Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Hillary Clinton and Universal Health Care

Hillary Clinton is perhaps most remembered during her tenure as the first lady of the United States in the mid-1990s for her unsuccessful push for universal health care, a controversial proposal seen at the time as a radical overhaul of the way Americans received coverage that drew strong opposition from both the drug and health insurance industries. The cornerstone of the plan was a mandate on employers to provide health insurance for all of their employees. Later in her political career, Clinton supported a mandate on Americans - not businesses - to purchase health insurance for themselves as part of a broad proposal to rein in costs and boost value and quality in the nations network of private health insurers. Clinton unveiled her newer proposals in her American Health Choices Plan during the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Said Clinton in September 2007: My plan covers all Americans and improves health care by lowering costs and improving quality. If youre one of the tens of millions of Americans without coverage or if you dont like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and youll get tax credits to help pay for it. If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. Its a plan that works for Americas families and Americas businesses, while preserving consumer choices. That same individual mandate became a part of President Barack Obamas health care law. Hillary Clinton and Universal Health Care Hillary Clinton was the first lady to President Bill Clinton in 1993 when he appointed her to chair the Presidents Task Force on National Health Care Reform. The president had warned in his inaugural address that the administration would face staunch opposition from powerful lobbies and special interests who would attempt to derail its efforts to provide coverage for all Americans, and he was right. Congressional Republicans opposed the plan, the public saw it as too complex and bureaucratic, but perhaps the kiss of death was the tremendous amount of criticism it received from health insurance industry, which went too far as to produce a multimillion-dollar television campaign against the proposal. The Clinton health care overhaul billed as the centerpiece of Bill Clintons presidency and a path to ensuring some 37 million Americans who had no coverage, died for lack of support in Congress in what was considered a major defeat for the administration and political setback for Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton Revises Health Care Proposals Clinton emerged with a new set of plans to ensure every American during the 2008 race for the Democratic presidential nomination. She said she had learned from her mistakes in 1993 and 1994 when the Clinton administrations proposals were too complicated, and that she had the scars to show for it. Clinton portrayed her new American Health Choices Plan as being one modeled after the health care program through which members of Congress are covered. The new array of choices offered in the menu will provide benefits at least as good as the typical plan offered to members of Congress, which includes mental health parity and usually dental coverage, Clinton said in 2007. Hillary Clintons plan would have required Americans to purchase health insurance and required insurers to cover everyone regardless of whether they had preconditions. It would have provided tax credits to Americans who couldnt afford to purchase health care and paid for them by rolling back the so-called Bush tax cuts on those earning more than $250,000 a year. Clinton said at the time her plan would have resulted in a net tax cut for American taxpayers.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

steve to stephanie Essay examples - 606 Words

Steve to Stephanie (Purchase HBS Case) 1) How can Henrietta help Steve transition in a company where not everybody is supportive? Henrietta can help Steve transition in a number of ways. Because the idea of switching gender is abstract idea, not every person will be accepting of it. In fact most people will be unaccepting of it being that they are morally agaist the idea of switching gender. Just as people are hesitant to accept gays, the dominant male female role stereotypes have been long ingrained in most cultures and most people accept them as â€Å"normal†. I believe the first thing that must be done to help Steve and LaSalle with the gender transition is to educate people about the process. People need to be aware of the reasons†¦show more content†¦Also Alex is a very respected sales man and losing him would be detrimental to the CatalCon acquisition. He is needed for his understanding of CatalCon products that sales people from LaSalle will just not have due to lack of experience. 3) How far should firms go to protect and accommodate employee differences in the workplace? The firm has an obligation to protect Steve’s privacy, as this is a medical issue. So while they might want to settle things in ways that will make the majority happy, there are laws that force you to look out for the little guy. Any firm has a human resource team that is obligated to mediate employee disputes. But no matter what type of employee is the majority they must take actions to provide an equal and safe working environment for everyone. I believe that Henrietta made a mistake sending out a memo to specific people in the firm. Memos can be misplaced and seen by the wrong eyes. This could lead to a privacy lawsuit and should be avoided by waiting to announce sensitive material until a time that is right for the subject and the firm. Some employees may have issues other than medical that need to be met such as religious differences and cultural differences where dress code must be bent. I believe if there are differences that need to be accommodated for they mos t likely have laws that protect those differences. Therefore you will have some sort of guidelines as to how you many attempt toShow MoreRelatedExpanding Social Security Spending In recent decades, entitlement programs have constituted a600 Words   |  3 PagesThe White House said Obama’s budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year does not include a plan he made last year that represented an effort to gain some Republican support and break through congressional gridlock. According to a Reuters article by Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton, President Obama dropped a measure to trim cost-of-living increases in Social Security from his budget proposal. This would signify that this year, the Democrats are preparing for November congressional elections. They areRead MoreOD: IT IS YOUR TURN955 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Running Head: It’s Your Turn It’s Your Turn Stephanie Pugh McDaniel College It’s Your Turn A contract is a verbal or written agreement between the client and the OD practitioner. The contract specifies the expectations of the client and the OD practitioner. The client and the OD practitioner collaborate withRead MoreAdmn 232 - Assignment 1987 Words   |  4 PagesStudent Name: Stephanie Bourgeois Student ID: 3225453 Assignment #1 Manager’s Organization: 895084952RC00001 operating as Sam’s Monkey Tree Pub, Diamantes Restaurant, amp; Diamantes Catering. Steve Dinham, Manager and Co Owner of Canadian Business 895084952RC00001 or better known as Sam’s Monkey Tree Pub, Diamantes Restaurant, and Diamantes Catering, is truly a jack-of-all-trades. Strategic planning (food/liquor/dry goods orders), organization (scheduling, staffing), effective leadership (workingRead MoreEssay on Discourse Analysis1065 Words   |  5 Pagespositively or negatively valued’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 185). The views and identity positions that people hold can be formed in many ways and urbanisation is a good example of how values are connected between people and place in the countryside and in cities. Steve Hinchliffe (2009, p. 224) explains how people are seduced by an ‘imaginary’ of rural life and that people’s opinions of city life are often disconnected. They can associate higher crime, pollution and violence, in cities, opposed to, rolling hillsRead MoreThe Misrepresentation Of Minorities For The Mainstream Film Industry145 9 Words   |  6 Pagesissue of group mentality in the genre of a coming of age film, Better Luck Tomorrow takes the opportunity to add a love interest for the reluctant hero. This love interest create the rising tension between the protagonist Ben towards the young man Steve Cho, who in essence, is a representation of the mainstream depiction of the typical male antagonist, complete with money, motorcycle, and charisma (see fig. 2). As the young woman plays her role as the middle of a teen love triangle, she creates theRead MoreThe Television Show Full House539 Words   |  2 Pagesyoungest are: Donna Joe (DJ), Stephanie, and Michelle. In 1993, season seven of the television show presented episode five entitle; â€Å"Fast Friends†. This episode was based on Stephanie starting her first year in junior high school. Stephanie meets a new friend named Nicki, and realizes that Nicki and her friends are not a good crew to be associated with. Stephanie feels pressured to smoke cigarettes while in the school bathroom however, she decided against it. Stephanie really like’s her new friendRead MoreThe Case Of Jonathan Wayne Nobles1213 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Silent Night†, a popular Christmas carol. A better understanding of Nobles’ transformation while awaiting his fate can be produced by analysing his spiritual development, the goals he tried to pursue, and his relationships with the people around him. Steve Earle, a singer-songwriter who befriended Jonathan Nobles gives a clear view of his spiritual development. He writes about Nobles’ spiritual development in his personal essay, â€Å"A Death in Texas†. In it, Earle describes how â€Å"when Jon arrived at EllisRead MoreNotes On The Creator Of Apple Steve Jobs1216 Words   |  5 PagesStephanie K. Bates Dr. Davis ENGL 1013 September 24, 2016 Commercial Assignment Would you define yourself as crazy? Do you feel like you just don’t fit in? A troublemaker per say? Do you see things in a different perspective? Do you believe that you can change the world? The creator of Apple Steve Jobs, believes just that type of unusual individual can change the world because they are crazy to be able to change it. Unique individuals play a significant role in creating history, due to theRead MoreTechnological Advancements And Its Impact On The Modern World1092 Words   |  5 Pagesshort I have singled down our attention to four filmmakers whose feature film debut was less than ten years ago, all with diverse backgrounds that help to showcase where their unique voices come from. These filmmakers range from the British immigrant Steve McQueen to LA native Ava DuVernay. From ex-college football player Ryan Coogler to the openly gay Justin Simien. Using their own identities and take on the world, these filmmakers are helping to create a new meaning f or both what a black film consistenceRead MoreCase Commentary10898 Words   |  44 PagesSnap by Eileen Roche Big Shoes to Fill by Michael Beer Bob’s Meltdown by Nicholas G. Carr We Googled You by Diane Coutu When Steve Becomes Stephanie by Loren Gary and Brian Elliot Moonlighter by Bronwyn Fryer Micromanager by Bronwyn Fryer All the Wrong Moves by David A. Garvin Riding the Celtic Tiger by Eileen Roche The Best of Intentions by John Humphreys Steve Carmody Human Resource Management and Development MG3018 109554416 Recurring Theme The recurring theme throughout these

Monday, December 9, 2019

Biased Judgement Essay Research Paper Our society free essay sample

Biased Judgement Essay, Research Paper Our society construe a individual # 8217 ; s outer visual aspect as a contemplation of their inner- ego. This is likely due to Heuristics. In the instance of representativeness heuristic, a opinion sing the individual would be determined by the by the outward clues that the individual reflected of themselves. One outward hint is the visual aspect of a individual. If a individual is orderly in visual aspect and dressed in something like gothic-garb ( black apparels and make-up ) . A individual dressed in such a manner could be judged as dark and extreme. This would be a just premise given that the individual dressed in such a mode is in control of their visual aspect and desires to exudate such an image. Arguments can be made to back up and challenge feeling formed by heuristic opinion. The phrase, # 8220 ; You can # 8217 ; t judge a book by its screen # 8221 ; comes to mind. Surely it would be an ideal universe if everyone was judged by their single traits alternatively of what they look like. Surveies by Berkowitz, Snyder, and Uranowitz ( 1978 ) found that societal behaviour seems to be influenced non merely by nonsubjective environmental stimulations, but besides by the topics inclination to construe these stimulations selectively attend to them, and selectively remember them. But it # 8217 ; s human nature to develop a first feeling when coming in contact with any new stimulations, be it individual, topographic point, or thing. Therefore it is rational for a individual to organize sentiments of an person based on their outward visual aspect. Question 2. Watch the intelligence studies ( or believe of old 1s ) of utmost Acts of the Apostless of behaviour. Can you happen grounds that intelligence analysts overemphasize drastic causes in describing the intelligence? Does describing Acts of the Apostless of terrorist act, for case, lead us to deformed perceptual experience of the positions of the mean occupant of the terrorist # 8217 ; s place states? I believe that intelligence studies do overemphasise the intelligence narratives that they are describing to some extent. I believe that the sensationalism is prompted by the capital that is available to shows with high evaluations. While it is of import to hold information available to the populace, it is overriding to describe the information to the populace in a responsible mode. To describe a narrative responsibly does non intend redacting the contents of a narrative, but non advancing craze to the viewing audiences or hearers. This could be more of a equilibrating act between seeking to give ample information and facts, yet non delinquent it. Narratives that come to mind to function as illustrations for this topic are: high school shots, Y2K, middle-easterners caught at boundary line crossings with explosives, and nervus gas terrorists onslaughts. In my sentiment all of these narratives were of import to describe. The high school hiting coverage touched the Black Marias of many and brought the world of such a calamity right into the places of America. This narrative really good may of helped saved lives. Schools, have developed security systems to command merely who goes in and out of the school along with video proctors. Some schools – largely high schools, felt it necessary to set in mental sensors to see the safest environment for their pupil organic structure. I think that the deepness of describing in-depth studies on the pupils who committed the shots helped parents, instructors, and counsellors identify a pupil with a possible job who may be at hazard for this type of behaviour. The consciousness that this narrative brought to others may of helped some identify hazards, but it besides caused some craze among some. The Cannon-Bard theory ( Cannon, Lewis A ; Britton,1927 ) suggests that a individual would respond to such intelligence narratives with a commonsense prospective. Harmonizing to this theory we would see both physiological marks of emotion and subjective experiences. In the illustration of the intelligence studies on the high school shots, cryings and frights would be both the physiological emotion and subjective experiences. In contrast the James-Lange theory ( James 1890 ) suggests that our subjective emotional experiences are the consequence of our automatic physiological reactions to assorted events. This would intend that the emotions we felt were prompted by our physical province. In this illustration the cryings would do the feelings of fright and unhappiness. I do believe that describing Acts of the Apostless of terrorist act does model our positions of the place states that the terrorists come from. I don # 8217 ; t think that can be avoided # 8211 ; or should be avoided. To describe the facts of the terrorist Acts of the Apostless reasonably is all a responsible new show can offer. We, as worlds have free will and the ability to pull decisions from information that we gather throughout our lives. Our mental logical thinking is composed of scheme. Schemas aid procedure information and interpret state of affairss and stimulations harmonizing to information we # 8217 ; ve processed from past experiences. Prototypes are mental theoretical accounts for the typical qualities or groupings of classs that are composed from an persons experiences of acquired cognition. We are prone to holding our sentiments shaped by the intelligence studies that we see about terrorists. This could motivate a negative sentiment about the fatherland of the terrorists. That can # 8217 ; t be avoided. The human mind is compose of scheme and depends on paradigms to pull logical decisions. Since worlds can apologize, we are capable of weighing the information on a instance by instance footing and non merely do cover sentiments of state of affairss, in this instance the states that terrorists come from. Making cover opinions could be considered stereotyping and can be considered bias. Bibliography Baron A ; Byrne, Social Psychology p. 82 327

Monday, December 2, 2019

Religion In Public Life Essays - Prayer, School Prayer,

Religion In Public Life Prayer in school has been the topic of the century, ?Is it right to pray in school,? stated a Texas teacher. The society as a whole believes it is wrong, but there is some people that thinks it would be a good addition to our school. Maybe it will lower school violence. Yeah, right, whatever! Come on people, be a little intelligent. Our country has had violence before we created prayer in school. Religion will probably make it worse. Sociologists has taken a look at this issue. They perceived it preposterous. Sociologist think if we had prayer in school, might as well force us to read a bible and say amen every time a teacher finishes a sentence. Prayer in school is ridiculous and absurd. Sociologists opposes school prayer for a number of reasons. To begin, it is unconstitutional and a clear violation of our First Amendment. Remember, that amendment contains the Establishment Clause which prohibits the government fromestablishing religion. Simply put, secular institutions like the pu blic schools should NOT be a forum for religious ritual or indoctrination. And do a majority of people support school prayer? Often, those results depend on exactly how the question happens to be asked. Surveys suggest that most people reject the notion of mandatory prayer. But even if the overwhelming majority thought that prayer was, somehow, a good idea, that does not make the practice ethically just or constitutional. Sociologists also points out, in opposing school prayer, that prayer is not efficacious. School prayer is obviously a form of religious indoctrination; it teaches children that there are invisible, supernatural entities which can be implored and appeased through mumbling prayers or reading from holy books. Many people believe that just because there is a bible, does it mean we have to take it seriously. If we wrote a book and put it in a time capsule and send it back 4000 years ago it will become a religion. What about school initiated prayer? Before getting excited about student initiated prayer, ask yourself: which students are doing the initiating? Student populations often reflect the diversity of the culture. Some students may wish to pray in class or at official school ceremonies like graduation exercises or sporting events, but are they being fair to other students who may not wish to pray? Lately, there have been court cases involving this very question. It is clear that even in areas such as Utah where a school may have a high percentage of students from the same religious background, not all students feel comfortable with this bogus student led religious ritual. If you see a huge group of people praying will you join them? The survey says 1 out of 4 students say yes. The reason is, they want to keep their friends. Sociologists believe teen peer pressure is why this is the way it is. What about a moment of silence? What for? Why do we need a moment of silence? School prayer boosters have sometimes proposed this as a way of establishing a legal precedent which, they hope, will eventually lead toward explicit and vocal school prayer. Over a decade ago, the Supreme Court struck down this type of proposal; legislation of this type often calls for the moment of silence to be used for meditation or prayer. Besides, consider the declining number of hours that students are in school each year. Every moment should be used for useful and educational instruction, not meditating! The whole idea of this is if we create some way to do this, without violating any rights, it won't effect any one. But yes it does, even a moment of silence is basically saying you must do this or else... Our government has always stood by the First Amendment, For one reason. The First Amendment creates an issue with how to stop certain things from happening. There is a lot of power in the First Amendment. But, our government exercises this right narrowly. We are always battling with the First Amendment. There is a lot of culture in this issue. One main reason we live in America is because we wanted the right to believe in a god, many gods, or no god(s)

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Anarchy essays

Anarchy essays Anarchism seems to be defined many ways by many different sources. Most dictionary definitions define anarchism as the absence of government. A leading modern dictionary, Webster's Third International Dictionary, defines anarchism briefly but accurately as, "a political theory opposed to all forms of government and governmental restraint and advocating voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups in order to satisfy their needs." Other dictionaries describe anarchism with similar definitions. The Britannica-Webster dictionary defines the word anarchism as, "a political theory that holds all government authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocates a society based on voluntary cooperation of individuals and groups." William Godwin was the first proclaimed anarchist in history and the first to write about anarchism. Godwin published a book called Political Justice in 1793 which first introduced his ideas about anarchism, Godwin was forgotten about, however, and after his death Pierre Joseph Proudhon became a leading anarchist figure in the world. His book What is Property? incorporated greater meaning to the word anarchism; anarchism became not only a rejection of established authority but a theory opposing ownership of land and property as well. Anarchism fully blossomed as a defined theory when Russian anarchists Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) and Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921) started to write and speak. Bakunin had a major influence in the world and introduced anarchism to many people. Kropotkin was one of the many people inspired by Bakunin. Kropotkin wrote many books on anarchism, including Muitual Aid, Fields Factories and Workshops, and The Conquest of Bread, and greatly aided in the evolution of the theory of anarchism. As the 20th century emerged anarchism began to peak and the definition of anarchism became concrete with the growth of new anarchist writers and movements. The exec...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Pros and Cons of Class Field Trips

Pros and Cons of Class Field Trips Are field trips worth all the time and effort required to make them successful? Most teachers have asked themselves this question at one time or another, typically when feeling overwhelmed as they prepare for  a field trip. The truth is that field trips at any grade level can cause quite a few headaches for teachers. At the same time, well-planned field trips can provide students with truly educational experiences they cannot get in the confines of the classroom. Following is a look at the pros and cons of field trips. Benefits of Field Trips Field trips provide students with new opportunities for learning through experience: Information is presented to students in a way that meets different learning modalities.  Field trips provide students with the ability to learn by doing instead of just passively listening to the information being taught in class.  Students are exposed to  new experiences that hopefully broaden their horizons. This can be especially helpful for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds who may not have been exposed to these opportunities before.  Concepts that have already been learned in the classroom can be reinforced. Sometimes seeing information being taught in a new way can make all the difference in student comprehension. There is quite a difference between being taught about something like hurricanes and wind speed and experiencing them in an exhibit at a science museum.  Students are provided with shared reference points that teachers can then refer to and use in future classes. There may be an opportunity to have two or more disciplines use a field trip as an enrichment activity. For example, a trip to an art museum (art) coupled with a timeline for social studies (political systems in place when art was created) or a combination math (measurements) with science in a biosystem (river, beach, meadow). That way, multiple teachers can then refer back to things that students saw and experienced for the rest of the school year.   Students and teachers can see each other in a different light, helping to increase communication between them. Some students who might be overlooked in class because they are quiet might really come alive on field trips.  If parents are involved as chaperones, they can feel more connected to the teacher and the lessons being taught. They can get to know the teacher  better and understand what teachers deal with daily.New standards in social studies and science  require students to have experiences  related to concepts in the discipline. In social studies, students are required to take informed action.  In science, students need to be exposed to a series of concepts to help them to better understand the world around them. Field trips help teachers meet these objectives. Problems to Know In Planning a Field Trip There are a number of concerns and challenges that teachers face when designing field trips that must be recognized and addressed before planning a field trip. Field Trips take time if teachers want to make the field trip meaningful. Teachers have to coordinate locations and transportation. They also need to create an effective lesson plan that they will follow when on the field trip.  Students will be out of the school building for a field trip, which means they will miss other classes. If each core subject area (ELA, math science, social studies) offered one field trip during a school year, students would be out of the building for four days. School attendance policies may count these as excused absences, but any field trip that removes students from class reduces the number of classroom hours.  Field trips can be expensive, and some students may not have the funds to attend. Organizers of the field trip may consider asking for parents to add a few dollars to scholarship students. There may need to be a fundraiser for students to raise money for more expensive trips.Teachers have to organize the collection of money and the assigning o f chaperones. Teachers need to spend some time creating student groups that work for all students and ensuring that chaperones are assigned accordingly.   There is often red tape that teachers have to deal with as they plan field trips including permission slips, medical information, and emergency procedures. Schools typically require paperwork from teachers and their students.  Students will be placed in a larger environment than the classroom. New surrounding could possibly lead to additional discipline problems. Because the teacher typically only leads a small group, they cannot keep control over the behavior of every student on the field trip. It is very important that teachers enforce rules strictly and create effective consequences for misbehavior while on field trips.  The field trip destination might not live up to the teachers expectations. The location might not be as interesting as the teacher thought it would be. The time to complete the field trip might be considerably less than was expected. Therefore, it is a good idea to have some contingency plan in mind just in case.There may be students who, for one reason or ano ther, will not attend the field trip. Teachers must leave lessons, usually enrichment lessons, that mirror some of the concepts being experienced on the field trip. Feedback: One of the best ways to measure the success of a field trip (other than returning all students back to the school) is to ask for feedback. Teachers can post a survey for participants and for other chaperones to express how they would evaluate the trip. Students should have the opportunity to reflect on the trip and write a response in a journal or essay. Requiring journal responses after the trip can solidify the information learned as students reflect about their new understandings.  Asking students to write a thank you to the school principal for allowing the trip may even smooth the path to additional field trips.   All in all, most teachers feel that well-chosen field trip destinations are quite worth the hassles associated with  field trips. The key is taking the time to plan each aspect as much as possible.  Teachers must be proactive when thinking about and planning field trips. Students, on the other hand, may remember the experience of the school field trip as a highlight of the school year, and the time they learned more than anything taught in class.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Potential Hardship that young adult encounter after aging out of Dissertation

Potential Hardship that young adult encounter after aging out of foster care - Dissertation Example It is evident from the study that since the inception of foster care in the United States, over half a million children have been placed in these homes from the end of the year 2000. The authors continue to state that these numbers have been decreasing in the recent past with 423,773 children being in this care in the year 2009. This represents a 20% drop in their numbers during that decade, and the number of African American children in this care accounts for 40% of the children, whereas Whites account for 20% of children under foster care. The remaining percentage of children in foster care is composed of children from the Hispanic community. Other reports by Krebs and Pitcoff indicate that most of the children who enter this care do so involuntarily. This occurs when the children encounter neglect from their guardians, and are bound to encounter many physical or psychosomatic problems. However, the placement of children in foster care could also be voluntary, and could occur when their guardians are unable to cater for their needs. A survey carried out in the state of Missouri on 325 children to ascertain the differences that existed after foster care found out that their mental abilities decreased by about 60% after a month of leaving this care. Many of the persons leaving foster care withdraw from taking medication for their mental problems out of their own consent. The mental abilities of the young people leaving the care centers decrease because of various circumstances. These circumstances include the absence of managers for controlling them, the aging out from the pediatric systems and shifts in decision-making as the child matures. Shifts in the care for the young people from foster homes to insurance companies who are responsible for covering the expenses incurred on their care is another cause of reduced mental abilities, and this is because the children are no longer funded (Meltzer, 2003). The problem identified is that most states do not continue offering foster care services for children who have left the foster homes (Stott, 2007). For this reason, governments are urged to continue providing Medicare through the Medicaid scheme, which guarantees medical attention for the vulnerable youth leaving foster care (Ward, Henderson and Pearson, 2003). There are several states in America, which offer the Medicaid option including Missouri, Michigan, Massachusetts, West Virginia and Minnesota among others (Stott, 2007). The inability of various foster care homes to account for many of the children who leave their homes arises from the fact that most are incarcerated, die or join the military and dropout of these systems (Meltzer, 2003). Reports by Ward, Henderson and Pearson (2003) in their book â€Å"One Problem among Many: Drug Use among Care Leavers in Transition to Independent Living† indicate that many youths encounter problems in their access and use of medication. There is a decline in

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Project Management and How it Relates to Purchasing and Supply Research Paper - 2

Project Management and How it Relates to Purchasing and Supply Management - Research Paper Example In fact, project management is a profession that most businesses embrace and there is a high possibility that the field will develop over the years. Typically, the general idea behind project management is not different from that of purchasing and supply because the methods, processes and approach applied aim at minimizing the chances of failure or forfeiture. However, there is more to the relationship of the two aspects apart from the common similarities such i.e. they both need professional managers. In purchasing and supply management, the experts engage in the management of the procurement procedures, all those that involve the goods and services (Zigiaris 2000). Definitely, ample management skills apply but the most critical responsibility involves managing the supply chain. This requires negotiations involving the contracts required for the upkeep of an organization’s production sequence. Decisively, a great relationship exists between project management, and purchasing and supply management, not necessarily in terms of the results and goals, but in the essence of knowledge and skills required. Consequently, this research paper focuses on analyzing both factors as a way of establishing the core relationship between the two. Evaluation revolves around aspects such as the concepts of procurement and contract management, RFP selection tools, procurement planning and its legal characteristics. Generally, the discussion entails a comprehensive assessment of these foci as the basis for the argument on the relationship. Obviously, almost all companies use procurement professionals for the purchasing and supply management requiring them to have resources, tips and tools for all modules in the chosen strategies. The common expectations for the procurement professionals entail being able to produce savings, managing contracts effectively, maintaining productive supplier relationships, negotiating and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Body Fat and Eating Disorders Paper Essay Example for Free

Body Fat and Eating Disorders Paper Essay Obese people have an overall morality rate almost twice that of non obese people. They are more than three times as likely to develop diabetes. Obesity is associated with unhealthy cholesterol levels and impaired heart function. It is estimated that if all Americans had a healthy body composition, the incidence of coronary heart disease would drop by 25%. Other health risks associated with obesity include hypertension, many kinds of cancer, impaired immune function, gallbladder and kidney diseases, and bone and joint disorders. These risk from obesity increase with its severity, and they are much more likely to occur in people who are more than twice their desirable body weight. Body Fat The distribution of body fat is also an important indicator of future health. People who tend to gain weight in the abdominal area have risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke twice as high as those who tend to gain weight hip area. The reason for this increase risk is not entirely clear, but it appears that fat in the abdomen is more easily mobilized and sent into the bloodstream, increasing disease related blood fat levels. In addition to risking physical health, obesity can impair psychological health. Being perceived as fat can be the source of ridicule, ostracism, and sometimes discrimination from others; it can contribute to psychological problems such as depression and low self esteem. For some, the stigma associated with obesity can give rise to a negative body image, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. What Influence Behavior Obesity is an result of intricate interactions of biology, behavior, and environment. Recent hypothesis in the scientific community suggest the current obesity epidemic is being driven largely by environmental factors (high energy/ high fat foods, fast foods consumption, television watching, â€Å"super sized† portions) rather than biological ones. Individuals are bombarded with images and offers of high fat, high calorie, high palatable, convenient, and inexpensive foods. Today’s stressful lifestyles compound the effects of environmental factors by impairing weight loss efforts and by promoting fat storage. Health Problems Associated with Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge eating disorder. When it comes to Anorexia Nervosa, and the cycle of self starvation. The body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally. It can cause an abnormally slow heart rate, and low blood pressure. When it comes to Bulimia Nervosa, and the recurrent binge and purge cycles of bulimia can affect the entire digestive system ad can lead to electrolyte and chemical imbalances in the body that affect the heart and other major organ functions. Electrolytes imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats and possibly heart failure and death. When it comes to Binge eating disorder often result in the same health risk associated with clinical obesity. High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, secondary diabetes, gallbladder disease, and heart disease as a result of elevated triglyceride levels. Conclusion When it comes to eating disorders sometimes your regular medical doctor is not the best one for treating these disorders. You may need to seek the help of a psychologist, because there are usually some mental issues involved in eating disorders. References: Eating Disorders Health Consequences, By John M. Grohol, Psy.D, Jun.1, (2010), Retrieved from, www.psychcentral.com Health Risk of Excess Body Fat, n.a., n.d., Retrieved from, www.teach.valosta.edu Environmental and Life Influences on Obesity, By P.J. Brantley, V.H. Myers, H.J. Roy, Jan., (2005), Retrieved from, www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Octopus Man :: essays papers

The Octopus Man They change color, texture, and body shape... have three hearts... are jet powered... have members in every ocean of the world... have inspired legends and stories since recorded history... are the most intelligent of all invertibrates, yet are related to clams and oysters... have eyes and senses that rival our own... and can make their own smoke screen decoys out of ink. They are Cephalopods - octopi, cuttlefish, squids, etc. - and they are far more fascinating than one might think. Cephalopoda means, â€Å"head foot†, and they certaintly are of an ancient group... they first appeared several million years before the first primitive fish began to swim the oceans, in the late Cambrian era. They were once one of the dominant life forms in the sea, yet today there are only 650 or so living species left. (This may seem like quite a bit, but compare it to the 30,000 living species of bony fish on this planet and it loses its’ prominence.) Yet in terms of productivity, some scientists feel that cephalopods are still giving fish a run for their money.With so much information on cephalopods available, it becomes neccesarry to narrow down the catagories. Thus, I have determined to zoom in on the order Octopoda as the main focus of this paper, a group on animals which contains, in my opinion, some of the more interesting and intelligent creatues on this planet. Members of the order octopoda have eight arms. Over the corse of evolution, the trend has been a reduction of shell size. Octopi, having no shells at all, have carried this trend the furthest. The suborder ncerrata contains the familiar, unfinned octopuses that humans know the most about. Octopi have evolved mechanisms to protect themselves from predators. Some of the amazing abilities of octopi include their ability to change theircolor, texture, and apparent size; to expel ink; and to modify their environment to suit themselves. Octopi are able to jet water through their siphon by contracting their mantel to provide quick, explosive thrust. They have the intelligence and ability to get into and out of fishermen's crab and fish traps and to get under an undergravel filter plate in an aquarium. They can adapt to new situations and appear to be curious about their surroundings. Octopi can use their bodies as a nets to trap fish.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Childhood Obesity: The Causes And Health Problems Essay

The topic that I have chosen for my paper is addressing the issue of childhood obesity. According to Merriam-Webster (2010) obesity is a condition where there is excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. I think that childhood obesity is an epidemic that the United States of America is facing as a major issue for children health. Childhood obesity is one of the fastest growing health concerns in the United States. The definition of an epidemic according to Encyclopedia Britannica (2011) is the occurrence of disease that is temporarily of high prevalence. The childhood obesity rate has more than tripled in the United States over the last 30 years( Center for Disease Control, 2010) I will prove that there are ways to prevent the causes of childhood obesity. Research will be focusing on the causes, the health concerns, and the ways to prevent childhood obesity. The resources that will be using for the research are: internet research, case and research reports, and interviews. So far research findings are showing that there are many causes and effects of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is difficult health problem because it has biological, behavioral, social, economic, environmental, and cultural causes (Koplan, Liverman, Kraak, 2005, pg 340). Each one of the causes stated above can have many different influences for a child in this country. An economic example is when the recession caused a lot of people to lose their jobs. The recession caused a lot of people to lose their income, which caused a lot of families to not be able to afford the necessities of life. People had to choose between making their house payment or buying food. The number of people also has something to do with how a family eats. The number of people that are in the family determines the amount and the cost of food needed. A family income also has an important role in a family. If the family size is larger and the income level is low then the  family may have problems buying healthier food. A social example would be their peers influencing what they eat when they are away from their house. Children could be more likely to eat what their friends eat when they are not home as well. The community has a role in this as well. The reason the community has a role in this is due to the restaurants that are in the area and the food those places offer. If your community only offers fast food then the child is more likely to eat that food, which is high in fat. The education level and number of parents may also affect childhood obesity. Research shows that the higher level of education and if both parents are in the home then it is less likely that a child will be obese ((Koplan, Liverman, Kraak, 2005, pg 216). A cultural example would be how we advertise products in the United States. Companies are advertising towards children. For example at a fast food restaurant the child meal comes with a toy. With children watching more and more TV these days the retailers are making commercials for the children that are watching them. The child’s ethnicity is an important factor as well. The traditions that the parents grow up with will be taught to the child and passed down to the next generation. The community again is important factor for this cause as well. People adapt to where they are living. For example if a family moves to from a neighborhood that had more restaurants than fast food, and then the family moves to a neighborhood that has nothing but fast food and there is no other place to eat they may change their diet. A behavioral example would be that a young child that does not want to eat their vegetables at lunch because they say they do not like them. Portion size is a very important factor for childhood obesity. If the portion size of an unhealthy food is too big then the child is more likely to become overweight. When a child is eating fast food or processed food or if they are drinking soda and juice, then they are consuming more sugar and calories than someone that may be eating vegetables or fruit. When a child intakes more calories or sugar, then does not exercise then the child is not burning off the extra intake off. Some children also play a lot of video games and  a child may watch a lot of TV, instead of playing outside. A biological example is if someone has a medical condition where it makes their metabolism not work the best and it causes them to have trouble losing weight or they just gain weight easily. Every person has a different metabolism level as well. Some people may have an over active metabolism and then there are others that have a metabolism that is very slow. Metabolism is how fast the body burns off calories or energy that the body takes in. Another factor is genes or heredity. Genes or heredity is something that you get from your parents of other people in your family. This gets passed down from generation to generation and there is nothing that can be about it, except trying to offset it buy changing diet or level of physical activity. An environmental example would be looking at the ease of accessing processed or fast food near a child’s home. The food that a parent fixes their child is an important factor. This is important due to the fact if the parent is fixing processed or just bringing fast food home then the child will be in taking more calories per meal which could affect the child’s weight in a negative way. The foods that a school offers are also a factor. A school that offers healthier choices may help the student choose the healthier food. When a child chooses a healthier food then they are more likely to continue their diet as an adult but this will also help the child’s weight then too. The state that a child lives in could also be a factor. Each state has their own specialty that almost everyone fixes. If the child is living somewhere, where foods are fired then they are in taking more fat and calories. There are so many health concerns that come with childhood obesity. Some of the health concerns are type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, lower life expectancy, stress, depression, and low self-esteem. According to the Center of Disease Control (2010) children that suffer from childhood obesity are more likely to get the above health problems when they get older to have these diseases as adults. If some kids are left to manage their own health then they will be unhealthy as an adult because their  lifestyle will not change. This is a very important health concern for our children because they are the future leaders of this country and this is causing them to die earlier than their life expectancy. Cardiovascular disease is one disease that is affecting children with childhood obesity. Cardiovascular disease is relating to or involving the heart and blood vessel in the body(Merriam-Webster, 2011). According to the Center of Disease Control, 70% of children that are obese have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. One contributing factor is cholesterol to the above statistic. Kids are eat more and more fast food in this generation which is increasing their weight and cholesterol levels. Children are also not exercising or doing cardiovascular exercises like: swimming and running. This disease can also lead to many other health problems in adulthood. Another health concern for children that are obese is high blood pressure. Keeping your blood pressure in a healthy level is important because high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure is known as hypertension. Hypertension is abnormally high arterial blood pressure (Merriam-Webster, 2011). According to Rob Stein (2007) â€Å"increases so far have been small — just 2.3 percentage points for early hypertension and 1 point for full-blown hypertension — they translate into hundreds of thousands more children developing what often becomes a chronic, lifelong condition†. High blood pressure can lead to other health concerns such as: heart disease, stroke and kidney troubles. The next major health issue that can come from a child being obese is type 2 diabetes. According to the University of Michigan Health System it could take up to 10 years before an obese child shows the development of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is when the body can not process the insulin in the body produces. There are many things that can contribute to a child having type 2 diabetes. The level of exercise can help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes because when you exercise it helps the body burn the energy that is consumed. There are some complications for health when you have diabetes, those complications are blindness and amputations of the arms  and/or legs. Stress can also have an effect on a child’s health. Stress can cause many health issues because it takes energy to be stressed and many people worry when they are stressed. According to Merriam-Webster (2011), stress is a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation. Stress can come from home, school, friends, and family. When someone is stressed they may eat for comfort and this can cause extra calories being taken in and not burned off. Stress can be linked to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and many more. Low self-esteem is another important factor for children. Low self-esteem is a confidence and satisfaction in oneself. Low self-esteem can be from children bullying, making fun of each other, and stress. When a child has trouble making friends they may form a low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can cause an eating disorder. According to Susan Okie (2005, p 73), obesity is a risk factor for the development of an eating disorder. A child overweight could have a poor self-image and that could lead to an eating disorder. There is also a lower life expectancy with children that are obese. Life expectancy is referring to the age that a person lives to base on sex, ethnicity, and other factors. There are many factors that contribute to this. One factor is suicide. Children that have a low self-image or ones that have given up could resort to suicide. Another factor is the health issues that the obese child has. As the child gets older and if they already have heart disease, high blood pressure, or type 2 diabetes are likely to have the complications with those diseases earlier in their adult life. One way that Americans are trying to prevent childhood obesity is having schools offer more gym class time. Another way that Americans are trying to incorporate exercise is that the TV network Nickelodeon has a day that they turn off the cartoons and encourage children and their parents to go outside and play, they call it the national day of play. There are many health  programs also ran by the government trying to help low income families with providing their children with a balanced diet. The biggest thing that a parent can do is change their own lifestyle and pass it to the child. A parent leads by example showing their children how to live, act, and what to believe. A parent can start a daily activity with the family included and make this routine for the family. The parent can also change the food bought at the store and what is fixed at home. A child can be given a much smaller portion size and then if they are still hungry they could ask for more and the parent would determine the portion size of the extra the child would get. School are not out of the woods on this subject matter either. Schools offer processed food which are higher in calories, fat, and maybe sugar. Schools need to change their menu to offer healthier lifestyle choices. Schools would also help prevent childhood obesity by increasing the amount of time the student gets physical exercise during the school day. Another item the school should change to help prevent childhood obesity is the portion size of food their offering to a child. A community could ban together to prevent childhood obesity as well. The community could offer to have a campaign. These campaigns would be able to use multiple strategies,such as: media campaigns , community mobilizations, education programs for health professionals and the general public, modifications of physical environments, and health screenings and referrals (Koplan, Liverman, Kraak, 2005, pg 196). The community could also build a bike or walking trail in a park. Having the bike or walking trail will encourage the citizens of the community to get out and exercise. The community could also build a community center that has exercise equipment or a program ran thru the building to help teach parents to eat right. When the parents know what to do to help then they can pass the information down to the children. There are also many government ran programs to help low income families. One good example is the WIC program which stands for Women, Infant, and  Children. This program helps low income people that are pregnant or they have children under the age of five and they also have to meet the income guidelines for the size of the household. Income guidelines vary depending on what state in which the family resides in. WIC only offers certain foods to families. They offer formula for a baby, but the formula has to be on a state approved list (USDA, 2011). If there is a pregnant woman in the household, WIC then offers the household milk, whole grain bread, peanut butter or dry beans, fruit, approved cereal, and 100% fruit juice(USDA, 2011). If the woman is breastfeeding the baby then she is offered tuna and carrots for the nutritional value those foods give (USDA, 2011). Another government program is Food Stamps which help low income families buy food. There are income guidelines that someone would have to meet before getting assistance with this program. There is not much of a requirement of what food to buy on this program but they do have items that you are not allowed to buy. The recipient cannot buy taxable items such as diapers, paper towels, or toilet paper. The recipient cannot buy alcohol either. When a person on food stamps goes to a store to buy groceries the register will notify the cashier what is food stamp eligible and what is not. Anything that is not eligible the consumer must pay for. Without these programs the United States could have lots of hungry people that could starve to death. Research is stating that childhood obesity is preventable when proper diet and exercise are incorporated into a child’s life from a young age. If a child does not eat healthy foods and does not exercise then that child is more likely to be obese. When a child is obese, then the child is at risk for some serious medical diseases that may not show up until they are an adult. If a child has a serious medical disease young then they more likely to have a more severe condition like cardiovascular disease when they are an adult. There are many government and community programs to help the low income families that are in need of assistance. Preventing childhood obesity is a concern for parents, schools, communities, and government to solve together with all of the programs available. References Center of Disease Control. (2010, June 3). Childhood Obesity. In Health Topics (par. 2) [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/#5 Epidemic. (2011). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/189776/epidemic Institute of Medicine (U. S.) Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth. (2005). Confronting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic. In V. A. Kraak, J. P. Koplan, & C. T. LIverman (Eds.), Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. (p. 196). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10075881&ppg=196 Institute of Medicine (U. S.) Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth. (2005). Confronting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic. In V. A. Kraak, J. P. Koplan, & C. T. LIverman (Eds.), Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. (p. 216). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10075881&ppg=216 Institute of Medicine (U. S.) Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth. (2005). Confronting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic. In V. A. Kraak, J. P. Koplan, & C. T. LIverman (Eds.), Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. (p. 340). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10075881&ppg=340 Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Ed.). (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/cardiovascular Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Ed.). (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypertension Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Ed.). (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obesity?show=0&t=1297741121 Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Ed.). (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-esteem Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Ed.). (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/stress Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Ed.). (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/type+2+diabetes?show=0&t=1298313788 Okie, S. (2005). Size, Health, and Self Esteem. In Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity (pp. p 73). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10075869&ppg=73 Stein, R. (2007, September 17). More Kids Developing High Blood Pressure. The Washingtion Post, par 3. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/atricle/2007/09/10/AR2007091001349.html?hpid=topnews University of Michigan Health System (2008, July 12). Coming Epidemic Of Type 2 Diabetes In Young Adults. ScienceDaily. Retrieved fromhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/08070819329.htm USDA. (2011). Women Infants and Children [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross is a non-profit volunteer organization that provides various humanitarian services for free. The three most important concepts that the organization should consider are the mission statement, the recruitment of other volunteers, and the capability to maintain fiscal control. These concepts will enable the American Red Cross to remain consistent with its goals on a long term basis and to further enhance its capabilities in the face of pressing situations.It is said that â€Å"strategic plans can never be well developed until the organization is clear on its fundamental mission† (13). Since the American Red Cross mainly deals with complex disasters affecting local communities, among others, the organization should strive to lay down its core missions and to remain guided by them in every activity. Doing so will help the organization avoid running into situations it should not have involved itself in the first place. This correlates with the need to maintai n fiscal control.That is, sticking to the fundamental missions of the organization will prevent it from using resources on activities it does not have anything to do with in the first place. It is also said that â€Å"monitoring the financial condition of the organization is a responsibility that neither can nor should be delegated† (50). Thus, the executive officers should strive to keep track of the financial condition of the American Red Cross. Since the organization is essentially a volunteer group, its resources are limited.Consequently, it is only prudent for the organization executives to take full charge of the financial planning and to allocate resources properly and efficiently. Doing so can save the organization from financial troubles and help it continue its existence. It is also essential for the American Red Cross to recruit other volunteer leaders. However, the organization should not compromise quality with quantity. In other words, the organization should st ill see to it that newly recruited volunteers are committed to the fundamental mission of the group.There is more reason to expect new prospective board members to be attuned to the goals of the American Red Cross. This is because â€Å"the future of the organization depends on the quality of new board members† (36). These three concepts, when combined and applied correctly, can help the American Red Cross survive any trials to the group. The organization shall be able to provide humanitarian services to more needy people without misallocating or misusing its limited resources. In the end, the future of the organization will have to largely depend on the people behind it.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Hawk Roosting And The Eagel, Egotism And Ecosystems

that although uplift the Hawks view of him, limit all others. In The Eagle, the tone captures the bird’s great ability, yet keeps some boundaries and reflects more of nature’s way, rather than a pontification of one’s self and power as heard in â€Å"Hawk Roosting†. The poems both convey the same basic message that birds must kill and ... Free Essays on Hawk Roosting And The Eagel, Egotism And Ecosystems Free Essays on Hawk Roosting And The Eagel, Egotism And Ecosystems â€Å"Hawk Roosting† and â€Å"The Eagle† Egotism and Ecosystems The poems, â€Å"The Eagle† by Alfred Lord Tennyson and â€Å"Hawk Roosting† by Ted Hughes, have virtually the same basic image. Both poems describe the magnificence of birds and their need to stalk and kill prey. Yet, the poems have different themes and have dissimilar results. In this essay I will compare and contrast the poems voice, tone, message, and pattern. The poems have different voices. The poem â€Å"Hawk Roosting† is the hawk describing himself, â€Å"I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.† In describing himself and his actions, the hawk sets a tone of arrogance and supremacy. He is highly taken by his own creation and his abilities. This is unlike the poem â€Å"The Eagle† where someone else is describing the eagle and his actions. In the first line the speaker says â€Å"He clasps the crag with crooked hands†. This shows that the eagle is not talking about himself. Although the event taking place is both poems are similar (hunting), the tones are different. Whereas one poem demonstrates as obsessive opinion of one’s self, the other states the facts. In the â€Å"Hawk Roosting† the statement â€Å"I kill where I please because it is all mine† demonstrates this obsessive ownership and opinion of this creature. In addition, the hawk enjoys having the power over other creatures and the craving for more of it. â€Å"He watches from his mountain walls† stated in â€Å"The Eagle† demonstrates the facts of what an eagle does to hunt and survive. The tone in the â€Å"Hawk Roosting† uses statements and single words that although uplift the Hawks view of him, limit all others. In The Eagle, the tone captures the bird’s great ability, yet keeps some boundaries and reflects more of nature’s way, rather than a pontification of one’s self and power as heard in â€Å"Hawk Roosting†. The poems both convey the same basic message that birds must kill and ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Social Media ROI How to Prove It With Google Analytics

Social Media ROI How to Prove It With Google Analytics Social media is an essential part of any marketing mix. But, what happens when your boss or client asks you to prove organic ROI for your campaigns? â€Å"I don’t know is not a good enough answer. In fact, â€Å"I don’t know† should not be in the vocabulary of your social media team. Fortunately, you can prove your ROI with some hard work and the right tools. And by the right tools, I mean Google Analytics and . The following blog post is going to walk you through how to: Set up tracking UTM tags on your social media messages. Create a custom report in Google Analytics. Set goals in Google Analytics to track your ROI. This may seem like a daunting task, but once your team falls into a rhythm and starts seeing results, you’ll never look at social media the same way again. How To Prove Your Organic Social Media ROI With Google AnalyticsFirst Things First: Get Your Social Media ROI Report Template Before you continue reading, download our social media channel ROI report template. Itll help you track everything you need to prove to your organization that social media marketing is paying off (and show that youre earning your paycheck). Did You Know†¦ can save you time with our Google Analytics  and bit.ly  integrations by doing all the hard work for you. automatically creates trackable URLs that integrate with your Google Analytics custom reports.Start a trial or schedule a demo today and try it yourself. Why Is Tracking Organic Social Media ROI Important? Your bottom line is the heart and soul of your business. It’s what keeps the doors open and the lights on. Tracking your ROI helps prove to your organization and your clients that investing their dollars in social media campaigns is contributing to that bottom line. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that your efforts are worth both your time and your company’s time. Because if your team is investing their precious time in something you can’t prove is working, that’s just a waste of resources. And nobody wants that. If you can't prove your social media marketing is working, then you're just wasting resources.Step 1: Goal Setting In Google Analytics Setting up goals is going to be your first step in using Google Analytics to track your organic ROI. Goals are a way to have Google Analytics record conversions that are being generated from social media. What are conversions? Conversions are an event that is triggered by a customer, audience member or fan following through with an action that you wanted them to take. Conversions can be anything from: Buying a product Signing up for an email list Subscribing to your podcast Downloading an e-book you wrote This list could go on. Setting up goals in Google Analytics allow you easily track those conversions and prove to your team that the messages that you are sending out on your social media channels are driving your customers to take action. To start open your Google Analytics account and scroll down to Admin: Scroll across to Views: Select Goals and then click on Create New Goal: In the new window, name your goal. Be specific and try to remember as you’ll need to search for this name later: Next, you’re going to select your goal type. There are three different goal types in Google Analytics: Custom Template Smart For this example, we’re going to focus on custom goals (destination, duration, pages/screens per session and events): Click Continue and another drop down menu will appear. In this section, you’re going to put in the URL of the landing page that you want your customers to end up on. For example, say that after purchasing a product a thank you landing page appears. If that landing page surfaces it means someone bought something from you. Therefore a conversion that you need Google Analytics to track has happened: Under Value, toggle the button to On and enter the monetary value that your company will earn if that conversion happens: Click Save and your destination goal will be tracked. Step 2: Create Your Custom Report The next step in your social media ROI tracking process involves creating a custom report in Google Analytics that will allow you to easily find and track data coming in from the goals you set up earlier. To start, go back to your home screen and select Customization: Select Custom Reports: Select New Custom Report: Your new report template will appear, and the first thing you need to do is title it: The next step is to add your metrics. First, click +add metric. Then select Goal Conversions: Then find your goal and select the one that says [title of your goal] completions. You need to make sure that it says completions as you’ll want to know how many people went all the way through and converted: The second metric you need to add is the value. Adding only one will give you only half of the metrics you need to see. And the value you’re getting from each conversion is the important part! To add it into your report, select Goal Conversions, then [goal title] value: Now you need to add your dimension drilldowns. First click + Add Dimension, the search for Source: From source, add your second dimension which should be Medium: Your final dimension should be Campaign: Your report should populate and show you all the conversions and the value that you made through people ending on your intended link: Step 3: Set Up Your Custom URL Tags The final step in your process is setting up your URL tags for each of your social media messages. These URL links allow Google Analytics to track where your audience is coming from once they have completed the assigned conversion. To get started,  open this campaign URL  builder from Google Analytics: The second thing you need to do is enter the URL your Google goal is tracking: Next, you need to fill in your campaign Source. This is a vital part of your URL because if you scroll back up to the custom report section, source is part of your drilldown dimensions: Campaign Medium  is the next part of your URL building process and is going to refer to the social channel that your audience is coming from: Campaign Name refers to the keywords that you want this link to rank for in Google Analytics: Campaign Term is used for paid search, and since we’re focusing on organic content, it won’t need to be filled in for this example. Campaign Content is used for A/B testing targeted ads which are also outside our focus for this post. After you have all of that information filled in Google will generate a URL at the bottom of the page. That URL seems long right? That’s where URL shortener like bit.ly come in handy. To use bit.ly  you need to create an account. Once you’re logged in, you’ll see their main page: Paste your link into the bar and copy the shortened URL link: The shortened URL can now be added to your social media messages and tracked by Google Analytics. Recommended Reading: 3 Hidden Google Analytics Reports to Help You Understand Your Audience Step 4: Record Your Results The last step in your ROI tracking process is going to be looking at your report and recording your results after your social media campaign has ended. The first thing you need to do is adjust the time and date on your custom report to reflect the length of your campaign. This can be found in the upper right-hand corner. As you page through your results, look for things like: Total conversions generated Total ROI generated Breakdown of ROI generated per channel Breakdown of conversions generated per channel Use that data to help you adjust your efforts in your next campaign. Recommended Reading: How to Build a Marketing Report Quickly (Free Template) Remember The Report You Downloaded Earlier? Let’s run through that quick. Your social media channel ROI report will allow you to pull the information that you’ve grabbed from Google Analytics and create a robust breakdown of what’s happening on each of your social media channels. In the report you’re going to see a tab for each social channel: Record the name of your campaign in the first column of your report and the dates your campaign ran in the second: The next three columns are going to play a major role in your report. Did you notice the graphs on the left side of your report. These are recording and collecting data based on your messages sent, conversions and ROI. The first graph is gathering data from your total at the bottom of your spreadsheet: As you continue to add numbers for each on of your campaigns, they will adjust and automatically update your graphs. The second graph is a per channel breakdown of each of your campaigns. To edit this chart and add more information your need to click on the graph and then select Chart Design and Select Data: A pop-up window will appear. You need to change the data range by adding the next column of information that you just plugged into the spreadsheet. You can do this by highlighting the new range of data you would like to include: Then you need to rename each campaign that you added to your graph: You will also need to update the Horizontal Axis  labels in the bottom of the pop-up window: Now For A Short Cut Building all those URLs kind of sounds like a time suck right? Granted, it’s a time suck that’s worth it, but what if I told you that has built-in integrations that work with both Google Analytics  and Bit.ly so that all you need to do is set up your goals and custom report in Google? To start you need to turn on both the bit.ly and the Google Analytics integrations. To do this go to Settings and then Integrations: Now that the integrations are turned on Google Analytics will begin to gather data from every social media message you send. To find that data collection, open your analytics account select Acquisition then Campaigns. In campaigns click on to see a full breakdown of your post analytics. It’s that easy. Schedule a demo  and see how can get you moving farther, faster.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Strategic Analysis & Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic Analysis & Planning - Essay Example It is best practiced from top to bottom to facilitate proper information and by understanding the direction towards which the organization wants to move, as is the case of Microsoft. Discipline in the execution of strategic analysis is highly regarded since through it the organization will achieve its goals. Though no known formula has been developed to help in strategic analysis and planning, certain principles ought to be followed concisely to succeed. They are; analysis of current situations, core competencies analysis, and key success factors, business unit strategy, among other principles. By analysing such factors, business objectives are bound to be achieved. Strategic Business Units, commonly referred to as SBUs, are distinct organizations that are part of the main organization as is this case for Minecraft, that pursue their own objectives and mission and are fully functional. They report their activities to the parent company’s headquarters. They act independently with a specific market target to increase profitability and appeal to consumers, which are always tied at the hip. They improve the performance of the parent organization and augment the customer base. In this case, Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft is meant to consolidate the gaming community ascribed to Minecraft and secondly expand its profitability. Some analysts argue that with the large game community of Microsoft’s Xbox and its diversity as a different sort of player, then millions of gamers will be attached to Microsoft’s products and what that means is profitability. With the SBU in mind, the evaluation of these levels of strategic ana lysis and planning is important. Different levels of analysis exist which include: These steps are to be discussed into details showing how each step could help Microsoft in its new acquisition, how to consolidate that market and what should be done and how it ought to be done so that the SBU in Minecraft is

Friday, November 1, 2019

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild - Essay Example Apparently, industrial revolution became a major tool of change among the whites and the blacks. So many Africans became sycophants of white rulers simply because of the nature of their rule. In addition, a strong relationship existed among the whites and the colonialists that gave the blacks a recognizable strategy of making sure that some issues were approached in a technologically sound way. Some items of trade like ivory, rubber, guns, and steam boats were mainly used by colonialists to enhance their strategy and to provide a better way of realizing their goals. During that particular era, slaves were the main target for colonial masters (Hochschild 33). Also, new technologies facilitated colonization process by making sure that all the colonial territories were managed in a highly controllable manner. With the use of guns, colonial masters engaged in superior war tactics that finally created a territorial battle among the colonial masters. Most of the colonial masters participat ed in a process that gave an indication of where various communication strategies were practiced. With the kind of knowledge that was available by then, many European powers decided to practice the act of ruling Africa with an iron fist. With the use of technology not withstanding, there was an indication that many countries in African were not ready for any kind of kind of leadership that could ruin their action. Use of superior weapons such as guns and effective means of transport gave the colonialists the power to control the Africans in a manner that reflected strong urge for leadership. Industrial revolution offered many African nations an opportunity to understand the strength of colonial masters. All the relevant aspects were considered by colonial masters. It is undeniable to point out that all the aspects of colonialism originated from the desire by colonial masters to offer the best of their services in Africa. Nevertheless, a substantial number of colonial groups based th eir success on the use of superior weapons and technology. A perfect illustration of technology application is when the Africans are colonized from a perspective that is not the will of the many local people (Hochschild 76). Again, the success of colonialists was significantly as a result of use of superior weapons. Africans were defeated on the grounds that many colonialists were using highly superior weapons. For example, there was no way an African was allowed to use a gun during the war. This was simply a strategy by many colonialists to avoid the undermining of public image. There was a perception by then that Africans could make easily in any battle if their weapons were crude and inferior. Also, the colonial masters in most parts of the African continent decided to investigate the influence caused by such kind of battles in common people. The outcome therefore revealed clearly that so many people within the continent had a strong perception about the colonialism and its negat ive effects. The ultimate impact of the technological approaches became the final indication of how African colonies could be ruled (Hochschild 45). The killing of many Congolese never appeared in the American news and media simply because African was perceived as a dark continent. The massacre went unnoticed and many people were killed with the use of superior weapons. Unlike the Nazi massacre in Germany, the killing of so many

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Discuss the advantages of learning Standard American English as it Essay - 1

Discuss the advantages of learning Standard American English as it relates to your previous experiences - Essay Example One merit I can personally attribute to knowledge of the English language is that it enables one to faster access to the news. Global news networks such as NBC and CNN use standard American English as their main language. Hence with just tuning in to these networks I was able to obtain access to worldwide news without having to use a translated version of the network. Using a translated version can be associated with problems since most entities focus on the English part rather than the translated version. In the entertainment industry, Hollywood productions account for most of the viewed material in the world. Hence since these productions mainly incorporate American English as the default language then it naturally is spread more in the world. Thus a person who is literate in American English will be able to enjoy the films. The music industry is also dominated by the English language. Thus being fluent in English will subject one to greater enjoyment of the music. Most global magazines are written in English. For example ‘SLAM’ is a sports magazine that focuses on basketball. It is written in American English. Hence for a basketball fan who wants to keep in up to date with the happenings of the basketball community, being conversant with the English language will result in the person being able to do just that. Personally, having a couple of friends who are fans of the sport and are conversant with standard American English, this fact becomes evident to me. Many websites in the internet primarily use English as their default language. Hence with knowledge of the same one can be able to navigate effectively and make maximum use of them. These sites will in essence be more difficult to use for a person who doesn’t understand standard American English. Owing to the fact that English Is widely used in the world it is advantageous to know it when travelling. This is because it will provide you with a platform to communicate with the residents of the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Safe Use Of Online Shopping

Safe Use Of Online Shopping When you use the internet, it doesnt matter where you are in person. You can view the same web pages and shop on the same online store without having to physically enter the store. This provides huge advantages for online shopping over conventional shopping. No traffic hassles, no parking problems, no fighting the crowds of people visiting in the shopping center! Before the World Wide Web, people used to shop around looking for the best gift for the best price. Now, the story is a different. You can do everything youre your own home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can browse and select products; purchase and gift wrap; and even organize delivery of the goods online, anytime and anywhere in the world. But, just like any other good thingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.there are risks that come with online shopping. You can easily become a victim of phishing, identity theft and fraud. So you must take precautions to ensure that you and your family are always safe when youre shopping online. As noted many times in this book, the most common examples of online fraud are phishing scams, auction fraud, credit card fraud and online shopping fraud. In chapter 4 we have looked a number of examples of how these scams work. If you are unfamiliar with these scams please review them before continuing. Defense in Depth is the Best Security Strategy As I have said many times, everyone has to take responsibility to protect them from online fraud. You are a wise person because you are educating yourself about internet fraud by learning and adopting simple proven internet safety practices. In chapters 16 17, we looked at protecting your home computer network using a Defense in Depth security strategy. Here, we looked at seven different layers of security. If youre not sure about this strategy then you should re-read this chapter. This is the best security strategy you can use when youre shopping online. This chapter builds on the principle taught in these chapters. Fighting Against Spam If you intend to surf the Internet, then the best thing you can do is to install an internet security suite. Many internet security suites like Nortons Internet Security have spam phishing filters as a standard features or at worst an optional downloads. The spam filters use in-built rules to detect and filter spam phishing e-mail into separate files. Spam filters also blacklist the offending mail preventing it from reaching you. If your spam filter is working well, you will never see the spam unless you locate the file in the security directory and view it. However, even if you have the best anti-spam software in the world, spam can still evade your spam filter and end up in your inbox. You also need to know how to detect spam and deal with it correctly. Here are some of the important features that you should look for when choosing the ideal spam filtering subscriptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.accuracy and false-positive rating. Accuracy ratings refer to the percentage of legitimate e-mails that successfully reaches the users inbox after being filtered. The accuracy of several spam filtering subscriptions are continually being tested by passing thousands of e-mails through the spam filter. Today, a spam accuracy rating of 80% is very poor. You should expect a minimum rating of 95% and some anti-spam subscriptions have accuracy ratings as high as 98% to 99%. The False-Positive rating is the percentage of legitimate e-mails that have been wrongly identified as spam. This rating should be less than 1%. Different computer publications such as PCWorld and PCMagazine offer reports on the accuracy and false-positive ratings of spam filtering subscriptions. The cost of spam-filtering subscriptions has to be measured against the services it providesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.ultimately you get what you pay for! A subscription may be expensive but it may be worth paying for its quality features, speed and control. Sometimes choosing a lower cost provider means paying more in lost time and poor output performance. A good spam filter should fit your specific needs. It should be flexible in its configuration so that it meets your needs. It should also provide automatic updates. There are some simple rules that you should follow: When you detect spam in the email box, never respond to the spammer. Avoid opening your spam messages at allà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.just delete it. Whenever a pop-up window appears from someone you dont knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦just delete it! They are mostly scams. Do not close your mail box or blog without signing off completely. Use usernames and passwords that are hard to guess. You should review Chapter 17 for rules about creating and using strong passwords. How does shopping online increase the risk of identity theft? Using shopping carts in unsecured websites dramatically increases the risk of you becoming a victim of identity theft. I learnt that lesson the hard way! In chapter 1, I told you my story as to how I twice became an identity theft. The first time was 1995 by people with whom I shared a residence. At the time, this was the most common method of identity theft. In 2001, I became a victim of identity theft victim a second time. Online shopping sites were in their infancy and internet security technology was not as advanced as it is today. Unfortunately, I made a credit card payment for a product sold on an unsecured website. My personal data was stolen and my credit card was charged with a number of fraudulent purchases. Fortunately, I discovered the fraud early and the bank was able to stop it and limit the damage. Be warned! There are still unsecure online shopping sites operating today. Please do not use them! In chapters 3 4 our story, our poor fall guy Victor, uses the internet for online shopping. He has no sense of security and suffers immensely. If you are not sure about what can happen to you when you are on the internet, then you would do well to reread these chapters. Learn how to read a websites privacy policy One of the most important steps to protecting your privacy is to be able to know how to read a websites privacy policy. Australian privacy laws dont enforce the use of privacy policies or the information that should be included in the policy or how it should be presented. Further there is no industry body which regulates online privacy policies. Therefore you should know what to look for when reading the privacy policy of the website you are visiting. You should expect that a privacy policy be made available to you in writing if you are asked to provide personal information. In the bricks and mortar world, financial institutions, health facilities or other businesses that collect your private information, can be asked to show you their privacy policy before you give them that information. If the company does not you with a privacy policy, then you should consider doing business elsewhere. Websites should show of respect to their customers and tell them how their information will be used. In the online world, you will find privacy policies posted on their websites. The privacy policy tells you the steps they will take to protect your identity or to inform you of how they will treat the information you provide to them. Simply having a privacy policy does not guarantee you any level of protection, at all. However, to understand what information is protected and what is shared you must read the websites privacy policy. Each website has its own criteria for its privacy policy. Some websites give full protection including encryption of passwords. Further, they will not provide your information to any third party. Other websites will tell you that your information will be shared with any affiliated companies or business they feel you would be interested in hearing from. Therefore, you must read the policy to be aware of the steps being taken to protect you. Here are some of the items to look for on a privacy policy: What Information is Collected and Why? When a business is requesting personal information from you, it is reasonable to ask what information will be collected and why it is needed. If they request information that isnt relevant the website should clearly state why they need it. If there is no explanation for the request try to avoid giving the additional information or ask them why they need it. Asking for your income or the name of your spouse is the kind of information you might question providing without reasonable cause. How is the Information Collected? While filling out paper forms are straight forward in the bricks and mortar world, providing information is very different in the online world. You need to find out from websites how the information is being collected. Information can be collected in web forms or by electronically behind the scenes programs called cookies that are automatically installed on the visitors computer. Cookies track information about the web pages users click on, how long they spend there and the web address. This information can be tracked with or without your consent. Usually it is done to facilitate the companys marketing research or to assist you by using your information from previous visits. You should be able to find out what information is automatically stored by reading the privacy policy. What is the Information used for? If the online business asks for your personal or financial information you have a right to know what it will be used for. You must know if it is only used to complete the transaction? Or will they view a purchase as permission from you to market to you again in the future? Or will they sell your private information to other businesses? This information should be available in the websites privacy policy and information on how you can opt-out if you wish. Who Will Have Access to Your Information? Will the private information you have provided be sold or rented to other people or businesses? Will the website share your name, email address or purchasing habits with other affiliated businesses? These policies should be clearly outlined in the privacy policy. If they do sell or rent the names on their list, then you may wish to limit the information you provide to themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦or deal with them. Watch out for terms like partners, affiliates or sponsors, since you will have no idea who will be receiving your private information. How Secure is Your Information? What steps has the website taken to protect your personal information? Any transaction where you enter and submit personal information should have SSL (Secure Socket Layers). SSL will encrypt the information so that it cant be read by others during transmission. We will discuss website security in detail later in this chapter. Can You Correct Your Personal Information? You should be able to review and/or correct information that will be collected about you. The steps should be clearly stated in the privacy policy and should be convenient and inexpensive. Can You Opt-Out? Wherever your information may be shared you have the right to opt-out. In some cases you can click an opt-in or opt-out box when entering your information. Make sure that these small boxes havent already checked as default, since legally you are implying that you are accepting the offer even if you havent personally checked the box. The privacy policy should also give you directions on how you can opt-out if you werent given the option when you entered your information. While this list is not exhaustive these are the main features you should look for in a websites privacy policy. The other information that should always be listed in the websites privacy page is a contact name, address and telephone number. You should always be able to speak to a real person regarding the websites privacy policy. How do you detect online shopping scams? Scammers love online shopping because it is very easy for them to target victims. Shoppers have to distinguish between an honest trader and a scammer. This is not as easy as you may think! Scammers are professional sales people who use proven social engineering techniques to trick you into doing something you wouldnt normally do. For example, scammers may pretend to sell you a product online at very cheap prices; but they are actually looking for your credit card or bank account details. They may take your money and send you a faulty or worthless product or even send you nothing at all. The important thing is that when they make a sale, they have captured what they wantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..your sensitive data like name, address, credit card number, bank accounts etc. They have tricked you into giving them your sensitive details in exchange for a worthless product! Buyer Protection Schemes Many online businesses put a lot of effort into protecting their customers from scammers. Some websites provide buyer protection schemes that will cover you if you are the victim of fraud. Credit card companies Visa and MasterCard; payment processing companies PayPal ClickBank; and banks around the world have buyer protection schemes. If you buy something through eBay or PayPal and it never arrives, or if it arrives significantly different than originally described by the seller, then youre eligible for a full refund. Check out PayPals Buyer Protection policy, and learn how to open a dispute. If you ever see a transaction in your PayPal account that you didnt authorize, you should report it immediately to PayPal. They will begin an investigation and help you get your money back. You can learn more about this process here. You should also be aware of sellers on online auction sites. They may offer to make a deal to you outside of the terms of eBay website. This is usually a good sign of a scam. You will also lose any fraud protection that eBay may provide. You must stay one step ahead of the scammers. The SCAMwatch website provides detailed advice about online shopping auction scams, internet scams and many other scams that target you. You can learn how scams work, how to protect yourself, and report a scam via SCAMwatch. Basic Tips for protecting yourself when shopping online Here are some important safety tips for online shopping: Use your credit card instead of a debit card: Credit cards offer better protection against identity theft than debit cards. For instance, when you use a credit card, your liability for any fraudulent charges is maximum $50, on the condition that you report the fraud within 30 to 60 days and you werent party to the fraud. On the other hand, when someone gains access to your debit card, and they clean your savings account, you may not be able to recover any of money at all. Use disposable credit cards: A recommended way to use a credit card is to get a disposable credit card. This works like any gift card from a bricks and mortar shop. You load it with a specified amount of money and the card is good until that amount is consumed. Then the card becomes worthless. This will protect you from identity theft. If a disposable credit card is stolen, the criminals will only gain access to the unused amount on the card. They cannot reload the card with additional funds. Check the website security. Before making any payments online through shopping cart sites, you should check the sites security. There are different levels of security available. You can check the URL web address. This is the box in the web browser where you type the websites online address e.g. www.anystore.com. A secure website will start the URL web address with HTTPS:// instead of the usual HTTP: //. Also, you should see a small lock icon in the screen which indicates that the site is a secure. This security level means that the online stores database and data transmissions for your transaction that made over the internet have been fully secured. The transaction is locked and receiver must use the correct key to open the transactionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.just like a key to a house! Data transmissions that should be secured include: Notification emails; Online downloads; and Payment transfers between the site and other sites. A single online transaction will access the databases of a bank, a payment processing company, a credit card company and a secure online storage company etc. Dont shop online from public computers. If you want to shop online, then do so from the comfort of your own home. This ensures that you use your own secured computer which is free from internet nasties like viruses and worms, malware and spyware botnets. Shopping online at an internet cafà © can be very dangerous because the computer and the wireless network may not be secure. Hackers can easily steal your private data from internet cafà ©s. Read and understand the websites terms conditions and privacy statements. Before buying online, make sure that you understand exactly what is involved in the purchase. The terms and conditions of your purchase should be outlined by the seller on the website. They may be located on a separate web page to the advertisement. The terms and conditions should be clear to you and outline any extra warranties or guarantees, security policies, privacy and returns. Make sure that you understand all the disclaimers of responsibility before you accept the terms and conditions. Credit Card Security codes. If you use a credit card with a magnetic stripe, then online stores will require the CVV or card verification number when you make a purchase. You will find the CVV code on the back of your credit card in the signature bar. The last 3 digits of the code are required to be entered into the website online payment page. This number is designed to prevent fraudulent purchases from someone who does not have your card but may have stolen your personal details like name; card number and expiration date. Advanced security measures. Another security feature credit card companies are using is to create a second level of security by adding an additional password. An example of this is Verified by Visa or Mastercard Secure Code. These are optional security features provided by selected websites or payment processing systems. If you activate the code and shop on sites that carry the Verified by Visa or Mastercard Secure Code logos, the check out process will require the entry and validation of additional secret password or PIN that you previously have set up. The purchase cannot be authorized without successful validation of this second password or PIN. Automatic teller machines (ATM) and point of sale terminals also have this option to enter a PIN number for magnetic stripe cards. Modern Micro-chip PIN technologies also provide a pass-over option where you dont have to swipe your card through an electronic readerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦you just pass your card by the electronic sensor and it reads all the cards details. You then enter a PIN into the machine for verification. These technologies are designed to prevent skimming attacks by hackers  [1]  . Phishing Emails Dont Get Reeled In. Be aware of email scams designed to gain access to your credit card information. Phishing scams have been discussed at length in chapters 3, 4, 16 17 in this book. Use a secure web browser when surfing online. How you pick the best web browser to use? There are many choices in how you can experience the world-wide-web. Some popular internet browsers include Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Chrome, and Safari to name a few. You should choose a popular browser is always safe but it also needs to have extra security features. By this I mean that it has additional security add-ons available. Internet Explorer has been active since the beginning of the internet. This web browser is preloaded on every computer that uses the Microsoft operating system. Unfortunately, history has proven that Microsofts Internet Explorer isnt the safest web browser available on the market. A competitor called Mozilla Firefox is quickly dominating the field. As of July 2010, Firefox has become the second most widely used Internet browser. Google Chrome, Opera and Safari are also fast becoming major players in the market. Read this review of web browsers from PCWorld. What makes Firefox special? This web browser features pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, easy to use privacy controls and an integrated Google search bar. In addition, Firefox provides you with over 1 billion add-ons and has about 120 million users. Many of its add-ons offer additional protection for a safer online buying experience. For example, the add-on Web of Trust shows a traffic-light rating based on four factors: trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy and child safety of a web page. McAfee SiteAdvisor is a similar add-on and Adblock Plus stops banner ads and pop-ups. Pop-ups can also carry computer viruses which can infect your system. You can also download a program called NoScript which forces web-programming like JavaScript, Java to only run from the trusted domains you have chosen. These are just a few samples of many add-on protections Mozilla Firefox offers their users for safe online shopping. They can be downloaded free from Firefoxs home page along with Mozilla Firefox. Check out the security features of Firefox here. What about other web browsers like Opera, Chrome Safari? You may think that the latest Internet browsers: Opera, Chrome, Safari, etc. are best to web browsers to use. However, theyre mostly brand new and still in the beta stages of testing. This means that not all the bugs and glitches on them have been all figured out. On the other hand Mozilla Firefox is already a proven web browser. Today, its considered a full operating web browser. In the near future, Opera, Chrome or other web browsers may overtake Firefox. Firefox is also continually updating its browser. However, for the moment, Firefox is the safest online shopping and security due to its many layers of security add-ons and customization. Before you do any online purchasing, you need to be sure your computer is secure with anti-virus software. This has been discussed thoroughly is chapters 16 17 of this book. By following these tips using Mozilla Firefox with adequate anti-virus protection will give you the confidence you need to have a safe online shopping experience. Online auction scams and how to avoid them Buying and browsing items online is a real treat and online auctions like eBay can deliver some real bargains! However, as usual there are many scams to trap you. Here are some really good tips for avoiding eBay scams and having a really great online shopping experience. Take note of the shipping prices. These can have a great effect on the total cost of the item. Some sellers will absorb the shipping costs, while others require you to pay the cost. If you have two vendors selling the same items with similar prices, then check out the best shipping offer. Check the online auction seller feedback scores: The most important precaution you should make is to check the online auction sellers feedback score. This score is vital because it is the reflection of the sellers credibility. This score tells you whether a seller can be trusted or not. If the online seller has feedback score greater than 95%, then it is most likely that the seller is reliable. You should also see the detailed feedback about the seller. Check the most recent buyers comments because they are a great hint as to how your prospective seller is like to do business with. Follow up on any negative comments and ask the complainant what the real problem is. If there are a number of negative comments about postage times, shipping, and delays, then the seller is not reliable. Keep On Browsing: Just like in real life shopping at bricks and mortar stores, there are online vendors that sell overpriced items. Prices vary from seller to sellerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.some offering a good deal, other not so good! It is important that you browse through a number of sellers that offer the same item to get the best price. Browsing through a sellers page is absolutely free so explore your choices. This is the best thing you can do make sure that you dont get ripped off. Pay for online auction purchases through PayPal: If you want to use a secure online payment system, then PayPal would be the service to have. PayPal and the eBay auction site merged in 2002 to form the largest online auction site in the world. The PayPal payment systems are the most reliable and secure payment processing you can get. There are no extra charges to pay and payment conversion is automatic. PayPal has an excellent after sales service, particularly in resolving disputes and returns. If the seller hasnt contacted you and your item hasnt arrived, then you can go to your eBay account and fill in a complaint form. This is transferred directly to PayPal and they organize your refund. PayPal have a very quick and efficient dispute resolution system. It should only be used if your seller hasnt contacted you within a month. Ask Questions: It would be best if you ask your prospective seller questions regarding the product. This way you will not encounter any misunderstandings and will have an understanding. Questions about price, quality, quantity and shipping are important. What Are They Selling? You should always be suspicious and check out thorough what the person has been selling over time. For example, if you see that they has been selling cheap magazine clippings in the past year and now are selling Gulfstream jets, there is obviously a reason to be suspicious. How to Avoid Internet Scams on Adult Websites Adult sites are very popular but criminals use these websites for identity theft purposes? There are two ways by which identity fraud can happen on adult websites. The most common method is the scammer enticing the unsuspecting user to download a file from the website containing a virus, malware or spyware, which in turn harms your computer. You can protect yourself from this fraud by installing a good anti-virus or anti-malware program (see chapter 16 17) You can also be an identity theft victim of when you unknowingly download a keylogger or dialer program or pop-up advertisement. This allows criminals to hijack your computer and steal vital information. For example, if you shop online regularly, they can use your credit card details to make online purchases. Before you become a member of the site, make sure that the site is a legitimate site. You can check this out by reading the User Agreement and Privacy Policy carefully. They are usually long documents and will take some time to review them. You must do this check these documents thoroughly, if you want to keep safe on the internet. You can also check the ownership of a website using the free search tool on the website Whois MyDomain. This website contributes to user confidence in the Internet by promoting legitimate uses of the websites including digital inclusion and e-commerce. The site helps users to identify the persons or entities responsible for web content and online services. If other family members use the computer, limit their access to see white-listed websites. This prevents others from accidentally downloading something into the computer. If your children are alone, you need to blacklist or block adult sites so they cant visit adult sites. Most internet users wont know if the adult website is fraudulent or not. Therefore it is advisable to install a website monitoring system. This program is designed to keep a log all the programs that are installed and visited. Website Monitoring programs can also be setup to automatically enforce a no downloading policy and no unsupervised surfing policy. For example, if your teenage child visits a blacklisted pornographic website, a message will appear informing the web surfer that the site cannot be visited. This ensures that your child will not be victimized when they are online. If you use Adult websites, you should always review your credit card bill or phone bill for any charges which you knew were never made. The earlier that you report these calls, the earlier the credit card or the telephone company will be able to adjust your account. Adult internet sites are not the only websites that are used by fraudsters. Charities, auction sites and commercial websites are also being used as a front by criminal gangs. If you think the site you are visiting is not legitimate, leave the site and report it to the police. Dating and Romance scams This scam takes advantage of your romantic side by befriending you. You may be a single person looking for love and are very vulnerable to attack. The scammers are professionals who can pretend to be whatever you think they are. In the online world you are anonymous, so you can pretend to be some-one else. For example, a male scammer could pretend to be a gorgeous female who is really interested in you. Female scammers can also pretend to be some-one elseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and so on! The scammers know the right emotional buttons you have and form an online relationship with you. When they have your complete confidence, they often start asking you for money. Normally this type of scam happens on dating sites and online social networks like MySpace or FaceBook. Online scammers are NOT interested in having a relationship with you no matter how attractive you may be. They have only one interest and that is to take advantage of you and defraud you! Never trust anybody you meet on the web unless you know and trust them in real life. In the real world, you need to spend quite some time with a person before you get to know them well enough to enter into a relationship with them. Here is an example of a dating and romantic scam that I received in my e-mail Good day, dear! I am looking for a strong, kind, caring man. In my life I have almost everything except love. Everything I want is to be loved by a man like you. You seemed to me very interesting and different from others. And I think you are the man I was looking for such a long time. You can be sure, I will make you the happiest man in the world! I will make true all your fantasies. And I can be for you not only a perfect lover, but the best friend and good wife. We will spend all our free time together. I need you here. I need you like my lungs need air. I do not find strange that my second half is so far away, my destiny and life has been all over the world, but now that I found you, I really need you near me as soon as possible. Please write me. I will be waiting for your letter http://finebeautifulwomen.net/6184/ See you later Uli M I immediately deleted the e-mail as spam. I am happily marriedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Online Gambling Scams There are many risks involved in online gambling. The game i