The Role of Information Security Policy Essay Example for Free

The Role of Information Security Policy Essay The framework for an organization’s information security program is composed of policies and their respective standards and procedures. This article will examine the relationship between policies, standards, and procedures and the roles they play in an organization’s information security program. In addition, the roles that of individuals inside and outside of the organization with respect to the creation of policy and standards will be discussed. Finally, how an organization can meet information security need at each level of security and how this relates to the information security policy (ISP) content. Information Security Policy (ISP) Definition Policies form the foundation of everything an organization is and does. Likewise, an ISP is the beginning of a company’s information security program. A policy is a high-level plan on how an organization intends to respond to certain issues. An ISP sets the tone of the organizations information security program and establishes the will and intent of the company in all information security matters. The ISP also defines how the company will regulate its employees. Policies must support an organization’s objectives and promote the organization’s success. Policies must never be illegal and must be defensible in a court of law. Policies must be supported and administered fairly and consistently throughout the organization (Whitman Mattford, 2010). The following paragraphs list some tips for developing and implementing an ISP. A Clear Purpose It is essential that an ISP have a clearly defined purpose. Specific objective should guide the creation of the ISP and the purpose should articulate exactly what the policy is to accomplish (McConnell, 2002).  McConnell (2002) further notes that, â€Å"If you cannot explain why the policy exists, you cannot expect your employees to understand it or follow it† (p. 2). Employee Input In developing policies, it is a good idea to gain the input of the employees to which the policy will apply. Ideally, there should be at least one representative from each department. Allowing various employees give input to the policy, will help to ensure that nothing is overlooked and that the policy is easily understood (McConnell, 2002). Security Awareness and Training Program In addition to gaining the employee’s acknowledgement of the ISP at their orientation, the ISP should be part of the security awareness and training program. Ongoing awareness training can focus on various security policies (McConnell, 2002). It is important to keep the awareness of information security matters fresh in the minds of the employees to avoid complacent behaviors that may lead to serious violations. Enforcement Enforcement is critical to the success of any policy; policies that are not enforced are soon ignored. McConnell (2002) notes, â€Å"A policy that you are unable or unwilling to enforce is useless† (p. 2). If a policy is unenforceable, it should be removed or revised to the point where it is enforceable. Not only must a policy be enforceable, it must be enforced from the top down. When managers set the example, the rest of the staff are more likely to follow (McConnell, 2002). Standards While policy sets the overall plan or intent of the organization in regards to information security, standards define the specific elements required to comply with policy. For example, an acceptable usage policy may prohibit employees from visiting inappropriate websites; the standard defines what websites are considered inappropriate (Whitman Mattford, 2010). Standards may be developed in house, but the common preferred way is to utilize already established industry standards that can then be tailored to the  organization’s specific needs. Procedures Procedures are the step-by-step actions necessary to comply with the policy. Procedures are driven by standards that are governed by policy (Whitman Mattford, 2010). Most policy violations may be traced back to either a willful or negligent failure to follow procedures. Roles Senior Management Senior management initiates the need for policy creation; it is their intent and purpose that the policy is created to communicate. Senior management is the final authority and gives the final approval for the policy. Information Security Officer (ISO) The ISO is essentially the policies champion overseeing all aspects of the ISP and the agent reporting to senior management. The ISO creates a governance committee that works together to develop and update policy. The ISO oversees organizational compliance with security policies (California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection, 2008). IT Staff The information technology (IT) staff is responsible for installing and maintaining the technical controls to ensure users are compliant with the security policies. For example, the IT staff may install software that blocks access to prohibited websites. The IT staff also conducts monitoring of employee activity on the company network. Managers Mangers, as already stated, must lead by example. When managers do not follow and enforce policies, it communicates to the employees that policies are not important and that following them is optional. A body will always follow its head; likewise a department will always follow the example of its managers. End Users The average end user is perhaps the greatest security asset and the greatest security threat; clear security policies and proper security awareness training are the deciding factors. People should be made aware of common  security threats such as social engineering attacks and the importance of safeguarding their password information. They should be trained to understand exactly what the organization expects form them in regards to information security (Whitman Mattford, 2010). External Agents There may be times when outside people may need to have access to an organizations network such vendors, consultants, and temporary employees. Such people should be required to sign an acknowledgement form agreeing to abide by all security policies, standards, and procedures. Security Levels The Bulls-eye Model The bulls-eye model is a way of tailoring the ISP to the needs of the organization at various security levels. The four levels of the bulls-eye are: policies, networks, systems, and applications (Whitman Mattford, 2010). Whitman and Mattford (2010) state, â€Å"In this model, issues are addressed by moving from the general to the specific, always starting with policy† (p. 120). Policy AN information security policy, as already discussed, sets the foundation for an organization’s information security program (Ungerman, 2005). While all policies are high-level, there are different levels that a policy may address. The enterprise information security policy (EISP) is the overall policy that encompasses all other information security policies within the organization. Issue specific security policies (ISSP) target specific issues and contain more low-level elements than the EISP. An example of an ISSP is an acceptable use policy (SUP). Finally, there are system specific security policies (SysSP). A SysSP is so low-levelthat it may appear more like a procedure than a policy. A SysSP through either managerial guidance or technical specifications defines system-specific controls needed to conform to an ISSP. An example of an SysSP would be the implementation of website filtering software to enforce the company’s AUP (Whitman Mattford, 2010). Network Network-level security is about securing the network and as such is heavily  focused on controlling access through user authentication. EISP may define who may access the network in addition to how and why. An ISSP may then specify what type of authentication and access control models may be used. SysSPs can then proscribe technical specifications, such as software requiring a periodic password change, to facilitate compliance with the ISSP (Whitman Mattford, 2010). System System-level security is concerned with securing the actual system components of the network such as the computers, printers, and servers. Examples of ISSPs at the system level are AUP, password policies, and policies prohibiting the installation of unapproved hardware and software by end users (Whitman Mattford, 2010). Application Application-level security deals with any type of application form out-of –the-box software like MS Office to enterprise resource planners (ERP) like SAP. Policy considerations here would be controlling user access and application update policy. Policy controls who has access to which applications and to which features (Whitman Mattford, 2010). Conclusion References California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection. (2008, April). Guide for the Role and Responsibilities of an Information Security Officer Within State Government. Retrieved from http://www.cio.ca.gov/ois/government/documents/pdf/iso_roles_respon_guide.pdf McConnell, K. D. (2002). How to Develop Good Security Policies and Tips on Assessment and Enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.giac.org/paper/gsec/1811/develop-good-security-policies-tips-assessment-enforcement/102142 Ungerman, M. (2005). Creating and Enforcing an Effective Information Security Policy. Retrieved from http://www.isaca.org/Journal/Past-Issues/2005/Volume-6/Documents/jopdf-0506-creating-enforcing.pdf Whitman, M., Mattford, H. (2010). Management of Information Security (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Retrived from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Public Health Disease Management of Tuberculosis

Public Health Disease Management of Tuberculosis This essay critically examines the effectiveness of policy frameworks and assessment tools in public health disease management of tuberculosis. The essay discusses the role of the community nurse and multidisciplinary teams in empowering individuals and populations in reducing health inequalities. The essay also explores the nursing and public health frameworks that assist in holistic assessment, planning implementation and the evaluation of care in the community, primary and public health sector. The essay also discusses how environmental, epidemiological and demographic data can influence policies and tackle the underlying social determinants of the health of populations. The essay also discusses strategies that enable the empowerment of individuals and groups, to make them responsible for their own health. The essay also identifies key issues emerging from the health and well-being of communities and discusses the impact that these will have on the role of the nurse and the multid isciplinary team. The main policy framework that has been put forward to combat tuberculosis is contained within the 2004 Department of Health document entitled Stopping tuberculosis in England: An Action Plan from the Chief Medical Officer, which outlines the goals of the programme, namely the long-term reduction and ultimately elimination of tuberculosis from England, with the immediate aims of reducing the risk of people being newly affected by tuberculosis, providing high quality treatment for all people living with tuberculosis and maintaining low levels of drug resistance to tuberculosis, through careful usage of antibiotics (DoH, 2004). This framework has dictated how health professionals treat cases of tuberculosis but has, in practical terms not stopped the drastic rise in tuberculosis in England: in 2002, for example, 6638 people were diagnosed with tuberculosis (DoH, 2004), whereas in 2005, the number of people infected by tuberculosis rose by 10.8% to 8113 (HPA, 2005; BBC, 2006), with the largest increases being in inner cities, particularly London (HPA, 2005; BBC, 2006). The public health management of tuberculosis includes: vaccinating uninfected at-risk groups; minimizing the chances of spreading the infection through minimizing contact of humans with cattle, for example; actively seeking infected individuals from within those groups most at risk; thoroughly investigating outbreaks of the disease when they occur; having appropriate measures in place to ensure that those with the disease do not infect health professionals; developing more rapid diagnostic techniques and creating an effective and easy-to-use national monitoring and surveillance system which functions within a legal framework (NICE, 2006). The spread of tuberculosis is not, seemingly, therefore being effectively managed as per the outlines in the policy framework in the 2004 Department of Health document entitled Stopping tuberculosis in England: An Action Plan from the Chief Medical Officer nor by the public health management schemes that are currently in place. Increases in tuberculosis are consistently most notable in the poorest sectors of the population (Bhatti et al., 1995), and for this reason, tuberculosis has been described, as it was historically, as a disease of the poor. There is, therefore, a massive socioeconomic influence over the spread of tuberculosis (Bhatti et al., 1995). Given this, then, it is important that the community nurses working in the ‘poorer’ sections of inner city areas are fully trained in how to diagnose, and how to best treat, tuberculosis, within the general framework as specified by the Department of Health (2004) policy document. In terms of the role of the community nurse and multidisciplinary teams in empowering individuals and populations in reducing health inequalities, as identified by Palacios et al. (2003), nurses play a key role in the management of tuberculosis cases in the community, with nurses being responsible for, amongst other things, identifying patients, evaluating patients prior to treatment starting, managing emergencies, educating patients and other health professionals, and providing coordination, for example overseeing other health workers and communicating between the members of a multidisciplinary team. Not only do the community nurse and the multidisciplinary teams they are involved with have a duty to identify and treat tuberculosis cases, but there is also an implicit obligation (built in to the framework for controlling tuberculosis as outlined by DoH (2004)) that health professionals should also educate individuals at risk as to how to minimize the risk that they would contract tu berculosis. Health inequalities, such as the greater likelihood of contracting tuberculosis if one comes from a poor background, need to be first recognized by health professionals and then treated, through treating the diseases as they manifest themselves, and through education programmes, which would aim to minimize the risks of contracting such diseases. Obviously this is approach does not treat the root causes of the inequalities, which is a political matter. In terms of exploring the nursing and public health frameworks that assist in holistic assessment, planning implementation and the evaluation of care in the community, primary and public health sector, there is a national framework for dealing with tuberculosis which offers guidelines as to how tuberculosis should be managed on the ground as it were (Singh et al., 2002). Tuberculosis care is generally undertaken on an out-patient basis with only emergency (usually previously undiagnosed) cases being dealt with on an in-patient basis (White et al., 2002). There is a system in place that ensures that any patients with suspected tuberculosis are seen by a tuberculosis team as soon as possible, following their first presentation to a health care professional, and that the presence of tuberculosis is noted on the national database and then managed according to national guidelines (i.e., those from the British Thoracic Society) (DoH, 2004). This national database of tuberculosis cases is p art of the Health Protection Agency’s surveillance scheme for tuberculosis, through the Statutory Notification of Infectious Diseases (NOIDs) scheme. The current best practice in terms of managing tuberculosis is the allocation of the patient with tuberculosis to a named case manager, who provides routinely supervised care to ensure that the medication is taken correctly and that the disease is being managed properly (DoH, 2004). In terms of how environmental, epidemiological and demographic data can influence policies and tackle the underlying social determinants of the health of populations. There are many organizations that collect data on various diseases that are present in the UK, and who then relate this data to socioeconomic factors. The Rowntree Foundation is one such organization, for example. Tuberculosis is a pertinent example of how environmental, epidemiological and demographic data can be used to effect changes to the political structures in place. As has been seen, it is known that socioeconomic variables can predict the presence of tuberculosis in the population, with those individuals from poorer areas more likely to suffer from a higher incidence of tuberculosis than those individuals from more affluent areas (Bhatti et al., 1995). The fact that there are still such diseases, with a strong socioeconomic aspect, present in the UK is cause for concern, and as many reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have pointed out (for example, North et al., 2007; Dorling et al., 2007), the UK is facing higher levels of inequality than for four decades, which has major health implications for those living in the poorer sectors of society. These studies have been listened to, as the Government embarks on their social justice programme that aims to provide social equality for all members of society, in terms of health and education, for example. Thus, the use of environmental, epidemiological and demographic data can be responsible for directly influencing policies and tackling the underlying social determinants of the health of populations. If, for example, the poorer sectors of society were lifted out of this poverty, it is likely that ‘diseases of the poor’ such as tuberculosis would decline in frequency i n the UK. In terms of strategies that enable the empowerment of individuals and groups, to make them responsible for their own health, such strategies take many and varied forms, according to the disease under consideration. For tuberculosis, this entails, amongst other things, educating the patients as to why it is important to continue to take their medication even when they ‘feel’ better, to ensure that the disease does not recur and, more importantly, that antibiotic resistance is not developed. Most strategies for patient empowerment are based around patient education, in terms of bringing about changes in their immediate environment, or in their patterns of thinking, that will effect changes to their lifestyle and the ways in which they view their lives and, through this, will effect direct positive changes to their health; patient empowerment is generally a necessity for preventative medicine to be fully effective (Wensing, 2000). Empowering patients through education and t hrough better communication in the media, for example can lead to much higher levels of conformity with healthcare plans and to greater adherence to preventative medicine schedules (Wensing, 2000) which, in a disease like tuberculosis, which is notoriously difficult to treat if medicine schedules are not followed, is crucial to gaining control of the disease. In terms of the key issues emerging from the health and well-being of communities and the impact that these will have on the role of the nurse and the multidisciplinary team, it has been seen that tuberculosis is a disease of the poor, occurring most commonly in poorer areas in inner cities. Firstly, these health professionals have to recognize the socioeconomic aspect of such diseases, and to work within this context. For health professionals working in such situations, it is imperative that these health professionals are aware of all the current guidelines and policy frameworks with regards to such diseases, to ensure that they are aware of the necessity of conforming to these guidelines and frameworks. The impact that this has on the role of the nurse and the multidisciplinary team is to focus the health professionals attention to the diseases that are associated with poverty, and to focus their attention on treating these diseases in the optimum manner, and to empower their patie nts, in an attempt to manage, as effectively as possible, the incidence of such diseases. In conclusion, this essay has looked at the issue of tuberculosis in the UK, finding that whilst there is a policy framework in place aimed at reducing the incidence of tuberculosis, this is not wholly effective. The socioeconomic aspect of tuberculosis was discussed, as were the treatment options, the need for patient empowerment and the ways in which treating tuberculosis impacts health professionals. It is recognized that dealing with the root cause of diseases such as tuberculosis, which are generally known as ‘diseases of the poor’ is a political and not a health, matter, in terms of smoothing the inequalities that lead to the conditions where such diseases develop. References BBC (2006). Sharp rise in tuberculosis cases. 2nd November 2006. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6109228.stm [Accessed on 27th January 2008]. Bhatti, N. et al. (1995). Increasing incidence of tuberculosis in England and Wales: a study of the likely causes. BMJ 310, pp.967-969. DoH (2004). Stopping tuberculosis in England: An Action Plan from the Chief Medical Officer. Department of Health. Dorling, D. et al. (2007). Poverty, wealth and place in Britain, 1968 to 2005. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Available from http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2019-poverty-wealth-place.pdf [Accessed on 26th January 2008]. HPA (2005). Annual report on tuberculosis cases reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Available from http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/tb/pdf/2003_Annual_Report.pdf [Accessed on 26th January 2008]. NICE (2006). Tuberculosis: clinical diagnosis and management of tuberculosis, and measures for its prevention and control. Available from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG033niceguideline.pdf [Accessed on 26th January 2008]. North, D. et al. (2007). Interventions to tackle the economic needs of deprived areas: analysis of six policy case studies. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Available from http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/ebooks/2137-devolution-governance-deprivation.pdf [Accessed on 27th January 2008]. Palacios, E. et al. (2003). The role of the nurse in community-based treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 7(4), pp.343-346. Singh, S. et al. (2002). Tuberculosis in primary care. British Journal of General Practice 52, pp.357-358. Wensing, M. (2000). Evidence-based patient empowerment. Quality in Healthcare 9, pp.200-201. White, V. et al. (2002). Management of tuberculosis in a British inner-city population. Journal of Public Health Medicine 24(1), pp.49-52.

Case Study: HSBC Balance Scorecard

Case Study: HSBC Balance Scorecard HSBC Holdings plc is a global financial services company in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. As of 2010 it is the sixth largest bank in the world and the Financial Services Group and the company ranked eighth is a composite measure of Forbes magazine. On June 30, 2010, it had total assets of 2.418 trillion U.S. dollars, about half in Europe, fourth in the U.S. and a quarter was in Asia. HSBC Holdings plc was founded in 1991 in London by The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, to serve as a new group Holding Company and to allow the acquisition of British Midland Bank. The bank origins in Hong Kong and Shanghai where the branch was opened in 1865. HSBC is a universal bank. It is organized into four business segments: Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets (Investment Banking) Financial Services (retail banking) and Private Banking. HSBC first listing is on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 100 Index. It has a secondary listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (which is a component of the Hang Seng Index), the New York Stock Exchange, Euro next Paris and Bermuda Stock Exchange à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬. Since August 2010, it was the largest company on the London Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of 115.8 billion pounds that had been achieved. The balanced scorecard developed in 1992, belongs to a strategic management system that includes efficient implementation and effective policies and tasks necessary to promote the companys customers, employees and management meet. The usage of the e Balanced Scorecard can actually vary depending on the structure and philosophy of the company. But in the case of HSBC, it centralizes the use of Balanced Scorecard in a single department. The Balance Scorecard may also be able to identify closely with managers and solve a variety of problems. Background and problems The research problem to be addressed: A study to analyze financial performance and management of HSBC The researcher wants to highlight: A. Financial Perspective B. Customer perspective-which is an approximation of HSBCs efforts to reach target groups C. Business Process perspective shows an alignment of key business processes from HSBC D. Lessons and prospects for growth shows an approximation of the learning curve HSBC Research Objective à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The researcher wants the vision of HSBC leading operational objectives. Communicate the vision and the individual results. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The researcher wants to organize wants to commute the HSBCs Business planning, Feedback and learning and then adjusting the strategy accordingly using the balance scorecard Literature Review / Theoretical Framework HSBC is to have sustainable growth as a market leader in the overall market in financial and insurance sectors, as well as leadership in this segment. In both cases, the insurance and financial services at HSBC will play a crucial role. HSBC is able to provide overall guidance to the rule through the acquisition of other banks and financial institutions and utilities are combined into a new, large undertaking. Train their employees, business processes and introduction of new technologies will strengthen the positions of the various financing with HSBC Insurance. This means in practice in the economies of scale to be able to create a distribution network for local and international financing and insurance services. When a market is already controlled by other companies, HSBC has devoted his attention to the development of a premium segment with its funds and various insurance services (2004). HSBC aims to ensure sustainable growth, while continually improving the profitability of the company. The strategy to achieve this consists of four elements: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The struggle for leadership positions in attractive markets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Always focus on the sharing of financial and competitive segments of the insurance industry. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Work to improve business processes efficiency and reduce operational costs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continued growth through targeted acquisitions, if they are able to create added value for shareholders. Balanced Scorecard and HSBCs Improvement 1)Translating HSBCs vision into operational goals. The appearance of the Panel of the economy reflects the difficulty in managing the growing need for organizations, that require the effective use of valuable resources such as money, materials, equipment and people. And HSBC is no exception to them. That is why the Balanced Scorecard is used by the company to the most effective ways to use their resources through the application of methods of analysis disciplines such as mathematics, science and engineering to determine coordinate derivatives (2003). Through this process, problems with HSBC meet operational objectives in different ways and alternative solutions are then forwarded to management. Management then selects the appropriate measures in accordance with business objectives. Often, the Balanced Scorecard complex issues within HSBC and the high level strategy, resource allocation, design, production and prices and the analysis of large databases. 2) Communicate the vision and the individual results. All businesses and organizations are governed by their goals and tasks. These objectives are often considered a corporate vision or business philosophy .Therefore, some strategies are implemented to achieve these objectives, and is a key element in the characterization of a company or organization. The staff is clearly a key indicator to determine the characteristics of a business or organization. It is known to play a crucial role of human resources for HSBC differentiation and a potent source of competitiveness for the company. Thats why HSBC is constantly investing in the development of human resources, even in times of recession. But determining the extent that HSBC may want to develop human resources depends on its financial performance for a specific period of time. With the Balanced Scorecard from HSBC in the last decade has transformed operations at very low levels of writers to the success of the organization . However, budgets are also increasing at a rate faster than the gross national product. In the midst of this influence on growth and increase, managers and executives from HSBC are misled by the question: How to invest in human resource development? Certainly the answer will not be easy, especially since the actual level of expenditure is often an elusive figure, depending on the financial performance of the organization. However, the balance scorecard allows at HSBCs investment in human resources development to be determined. 3) Business Planning Operational planning is a necessary function within HSBC. In most financial and insurance companies that process is often very difficult due to the rapid evolution and the occurrence of unanticipated events. HSBC uses different methods depending on the speed of customer demand and level of financing, insurance. However, HSBC aims to change for each transaction is not: the efficiency and effectiveness Business planning by HSBC for its activities and resources will be implemented over time coordinates. This allows the company to achieve its goals with minimal resources. Business planning also enables the company to the status of their business plans at regular intervals to monitor and control operations. Planning activities of HSBC is in four elements: planning, production planning, financial planning and budgeting. The program includes the specification of the onset, duration or length, and at the end of planned activities. Work planning is to allocate the necessary staff and delegation of responsibilities and resources Financial planning is to identify the types and needs in terms of equipment. Cost planning is to determine the costs and the possibility of occurrence. 4) feed back and learning strategy and adaptations accordingly. One of the most important factors in improving HSBC is to measure the implementation and use of the Balanced Scorecard as a performance indicator and measures around customer satisfaction. These measures or indicators are measurable characteristics of products and services company that HSBC is normally used to study and improve performance. The indicators are chosen that are able to cover the essential factors that are essential for improving the operational and financial performance of HSBC. Through analysis of accurate information from monitoring processes, measures or indicators themselves may be analyzed and to increase its support for the objectives of this type. Methodology: There is certainly a need to reconcile both the inside and outside functions. While HSBCs operations management involves focusing on the usage of the balanced scorecard as its core competency with market position following its resource base, the company will be at a disadvantage if it neglects the macro and finance and the industry environment. Therefore, HSBC has to be aware of recent changes in the management of operations and changes in the political, economic, legal and demographic or develop customer outside functions such as identifying the market, the link Technology channel bonding, and monitoring. The benefits derived by HSBC, is to use the Balanced Scorecard as from higher incomes. Knowing what the market demands and trends could help the company come to fully exploit its research and development capabilities with insurance and financial services which are not only profitable but also high quality. The strategic option as a marketing tool, where attention to the proximity with customers and focus their comments. On the other side of the coin, there is a great mobilization of resources and risks associated with HSBC will be granted. However, the above option seems to be a practical strategy in the wake of globalization, because there is an abrupt change towards a more integrated global economy and independently. Key stakeholders should not object if HSBC heart of business is not threatened. Centralized control of the company activity is anticipated that key obstacles should exist in the exercise of this option, unless additional time is necessary, given the scope and duration of operations of HSBC. In the meantime, the partnership with HSBCs main competitors is ridiculous at first glance as a measure. But after careful consideration, the measure could pave the way for the company to continue to improve its management. The conclusion is that both parties are increasingly significant in this type of alliance. High performance measurement in operations management capabilities can be combined with their competitors suddenly invincible force that has transformed HSB. Another failure could be possible if one of the competitors of HSBC are in the need for alliances. However, the question remains whether HSBC might be able to implement any of these options, and if these options may be acceptable to key stakeholders. Any merger or alliance may be the exchange of knowledge. This company has always supported the approach of the Interior. It is important to note that the merger could be many implications for HSBC :values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and culture and resources. Key stakeholders would certainly be affected by options and must be convinced of the positive aspects. Somehow, HSBC will be able to overcome this barrier in the process of implementing the policy options above. CONCLUSION The results of the analysis carried out on the impact of the Balanced Scorecard of HSBC indicated significant effects, even under the threat of unrest. Therefore, we conclude that the management operations of HSBC is still expected to improve faster than average. The review of HSBCs operations management capabilities and resources revealed very little inconsistencies regarding its strategy in using the balanced scorecard. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes a need for HSBC. The analysis of the financial sector environment, and management of operations and functions of HSBC has shown some shortcomings, most of which are distorted to the environment. However, these gaps paved the way towards determining a number of recommended strategic options to secure the competitiveness of HSBC through the continued utilization of the balanced scorecard. In addition, HSBC,has to find a balance between the internal forces within the administration and the evolution of environmental forces so that such policy options can be implemented.

Shakespeares Othello - The Character of Iago :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Character of Iago  Ã‚   There is no doubt in  «Ã‚  Othello  Ã‚ » as to the role Shakespeare has given  Iago, he is the villain, masterful at deceit he generates most evil in the play. The clever soldier, his incredible acting allows him to be two or three completely different people. During most of the Act the audience finds itself constantly trying to find a motive for Iago’s actions but finds none that can justify what he is about to do. What does seem to come back again and again is his view on women which he sees as sex rapacious and a danger to his machiavellian plans. Scene 1 offers us a good preview as to what Iago is going to do for the rest of the Act and ultimately the rest of the play. Our first view of Iago is of a hard deceitful man who says  «Ã‚  Sblood  Ã‚ » as opposed to Roderigo’s  «Ã‚  Tush!  Ã‚  Ã‚ », we see already his powers of deception as he explains how he is even worse off than Roderigo, his furious language:  «Ã‚  A fellow almost damned in a fair wife  Ã‚ » manages to convince the intellectual Roderigo who is presented along with Cassio in contrast to Iago. They are polite, educated, fairly wealthy and can not imagine that something as evil and motiveless as Iago exits. Iago has not only lost his promotion but also his hero in Othello. We sense the irony in  «Ã‚  We cannot all be masters, nor all masters can be truly followed  Ã‚ » and see that what Iago says he will do to Othello he is doing Roderigo, he is manipulating him. He gets a bit carried away in his speech about how he hates the Moor to the exte nt that some parts are hard to understand:    «Ã‚  Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago  Ã‚ » which might mean that if he was the Moor he would not like to be followed by Iago (himself) so that we see that although he might be exaggerating to justify taking more of Roderigo’s money he really hates Othello. We see how he enjoys playing the part of the villain and already wonder why Roderigo can’t see that Iago has insufficient motives to do what he wants to do to Othello, we aren’t sure what he plans to do but can tell that it involves extreme sufferance and maybe death. He also acknowledges here that he is not what he seems to be:  «Ã‚  I am not what I am  Ã‚ » which strengthens the impression we have had of him so far.

The Things they carried Portfolio :: essays research papers

Am Literature  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tarriq Hansrajh 06/07/05  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4th Entry #1: In my pockets: Cell phone – 5oz Keys – 2oz Wallet – 3oz In my backpack: Spanish book – 5lbs Trig book – 9lbs 4 1 inch binders – 12lbs USHAP notebook – 1lb Other misc. items – 1.5lbs Total Weight: 29lbs 10oz This estimate does not surprise me at all because when I think about all the work that we have to do I remember all the textbooks that we have to carry around. In addition sometimes I come home with my back aching, but that’s usually only when I carry my USHAP notebook with me as well Am Literature  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tarriq Hansrajh 06/07/05  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4th Entry #2: â€Å"Rat† Kiley was born Bob Kiley on April 7 1939 in Albany, New York to Marie and Charlie Kiley. At age 11 Bob was given the nickname â€Å"Rat† by one of his friends when they were walking home from school one day when apparently Bob fell into a large open dumpster and when he emerged he had a few strings of spaghetti sticking out of the back of his pants. The nickname stuck with him all the way to his adulthood. Rat graduated from Creekside High School in 1957. He did not want to attend college right away but wanted to work in one of the factories in his home town to earn some money to pay for college. Even then his co-workers called him â€Å"Rat†. Two years later he had managed to save ten thousand dollar to put toward his college tuition but unfortunately he was drafted just like the rest of the men his age who were not attending college. When he was in Vietnam Rat encountered many terrible situations and was faced with severe heart ache when his best fri end Curt Lemon is killed by a landmine. Rat was devastated by this terrible event and felt an extreme sense of loneliness especially when he wrote a letter to Curt’s sister and she never responded. Rat fought through the rest of the war seeing too many tragedies that are too horrible to mention here and when he returned to his family in 1973, two years before the war ended they found his behavior very strange. They found that he was not the same person that he was before and eventually the found that he had gone completely insane. Rat would mumble things to himself and would scream as if he saw his friend Curt being killed right in front of him.

Charles Dickens engender sympathy Essay

How does Charles Dickens engender sympathy for his protagonist Pip in this extract from ‘Great Expectations’? In this essay on ‘Great Expectations’, I am going to explore how the experiences of the main character Pip, create sympathy from the reader for him and how Dickens has put this across. Charles Dickens has written a gripping novel, set in his time and he has created sympathy for Pip in many different ways throughout the text. A first example of this is when Pip visits Miss Havisham’s house and meets Estella. ‘She called me â€Å"boy† so often and with a carelessness that was far from complimentary7, this shows that the way Estella spoke to Pip and that, instead of addressing him by his name, she just called him boy as if he was not worthy of his name, and he could sense that she did not really like him because of the way she said this, as indicated in the quote. This makes the reader feel sorry for Pip as Estella was very rude to him and unwelcoming, and nobody would really like to be in his position. So as well as being uncomfortable at the way Estella treats him, Pip also feels uncomfortable with his new surroundings as he has grown up with Joe and his Sister in poor, working class conditions at a Blacksmith’s forge, whereas Satis House is very different. It is rich and grand but also scary for Pip. ‘The first thing I noticed was that the passages were all dark’, this shows that Pip must have been quite frightened because of the darkness, and he was in a strange place but it is even worse that it is the first thing he noticed about the house. Pip was frightened of his surroundings as they were gothic and dark and very different, but the fact that he did know anyone at all must have also been a challenging experience. ‘At last we came to the door of a room and she said, â€Å"Go in/’ I answered more in shyness than politeness, â€Å"After you miss. † To this she returned: â€Å"Don’t be ridiculous boy; I am not going in. † And scornfully walked away, and what was worse took the candle with her. ‘ This was very uncomfortable and I was half afraid/ This long quote, from the extract shows a lot, first of all that he was very shy and uncomfortable in everyway at where he was and that he didn’t know anyone and he was also afraid. When he entered Miss Havisham’s room he was afraid again because of the very strange surroundings he entered into. ‘No glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it! ‘ this shows that it was very unusual and he was quite frightened and also when he saw Miss Havisham, ‘the strangest lady I have ever seen or shall ever see/ As well as being very strange, Pip also noticed that she was extremely rich, ‘some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table/ Pip was not used to seeing such finery or such unusual surroundings so all of this makes the reader feel very sympathetic towards him. Miss Havisham’s mental state could also be a coarse for concern as, since her fianci left her on their wedding day and broke her heart she went a bit mad and stopped all of the clocks in the house and, by never touching anything in her room she tried literally to stop time at the prosiest second her heart was broken. ‘Her watch had stopped at twenty minutes to nine’ and she says to Pip ‘†What do I touch? † â€Å"Your heart. † â€Å"Broken! â€Å"‘ This experience must have been very frightening and unsettling for a young naive boy who was not used to being in the presence of such an eccentric and slightly mad old lady. Not just the fact that Miss Havisham was strange and so were her surroundings she also spoke to Pip and ordered him in a very strange and suspicious/manner. ‘†I sometimes have sick fancies† â€Å"and I have a sick fancy that I want to see some play. There, there! † â€Å"Play, play, play! â€Å"‘ This order seems rather strange for an old woman to have a fancy to see a young boy play but also the repetitive way in which she commands him to ‘†Play, play, play! â€Å"‘ She says this three times and Pip does not really know what to do so he therefore feels very awkward. After the harsh words from Estella and meeting Miss Havisham, Pip starts to feel the realisation of his low social status. ‘ This boy, why he is a common labouring boy, these words from Estella hurt Pip deeply but he did not show his true emotions until he was alone. ‘As I cried, I kicked the wall and took a hard twist at my hair; so bitter where my feelings! ‘ Dickens has displayed this very well as you can also feel a connection with him, because it is written in first person narration I, so you feel like Pip is actually talking to you, and you could imagine if you were in Pip’s position you, yourself would feel very frightened and uncomfortable so you end up feeling sorry and sympathetic for him.

Spontaneous Recovery: Reflections of a Smoker

Definition: Spontaneous Recovery is the tendency of a learned behavior to recover from the extinction after a rest period. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner 2009). In order to better understand this definition I had to do more reading on the basic principles of learning and behaviorism. The definition for learning is some experience that results in a relatively permanent change in the state in the learner. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner 2009) In order for one to have a spontaneous recovery you must first have learned the habit, such as smoking. Next is the habitation, which is a general process in which repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in responding (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner 2009) This would be the learned smokers getting use to the taste of nicotine, the smell of the smoke and ultimately the mood or mental state associated with the effects of the cigarette. I have been a smoker since I was about fourteen years old. At first I began smoking due to peer pressure. I was not truly addicted till the year 2003 when everyone I worked with would gather and smoke after out shift to relax and reflect on our night. In 2008 I quit smoking with the use of the medication called Chantix with complete success. Unfortunately, I picked it up again when I had a roommate move who smoked. Now even though I hadn’t smoked in over a year the craving came back, which was the spontaneous recovery. I hadn’t smoked In over a year and found myself under stress and quickly went back to the habit (habituation) of smoking again and have been doing so for the last year. Now, I find myself with another prescription for Chantix but I know that unless I control my urges after I quit. I will forever have the learned behaviorism of a smoker and must always remember that spontaneous recovery will be right around the corner if I allow myself to fall back into the habit of smoking.