensed that’s BCCI and meridian Biao. The BCCI collapsed in 1991 with a large foreign Exchange liability it could not manage. Meridian Biao almost collapsed in 1995 due to an imprudent foreign exchange exposure to its distressed parent company. After the return of democratic rule in 1992, two Malaysian Banks were licensed. The two were Metropolitan and Allied Bank and International Commercial Bank. Besides, a South African Bank, Stanbic Bank, was also licensed. The collapse of two Ghanaian banks, that’s Bank for Housing and Construction and Co-operative Bank confirmed that the financial sector required effective management of risks. The assurance was however that the new regulatory regime was more effective and so it was unlikely that such bank failure could occur again. Banks with foreign equity participation became stronger and more profitable by the year 1990. Financial experts have argued that the collapse of BCCI and near collapse of Meridian Biao raises question about how well foreign banks are insulated from the difficulties of their parent companies. An IMF study of the banking industry in 2003 stated that Ghana’s market structure was slightly less competitive than that of Nigeria and Kenya. Nigeria is however a huge economy as the economy of Ghana grows at a faster pace, private Foreign Direct Investment facilitated by Nigerian Banks may play a key role if well directed. Indications are that Ghana will become the financial hub of West Africa soon. Due to common historical experiences, Ghana appears to be a natural next step for Nigerian businesses seeking to expand their operations beyond Nigeria. Foreign Banks in Ghana include Barclays Bank, Standard Charted Bank SG-SSB, Ecobank Ghana Limited and UT Bank. Others are International Commercial Bank, Stanbic Bank, Standard Trust Bank, Zenith Bank and the Guaranty Trust Bank. The rest are Intercontinental Bank, Access Bank Ghana and Sahel Sahara Bank.

Literature Review of E-Banking

Literature Review of E-Banking CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is the literature review; the purpose of this chapter is to investigate past publications by different authors. This will include textbooks, articles and online publications that could enlightened the readers more on the area of banking and internet security measures, the standard and policy used for internet banking security in the United Kingdom and more importantly, the synergistic impact of online banking and information security in the UK banking sector. Since the invention of information technology and the internet, people of different calibre are using it to improve the services efficiently and effectively. In the retail banking sector, most of the businesses have moved majority of their physical transaction processes to online transaction process. A good example of this, I own an account with the HSBC bank for over 4years now and I cannot remember the last time I went into my branch to transact business. Most of my bill payment and transfers are done through my online banking.) Irrespective of this, Lassar et al. (2005) also affirmed that financial institutions should be able to forecast and figure out how such technology will be applied by customers. Banks and Financial institutions rely upon mostly on Information Technology for their everyday activities; therefore the Information acquired by financial organisation is not used only by the organisation and their employees but also by their customers and stake holders and partners. The users who rely on these services anticipate constant possibility of direct access to organizational information (McAnally, et al 2000). Comment..Your idea is good but you are not using well structured sentences and paragraphing. We need to talk about this asap! DEFINITION OF E BANKING. The growing tendency of e banking transaction has really signalled issues on information security that are to be noted and stringently taken care of. To get this security managed, it must be a combined effort and relationship between the customers and the financial institutions. (Re-structure the above paragraph) In general, e-banking is defined as the automated delivery of new and traditional banking products and services directly to customers through electronic, interactive communication channels. E-banking includes the systems that enable financial institution customers, individuals or businesses, to access accounts, transact business, or obtain information on financial products and services through a public or private network, including the Internet which is an integral part of e-banking. (FFIEC handbook, 2006). This new development as drastically changed the phase of internet business in the United Kingdom and it is a welcome phenomenon. WHAT IS INTERNET BANKING. For quite some years now, internet banking levels have been executed to be more fficient approach through which the banking transactions are made without having o leave your place of abode or your place of work. Some of the customers have been ecognised to turn to internet banking as a result of frustrations with conventional tandard of operation and practices. Anand, (2008) said further that while some ustomers want human interaction in transaction, some of them turned to the internet acilities for security reasons. The reason is that the customer are given assurance that heir transactions are safe and secured and most of these transactions are made via the nternet explorer interface. In its report in 2009 (what report?.This is not Harvard standard of referencing), he said online bankinghas risen. 25% of all the people who responded as regards to the most preferred way to bank.Mobile bankinghas not started at all. Only 1% of the people make transaction via mobile. The figure below s hows how they stand: Online banking: 25% Branches: 21% ATM: 17% Mail: 9% Telephone: 4% Mobile: 1% Unknown: 23% Comment Can you represent this figures or percentage with a pie chart/graph or something more comprehensive? He went ahead and said more people visit the bank branch than using the online banking . The term internet banking can then be referred to as the use of internet as a secluded way of doing banking services. These services comprise the conventional ways such as account opening or funds transfer to different accounts and new banking services like payments online that is customers permission to receive and pay bills on their website. Having understood the significant importance of IT and e banking and amount of risks and threats involve in driving the business process, therefore there is need for consistent continuation of security in business, which brings about the understanding of Information security. It is a continuous process. Information security, is the process of protecting information and information system from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, destruction or bombardment, it involves confidentiality, integrity and availability of various data irrespective of the form the data takes. E.g. electronic, print, written verbal or in any other forms. (ISACA and CISA Review Manual, 2006). Comment You are not given your headings titles figures e.g. 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 etc You did not give your tables title and figures either. An Overview Of Online Banking Environment in UK An increasing competitions among the financial institutions have forced many of the competitors to offer similar prices on deposits and loans, the effort for gaining competitive advantage were shifted towards no priced-factors (Akinci et.al 2004). customers and financial institutes have noted the recent revolution in UK retail banking. The conversion from traditional banking to internet banking has been effective (kolodinsky and Hogarth, 2001). Although some researchers have bated that online banking has not lived up to expectation e.g Sarel and Marmorstein (2003) and Wang et al. (2003), a lots of studies still say that internet banking is still the most wealthiest and profitable means to transact business(Mos,1998;Sheshunoff, 2000).Online banking has come to stay no doubt about that and financial institutions are ready to move on with it. Luxman (1999) for example predicted that in the nearest future that the importance of internet banking will be felt most especially in the remote areas where some bans have closed their branches Going by the survey carried out for alliance and Leicester by (VOBS survey, 2004), 2,395 UK adults were interviewed, more that half of them now bank online. 61 percent now used it more than the previous couple of years. However, visiting the baking hall is very much popular with respondents preferring to go to banking and deal face to face with the banking staff for activities like paying cheques 73 percent, 20 percent withdraw cash over the counter and 20 percent will lodge on one complaints or the other. Mike Warriner (2008).said in a recent report from Forrester stated that only 31% of British adults bank online despite 75% regularly shopping online to quote Benjamin Ensor, principal analyst at Forrester Research, By international standards, the U.K. is an online banking laggard. He then goes on to say that The U.K. also has a relatively large number of quitters, with about two million people saying that they used to use online banking but have given up. WHAT IS WRONG WITH UK INTERNET BANKING According to a survey carried out by Darrell R. (2009) Medium size organizations all over the world are very much concerned about cyber threats. The number of incidents reported really justifies their doubts. At the close of mid 2009, McAfee discovered a new malware as they did in 2008 which could cause a lot of havoc in the internet world..Irrespective of this discovery; most organizations still cut their IT security budget instead of increasing it. A threat up budget down, McAfee called it security paradox. Ron C. (2009) reports that most companies in the UK are lagging behind the rest of the world in information security management practices, according to a new study from PriceWaterhouseCoopers. 7,000 security professionals all over the world was surveyed, mainly in large companies consisting of 455 in the U.K. The survey found out that British organisation emerges to be less prepared to fight the risks that tackle them in their information systems. The table below shows that U.K. lags in quite a few key areas of information security. Organisations have smaller amount CISOs in place; only 37% have a clear idea of where their data is stored. Then, nearly half (49%) do not know the number of security incidents they experienced in the preceding year. INTERNET TRANSACTION Transactions online help customers with the competence to conduct transactions via the website of the institution by introducing banking transactions or buying products and services. There are lots of transactions customers can engaged in on the internet which can be a small as basic retail account balance to a very big business funds transfer. Internet banking services, such as the ones carried out through some other means are categorised based on the type of customers they support. The following table shows some of the common retail and wholesale internet banking services offered by financial institutions. (FFIEC, 2006) Since transactional websites typically enable the electronic exchange of confidential. Customer information and the transfer of funds, services through online banking makes the financial institutions to be vulnerable to higher risk than basic. ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE BANKING. Convenience According to (Gerlach, 2000), internet banking services allow customers handle their habitual banking transaction without visiting the bank building or meeting any banks staff. No need to wait until 8 or 9 in the morning before you can get answer to your bank account request or details Customers can handle their transactions anywhere they like as long as they are connected to the internet or where there is availability of internet. However, since most banks offers 24 hours online banking services 7 days a week, internet banking can allow you to view and work with your account no matter what time or day it is. Thus, they can make payments, check balance, transfer money etc at the comfort zone of their homes or offices. Hence online banking has broken the limitations of the conventional way of banking thus provides customers swiftness and convenience. Time Saving and Money. When you visit banks, you will discover that most banks branches are always engaged with one activity and customers have to wait for a long time before attended to. This is a waste of time and energy. Luckily, some banking transactions can be handled at home or in office or anywhere that is convenient for the customers. In other words, customers do not need to wait for a long time in a long queue or go to their respective banks branch to carry out their banking business. Online banking therefore helps can help customers to save time and cost of travelling. Ease and Efficiency As long as they adhere to the simple steps to be followed by login in their information and clicking the right button, customers can able to check their accounts and know what their balance is, transfer funds and also carry out other valuable transactions. The timely check can help customers overdraft charges and also to know if the transactions they made was successful and completed. Hence, banking online helps customers to manage their account more easily and conveniently. On Time Gain and Update Information Online banking systems also provide the customers a timely updates about both their existing and new products and services, banking news and other vital information that the customers need to know or be updated with. Therefore customers can benefit some relative information at the appropriate time for them to make quick and right decisions. Profitability Fewer banking building will be maintained as a result of online banking and fewer employers will be involved there is a much lower over head with online banks. The saving they get as a result of this process allows them to give greater interest rates on savings account and lower lending rates and service charge. Cost Effective Internet banking cost less, this is because there are only few buildings to maintain and salaries paid to employees will be reduced as well. Since they have more to safe now and this allows them to increase their interest rate on savings account and lower lending rate and charges Easier To Catch Fraudulent Activities Since you have the opportunity of viewing your account details at anytime, it is easier to know if any fraudulent activities have gone through your account before much damage is done. Once you log into your account, you will see immediately whether there is anything wrong when you check your deposits and debits. If you do not make any transaction and you see any strange details in your account, you will see it write away and make necessary alarm to the financial institution While the internet offers miscellaneous advantages and opportunities, it also presents various security risks. Having this in mind, banks take wide measures to protect the information transmitted and processed when banking online. This comprises ensuring confidential data sent over the internet cannot be accessed on modified by unauthorised third party. But banks dont normally have influence of the systems used by the customers. The choice is entirely up to them. More over a system connected that is a pc connected to the internet for example will usually be used for a number of other applications as well. The systems used by the online banking customers are therefore exposed to risks beyond the banks control. For this reason, the bankers cannot be liable for them. Berlin, (2007). Some Dangers Faced When Using the Internet. Berlin, (2007) Third party gaining access to information transmitted or getting information under false pretences, this can be done with the aid of the following: Virus and warms: Programmes that are sent over the internet that can damage your pc when they replicate. Trojans: programmes that intercepts passwords that is not known to users that compromise computer security. Phishing: Using a fake name, website or address for fraudulent purposes. Pharming: Users being redirected to fraudulent server Root kits; An unauthorized administrative level access without the real administrator noticing through a malicious software. Their feature is almost as Trojans. Hacking: Having access to a PC via the internet when not authorised. Banks now have some numbers of measures in place that gives effective protection against attacks when information are processed by the bankers server or when information is sent over the internet. SOME SECURITY RULES WERE ALSO GIVEN Rule 1: Install security software including an up to date scanner. Additional security software has to be installed. your normal operating system standard tools alone cannot solve some security problems. F your security is not adequately in place, you run the risk of unauthorised persons gaining access to your data.e.g never save you PINs and TANs on your PC. A firewall can protect you from such attack Rule 2: Protect sensitive data when sending it over open network. Data sent over the internet may be intercepted or viewed by an unauthorised third party when the network is not secured. Banks have now taken some measure to ensure that data sent via the internet is encrypted before transmission. Rule 3: Be sure you know who you are dealing with. Not everyone on the internet are not who they claim they are. Check the URL you are in and make sure that your banks internet address is correctly spelled. Hackers impersonate someone in a position of trust to get the information they needed. This is called PHISHING. It is another technique to steal confidential code. This works by redirecting you to their own rogue server. Rule 4: Be careful with sensitive data and access media Your access code and media must be protected e.g. (PINs, chips) from unauthorised use. Do not save sensitive data such as Passwords PINs, access code, credit card numbers on your hard drive especially if the PC is not been used by you alone. This could allow third party to view your data. Rule 5: Choose a secure password. A combination of upper case and lower case letters , numbers and symbols is a typical example of a good password usually of six to eight characters. It will be difficult for anyone to guess your password. Rule 6: Only use a programme from a trustworthy source Dont download from the internet any programme into your hard drive unless you are sure of the source and that its reliable. Rule 7: Use up-to-date programme version Use your preferred internet browser and PC operating system version that is up-to-date. Rule 8: Run security checks on your PC Take a few moment to run a personal security checks before using your PC to bank online. Make sure the entire security feature that protects your computer are on. Rule 9: The security setting on your internet browser must be activated. Use Block ActiveX Control and let Java applet to run after confirmation. Do not make use of browser auto-completion function which is able to save your user name and passwords you enter and suggest matches. Rule 10: Do not make your current account available for fraudulent financial transaction. Any offers that is asking you to make your current account available for payment and other financial transaction for unknown firms and individual must be suspicious especially if they are located not within your country SOME ONLINE BANKING SCURITIES AVAILABLE Internet Security: Internet security refers to the methods used in protecting data and information in a computer from unauthorized persons. It is a serious issue in the world wide today. People who use internet should be using the internet should be well conscious of the trouble aroused as a result of it. A familiar methods used by people to guarantee information in internet are Encryption of the data Encryption of data deals with packaging up the original information into an unintelligible form that can be decoded using a certain technique. This is called cipher text. Usage of passwords -Passwords are used to avoid illegal entry of data so that the entire system is protected. Creation of passwords must be in a way that the other people do not simply guess it. Methods: There are some several methods that helps in internet security. They are listed below; Firewalls:This is software that filters unlawful access in a network. It must have a correct configuration and has to be combined with proxy firewall for a protected system. Taking Backup of Data: backup of the data from the system should be taken regularly. If the computer unexpectedly crashes down or the operating system failed to boot due to virus attack, by taking the backup data will reduce the penalty. Preventing Virus Attack: Viruses can affect computer, Trojan horse, worms etc as a result of some infected files downloaded from the internet. They are programs that are installed by itself and run at any time the host programs run and cause malicious attack. Baleful Links:Those who use the internet can avoid their system from getting affected by the virus by avoiding needless links and emails.Links may lead to download files suddenly. These cause a problem to the security of the computer and therefore must be avoided. File Sharing:Both original and pirated files are joined when files are shared on the internet thereby reduces the speed of the computer. This must be prevented. Routers:Some connections are prevented by certain routers from outside from the computer. NAT (Network Address Translation) is software that does this function and its of low cost and smallest amount complexity. Preventing Spy-Ware: Internet securities are threatened by several software. Without the permission of the user some software runs along with other application. Insider threat detection sill a challenge Threats detection from inside has always been a problem, but most investments in information security still tend to focus on keeping out viruses and intruders. The possible danger of a rascal employee can regularly be discounted, mistreated or just take the risk of doing business. A new survey conducted among 600 office workers in Canary Wharf, London and Wall Street, New York, revealed that many employees have no qualms about mishandling information. One-third of them said they would steal data to help a friend find a job, and 41% admitted they had already taken data, just in case they needed it in some future employment. Ron C. (2009) The study, which was commissioned by security company Cyber-Ark Software Inc., found that customers and their contact details were the favourite files to steal, followed by plans, proposals and product information. CUSTOMERS ATTITUDE Understanding of the impact of technology based transaction system on customers perceptions and behaviour is essential. (Moutinho et al. 2000).If banks are willing to integrate new technology into their existing relationship buildng activities Asher (1999) argued that cooperate customers seems to be willing to use internet as a key medium in banks dealings. He said the evidence suggest that coperate clints have shown a preference for online banking, due to the perception of being more cost effevtiv thah conventional channels Financial institutions use this technology in service delivery may often compromise bank business relation. (Keltner 1995) in terms of higher degree of convinience and accessability. (Devlin 1995) Therfore customers perception is very high in the delivery of the electronic banking. According to Nexhmi et al.(2003). Customers participate typically is the process of enabling customers to make their services, products. It can be diversified between the types of serv ices offered, even the services providers within the same market place for intance. Meuter et al.(2000) points out that self service technologies are increasing the way in which customers interact with their providers in the creation of service outcomes and are a typical example of a market place transaction that require no personal interaction FINANCIAL INSTITUTION AD MANAGERS ATTITUDE AND APPROACH Internet banking was still in a very young stage and its entire benefits has been realised.(Nath et. al 2001). In this case, managers of financial institutions attitude towards the perceptions of electronic channels were of significant importance.(Akinci et .al( 2004). Mols (2001) state that management support and future orientation were the two most important factors which driving the introduction and expectation of the new e-channel In another study, Mols (2000) grouped the bank managers according to their attitude towards internet banking: The sceptics the nervous, the positive and the reluctant groups. In Scotland, Moutinho et.al (2002) emphasized he scotish bank managers efficiency and enhancement of customer services as to perceive advantages of internet banking. Faster easier and more reliable service to customer and the improment of the competitive position were highlighted. (Aladwani ,2001). Based on the UK evidence,Li 2001 claimed that: the integrated banking model, aroun d which traditional banks have built their strategies in the past were showing sign of fragmentation In this sense, he sumerised four emerging internet model in the UK. The first was based on accepting internet banking as a new delivery channel that was integrated with existing model. The second model is called e-banking, was based on multibanking in which the internet was the integrative component. The third model consisted of creating baby e-banks with their own e brand name and product range. The last model was seen as entirely a new business model without a physical network. Laws, Directives, Regulations and Standards Shon Harris All in One Certified Information System Security Professional Exam Guide, Fourth Edition, 2008 Different laws, directives, regulations and standards were enacted for different reasons which include data protection, software copyright, data privacy, computer misuse as well as controls on cryptography. Health and safety, prevention of fraudulent activities, personal privacy, public order, intellectual property, environment protection and national security are reasons why the regulations can be implemented in governments and private sectors. The violation of these regulations has a severe punishment attached to them which may range from fine to jail term of up to ten years or more depending on the gravity of the crime committed. Examples of the regulations that governs information usage and protection are discussed briefly below The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) The SOX was enacted in 2002 as a result of the corporate scandals and fraud that threatened the economy of United States of America. This is also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 that applied to companies that publicly trading on United States market. How organizations must track, manage and report on financial information was provided for in the SOX requirements. Processes and controls must be in place to protect data because of the organizations reliance on computer equipment and electronic storage for transacting and archiving data, the section 404 of SOX is directly applied to information technology. Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and others can be jailed if the law is violated. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act This act is the primary U.S federal antihacking statute that was written in 1986 and amended in 1996.Prohibition was made on seven forms of activities and was made federal crimes: The knowing access of computers of the federal government to obtain classified information without authorization or in excess of authorization.. The intentional access of computer to obtain information from a financial institution, the federal government, or nay protected computer involved in interstate or foreign communications without authorization or through use of excess of authorization. The intentional and unauthorized access of computers of the federal government, or computers used by or for government when the .access affects the governments use of that computer. The knowing access of a protected computer without authorization or in excess of authorization with the intent to defraud. Knowingly causing the transmission of a program, information, code, or command and, as a result of such conduct, intentionally causing damage without authorization to a protected computer. The knowing trafficking of computer passwords with the intent to defraud. The transmission of communications containing threats to cause damage to a protected computer. The penalty for breaching this act ranges from felonies to misdemeanors with corresponding small to large fines and jail sentences. Employee Privacy Issues For a company to be adequately protected, various employee privacy issues must be considered within the organization. Organization must understand what it can and cannot monitor as a result of different state with different privacy laws. Organization must state it in its policy that monitoring in any form are done within the organization to prevent being sued by employee for invading their privacy. This is considered the best way in which organization can protect itself. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) The advent of internet and computer technology led to the increase in identity theft and credit card fraud which gives opportunity to millions to be stolen at once. Stabilizing customer trust in credit card as a safe way of conducting transaction and to curb the problem, a proactive step was taking by the credit card industry. The standard affects any entity that processes, transmits, stores or accepts credit data. The PCI Data Security Standard is made up of 12 main requirements that are broken down into six major categories. They are A Secured Network must be built and maintained. Requirement 1: To protect cardholder data, a firewall configuration must be installed and maintained Requirement 2: Ensure that systems passwords and other security parameters are not in vendors supplied defaults. Data of Cardholder must be protected. Requirement 3: Stored data of cardholder must be protected. Requirement 4: Across open and public networks, cardholder data must be encrypted in transmission Vulnerability Management Program must be maintained. Requirement 5:Anti-virus software must be used and updated regularly. Requirement 6: Secured systems and applications must be developed and maintained. Access Control Measures must be strong in its implementation. Requirement 7: Based on Business need-to-know, cardholder data access must be restricted. Requirement 8: Every individual having access to computer must be given a unique ID. Requirement 9: Physical access to cardholder data must be adequately restricted. Monitoring and Testing of Networks must be carried out regularly Requirement 10: All access to network resources and cardholder data must be tracked and monitored. Requirement 11: Security systems and processes must be regularly tested. An Information Security Policy must be developed and maintained. Requirement 12: A policy that addresses information security must be maintained The violation of the standard does not lead to jail term but may result in financial penalties or revocation of merchant status within the credit card industry because PCI DSS is a private sector initiative. 2.5 Database Security, Compliance and Audit by Charles Le Grand and Dan Sarel. Information Systems Control Journal Vol 5, 2008. Grand and Sarel (2008), states what it takes to adequately protect the database to ensure that compliance is met. It also provides information for auditing purposes. The objectives for ensuring database access control were also exploded by the authors. On the conclusion note of the article the authors said that the simple goal of ensuring database security is to ensure that only authorized individuals have access and all access is monitored. To limit access to only people whose jobs require it, access protection must apply to identifying the sensitive data elements: the methods for managing user credentials and access rights: and the records of who accessed what, when and what they did with it. Insider

The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr :: essays research papers

In the months between and including May and September, in 1807, Aaron Burr was tried by the Supreme Court in Virginia on the count of treason against the United States. During the period of 1804 to 1807, Burr allegedly committed several overt acts, which are actions, that may be innocent in themselves, but in combination with the intentions and results of that act, become criminal actions. The trial was about treason, which the Constitution defines as â€Å"levying war against [the United States], or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort,â€Å" (Art. III, Sect. 3) and the prosecution must prove that Burr committed the overt act with the testimony of two witnesses, for the treason conviction to stand. In this trial, Burr’s actions outside of the state of Virginia have no bearing on the overt act of assembling troops to levy war against the United States, and therefore the majority of his admissible actions occurred on Blennerhasset’s Island in Virgi nia. (Doc 108) Although the prosecution made a strong case for Burr’s guilt, the differentiation between his intentions and his actions, his background as an American patriot and the lack of concrete evidence, one must conclude that Aaron Burr is not guilty of treason. He perhaps was even the victim of a larger governmental conspiracy to rid him of all prestige, honor and legacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The prosecution tried to prove that Burr used his power to assemble an army of men to conquer New Orleans, then Mexico and eventually found a new nation composed of the Western American states and Mexico. The fault in their argument is that his actions do not necessarily point directly towards this conclusion. It is true that Burr wrote letters and even discussed a new war with Spain and the formation of a new nation, but this does not constitute treason for â€Å"individuals may meet together and traitorously determine to make dispositions to bring forces into the field, and levy war against their country; this is a conspiracy, but not treason.† (Doc 108) Therefore, even if Burr intended to eventually enact his plan, the simple act of planning it does not constitute treason. But even the true intentions of Burr remain unclear, for he had recently purchased 400,000 acres of land in the Western states and perhaps he assembled these men to settle it. (Doc 33) His actions of enlisting men, arming them and supplying them does not constitute treason because the overt act remains innocent without confirmation of intent to harm the United States.

Blind Essay -- essays research papers

Have you ever been completely oblivious to a situation that is taking place right behind your back? You think that everything is going just fine in your perfect little world. You have everything planned out and it seems to be working out right on track. Then all of a sudden you discover something so devastating that it changes your whole life, and everything you worked at for nearly a year. This is exactly how I felt when I found out that my girlfriend had been cheating on me. I felt like everything I had worked so hard to establish had been gone, and that I was all alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My life was going along perfectly. I was in the middle of soccer season. My team was destined for the District Championship, and already claimed the Laurel Highlands Championship. I had an amazing girlfriend, who I cared for a lot, and thought she cared about me. She was a junior at Westmont, and also played soccer. She was slightly shorter than me with long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. I constantly spending time with her, despite all of my time spent practicing for soccer. My life was focused on her and keeping our relationship a happy one. There was not a day that went by that I did not take the time to at least talk to her for a while, no matter what I had to do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was the happiest time of my life. I was a totally different person. I was nicer to everyone, and cared a lot more about what was going on around me. Before my girlfriend I was just a quiet shy kid that did not really talk to anyone. She really helped me to come out and talk to people and be a lot nicer person. I was almost certain I finally had a relationship that I thought would last more than just a couple of months. Maybe this would even be the one person I would spend my life with. That’s how strong our relationship was. I was trying my hardest to make sure that this would be true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For nearly a year, our relationship was amazing. Everything was working out perfectly. We had plenty of time to spend together and we were never really apart. I had just made the choice to come to UPJ meaning that I could be home and spend time with her. I would never make a choice that important, such as a college and my future based on another person, so that had nothing to do with it. Anyway, I would be staying here in the area so we would... ...blind to a situation. Before this had all happened I always used to think, wow, how stupid could someone be to not know that their girlfriend, or boyfriend, is cheating on them. Well, I guess I found out the hard way that it is not that easy to realize what is going on right behind your back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maybe I knew about it all along, maybe I am really not as blind as I think, maybe I was not clueless to it at all, and I just would not let myself believe that it was really true. How could someone that you care about so much, do something that heartless to you? It is almost unbelievable that a person can be that cruel. I spent a little over a year of my life caring and dedicating a great part of my life to this person. However, right behind me for nearly a month my life was drastically changing, and I had no idea of what was to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When my girlfriend cheated on me, I felt totally blind to the world. I was lost in my own world, and felt completely alone. The worst feeling I have ever experienced throughout my life was when this happened, and I hope I never have to go through anything like this again.

Class Inequality and Poverty as seen by Marx, Weber, and Lewis Essay

Our society today is currently experiencing a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. As the saying goes, â€Å"the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer,† our society attests to such truth, where the wealthy is gaining more money while the poor’s case is getting worse by the minute. Poverty is a big problem ever since the dawn of man. In an ideal world, the number of resources produced could feed more than any of the hungry mouths all over the world. But in reality, wealth is not distributed properly to every living individual. There are those who get more as compared to those who get less or get nothing at all. The sad reality If you take into consideration every living individual in a certain community, only a small fraction of its population enjoy living a well-off life, and a majority suffer from lack of resources or doesn’t have enough to fill their stomachs. A fraction of imbalance in the distribution of resources and wealth affects a greater number of people, wherein the sad reality lies on whom are the ones getting much and who are the ones gaining a lot. This is the sad reality in our society, where people thrive in a world filled with inequality and sadly, majority of the people suffer from the extra gains of some people. Class inequality can be traced way back in the history of men, when people learned to classify themselves, making some superior and some, well, rather inferior. Another sad reality is that the ones who are in the higher echelons of the society are the ones who are not doing actual hard labor. These people are the one’s capitalizing from the hard work of the poor working class, sweating their lungs out, literally giving their sweat and blood just to make money. This labor force is the one who is actually earning the money; it is their effort and strength that makes the real cash, not the ones bossing them around. But the harshness of life is reflected in this situation: the ones working hard gets paid less, barely enough to make a living out of it, while the ones bossing everyone around gets a much bigger share, wherein they have exerted minimal or no real effort in doing so. This is the present situation of the working class of the past, the present, and maybe of the future. There are some great thinkers who have pondered on these things so to speak. This people, though separated by different views, expressed their opinions about how inequalities in the classes happen and why poverty exists, depending on how they see the situation. Their take on the realities are reciprocated by approval or by rejection from the people looking at their ideas. Some may seem radical to others, but some deem that is the necessary thought for that certain specific topic. These great thinkers include Karl Marx, Max Weber and Oscar Lewis. Karl Marx’ views For Karl Marx, poverty is the outcome of the rampant class inequality that the society is suffering today. The working class, whom Karl Marx advocates, is the ones who are actually earning the money for the society. They are the ones who actually deserve to get much of the gains, rather those who are capitalizing from their labor. Marx stressed that capitalists are the ones bringing disarray in the society because they are actually contributing lesser work as compared to the laborers, yet they are getting most of the gains. In order to correct this, Marx strongly advocated the abolishing of capitalism and replaces it with communism. For him, it could be a way to alleviate poverty in the society today, rather than just letting the capitalists sit around and wait for the harvest of their money’s fruit, rather than giving the laborers the real fruits of their labors. In Marx’ belief, capitalism has been the root of the great class divide, the widening gap between different social strata, where the poor and the rich are distinctively apart from each other. This is because of the fact that a great part of the gains goes to the pockets and the bellies of the capitalists, who are theoretically â€Å"getting even richer,† the fact that they are the ones who have the money. On the other hand, the laborers, the ones who are exerting greater effort as compared to these capitalists, are not getting anywhere the definition of rich at all, hence, they are having the difficulty to cope with the increasing cost of living, thus worsening their status, with them experiencing the â€Å"poor is getting poorer† part (Hallas, 2002). Looking closely at Marx’ ideas, you could see that it could also be about freedom. It is being able to freely produce and receive what is rightfully yours, as for the part of the laborers, for their efforts, their hard work to be reciprocated with enough pay. It is about how the true â€Å"money-earners† – the laborers, be able to control various circumstances that could benefit them, and not the capitalists. They will be able to create a free society where their hard work will be equal to a good life for them and their families. Because of this, the society will be a better place as conceived by Marx. It will be an exploitation-free society, in the same time it will do away with oppression, racism, unemployment, war, from poverty and inequality. Max Weber’s views Max Weber’s idea revolved on the role of an authority when it comes to the distribution and allocation of the national resources. He also stressed out that the wealth of the country, the nation’s riches, came from the bureaucratic organizations present. They are clearly the ones influencing the allocation of these resources because as Weber sees it, they were the producers, not the common working class. His main idea stated that bureaucracy, an organizational arrangement of the people themselves, is to administration as compared to machine which is for production. Weber defines bureaucracy as an institutional method wherein the rules are applied to certain specific cases, thus justifying the government’s action as being fair and really predictable (â€Å"What Is Bureaucracy?† 2004). For Weber, poverty was not essentially a natural situation or condition. The situation of poverty could be broken, wherein the social status of the people could be alleviated from the poor to the not-so-poor, thus implying a chance for people to develop. But if you see the definition of poverty as being relative, there could still be people thriving below the poverty line. This is because of the margin of difference from the rich and the poor are also changing. But if you look closely, their way of life, their social standings, their lifestyles had been changed. Even though they are still considered to be poor, relative to the rich people, they are able to alleviate their way of life out of the slums and were able to live a normal and healthy lifestyle. Oscar Lewis’ views American born anthropologist Oscar Lewis created the social theory about the â€Å"culture of poverty.† This concept of social classifications justify the positioning of the poor in the society, wherein the concept explains that the poor people have a different value system. Because of this, the theory suggests that the poor are slumped in the situation of poverty because they are continually adapting from the burdens of poverty. For Lewis, the poor became â€Å"the poor† because they were transformed by poverty. Poverty became a standard in classifying a person’s social status, thus implying that the definition of being poor is relative. It depends on how you look at it. Being poor doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not eating well, not being able to enjoy life as much as others can, etc. etc. Being poor entail being placed in the lower part of the poverty line. If there are a lot of rich people, the poverty line could be changed, thus some of the rich people may be considered as poor (Burt, 2004). American situation The most applicable principle in the United States of America was the contribution of Oscar Lewis. The quality of life in America is far better than other countries in the world, yet there are still some poor people. This is relative to America’s situation as compared to the situation of another country. There is a possibility that a rich person in another country, when he goes to America, he will be considered poor. Another possibility could be that when a poor man in America goes to another country, he could be considered as rich. Lewis’ introduction of a culture of poverty could be applied in America’s situation, wherein the concept of the poor is just a creation of the concept of poverty. Creating an underclass could have resulted to the introduction of a higher class, thus there was a basis for comparison of the different classes that exist in a society. The poor existed because of the rich people’s existence and vice versa. Burt, D. S. (2004). Oscar Lewis. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.answers.com/topic/lewis-oscar Hallas, D. (2002). The legacy of Karl Marx. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.socialistworker.org/2002-2/423/423_08_HallasOnMarx.shtml What Is Bureaucracy? (2004). Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.semp.us/biots/biot_145.html