Issues in Protecting Rights and Copyrights

Issues in Protecting Rights and Copyrights Each society throughout history has, and will be introduced to new ideas, inventions, and movements that benefit their communities. Yet, with those inventions will come ways for people to exploit them, and use them to gain an advantage. Recently, with the dawn of the Information Age of the early 2000s, the fairly-new Internet has connected the world in ways previously incomprehensible. With the Internet, people can send digital goods such as music, movies, and games to each other without any physical meeting or materialization. While beneficial to the economy and markets, those who sell online also risk digital pirates making copies of their goods, and distributing them for free to the world, or even reselling them. Piracy has become a growing issue in the new age, and governments across the world are beginning to take action against it. Even though government intervention would control piracy much better, and could possibly be done not to interfere with innocent customers, it could lead to invasions of privacy as people will always find ways to download copyrighted files undetected, and trying to stop infringements will only hurt internet providers and customers, who have the right to privacy, shown in the Fourth Amendment (Bridegam 11)Government intervention is certainly possible, and has been done in correlation with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. An anti-piracy firm named CEGTEK pushed for the Notice-and-Notice Law to be passed, which allows copyright companies to send letters to users, recognizing that someone on the infringed network has downloaded copyrighted software. It also tells that if the user ignores the infringement, legal action may be taken. While it does not actually search and seize files on users computers, forcing deletion, it recognizes copyrighted software being transferred to the network, and takes nonlegal action which may eventually be brought to court, however. After the Law was passed, piracy rates dropped up to 61% one ye ar (Brownell 1), due to the letters being sent with notices of infringement. It had an impact on slowing down the growth of piracy, but governments have to find other ways to end digital crime. Piracy is still fairly new to the big picture, and old laws need to be modernized in order to stop it. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits unwarranted and unreasonable search and seizure without a probable cause. While the Amendment protects personal property, including computers, an officer can still access the content and files stored on the machine. David Cole at Georgetown University says When I send an email, Ive shared it with the Internet provider. (Zwerdling 1) All communications with servers and websites are stored somewhere on the sites history, leaving a digital footprint behind. Law enforcement can access these records as they can be made available upon calling, because if a warrant is denied to search a users computer, another one can be requested to search the server or service provider involved in the alleged crime to find out if copyright infringement did occur. The Amendment has not aged well, and with the Information Age accelerating, th e old laws need to be updated in order to keep up with new technology. The Fourth Amendment tells little about digital search and seizure, yet it still is unconstitutional for unreasonable search of property.Internet service providers (ISPs) monitor everything a user does, downloads, and uploads on the internet, and while it may differ from each company, most keep records for all types of purposes, include hardware and software maintenance, as well as to catch pirates. These companies assign IP addresses to every computer in order to connect the PC to websites and servers, but the address can also be used to trace a user across the network. This is how pirates can be quickly caught. Some ISPs work with anti-piracy and copyright protection companies, such as Tecksavvy Solutions in Canada, work to catch infringements and stop it on their networks. The collaboration between the companies comes down to the anti-piracy firms monitoring P2P (peer-to-peer) connections scanning for copyrigh ted content. If a file is found to be copyrighted, the IP address is logged and forwarded to the ISP of the user. While it may seem like a simple job, the ISP does not legally have to disclose the name and location of the alleged pirate. (Robinson 1) Obviously, the ISP could if they wish to, but most companies see so many infringements that taking actual legal action towards the cases would cause more problems than needed. The amount of legal fees, time spent, and reputation on the line is simply too much for most companies to risk. Ways to stop piracy have doubled over the years, and each year introduces more invasive methods of cracking down. (Katyal 1) Years of lobbying and debates have introduced many new acts and bills passed in order to prevent and cease piracy. However, they have been passed in ways so as not to affect the openness and opportunity of the internet, yet still be able to enforce their rules. The Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) and Protect IP Acts are in the process of being debated by Congress, and opposed by pirates. SOPA intends to defund and cut off access to rogue sites that promote piracy but are established internationally, most notably The Pirate Bay, in Sweden. The two acts rival each other in debate, but have the same end goal to end foreign piracy in the United States. The bills have not been passed, but have the support of the RIAA, MPAA, and NMPA, all music and media production companies. (ABC-CLIO 1) Arguments followed the consideration of the bills, with the defense that they would not enforce anything, and would only hurt the internets freedom. Cutting off access to websites is a prohibition of the openness of the internet, as it is not truly free with these restrictions. The United States is surprisingly not one of the countries with the most piracy, but the ones that too have taken action against it. David Kassler, CEO of EMI Group, a British music company, says You can have a number-one album in Spain with 3,000 sales, referencing the number of pirates and downloaders. (Economist 1) Germany has kept their piracy laws simple, with a fine system for each crime. South Korea faced rampant piracy as well, but took action against it, introducing a three-point warning system for their users suspected of copyright infringement. If the user ignores these warnings and does not cease their use, their connection will be cut off and disconnected. Now, some companies in the U.S. have taken up a warning system. Copyright firms are able to collect the IP of a pirate, and can send a notice to that IP without needing to take legal action. Some unknowing pirates are frightened off by the sight of the official notice, and cease immediately. Using a detection and warni ng system has worked in Korea, leading to a 10% increase of music sales in 2009, but whether it will work in the U.S. is yet to be seen. Not all the laws will work, as Mayseey Leong of the IFPI says it wasnt as though the law came into effect and all illegal activity stopped. Laws will not be enough to stop piracy, but it can make a difference in slowing down the increase of infringement rates. Piracy has a much larger effect on people besides their internet being disconnected. Being convicted of piracy could result in graduation denial, loss of job, scholarship, or even citizenship for international pirates. Studies by Stuart Green from the International Herald Tribute shows that pirates and users of the internet have drawn a solid line between digital piracy and physical theft. (Green 1) Pirates claim nothing is being stolen, only copied and mostly used for personal use. However, 1962 introduced the Moral Penal Code, which defines property as anything valued. The vague definition has led to an argument over theft law even 50 years later, bringing up the discussion of whether or not digital goods count as valued, as they technically do not exist only as bits and numbers on a server, not physically. Therefore, a dilemma has been created where users must decide whether or not they believe piracy is actually stealing. It is known that digital distribution has done wonders for the music business, increasing revenue and popularity, but it opens up a whole world of debate about digital sharing of copyrighted goods. Because nobody is hurt at the moment of download, users claim piracy is not stealing because they are simply making a copy of the file, nobody is killed or robbed at gunpoint, as all the user has to do is click download. In the long run, production companies and music artists do take a large financial hit from a lack of sales, if a certain song or album of theirs is being sent across the internet illegally. One reporter, James Lardner, claims the more they lock things up, the more users rebel. (Lardner 1) Regardless of how companies and Congress may try to make their files inaccessible except legally, pirates and hackers will always find ways to get what they want, even if they face troubles such as takedowns of their websites. The problem companies face is that file sharing services are much smarter, and shutting down physically in one place will not affect piracy as much. One popular website, KickAss Torrents (KAT), was taken down after the founder was arrested. Yet, it did not do much against piracy, because of the way it works. Copyrighted content is shared via P2P networks, meaning it goes straight from computers that seed the file, and make it available for download directly from their computer, with no website involved. The site was simply a catalog for the .torrent files which contain the information that allow users to connect to other users to download the file. Pirates have t aken measures against website takedown, and entire server backups were quickly uploaded to a different domain name to ensure the site stayed up. KAT was down almost momentarily, and goes to show how a server level takedown could not do much damage against stopping piracy. (Mathur 1) Not only is piracy rampant digitally, but burned CDs and physical copies of copyrighted files are shared just for that reason. Physical copies are much harder to trace, despite them not leaving footprints, and can be publicly viewed and broadcasted without the user even knowing it is a pirated version. Pirates argue that the internet is a source of information and sharing, and because companies and users make their files publicly available, one way or another, they are free for the taking due to a lack of security against them. (Peloso 136) Not just one force is at fault in the grand view of piracy, but pirates blame the music industry saying it has consistently failed to adapt to changes in technology. (Wray 1) If a company has not taken any measures to protect its media, then it can be at fault for users copying it illegally. Companies can also be at fault for not making their media available in all countries for all people. International users must pirate content because some files are regionally locked, and only available in America (Wortham 1). The only way for some users to access the media is to download it from a P2P network, which may not put them completely at fault, as the companies have yet to make their media available worldwide. One anonymous user says It is available , just not legally. Having region-locked data also may serve as a cause for the high piracy rates in South Korea and Spain, being outside of the U.S. The internet is a vast network, with billions of packets of data sent on the daily. Being able to monitor and scan every single connection would take an amount of power machine and man do not have yet in the Information Age. Not even the United States could crack down on every case of copyright infringement, even in their own country. One man, who wishes to remain unknown, claims the film and television industrys efforts to stopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ distribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is like building a dam in the middle of a vast ocean. Along with their failure to keep up with modern times, copyright firms can only do so much in terms of catching pirates, as most use proxies, which change their IP addresses to somewhere far from their computer, to trick websites into thinking they are connecting from somewhere else, hiding themselves and their location. Therefore, it is presently impossible to catch every pirate, and authorities must accept the internets freedom, and how it can never be fully co ntrolled by anyone due to the massive size of it. No matter how much effort is put into stopping piracy, someone somewhere will always find a way to bypass restrictions and free the copyrighted content for the rest of the world. Once the content is out in the internet, it can never be fully erased, as it has been saved on hundreds, or even thousands of computers by the time the copyright firm has information the file has been taken. (Sampat 1) This is why website takedowns would not work, copies of the file have been made and can be reuploaded and hosted at any time. Pirates have to work together to function, but taking them down one-by-one has not worked so far. More attempts will be made to end piracy for sure, but that may spark more controversy, however, because any more intervention by the government and firms would only end up in violations of privacy and rights. Piracy is still fairly new, and is growing every day, despite rigorous attempts to stop it, while still remain constitutional. The main question ISPs and copyright companies face is how can the openness of the internet be preserved while having all illegal acts filtered out?. The protection of innocent customers is on the mind of every company, and selecting the few out of the bunch who commit acts of piracy is not an easy task. While they do have access to the file transfer history between users, they cannot legally intervene without a warrant, shown in the Fourth Amendment, and even if they are issued one, they cannot completely prove the user was the one who downloaded the material. Perhaps the pirate used a public Wi-Fi access point to copy a file off KAT, and then left the building. The owner of the Wi-Fi would receive a notice to cease piracy, even though he had committed no such act, his customers did. Piracy is a tricky subject, and neither side is technically correct. Pirate s can claim anything accessible can be taken, and will be because of the vast size of the internet, but companies do have a legal copyright on some media materials, and taking them is a criminal act. It is up to the governments of countries facing piracy to make a decision based on the current situation, and take action to resolve piracy. Pirates must unite to keep themselves anonymous against companies out to crack down on infringement. Congress must protect the pirates rights, but production companies must protect their copyrights. Works Cited A Rare Victory Against Piracy. Economist (London, England) Vol.395, No.8679, Apr, 2010, pp. 68, SIRS Issues Researcher. Bridegam, Martha Ann. Search and Seizure. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2005. Print Brownell, Claire. Pirates of the Internet. National Post, 13 Feb, 2016, pp. FP.5, SIRS Issues Researcher. Green, Stuart P. When Stealing Isnt Stealing. International Herald Tribune, 30 Mar, 2012, pp. 6, SIRS Issues Researcher. K, Katyal Sonia. Yale Journal of Law and Technology. N.p.: Yale Law School, 2005. Print. Lardner, James. The Empire Strikes Back. U.S.News World Report, Sep, 2000, pp. 54-56, SIRS Issues Researcher. Mathur, Swapnil. KickAss Torrents is Dead for Sure, but Online Piracy Will Continue. Financial Express, 23 Jul, 2016, SIRS Issues Researcher. Obama Administration Responds to we the People Petitions on SOPA.. WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE, 14 Jan, 2012, SIRS Government Reporter. Peloso, Jennifer. Intellectual Property. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2003. Print. Robinson, Michael. Student Downloaders Beware. Macleans, Nov, 2016, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com. Sampat, Neel. Digital Piracy. Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, ABC-CLIO, 2017, issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1560147. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017. Spotting the Pirates. Economist, Aug, 2011, pp. 55, SIRS Issues Researcher, Stop Online Piracy Act (2011). Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, ABC-CLIO, 2017, issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1688414. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017. Wortham, Jenna. Readers Debate Online Piracy and the Future of Digital Entertainment. The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

Missing Children Essay -- Law, Adam Walsh

The case of six-year old Adam Walsh is perhaps one that will never leave the minds of anyone initially horrified by its details. In 1981 young Adam was kidnapped from a local mall and regardless of tireless efforts by his parents John and Reve Walsh, volunteers, and law enforcement; Adam fell victim to murder. Two weeks after the boy went missing, his decapitated head was located, but his body was never found. This prompted his father John Walsh to start a campaign and legislature policy submission toward more stringent accountability for child crime offenders. â€Å"The murder transformed John Walsh's life, turning him from a middle-class hotel marketing executive into one of country's best known advocates for missing children† (Thomas, 2008). In this paper, the initial legislative policy signed into law by President George W. Bush and the current policy addition initiative sought by Mr. Walsh is examined. The Scope of the Initiative With the signing of the initial policy by President Bush in 2006, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act became law. Aforementioned, the policy directive was to enact tougher laws on child predators however; the policy contains two additional provisions that would violate states rights and state policy’s currently in place for adoptive, foster, and relative caregivers. The two provisions contained in the Adam Walsh law are to follow. 1. Modified existing requirements for conducting criminal background checks 2. Created a new requirement to conduct child abuse registry checks of prospective foster and adoptive parents. (Miller, 2007). The policy provisions left the states the discretion of choosing placement however, if those in the household filing for adoption or fostering o... ...l, such as in Morse’s report cited, now have the opportunity to voice concerns and suggestions. Conclusion The Adam Walsh Act while regulatory and legislative, still requires changes before all parties affected stand united in approval. Whereas Congress could use its spending power to encourage state compliance, not all states would view this as constitutional. There is much to do concerning this act, but the outcome is unpredictable. Current filings to repeal or revise the entire Adam Walsh Act exist such as by Citizens for Change in America, represented by Michael R. Handler. The repeal document cites the AWA as being draconian and going against Due Process and the Bail Reform Act of 1984. Only time will prove the Adam Walsh Act is successful as currently written, but undoubtedly there are changes to come with such opposition and reasoning.

Online Shopping: Product Availability and Logistics Essay -- The Logis

Table of Contents Introduction 1 Online shops, Logistics and the Last Mile Problem 3 The E-Commerce Platform’s Accessibility and Availability 6 Efficient Customer Response and Quick Response 8 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Online shops are an alternative to traditional shopping methods, but do they solve product availability issues in a viable way, and are traditional shopping methods preferred over online shopping? Morris, B (2013) points out that more consumers prefer online shopping as 70 % of 3,000 online shoppers surveyed in February 2013 in a study performed by the United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) say they would rather shop their favorite retailer online. This can only lead us to understand that a relatively large number of customers choose to satisfy their needs in an online platform. At first sight, it might be possible to speculate and assume that the reasons many of these customers choose to follow this path derives from qualities that include but are not limited to the ease-of-use, reliability, platform availability and accessibility as e-commerce platforms are accessible and available round the year, only as long as access to the internet is on hand (Gao, N.A.). It is accurate to pry into these qualities and strive in the possible relationship they might have with a term such as customer satisfaction, which could be prematurely answered if the fact that such terms describe the benefits online platforms have. As opposed to those found within traditional shopping methods. Moreover, Morris, B. (2013) showed that UPS (a logistics and package delivery company) had a positive overall customer satisfaction score of 83% which not only explains why the â€Å"back-end of the online shopping experi... ...s.com/sites/ashoka/2014/02/17/6459/ [Accessed April 29, 2014]. 6. Gao, J. (N.A.) â€Å"Introduction to E-Commerce† Computer, College of engineering ISE, Information & Systems Engineering, San Jose State University. https://www.uop.edu.jo/download/research/members/introduction.pdf [Accesed April 29, 2014] 7. The World Bank. (2013). â€Å"Internet Users (per 100 people). http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.P2 [Accesed April 29, 2014]. 8. Price Waterhouse Coopers. (2012). â€Å"10 myths of multichannel retailing†. http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/retail-consumer/retail-consumer-publications/global-multi-channel-consumer-survey/country-snapshots.jhtml [Accesed April 29, 2014]. 9. Weinstein, R. (2005) â€Å"RFID: A Technical Overview and its Application to Enterprise† the IEEE Computer Society, IT Pro. http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~jgao/CSE370-spring07/RFID.pdf [accessed April 29, 2014].

Hiroshima & Nagasaki :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Truman made his decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I think it was a bad idea, but in a good way of protecting ourselves from Japan. The reason why I think it was a bad decision was that he didn’t really give them enough time to respond, and send a surrender letter. When we didn’t receive a letter, we figured they didn’t take us seriously. I think the Japanese didn’t get the letter yet, or we didn’t give them enough time to respond to it. The reason why I think it was a good thing we responded when we did, is because in the time of waiting for that surrender letter, we could have given them enough time to come and attack us when we weren’t ready for it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  July 25, 1945, Truman made his final plans to drop the first and only two atomic bombs in existence, at this time, on Japan. A day after his decision, the United States of America warned Japan of their attack, and that they would stop only if Japan surrendered. Japan refused to surrender.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On August 6, 1945, President Truman dropped the first atomic bomb, named â€Å"Little Boy†, on the Japanese center, Hiroshima. Seconds later almost every building collapsed to the ground. Even after the Hiroshima bombing, Japan still refused to surrender. In regards to their â€Å"response†, three days later we dropped the second bomb, named â€Å"Fat Man†, right on top of Nagasaki, Japan. Destroying half of the city, and taking 200,000 people’s lives, due to radiation poisoning and injuries caused by this deadly atomic bomb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the second blast, Emperor Hirohito finally realized that his innocent people were getting hurt. He decided very quickly to end this war and surrender to the Americans. He told his leaders to â€Å"draw up the papers, to end the war†.

Project Network

A project network illustrates the relationships between activities (or tasks) in the project. Showing the activities as nodes or on arrows between event nodes are two main ways to draw those relationships. With activities on arrow (AOA) diagrams, you are limited to showing only the finish-to-start relationships – that is, the arrow can represent only that the activity spans the time from the event at the start of the arrow to the event at the end. As well, â€Å"dummy† activities have to be added to show some of the more complex relationships and dependencies between activities.These diagrams came into use in the 1950's, but are now falling into disuse. Activity on node (AON) diagrams place the activity on the node, and the interconnection arrows illustrate the dependencies between the activities. There are more flexible and can show all of the major types of relationships. Since the activity is on a node, the emphasis (and more data) usually can be placed on the activi ty. AOA diagrams emphasize the milestones (events); AON networks emphasize the tasks. Introduction to The Nine Project Management Knowledge AreasAlso read about our new agile delivery model called  Scrumthat is significantly different than the  model below. As a PMP I often get questions about what goes into running a project. I will try to explain in a couple of articles the various components that make up a project. There are several ways to look at a project as a whole. You can view it as a series of processes. Some processes are executed in order and some are recurring processes that are executed at various stages throughout the entire project.You can also view the project from the different knowledge areas that are needed to execute the project. I will cover the knowledge areas in this article and go on to the processes in my next article. There are nine knowledge areas and each one covers its own important part of the project. A knowledge area can cover several phases or p rocess groups of the project. The nine areas are mentioned below in some detail. Integration Management If each little part of the project is a tree, Integration Management is the entire forest.It focuses on the larger tasks that must be done for the project to work. It is the practice of making certain that every part of the project is coordinated. In Integration Management, the project is started, the project plan is assembled and executed, the work is monitored and verification of the results of the work is performed. As the project ends the project manager also performs the tasks associated with closing the project. A project manager must be very good at Integration Management or the project may very well fail.Other knowledge areas are also important, but Integration Management is the area that requires the most management and control of the entire project. Scope Management This area involves control of the scope of the project. It involves management of the requirements, detail s and processes. Changes to the scope should be handled in a structured, procedural, and controlled manner. The goal of scope management is to define the need, set the expectations, deliver to the expectations, manage changes, and minimize surprises and gain acceptance of the project.Good scope management focuses on making sure that the scope is well defined and communicated very clearly to all stakeholders. It also involves managing the project to limit unnecessary changes. Time Management Project Time Management is concerned with resources, activities, scheduling and schedule management. It involves defining and sequencing activities and estimating the duration and resources needed for each activity. The goal is to build the project schedule subsequently to manage changes and updates to the schedule.When the schedule is first created, it is often referred to as the time baseline of the project. It is later used to compare updated baselines to the original baseline. Many project ma nagers use software to build and maintain the schedule and baselines. Cost Management This knowledge area includes cost estimating and budgeting. After the cost of the project has been estimated the project management must control the cost and makes changes to the budget as needed. The Project Cost Estimate is dependent on the accuracy of the cost estimate of each activity in the project.The accuracy changes as the project progresses. For instance, in the initiation of the project the estimate is more difficult to assess than later in the project when the scope and the schedule have been defined in detail. Quality Management This area is an important area where outputs of different processes are measured against some predetermined acceptable measure. The project manager must create a quality management plan. The quality plan is created early in the project because decisions made about quality can have a significant impact on other decisions about scope, time, cost and risk.The area also includes quality control and assurance. The main difference between control and assurance is that control looks at specific results to see if they conform to the quality standard, whereas assurance focuses primarily on the quality process improvement. Human Resource Management This area involves HR planning like roles and responsibilities, project organization, and staff management planning. It also involves assigning staff; assess performance of project team members, and overall management of the project team.The project manager is the â€Å"Boss† of the project and Human Resource Management is essentially the knowledge area of running the project in relations to the resources assigned to the project. Communications Management This area focuses on keeping the project’s stakeholders properly informed throughout the entire project. Communication is a mixture of formal and informal, written and verbal, but it is always proactive and thorough. The project manager mus t distribute accurate project information in a timely manner to the correct audience.It involves creating a communications plan that explains what kind of information should be communicated on a regular basis and who should receive it. It includes project performance reporting to stakeholders so everyone is on the same page of the project progress, for example, what is outstanding, what is late, and what risks are left to worry about, etc. Risk Management This involves planning how to handle risks to the project. Specifically the project manager must identify risks and also plan how to respond to the risks if they occur.Risk has two characteristics: Risk is related to an uncertain event, and a risk may affect the project for good or for bad. When risks are assessed, the project manager usually has to assess several things: How likely will the risk happen, how will it affect the project if it happens, and how much will it cost if it happens? The project manager will use a lot of risk analysis tools and techniques to answer these questions. Procurement Management This area focuses on a set of processes performed to obtain goods or services from an outside organization.The project manager plans purchases and acquisitions of products and services that can’t be provided by the project manager’s own organization. It includes preparing procurement documents, requesting vendor responses, selecting the vendors, and creating and administering contracts with each outside vendor. As you can see there are many knowledge areas that a project manager must excel at. Even though some areas are more important than others, each area must be executed with care and professionalism in order for any project to be successful. ———————————————— Work Breakdown Structure, WBS Chart and Project Management WBS Work Breakdown Structure, WBS, Term Definition Work brea kdown structure, WBS, is a project management technique initially developed by the US Defense Establishment, which deconstructs a project with the intent to identify the deliverables required to complete the project. The project management work breakdown structure, WBS, is utilized at the beginning of the project to define the scope, estimate costs and organize Gantt schedules.Work breakdown structure, WBS, captures all the elements of a project in an organized fashion. Breaking down large, complex projects into smaller project pieces provides a better framework for organizing and managing the project. WBS can facilitate resource allocation, task assignment, responsibilities, measurement and control of the project. The project management work breakdown structure, WBS, is utilized at the beginning of the project to define the scope, estimate costs and organize Gantt schedules.In the project management WBS it is important that the project is not broken down into too much detail as tha t can lead to micro management. Conversely, too little detail can result in tasks that are too large to manage effectively. Work breakdown structure, WBS, can be presented in a tabular list, an indented task list as part of a Gantt chart or in a hierarchical tree. More often the work breakdown structure, WBS is listed in a hierarchical tree that captures deliverables and tasks needed to achieve project completion. ork breakdown structure (WBS) * E-Mail * Print * A * AA * AAA * inShare1 * Facebook * Twitter * Share This * RSS * Reprints A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a chart in which the critical work elements, called tasks, of a project are illustrated to portray their relationships to each other and to the project as a whole. The graphical nature of the WBS can help a project manager predict outcomes based on various scenarios, which can ensure that optimum decisions are made about whether or not to adopt suggested procedures or changes.When creating a WBS, the project manager defines the key objectives first and then identifies the tasks required to reach those goals. A WBS takes the form of a tree diagram with the â€Å"trunk† at the top and the â€Å"branches† below. The primary requirement or objective is shown at the top, with increasingly specific details shown as the observer reads down. When completed, a well-structured WBS resembles a  flowchart  in which all elements are logically connected, redundancy is avoided and no critical elements are left out. Elements can be rendered as plain text or as text within boxes.The elements at the bottom of the diagram represent tasks small enough to be easily understood and carried out. Interactions are shown as lines connecting the elements. A change in one of the critical elements may affect one or more of the others. If necessary, these lines can include arrowheads to indicate time progression or cause-and-effect. A well-organized, detailed WBS can assist key personnel in the effective a llocation of resources, project budgeting, procurement management, scheduling,  quality assurance,quality control, risk management, product delivery and service oriented management. Related article: Conveyor Belt Project

Ken from Whose Life Is It Anyway Persuading the Judge to Let Him Die Essay

In this essay, I will be describing and analysing how Ken, from â€Å"whose life is it anyway†, used persuasive techniques to persuade the judge to let him die. Ken is trying to persuade the judge to let him die, and he persuades him with this quote â€Å"†¦and I find the hospital’s persistent effort to maintain this shadow of life an indignity and its humane. † this quote is clearly showing that he does not want to rely on other people. The word â€Å"maintain† stands for holding something like an object in your household. He does not want the hospital and the doctors to â€Å"maintain† his shadow of life because he thinks that he is â€Å"dead already†. In the quote â€Å"†¦but the dignity starts with their choice. If I chose to live, it would be appalling if society killed me. If I chose to die, its equally appalling if society keeps me alive. † This quote shows that he cares about other people not just himself. The word â€Å"society† is used because it shows that he thinks truly not only about himself. Also there is a word â€Å"choose†, this clearly shows that there is no modal verbs and it is more effective and emotive, as that word, it self, shows that he thought everything though what he actual said. I like the way Ken uses strong words like â€Å"appalling†, by saying this, he is exaggerating and by doing this, he is shocking. Ken doesn’t thing letting someone live although they’re against it is terrible, but the fact that they don’t get the choice. â€Å"The cruelty doesn’t reside on saving someone or allowing them to die. It resides in the fact that the choice is removed from the man concerned† this quote means exactly how ken feels at that moment. The choice is about to be taken from him, and that will make things even harder for him. The word â€Å"cruelty† is a very strong word. Using it, Ken, creates sympathy and it made the whole quote more persuasive and he was saying that people are cruel by taking the choice from him. Also I this quote, he is stating by using words like â€Å"is†, â€Å"fact†, â€Å"it resides†. All of these are modal verbs and show that he knows what he is talking about and is confident with what he thinks and knows. The author chose the techniques for a reason, and the reasons are that the whole fact about persuading the judge needs to be pointed out as it’s the most important bit in the story play, the judge will judge from whether to save the man or let him die as he wanted. It’s a life or death situation. Ken also uses rhetorical questions to make the judge think, â€Å"Is that surprising? † Ken said this on purpose as it is very effective persuasive technique like in the one. Rhetorical questions overall, start arguments and debates in which this story is all about. Overall I think that the judge did the right thing letting ken die. He would be suffering mentally and physically if he didn’t. This story has many different writing techniques and only very few I have analysed in this essay. I think they are very effective upon this story and the story wouldn’t make sense and so much drama if it didn’t.

Mexican American Approaches to Health Essay

Mexican American, or Latino, traditional views on health and healing practices are influenced by several other cultures that they have historically had some kind of contact with, such as the Spanish colonizers, indigenous Indian populations, and Western medical practitioners. This varied background accounts for their holistic healing methods and their belief that good health stems from internal balance, a clear conscience, and a strong spiritual relationship with God. The underlying theme in traditional Mexican American health is that there needs to be a balance between the body and Earth’s elements. Equilibrium of each element–fire, water, air, and land–leads to an overall healthy state. (Molina, 1994) Traditionalists tie this balance concept in with the idea that all health states are associated with either hot or cold, and one may be used to heal the other. A state of health is characterized by a warm, wet body, and any exposure to extreme conditions on either side of this scale leads to illness. It is important to point out that the generalizations assumed in this paper are based on very traditional Mexican American individuals and do not span the entire population within the US. In regards to healthcare, traditional Mexican Americans hold the belief that their healing methods are either superior to or the same as those practiced by Western providers, so they tend to rely primarily on home remedies and cultural healers before seeking out other forms of medicine. Furthermore, their healing approach is firmly rooted in their specific values. It is important to be aware of Latino cultural values in order to understand their views on healthcare, as the latter is based on the other. In general, there are three basic values that crucially exists within most Mexican American relationships—personalismo, respeto, and dignidad. (Molina, 1994) Personalismo is the trust and rapport that is established with others. Latin Americans respond better to warm, friendly interactions, and prefer personal relationships to professional ones. Therefore, the best ways to earn trust is for a provider to show interest in the patient’s personal life, exercise empathy, and avoid formal interactions. It is also important for a provider to show respeto (respect) by dressing according to their profession and addressing the patient with the formal greeting â€Å"usted†. This makes the patient feel as through they are taken seriously and cared for at the same time. A Latino patient tends to want a provider to embrace and exemplify their role as a professional; they simply prefer more intimate interactions. And although they appreciate empathy, they expect a blatant regard for their digidad (dignity); as with many individuals, Latinos place an emphasis on being treated as equals and human beings. Furthermore, Mexican Americans value family and thrive off their interdependent relationships with them. (Molina, 1994) In fact, most traditional Latinos rely more on their relatives for health advice than healthcare providers; as a result, it is common for a family member to accompany a patient to their visit with a provider. Mexican Americans’ cultural definition of health is outlined by the three major states that they believe are the causes for all illness and disease. Additionally, poor health is culturally associated with imbalances within the body’s natural states that lead to problems. According to traditional beliefs, poor health can be attributed to one or more of the following: (1) Psychological State, (2) Environment and Natural Causes, or (3) Supernatural beings. (Molina, 1994) The psychological state includes any mental state that may be disrupting one’s peace of mind, including worry, anger, envy, or stress, all of which can lead to the dangerous state of susto (â€Å"fright†), or soul loss. Natural causes fall under environmental elements, such as dust, pollution, or germs–all of the things that Western medicine believes to be the only causes of illness. Finally, supernatural beings include malevolent spirits, witchcraft, or â€Å"mal de ojo†, the bad eye, any of which can cause disease or illness. Because Mexican American views on health differ from those of mainstream US medicine, there are several â€Å"folk illnesses† that exist within the culture that have no diagnosis within Western medicine, and are, therefore, remedied by traditional methods. Many of these illnesses fall under the idea of their imbalance theory. For example, an imbalance or conflict within social relationships opens one’s spirit up to â€Å"mal de ojo†; symptoms include fever, headache, and sleeplessness. The traditional treatment for this is rubbing the entire body with egg yolk. Empacho is an illness characterized by stomach pains, and results from feeling psychological stress while eating. Ataque de nervios literally translates to â€Å"attack of the nerves† and is caused by extreme emotional stress brought on by a traumatic event. Those suffering from this illness often engage in fits of swearing and convulsions. The treatments are praying over the affected individual and rubbing alcohol over their face. Caida is an infant disease that occurs when the fontanelle is dislodged from the child’s skull, and can result in death. (Molina, 1994) In Western medicine, providers may equate this with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which even in the most skilled American facilities has no biological explanation. Since many of the illnesses recognized in the Mexican American culture are undiagnosed and not understood in Western medicine, a majority of this group employs home remedies or purchases medicines in a botanica, or a store that sells folk medicine and herbal treatments. (â€Å"Profiles of Health†, 1994) Although some recent studies have shown that many Latinos view cost as the number one barrier to healthcare in America, most traditionalists prefer to seek out the assistance of their cultural healers through a healing practice known as Curanderismo. (â€Å"Profiles of Health†, 1994) This practice is one of the most prominent healing practices in the Mexican American culture. It approaches health from a holistic point of view and encompasses physical, social, psychological, and spiritual healing. (Johnston, 2006) A Curandero is a revered, spiritual being that treats those suffering from biologically inexplicable illnesses and can have gifts in several areas, including massage, midwife, counselor, spinal adjustment (similar to a Chiropractor), or espiritualista–someone who channels help from spirits. (Molina, 1994) They specialize in a number of areas of medicine, such as naturopaths, herbalists, palm readers, or psychotherapists. Some research suggests that Curanderos arose out of a need for health care from poverty stricken communities that could not afford it. Traditionally, many sought out the help of Curanderos; however, according to recent studies, very few Mexican Americans utilize the services of a Curandero, and those who do use it as supplemental treatment to Western medicine. The main differences between Mexican American cultural healing methods and Western medicine are the varied definitions of similar illnesses, as well as the explanations for the causes of diseases. However, since most illnesses that are recognized in Latino culture also exist within the framework of American healthcare, then treatment can be applied uniformly. Therefore, the emphasis needs to be placed on cultural competence, which would incorporate a system for understanding other point of views of health. It is imperative for providers to develop both trust with and respect for their patients in order to treat them and to increase adherence to medical plans. Western medical providers must learn to listen to and understand the traditions of the Mexican American patient population so that they will be better equipped to serve them. Once this is accomplished within the American healthcare system, society will see health disparities begin to diminish.