Abdul Kalam – Kalam’s Life Portrays

Kalam’s life portrays, what zest for life is all about. Kalam divides â€Å"wings of fire† into various phases of his life and builds on it. His humble childhood to his first break to disappointments to successes. He writes with passion about his mentors, his teachers and his colleagues. He writes at length about the birth and adolescent years of the Indian space program. He writes about how to be a good leader, a good motivator, a good project manager and a above all someone with passion and devotion towards his work. His Humble beginnings, hard work, persistence, and above all a passion for life and all things that are possible in it, are all well described in the book. He does all of this in very simple prose. What struck me throughout the book was his recollection of small snippets of poems or phrases from various sources. His citing of the various colleagues he worked with, his bosses or people he appointed through the 60 years of his career are also quite impressive. Although this makes an easy and gripping read, at times the transmission goes above your head due to the generous use of technical terms being used and complex rocket technology being described. However, APJ did a good job of drawing parallels with objects of layman understanding After reading the book, It makes you feel that you know the man more intimately, His humility strikes you down. A very refreshing book, from a refreshing person, giving a glimpse of what the power of positive thinking can help you do, given the shortcomings of the beaurocracy in a country such as India. Beating all odds, the man reached out to the stars, and has become one. Kalam never married. He writes that he found, to maintain relationships was more difficult than rocket science. So all you married folk can pat yourself on the back! It does though beg the question, to have that kind of passion and dedication does one have to give up worldly life as we know it and take up â€Å"sanyas† from everything but work? Whatever it maybe, you will come out satisfied after reading this book, having gained some pearls of leadership qualities, project management, rocket technology and the history of Indian space program. Above all you will be filled with patriotism (if Indian), passion, motivation and inspiration at the end of these 200 odd pages.

Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership Essay

To improve ethical decision making in business, one must first understand how individuals make ethical decisions in an organizational environment. Too often it is assumed that individuals in organizations make ethical decisions in the same way that they make ethical decisions at home, in their family, or in their personal lives. Within the context of an organizational work group, however, few individuals have the freedom to decide ethical issues independent of organizational pressures. ETHICAL – ISSUE INTENSITY The first step in ethical decision making is to recognize that an ethical issue requires an individual or work group to choose among several actions that various stakeholders inside or outside the firm will ultimately evaluate as right or wrong. Ethical issue intensity, then, can be defined as the relevance or importance of an ethical issue in the eyes of the individual, work group, and/or organization. it is personal and temporal in character to accommodate values, beliefs, needs, perceptions, the special characteristics of the situation, and the personal pressure prevailing at a particular place and time. Ethical – issue intensity reflects the ethical sensitivity of the individual or work group that faces the ethical decision – making process. Research suggest that individuals are subject to six â€Å"spheres of influence† when confronted with ethical choices – the workplace, family, religion, legal system, community, and profession – and that the level of importance of each of these influences wiil vary depending on how important the decision maker perceives the issue to be. Additionally, the individuals sense of the situation’s moral intensity increase the individuals perceptiveness regarding ethical problems, which in turn reduces his or her intention to unethically. Moral intensity relates to a persons perception of social pressure and the harm the decision will have on others. The perception of ethical issue intensity can be influenced by managements use of reward and punishments, corporate policies, and corporate values to sensitize employees. In the words, managers can affect the degree to which employees  perceive the importance of an ethical issue through positive and/or negative incentives. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS When people need to resolve ethical issues in their daily lives, they often base their decisions on their own values and principles of right or wrong. The generally learn these values and principles through the socialization process with family members, social groups, and religion and in their formal education. Research regarding individual factors that affect ethical awareness, judgment, intent, and behavior include gender, education, work experience, nationality, age, and locus of control. Education, the number of years spent in pursuit of academic knowledge, is also a significant factor in the ethical decision-making process. The important thing to remember about education is that it does not reflect experience. Work experiences is defined as the number of years within a specific job, occupation, and/or industry. Generally, the more education or work experiences that one has, the better he/she is at ethical decision making. Nationality is the legal relationship between a person and the country in which he/she is born. Age is another individuals factors that has been researched within business ethics. In other words, the older you are, the more ethical you are. However, recent research suggest that there is probably a more complex relationship between ethics and age. Locus of control relates to individual differences in relation to a generalized beliefs about how one is affected by internal versus external events or reinforcements. In other word, the concept relates to where people view themselves in relation to power. Those who believe in external control see themselves as going with the flow because that’s all they can do. They believed that the events in their lives are do to uncontrollable forces. They consider what they want to achieve depends on luck, chance, and powerful people in their company. Conversely, those who believe in internal control believe that they control the events in their lives by their own  effort and skill, viewing themselves as masters of their destinies and trusting in their capacity to influence their environment. ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS Although people can and do make individual ethical choices in business situations, no one operates in a vacuum. Indeed, research has established that in the workplace the organizations values often have greater influence on decisions than a persons own values. Ethical choices in business are most often made jointly, in work groups and committees, or in conversations and discussions with coworkers. The outcome of this learning process depend on the strength of each person personal values, the opportunities he or she has to behave unethically, and the exposure he or she has to others two behave ethically or unethically. A corporate culture can be defined as a set of values, beliefs, goals, norms and ways of solving problems that members of an organization share. An important component of corporate, or organizational, culture is the company’s ethical culture. Whereas corporate culture involves values and rules that prescribe a wide range of behavior for organizational members, the ethical culture reflects whether the firm also has an ethical conscience. Ethical is a function of many factors, including corporate policies on ethics, top managements leadership on ethical issues, the influence of coworkers, and the opportunity for unethical behavior. Obedience to authority is another aspect of the influence that significant others can exercise. Obedience to authority helps to explain why many employees resolve business ethics issues by simply following the directives as superior. OPPORTUNITY Opportunity describes the conditions in an organization that limit or permit ethical or unethical behavior. Opportunity results from conditions that either provide rewards, whether internal or external, or fail to erect  barriers against unethical behavior. Example of internal rewards include feelings of goodness and personal worth generated by performing altruistic acts. External reward refer to what an individual expects to receive from others in the social environment. Rewards are external to the individual to the degree that they bring social approval, status, and esteem. An example of a condition that fails to erect barriers against unethical behavior is a company policy that does not punish employees who accept large gifts from clients. Opportunity relates to individuals immediate job context – where they work, whom they work with, and the nature of the work. Opportunity also comes from knowledge. Major misconduct observed among employees in the workplace include lying to employees, customers, vendors, or the public or with holding needed information from them. The opportunity for unethical behavior cannot be eliminated without aggressive enforcement of codes and rules. BUSINESS ETHICS EVALUATIONS AND INTENSIONS Ethical dilemmas involve problem-solving situations in which decision rules are often vague or in conflict. The results of an ethical decision are often uncertain, no one can always tell us whether we have made the right decision. An individuals intentions and the final decision regarding what action he or she will take are the last steps in the ethical decision-making process. When the individual intention and behavior are inconsistent with his or her ethical judgment, the person may feel guilty. Guilt or uneasiness is the first sign that an unethical decision has occurred. The next step is changing one’s behavior to reduce such feelings. This change can reflect a persons values shifting to fit the decision or the person changing his or her decision type the next time a similar situations occurs. For those who begin the value shift, the following are the usual justifications that will reduce and finally eliminate guilt: 1.I need the paycheck and cant afford to quit right now. 2.Those around me are doing it so why shouldn’t I? they believe it’s okay 3.If I hadn’t have done this, I may not be able to get a good reference from my boss or company when I leave. 4.This is not such a big deal, given the potential benefits 5.Business is business with a different set of rules 6.If not me, someone else would do it and get reward The road to success depends on how the business person defines success. The success concepts drives intentions and behavior in business either implicitly or explicitly. USING THE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING FRAMWORK TO IMPROVE ETHICAL DECISIONS It bears repeating that it is impossible to tell you what is right or wrong; instead, we are attempting to prepare you make in framed ethical decisions. Although this chapter does not moralize by telling you what to do in a specific situation, it does provide an overview of typical decision-making processes and factor that influence ethical decisions. The framework is not a guide for how to make decisions but is intended to provide you with insights and knowledge about typical ethical decision making processes in business organizations. Because it is impossible to agree on normative judgments about what is ethical, business ethics scholars developing descriptive models have instead focused on regularities in decision making and the various phenomena that interact in a dynamic environment to produce predictable behavioral patterns. THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP AN A CORPORATE CULTERE Leadership the ability on authority to guide and direct others toward achievement of a goal, has significant impact on ethical decision making because leader have the power to motive others and enforce the organization’s rules policies as well as their own viewpoints. LEADRESHIP STYLE INFLUENCE ETHICAL DECISIONS Leadership styles influence many aspects of organizational behavior, including employees’ acceptance of and adherence to organizational norms and values. Styles that focus on building strong organizational values among employees contribute to shared standards of conduct. The ethical leadership concept is not only for CEOs, boards of directors, and managers but can also  be fellow employees. Ethical leadership by the CEO requires an understanding of the firm’s vision and values, as well as the challenges of responsibility and the risk in achieving organizational objectives. Six leadership styles that are based on emotional intelligence—the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively—have been identified by Daniel Goleman. 1.The coercive leader demands instantaneous obedience and focuses on achievement, initiative, and self-control. Although this style can be very effective during times of crisis or during a turnaround, it otherwise creates a negative climate for organizational performance. 2.The authoritative leader—considered to be one of the most effective styles—inspires employees to follow a vision, facilitates change, and creates a strongly positive performance climate. 3.The affiliative leader values people, their emotions, and their needs and relies on friendship and trust to promote flexibility, innovation, and risk taking. 4.The democratic leader relies on participation and teamwork to reach collaborative decisions. This style focuses on communication and creates a positive climate for achieving results. 5.The pacesetting leader can create a negative climate because of the high standards that he or she sets. This style works best for attaining quick results from highly motivated individuals who value achievement and take the initiative. 6.The coaching leader builds a positive climate by developing skills to foster long-term success, delegating responsibility, and skillfully issuing challenging assignments. Transactional leaders attempt to create employee satisfaction through negotiating, or â€Å"bartering,† for desired behaviors or levels of performance. Transformational leaders strive to raise employees’ level of commitment and to foster trust and motivation. HABITS OF STRONG ETHICAL LEADERS In particular, we believe that ethical leadership is based on holistic thinking that embraces the complex and challenging issues that companies face on a daily basis. Ethical leaders need both knowledge and experience to make the right decision. Strong ethical leaders have both the courage and the most complete information to make decisions that will be the best in the long run. Strong ethical leaders must stick to their principles and, if  necessary, be ready to leave the organization if its corporate governance system is so flawed that it is impossible to make the right choice. Ethical Leaders Have Strong Personal Character There is general agreement that ethical leadership is highly unlikely without a strong personal character. The question is how to teach or develop a moral person in a corporate environment. White, a leading authority on character development, believes the focus should be on â€Å"ethical reasoning† rather than on being a â€Å"moral person.† Ethical Leaders Have a Passion to Do Right The passion to do right is â€Å"the glue that holds ethical concepts together.† Some leaders develop this trait early in life, whereas others develop it over time through experience, reason, or spiritual growth. They often cite familiar arguments for doing right—to keep. society from disintegrating, to alleviate human suffering, to advance human prosperity, toresolve conflicts of interest fairly and logically, to praise the good and punish the guilty, or just because something â€Å"is the right thing to do.† Ethical Leaders Are Proactive Ethical leaders do not hang around waiting for ethical problems to arise. They anticipate, plan, and act proactively to avoid potential ethical crises.44 One way to be proactive is to take a leadership role in developing effective programs that provide employees with guidance and support for making more ethical choices even in the face of considerable pressure to do otherwise. Ethical Leaders Consider Stakeholders’ Interests Ethical leaders consider the interests of and implications for all stakeholders, not just those that have an economic impact on the firm. This requires acknowledging and monitoring the concerns of all legitimate stakeholders, actively communicating and cooperating with them, employing processes that are respectful of them, recognizing interdependencies among them, avoiding activities that would harm their human rights, and recognizing the potential conflicts between leaders’ â€Å"own role as corporate  stakeholders and their legal and moral responsibilities for the interests of other stakeholders. Ethical Leaders Are Role Models for the Organization’s Values If leaders do not actively serve as role models for the organization’s core values, then those values become nothing more than lip service. According to behavioral scientist Brent Smith, as role models, leaders are the primary influence on individual ethical behavior. Leaders whose decisions and actions are contrary to the firm’s values send a signal that the firm’s values are trivial or irrelevant. Firms such as Countrywide Financial articulated core values that were only used as window dressing. On the other hand, when leaders model the firm’s core values at every turn, the results can be powerful Ethical Leaders Are Transparent and Actively Involved in Organizational Decision Making Being transparent fosters openness, freedom to express ideas, and the ability to question conduct, and it encourages stakeholders to learn about and comment on what a firm is doing. Transparent leaders will not be effective unless they are personally involved in the key decisions that have ethical ramifications. Transformational leaders are collaborative, which opens the door for transparency through interpersonal exchange. Earlier we said that transformational leaders instill commitment and respect for values that provide guidance on how to deal with ethical issues. Ethical Leaders Are Competent Managers Who Take a Holistic View of the Firm’s Ethical Culture Ethical leaders can see a holistic view of their organization and therefore view ethics as a strategic component of decision making, much like marketing, information systems, production, and so on. Although his company is called Waste Management, CEO David P. Steiner is as committed to renewable energy as just about anyone working for a multibillion dollar business. Steiner was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by the Ethisphere Institute in 2007, and his company, Waste Management, was chosen as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2008. Case study : Tyco International: Leadership Crisis INTRODUCTION On September 12, 2002, national television showcased Tyco International’s former chief executive officer (CEO) L. Dennis Kozlowski and former chief financial officer (CFO) Mark H. Swartz in handcuffs after being arrested and charged with misappropriating more than $170 million from the company. They were also accused of stealing more than $430 million through fraudulent sales of Tyco stock and concealing the information from shareholders. The two executives were charged with more than thirty counts of misconduct, including grand larceny, enterprise corruption, and falsifying business records. Another executive, former general counsel Mark A. Belnick, was charged with concealing $14 million in personal loans. Months after the initial arrests, charges and lawsuits were still being filed—making the Tyco scandal one of the most notorious of the early 2000s. TYCO’S HISTORY Founded in 1960 by Arthur J. Rosenberg, Tyco began as an investment and holding company focused on solid-state science and energy conversion. It developed the first laser with a sustained beam for use in medical procedures. Rosenberg later shifted his focus to the commercial sector. In 1964, Tyco became a publicly traded company. It also began a series of rapid acquisitions—sixteen companies by 1968. The expansion continued through 1982, as the company sought to fill gaps in its development and distribution networks. Between 1973 and 1982, the firm grew from $34 million to $500 million in consolidated sales. THE RISE OF DENNIS KOZLOWSKI In 1975, armed with a degree in accounting, Dennis Kozlowski went to work for Tyco, following brief stints at SCM Corporation and Nashua Corporation. He soon found a friend and mentor in then CEO Joseph Gaziano. Kozlowski was impressed by Gaziano’s lavish lifestyle—company jets, extravagant vacations, company cars, and country club memberships. However, Gaziano’s reign ended abruptly in 1982 when he died of cancer. Gaziano was replaced by John F.  Fort III, who differed sharply in management style. Where Gaziano had been extravagant, Fort was analytical and thrifty. His goal was to increase profits for shareholders and cut the extravagant spending characterizing Gaziano’s tenure, and Wall Street responded positively to Tyco’s new direction. Kozlowski, who had thrived under Gaziano, was forced to adapt to the abrupt change in leadership. Adept at crunching numbers, Kozlowski focused on helping to achieve Fort’s vision of putting shareholders first. Kozlowski’s largest acquisition was Wormald International, a $360 million global fire-protection concern. Integrating Wormald proved problematic, and Fort was reportedly unhappy with such a large purchase. Fort and Kozlowski also disagreed over rapid changes made to Grinnell. Kozlowski responded by lobbying to convince Tyco’s board of directors that problems with Wormald were a â€Å"bump in the road† and that the firm should continue its strategy of acquiring profitable companies that met guidelines. KOZLOWSKI’S TYCO EMPIRE After Fort’s departure, Dennis Kozlowski, then 46, found himself helming Tyco International. With a new lifestyle—parties and multiple homes in Boca Raton, Nantucket, Beaver Creek, and New York City—and an aggressive management style, he appeared to be following in the footsteps of his mentor, former CEO Joseph Gaziano. Kozlowski knew Tyco from the bottom up, and stated that he was determined to make it the greatest company of the next century. Among other things, he recognized that one of Tyco’s major shortcomings was its reliance on cyclical industries, which tend to be very sensitive to economic ups and downs. In 1997, Kozlowski acquired ADT Security Services, a British-owned company located in Bermuda. By structuring the deal as a â€Å"reverse takeover,† wherein a public company is acquired by a private company so as to avoid the lengthy process of going public, Tyco acquired a global presence as well as ADT’s Bermuda registration. The majority of members had served for ten years or more, and they were familiar with Kozlowski’s management style. As directors, they were responsible for protecting Tyco’s shareholders through disclosure of questionable situations or issues that might seem unethical or inappropriate. Despite this, after the arrests of Kozlowski and Swartz, investigations uncovered the following troubling relationships among the  board’s members: 1.Richard Bodman invested $5 million for Kozlowski in a private stock fund managed by Bodman. 2.Frank E. Walsh, Jr. received $20 million for helping to arrange the acquisition of CIT Group without the other board members’ knowledge. 3.Walsh also held controlling interest in two firms that received more than $3.5 million for leasing an aircraft and providing pilot services to Tyco between 1996 and 2002. 4.Stephen Foss received $751,101 for supplying a Cessna Citation aircraft and pilot services. 5.Lord Michael Ashcroft used $2.5 million in Tyco funds to purchase a home. Meanwhile, Jeanne Terrile, an analyst from Merrill Lynch who worked for Tyco, was not impressed with Kozlowski’s activities and Tyco’s performance. Her job at Merrill Lynch was to make recommendations to investors on whether to buy, hold, or sell specific stocks. After Terrile wrote a negative review of Tyco’s rapid acquisitions and mergers and refused to upgrade Merrill’s position on Tyco’s stock, Kozlowski met with David Komansky, the CEO of Merrill Lynch. THE FALL OF DENNIS KOZLOWSKI AND OTHERS In early 2002, Kozlowski announced Tyco’s split of its four divisions into independent, publicly traded companies: Security and Electronics, Healthcare, Fire Protection and Flow Control, and Financial Services. Kozlowski stated, â€Å"I am extremely proud of Tyco’s performance. We have built a 5 great portfolio of businesses and over the five years ended September 30, 2001, we have delivered earnings per share growth at a compounded annual rate of over 40 percent and industry-leading operating profit margins in each of our businesses. During this same period, we have increased annual free cash flow from $240 million in 1996 to $4.8 billion in fiscal 2001. Nonetheless, even with this performance, Tyco is trading at a 2002 P/E multiple of 12.0x, a discount of almost 50 percent to the S&P 500.† Also in 2002, the New York State Bank Department observed large sums of money moving in and out of Tyco’s accounts. What made this unusual was that the funds were being transferred into Kozlowski’s personal accounts. Authorities discovered that Kozlowski had sought to avoid around $1 million in New York state import taxes. In September of that year, Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, who also had resigned, were indicted on thirty-eight felony counts for allegedly stealing $170 million from Tyco and fraudulently selling an  additional $430 million in stock options. Among other allegations, Kozlowski was accused of taking $242 million from a program intended to help Tyco employees buy company stock. REBUILDING AN EMPIRE After Kozlowski’s resignation, Edward Breen replaced him as CEO. The company filed suit against Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz for more than $100 million. The SEC allows companies to sue insiders who profited by buying and selling company stock within a six-month period. Tyco stated, â€Å"To hold him accountable for his misconduct, we seek not only full payment for the funds he misappropriated but also punitive damages for the serious harm he did to Tyco and its shareholders.†

The NYU scholarship on public health graduate program

I am pleased to apply for the NYU scholarship on public health graduate program. Since learning is a continuous lifetime process, I always wanted to gain knowledge of something innovative that will make me a better, rational and worthy person.To complement with the dynamic changes of society and provide the high-end demands of daily life, every individual who thirsts for knowledge of information needs further studies in order to sustain such changes and demands. I deem that I will learn about the world’s philosophies and applications in adaptation of its very nature and its elements in connection to International Business and Management geared towards health care.My career objectives in taking up advance study in this field are to become a competent and knowledgeable person when it comes to governance and to learn more for the purpose of service. With the learning experiences that I will acquire in the University, I will be able to materialize all my intentions in serving othe r people especially those who are in need.I believe that my training and experiences have prepared me for this kind of task since I consider myself result-oriented with a strong entrepreneurship background. My passion for healthcare management has led me towards the publication of a self-motivational weight-loss book called, â€Å"Kimchi Diet.†Together with these skills, I have further honed my knowledge in the area of driving business process, qualitative and quantitative market research and customer service improvements. As a Hospital Strategic Planner, I have achieved significant results related to promoting the growth of the group to where I belong, developing innovative curriculum for effective new staff training thereby increasing overall client volume.In the same vein, I have incorporated my skills in designing and implementing E-commerce sites and web portals in HR communication when I worked at The Gillette Company in Boston Massachusetts. While there, I developed Co ntent Management System for various web projects within the company.I am positive that the innate leadership and powerful drive for service within me will be developed while I am in the institution. I bequeath my humblest leadership, dedication and school spirit for the quest of knowledge. With the acquired knowledge I will have, I am certain to elevate and make better changes in human life not only in the campus but in the community where I belong and intend to serve. My optimism will help bring understanding and wisdom to the all people who need my assistance and service.I want to extend my help to other students in integrating their interests in global, regional and current issues. Through my own dealings of life over the years and a handful of experiences in and out of the four-corners of the classroom, I have grown to be a more responsible and mature person.Indeed, acquiring training in Public Heath Graduate Program will be the first step that I need to take to be able to accom plish my goals. I believe this program will help eager and zealous students like me with its curriculum possessing local and international focus and commitment for excellence. The program is what I need to develop a fuller understanding about the dynamic nature of public health.

We See and Understand Things not as They Are but as We Are Essay

We See and Understand Things not as They Are but as We Are - Essay Example   Descartes believes that knowledge is a conviction based on reason so strong that it cannot be shaken by any stronger reason (Newman, 2005). We all claim to know many things. For instance, we know when we are happy or sad, when we are not well or when we are lonely. We know when we love someone or hate someone. Rarely do we pause to analyze how this knowledge has come about. We take these for granted and we also believe that we know these things. We see and understand things not as they are but as we are. Only when we ask ourselves whether we really know these things do we get down to examining the knowing. This knowing takes place through different means. We see and understand through emotions, perception, and reason. Reasoning has been used by most philosophers to arrive at the truth and is an important way of learning according to the TOK. The reasoning is not through logic; it is not automatic but comes through experience. However, reason does allow analyzing the situation deeply and taking decisions. The reasoning is a collective endeavor by which people construct meaning together by exchanging, modifying and improving their ideas and opinions (IBO, 2006). The reason is present in everyday decision making and problem-solving. When disputes arise, the appropriateness of the reasons for acceptance of the facts is important. The reasoning is the ‘common sense’ way of knowing things and it does not depend upon the limits of sensory observation (Ehman, n.d.). This faculty of ‘common sense’ has been granted only to human beings which means the power of reasoning rests with human beings. The Foolish Friend is the story of a king who groomed his monkey to be his closest aide, the most trustworthy and natural companion (Ashliman, 2002). One day while taking a stroll in the garden, the king asked the money to ensure that nothing disturbed while he took rest. The money kept strict vigilance and very sincerely too.  Ã‚  

If a tree falls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

If a tree falls - Essay Example From his portrayal of McGowan, the producer seems sympathetic of the plight of this radical activist and the ELF as a whole, albeit from a neutral perspective. The producer has used McGowan’s case to represent plight of the ELF and has also examined the origin of radical environmentalism and has highlighted the destruction that was brought by the Earth Liberation Front in the 1990’s. He has also discussed the issue of terrorism as explained by the government, and in the process he has presented a character, McGowan who does not meet the criteria of being a terrorist in the post 9/11 era. The documentary aims to establish whether crimes directed towards property, and no person is injured constitute terrorism. Through the documentary, we learn that the ELF, which is a conglomeration of radical environmental organizations/groups, opted for civil disobedience and annihilation of environmental abuse symbols when it was unable to accomplish its objectives (Miller & Vandone 67). Therefore the producer of the documentary seeks to establish whether these heinous acts, in the name of radical environmentalism, were terrorist acts. As th e documentary progresses, we feel that Curry is sympathetic about the manner in which radical environmentalists are regarded as terrorists. He gives one example in Oregon when protesters were dispersed by police by tear gas canisters. From this, the audience pities these radical environmentalists who were manhandled by police officers. Therefore, it would seem that the producer used this scenario to depict his sympathy towards radical environmentalists like McGowan. The producer has used McGowan effectively to post the questions that he had in mind. Through McGowan, we sympathize with a former member of the ELF who has been sentenced to life imprisonment due to charges of ‘terrorism’’. McGowan had already

Employee Empowerment at Zappos.com Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Employee Empowerment at Zappos.com - Essay Example This yields to the employees’ happiness where in turn due to the freedom and numerous benefits they usually enjoy, become loyal and creative in execution of their respective roles. Bearing letter â€Å"Z† on the cheeks even by the CEO erodes that status quo of boss ranking, which belittles the staffs (CBSNews, 2010). Zappos.com empowerment entails urging staffs to deliver â€Å"Wow services†, which implies, which will leave an emotional impact to its clientele (Hsieh, 2010). This calls for creativity and undertaking ordinary tasks with ingenuity besides being innovative, which the firm usually advocates and maintains as its culture. Zappos.com contends that, its services are not average; hence, the employees ought to be more than average and above those of the other firms. The emphasis of the firm to deliver â€Å"Wow services† to their clients with a bit of creative weirdness makes them feel served adequately and to their satisfaction. For instance, over the telephone conversation where the company has no limits when the staffs are assuring the customers of what they are purchasing (Hsieh, 2010). Employees’ application of their marketing knowhow coupled with the creativity of interaction skills especially via the telephone wins the clients’ confidence and trust. This augments their sales contrary to other corporations that have chosen to keep the formal methods (Zappos.com, n.d). Corporations ought to adopt the approach employed by Zappos.com, which has enabled it make a tremendous steps both in its profitability and in position among the most preferred firms by employees. Besides, numerous formal ethics, which studies have advocated, their application in the market field normally do not apply to all enterprises (CBSNews, 2010). Since, satisfying clients’ desires entails free social intermingling online and assurance,

Art history (Tibetan Buddhist and Mandalas) Essay

Art history (Tibetan Buddhist and Mandalas) - Essay Example ode of ethics based on the idea of causing no harm to others while recognizing the interconnectedness of life, meditation emerged as a strong tool for finding focus and attaining balanced, well-thought-out decisions. This practice has been perfected in Tibet in the Kalachakra tradition and has been expanded into the Western world through the beautiful and fascinating art form of the mandala. The mandala has a basic circular form that causes it to be recognized as a mandala, but can be highly differentiated to reflect the beliefs, customs, practices or traditions of a particular individual or group. Its primary purpose is to facilitate meditation while serving as a reminder of the deity, the code of ethics and the impermanence of nature. Taking a look into the traditions of the mandala, therefore, can help facilitate greater understanding of more modern interpretations of this ancient art form. Traditionally, the mandala, also known as the dkyil khor, is considered to be the visual representation of the spiritual embodiment of Buddha. â€Å"The word dkyil khor means ‘center-circumference’ and describes both the essential geometric structure and ritual significance of mandalas† (George, 2000). Wayman (1980) indicates that the center is the essence of Buddha while the circumference refers to the concept of grasping, enclosing or containing, thus understanding the essence. Through this translation, the necessarily circular form of the mandala as well as the association of it with the ideas of spirituality and enlightenment becomes clear even as the art form has been transferred out of its original context in the Buddhist temples and in the care of the monks and into the larger mainstream Western society. Because these concepts are intrinsic to the art form, they have necessary transferred out as well. Within Western dictionaries and encyclopedias, the term mandala has been broadly defined as a â€Å"geometric design intended to symbolize the universe, and

Brand makrketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Brand makrketing - Essay Example The primary goal of brand positioning is to build a strong and longer-lasting relationship between the brand and buyer. With so many brands out there competing for consumer's attention, this takes some doing indeed. This makes brand positioning an unenviable exercise of communicating in an "over-communicated" society, whose objective is to let your stand out in the din of marketing activities. You may have an excellent product in your hands, manufactured in the most innovative process, but this does not guarantee success in the present-day market where image and symbols are more important than process, product quality or need. The symbolic meanings of brand include prestige, status and personality. For a company to develop its brand positioning effectively, it must project an image that has these symbolic meanings of brand. A brand is made up of the name, logo and other visual elements like images, fonts, color schemes, and symbols. All these are part of brand image, a symbolic construct created within the minds of people, which consists of all the information and expectations associated with a product or service. In developing a brand positioning strategy, the logical first step is visibility. The organization needs to give its brand maximum visibility and this entails a lot of expense and effort, such that brand positioning is not for top management and CEOs who are overly concerned with costs. While making the brand visible, there are 6 suggested strategies of brand positioning that the company can take up: 1. Link the brand to a particular need. The brand should be presented as an answer to a consumer need that has not been adequately served by existing brands. 2. Associate the brand with a pleasant mood. People want escape from the stresses of modern living, so any brand that evokes ugly and unpleasant moods is likely to rate low in consumer preferences. 3. Make the brand appeal to subconscious motives. Marketing techniques that are indirect and subtle make people think, contrary to those that are too simple and direct. 4. Condition the consumers' mind to prefer the brand through a reward system. A reward system may come in the form of giveaways, taste tests and similar promotional activities. 5. Provide attractive models for consumers to emulate. The company may sign up movie stars and beauty queens as its brand icons for such brands as personal care products, who will endorse the brand in all its ads. For consumer brands targeting men, high-profile athletes are appropriate as brand icons. 6. Break through the known perceptual and cognitive barriers to consumer preference. These barriers may have something to do with culture, such that a product designed for Western consumers will have little appeal to Asians. 2. Brand Personality Question: How can a cereal manufacturer use the brand personalitytheories to solve a problem regarding a new brand of breakfast cerealit has developed that it wants to give a brand personality distinct from its other cereal products The

Peer response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Peer response - Assignment Example knowledge from actual employment, as well as the development of skills, would augment the theoretical frameworks that educational institutions provide. Alliances and partnerships with private and public organizations must be forged to enable students to gain the benefits of experiential learning. It would be interesting to know any perceived disadvantages which preclude the proposed application of experiential learning in course curricula. The criterion which allegedly meets the quasi-experimental research method as described in the study clearly and evidently affirmed that lack of random assignment as the sole determining factor. Given that the authors aimed to explore the ability of institutions offering character development programs, as compared to institutions that do not. Therefore, it was commendable to have suggested that to convert the methodology to experimental, random assignment of students could be applied. The ability of random assignment could increase the veracity of the findings, as well as determine consistency in the conclusions that were arrived at. As such, in the proposed research, although the quasi-experimental method was already affirmed to be applied, measures that could remove biases and increase objectivity could be instituted to enable increasing the credibility and reliability of the

Historical Development of Graphic Design and Animation Theories Essay

Historical Development of Graphic Design and Animation Theories - Essay Example From the research it is clear that early specimen of graphics manifested in the form of symbols, signs and writings on any surface. A myriad of graphic designs were developed through time applying different techniques to capture the attention of the admiring audience. It was not until the 1920s when a group of German psychologists namely: Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka, devised a systematic approach in graphical design perception. They based their interpretation of graphical design on the notion of completion, where audiences sub-consciously view separately arranged entities as a single item. According to the paper finding colors were incorporated into graphics. This was so because colors were able to convey emotions and moods unlike previous monotonous colors (black and white). From the latter events, it can be presumed that colors breathed life into graphics. Most people’s initial knowledge on color, seem to suggest that all colors are simple mixture of three primary colors; green, red and blue. The color theory vehemently disputes this notion. It is crucial to understand the basics of color formation so as to accurately utilize those (colors) in graphic design to imply various moods. The contentious issue of color formation dates back to the 15th century where a number of disciplines were used in explaining the concept, namely; chemistry, mathematics and physics. Not all yielded to viable conclusion.

Responsible luxury business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Responsible luxury business - Research Paper Example For holding their positions in the market the companies design their luxury businesses in sustainable way. This helps the firms to enhance the core values of their business. Sustainable business approaches of luxury businesses benefit the environment and their employees. As a result these companies are able to create strong position in market. This research paper deals with the luxury brand Gucci. Sustainability of this luxury business will be discussed in this paper. Various sustainable approaches of this company will be highlighted here. This research paper will focus on views of different authors regarding sustainability in luxury business. A business incorporates different standards for making its luxury business more sustainable. As per the authors, Crane and Matten, in the modern business environment sustainability has become an important factor for achieving growth and success. Sustainable business creates positive impact on employees, customers and society. With the help of sustainable approaches a company enhances its business activities. The authors state that in the changing business environment the luxury companies are focusing more on their responsibilities towards society, employees and environment. They are performing various activities which help them to portray their corporate social responsibilities. The products of the luxury brands are highly desired by people. These products are of high standards. For this reason the luxury companies maintain their standards by performing good social activities. Brand name or reputation of luxury business plays a vital role in selling their products. When this type of company performs various sustainable activities then its reputation gets enhanced and the po pularity of the brand increases. Therefore sustainable business processes of luxury business help the company to attract more customers (Crane and Matten, 2010). According to the authors, Moore and

Nutrition - Food Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Food Essay In our today’s society, especially western countries, the issue of fast food seems to be at the top of every health related debate. As these debates become more controversial, the question of who bears the responsibility remains unanswered. In his essay, Don’t Blame the Eater, David Zinczenko attempts to answer this key question by placing the greater responsibility of America’s obesity and other fast food related health issues on the fast food industries. Contrary to Zinczenko’s argument, Raldy Balko, in his essay, What You Eat Is Your Business, states that, people should take ownership of their health and well-being, and are therefore responsible for what and how they eat. Although both Zinczenko and Balko address the issue of responsibility, though with contrast, but valid arguments, Zinczenko seems to present a more convincing argument due to the way in which he explains the politics of food, the way in which our lifestyles are altered by what we eat, and things we can do to change the way we see food and its role in our lives. Although Zinczenko hold consumers responsible to an extent, he blames the fast food industries for the rising rate of obesity and other health issues related to fast food due to their failure to provide labels for their products. Zinczenko convincingly supports his claim by noting statistical data that shows the rise in money spent to treat diabetes. â€Å"Before 1994, diabetes in children was generally caused by a genetic disorder only 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity related, or Type 2 diabetes. Today, according to the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country†(Zinczenko 392). He argues that, if the fast food companies are regulated so that they are responsible for their food contents, by providing proper labels, than consumers will make informed food choices. Contrary to Zinczenko, Balko argues that what one eats should be a matter of personal responsibility. To Balko’s credit, I believe that people should take personal responsibility for their health by adding a sensible diet and exercise to their routines. Where I differ from Balko is when he says that government restrictions on food are a result of people making poor food choices. According to Balko, â€Å"a society where everyone is responsible for everyone else’s well-being is a society more apt to accept government restrictions† (397). I think Balko’s argument in this regard, is a selfish one, and is an attempt to exempt the rich from paying their fair share of taxes that would otherwise benefit the poor or some middle families who cannot afford the high cost of health insurance. Both Zinczenko and Balko seem to agree on the rising health costs that are somehow a result of fast food, these two authors seem to differ on reasons. Zinczenko argues that health care cost is on the rise because of diseases caused by fast food due to the failure of fast food companies to provide labels and that consumers should not be blame for it. However, Balko argues that it is so that, we allow the â€Å"government to come between us and our waistline† (396). Balko states that, the more the government continues to fund health issues that are direct attribute of poor food/health choices, the more people will continue to dine on fast food and engage not in an effective diet and exercise regimen. (398) The growth of the fast food industry and the rate at which fast food is consumed is so fast, and its accompanying risks of obesity and related cardiovascular diseases have become a societal epidemic. Zinczenko blames the fast food industries for the spring in the rate to which obesity have grown in the United States. Even though Zinczenko is right about the rising rate of obesity, and that the consumption of fast food forms part of its etiology, the thesis of his argument cannot be proven and therefore cannot form the basis for his claims against the fast food companies since there are other contributing factors regarding the cause, onset, and progression of obesity. Obesity is also biologically linked. These biological attributors include: genetics, hormones, enzymes, and vitamins and minerals. Some people have fat in their genes that, no matter what they do, they are just fat. Others have issues with hormonal imbalances and or inadequate enzymatic actions that would aid in the adequate digestion and absorption of certain foods. Fast food is just one of the many environmental attributes associated with obesity. So Zinczenko can accurately make his case against the fast food industries for providing labels so as to enable consumers make informed food choices and not a case of obesity. Sometimes, people are too fast to pass judgment on others, especially people that are obese. I am equally guilty of the accusation myself. I work as a nurse at a nursing home facility and, in most cases, when staff member comes to me complaining of headache, first thing I say to them is; let’s check your blood pressure and, God forbid, the blood pressure is elevated, or if that person just look fat to me, my next comment is, it is because of all the junk you eat. My judgment, though may be incorrect, is based on the fact that most of these staff members are single parents, live in inner cities, and have a total commute time of two hours to and from work. Not to mention, some of them have more than one job. However, these people are being made to feel guilty about something that is totally out their control. In most instances, their wages aren’t even enough to meet up with their rents and utilities bills. Fast food comes handy in such instance where one can spend ten dollars and get ten cheeseburgers to feed a family of three to five versus going to the grocery store where each healthy ingredient is almost equivalent to the price of the entire dinner comprising of fast food. People fall back on fast food because it is cheap. Zinczenko explains that his parents were split up and that he had to live with his mother who worked long hours just to make the monthly bills. â€Å"Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. † (Zinczenko 391). In Zinczenko’s case, his lifestyle is altered because fast food is his only option since his family is dysfunctional. His single mother has to work very hard to pay bills and provide him a meal. It doesn’t matter the kind of meal. A meal is a meal, especially for someone who doesn’t have the time to prepare a home cooked meal. The people afflicted with fast food related obesity are not to blame for what they eat because they have very little or no options regarding what they eat due to all of the above reasons. However, to Balko’s point, while people may not have the option about what they eat, they have the option to control how they eat. Zinczenko states in his essay that fast food is â€Å"the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal†, and so, he urges his readers not to â€Å"blame the Eater† (392). But as with Zinczenko, we are well aware of the role fast food play in our lives. We understand that, though fast may be one, or the only available meal choice that we have, the way we eat can help us determine the role these foods play in our lives. Zinczenko supports his argument about the role food play in his life by giving information about his pre-college weight. â€Å"By age 15, I had packed 212 pounds of torpid tallow on my once lanky 5-foot-10 frame† (392). Even Zinczenko believes that, consumers are as equally responsible for the way they eat. However, he maintains his argument that the fast food companies bare the greater responsibility. In conclusion, both the eater and the producer are responsible for fast food related obesity, but I believe that the fast industries should bare the greater responsibility. Fast food companies must provide their consumers with proper food labels that enable them to make inform decision about what they eat. Label should not be falsified or misleading, like in the example giving by Zinczenko about the misleading label on the â€Å"chicken salad† (393). He refers to the salad as not healthy and that it is a caloric death- trap aimed at eaters who will not suspect it. Although Balko makes some really good points, his objectives seem to me as a means to an end. Zinczenko cautions that there are few or no alternatives to what we eat and that things have to change. Balko cautions that allowing food regulations for labels means letting the government between you and your waistline. In either case, we as a people have a responsibility to consider what and how we eat.

Software piracy: An overview

Software piracy: An overview SOFTWARE PIRACY IN AFRICA Software piracy is a combination of two different words which are software and piracy. Software can be defined as generic term for computer programs which operate the computer itself; Also Microsoft Encarta dictionary defined the word software as programs and applications that can be run on a computer system. Piracy can simply be defined as the unauthorized reproduction, doubling and distributing or use of copyrighted materials; as for this software piracy can be the illegal copying of software for distribution within the organizations, schools, homes or to friends, clubs and other groups, or for duplication, selling, and installing multiple copies onto personal and work computers. Citizens duplicate or copy software illegally from Macromedia, Adobe, Symantec, Autodesk, Microsoft, Grisoft e.t.c. Africa happens to be the worlds largest and second among the most heavily populated continent after Asia; it has different ethnic group. According to the piracy rate, Africa is one of the highest continents that has or make pirated soft wares in the world. With a 36% piracy rate, South Africa has the lowly piracy rate in Africa, where Nigeria and Kenya are the highest within the region as for 2000-2001 with 71% and 77% respectively as Zimbabwe has the highest in the world where South Africa has just one proportion above the overall average of 35%, according to the 3rd yearly International Data Corporation (IDC) and Business Software Alliance (BSA) overall software piracy study unconfined recently. South Africas piracy rate has decreased one proportion point in the current year, however still represents a 1.2b rand thrashing. The minor decrease in software piracy is qual ified to government act and the obtaining of renowned laptops other than desktop computers full by local assemblers. According to Stephan le Roux, the chairman of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) in South Africa in the following site: http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?id=1516s=latestnews Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director Africa Wednesday, June 14, 2006 Software piracy ruins one of the main hurdles to understand the possible of the information economy in South Africa, on the continent and certainly roughly the world, As we are happy that piracy levels are dropping, there is still an anxiety for our local economy that over a third of software in use is against the law. This anxiety rises when you look at some countries in Africa, where as few as one in ten copies of packaged software are legally paid for. Due to the analysis made, the average rate for the African countries reviewed surpassed 70%, in Zimbabwe 90% of the software used is illegal and banned. Jointly with Vietnam, Zimbabwe has the maximum software piracy rate in the world. The mainstream of the African countries for which exact data is available Cameroon (84%); Botswana and Ivory Coast, Algeria and Zambia (83%), Nigeria and Senegal (82%), Tunisia and Kenya (81%) have a piracy rate above 80%. The study estimates that the rest of the countries in Africa, incorporated under the entry of extra Africa, have an average piracy rate of 84%. Egypt has been running to turn out to be a center for Arabic software, but also it has a 64% piracy rate with proportion point lower than the preceding year; while Morocco, which has just been highly praised by the humanity Intellectual Property Organization for adopting dealings to improve its IP system, contained a 68% piracy rate four proportion points lower than the preceding time. Morocc o is among the four countries with the leading proportion point in the preceding year. According to Angola press, quoting Hlatshwayo in http://www.warsystems.hu/?p=189 by bodo on 16/10/06 Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Botswana and Kenya are named as the principal culprits; and As a result of piracy in Africa Microsoft lost $31 million between 2004 and 2006. Many African developing countries need to have IT staffs and implements ICT to joint the todays global world, but to purchase single software is too expensive where they use this reason and makes piracy or uses pirated software; what ever be the case, reasons for copying or making piracy are categorized into 3: 1) purpose of use, 2) economic reasons, and 3) legal reasons. Purpose of use Reasons in this compilation transmit to the reason of use (non-commercial use, running purposes at home, studying, testing) or to the method of using the software (momentary use, compatibility reasons). The subsequent examples demonstrate these views: It is satisfactory in non-business use (for example, studying); it is not satisfactory for trade purposes. You preserve not research by means of costly software earlier than you purchase it experimenting previously makes executive simple and gives self-assurance, I experience the licensing cost for many equipment foolishly patronize while I work at home in addition to at work. Economic reasons In this compilation, the purpose for the illegal duplication of software is based on economic issues. According to respondents, the motives after these reasons are paucity (lack of money) and the wish to accumulate or save money (cost-benefit/efficiency). The subsequent extracts demonstrate these views: In a family there is a jobless computer professional who needs to preserve and keep up his professional Skills, but the family has no money, so the only opportunity is unlawful or illegal copying of computer software. The cost-benefit association does not arrive up to hope. think, for example, games, which one can only play from first to last once, and which outlay 250-350 Finnish marks 50-70 USD/EURO. Legal reasons In this compilation, the purpose for illegal duplication of software is based on legal issues. According to respondents, the rule was measured conventional, or it does not believe duplication as illegal doings. Examples follow: It is not unlawful for personal persons (in Finnish rule this subject is not an illegal offence as far as persons are concerned) the accessible rule is bad, hard and conventional concerning this issue. Software piracy is an act that is against the law and has many problems or harms; among the problems of software piracy are: Software companies compact with very high losses due to software piracy. Pirates expand a lot of money from their software piracy. People are not attentive that what they are doing is a crime. Reasons why the unauthorized copying of software is unacceptable are clustered into three different content categories: negative consequences, free software available, moral and legal reasons and other reasons. Negative consequences The reasons under this compilation are based on the perceived negative consequences of the unauthorized doubling of software. According to respondents, the duplication of software brings on the following kinds of harmful penalty: the worth of software grow weaker, Systems run out since people in all-purpose are not paying software, the cost of software rises and the motion affects sincere and truthful users. Some respondents wrote in ACM Digital library p-siponen: It is possible that the software will weaken in quality, if the software does not bring in anything (widespread copying). The producers of programs lose money and their future production [of software] will suffer. The price of software stays high because only a few buy software. Moral and legal reasons The respondents alleged wickedness at the same time as reasons against illegal copying of Software. Examples are as follows: dishonesty; if unlawful software is used on behalf of earning then that work is morally wrong. If software is duplicated destined for earning money or if it is copied in huge amounts or if individual earns ones income through repetition or copying, I believe those actions wrong I have lawfully bought some of the software I use, but I also have copies of software. If I ever need program/programs for purposes of earning my living, I will definitely buy it/them. The question here is Why Do Piracy Rates Differ? Generally unspecified factors to clarify piracy were grouped into four categories: economic factor, technical factor, regulatory factor and social factor. By looking at each of them individually: Economic Factors. Researchers have long documented the consequence of software price in piracy. According to Shin et al after his research in ACM Digital Library p-bagchi suggest that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is inversely related to software piracy level. Given the decrease in software prices, it may be that a countrys GDP has less of an effect on piracy than it did some years ago. GDP was bringing into being to be a major marker of piracy in 1996 however not in 2001 or in 2003. More, GDP only might give explanation barely 62%à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬63% of the difference in piracy. These findings may help clarify why dissimilar studies have indoors at dissimilar conclusions regarding the Role of GDP. It appears that the shrink in comparative cost of software has pointed the need for piracy. Specified the raise in piracy above this time, nevertheless, it follows that supplementary factors are concerned, and promote that these factors are rising in shock. Technical Factors. Software piracy is assumed to be more widespread in nations with low IT infrastructure given that the eminence of existing software is minor. Thus, people frequently copy and work with pirated software. The difficulty is compounded as software revisions occur. While the necessitate to remain ready for action in the course of upgrades is essential, it is meaningful only if reasonable lots of researchers also consider that software piracy has also flourished through the beginning of the Internet given that some Web sites offer a complimentary software or at prices cheaper than the manufacturers. Regulatory Factors. By commanding elevated tariffs, therefore ever-increasing the cost of software, governments may innocently support piracy. Developing nations repeatedly enforce elevated tariffs on computer products and thus their piracy rates are superior. It is also thought that low censures for import and elevated accessibility of pirated software are also reasons for piracy growth. Copyright rules are well thought-out foreign-induced, without problems understood and outlying fewer strictly forced. According to Meso et al in ACM Digital Library p-bagchi he identified enforcement of copy write laws as a salient issue in the development of a sound national IT policy. However, governments do not consistently implement such rules, partly because of lax law-enforcement facilities and institutional traditions that tend to ignore corruption. Thus, while enforcement of intellectual property rights and proper education may alleviate the problem, in reality few offenders are caught or pr osecuted. Occasional raid s from law-enforcement authorities have seldom disturbed the flow of pirated software. In nations that allow pirated software to be sold at lower prices, black markets have flourished. Individuals and companies in these nations may not even be aware that buying pirated software is illegal since the software has an aura of legitimacy. The overall effect of low censure and easy availability can be captured by the indicator of corruption. Corruption can be defined as the charge of obtaining rights that merely the State can lawfully award, such as preference in loans, taxation, subsidies, tariffs, regulation, and government contracting. Social/Cultural Factors. These factors pass on to the established social or construction of a country and the attitudes joint by members of that society. Single assess of social or public structure is the merit between independence, an insecurely joined social network where people take care of themselves and collectivism, a strongly joined social network where the group reaction is strong. Software piracy is popular in collectivistic societies where people tend to create a psychological detachment among members of the in-group and the out-group. Obligations or devotion to in-groups are measured awfully essential, and in switch over people look forward to that members of in-groups will look after them. Out-groups, on the other hand are not deemed valuable of esteem, given that they do not donate to the broad comfort of the in-group. In such societies, software purchased by a person is estimated to be collective among members of the in-group. given that nearly all collectivistic societ ies lean to be third-world or developing countries, software producers in overseas nations are viewed as out-group Even though software piracy is against the law there are certain companies that benefit from software piracy; according to the president of Microsoft Corps business division within a question at Morgan Stanley Technology Conference the president Jeff Raikes, he admitted to facilitate the companys benefits on or after software piracy in an obvious tilt of the hat to the open basis software giving out replica; he also added by saying there was a well line among seeing high numbers of consumers and making sure that they are using genuine products. He said our favorite objective is that we would like people to use our product. If theyre going to plagiarize someone, we would like it to be us to a certain extent than someone else, he further says. And thats because we appreciate that in the long run the basic benefit is the install foundation of people who are working with our products. Also in addition to that, according to Adrian a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users gets the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=111 on 4 October 2006 said I have a propensity to control my property here to hardware related matters, but I experience forced to remark on the newest twistsin theWindows Genuine Advantage saga. This newest twist is the declaration that Windows Vista is to containtechnology comparable to WGA intoit.This statement came out on 4 October 2006viaMicrosoft Press Pass in the form of a press release announcing software protection platform (SPP). Now, whileI dont overlook software piracy for a minute, I use to get it tough tomake much compassionfor the Redmond monster. The method that Microsoft has implemented SPP and WGA doesnt formulate it obvious that the judgment agreed on a PC can be flawed. As an alternative they areforcing individuals who by mistake accused of software piracy to excavate bottomless hooked on their pockets and come up with an additional $149, all because of a software virus. That isnt just incorrect, its wickedness. Allow me suggest the subsequent reaction to career: mistakenly condemning somebody of software piracy is in addition not victimless. See, the thing that bothers me concerning Windows Genuine Advantage and Software Protection Platform is not so much the technology but rather the Draconian way Microsoft is wielding this power over users. Microsoft is confidently dedicated to the perspective that everyone flagged as running a duplicated copy of Windows have to be running a duplicated copy. If the system works and just picks up on individuals running non-genuine copies of Windows, thats great. The world believes that everything that has advantages must have disadvantages; after the advantage of software piracy according to some communities and companies; software piracy disadvantages many people through different ways like the pirate, manufacturers, permanent consumer. If the pirate is caught, he or she spend time in prison, faces rigid and the company also decides to force down charges; a pirate is very liable to download a Trojan or even spy ware, but due to the fact that he likely does a lot of downloading in general, and also because many invented cracks and keygens are actually malware in costume. If pirates are pirating software from a particular company, the company does not receive as much money for their product. To manufacture software can be very expensive, and the cost needs to be recouped in the shear bulk of sales. Due to lack of revolving large profit, they cannot have enough money to finance another round of development, research and also cannot produce new and enhanced versions. The consumers has to deal with the improved anti-piracy safeguards, such as entering product activation key code, and sometimes even a special dongle one must plug into their computer; categorize the company who makes the software to offset the effects mentioned above, they have to increase the per-copy price of the software. Even Microsoft is not immune to this, thats why they created a $300 version of windows vista, even though XP professional only cost perhaps $200. Software piracy has different issues like ethical, professional, social, and legal. Looking at the ethical and professional issues we have: Programmers and the theater artists lose income when copying and repetition is frequent; due to extreme software piracy software companies loses a lot. Certainly we have the freedom to make a copy for a friend, but are duplicating of software an act of sympathy on our part or an act that need kindness reaction from the programmer? Even though large-scale marketable piracy is inferior, individual duplicating is still not ethical. Pricing that is far lower than the manufacturers price can be a warning, but lots of people believe they are getting a good buy not a pirated program. Social issues are: There are lots of things we cannot find the money for; so not being able to afford software is not an excuse for duplicating it. The amount and success of a company do not give reason for enchanting from it. The quantity of people copying software does not verify if it is right or not. People buy pirated software without realizing what theyre doing i.e. without knowing the implications of doing it. Customers use to buy products, such as books and CDs that can be shared with friends and family. There are lots of ways customers can be fooled; in the sense that a pirated software dealer can sale many soft wares with a single key to the customers and within some days the software will request for original key. Legal issues are: But if you buy Windows, it doesnt belong to you, its Microsofts; theyre just leasing you use it. Software piracy gets 7 years in prison Is against the copyright law There are certain options to reduce software piracy; the solutions are categorized into four, namely ethical, social, legal, and market. We have protection under ethical, applying laws under legal, education under social and detection under market. Make sure the protection of leisure industry, publishers and software companies savings expected, or hoped-for revenues. Apply on hand laws, policy, guidelines or increase new ones to protect copyright owners, but also to look after fair use, sensible community access, and the chance to use new technologies to the fullest to supply new services. Technical, executive and lawful solutions include technologies to frighten duplication, selling and contractual changes that reduce the motivation to duplicate unlawfully. Educating with reference to the purpose for copyright guard, enforcement and reconsideration of copyright law. Ensure that citizens who work in manufacturing, marketing, and management are paid for the time and exertion they put to produce the vague academic property we benefit from. Also in addition to how to reduce or avoid software piracy in Africa on Monday, 30 July 2007 an article was released in http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=4dir=2007/July/Monday30 with the following heading: China in Raids to Limit Software Piracy in Africa The fight against computer software piracy in Africa has received a boost following raids and arrests made in southern China over the last two weeks, the result of the largest investigation of its kind in the world. The Public Security Bureau (PSB) in China, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and hundreds of personal companies and allies have been functioning as one to crack a most important software forging association. The association was supposedly liable for distributing US$2 billion (about P12.3 billion) value of forged Microsoft software to 27 countries around the world, as well as Nigeria. Not only did this putting off software resellers from making lawful revenues, it also bare users to the risks related with using pi rated software. The forged goods detained in the raids comprised 13 of Microsofts most well-liked products, counting Windows Vista, Office 2007, Office 2003, Windows XP and Windows Server. Microsoft appreciates the work of Chinas Public Security Bureau in taking such burly enforcement action with these arrests and raids in southern China, said Abednego Hlatshwayo, Anti-Piracy Manager at Microsoft East and Southern Africa. This issue is supposed to serve as a come around call to forgers. Consumers and other organizations in the region of the world are revolving you in, and important act will be taken to defend intellectual property. In conclusions I learn that the software company is an area where home businesses can compete well with multinationals in both local and foreign markets. Yet, without suitable security in less-developed countries mainly African countries where piracy rates are reasonably higher, software pirates can devastate the income streams of small companies that have managed to effectively create particular niches in the companies. That piracy could be helpful to companies without the occurrence of Network effect. If customers have major dissimilarities in their minor value of Money, piracy can shrink competition and increase companys earnings. The solution to the Assessment is the fact that the same amount of money represents different worth to different customers. Poor customers usually value money more than rich customers. The companies therefore need to appoint in more excited competitions to attract these customers, which could be harmful on the whole profits of the company. And all softwa re companies should joint Hand and tackle the pirates via applying laws, educating and detecting them. REFERENCES: www.google.com www.about.com http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?id=1516s=latestnews http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=111 http://www.warsystems.hu/?p=189 Multi Agency Working: Child Vunerability Multi Agency Working: Child Vunerability There is a wealth of governmental documentation and policy reforms upholding the notion of agencies working in partnership to support vulnerable children. Previously to these reforms there had been a history of fragmentation between agencies and the therefore a inherent failure to share information resulting in catastrophic gaps in the support of vulnerable children. This was emphasised by Lord Laming (2002), and then the subsequent investigations and publication of the Climbie report (2003) post the preventable death of Victoria Climbie. The perceived importance of early identification and intervention as demonstrated in Every Child Matters. (2003, p3), DoH/DfES. (2004) We have to do more both to protect children and ensure each child fulfils their potential and the need for more co-located, multi-agency service in providing personalised support. The Childrens Act. (2004) was the culmination of the Green Paper DfES. (2003) Every Child Matters:Change for Children Agenda, which dictated that every local authority has power to administer grouped budgets and implement a Childrens Trust in order to pull together services to meet the specific needs of an individual child. Wilson, V. Pirrie, A. (2000) states that although partnership working is upheld as extremely beneficial for all children, those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have formed the focus of much of the educational multi-agency activity. The aims of coordinating these services through a shared working practice across the health and education arena whilst providing a therefore seamless service of support and a one-stop shop for all provisions, supported with the collaboration of Multi-agency working, are strongly emphasised within a plethora of governmental literature DfES. (2003/2004). Joint working is therefore unequivocally viewed as the m eans of providing a more cohesive and therefore effective integrated approach to addressing the needs of the child and family, and in doing so, overcoming many additional stresses that are imposed on families through fragmented support and services and therefore giving the child the best possible start in life DoH. (2006). Although no one argues against the benefits of integrated services Stiff. (2007), and there is clear decisive backing and direction for local restructuring and reorganisation to shape services to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children more effectively, the detail surrounding the configuration and delivery of local services has not been prescribed Rutter, M. (2006). There is minimal research-based evidence regarding the efficiency of multi-agency practice or suggesting which activity carried out by those agencies is most useful, with no absolute model of the many factors influencing its success Salmon, G. (2004). However, the Government has demonstrated a s ubstantial commitment to local authorities developing multi-agency partnerships, providing considerable flexibility for those local authorities and communities to develop their own multi-agency activities, tailored to meet specific needs of their individual areas. However it has often proved difficult to establish the exact impact of multi-agency working, mainly because of the difficulty of isolating why and how a particular outcome has been achieved. This is changing as major programmes are evaluated, Atkinson et al, (2002) states that other commonly identified outcomes of multi-agency work are an increase in access to services not previously available and therefore a wider range of services, easier or quicker access to services or expertise, improved educational attainment and better engagement in education by pupils, early identification and intervention, better support for parents, childrens needs addressed more appropriately, better quality services, a reduced need for more spe cialist services and benefits for staff within those services. Introduction to the SEN Team (SENCo) There are many teams working within the umbrella of education and child services, one particular team is that of the Special Educational Needs team, this case study will focus on the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). The role of the SENCo has been formally established Cowne, E (2003) since the 1994 code of practice DFE (1994) when all schools in England and Wales were required to have a designated teacher in the role of special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). But many schools had SENCos before that date, as the role had been developing since the mid 1980s when training of SENCos had begun in most LEAs. The 1994 code of practice DFE (1994) detailed the tasks that should be covered in the role of the SENCo. These tasks included liaising with external agencies including the educational psychology service and other support agencies, medical and social services and voluntary bodies DFE (1994, para 2.14). A revised code of practice Dfes (2001) added the resp onsibility of managing the SEN team of teachers and learning support assistants within the educational establishment where recently publications.parliament.uk (2006) its significance was re-affirmed. SENCos play a key role in building schools capacity and skills in meeting childrens SEN because of their crucial role in advising other members of staff on SEN matters, linking with parents and working within the multi-agency arena. There is substantial literature related to SENCos authored by researchers, academics and practitioners, in particular, the nature, remit and working conditions of SENCos have been the subject of considerable interest. At school-level, the expectations on, activities of and working condition of SENCos remain highly variable. Barriers how are they overcome (Theory and practice) The achievement of effective multi-agency working within the SEN arena has proved more difficult to achieve than was initially anticipated. In order to create a climate of change where SEN professionals and agencies can work effectively together it is needed that the participants understand what the barriers to change are. Some of the barriers to achieving more effective multi-agency working within the SEN environment that have been identified by DFes (2007) are professionalism; conflicting priorities of different agencies; dealing with risk and the need to change the culture of organisations. Working in collaboration with other professionals and agencies involves SEN and multi-agency workers moving out of their comfort zone and taking risks. Anning, A. (2001, p.8) highlights, However, little attention has been given to two significant aspects of the operationalisation of integrated services. The first is the challenge for SEN workers of creating new professional identities in the ev er changing communities of practice (who I am). The second is for workers to openly communicate and share their personal and professional knowledge in order to create a new version of knowledge (what I know) for a new multi-agency way of working. Lownsbrough, H. and OLeary, D. (2005) states that Despite the genuine support of Every Child Matters, all SEN professionals are faced with the constant challenge of not reverting back to their comfort zone of their organisational boundaries, their professional authority and life inside these traditional boundaries can be far less complex and threatening, and after years of working in a particular fashion they are not easily forgotten. Although no one argues against the benefits of integrated services of multi-agency working Stiff, R. (2007), and there is clear strategic backing and direction for local restructuring and reorganisation to configure SEN services to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children more effectively. There is still little research-based evidence regarding the efficiency of multi-agency strategies or suggesting which activity is most useful, with no comprehensive model of the issues influencing its success Salmon, G. (2004). However, Government has demonstrated substantial commitment to local authorities developing multi-agency partnerships of which SEN is part of, and also providing considerable flexibility for local authorities and communities to develop their own multi-agency activities, tailored to meet their own local needs.Joined-up working has deep implications for the professionals working within the SEN teams, and for the agencies that commission their services. In multi-agency team work, professional knowledge boundaries could have a tendency to become blurred, professional identity can become challenged as roles, and responsibilities change. Some SEN team members may struggle to cope with the fragmentation of one version of their professional identity before a new version can be bui lt. Moreover, the rapid pace of SEN reform leaves little time for adjustment as SEN teams move (often within tight time scales) from strategic planning to operational implementation, with little time for joint training Birchall, E. Hallett, C. (1995). However, it could also be said Freeman, M, Miller Ross, (2002); Harker, Dobel-Ober, Berridge Sinclair, (2004) that SEN team members are more likely to deliver on their objectives with sufficient planning and support from partnering agencies that established the teams in the first place which inturn leads on to empower inter-professional collaboration which include not only enhancing coordination structurally, but also establishing a culture of commitment at a strategic and operational plane to overcome professionally differentiated attitudes. 4. The Way Forward It has been said Bowlby, J. (1988) that children need a secure base from which to explore the world. SEN practitioners also need a secure base in the knowledge that has been acquired though training and practice. Perhaps there is a need for an individual to value what they know and be confident about their knowledge. At the same time to be aware that their professionalism relies on constant updating of working practice and skills via work training and further education, and being aware that there is always something new to be learnt or shared. SEN Professionals now and in the future need to be able to draw on the professional skills that they have, but not to be dominated by them. If they are secure in what they know it could be said that this should enable them to have the confidence to challenge their own thinking and to be open to the different perspectives of other multi-agency professionals. Therefore it can be said that If SEN professionals are to challenge themselves and other s through collaborative dialogue they would also need to be emotionally contained themselves Bion, W. (1962). This act requires good honest SENCo leadership and a culture where trusting relationships can be built. Harris, B. (2004) described trusting relationships as broadly taking place within three dimensions, based in conceptions of emotionality. Effectively these dimensions add up to conditions in which staff first experience a sense of their own value within an organization, in which they feel comfortable about their own abilities and needs; second that through supportive relationships within the organization they reflect upon practice, in dialogue with colleagues, and thirdly they work together to create change and improvement in the setting, or organization, confident of support. Clearly, in order to build effective and trusting relationships SEN team members would need to understand themselves and to have the confidence to share more with others. This process of cultural cha nge is essential if multi-agency working is going to be able to provide better services to children and their families alike.

Face Image Retrieval With Attribute Based Search

Face Image Retrieval With Attribute Based Search Implementation is the process of converting a new system design into operation. Implementation is the stage of turning the theoretical design into a working system. Therefore it is considered as most important stage in achieving a successful new system and in giving the user, confidence that the new system will work and be effective. It also entails careful planning, investigation of the existing system and it’s constraints on implementation, designing of methods to accomplish changeover and estimate changeover methods. Modules The project entitled as â€Å"Efficient Face Image Retrieval from Large Scale Database Using Attribute Based Search and Ranking† developed using Java and the Modules display as follows: Content based image retrieval Attribute based search Face Image Retrieval Modules Description Content-based image search Content-based image retrieval (CBIR), also called asquery by image content (QBIC) andcontent-based visual information retrieval (CBVIR) is the application of  computer vision  techniques to the  image retrieval  problem, that is, the problem of searching digital images  in large  databases. Present state-of-the-art solutions describe images using high-level semantic concepts which are promising for CBIR. CBIR system consists of several stages as follows: Image Acquisition: This stage acquires digital images from database. Image preprocessing: The image is first processed in order to take out the features, which portray its contents. This processing entails filtering, normalization, segmentation, and object identification. Like, image segmentation is the process of dividing an image into multiple parts. The output is set of important regions and objects. Feature Extraction: Shape, texture, color, etc are the features used to characterize the content of the image. Further these features are classified as low-level and high-level features. Here visual information is extracted from the image and collect them as feature vectors in a feature database. For every pixel, the image description is instigated in the form of feature value by means of feature extraction, later these feature values are used to evaluate the query with the other images during retrieval. Similarity Matching: Information of every image is stored in its feature vectors for computation process and these feature vectors are coordinated with the feature vectors of query image i.e. the searched image in the image database is present or not or how many are similar kind of images are exist or not, which helps in determining the similarity. This step involves the matching of features (e.g. shape, color) to yield a result that is similar to the query image. Resultant Retrieved images: This step investigates the earlier maintained information to find the matched images from database. It displays similar images having closest features as that of the query image. User interface and feedback: This step operates the display of results, ranking, and the type of user interaction with prospect of refining the search using some automatic or manual preferences scheme. Attribute based search However, the evolution of CBIR is overloaded by the semantic gap between the extracted low-level visual features and the required high-level semantics. Even if the images are annotated well through precise concepts, another disreputable gap still leads to unsatisfactory results. This gap is called the intention gap between the envisioned objectives of the users and the indefinite semantics delivered by the query, due to the lack of ability of the query to express the user’s objectives accurately. To bridge this gap, an approach called attribute based image retrieval is used. Here, attributes transfer properties that distinguish objects such as the visual appearances (e.g. shape, texture), functionalities and various other discriminative properties. On one hand, attributes acts as transitional semantics that clearly unites the low-level features and high-level concepts, leads to decline of semantic gap because attributes usually demonstrate general visual properties, which can be simply extracted and modeled contrast to high-level concepts that have higher visual inconsistencies. On the other hand, attributes improve active concept-based image semantic representation and offer more inclusive semantic descriptions of images. By using these attributes, users can allocate most important and accurate semantic description of images which leads to satisfactory results. Attribute detection has sufficient quality on different human attributes. Using these human attributes different applications like face verification, face identification, keyword-based face image retrieval, and similar attribute search have achieved promising results. Goal and approach of attribute based retrieval Previous techniques utilize descriptors on the image that capture global features like color, texture, frequency, etc. Images that have global descriptors return most similar images to query image but not correct matched images. The limitations of these methods are based on matching low-level features is that for many query images; they cannot perform retrieval in a satisfied way and methods based on local descriptors work only on objects. On other hand, methods that utilize global descriptors are not strong to most geometric transformations. In image classification and object recognition attributes are used to represent the images. An attribute has a name and a semantic meaning, but it is easy to recognize for a machine. Attribute names are like name, gender, race, etc. Attribute can be learnt automatically by image classification methods. The objective of this work is to use an attribute-based representation to restore or balance an image search engine. User will calculate various methods to compare attributes, including metric learning. Comparisons will be carried out on standard datasets. Then attribute-based retrieval will be combined with existing retrieval methods. Face Image Retrieval Current face image retrieval methods reach impressive results, but deficient to refine the search, mainly for geometric face attributes. Users cannot find faces easily with slightly more specific leftward pose shifts. To address this problem, a new face search technique is proposed that is complementary to current search engines. The proposed facial image retrieval model deals with a problem of searching similar facial images and retrieving in the search space of the facial images by assimilating (CBIR) techniques and face recognition techniques, by means of semantic description of the facial image. This aims to lessen the semantic gap between high level query requirement and low level facial features of the human face image, such that the system can be ready to meet human needs in description and retrieval of facial image. An efficient content based face image retrieval system is proposed to retrieve the face images. Attributes from face are used to further improving the retrieval performance. Finally inverted index is used in retrieval stage. It has applications in automatic face annotation, crime investigation etc. For large scale datasets, it is essential for an image search application to rank the images such that the most relevant images are sited at the top. This work analysed top results related to a query image with existing method. Experimental results shows that proposed method have better top results compared to existing methods. Experimental Setup Installation of JDK 1.6 and Tomcat Server JDK 1.6: Step 1: Double click on the JDK 1.6 setup file then we will get the following window. A window with License Agreement will be displayed. Then press â€Å"Accept† button. Step 2: Now a custom setup window will be appeared. Then Clickâ€Å"Next†to continue. Step 3: AProgresspanel will be appeared that takes a few minutes to go through the installation. Step 4: A custom setup window for Runtime Environment will be appeared. Then Clickâ€Å"Next† to continue. Step 5: A Progresspanel will be appeared that takes a few minutes to go through the installation. Step 6: When the installation is completed, clickâ€Å"Finish†to exit the wizard. Step 7: To set the environment variables for java, Right-Click mycomputer and click properties. Then, the below window will be appeared and Click Environment variables. Step 8: Now, click new in the System variables section. Step 9: After clicking new button, a box will appear containing with variable name and variable value. Give the variable name as â€Å"PATH† and variable value as the java bin file path. Step 10: Finally click OK. Now, we can successfully run java programs. Tomcat server: Tomcat is an open source web server developed by Apache Group. Apache Tomcat is the servlet container used in official Reference Implementation for the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages technologies. The Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages specifications are developed by Sun under the Java Community Process. Web Servers support only web components while an application server supports web components as well as business components. To develop a web applications with jsp/servlet install Tomcat. A web server is, of course, the program that dishes out web pages in response to requests from a user sitting at a web browser and returns vibrant results to the user’s browser. This is an aspect of the web that Apache’s Tomcat is very good at because Tomcat provides both Java servlet and Java Server Pages (JSP) technologies. Ultimately Tomcat is a good option for many applications as a web server. Step 1: First double click on the Apache Tomcat setup file and then click Next button. Step 2: Now a window with License Agreement will be displayed as above. Then press I Agree option. Step 3: Now select type of the install as Full and then click on Next. Step 4: Now select the destination where the Tomcat has to be installed and click on Next. Step 5: Now set the configuration, connector port as 8081 and set the username and password as admin and click on Next. Step 6: Now a window with Java Virtual Machine will be displayed and click Install option. Step 7: Now the window with installation process will be displayed and might take few minutes. Step 8: Select the Run Apache Tomcat option and click on Finish. Setting the Java Environment Variable: Here are the steps for setting the environment variable on mycomputer. These steps are similar for all windows. Open the control panel under the start menu. 1. Double-click on System. 2. Click on the Advanced tab. 3. Click on the Environment Variables button. 4. Under System Variables, click on the New button. 5. For variable name, type:JAVA_HOME 6. For variable value, type:C:j2sdk1.4.2_01 7. Continue to click OK to exit the dialog windows. Now set the following in Variable and value: 1. Variable name: CLASSPATH; Variable value: C:Program FilesApache Software FoundationTomcat 6.0bin; C:Program FilesApache Software FoundationTomcat 6.0libservlet-api.jar; C:Program FilesApache Software FoundationTomcat 6.0libjsp-api.jar; 2. Variable name: PATH; Variable value: C:Program FilesJavajdk1.6.0_21bin; and then click on OK. Now for checking whether the Tomcat has installed successfully or not, open the browser and type http:/localhost:8081/. If it is installed successfully the following page will be displayed. After clicking the Tomcat Manager then will ask to enter username and password. After clicking the login option the Tomcat Web Application Manager page will be displayed. Installation of MySQL and SQLyog MySQL is definitely the most admired and widely-used open source database, simple to set up and use and is recognized as one of the fastest database engines. Manual installation offers several benefits: Backing up, reinstalling, or moving databases can be achieved in seconds. MySQL can be installed anywhere, such as a portable USB drive. MYSQL installation steps: Step 1: Download MySQL fromdev.mysql.com/downloads/. FollowMySQL Community Server,Windowsand download the â€Å"Without installer† version. Step 2: Extract the files install MySQL to C:mysql, so extract the ZIP to C: drive and rename the folder from â€Å"mysql-x.x.xx-win32†³ to â€Å"mysql†. MySQL can be installed anywhere on your system. If lightweight installation is needed then remove all sub-folders except for bin, data, scripts and share. Step 3: Move the data folder (optional) placing the data folder on another drive or partition is recommended to make backups and re-installation easier. For example, create a folder called D:MySQLdata and move the contents of C:mysqldata into it. Now two folders are there, D:MySQLdatamysql and D:MySQLdatatest. The original C:mysqldata folder can be removed. Step 4: Create a configuration file MySQL provides several configuration methods but, in general, it is easiest to to create a my.ini file in the mysql folder. There are several options to squeeze MySQL to exact requirements, but the simplest my.ini file is: [mysqld] # installation directory basedir=C:/mysql/ # data directory datadir=D:/MySQLdata/ Step 5: Test installation MySQL server is started by running the command C:mysqlbinmysqld.exe. Open a command box (Start > Run > cmd) and enter the following commands: Cd mysqlbin Mysqld This will start the MySQL server which listens for requests on localhost port 3306. Now start the MySQL command line tool and connect to the database. Open another command box and enter: cd mysqlbin mysql -u root This will show a welcome message and the mysql> prompt. Enter â€Å"show databases;† to view a list of the pre-defined databases. Step 6: Change root password MySQL root user is an all-powerful account that can create and destroy databases. In shared network, it is advisable to change the default (blank) password. From the mysql> prompt, enter: UPDATE mysql.user SET password=PASSWORD(my-new-password) WHERE User=root; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; Prompted the password for next time you start the MySQL command line. Enter â€Å"exit† at the mysql> prompt to stop the command line client, now shut down MySQL with the following command: mysqladmin.exe -u root shutdown. Step 7: Install MySQL as a Windows service The easiest way to start MySQL is to add it as a Windows service. From a command prompt, enter: cd mysqlbin mysqld install Open the Control Panel, Administrative Tools, then Services and double-click MySQL. Set the Startup type to â€Å"Automatic† to ensure MySQL starts every time pc is booted. Alternatively, set the Startup type to â€Å"Manual† and launch MySQL using the command â€Å"net start mysql†. Note that the Windows service can be removed using: cd mysqlbin mysqld –remove SQLYog Installation: SQLYog is a freeware and download it at:http://www.webyog.com/en/.Click on â€Å"Download† in the SQLYog Community Edition (freeware). First click on SQLYog Community Edition 5.2(stable). A window is opened, asking what you want do.Choose â€Å"Record†. A new window will open and asking where you want to record this files.Make one click on â€Å"My documents† on the left, next click on â€Å"Record†. When download is finished choose â€Å"Execute† for launching the installation. If this window is not there then go to â€Å"My Documents† and make 2 clicks on the file that you have just downloaded. Then click on â€Å"Execute†. Installation of sqlyog: Step 1: After click on â€Å"Execute†, just click on â€Å"NEXT† button. Step 2: In this page about the licence, choose â€Å"I accept† button and click on â€Å"NEXT†. Step 3: Then asks where to record the program on computer. Choose a destination directory, and click on â€Å"Install† shown in below window. Step 4: Then click on â€Å"NEXT†. Step 5: Click on â€Å"Finish† for finishing the installation in the following window. Set SQLYog Step 1: When SQLYog is opened for first time set the program to which database you want to connect. For that, make 1 click on â€Å"New† button. Step 2: Enter a name for the connection. It is just about a means of differentiating a connection for a base to another, it is neither the identifier of connexion, nor the password. Step 3: Next, click on â€Å"OK†. SQLYog will open a connexion window to the database. Enter the following settings: MySQL Host Address: It is about the address on the network of server, either return an address IP or an address URL. If the server is on the same computer that SQLYog, put â€Å"localhost†. Username: It’s the username, corresponding to â€Å"id† of the user. For example: â€Å"root† Password: It’s the password associate to Username Port: it’s the port number using by MySQL. Default: 3306. Database: It’s the name of the database witch you want to connect to. If don’t put anything here, SQLYog will show the entire database on the server. After finished entering the information, test them by clicking on â€Å"Test Connexion† then click on the â€Å"Save† button for saving.