Solutions to Case the Harvard Management Company

The Harvard Management Company (2001) Case You will design an excel spreadsheet that allows you to answer the following questions: i) Given figures in Exhibits 4 and 11 what is the expected return and volatility of the policy portfolio? ii) Find an efficient portfolio having the same expected return as the policy portfolio but lower volatility. iii) Find an efficient portfolio having the same volatility as the policy portfolio but higher expected return. iv) Repeat question ii using the constraints in Exhibit 13. ) Repeat question iii using the constraints in Exhibit 13. vi) Consider the following seven asset classes: Domestic Equity, Foreign Equity, Emerging Markets, Private Equity, Commodities, Inflation-Indexed Bonds, and Cash. Using HMC’s input assumptions (see Exhibit 11, and also using the constraints shown on Page 22, Exhibit 12), what would be the allocation across these seven security classes if HMC was looking for optimal portfolios that would have expected real retu rns of 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8%.For each of these cases, also show the resulting standard deviation of the portfolio, and the Sharpe (efficiency) ratio (see footnote a in Exhibit 12). vii) Redo part (vi) but now constrain the minimum and maximum weights on the seven different asset classes using the constraints shown in Exhibit 13. It may not be possible to achieve some of the expected real returns you were getting earlier. If that is the case, use five expected real return levels that you can attain. iii) Compare the investment opportunities implied by part (vi) to those in part (vii). ix) Explain the pros of the mean variance paradigm. x) Explain the cons. I will describe how to perform portfolio optimization in class. Excel is equipped with an optimizer (Solver) that requires you to specify what you are trying to maximize or minimize, the variables (weights) that may be adjusted in order to maximize portfolio efficiency, and the constraints imposed on those variables.The Harvard Manage ment Company (2010) Case & Harvard Management Company Endowment Report (Sep 2009) xi) Policy portfolio reflects Harvard Management Company's asset allocation strategy. Compare Exhibit 4 of the 2001 case with that of the 2010 case: describe how the policy portfolio has changed before and after the 2008 financial crisis. xii) What do you think are the reasons for the Harvard Management Company to make the above adjustments in asset allocation choices?

Payroll System

The solution has to take care of calculation of salary as per rules of the Company. This Payroll System is a full-featured system that manages financial information of every employee in an organization. It computes and processes the payroll in the certain payroll period. This Payroll System is also a flexible compensation administration solution. It is designed to help human resource professionals as well as finance and accounting personnel to manage employee compensation, deductions, allowances, and benefits in an organization.The system is integrated with the Employee’s information, offers efficient features and functionalities to manage company's expenses. Background of the Study Trends Asia Marketing and Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) provide superior corporate assistance and business solution by giving various services to the companies, business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals. Trends Asia Marketing and Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) offer solutions to help your b usiness succeed. They are committed to excellence in providing an effective, efficient support system for all phases of your business.They can assist you from start-up, taking care of the countless details that need to be handled, they can help with tasks relating to day-to day operations, and they can help formulate and implement effective business strategies to help your business grow and flourish. Because of these, Trends Asia Marketing and Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) grows immediately but Mrs. Agnes De Guzman Francia the owner realize that its hard to use the â€Å"Mano – Mano System† when she gives the salary and wages to her employees, since her business achieved the highly status recommendation around the Philippines.She decided to cooperate with a computer manufacturer in designing and analyzing the system. She request to the computer designer to do something that makes easier when she giving the salary of her employees. She adds some details like the log â €“ in form, because she said, she wants to personalize and to maintain the confidentiality of the information contains. She also added some details in the second form like employee’s name, and no. of hours worked and the other design and details are done by the computer designer. After 5 – 6 years working out with this system, Mrs.Agnes De Guzman Francia wants to update their Payroll System and change the other information. That‘s why we offer Mrs. Agnes De Guzman Francia a free system which conceptualized the information according to her wants. Problem Definition Last Friday December 11, 2009, we decided to start doing our system entitled Payroll System. To describe the system before we conceptualize it, it contains Employee’s Name, No. of hours worked, O. T. pay, Rate per hour, basic pay, and Gross pay. Now we added the deductions that typically reduced in the salary in a regular employee, it contains SSS, MED, Total Deductions and Net pay.Of course before we succeed in doing this system, we encounter a lot of problems and those are problems are not easy to solve like the calculation that we need to input to performed the right calculations in this system, we don’t know how much is the cost of the SSS, MED and the Other fees that we need to lessen in the salary of a employee. To solve these problems our group think some possibilities which help us to fulfil our project. First we asked some regular employees how much the cost of the SSS that their employer deducts in their salary.Our Second option is we search and surf the net to know the cost of following. Significance of the Study Payroll System is important to every company because any business that employed people will have to process those wages of the employee when they are due. In order to make sure that your payroll is processed correctly and accurately, you need a system which appropriate to your needs. That’s why this system exists. Payroll System is done by calculating how much each employee is owed, then making the appropriate deductions for tax, SSS pensions, etc. nd sending those to the relevant tax offices. Then payslips need to be printed and issued to employees and the duplicate copy will be given to the administration or to the accounting department to record the transaction. Scope and Delimitation CHAPTER 2 Existing systems overview Background of the Company Last quarter of 2004, four friends have conceptualized venturing into salon operations, since no one has knowledge in salon operations; they agreed to venture into salon franchise agreement.Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) was incorporated on October 4, 2004 to formally handle the franchise agreement with F Salon ; Body Spa. The franchise outlet was located in San Joaquin, Pasig Branch. First quarter of year 2005, the corporation engaged in various services aside from operating a salon franchise. The corporation engaged itself in providing manpower outsourcing and other allied services. Management of the franchise was left under Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO).Conflict on financing the manpower activities which remained solely on the part of its operations manager, Mrs. Agnes De Guzman Francia, prompted her to segregate the F Salon ; Body Spa Franchise from Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO), and pursue its manpower sourcing and allied services. The salon franchise is continuing to date with the original partners who established it and Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) was left under the management of Mrs. Agnes De Guzman Francia.Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) now was transformed as a family corporation. Having seen the viability and profitability of salon operation, the husband and wife team of Francia’s locate feasible locations for possible salon outlet. On September 2006, an existing salon outlet was being sold by its owner who is migrating abroad. Right there and then, the couple decided to buy out and pay for the existing salon and transform the salon outlet into what it is today. Yanna’s Salon ; Body Spa opened on September 24, 2006 till under the operation nd management of Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO). Yanna’s Salon was named from the spouse’s youngest daughter â€Å"Yanna†. The Salon from the initial opening date, continue to how brisk business and good sales performance. Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) at present is continuing its manpower sourcing and business set up and accounting services. The 1st Yanna’s Salon is situated in corner Village East, Cainta Rizal which commences its operations on September 18, 2006 and the 2nd outlet in Rosario, Pasig City commences on November 24, 2006.The company has a target of at least maintaining 6 company owned salon locations starting within Rizal Area and in the future a possib ility of offering salon franchises in any parts of the Metropolis and in nearby provinces. Yanna’s Salon ; Body Spa is a full – service beauty salon adhering to consistently provide high customer satisfaction by rendering excellent service, quality products, and furnishing an enjoyable atmosphere at an acceptable price/value relationship.They will also maintain a friendly, fair and creative work environment, which respects diversity, ideas, and hard work. Existing Systems Overview Existing Systems Overview | | |UTILITY EXPENSE | |   | Annual Expense | | |Monthly Expense | | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | |WATER |P 1,800. 0 |P 21, 600. 00 | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | | |UTILITY EXPENSE | |   | |Annual Expense | | |Monthly Expense | | |   |   | | |   |   |   | |TELEPHONE |P 3, 300. 00 |P 39, 600. 0 | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | |   |   | | Data Flow Diagram CHAPTER 3 System findings System Findings A nalysis for Proposed System Cost CHAPTER 4 System implementation System Implementation Chart of Comparison for the Existing and Proposed System [pic] Statistical Computation Monthly Benefit (MB) |Annual Benefit (AB) | |MB = EC – PC |EC * 12 Months =? | |MB = 30,000 – 15,000 |PC * 12 Months =? | |MB = 15,000 |AB = EC – PC | |   |AB = 360,000 – 180,000 | |   |AB = 180,000 | Break Even Analysis [pic] Comparative Chart for Monthly and Annual Benefit Existing Monthly Cost |Existing Annual Cost | |Existing Monthly Cost = 30,000 |Existing Annual Cost = 360,000 | |After 5 months = 150,000 |After 5 years = 1,800,000 | |Monthly Benefit = 6,000 |Annual Benefit = 72,000 | | | | |Proposed Monthly Cost |Proposed Annual Cost | |Proposed Monthly Cost = 15,000 |Proposed Annual Cost = 180,000 | |After 5 months = 75,000 |After 5 years = 900,000 | |Monthly Benefit = 3,000 |Annual Benefit = 36,000 | Comparative Chart for Monthly and Annual BenefitComparative Chart for Mon thly and Annual Benefit CHAPTER 5 Summary Summary Conclusion Recommendation Objective of the Study The Primary objective of this study is to continuously operate the Payroll Department of Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) which held the salary and wages of their employees. Secondly, the Payroll Department of Trends Asia Marketing ; Services Corporation (TRAMSCO) make a payroll report easier rather than before. [pic] ———————– START NO YES LOGIN CALCULATE EXIT B. P = N. H. W * R. P/H O. T = R. P/H * -1. 25 GP = B. P + O. T D = SSS + MED + OTHERS FEES N. P = GP – D OUT PUT END END FLOW CHART Payroll System Title: A LAN- Based Attendance Monitoring System Using Biometric Device For Don Jesus Gonzales High School Brief Description of the Proposed Thesis Don Jesus Gonzales High School is located at Pandacaqui Resettlement Mexico Pampanga . At present, the school doesn’t have an automated system which can verify if the person entering the school is a bonified student . The school security guard just check the id of the students one by one before entering the school. Sometimes, some people were able to pass even without id when there are many students going in. The proposed system will allow the guard to be able to know by the biometric device if the person entering the school is a registered student or not. Another, the faculty members also takes time in writing the time when they arrived and/or go out to school. The system will record the â€Å"time in† and â€Å"time out† of the faculty members . Upon scanning all their finger to the biometric device. It will also assure the safety of the students, staff and school. The system will use biometric device to verify all the finger if its registered on the database to ensure that the person entering the school is a bonified student. Also when the student entering the school has a violation, a notice will appear on the monitor screen. To keep record of the â€Å"time in† and â€Å"time out† of the faculty members, same procedure also by the use of biometric device, the information will be saved on the database The system itself is secured. Before a person access the system, he/she would be asked to input a username and password then it will be processed if it is granted or decried. The authorized persons are the principal, guidance councilor, the head of the computer subjects and one school coordinator. Statement of objectives These are the objectives of the proposed study General Objective The main objective of the study is to create a LAN based student monitoring and faculty attendance. Monitoring System using biometric device for Don Jesus Gonzales High School that will identify if the person enters the school is a bonified student and to record the â€Å"time in† and â€Å"time out† of the faculty members. Specific Objectives * To ensure the security of the school. * To increase the visibility of trespassers/intruders. * To have an accurate data about the attendance of the faculty. To automate the system that is efficient and user friendly. * To provide notification about student’s violation. Significance of Proposed Thesis Topic or Justification The study benefits its locale, Don Jesus Gonzales High School. The system is a good way in increasing the campus security. It will assure the safety of the students, faculty, staff and community. Also, it will incre ase the visibility of the intruders and avoid violence in the school.. The faculty members and students will also benefits on this study since the system will make the process faster and hassle free. Lastly, the system can also be a basis of other school in developing an students and faculty monitoring system. Review of Related Literature And Studies Fingerprint biometrics are used in a variety of applications including electronic door locks, smart cards, vehicle ignition control systems, USB sticks with fingerprint controlled access, and many others. Digital signal processing elements in fingerprint scanners perform complex DSP functions such as filters, transforms, feature extraction, matching operations and other algorithms. At the CARTES & IDentification 2011 conference in Paris, France, DigitalPersona, Inc. nnounced that the company has open sourced its new MINEX-certified FingerJetFX fingerprint feature extraction technology. FingerJetFX, Open Source Edition (OSE), is free, portable software that device manufacturers and application developers can use to convert bulky fingerprint images into small, mathematical representations called fingerprint â€Å"templates† for efficient storage or comparison. The software has been released under the Lesser GNU Public License (LGPL), giving developers the flexibility to adapt the extractor to their particular platforms and applications. DigitalPersona is also offering a separate commercially-licensed version that adds fast fingerprint matching for both identification and verification while still running in a small amount of memory. Once the image is captured the digital information is transferred to a digital signal processor to generate a match. The first step in the matching process is conditioning the scanned fingerprint. Finger print readers rarely use the full fingerprint for identification. Rather, DSPs use algorithms to extract the unique features and patterns of each print to generate a unique digital code. The second step in the software flow is to take the code generated from the scanned image and compare it to a database of potential matches. The compare step requires the system to have access to print information in a networked database or a non-volatile memory unit. Computer Hardware and Software to be Used The study will use several software and hardware for the development of the proposed system. Software * Visual studio * Visual Basic 2000- for the main design of the system interface of the system. * Microsoft Office 2007 Microsoft Access- for the database of the system. Hardware * Computer set * Processor Intel ® Pentium ® 4cpu 3. 00 GHz * Memory 1014MB RAM * Internet connection * Biometric device Detailed Features of the Proposed System These are the detailed features of the proposed system * Secured access of the system. * User Friendly interface. * Time-In time-Out of faculty using Biometric * Notification/Flash Message to students with violation * The system displays im age and other basic info about the students and faculty members * Biometric scanning to able to enter the school. Payroll System Telecommunications network is a combination of nodes and links which are arranged in a manner so that the message may pass from the one part of the network to the other by traveling over variable nodes. Essential Parts of the Network There are five basic segments of this type of network. These parts include terminals, channels, processors, computers and control softwares. The starting and ending point of the telecommunication networks is known as a network terminal. There are many input and output devices which are often placed under the heading of terminals. Telecommunication processors are often helpful in transferring data between the terminals of the network. These processors also provide variety of control and support functions. Telecommunication channels are the reception and transmission point for the data and messages. The network computers are arranged in a manner so that they establish a network connection using different media, these computer terminals help in communication. Telecommunication network software governs the control and functional activities with the help of software in a network. The structure of telecommunication network has three main components the control plane, the user plane and the management plane. As indicated by its name the control plane carries control information and data. The data plane or user plane monitors the user traffic in the network. The third and last component management plane carries the operation and administration traffic over the network. Types of Telecommunication Networks. Telecommunication network has many types like wide area network, metropolitan area network, local area network, campus area network, personal area network, virtual private networks, client server network, peer to peer network, network computing. The network which is spread over a large geographic area is known as wide area network. This network has helped businesses which are dispersed over different regions to communicate to the head office. Metropolitan area network covers the area of nearly one city or county. Its area and coverage is more than the local area network and less han the wide area network. The communication of computers in a very small geographical area is known as local area network. Campus area network is a network which is restricted to the small geographical area which is limited to the university campus or a building. Personal area network is a network which is limited to an individual. Virtual private network is built on the principle of secure encrypted network in order to provide complete security to the users. The client server network is network which is connected to the LAN at one end and the back up server at the other end. When a computer uses network browser to connect to the other computers in the network it is known as network computing. Microsoft office online is the good example of such kind of network. Peer to peer network is used for connecting only those computers which have copy rights to use each others resources. Examples of a Telecommunication Network The first example of the telecommunication network is computer networks . computer network is set of computers which are attached to each other for the purpose of resource sharing. The second example is the internet. Internet is the global network which allows the users in many dispersed areas to connect via web browsers and telecommunication technologies provide by internet services providers. Third example is of the public switched telephone networks, it is a circuit switched network which used to carry analog signals but now it carries digital signals mostly. The fourth example is the working of global telex; it is a set of machines which include teleprinters and tele typewriters. The last example is of the aircraft communication addressing Payroll System Title: A LAN- Based Attendance Monitoring System Using Biometric Device For Don Jesus Gonzales High School Brief Description of the Proposed Thesis Don Jesus Gonzales High School is located at Pandacaqui Resettlement Mexico Pampanga . At present, the school doesn’t have an automated system which can verify if the person entering the school is a bonified student . The school security guard just check the id of the students one by one before entering the school. Sometimes, some people were able to pass even without id when there are many students going in. The proposed system will allow the guard to be able to know by the biometric device if the person entering the school is a registered student or not. Another, the faculty members also takes time in writing the time when they arrived and/or go out to school. The system will record the â€Å"time in† and â€Å"time out† of the faculty members . Upon scanning all their finger to the biometric device. It will also assure the safety of the students, staff and school. The system will use biometric device to verify all the finger if its registered on the database to ensure that the person entering the school is a bonified student. Also when the student entering the school has a violation, a notice will appear on the monitor screen. To keep record of the â€Å"time in† and â€Å"time out† of the faculty members, same procedure also by the use of biometric device, the information will be saved on the database The system itself is secured. Before a person access the system, he/she would be asked to input a username and password then it will be processed if it is granted or decried. The authorized persons are the principal, guidance councilor, the head of the computer subjects and one school coordinator. Statement of objectives These are the objectives of the proposed study General Objective The main objective of the study is to create a LAN based student monitoring and faculty attendance. Monitoring System using biometric device for Don Jesus Gonzales High School that will identify if the person enters the school is a bonified student and to record the â€Å"time in† and â€Å"time out† of the faculty members. Specific Objectives * To ensure the security of the school. * To increase the visibility of trespassers/intruders. * To have an accurate data about the attendance of the faculty. To automate the system that is efficient and user friendly. * To provide notification about student’s violation. Significance of Proposed Thesis Topic or Justification The study benefits its locale, Don Jesus Gonzales High School. The system is a good way in increasing the campus security. It will assure the safety of the students, faculty, staff and community. Also, it will incre ase the visibility of the intruders and avoid violence in the school.. The faculty members and students will also benefits on this study since the system will make the process faster and hassle free. Lastly, the system can also be a basis of other school in developing an students and faculty monitoring system. Review of Related Literature And Studies Fingerprint biometrics are used in a variety of applications including electronic door locks, smart cards, vehicle ignition control systems, USB sticks with fingerprint controlled access, and many others. Digital signal processing elements in fingerprint scanners perform complex DSP functions such as filters, transforms, feature extraction, matching operations and other algorithms. At the CARTES & IDentification 2011 conference in Paris, France, DigitalPersona, Inc. nnounced that the company has open sourced its new MINEX-certified FingerJetFX fingerprint feature extraction technology. FingerJetFX, Open Source Edition (OSE), is free, portable software that device manufacturers and application developers can use to convert bulky fingerprint images into small, mathematical representations called fingerprint â€Å"templates† for efficient storage or comparison. The software has been released under the Lesser GNU Public License (LGPL), giving developers the flexibility to adapt the extractor to their particular platforms and applications. DigitalPersona is also offering a separate commercially-licensed version that adds fast fingerprint matching for both identification and verification while still running in a small amount of memory. Once the image is captured the digital information is transferred to a digital signal processor to generate a match. The first step in the matching process is conditioning the scanned fingerprint. Finger print readers rarely use the full fingerprint for identification. Rather, DSPs use algorithms to extract the unique features and patterns of each print to generate a unique digital code. The second step in the software flow is to take the code generated from the scanned image and compare it to a database of potential matches. The compare step requires the system to have access to print information in a networked database or a non-volatile memory unit. Computer Hardware and Software to be Used The study will use several software and hardware for the development of the proposed system. Software * Visual studio * Visual Basic 2000- for the main design of the system interface of the system. * Microsoft Office 2007 Microsoft Access- for the database of the system. Hardware * Computer set * Processor Intel ® Pentium ® 4cpu 3. 00 GHz * Memory 1014MB RAM * Internet connection * Biometric device Detailed Features of the Proposed System These are the detailed features of the proposed system * Secured access of the system. * User Friendly interface. * Time-In time-Out of faculty using Biometric * Notification/Flash Message to students with violation * The system displays im age and other basic info about the students and faculty members * Biometric scanning to able to enter the school. Payroll System Telecommunications network is a combination of nodes and links which are arranged in a manner so that the message may pass from the one part of the network to the other by traveling over variable nodes. Essential Parts of the Network There are five basic segments of this type of network. These parts include terminals, channels, processors, computers and control softwares. The starting and ending point of the telecommunication networks is known as a network terminal. There are many input and output devices which are often placed under the heading of terminals. Telecommunication processors are often helpful in transferring data between the terminals of the network. These processors also provide variety of control and support functions. Telecommunication channels are the reception and transmission point for the data and messages. The network computers are arranged in a manner so that they establish a network connection using different media, these computer terminals help in communication. Telecommunication network software governs the control and functional activities with the help of software in a network. The structure of telecommunication network has three main components the control plane, the user plane and the management plane. As indicated by its name the control plane carries control information and data. The data plane or user plane monitors the user traffic in the network. The third and last component management plane carries the operation and administration traffic over the network. Types of Telecommunication Networks. Telecommunication network has many types like wide area network, metropolitan area network, local area network, campus area network, personal area network, virtual private networks, client server network, peer to peer network, network computing. The network which is spread over a large geographic area is known as wide area network. This network has helped businesses which are dispersed over different regions to communicate to the head office. Metropolitan area network covers the area of nearly one city or county. Its area and coverage is more than the local area network and less han the wide area network. The communication of computers in a very small geographical area is known as local area network. Campus area network is a network which is restricted to the small geographical area which is limited to the university campus or a building. Personal area network is a network which is limited to an individual. Virtual private network is built on the principle of secure encrypted network in order to provide complete security to the users. The client server network is network which is connected to the LAN at one end and the back up server at the other end. When a computer uses network browser to connect to the other computers in the network it is known as network computing. Microsoft office online is the good example of such kind of network. Peer to peer network is used for connecting only those computers which have copy rights to use each others resources. Examples of a Telecommunication Network The first example of the telecommunication network is computer networks . computer network is set of computers which are attached to each other for the purpose of resource sharing. The second example is the internet. Internet is the global network which allows the users in many dispersed areas to connect via web browsers and telecommunication technologies provide by internet services providers. Third example is of the public switched telephone networks, it is a circuit switched network which used to carry analog signals but now it carries digital signals mostly. The fourth example is the working of global telex; it is a set of machines which include teleprinters and tele typewriters. The last example is of the aircraft communication addressing Payroll System Telecommunications network is a combination of nodes and links which are arranged in a manner so that the message may pass from the one part of the network to the other by traveling over variable nodes. Essential Parts of the Network There are five basic segments of this type of network. These parts include terminals, channels, processors, computers and control softwares. The starting and ending point of the telecommunication networks is known as a network terminal. There are many input and output devices which are often placed under the heading of terminals. Telecommunication processors are often helpful in transferring data between the terminals of the network. These processors also provide variety of control and support functions. Telecommunication channels are the reception and transmission point for the data and messages. The network computers are arranged in a manner so that they establish a network connection using different media, these computer terminals help in communication. Telecommunication network software governs the control and functional activities with the help of software in a network. The structure of telecommunication network has three main components the control plane, the user plane and the management plane. As indicated by its name the control plane carries control information and data. The data plane or user plane monitors the user traffic in the network. The third and last component management plane carries the operation and administration traffic over the network. Types of Telecommunication Networks. Telecommunication network has many types like wide area network, metropolitan area network, local area network, campus area network, personal area network, virtual private networks, client server network, peer to peer network, network computing. The network which is spread over a large geographic area is known as wide area network. This network has helped businesses which are dispersed over different regions to communicate to the head office. Metropolitan area network covers the area of nearly one city or county. Its area and coverage is more than the local area network and less han the wide area network. The communication of computers in a very small geographical area is known as local area network. Campus area network is a network which is restricted to the small geographical area which is limited to the university campus or a building. Personal area network is a network which is limited to an individual. Virtual private network is built on the principle of secure encrypted network in order to provide complete security to the users. The client server network is network which is connected to the LAN at one end and the back up server at the other end. When a computer uses network browser to connect to the other computers in the network it is known as network computing. Microsoft office online is the good example of such kind of network. Peer to peer network is used for connecting only those computers which have copy rights to use each others resources. Examples of a Telecommunication Network The first example of the telecommunication network is computer networks . computer network is set of computers which are attached to each other for the purpose of resource sharing. The second example is the internet. Internet is the global network which allows the users in many dispersed areas to connect via web browsers and telecommunication technologies provide by internet services providers. Third example is of the public switched telephone networks, it is a circuit switched network which used to carry analog signals but now it carries digital signals mostly. The fourth example is the working of global telex; it is a set of machines which include teleprinters and tele typewriters. The last example is of the aircraft communication addressing

Social Engineering

Identity Theft: Social Engineering December 5, 2011 Daniel Sama & Stacey Smith Sr Computer Ethics CIS-324, Fall 2011 Strayer University Identity Theft: Social Engineering December 5, 2011 Daniel Sama & Stacey Smith Sr Computer Ethics CIS-324, Fall 2011 Strayer University Abstract Social Engineering from the outset may seem like a topic one might hear when talking about sociology or psychology, when in fact it is a form of identity theft. To an information technology (IT) professional, Social Engineering is a form of voluntary, unintentional identity theft. Many victims fail to realize they are being victimized until it is too late, while many others may never know. This paper will provide a definition of social engineering as it applies to information technology while introducing some the pioneers of social engineering; those who have, essentially, written the book on social engineering. We will provide real world examples of how social engineers apply their trade and provide important points to consider with regards to social engineering attacks. In conclusion we will propose counter-measures, which individuals and organizations should take in order to guard against social engineering. Social Engineering as defined by IT professionals is the practice of deceiving someone, either in person, over the phone or using a computer, with the express intent of breaching some level of security, either personal or professional (Ledford, 2011. ) Implementing quality risk analysis solutions while maintaining data integrity is a crucial element of successful system modeling; within the context of social engineering in the workplace, there are several factors that can make implementing those solutions rather challenging. Social engineering is a type of intrusion, which relies heavily on human interaction and usually involves the tricking of other people to break normal, everyday security policies. Social engineers (SE) often prey on the natural helpfulness of other people. When analyzing and attempting to conduct a particular attack, a SE will commonly appeal to vanity or authority as well as simple eavesdropping to acquire the desired information. Social engineering, in a nutshell is a hacker’s clever manipulation of the natural human tendency to trust. This will provide the unauthorized access to the valued information, system or machine. Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake† (Bonaparte, n. d. ) This is a mantra for all successful SE’s, as they take any and all information about and from a target for later use against said target. The SE will gather as much information as possible about their target in advance, most of which is readily available online, usually , with just a few keystrokes; anything from hobbies to their favorite lunchtime meal. This information helps build a connection and instills trust with the target. With this trust, seemingly innocuous information will come flooding out of the target. Akin to fictional spies like James Bond and Michael Weston, SE’s assume a persona that is not their own and attempt to establish with their target a reasonable justification to fulfill a request. The aforementioned tactics allow the SE to maintain the facade and leave an out to avoid burning his or her information source. Bottom line; a good SE is a good actor. â€Å"All of the firewalls and encryption in the world will never stop a gifted social engineer from rifling a corporate database or an irate employee from crashing the system,† says pioneer Kevin Mitnick, the world’s most celebrated hacker who popularized the term. Mitnick firmly states in his two books The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion that it’s much easier to trick someone into giving a password for a system than spending the time using a brute force hack or other more traditional means to compromise the integrity of sensitive data. Mitnick who was a world famous controversial computer hacker in the late 1980’s was sentenced to 46 months in prison for hacking into the Pacific Bell telephone systems while evading the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The notorious hacker also allegedly wiretapped the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), compromised the FBI and Pentagon’s systems. This led Mitnick to spend the majority of his time incarcerated in solitary confinement due to the government’s fear of him attempting to gain control of more sensitive information. Mitnick states in both of his aforementioned books that he compromised computers solely by using passwords and codes acquired as a result of social engineering. As a result, Mitnick was restricted from using any forms of technology upon his release from prison until approximately 5 years ago. Kevin Mitnick is now the CEO of Mitnick Security Consulting, a computer security consultancy. Social engineering awareness is a being addressed at the enterprise level as a vital corporate security initiative. Security experts advise that a properly trained staff, not technology is the best asset against social engineering attacks on sensitive information. The importance placed upon security policies is imperative when attempting to combat this type of attack. Combat strategies require action on both physical and psychological levels. This form appeals to hackers because the Internet is so widely used and it evades all intrusion detection systems. Social engineering is also a desirable method for hackers because of the low risk and low cost involved. There are no compatibility issues with social engineering; it works on every operating system. There’s no audit trail and if executed properly its effects can be completely devastating to the target. These attacks are real and staggering to any company, which is why strong corporate policies should be measured by access control and implementing specific procedures. One of the advantages of having such policies in place is that it negates the responsibility of an employee having to make a judgment call or using discretion regarding a social engineer’s request. Companies and their subsequent staffs have become much too relaxed as it pertains to corporate security initiative. These attacks can potentially be costly and unnerving to management as well as the IT department. Social engineering attacks commonly take place on two different levels: physical and psychological. Physical settings for these attacks can be anything from your office, your trash, over the telephone and even online. A rudimentary, common form of a social engineering attack is social engineering by telephone. Clever social engineers will attempt to target the company’s help desk while fooling the help desk representative into believing they are calling from inside the company. Help desks are specifically the most vulnerable to social engineering attacks since these employees are trained to be accommodating, be friendly and give out information. Help desk employees are minimally educated and get paid a below average salary so it is common for these individuals to answer one question and move right along to the next. This can potentially create an alarming security hole when the proper security initiative is not properly set into place. A classic example of this would be a SE calling the company operator and saying something like â€Å"Hi, I’m your AT&T rep; I’m stuck on a pole. I need you to punch a few buttons for me. † This type of attack is directed at the company’s help desk environment and nearly always successful. Other forms attack target those in charge of making multi-million dollar decisions for corporations, namely the CEO’s and CFO’s. A clever SE can get either one of these individuals to willingly offer information pertinent to hacking into a corporation’s network infrastructure. Though cases such as these are rarely documented, they still occur. Corporations spend millions of dollars to test for these kinds of attacks. Individuals who perform this specialized testing are referred to as Social Engineering Auditors. One of the premier SE Auditors in the industry today is Chris Hadnagy. Hadnagy states that on any given assignment, all he has to do is perform a bit of research on the key players in the company before he is ready to strike. In most cases he will play a sympathy card, pretending to be a member of a charity the CEO or CFO may belong to and make regular donations to. In one case, he called a CEO of a corporation pretending to be a fundraiser for a charity the CEO contributed to in the past. He stated they were having a raffle drawing and named off prizes such as major league game tickets and gift cards to a few restaurants, one of which happened to be a favorite of the CEO. When he was finished explaining all the prizes available he asked if it would be alright to email a flier outlining all the prizes up for grabs in a PDF. The CEO agreed and willingly gave Hadnagy his corporate email address. Hadnagy further asked for the version of Adobe Reader the company used under the guise he wanted to make sure he was sending a PDF the CEO could read. The CEO willingly gave this information up. With this information he was able to send a PDF with malicious code embedded that gave him unfettered access to the CEO’s machine and in essence the company’s servers (Goodchild, 2011). Not all SE attacks occur completely over the phone. Another case that Hadnagy reports on occurred at a theme park. The back story on this case is he was hired by a major theme park concerned about software security as their guest check-in computers were linked with corporate servers, and if the check-in computers were compromised a serious data breach may occur (Goodchild, 2011). Hadnagy started this attack by first calling the park posing as a software salesman, peddling newer PDF-reading software which he was offering free on a trial basis. From this phone call he was able to obtain the version of PDF-reader the park utilized and put the rest of his plan in action. He next headed to the park with his family, walking up to one of the employees at guest services asking if he could use one of their terminals to access his email. He was allowed to access his email to print off a coupon for admission to the park that day. What this email also allowed was to embed malicious code on to the servers and once again gained unfettered access to the parks servers. Hadnagy proposes six points to ponder in regards to social engineering attacks: * No information, regardless of it personal or emotional nature, is off limits for a SE seeking to do harm. It is often the person who thinks he is most secure who poses the biggest vulnerability to an organization. Executives are the easiest SE marks. * An organizations security policy is only as good as its enforcement. * SE’s will often play to the employees good nature and desire to be helpful * Social Engineering should be a part of an organizations defense strategy. * SE’s will often go for the low- hanging fruit. Everyone is a target if security is low. The first countermeasure of social engineering prevention begins with security policies. Employee training is essential in combating even the most cunning and sly social engineers. Just like social engineering itself, training on a psychological and physical basis is required to alleviate these attacks. Training must begin at the top with management. All management must understand that social engineering attacks stem from both a psychological and physical angle therefore they must implement adequate policies that can mitigate the damage from an attacker while having a robust, enforceable penalty process for those that violate those policies. Access control is a good place to start when applying these policies. A competent system administrator and his IT department should work cooperatively with management in hashing out policies that control and limit user’s permission to sensitive data. This will negate the responsibility on the part of an average employee from having to exercise personal judgment and discretion when a potential attack may occur. When suspicious calls for information occur within the company, the employee should keep three questions in mind: 1. Does the person asking deserve this information? 2. Why is she/he asking for it? 3. What are the possible repercussions of giving up the requested information? If there is a strong policy in place with enforceable penalties in place, these questions will help to reduce the potential for a SE attack (Scher, 2011). Another countermeasure against a social engineering attack is to limit the amount of information easily available online. With Facebook, Twitter, Four-Square and the like, there is an overabundance of information readily available at any given moment online. By just drastically limiting the amount of information available online it makes the SE’s task of information gathering that much more difficult. Throughout all of the tactics and strategies utilized when cultivating social engineering expertise, it’s extremely difficult to combat human error. So when implementing employee access control and information security, it is important to remember that everyone is human. This type of awareness can also be costly so it’s important to adopt a practical approach to fighting social engineering. Balancing company morale and pleasant work environment is a common difficulty when dealing with social engineering prevention and awareness. It is vital to keep in perspective that the threat of social engineering is very real and everyone is a potential target. References Bonaparte, N. (n. d. ). BrainyQuote. com. Retrieved December 6, 2011, from BrainyQuote. com Web site: http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/n/napoleon_bonaparte_3. html Goodchild, J. (2011). Social Engineering: 3 Examples of Human Hacking. Retrieved November 28, 2011 Retrieved from www. csoonline. om Web site: http://www. csoonline. com/article/663329/social-engineering-3-examples-of -human-hacking Fadia, A. and Manu, Z. (2008). Networking Intrusion Alert: An Ethical Hacking Guide to Intrusion Detection. Boston, Massachusetts. Thompson Course Technology. 2008. Ledford, J. (2011). Identity Theft 101, Social Engineering. Retrieved from About. com on December 1, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www. idtheft. about. com/od/glossary/g/Social_Enginneering. htm Long, J. and Mitnick, K. (2008. ) No Tech Hacking: A Guide to Social Engineering, Dumpster Diving and Shoulder Surfing. Burlington, Massachusetts. Syngress Publishing Inc. 2008. Mann, I. Hacking the Human. Burlington, Vermont: Gower Publishing, 2008. Mitnick, K. and Simon, W. The Art of Deception. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc. 2002. Mitnick, K. and Simon, W. (2006. ) The Art of Intrusion. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc. 2006. Scher, R. (2011). Is This the Most Dangerous Man in America? Security Specialist Breaches Networks for Fun & Profit. Retrieved from ComputerPowerUser. com on November 29, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www. social-engineer. org/resources/CPU-MostDangerousMan. pdf

Book Review on Tipping Point by Malcomb Gladwell Essay

Book Review on Tipping Point by Malcomb Gladwell - Essay Example Prior to the book by Gladwell, the said process can be considered to occur on the basis uncontrolled factors. For that matter, the study of such events though can be considered of interest is merely accepted as inevitable and a common occurrence (Gladwell, 2000). The Tipping Point then can be considered as an important presentation of the idea explaining the phenomenon of having trends that cover a multidisciplinary area extending from public health to marketing. The term tipping point can be defined as the point wherein the different requirements to achieve exponential popularity can be achieved. The different factors that are related to the said process are the main concept captured in the book (Gladwell, 2000). Based on the book, there are different important concepts that are presented. Basically, the said factors are considered essential and fundamental in the achievement of the tipping point and success in terms for the introduction and popularity of a concept or a product. The said factors are referred to as the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context comprise the majority of the book. These factors are referred to as the Rules of Epidemics (Gladwell, 2000). The main points presented by the book revolve around the said concepts which can be considered to explain the trends and popularity achieved by certain products and concepts. In addition, important ways and methods to be able to achieve the said success are given. It is based on the presented slogan of the book that little things can make a big difference. This can means that the little actions undertaken by people can affect others exponentially (Gladwell, 2000). Based on the study undertaken on the book, it can be considered that the ideas that the author presented are simple yet considerably accurate. Specifically, the effects of the said paradigms can had been extensively explained by Gladwell

Animation Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Animation Question - Essay Example The squash will make a bouncing ball appear deformed although the nature and shape will remain the same after the squashing action. The principles of stretch and squash would make the scene appear more appealing to the audience. The principles make transitions between different parts of the play appear attractive and smoother (Loose 1). When a human character is thrown he/she would strive hard to stop falling. Perhaps he or she would spread hands, widen his mouth and probably make some bitter sounds but eventually land on the ground. On the other hand, a briefcase is a concrete object and possibly would neither stretch nor squash very much. It may open while falling or break upon reaching the ground. An umbrella is lighter and probably when thrown it may pop open while descending and stretch thus reducing the pace at which they fall. The umbrella may then flip inside out and I acceleration would increase hence triggering squashing and stretching as it lands. A flowerpot may separate from the organic flower as it stretches and probably squashes upon making an impact with the ground. Bowling balls are weighty and made of compact solid material hence will have both low stretch and squash. Therefore, the effects of falling would not be clearly evident on the bowling balls since they are had. The most squash and stretch is seen when a football is thrown from the window. The air in an inflated football makes the stretch even greater as the ball comes down and severe squash during impact with the

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Cohabitation before marriage - Essay Example Most of the students in this age are potentially dating a fellow or is considering to. The high school students have a higher chance of advancing to the college levels where cohabitation largely takes root. If you still deliberating, is it essential to prepare in advance for a looming dwell or do so when the challenge actually arrives? The wise will consider advance preparation for the dwell; in this case the dwell being marriage and preparation being cohabitation. III. Credibility: Research by the Council of Contemporary Families indicate that partners who start to cohabit in their college years demonstrate a higher chance of leading a successful marriage than those who never attempt to make such effort early enough. Among randomly selected 200 participants who qualified the set conditions for a successful marriage, 164 (82%) stated having tried cohabiting during their college days with only 36 (18%) indicating they attempted cohabiting in later years after completing colleges. Among the 164 participants who tried cohabiting in college years, 73 were male and 91 female. a. Can you really know someone that well as to commit without living with them? I bet no; living together is the certainly the ultimate test of knowing your partner before committing. Cohabitation tests the ability of partners to tolerate each other on various aspects including the ability to survive through charming elements of cohabiting. It tests the compatibility of the partners particularly through their abilities to resolve the arguments and conflicts of interests. For the college students who cohabit, they are exposed to the realities of commitments early enough. Young couples are able to drop the preconceptions of the ideal relationships that they watch in movies and face realities of life. b. If a young couple can learn to love even after the realization that all aspects of relationships are not always fun, then they can be assured of a

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Social responsibility in finance decision making - Essay Example Further, Monsanto CSR initiatives, the influence they have had on stakeholders and company image, with recommendations provided for improvement of CSR at Monsanto. Monsanto failed to meet CSR needs in two instances that seriously affected the business and formed the platform for more CSR initiatives that have allowed the business to receive global recognition, win back the confidence of the consumers, and achieve success in environmental conservation. Monsanto is a leading seed company globally specializing in biotechnology and genetic manipulation of organisms for the development of cheaper and resistant food and crops. Monsanto inserts genes to existing plant genes as a measure of augmenting disease resistance and yields. The effect is the production of drought resistant, more productive, and disease resistant plants known as genetically modified organisms GMO. Monsanto has achieved global success in terms of the supply of Agent O, saccharin, vanilla flavouring, artificial sweeteners, petroleum, packaging Roundup herbicides, petroleum, and GMO seeds. Despite the success, Monsanto faced CSR issues that seriously affected the firm and realized the importance of CSR taking several initiatives in correcting the situation and making several gains in the end. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) at Monsanto was not at the forefront of the company’s operations in the past, as is the case in recent years. For example, there are instances where Monsanto inflicted harm on a number of stakeholders for the sake of the firm’s profits that was the main aim of the firm at the time. Monsanto was not very cognisant of the CSR it had on a number of stakeholders. Monsanto’s production of Agent Orange in 1970’s for the deforestation of Vietnamese jungles forms the case where the company neglected its CSR responsibilities in favour of profit making (Ferrel et al., 2013). Agent Orange, as it was later discovered, contained a carcinogenic

Are American cultural myths just that--Myths Research Paper

Are American cultural myths just that--Myths - Research Paper Example This myth can be traced back to the origin of America. However, in today’s scenario, how much this myth still holds true today will be considered in this paper. America originated to provide opportunities to its entrants; however, it has not fulfilled its promise to its full extent. This fact cannot be denied that America accommodated all who entered its territories but the resident will see progress and success is not wholly true. Franklin Benjamin, in his article, â€Å"America as the Land of Opportunity† (1751), explains that America was a new land, which had space for many entrants and offered people with their bright futures. The land was very accommodative and the level of people’s profession increased with their struggle in the profession as Franklin Benjamin (1751) informs that America was a place, â€Å"where no Man continues long a Laborer for others, but gets a Plantation of his own, no Man continues long a Journeyman to a Trade but goes among those n ew Settlers, and set up for himself† and so on. Every person who entered the new land had an opportunity to see himself and his family prosperous and successful. American dream is an interrelated term with the myth of America as a land of opportunity. ... There was chance for one’s family to receive better educational, health and other facilities. The American dream allowed the new settlers to enjoy their lives the way they liked. They were given all the opportunities to lead a happy life with all the facilities that they required. There were no restrictions for the new settlers in terms of exercising their religious practices, promoting their cultures and making use of their own languages due to which, America is a multicultural country today where we can find people from diverse cultures all over the world (Cullen 126). This provides the original definition of America as a land of opportunity. Eighteenth century saw the early settlers in America while with the passage of time, people from different nations came for settling purposes to America (Brueggmann 51). These people also showed interest towards transforming their luck. They had high rated ideas about their future success and development. America as a new land offered i ts dwellers with all the chances that it could provide. However, when people assembled in America to a large extent, they faced the same deprivations as others faced in their own countries. Pete Davis (2009) explains about America’s being a land of opportunity as an image that is incorrectly built as he informs that other nations provide better facilities to their residents in terms of mobility as compared to America. People are not able to transform their status altogether because of economic problems that shift from one generation to other. According to Pete Davis (2009), â€Å"if you're born poor in America, you're likely to remain poor† because

Email communication Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Email communication - Term Paper Example Organizations use Email communication for the immediate delivery of information (Calvert 3). Email information is sent and received almost instantly to someone thousand miles away or in the next door. Using Emails helps organizations streamline their external and internal communication networks. It contributes to faster and easier transmission and dissemination of information (Storm 3). Moreover, it also allows for instant and real-time business status updates that are essential for any business to grow and compete effectively. The continuous flow of relevant information through Email communication makes the organizational staffs more efficient and productive as they can respond to any arising issues (Storm 3). Email communication is one of the best methods businesses adopt as a record keeping strategy (Calvert 4). Email messages during communication remain in the inbox for many years unless one deliberately deletes. Similarly, one can filter the inbox messages in relation to dates sent, sender, subject among others within the shortest time possible. It offers virtual record keeping making many organizations adopt it as opposed to traditional methods characterized by papers and other printed documents filed and stored in drawers. Additionally, Email record keeping makes it easy when sharing information with another party since it only requires one to click and forward it to the intended party. Because of this, Email communication brings efficiency in business since it offers many services with just one message. Organizations are using Email communication to save on the cost (Storm 7). Emails are one of the cheapest means of communication an organization can use, internally and externally. Small businesses use the free sign up email providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail among others, to enhance their internal and external communications with customers (Storm 7). Moreover, they

High Risk Sexual Behavior with Incarcerated Youths Annotated Bibliography

High Risk Sexual Behavior with Incarcerated Youths - Annotated Bibliography Example On the whole, the work is well-written by qualified experts and will be useful for both clinicians and researchers in the field of STD The need to widen surveillance measures against STD among incarcerated youth has never been more crucial than now and the last few years because of statistics pointing out escalating rates of health problems among this group of adolescents. This is the rallying point of this article. The study is divided into 9 parts: abstract; the juvenile justice system; reasons for screening adolescent arrestees; substance use, sex, and other risk factors; organizational and structural barriers; policy and implementation issues; a promising model; conclusions and recommendations. The model of collaboration between the juvenile justice system and public health system, which was initiated as part of the study was fruitful. Related endeavors may pattern their model from the Belenko, et al. (2009) collaborative model. The authors demonstrated their expertise on the subject. The article is a review of recent developments the epidemiology of STD among incarcerated adolescents, as well as STD screening and interventions in juvenile correctional facilities. The generally high prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea even among incarcerated women was confirmed in this review and confirmed the authors’ position that screening of incarcerated adolescents in prison should be prioritized. Future research directions point towards the necessity to further examine the causes of the rise in the incidence of chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Innovation in Cipla Essay Example for Free

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Political campaigns Essay Example for Free

Political campaigns Essay Political campaigns also provide much to reflect and think upon. They are also vastly entertaining particularly as the gloves come out and opposing parties start to play for keeps. Campaign ads are a powerful tool to cast yourself in a specific way, like trustworthy, honourable, and ready to get things done. However they can also be used to make your opponent look foolish, incompetent etc. A well written and developed add can be very affective no matter the content but some ads just go above and beyond. My favourite political add from 2006 was the Western for Bill Richardson for Governor. This ad is a particular favourite not for who was running but for the creativity of the ad. What is more American than a western? The commercial is quintessentially American. Sheriffs are naturally portrayed as being honest, trustworthy, brave, ready to right wrongs, ready to fight. Just by portraying Bill Richardson as the sheriff all of these virtues are implied without having to even mention them. It is a great parallel that some of Richardson’s accomplishments mesh with traditional sheriff duties such as jailing of violent criminals. Not only is the western traditional and symbolic but the humour that is displayed at the end just adds to the campaign. It shows that Richardson is not afraid to have fun and laugh at himself a bit. After all what sheriff would walk into a saloon and ask for milk. In the old days that would be the beginning of a fight right then and there. This commercial was particularly well done. It told an interesting story particularly in pictures and it played to Richardson’s strengths. It is a traditional campaign move to attack your opponents and display them in a negative like but I appreciate how Richardson keeps the focus on himself. After all if you are trying to promote yourself the best way is to show your strengths. Someone will display the opposition’s weakness; it always happens so why not try to have some fun. This political add looked like a lot of fun and I am sure Richardson had a lot of fun making it.

Economics Essays Petroleum Price Oil Economy

Economics Essays Petroleum Price Oil Economy Petroleum Price Oil and the Economy Summary The vulnerability of oil-importing countries to higher oil prices varies markedly depending on the degree to which they are net importers and the oil intensity of their economies. According to the results of a quantitative exercise carried out by the IEA in collaboration with the OECD Economics Department and with the assistance of the International Monetary Fund Research Department. Euro-zone countries, which are highly dependent on oil imports, suffered the most in the short term, their GDP dropping by 0.5% and inflation rising by 0.5% in 2007. The United States suffered the least, with GDP falling by 0.3%, largely because indigenous production meets a bigger share of its oil needs. Japan’s GDP fell 0.4%, with its relatively low oil intensity compensating to some extent for its almost total dependence on imported oil. In all OECD regions, these losses should start to diminish in the following three years as global trade in non-oil goods and services recovers. This analysis assumes constant exchange rates. Oil prices impact the health of the world economy. Higher oil prices since 1999 – partly the result of OPEC supply-management policies – contributed to the global economic downturn in 2000-2001 and are dampening the current cyclical upturn. World GDP growth may have been at least half a percentage point higher in the last two or three years had prices remained at mid-2001 levels. Current fears of OPEC supply cuts, political tensions in Venezuela and tight stock prices have driven up international crude oil and product prices even further. The adverse economic impact of higher oil prices on oil-importing developing countries is generally even more severe than OECD countries. This is because their economies are more dependent on imported oil are more energy-intensive, and energy is used less efficiently. On average, oil-importing developing countries use more than twice the amount of oil to produce a unit of economic output as do OECD countries. Developing countries are also less able to weather the financial turmoil wrought by higher oil-import costs. India spent $15 billion, equivalent to 3% of its GDP, on oil imports in 2003. This is 16% higher than its 2001 oil-import bill. It is estimated that the loss of GDP averages 0.8% in Asia and 1.6% in very poor highly indebted countries in the year following. The loss of GDP in the Sub-Saharan African countries would be more than 3%. The impact of higher oil prices on economic growth in OPEC countries would depend on a variety of factors, particularly how the windfall revenues are spent. In the long term, however, OPEC oil revenues and GDP are likely to be lower, as higher prices would not fully compensate for lower production. In the IEA’s recent World Energy Investment Outlook, cumulative OPEC revenues are $400 billion lower over the period 2001-2030 under a Restricted Middle East Investment Scenario, in which policies to limit the growth in production in that region lead to on average 20% higher prices, compared to the Reference Scenario. Introduction This paper reviews how oil prices affect the macro-economy and assesses quantitatively the extent to which the economies of OECD and developing countries remain vulnerable to a sustained period of higher oil prices. It summarizes the findings of a quantitative exercise carried out by the IEA in collaboration with the OECD Economics Department and with the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Research Department. That work, which made use of the large-scale economic models of all three organizations, constitutes the most up-to-date analysis of the impact of higher oil prices on the global economy. Oil prices have been creeping higher in recent months: the prices of Brent and WTI – the leading benchmark physical crude oils. These price increases and the possibility of further increases in the future have drawn attention again to the threat they pose to the global economy. The next section describes the general mechanism by which higher oil prices affect the global economy. This is followed by a quantitative assessment of the impact of a sustained rise in the oil price on, first, the OECD countries and then on the developing countries and transition economies. Finally the net effect on the global economy is summarized. Oil Price and the Global Economy Oil prices remain an important determinant of global economic performance. Overall, an oil-price increase leads to a transfer of income from importing to exporting countries through a shift in the terms of trade. The magnitude of the direct effect of a given price increase depends on the share of the cost of oil in national income, the degree of dependence on imported oil and the ability of end-users to reduce their consumption and switch away from oil. It also depends on the extent to which gas prices rise in response to an oil-price increase, the gas-intensity of the economy and the impact of higher prices on other forms of energy that compete with or, in the case of electricity, are generated from oil and gas. Naturally, the bigger the oil-price increase and the longer higher prices are sustained, the bigger the macroeconomic impact. For net oil-exporting countries, a price increase directly increases real national income through higher export earnings, though part of this gain would be later offset by losses from lower demand for exports generally due to the economic recession suffered by trading partners. Adjustment effects, which result from real wage, price and structural rigidities in the economy, add to the direct income effect. Higher oil prices lead to inflation increased input costs, reduced non-oil demand and lower investment in net oil importing countries. Tax revenues fall and the budget deficit increases, due to rigidities in government expenditure, which drives interest rates up. Because of resistance to real declines in wages, an oil price increase typically leads to upward pressure on nominal wage levels. Wage pressures together with reduced demand tend to lead to higher short term unemployment. These effects are greater the more abrupt and the more pronounced the price increase and are magnified by the impact of higher prices on consumer and business confidence. An oil-price increase also changes the balance of trade between countries and exchange rates. Net oil-importing countries normally experience deterioration in their balance of payments and putting downward pressure on exchange rates. As a result, imports become more expensive and exports less valuable, leading to a drop in real national income. Without a change in central bank and government monetary policies, the dollar may tend to rise as oil-producing countries’ demand for dollar-denominated international reserve assets grow. The economic and energy-policy response to a combination of higher inflation, higher unemployment, lower exchange rates and lower real output also affects the overall impact on the economy over the longer term. Government policy cannot eliminate the adverse impacts described above but it can minimize them. Similarly, inappropriate policies can worsen them. Overly contractionary monetary and fiscal policies to contain inflationary pressures could exacerbate the recessionary income and unemployment effects. On the other hand, expansionary monetary and fiscal policies may simply delay the fall in real income necessitated by the increase in oil prices, stoke up inflationary pressures and worsen the impact of higher prices in the long run. Impact on OECD Countries OECD countries remain vulnerable to oil-price increases, despite a drop in the region’s net oil imports and an even more marked decline in oil intensity since the first oil shock. Net imports fell by 14% while the amount of oil the OECD used to produce one dollar of real GDP halved between 1973 and 2006. Nonetheless, the region remains heavily dependent on imports to meet its oil needs, amounting to 56% in 2006. Only Canada, Denmark, Mexico, Norway and the United Kingdom are currently net exporting countries. Oil imports are estimated to have cost the region as a whole over $360 billion in 2006 – equivalent to around 1% of GDP. The annual import bill has increased by about 30 % since 2005. Higher oil prices have a significant adverse impact on OECD economic performance in the short term in this case, though their impact in the longer term is more limited (Table 1). The impact on the rate of GDP growth is felt mostly in the first two years as the deterioration in the terms of trade drives down income, which immediately undermines domestic consumption and investment. OECD GDP is 0.4% lower in 2005 and 2006 compared to the base case. In all OECD regions, these losses start to diminish in the following years as global trade in non-oil goods and services recovers. Throughout the whole five-year projection period, GDP is 0.3% lower on average. The impact of higher oil prices on the rate of inflation is more marked. The consumer price index is on average 0.5% higher than in the base case over the five year projection period. The impact on the rate of inflation was felt mostly in 2006 – the second year of higher prices. Recent trends show a clear correlation between oil price movements and short-term changes in the inflation rate. The economic impact of higher oil prices varies considerably across OECD countries, largely according to the degree to which they are net importers of oil. Euro-zone countries, which are highly dependent on oil imports, suffer most in the short term. GDP losses in both Europe and Japan would also exacerbate budget deficits, which are already large (close to 3% on average in the euro-zone and 7% in Japan). The United States suffers the least, largely because indigenous production still meets over 40% of its oil needs. The Impact on Developing Countries The adverse economic impact of higher oil prices on oil-importing developing countries is generally more pronounced than for OECD countries. The economic impact on the poorest and most indebted countries is most severe. On the basis of IMF estimates, the reduction in GDP would amount to more than 1.5% after one year in those countries. The Sub-Saharan African countries within this grouping, with more oil intensive and fragile economies, would suffer an even bigger loss of GDP, of more than 3%. As with OECD countries, dollar exchange rates are assumed to be the same as in the base case. Asia as a whole, which imports the bulk of its oil, would experience a 0.8% fall in economic output and a one percentage point deterioration in its current account balance (expressed as a share of GDP) one year after the price increase. Some countries would suffer much more: the Philippines would lose 1.6% of its GDP in the year following the price increase, and India 1%. China’s GDP would drop 0.8% and its current account surplus, which amounted to around $45 billion in 2006, would decline by $6 billion in the first year. Other Asian countries would see deterioration in their aggregate current account balance of more than $8 billion. Asia would also experience the largest increase in inflation in the first year, on the assumption that the increase in international oil price would be quickly passed through into domestic prices. The inflation rate in China and Thailand would increase by almost one percentage point in 2007. Latin America in general would suffer less from the increase in oil prices than Asia because net oil imports into the region are much smaller. Economic growth in Latin America would be reduced by only 0.2 percentage points. The GDP of transition economies and Africa in aggregate would increase by 0.2 percentage points, as they are net oil-exporting countries. The economies of oil-importing developing countries in Asia and Africa would suffer most from higher oil prices because their economies are more dependent on imported oil. In addition, energy-intensive manufacturing generally accounts for a larger share of their GDP and energy is used less efficiently. On average, oil importing developing countries use more than twice the oil to produce one unit of economic output as do developed countries. The IMF estimates suggest that, in the sustained oil-price increase case, the net trade balance of OPEC countries would improve initially by about $120 billion or around 13% of GDP, taking account of lower global economic growth. Venezuela would gain the least and Iraq and Nigeria the most, reflecting the relative importance of oil in the economy. The impact of higher oil prices on economic growth in OPEC countries would depend on a variety of factors, particularly how the windfall revenues are spent. In the long term, however, OPEC oil revenues and GDP are likely to be lower, as higher prices would not compensate fully for lower production. Higher oil prices in the last four years are in part the result of OPEC’s success in implementing its policy of collectively constraining production. This policy has led to a decline in OPEC’s share of world oil production from 40% in 1999 to 38% in 2003. There is a risk that this policy may be continued in the future, which would limit the extent to which OPEC producers, notably those in the Middle East, contribute to meeting rising world oil demand. According to the IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook, OPEC’s market share is projected to rebound to 40% in 2010 and 54% in 2030. In the IEA’s recent World Energy Investment Outlook, cumulative OPEC revenues are $400 billion lower over the period 2001-2030 under a Restricted Middle East Investment Scenario, in which policies to limit the growth in production in that region lead to on average 20% higher prices, compared to the Reference Scenario. Impact on the Global Economy The results of the sustained higher oil price simulation for both the OECD and non- OECD countries suggest that, as has always been the case in the past, the net effect on the global economy would be negative. That is, the economic stimulus provided by higher oil and gas export earnings in OPEC and other exporting countries would be outweighed by the depressive effect of higher prices on economic activity in the importing countries, at least in the first year or two following the price rise. Combining the results of all world regions yields a net fall of around 0.5% in global GDP – equivalent to $ 255 billion in the first year of higher prices. The loss of GDP would diminish somewhat by 2008 as increased demand from oil-exporting countries boosts the exports and GDP of oil-importing countries. The main determinant of the size of the initial net loss of global GDP is how OPEC and other oil-exporting countries spend their windfall oil revenues. The greater the marginal propensity of oil-producing countries to save those revenues, the greater the initial loss of GDP. Both the IMF and OECD simulations assume that oil exporters would spend around 75% of their additional revenues on imported goods and services within three years, which is in line with historical averages. However, this assumption may be too high, given the current state of fiscal balances and external reserves in many oil-exporting countries. In practice, those countries might take advantage of a sharp price increase now to rebuild reserves and reduce foreign and domestic debt. In this case, the adverse impact of higher prices on global economic growth would be more severe. Higher oil prices, by affecting economic activity, corporate earnings and inflation, would also have major implications for financial markets – notably equity values, exchange rates and government financing – even, as assumed here, if there are no changes in monetary policies: International capital market valuations of equity and debt in oil-importing countries would be revised downwards and those in oil-exporting countries upwards. To the extent that the creditworthiness of some importing countries that are already running large current account deficits is called into question, there would be upward pressure on interest rates. Tighter monetary policies to contain inflation would add to this pressure. Currencies would adjust to changes in trade balances. Higher oil prices would lead to a rise in the value of the US dollar, to the extent that oil exporters invest part of their windfall earnings in US dollar dominated assets and that transactions demand for dollars, in which oil is priced, increases. A stronger dollar would raise the cost of servicing the external debt of oil-importing developing countries, as that debt is usually denominated in dollars, exacerbating the economic damage caused by higher oil prices. It would also amplify the impact of higher oil prices in pushing up the oil-import bill at least in the short-term, given the relatively low price-elasticity of oil demand. Past oil shocks provoked debt-management crisis in many developing countries. Fiscal imbalances in oil-importing countries caused by lower income would be exacerbated in those developing countries, like India and Indonesia that continue to provide direct subsidies on oil products to protect poor households and domestic industry. The burden of subsidies tends to grow as international prices rise, adding to the pressure on government budgets and increasing political and social tensions. It is important to bear in mind the limitations of the simulations reported on above. In particular, the results do not take into account the secondary effects of higher oil prices on consumer and business confidence or possible changes in fiscal and monetary policies. The loss of business and consumer confidence resulting from an oil shock could lead to significant shifts in levels and patterns of investment, savings and spending. A loss of confidence and inappropriate policy responses, especially in the oil-importing countries, could amplify the economic effects in the medium term. In addition, neither the OECD’s estimates for member countries nor the IMF’s estimates for the developing countries and transition economies take explicit account of the direct impact of higher oil prices on natural gas prices and the secondary impact on electricity prices, other than through the general rate of inflation. Higher oil prices would undoubtedly drive up the prices of other fuels, magnifying the overall macroeconomic impact. Rising gas use worldwide will increase this impact. Nor does this analysis take into account the macroeconomic damage caused by more volatile oil prices. Short-term price volatility, which has worsened in recent years, complicates economic management and reduces the efficiency of capital allocation. Despite these factors, the results of the analysis presented here give an order-of-magnitude indication of the likely minimum economic repercussions of a sustained period of higher oil prices. Conclusion Oil prices remain a significant macroeconomic variable. Higher prices can still inflict substantial damage on the economies of oil-importing countries and on the global economy as a whole. The surge in prices in 1999-2000 contributed to the slowdown in global economic activity, international trade and investment in 2000- 2001. The disappointing pace of recovery since then is at least partly due to rising oil prices: according to the modeling results, global GDP growth may have been at least half a percentage point higher in the last two or three years had prices remained at mid-2001 levels. The results of the simulations presented in this paper suggest that further increases in oil prices sustained over the medium term would undermine significantly the prospects for continued global economic recovery. Oil importing developing countries would generally suffer the most as their economies are more oil-intensive and less able to weather the financial turmoil wrought by higher oil-import costs. The general economic background to the current run-up in prices is significantly different to previous oil-price shocks, all of which coincided with an economic boom when economies were already overheating. Prices are now rising in a situation of tentative economic revival, excess capacity and low inflation. Firms are less able to pass through higher energy-input costs in higher prices of goods and services because of strong competition in wholesale and retail markets. As a result, higher oil prices have so far eroded profits more than they have pushed up inflation. The consumer price index growth has fallen in almost every OECD country in the past year, from 2.3% to 2.0% in the Euro zone and 2.4% to 1.9% in the United States in the 12 months to December 2003. Deflation in Japan has worsened from -0.3% to 0.4% over the same period. A weaker dollar since 2002 has also offset partly the impact of higher oil prices in many countries, especially in the euro-zone and Japan. The squeeze on profits delayed the recovery in business investment and employment, which began in earnest in 2003 in many parts of the world. In contrast to previous oil shocks, the financial authorities in many countries have so far been able to hold down interest rates without risking an inflationary spiral. Yet the economic threats posed by higher oil prices remain real. Fears of OPEC supply cuts, political tensions in Venezuela and tight stocks have recently driven up international crude oil and product prices even further. Current market conditions are more unstable than normal, in part because of geopolitical uncertainties and because tight product markets – notably for gasoline in the United States – are reinforcing upward pressures on crude prices. The hike of futures prices during the past several months implies that recent oil price rises could be sustained. If that is the case, the macroeconomic consequences for importing countries could be painful, especially in view of the severe budget-deficit problems being experienced in all OECD regions and stubbornly high levels of unemployment in many countries. Fiscal imbalances would worsen, pressure to raise interest rates would grow and the current revival in business and consumer confidence would be cut short, threatening the durability of the current cyclical economic upturn. References Eichengreen, B., Y. Rhee and H. Tong (2004), â€Å"The Impact of China on the Exports of Other Asian Countries,† NBER Working Paper no.10768 (September). Frankel, J. and D. (1999), â€Å"Does Trade Cause Growth?† American Economic Review 89, pp. 379-399. Grubert, H. and J. Mutti (1991), â€Å"Taxes, Tariffs and Transfer Pricing in Multinational Corporate Decision-Making,† Review of Economics and Statistics 73, pp.285-293. Ianchovichina, E. and W. Martin (2005), â€Å"Trade Impacts of China’s WTO Accession,† this volume. Lian, D. (2005), â€Å"Singapore’s Lessons for China,† Morgan Stanley Global Economic Forum (5 May), np. Mody, A., A. Razin and E. Sadka (2002), â€Å"The Role of Information in Driving FDI: Theory and Evidence,† NBER Working Paper no. 9255 (October). Ravenhill, J. (2005), â€Å"Why the East Asian Auto Industry is not Regional,† unpublished manuscript, Australian National University.

Capital Punishment Should Remain Legal Essay -- Pro-Death Penalty Essa

I am going to argue that capital punishment is a morally and logically justifiable punishment for criminals. I will demonstrate this by showing how the logic behind not having the death penalty is invalid. I will also present examples that will defend my argument. I will then present counterarguments and their implications. The death penalty in the United States is a contested subject, and even recently it has been voted to be unconstitutional by some states. Currently there are many states that still have the death penalty, though many have not executed anyone in recent years. Outside of the United States the issue is also split, with many countries recently eliminating the death penalty. Crimes that usually receive the death penalty as punishment usually involve being directly involved with the death of another person. Though the majority of the United States still is in favor of capital punishment, there exists a large and growing minority that believes that the death penalty is an immoral punishment to use against another human being. The opposition to capital punishment often uses the logic that even though this person has committed a horrible crime that they still deserve the right to life, that it is something that does not have a right to be taken away. This argument is flawed based on the fact that lives are often saved because of the death penalty on a larger scale. Though there is the loss of the criminal’s life when he is executed, if he were to receive a normal punishment and go to prison, he may eventually be able to get out and commit more crimes again. Capital punishment is usually only sentenced when the prosecution feels that the crime is so unjust that there is no other recourse but the death ... ...an effective deterrent to crime as it is meant to be. Some opponents of capital punishment point to the fact that capital punishment is rarely used in comparison to the amount of actual murder convictions. The logic behind this claim seems to be at fault. This is especially noticed when considering that many of the opponents of capital punishment believe life to be the most important thing that one can have, that it is a basic right bestowed to everyone. Logically, wouldn’t threatening to remove the most important thing in somebody’s life serve as deterrence to committing such a crime? This counterargument is shown to be invalid on this basis. After considering counterarguments and presenting my arguments against them I feel I have presented sufficient information to support my claim that capital punishment is a logical and moral practice when used reasonably.

Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism Essays -- Religion Fait

Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism I. Islam The Muslims’ main sacred text is the Koran, which they believe Gabriel gave to Mohammad from God. Muslims believe that the Koran is the final revelation from God, as the Bible has been â€Å"corrupted† upon translation. My passage is Isaiah 53 where it talks about a suffering servant for Israel. While Christians believe this is a prophecy of Jesus, Muslims believe that Jesus was only a prophet. They believe Jesus was never crucified, and Allah made someone look like Jesus instead. (Koran 4:157) Interestingly enough, when our Muslim consultant, Dr. Akhter, was asked about Jesus’ teachings according to the Koran and how it may relate to this passage, he said that he does not know of His teachings. Thus, the suffering servant, according to Islamic teachings, is the man who Allah made to appear identical to Jesus. Regarding Islam, the only area that caught me off guard was when Dr. Akhter stated that Jesus will come back to die and break the cross. The Jihad is another issue that surprised me, because it hardly corresponds to what Allah instructed Mohammad to do in the Koran in countless verses. Dr. Akhter said that a Muslim must fight injustice as a part of the Jihad. Dr. Akhter also surprised me with another statement when I asked him about a hierarchy of prophets in Islam. He said there is a passage in the Koran that states you should not compare a prophet to another. He also talked about the pilgrimage to Mecca and explained how it atones for sins. Once a Muslim experiences the pilgrimage, they have a â€Å"clean slate†. It is a very sensitive issue, because non-Muslims are forbidden to go to the Kaaba. The worship practices of Muslims are somewhat ... ..., anyone that decides to pursue Him as their Savior is a Christian. It is through Jesus Christ that a person is born again spiritually and made alive through Him. WORKS CITED Akhter, Dr. Waseem. Personal interview. February 17, 2005. Allah – the Moon God. The Archaeology of the Middle East. 1997. http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm Buraga, Pastor Dan. Personal interview. March 3, 2005. The Glorious Qur’an. 2nd ed. Elmhurst, New York. 2003. Harris, Stephen. Understanding the Bible. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. The Interactive Bible. Islam: Meteorite Worship of the Black Stone. http://www.bible.ca/bible.htm Juda, Rabbi Allen. Personal interview. February 24, 2005. NIV Study Bible. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Roman Catholicism. ROMAN CATHOLICSM. 2005. http://www.carm.org/catholic.htm

Capital Punishment Essays †An Eye for an Eye -- Argumentative Persuas

Capital Punishment Essays – An Eye for an Eye Life is a precious gift from God. Even when a person has no material possessions, life is still possessed. In light of these observations it is logical to assume that murder, the taking of another's life, is the most heinous of crimes. Undeniably, penalties imposed upon criminals should match the crimes committed. Therefore, the worst crime possible, murder, should receive the worst penalty possible, death. One argument against the death penalty is the Bible tells us not to murder. Murder is the unlawful killing of one human being by another. The death penalty is the lawful killing of a human being after a trial by peers. So by definition the death penalty is not murder, but justice. Furthermore, as stated by Ed Koch, a former US Government official, "the execution of a lawfully condemned killer is no more an act of murder than is legal imprisonment an act of kidnaping". Finally, the sam...

Intergroup Relations: Types of Prejudice

Types of Prejudice PSY322 Intergroup Relations Jonathan Cadieux Outline †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Model of Prejudice Sexism Overweight Sexual Orientation Ageism Fiske Prejudice Model ? 4 Types of Groups ? Based on Competence and Warmth ? Competence: perceived group status ? Warmth: perceived competition ? Group 1: Incompetent but warm ? Low status, not competitive ? Results in Paternalistic Prejudice ? Group 2: Incompetent and not warm – Low status, competitive – Results in Contemptuous Prejudice Group 3: Competent but not warm – High status, competitive – Results in Envious Prejudice Group 4: Competent and warm – High status, not competitive – Results in Admiration ? Fiske Prejudice Model Competence Envious Prejudice Jews, Asians, Feminists, Wealthy people Warmth High Admiration In-group, Close allies Low High Welfare recipients, Poor people Contemptuous Prejudice Elderly, Disabled, Housewives Low Paternalistic Prejudice What A bout Working Moms? Competence Envious Prejudice Jews, Asians, Feminists, Wealthy people Warmth High Admiration In-group, Close allies Low High Welfare recipients, Poor people Contemptuous Prejudice Elderly, Disabled, HousewivesLow Paternalistic Prejudice Stereotypes of Working Moms Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick (2004) †¢ How are working moms viewed compared to working dads and working women without children? †¢ Ps rated fictitious targets – Competence, warmth, likelihood of professional rewards – Target: either male/female with a child or not †¢ Predictions from Fiske Prejudice Model – Working moms would be viewed as housewives are viewed: warm & incompetent – Working moms: warmer but less competent than working women without kids – Fewer professional rewards for working moms Stereotypes of Working MomsCuddy, Fiske, & Glick (2004) Gender Gap in the Workplace †¢ Women accounted for only 14. 4% of executive positions – Source: 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors and the 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners †¢ Women continue to earn less than men. For example, female managers earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by male managers in 2007 (Source: U. S. Govt Acctountability Office) On the other hand†¦ Sexism and gender roles †¢ Differences in wages are due to sexism, but this appears to operate differently than through overt discrimination. Sexism in the definition of gender roles seem to be at the root of discrepancies in wages. †¢ Potential solutions : – Encouraging women to enter higher paying fields (currently â€Å"male-dominated†) †¢ Stereotype threat? – Encouraging more equitable share of household chores and family caretaking . †¢ Maternity = Paternity leaves? Sexism †¢ Definition †¢ Types of sexism – Old-fashioned †¢ Endorse traditional gender roles & gender stereotypes à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Believe in different treatment of men & women – Modern †¢ Less blatant; denial of discrimination against women †¢ Nonsupport of programs & legislation to help women Benevolent vs. Hostile †¢ Benevolent: positive but stereotyped views; paternalistic †¢ Hostile: negative attitudes; belief in inferiority Old-fashioned sexism Old fashioned sexism For those of you who think it was half a century ago†¦ For those of you who think it was half a century ago†¦ Stigma of Overweight †¢ Overweight stereotype – Lazy, lack self-control, unattractive, slow †¢ Stigma is experienced differently – Seen as controllable †¢ Outcomes for overweight – Held accountable for negative outcomes – More openly derogated – Prejudiced against own group Well-being of the Overweight Quinn & Crocker (1999) Exp. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Role of Protestant Ethic (PE) Implications for overweight women Exp. 1: Correlationa l Study Independent Variables – Protestant Ethic, weight status (normal, somewhat overweight, very overweight) †¢ Dependent Variable: well-being Quinn & Crocker (1999) Exp. 1 Results Well-being of the Overweight Quinn & Crocker (1999) Exp. 2 †¢ Primed PE or inclusion – Mood effects of media messages – Read paragraph that primed PE or inclusion – Read another article that discussed negative social effects of being overweight †¢ Independent Variables – Prime condition, weight status (normal, overweight) Dependent Variables: well-being (post – pre), appearance SE (post only) Quinn & Crocker (1999): Psychological Well-Being Exp. 2: Well-being 1. 5 1 0. 5 Normal Weight Overweight 0 -0. 5 -1 -1. 5 Protestant Ethic Prime Inclusive Prime Quinn & Crocker (1999): Appearance Self-Esteem Exp. 2: Appearance Self-Esteem 3. 6 3. 5 3. 4 3. 3 3. 2 3. 1 3 2. 9 2. 8 2. 7 Normal Weight Overweight Protestant Ethic Prime Inclusive Prime Obesity in Canada Antigay Prejudice †¢ Forms of discrimination – Legal rights, hate crimes †¢ Heterosexism †¢ Current attitudes – Sex differences – Characteristics of high prejudicedAntigay prejudice in the Real World †¢ ‘The Voice’ Coach Makes â€Å"anti-gay† slur 34-year old The Voice Coach and country singer, Blake Shelton has gotten himself into hot water for making an anti-gay slur. It all started on Tuesday, when Shelton, Tweeted his own version of Shania Twain’s Any Mine of Mine: †Any man that tries touching my behind, he’s gonna be a beaten, bleedin’, heaving kind of guy. † Antigay prejudice in the Real World †¢ Tracy Morgan Apologizes for Anti-Gay Slurs †¢ (†¦)the alleged remarks during the show included how he would react violently if his son were gay and used â€Å"a gay oice,† that the gay community should â€Å"not be whining about something as insignificant as bull ying,† and he allegedly added, â€Å"Gay is something that kids learn from the media and programming. † Antigay prejudice in the Real World †¢ Gay rights group to launch complaint over ‘homophobic' comments by RDS (TV Sports) analysts †¢ Mailhot, a former provincial assistant deputy minister, and Goldberg, were discussing the skating of Johnny Weir, the flamboyant 23-year-old and three -time U. S. champion . – â€Å"This may not be politically correct, but do you think he lost points due to his costume and his body language? – â€Å"They'll think all the boys who skate will end up like him,† he said. â€Å"It sets a bad example. † – â€Å"We should make him (Weir) pass a gender test at this point,† Goldberg said, and Mailhot then jokingly suggested Weir should compete in the women's competition. Impact of Antigay prejudice †¢ Suicide risks – Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth 4 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey 2007). – More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt (D’Augelli AR – Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002) LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection (Ryan C, Huebner D, et al. , 2009) – Visit http://www. thetrevorproject. org/ for more info on this issue. Canadian Students’ Attitudes toward Homosexuals (Schellenberg, Hirt, & Sears, 1999) †¢ University of Windsor students †¢ Completed short version of Attitudes toward Lesbians & Men scale – E. g. â€Å"Female homosexuality is a sin†, â€Å"I think male homosexuals are disgusting† †¢ Did attitudes vary by: – Gender, faculty, year in school? Predictions – Science or Business < Arts & Social Science – Men < W omen – 1st Year < 4th Year Canadian Students’ Attitudes toward Homosexuals (Schellenberg, Hirt, & Sears, 1999) Canadian Students’ Attitudes toward Homosexuals (Schellenberg, Hirt, & Sears, 1999) Stereotype Threat and Sexual Orientation Bosson, Haymovitz, & Pinel (2004) †¢ Gay and heterosexual male undergrads †¢ Primed sexual orientation or not †¢ Interacted with 4-6 year old children for 5 min – Interaction videotaped and coded for: †¢ Non-verbal anxiety †¢ Childcare performance †¢ Prediction? Non-verbal Anxiety Bosson et al. 2004) Childcare Performance Bosson et al. (2004) How can we change this? †¢ One way could be by confronting anti-gay behaviour/speech whenever we see/hear it. CONFRONTATION OF PREJUDICE †¢ â€Å"Verbally or nonverbally expressing one’s dissatisfaction with prejudicial and discriminatory treatment to the person who is responsible for making the remark or behavior ’’ (Shelto n, Richeson, Salvatore, & Hill, 2006, p. 67). Confrontation of Prejudice – Previous Work †¢ Almost exclusively with Sexism and Racism confrontation †¢ Little work done with anti-gay prejudice Confrontation of racial and gender biasCzopp, Monteith (2003) Study 2 †¢ Imagined setting (read scenario) †¢ IV : Racist remark or Sexist remark †¢ Testing for moderating role of the race or gender of the person confronting. Results Czopp, Monteith (2003) PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT GUILT AND NEG. SELF PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT Results Czopp, Monteith (2003) PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT GUILT AND NEG. SELF PERSUASIVE LIKEABLE THREAT Results Czopp, Monteith (2003) GUILT AND NEG. SELF Confrontation of racial and gender bias Czopp, Monteith (2003) †¢ General conclusion – Sexism and racism not equal – Non-target group members have a unique pportunity for prejudice reduction Other Findings Czopp, Monteith (2006), Rasinski, Czopp (2010) LIKEABLE LIKEAB LE Other Findings †¢ Confrontation is effective : reduces further biased responses in all participants (Czopp, Monteith, Mark, 2006) †¢ Witnesses rate non-target confronters as more persuasive, and more positive than target confronters (Rasinski & Czopp, 2010) Cadieux & Chasteen (2013) †¢ 136 Participants recruited from PSY100 (47 males, 89 females; Age M=18. 9, SD=1. 92) †¢ Read a script of an IM chat log and were told that we are looking at how social media affects everyday communication Scripts included either an antigay comment that : 1) 2) †¢ The confronter was either gay, straight, or did not have his orientation divulged and this was hinted to the participant on a profile page (Facebook) : †¢ A) †¢ B) †¢ C) †¢ Profiles were pilot tested to get baseline evaluations of likeability, masculinity, femininity, attractiveness, etc. Experimental conditions Sexual orientation Scenario – Straight – Comment WITH Confrontation â €“ Gay – Comment WITHOUT Confrontation – Undisclosed Results MAIN EFFECT (c) F(1,130)=3. 77, p=. 05 ? 2=. 028 Results MAIN EFFECT (o) F(2,130)=76. 31, p