Administrative Discretion – Essay

Administrative Discretion NAME SCHOOL Should public administrators be restricted to only laid down rules in the discharge of their duties as espoused by Max Weber or should they have some amount of discretion? To me that is a very open question in regards to public administration and depending on the situation either administrators’ following guidelines is best or administrators following their best discretion can be the best for the situation at hand. So when answering this question I can go either way, situation and circumstances permitting. In this paper I will go into further detail to explain why both sides of this question are equally applicable. When situations arise and public administrators have to make decisions in regards to the public safety, environmental safety, or the safety of anything in general it is important that they follow the laid down rules that their duties are bound by. Legal-rational authority â€Å"is based on a belief in the legitimacy of the pattern of normative rules and the rights of those elevated to authority under such rules to issue commands† (1). This can also be translated into â€Å"follow the rules of society! Everything has always worked better if everyone and everything follows this bureaucratic rule of thumb. One situation where public administrators should have been held to follow the laid down rules in regards to their duties was the finalization of the DoD, or Department of Defense’s budget. The ultimate work around was an extension to make a decision and funds w ere allocated for the mean time but potentially this could have been a major freeze on the majority of DoD operations to include the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard. On the other hand, there is another option that makes sense. Public administrators, while following the laid down rules they are to follow, can be very effective when allowed varying amounts of discretion in their actions. Weber states that legal-rational authority is â€Å"†¦superior to any other form in precision, in stability, in stringency of its discipline, and in its reliability. It thus makes possible a particularly high degree of calculability of results for the heads of organizations and for those acting in relation to it† (1). Now taking that this type of bureaucracy that is followed works very well, in my career in the military I have learned that when particular situations arise, flexibility and speed is key. Thus in turn, public administrators are allowed that extra bit of flexibility just like in the case study 5 – Wichita Confronts Contamination. City Manager Chris Cherches used the flexibility he had managing the city and was able to save the city and state thousands if not millions of dollars that would be wasted if the EPA had been forced to manage the city’s cleanup operation. Cherches swift action, flexibility and determination in service to his city was detrimental to not only saving the cost that would have been brought to the city and state but his actions show how being allowed the discretion in his position actually provided a better outcome than not. Ultimately, flexibility or discretion is the deciding factor when it comes to getting the positive result or outcome of any situation. When it comes down to it, it is the actual situation or circumstance that dictates what the best course of action is to be, whether it is to follow the rules down to the letter or to have the discretion to make the decisions that will ultimately be the deciding factor in the positive outcome. With the examples give, on one hand you have congress who cannot come to an agreement over the finalization of a budget for the arm of the government, the Department of Defense and luckily was able to extend the term of the budget freeing up an allocated amount of funds. On the other was the City Manager of Wichita, Kansas who was able to save not only the city but the state countless amounts of money in a cleanup operation. So as you can see it is not a question of what is right, answer A all of the time or answer B all of the time, it is the question of which situation applies; can you use answer A, answer B for the particular situation. In the real world, situation and circumstances dictate all actions and outcomes. References: 1. Stillman, R. J. , II (2010). Public Administration, Concepts and Cases. Boston, MA: Wadsworth

Victorias Secret

Store location is an important decision for retailers because location is â€Å"typically one of the most influential considerations in a customer’s store-choice decision† (Retailing, 167). Most consumers choose which store to visit based on close proximity to home or work, comfort level, and other surrounding retailers so shopping stays relaxing and a lot of driving isn’t needed. Victoria’s Secret in the Beverly Center is in a shopping mall. Reasoning behind the store being placed in the mall across from the elevators in the center is because malls have high amounts of traffic.Another reason why a mall location has its advantages, because malls provide the chance to combine shopping with entertainment, a great place to walk around catch up with friends while getting your shopping done, bringing in large numbers of people a day. Victoria’s Secret in the Beverly Center is a leader in lingerie, with Fredrick’s of Hollywood as their largest comp etitor is far from this location. Therefore shoppers at the Beverly Center who are looking for affordable lingerie will venture in to Victoria’s Secret. Victoria’s Secret is a multi-channel retailer, from stores, to online, to catalogs.This an advantage to the company because if a customer cannot find an item, or color they are looking for in the store, they have two other methods of how to purchase that item, still making Victoria’s Secret a profit and keeping the loyalty of the consumer. Victoria’s Secret is a leader in the retail industry not only because of the products they put out but because they understand the â€Å"3 most important things of a retail chain, location, location, location†(Retailing, 167). Work Citied Levy, Michael, and Barton A. Weitz. Retailing Management. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009. Print.

NCAA Principles of Conduct and Divisional Philosophy Essay

NCAA Principles of Conduct and Divisional Philosophy - Essay Example In order to comply with this regulation, Duke College has given all the information regarding the issue on their site under a link called Drug testing Policy. Under NCAA Guidelines, an institute must represent each gender in variety of sports each season. Keeping consistent with the above mentioned NACC policy, Duke College is currently promoting various sports like basketball, Golf, Lacrosse, Rowing and many other sports for both the genders. Another NCAA requirement is that all staff members of the university are prohibited to donate any team memorabilia like T-shirts, autographed football or basketballs and other items to any organization, event or an individual. One of the prime requirement for all NCAA division I members is to comply with the principal of Non Discrimination. The Association wants its member institutions to give each and every individual equal opportunity without discriminating on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion and gender. The policy of Non Discrimination Policy is followed by the Duke College. The college promotes its athletes students without any kind of biasness. This can be seen from the site pictures in which duke athletes from various racial backgrounds can be seen playing together as one team. In order to assist athlete students in their genuine needs, NCAA runs a Student Athlete Opportunity Fund. Duke college students can tap this fund by downloading the form which is available under the Student- Athlete Development Link. Another category in NACC is division III. Greensboro College which is affiliated to NACC Division III follows all of its requirements. The college site too reflects some of the Division III policies like As per the NCAA Division III requirements, academic performances should be consistent with the general student body. In order to comply with the above mentioned law the Greensboro College is running various programs for the student athletes to maintain their academic level. All

Evaluate Bribery in the context of International Strategic Marketing Essay

Evaluate Bribery in the context of International Strategic Marketing - Essay Example As it is, international corporate actions are governed by multitudes of responsibilities, codified procedures, and negotiated contracts, strategic alignments with other entities and political groups, joint responsibilities and the likes. The complexities of operations of these international corporations as well fierce market competition often push these entities to resort to drastic measures to achieve their goals. As it is, many of these companies include bribery and cartels as an unwritten part of their marketing strategies. Bribery in itself is considered as illegal in most countries around the world. There are many international as well as local laws and regulations that prohibit this act. Business ethic standards also dictate that bribery and cartels should be avoided. As stated by the Court in the celebrated case of Verizon Communications Inc. v. law Offices of Curtis V. Trinko, 540 U.S. 398 (2004), bribery and cartels are the supreme evil of antitrust and companies should beware about using these strategies to crush their competitors. However, despite the many laws and regulations that attempt to curve this practice, companies still manage to use this tactic to get ahead. The advancement in communications makes it even easier for companies to perform acts of bribery and conceal these acts from the public. Of course there are cases when companies are caught giving bribes as in the case of Siemens in Germany but these incidents are too few compared to the actual number of business entities that are p racticing bribery. Bribery is a complex thing and it comes in many shapes and forms. It can happen between private businesses and government entities. Bribery can also take place between two or more private companies. When it comes to its application, bribery can be an overt act as in the case of outright political corruption and influence peddling or it can be indirect

Meeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meeting - Essay Example Conduct Meetings, what do you do if one of the people in the meeting started to talk about things which are not related to the purpose of the meeting? The â€Å"tangentially inclined individuals† are people who take off on unrelated subjects, thereby derailing the conversation and interfering with the pace of the meeting. This may happen if meeting goals/outcomes are not clearly defined, or if the level of detail or the meeting roles are not understood. To handle this scenario, the facilitator must stop and clarify the desired outcome for this particular topic. If possible, he/she must help the group agree on level of detail to discuss before the meeting even gets started. He/she can use a parking lot to record issues to be worked outside the meeting. Finally, he/she should make sure that people feel heard. The most appropriate meeting chairperson is somebody who is (1) level-headed, because meetings can get heated up sometimes, so someone who can keep the harmony in the proceeding is vital; (2) objective, because opposing views are inevitable in meetings, so someone who can weigh the pros and cons can keep things in proper perspective; (3) intelligent enough to understand everything that transpires in the meeting; and (4) sensitive to the fact that everyone’s ideas and personality differences are recognized. b.  How will you ensure that the meeting is time efficient and desired outcomes can be achieved efficiently? E.g. what may be an appropriate time limit on each speaker and how will you try to restricting discussion to agenda items? For the meeting to be time-efficient, certain guidelines must be made clear to all attendees, especially on the issue/s to be discussed so as to avoid veering away from what is relevant. Also, limits to the duration that each speaker can talk must be set, i.e., 2 minutes to present his/her main idea/concern, then ask for extension if necessary. c.  Give at least 2 examples of ethical and legal requirements for a public

Reclining Female Figure, attributed to the Ashmolean Master, Greece, Research Paper

Reclining Female Figure, attributed to the Ashmolean Master, Greece, Cycladic Islands, Naxos Early Cycladic II, Dokathismata variety, 24002300 B.C - Research Paper Example It has small pointed breasts, narrow arms that are folded right below the left. The figure has gently curved hands across the abdomen that is swollen. The piece has a deep cleft apex that is bisected and separates the long legs in front. It has a shallow cleft in the back that is raised up to the horizontal buttock ridge. The knees are intended and profiled. The ankles are also incised and the feet are angled down having concave soles with delineated toes. The piece is 11 and a half inch high. (Symes) The image has a feminine figure with broad shoulders and curved waist. It is a small sculpture that is portable. The figure uses curved triangular shape for the head, curved square shape for the breast oval curve for the waist and semi triangular shape for the legs. The texture type used in the image is not actual but visual. This is a texture typical for human skin. The texture type indicates that it is a light piece. It has a predominantly light with dark accents in the value scheme. The sculpture has varied characteristic aspects that relate to the principles of design. It portrays a perfect balance in the way the weight of the piece can be distributed evenly through the shoulder down to the feet. The shoulders are wider but proportional to the waist and portable by the legs. The hands are evenly shaped, but little thinner compared to the body size. The breast size is broader and not uniform to the lower part after the arms which provides non feminine image and looks unrealistic. This is a clear contrast on the figurative image of the female body. There is harmonious curved shaping of the waist and legs. The forward bending of the knees depicts natural movement in the piece. The piece is composed of numerous regular shaping to form a smooth feminine image. The dominant points on the piece are in the breasts and waist. The waist has a curving line

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property Essay

The Effects of Earthquakes on People and Property - Essay Example They believed that the earth floats on the sea and whenever it is agitated, earthquakes are produced. And, the best story that portrays the damages caused by earthquakes is that of the people from Peru. They believe that earthquakes occur whenever their god visits the earth to count the number of people in it. As he does so, the people leave their houses in order to help him finish his work faster and keep themselves safe at the same time. Even now, in the present, people have created some myths that describe the damages caused by earthquakes. One of them is that of the Swallowing Earth which theorized that a chasm can form along the fault and anything and anyone in that vicinity can be swallowed by the earth. No one, however, has been reported to have died from such a fate. Contrary to the myths that were presented in this introduction, this paper will focus on the documented damages caused by earthquakes. The two major effects caused by earthquakes are shaking and ground rupture. This can lead to damages to buildings and other rigid structures. The intensity of the damage is defined by the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance of the area from the epicenter or the origin of an earthquake, and the geological and geomorphological conditions of the location which can significantly increase or decrease the propagation of the waves generated by an earthquake. When there is an earthquake, the area where the epicenter is located is usually the most damaged. This can be clearly described by a graph made by a Japanese engineer, Shigeru Tani, that showed the relationship of the damage percentage of the fill dams in Japan to the distance of the epicenter. According to the graph, the farther the fill dams are from the epicenter, the lesser the damage is. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. There are times when the biggest damage can occur away from the epicenter. A very good example would be the Denali Fault Earthquake in Alaska which happened in November 3, 2002. In this case, the area 330 kilometers away from the epicenter received the greatest damage. Since the location was sparsely populated, there were no deaths and there was little damage on the structures. A facility which is 40 miles from the eastern part of the fault rupture was damaged such that it was no longer usable. This was the runway of the Northway Airport which was damaged by lateral spreading and sand boils. Fortunately, none of the oil pipes in the ruptured areas were destroyed during the earthquake. The worst thing about earthquakes is that they do not choose the structures that they bring down. Many buildings, dams and roads have been damage by earthquakes. Even historical sites are not saved from this disaster. In Israel, an earthquake which has an intensity of 5.3, shook the Temple Mount, opening up a large hole. In addition to the damages caused by shaking and ground rupture, earthquakes can also cause landslides and avalanches. A very good example of this is the January 13 earthquake in El Salvador which had an intensity of

Financial analysis and risk management of Kingfisher Plc Essay

Financial analysis and risk management of Kingfisher Plc - Essay Example The major retail brands of Kingfisher Plc are B&Q, Castorama, Brico Depot and Screwfix. The company is also operating in Turkey in 50% joint venture with Koc Group. The market capitalisation value of Kingfisher Plc is  £ 9100.92 million. The sales turnover of the company as on February 2014 was around  £ 11.1 billion and the pre-tax adjusted profit was  £ 744 million. Asia is its key sourcing market, along with Eastern Europe, Turkey, South America and Middle East. The main competitors of the company are Wolseley Plc, Homebase limited and Leroy Merlin (London Stock Exchange, 2014). The financing of the company includes a number of debt funding instruments such as, bank borrowings, leases, medium term notes and US private placement debt (Kingfisher, 2014b). Keeping in view the international nature of Kingfisher’s business and growing globalisation across the world, certain strategic factors need to be considered by the company regarding its geographical location, financing and its degree of completion. From competitive position, the company presently belong to one of the top-performing companies in retail sector and major strategic advantage of the company is its tendency to acquire small businesses. The company has undertaken joint venture to enter the Turkish market, which is considerably an important strategy. Hence, the company’s entry strategy differs from market to market. The SWOT analysis of Kingfisher Plc shows that the major strengths of the company are dominant market position, healthy business ratios and innovative products and services. The weaknesses include less investment in research and development and excessive dependence on France and UK market. The opportunities of the company are growth in e-retail an d global home improvement industry while the company can face threats like slow economic growth of European market, rising cost of manpower and high competition. The financial trend analysis has been done on last

Internet security Essay Example for Free

Internet security Essay These websites are MySpace and Facebook which are all popular for the users because they are social network group. When people give information about them self online, they make it easier for hackers to find people offline. So people should think carefully about who they give out their address to, what their phone number is or which school / job they go to. What potential security issues could this access cause? The potential security issue caused are that they can see people details which may include their full name, date of birth, address and even their bank account. When hackers steal information about the person they often target steal money of that person. For example if the hacker gets enough details about the person, the hacker may be able to apply for credit card or a loan the name of the owner. After the hackers have taken off with the money, this could result to the person left with bill and bad credit rating. Another example is, a person is a planning a party and post details on his MySpace page which includes his address. On the day, a stranger shows up uninvited, gatecrashes the party and destroys his house. This could happen when person gives full details about themselves online. Which law is in place in the UK to enforce how personal data is used? The current UK legislation covering data held about living individual people is the data protection 1998. This Act is a law designed protect people privacy so that data cannot be misuse. Organisations that stores personal data must take by certain rules: They must protect the data from unauthorised access. -they must not pass on the data to other organisations without the individuals permission. The data they hold must be accurate and up to date, and must not be held for longer than needed. What must a site like www. hsbc. co. uk do to comply with this law? HSBC must comply with the law data person act 1998 such as they keep personal details secure, in all circumstances. This means that organisations cannot use the data people give to them and used it for themselves. For e. g. a member of HSBC send an email to them. The company cannot use email but replying to person who bellowing to. By what methods could a hacker infiltrate a commercial web site like www.hsbc. co. uk? Hacker can infiltrate HSBC website by using other people user name as they have their information. Hacker can send key locker to users by email which is a program that tracks what users do on their computer. E. g. when users log into their HSBC website account this will automatically transfers to the hackers computer with all bank details of the users. How can websites minimise security risks to their users and data? Before Companies design websites they have to make sure that their computers system is install security software. Which prevent hackers accessing the pc network so that they cannot steal peoples data such as credit cards. Firewall: Helps to keep computer more secure. It restricts information that comes to company pc, from other pc users by network. This will give company pc more control over data on their pc and providing a line of defence against hackers or unwanted software that try to connect to companies pc by network and stealing data. The company should use a strong password on their network so that hackers cannot easily guess the password. The companies need use encrypted which is a way of making data unreadable to expect the receiver. What can users do to minimise security risks when online? Users should use software protections before going online to prevent attacks from hackers or unwanted viruses which could result the PC stop responding. Antivirus: Is a software helps protect users against viruses. Anti virus scan hidden viruses in an email messenger or web page which could damage the computer system. Anti virus helps disable the virus and prevent it from damaging users computer. So that users can surf the website safely without worrying about fraud or being attack by viruses or other threats. Spyware: Is software that hides itself somewhere on pc users collecting information about users and what they do on the internet. Users can remove spyware by installing software like Adware that will scan users pc can remove the unwanted spyware. Firewall: Is software that prevents unauthorised come into users network. So that cannot steal people privacy. Unit 21: Website Production and Management Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Computer Science section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one?

Erikson’s Theory of Life Stages Development: Analysis

Erikson’s Theory of Life Stages Development: Analysis Aminat Lawal TAQ 1: 2.1 Draw a table similar to the one below and identify the life stages from adolescence onwards in an individual’s life, showing the evidence for each of the stages (Balls, 2013) (Psyche100, 2012) (Stages, 2015) 2.2 Examine the evidence provided to support and dispute Erikson’s theory of life stage development. One of the strengths of the theory is that it gives an expansive framework from which to view development of a whole lifespan. Additionally, it permits us to underline the social nature of individuals and the vital impact that these social natures have on development. This was created mostly from Erikson’s broad field research with Native Americans, and afterwards from his clinical treatment works which was attached to driving mental health centres and universities. Over the years, psychologists have collected several information that backs the relationship between each stage and the corresponding age groups to affirm that, identifying and resolving the crisis serves to advance respect towards one’s self-esteem (Stages, 2015). A study that comprised of school children, their parents and teachers concentrated on the phase of industry versus mediocrity. The results of this study backed the idea of industry being legitimate for age group which demonstrates that an industry score positively connected with test scores and accomplishment in school (Stages, 2015). Many people claim that Erikson’s ideas are equivocal and regularly conflicting. Some people believe that the theory is more applicable to males than females and that, more consideration is paid to early stages in life and youth than the grown-up life (Cortland, 2015). There is also a discussion concerning whether individuals search for identity or character amid the youthful years or if one stage needs to happen before other stages can be completed. As a response, Erikson expressed that each of these courses of action happens all though a lifetime and also, emphasised on â€Å"stages† as it is at these times that the clashes get to be generally conspicuous. The lack of common sense fixing genuine issues stays a standout amongst the most criticisms of Erikson’s work to date, which is why there are just so few supporters of his work among current psychologists (Stages, 2015). Word: 842 TAQ 2: Essay: ‘Adolescence is a time of storm and stress’ Adolescence otherwise known as immaturity, portrays the early years somewhere around 13 and 19 of a youngster, and this is viewed as the transitional stage from youth to adulthood. Adolescence is regarded as a period of both bewilderment and discovery which is why it is said to raise certain issues and intense decisions with respect to school tasks, sexuality, social life including drugs and alcohol. (Today, 2015). One major reasons that youngsters find adolescence being a time of storm and stress is on the grounds that it is a period of quick physical improvement and profound passionate changes. They can be seen as exciting advancements but at the same time, uncomfortable for a child to his/her parent. Adolescence or the period of transition can be broken down into three stages; Early adolescence which usually comes around between 11 to 14 Middle adolescence which usually comes around between ages 15 to 17 Late adolescence which usually comes around between ages 18 to 21 (Children, 2014). Quick changes can occur both physically and emotionally at this stage of life. These changes are in combination with attending an educational institution, social time with friends which might bring about the use of drugs and consumption of alcohol (Psychiatrists, 2015). There are psychological and social tasks that take place between the ages of 11 to 21. Physical development: Otherwise known as puberty and Includes hormones and physical changes. The process of physical changes in the puberty stage of life begins continuously from around the age of 13 for males and 11 for females. Hormonal changes produce periods of tiredness and fretfulness. Changes in males include the growth of body, deeper voices, facial hair, wet dreams and erections and in females includes, growth of pubic hair in part of the body and menstrual periods. (Psychiatrists, 2015) Intellectual and emotional development: Majority of male and female youngsters enter puberty as yet observing their surroundings properly where, things are either right, wrong, magnificent or terrible. Youngsters seldom set their sights and minds past the present which clarifies more on the incapability to consider the effect of their actions. At the time most youngsters approach late adolescence, they acknowledge nuances of circumstances and thoughts an also properly work their way into the future. The ability for them to handle complex issues and to sense what other people are thinking would have honed significantly. However because they are still moderately unpractised in life, older adolescents use these new aptitudes inconsistently and consequently, may act without consideration. Emotional development demands that youngsters gradually eject themselves from their parents. There is more time spent with friends socially, less affection and love towards folks and pushing the limits. Youngsters as often as possible feel clashed about leaving the safety net of their homes. They might be need for a slight love and affection from their parent but, just as this happens, they turn away once more (Children, 2014). Additionally, when they test the consumption of alcohol and use of drugs socially alone, they are find themselves in a much more serious peril however, when warnings are issued from older adolescents, they are considered more important than when they come from parents (Psychiatrists, 2015). A teenager could be hit with a cluster of challenges at adolescence. Some of these challenges include emotional, sexual and behavioural problems. Signs of a teenager experiencing emotional storm or stress could include over-consumption of food, inordinate tiredness, and tenacious concern with ones appearance at all times. Tension may also create fears and frenzy assaults and due to this, studies carried out by psychologists recommends that enthusiastic issues are frequently not perceived even by the close relatives and friends of the suffering adolescent. Amid adolescence, most teenagers think so little of themselves in a way that proves life not worth living. The physical changes in adolescent ages brings could bring about sexual stress and issues to a few who are modest and those who don’t seek for information. On the other hand, some other teenagers express this issue with exorbitant gloating about their sexual experience and capacity. There is also the risk of pregnancy an d sexually transmitted diseases (HIV/AIDS) within the age of 16 as most teenagers are eager to have the experience (Psychiatrists, 2015). The understanding of adolescence is based on two approaches of comprehending human behaviour by Erik Erikson and Anna Freud. Erikson believed and concentrated on the dichotomy that is between personality formation and accomplishment of roles while Freud believed that psychological unsettling does influences that are connected with adolescence were biologically based and socially all inclusive. Regardless of their different views they accepted that adolescence was naturally a period of unsettling influence and psychological disarray. Freud believed that the psychological procedure of sexual development which begins with the functionality of sexual glands, does impact the psychological domain. As a result of this, there is an awakening of libidinal strengths which, thus, can lead to psychological disequilibrium. She believes that the following factors are involved in the conflict in adolescence; the strengths of the id drive which is controlled by psychological courses of action amid a dolescence, the self-ability to adapt or to respect instinctual strengths and the adequacy and nature of the safeguard techniques at the disposal of ego (King, 2004). Erikson portrays adolescence by the quickness of body development, genital development and sexual awareness. Also, he describes adolescence as the time amid when an individual must establish a character which is usually established in different ways according to different cultures and evade the dangers of part dissemination and identity disarray. During the time of development of vocational identity, certain role confusion comes around. The constructive result of personality crisis is reliant on a youngster’s readiness to acknowledge his past and build progression with their past encounters (King, 2004). Also as indicated, identity dissemination can prompt suicidal attempts however, once a personality is made, an adolescent cab proceed onward to discover closeness or detachment in interpersonal connections (King , 2004). According to Stanley Hall youngsters in late adolescence restate the condition of the initiation of modern civilization. His psychology did not see a human as the final product of a formative methodology, it only gave the room for further development (King, 2004). Word 997 TAQ 3: Explore one life event such as marriage, parenthood, divorce or bereavement that you, or someone you know, has experienced. Describe the event, keeping the information in the third person to keep the individual’s anonymity. At the age of 6 – 7, the life stage of Industry vs Inferiority, his parents fought a lot in his presence which usually began with a scream, noise and rage which resulted to tears from his mother. Fights went on for a while which resulted in their settlement for a divorce. He stayed with his mother while his father began to see someone else who had a wild social lifestyle of drugs, alcohol consumption and carelessness. After the case of custody, it was settled that he should spend a certain amount of days with his mother and rest with his father. His mother on the other hand had an authoritative style of parenting i.e., she was very strict and did not allow any sort of misbehaviour. This style of shared living went on until the age of 13 15, which is when the adolescent period comes along. The authoritative parenting style of his mother was not his favourite so, he enjoyed spending more time at his father’s and his new partner. The wild lifestyle of his father’s new partner began to reflect on his adolescent age as a result of the much time he spent there and the thought of freedom away from his mother’s strict parenting. According to Erikson’s theory, his life stage falls under identity vs role confusion which is where he is to learn the roles he will be indulged in as a grown up. It is also amid this stage of life that his personality will define who he is (McLeod, 2013). He had exposed himself to the possibility of freedom and formed an identity based on the lifestyle of his father’s new partner. He suffered from role confusion as he was unsure of where he fitted in the society because of the shared moments between a strict mother, and a carefree father. Word 306 References Balls, B., 2013. eriksons psychosocial development theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm [Accessed 02 Febuary 2015]. Children, H., 2014. Ages and Stages. [Online] Available at: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Stages-of-Adolescence.aspx [Accessed 03 Febuary 2015]. Cortland, 2015. Erik Eriksons 8 Stages of PsychosocialDevelopment. [Online] Available at: http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/crit.HTML [Accessed 02 February 2015]. King, R. M., 2004. Kings Psychology Network. [Online] Available at: http://www.psyking.net/id183.htm [Accessed 04 February 2015]. McLeod, S., 2013. Simply Psychology. [Online] Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html [Accessed 05 February 2015]. Psyche100, 2012. Eriksons 8 Stages Of Life Span Development.. [Online] Available at: http://www.cram.com/flashcards/eriksons-8-stages-of-life-span-development-2143446 [Accessed 02 Febuary 2015]. Psychiatrists, R. C. o., 2015. MENTAL HEALTH AND GROWING UP FACTSHEET. [Online] Available at: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/parentscarers/adolescence.aspx [Accessed 03 February 2015]. Stages, E. P., 2015. Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Theory. [Online] Available at: http://eriksonspsychosocialstages.wikispaces.com/Erik+Eriksons+Psychosocial+Theory [Accessed 2015 February 2015]. Today, P., 2015. Adolescence. [Online] Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/adolescence [Accessed 03 February 2015]. Project Design of ABC Corporation: Security Assessment Project Design of ABC Corporation: Security Assessment ABC Corporation Computer Network Organization ABC Corporation is a big brokering company which is founded in China and has a workforce of about 9,000 situated over different office branches distributed all over. The corporation is setup in Los Angeles. The people that sets up the corporations branch in Los Angeles that helps with the current system which they want it to be dependable, quick, secure and will satisfy any future prerequisites of the organization. The implementation of this system is to offer the following platforms: cloud computing, distributed computing and centralized computing in the network which supposed to be a secure computer network system. Purpose: The purpose if this security assessment report is to provide a documentation outlining security gaps and vulnerabilities the project design of ABC Corporation may have experience and may be a threat to corporate security policies of ABC Corporation. The management will be required to allocate the necessary resources to correct any problems and gaps in its project design security. The management may also decide to accept the risk, since its already an informed risk or a reward analysis. This will make sure that the necessary security controls will work best for ABC company and are integrated into the IT design of ABC company. Scope: The scope is to cover all aspects of the Computer Network Design project since it is aimed at creating a risk free Network System. It will cover both vulnerabilities, risks and security gaps that can be a threat due to insider dealings (people working in the company who might have any malicious intentions) and threats that may come from the outside (people who are part of the workforce) to people who might use these vulnerabilities and security gaps if they come to learn their existence. People that works for the organization is a threat to the organizations computer network design project as those from the outside the fact that they are more accustomed to the working of the system they pose as a much greater threat. Data The ABC Corporation has built a LAN and a WAN system program that can help the association to develop a more extensive network system that can boost the financial frameworks which has more benefits and will deal in the forthcoming years. The ABC Corporation LAN have a topology of frameworks trading contraptions which is to work as switches in the center. They are appropriated and can get to the layers that can indicate the structure jointly with a set up plan. They put all the gadgets together. This technique will redesign the system presentation and dispose not so important interconnections at the same time providing flexibility. At the end of the network, the ABC Corporation has different edge switches. They are to be utilized for Web Access Provider (ISP) Openness, Intrusion Prevention Systems and Firewalls that are deliberate to changes and other square intruders which can offer the use and end gadget framework. This system is designed to assist the partnership specialists with employing any new applications that are urgent and the most efficient operation of new preparation plans for the organization deals and constraints. Methodology Although there are different methodologies of conducting a Security Assessment Report, the best methodologies for ABC Company are the ones that was used to access the vulnerability of ABC Computer Network Design and the risks that company may face. The following methodologies were used to access the security state of ABC Computer Network Design: Requirement study and situation analysis: The situation of the ABC Computer Network Design was analyzed using the wireshark program. Document review: Documents recorded by IT personnel were also reviewed for any information that may be suspicious regarding manipulation of the Computer Network Design of ABC Company. Risk identification: Risk identification was mainly done by using the wireshark program, which analyzed the activities that was going on in the network of a given computer design. Data analysis: Data that stored in the computer network due to previous activities that were conducted within the computer network that has analyzed for any suspicious data that may be due to security gaps in the computer network design of ABC Company. Vulnerability scan: A scan that is conducted in the Computer Network Design to cite any vulnerable in the computer network of ABC company that may pose as a threat. Findings The risk levels of ABC Computer Network were high and the vulnerability described as a critical. This is mainly based on the following findings after the scan of the ABC Computer Network: There were many ports which were open and these ports could be used by hackers to get access into the Computer Network. Most of these hackers are malicious individuals that may send viruses and malwares into the Computer Network or use these privileges acquired to exploit the system. The remote host of the Computer Network was seen to be running on a computer with an OS of Windows version. This computer had a fault in its RPC interface, 98 netbios-ssn and 10 microsoft-ds. The flaw can give a hacker an access to execute some arbitrary codes making them to acquire privileges of the computer system. This weakness can also be utilized by a worm and give an ability to control the host. Some suspicious activities in the Computer Network were also noticed. An example of this was an activity from an unknown user who was using an unidentified OS with a mac address 00:ff:eb:48:41:88 (unknown). All unknown users are supposed to be flagged immediately until their identities is known. In addition to these risks and vulnerabilities identified, insider intimidation also poses a risk to ABC Corporation. Individuals working from within the corporation are a potent a threat to the computer network as risks from the outside. The corporation should choose to care if any of its employees might be using commerce information malevolently for their own benefits. Results After assessment of the security situation of the ABC Company Computer Network Design, there were found to be some security gaps which need to be addressed by the management. These gaps are known by a malicious party that would pose as vulnerable to the computer design of ABC Company Computer Network Design. Since the system administrators have full access of the entire system, they should do a follow up on risks and vulnerabilities. The network administrators would be the best to do the follow up on security gaps identified. Labs    The computer that I scanned was WINATK01 with IP address 172.21.23.73. The transmission control protocol is a service that links and works between an application program sending information and the internet protocol. It also provides host-to-host connectivity at the internet models transport layer. The transmission control protocol can detect any problem at the lower levels of the transport layers such as poor network connectivity and network congestion.   There are several vulnerabilities as far as transmission control protocol (TCP) is concerned. The two most used attacks are denial of service whereby the attackers use spoofed IP address and connection hijacking whereas the hacker can eavesdrop on an on-going transmission and takes over one of the receiving ends and goes on with the communication as if is the original recipient. Findings The scan was done using Wireshark vulnerability assessment tool. The following are the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) discovered; TCP and HTTP. The scan further revealed that there was a security communication provided by the security data transport methods especially contained in MySQL. The components of MySQL are; Connectors (Connector/C, Connector/J, and so forth) MySQL Proxy Communication between master and slave replication servers MySQL proxy is a very vital component which encrypts and compresses information end-to-end for proper security optimization to prevent and avoid possible attacks. MySQL protocal also aids in data transmission just as the TCP. Conclusion In conclusion, the network system that analyzed above was found to be effective in information transmission between the different sources and destinations. The security status was also found to be superb with an end to end encryption provided by the proxy in MySQL. Thus, the vulnerability status can be concluded to be at minimum and attackers cannot easily manipulate their ways to attack the network systems. Recommended safeguards The management should there are no ends left unguarded with firewalls and any other programs which would make the network inaccessible from any unauthorized parties from the outside. The dealings of internal workers too should be closely supervised to make sure employees do not use the system malevolently for their own benefits. The network administrators should also look closely to the network system frequently to make sure that there are no ports left open or no suspicious activities take place either due to internal dealing or from outside of the network.

Symmetric Encryption Schemes

Symmetric Encryption Schemes 2.1 Symmetric Encryption Schemes: With symmetric-key encryption, the encryption key can be calculated from the decryption key and vice versa. With most symmetric algorithms, the same key is used for both encryption and decryption, as shown in Figure 1.1. Implementations of symmetric-key encryption can be highly efficient, so that users do not experience any significant time delay as a result of the encryption and decryption. Symmetric-key encryption also provides a degree of authentication, since information encrypted with one symmetric key cannot be decrypted with any other symmetric key. Thus, as long as the symmetric key is kept secret by the two parties using it to encrypt communications, each party can be sure that it is communicating with the other as long as the decrypted messages continue to make sense. Encryption functions normally take a fixed-size input to a fixed-size output, so encryption of longer units of data must be done in one of two ways: either a block is encrypted at a time and the blocks are somehow joined together to make the cipher text, or a longer key is generated from a shorter one and XORd against the plaintext to make the cipher text. Schemes of the former type are called block ciphers, and schemes of the latter type are called stream ciphers. 2.1.1 Block ciphers Block ciphers take as input the key and a block, often the same size as the key. Further, the first block is often augmented by a block called the initialization vector, which can add some randomness to the encryption. 2.1.1.1 DES Algorithm: The most widely used encryption scheme is based on Data Encryption Standard (DES). There are two inputs to the encryption function, the plain text to be encrypted and the key. The plain text must be 64 bits in length and key is of 56 bits. First, the 64 bits of plain text passes through an initial permutation that rearranges the bits. This is fallowed by 16 rounds of same function, which involves permutation substitution functions. After 16 rounds of operation, the pre output is swapped at 32 bits position which is passed through final permutation to get 64 bit cipher text. Initially the key is passed through a permutation function. Then for each of the 16 rounds, a sub key is generated by a combination of left circular shift and permutation. At each round of operation, the plain text is divided to two 32 bit halves, and the fallowing operations are executed on 32 bit right halve of plain text. First it is expanded to 48 bits using a expansion table, then X-ORed with key, then processed in substitution tables to generate 32 bit output. This output is permuted using predefined table and XORed with left 32 bit plain text to form right 32 bit pre cipher text of first round. The right 32 bit plain text will form left 32 bit pre cipher text of first round. Decryption uses the same algorithm as encryption, expect that the application of sub keys is reversed. A desirable property of any encryption algorithm is that a small change in either plain text or the key should produce a significant change in the cipher text. This effect is known as Avalanche effect which is very strong in DES algorithm. Since DES is a 56 bit key encryption algorithm, if we proceed by brute force attack, the number of keys that are required to break the algorithm is 2 56 . But by differential crypto analysis, it has been proved that the key can be broken in 2 47 combinations of known plain texts. By linear crypto analysis it has been proved that, it could be broken by 2 41 combinations of plain text. The DES algorithm is a basic building block for providing data security. To apply DES in a variety of applications, four modes of operations have been defined. These four models are intended to cover all possible applications of encryption for which DES could be used. They involve using a initialization vector being used along with key to provided different cipher text blocks. 2.1.1.1.1 Electronic Code Book (ECB) mode: ECB mode divides the plaintext into blocks m1, m2, , mn, and computes the cipher text ci = Ei(mi). This mode is vulnerable to many attacks and is not recommended for use in any protocols. Chief among its defects is its vulnerability to splicing attacks, in which encrypted blocks from one message are replaced with encrypted blocks from another. 2.1.1.1.2 Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode: CBC mode remedies some of the problems of ECB mode by using an initialization vector and chaining the input of one encryption into the next. CBC mode starts with an initialization vector iv and XORs a value with the plaintext that is the input to each encryption. So, c1 = Ek(iv XOR m1) and ci = Ek(ci-1 XOR mi). If a unique iv is used, then no splicing attacks can be performed, since each block depends on all previous blocks along with the initialization vector. The iv is a good example of a nonce that needs to satisfy Uniqueness but not Unpredictability. 2.1.1.1.3 Cipher Feed-Back (CFB) mode: CFB mode moves the XOR of CBC mode to the output of the encryption. In other words, the cipher text c1 = p1 XOR Sj(E(IV)). This mode then suffers from failures of Non-Malleability, at least locally to every block, but changes to ciphertext do not propagate very far, since each block of ciphertext is used independently to XOR against a given block to get the plaintext. These failures can be seen in the following example, in which a message m = m1 m2 mn is divided into n blocks, and encrypted with an iv under CFB mode to c1 c2 cn. Suppose an adversary substitutes c2 for c2. Then, in decryption, m1 = Ek(iv) XOR c1, which is correct, but m2 = Ek(c1) XOR c2, which means that m2 = m2 XOR c2 XOR c2, since m2 = Ek(c1) XOR c2. Thus, in m2, the adversary can flip any bits of its choice. Then m3 = Ek(c2) XOR c3, which should lead to random looking message not under the adversarys control, since the encryption of c2 should look random. But m4 = Ek(c3) XOR c4 and thereafter the decryption is correct. 2.1.1.1.4 Output Feed-Back (OFB) mode OFB mode modifies CFB mode to feed back the output of the encryption function to the encryption function without XOR-ing the cipher text. 2.1.1.2 Triple DES: Given the potential vulnerability of DES to brute force attack, a new mechanism is adopted which uses multiple encryptions with DES and multiple keys. The simplest form of multiple encryptions has two encryption stages and two keys. The limitation with this mechanism is it is susceptible to meet in the middle attack. An obvious counter to meet in the middle attack and reducing the cost of increasing the key length, a triple encryption method is used, which considers only two keys with encryption with the first key, decryption with the second key and fallowed by encryption with the first key. Triple DES is a relatively popular alternative to DES and has been adopted for use in key management standards. 2.1.1.3 Homomorphic DES: A variant of DES called a homophonic DES [7] is considered. The DES algorithm is strengthened by adding some random bits into the plaintext, which are placed in particular positions to maximize diffusion, and to resist differential attack. Differential attack makes use of the exclusive-or homophonic DES. In this new scheme, some random estimated bits are added to the plaintext. This increases the certain plaintext difference with respect to the cipher text. A homophonic DES is a variant of DES that map search plaintext to one of many cipher texts (for a given key). In homophonic DES a desired difference pattern with the cipher text will be suggested with some key values including the correct one, oppositely wrong pairs of cipher text. For a difference pattern which 56-bit plaintext to a 64-bit cipher text using a 56-bit key. In this scheme, eight random bits are placed in specific positions of the 64-bit input data block to maximize diffusion. For example, the random bits in HDESS are the bit- positions 25, 27, 29, 31, 57, 59, 61 and 63. In this algorithm, after the initial permutation and expansion permutation in the first round, these eight random bits will spread to bits 2, 6, 8, 12, 14, 18, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32, 36, 38,42,44,48 of the 48-bit input block to the S-boxes and will affect the output of all the S-boxes. The 48 expanded bits must be exclusive-or’d with some key before proceeding to the S-boxes, thus two input bits into the S-boxes derived from the same random bit may have different values. This says that the random bits do not regularize the input to the S-boxes, that is, the property of confusion does not reduce while we try to maximize diffusion. The decryption of the homophonic DES is similar to the decryption of DES. The only difference is that eight random bits must be removed to get the original plaintext (56 bits). A homophonic DES can easily be transformed into a triple-encryption version by concatenating a DES decryption and a DES encryption after the homophonic DES. Security analysis: Thus there is a probability of 1/256 between a pair of texts. The differential crypto analysis is also difficult on this mechanism. The diffusion of bits is also more in this mode. Thus this mechanism provides some probabilistic features to DES algorithm which makes it stronger from differential and linear crypto analysis. 2.1.1.4 AES: The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was chosen in 2001. AES is also an iterated block cipher, with 10, 12, or 14 rounds for key sizes 128, 192, and 256 bits, respectively. AES provides high performance symmetric key encryption and decryption. 2.1.1.5 Dynamic substitution: An apparently new cryptographic mechanism [34] which can be described as dynamic substitution is discussed in the fallowing topic. Although structurally similar to simple substitution, dynamic substitution has a second data input which acts to re-arrange the contents of the substitution table. The mechanism combines two data sources into a complex result; under appropriate conditions, a related inverse mechanism can then extract one of the data sources from the result. A dynamic substitution combiner can directly replace the exclusive-OR combiner used in Vernam stream ciphers. The various techniques used in Vernam ciphers can also be applied to dynamic substitution; any cryptographic advantage is thus due to the additional strength of the new combiner. 2.1.1.5.1 The Vernam Cipher: A Vernam cipher maps plaintext data with a pseudo-random sequence to generate cipher text. Since each ciphertext element from a Vernam combiner is the (mod 2) sum of two unknown values, the plaintext data is supposed to be safe. But this mode is susceptive to several cryptanalytic attacks, including known plain text and cipher text attacks. And if the confusion sequence can be penetrated and reproduced, the cipher is broken. Similarly, if the same confusion sequence is ever re-used, and the overlap identified, it becomes simple to break that section of the cipher. 2.1.1.5.2 Cryptographic Combiners: An alternate approach to the design of a secure stream cipher is to seek combining functions which can resist attack; such functions would act to hide the pseudo-random sequence from analysis. The mechanism of this work is a new combining function which extends the weak classical concept of simple substitution into a stronger form suitable for computer cryptography. 2.1.1.5.3 Substitution Ciphers: In simple substitution ciphers each plain text character is replaced with fixed cipher text character. But this mechanism is weak from statistical analysis methods where by considering the rules of the language, the cipher can be broken. This work is concerned with the cryptographic strengthening of the fundamental substitution operation through dynamic changes to a substitution table. The substitution table can be represented as a function of not only input data but also a random sequence. This combination gives a cryptographic combining function; such a function may be used to combine plaintext data with a pseudo-random sequence to generate enciphered data. 2.1.1.5.4 Dynamic Substitution: A simple substitution table supported with combining function gives the idea of dynamic substitution. A substitution table is used to translate each data value into an enciphered value. But after each substitution, the table is re-ordered. At a minimum, it makes sense to exchange the just-used substitution value with some entry in the table selected at random. This generally changes the just-used substitution value to help prevent analysis, and yet retains the existence of an inverse, so that the cipher can be deciphered. 2.1.1.5.5 Black Box Analysis: Dynamic substitution may be considered to be a black box, with two input ports Data In and Random In, and one output port Combiner Out. In the simple version, each data path has similar width; evidently the mechanism inside the box in some way combines the two input streams to produce the output stream. It seems reasonable to analyze the output statistically, for various input streams. 2.1.1.5.6 Polyalphabetic Dynamic Substitution: A means to defend to known-plaintext and chosen-plaintext attacks would be to use multiple different dynamic substitution maps and to select between them using a hidden pseudo-random sequence. Thus the dynamic substitution if free from statistical attacks where each character of plain text is replaced with multiple characters of cipher text which makes the mechanism robust. 2.1.1.5.7 Internal State: Dynamic substitution contains internal data which after initialization is continuously re-ordered as a consequence of both incoming data streams; thus, the internal state is a function of initialization and all subsequent data and confusion values. The changing internal state of dynamic substitution provides necessary security to the data streams. Thus dynamic substitution provides a probabilistic nature to the enciphering mechanism. The limitation with this scheme is, not only different dynamic substitution tables has to be maintained but also the pseudo random sequence which selects between these dynamic substitution tables has to be shared between sender and receiver. 2.1.1.6 Nonces A nonce [29] is a bit string that satisfies Uniqueness, which means that it has not occurred before in a given run of a protocol. Nonces might also satisfy Unpredictability, which effectively requires pseudo-randomness: no adversary can predict the next nonce that will be chosen by any principal. There are several common sources of nonces like counters, time slots and so on. 2.1.1.6.1 Nonce Based Encryption: In this work a different formalization for symmetric encryption is envisaged. The encryption algorithm is made to be a deterministic function, but it is supported with initialization vector (IV). Efficiency of the user is made success of this mode. The IV is a nonce like value, used at most once within a session. Since it is used at most once having any sort of crypto analysis is practically not possible which provides sufficient security. 2.1.1.7 One-Time Pad Encryption One more encryption mechanism for providing security to data is one time pad [13] encryption. The functions are computed as follows: A and B agree on a random number k that is as long as the message they later want to send. Ek(x) = x XOR k Dk(x) = x XOR k Note that since k is chosen at random and not known to an adversary, the output of this scheme is indistinguishable to an adversary from a random number. But it suffers from several limitations. It is susceptible to chosen plain text and chosen cipher text attacks. Again the limitation is here is sharing of one time keys by the participating parties of the encryption scheme. As a new key is always used for encryption, a continuous sharing of key mechanism has to be employed by the participating parties. 2.1.2 Stream ciphers Unlike block ciphers, stream ciphers [14] (such as RC4) produce a pseudo-random sequence of bits that are then combined with the message to give an encryption. Since the combining operation is often XOR, naive implementations of these schemes can be vulnerable to the sort of bit-flipping attacks on Non-Malleability. Two types of stream ciphers exist: synchronous, in which state is kept by the encryption algorithm but is not correlated with the plaintext or cipher text, and self synchronizing, in which some information from the plaintext or cipher text is used to inform the operation of the cipher. Ronald Rivest of RSA developed the RC4 algorithm, which is a shared key stream cipher algorithm requiring a secure exchange of a shared key. The algorithm is used identically for encryption and decryption as the data stream is simply XORed with the generated key sequence. The algorithm is serial as it requires successive exchanges of state entries based on the key sequence. Hence implementations can be very computationally intensive. In the algorithm the key stream is completely independent of the plaintext used. An 8 * 8 S-Box (S0 S255), where each of the entries is a permutation of the numbers 0 to 255, and the permutation is a function of the variable length key. There are two counters i, and j, both initialized to 0 used in the algorithm. 2.1.2.1.1 Algorithm Features: 1.It uses a variable length key from 1 to 256 bytes to initialize a 256-byte state table. The state table is used for subsequent generation of pseudo-random bytes and then to generate a pseudo-random stream which is XORed with the plaintext to give the cipher text. Each element in the state table is swapped at least once. 2. The key is often limited to 40 bits, because of export restrictions but it is sometimes used as a 128 bit key. It has the capability of using keys between 1 and 2048 bits. RC4 is used in many commercial software packages such as Lotus Notes and Oracle Secure. 3. The algorithm works in two phases, key setup and ciphering. During a N-bit key setup (N being your key length), the encryption key is used to generate an encrypting variable using two arrays, state and key, and N-number of mixing operations. These mixing operations consist of swapping bytes, modulo operations, and other formulas. 2.1.2.1.2 Algorithm Strengths: The difficulty of knowing which location in the table is used to select each value in the sequence. A particular RC4 Algorithm key can be used only once and Encryption is about 10 times faster than DES. Algorithm Weakness: One in every 256 keys can be a weak key. These keys are identified by cryptanalysis that is able to find circumstances under which one of more generated bytes are strongly correlated with a few bytes of the key. Thus some symmetric encryption algorithms have been discussed in this chapter. They varies from block ciphers like DES, Triple DES, Homomorphic DES to stream ciphers like RC4. To the symmetric encryption mechanisms concepts like application of Nounce and dynamic substitution are discussed which provides randomness to the encryption mechanism. This probabilistic nature to the encryption mechanism provides sufficient strength to the algorithms against Chosen Cipher text attacks(CCA). The security with all these mechanisms lies with proper sharing of keys among the different participating parties. 2.1.3 Adoptability of some mathematical functions in Cryptography: Sign Function: [26,27] This function when applied on when applied on a matrix of values, converts all the positive values to 1, negative values to -1 zero with 0. The advantage of using this function in cryptography is it cannot be a reversible process ie we cannot get back to the original matrix by applying a reverse process. Modular Arithmetic: One more function that is widely used in cryptography is modular arithmetic of a number with a base value. It will generate the remainder of a number with respect to the base value. This function is widely used in public key cryptography. 2.2 Public-Key Encryption The most commonly used implementations of public-key [13,14] encryption are based on algorithms patented by RSA Data Security. Therefore, this section describes the RSA approach to public-key encryption. Public-key encryption (also called asymmetric encryption) involves a pair of keys a public key and a private key, used for security authentication of data. Each public key is published, and the corresponding private key is kept secret. Data encrypted with one key can be decrypted only with other key. The scheme shown in Figure 1.2 says public key is distributed and encryption being done using this key. In general, to send encrypted data, one encrypt’s the data with the receiver’s public key, and the person receiving the encrypted data decrypts it with his private key. Compared with symmetric-key encryption, public-key encryption requires more computation and is therefore not always appropriate for large amounts of data. However, a combination of symmetric Asymmetric schemes can be used in real time environment. This is the approach used by the SSL protocol. As it happens, the reverse of the scheme shown in Figure 1.2 also works: data encrypted with one’s private key can be decrypted only with his public key. This may not be an interesting way to encrypt important data, however, because it means that anyone with receiver’s public key, which is by definition published, could decipher the data. And also the important requirement with data transfer is authentication of data which is supported with Asymmetric encryption schemes, which is an important requirement for electronic commerce and other commercial applications of cryptography. 2.2.1 Key Length and Encryption Strength: In general, the strength of encryption algorithm depends on difficulty in getting the key, which in turn depends on both the cipher used and the length of the key. For the RSA cipher, the strength depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers, which is a well-known mathematical problem.Encryption strength is often described in terms of the length of the keys used to perform the encryption, means the more the length of the key, the more the strength. Key length is measured in bits. For example, a RC4 symmetric-key cipher with key length of 128 bits supported by SSL provide significantly better cryptographic protection than 40-bit keys for use with the same cipher. It means 128-bit RC4 encryption is 3 x 1026 times stronger than 40-bit RC4 encryption. Different encryption algorithms require variable key lengths to achieve the same level of encryption strength. Other ciphers, such as those used for symmetric key encryption, can use all possible values for a key of a given length, rather than a subset of those values. Thus a 128-bit key for use with a symmetric-key encryption cipher would provide stronger encryption than a 128-bit key for use with the RSA public-key encryption cipher. This says that a symmetric encryption algorithm with a key length of 56 bits achieve a equal security to Asymmetric encryption algorithm with a key length of 512 bits, 2.2.2 RSA Key Generation Algorithm Two large prime numbers are considered. Let them be p,q. Calculate n = pq and (φ) phi = (p-1)(q-1). Select e, such that 1 Calculate d, such that ed ≠¡ 1 (mod phi). One key is (n, e) and the other key is (n, d). The values of p, q, and phi should also be kept secret. n is known as the modulus. e is known as the public key. d is known as the secret key. Encryption Sender A does the following:- Get the recipient Bs public key (n, e). Identify the plaintext message as a positive integer m. Calculate the ciphertext c = m^e mod n. Transmits the ciphertext c to receiver B. Decryption Recipient B does the following:- Consider his own private key (n, d) to compute the plain text m = c^d mod n. Convert the integer to plain text form. 2.2.3 Digital signing Sender A does the following:- This concept can also be used in digital signing as well. The message to be transmitted is converted to some message digest form. This message digest is converted to encryption form using his private key. This encrypted message digest is transmitted to receiver. Signature verification Recipient B does the following:- Using the sender’s public key, the received message digest is decrypted. From the received message, the receiver independently computes the message digest of the information that has been signed. If both message digests are identical, the signature is valid. Compared with symmetric-key encryption, public-key encryption provides authentication security to the data transmitted but requires more computation and is therefore not always appropriate for large amounts of data. 2.3. Probabilistic encryption schemes In public key encryption there is always a possibility of some information being leaked out. Because a crypto analyst can always encrypt random messages with a public key, he can get some information. Not a whole of information is to be gained here, but there are potential problems with allowing a crypto analyst to encrypt random messages with public key. Some information is leaked out every time to the crypto analyst, he encrypts a message. With probabilistic encryption algorithms [6,11], a crypto analyst can no longer encrypt random plain texts looking for correct cipher text. Since multiple cipher texts will be developed for one plain text, even if he decrypts the message to plain text, he does not know how far he had guessed the message correctly. To illustrate, assume a crypto analyst has a certain cipher text ci. Even if he guesses message correctly, when he encrypts message the result will be completely different cj. He cannot compare ci and cj and so cannot know that he has guessed the message correctly. Under this scheme, different cipher texts will be formed for one plain text. Also the cipher text will always be larger than plain text. This develops the concept of multiple cipher texts for one plain text. This concept makes crypto analysis difficult to apply on plain text and cipher text pairs. An encryption scheme consists of three algorithms: The encryption algorithm transforms plaintexts into cipher texts while the decryption algorithm converts cipher texts back into plaintexts. A third algorithm, called the key generator, creates pairs of keys: an encryption key, input to the encryption algorithm, and a related decryption key needed to decrypt. The encryption key relates encryptions to the decryption key. The key generator is considered to be a probabilistic algorithm, which prevents an adversary from simply running the key generator to get the decryption key for an intercepted message. The following concept is crucial to probabilistic cryptography: 2.3.1 Definition [Probabilistic Algorithm]: A probabilistic algorithm [11] is an algorithm with an additional command RANDOM that returns â€Å"0† or â€Å"1†, each with probability 1/2. In the literature, these random choices are often referred to as coin flips. 2.3.1.1 Chosen Cipher Text Attack: In the simplest attack model, known as Chosen Plaintext Attack (CPA) [5], the adversary has access to a machine that will perform arbitrary encryptions but will not reveal the shared key. This machine corresponds intuitively to being able to see many encryptions of many messages before trying to decrypt a new message. In this case, Semantic Security requires that it be computationally hard for any adversary to distinguish an encryption Ek(m) from Ek(m) for two arbitrarily chosen messages m and m. Distinguishing these encryptions should be hard even if the adversary can request encryptions of arbitrary messages. Note that this property cannot be satisfied if the encryption function is deterministic! In this case, the adversary can simply request an encryption of m and an encryption of m and compare them. This is a point that one should all remember when implementing systems: encrypting under a deterministic function with no randomness in the input does not provide Semantic Security. O ne more crypto analytical model is Chosen Cipher text Attack (CCA) Model. Under the CCA model, an adversary has access to an encryption and a decryption machine and must perform the same task of distinguishing encryptions of two messages of its choice. First, the adversary is allowed to interact with the encryption and decryption services and choose the pair of messages. After it has chosen the messages, however, it only has access to an encryption machine. An advancement to CCA Model is Chosen Cipher text Attack 2 (CCA2). CCA2 security has the same model as CCA security, except that the adversary retains access to the decryption machine after choosing the two messages. To keep this property from being trivially violated, we require that the adversary not be able to decrypt the cipher text it is given to analyze. To make these concepts of CCA CCA2 adoptable in real time environment, recently Canetti, Krawczyk and Nielsen defined the notion of replayable adaptive chosen ciphertext attack [5] secure encryption. Essentially a cryptosystem that is RCCA secure has full CCA2 security except for the little detail that it may be possible to modify a ciphertext into another ciphertext containing the s

Sport And Aggressive Behavior Essay -- essays research papers fc

Sports and Aggressive Behavior Sport and aggressive behavior, Do sports create aggressive behavior, or simply attract people who are already aggressive? Aggression and sport have gone together as long as sports have been around, be it the players themselves, to the parents, coaches, or spectators, they just seem to be an inseparable part of each other. The term violence is defined as physical assault based on total disregard for the well being of self and others, or the intent to injure another person (2. Coakley). Intimidation usually does not cause physical harm, but often is designed to produce psychological consequences, enabling one person to physically over power or dominate another. These statements as defined by the author, Jay J. Coakley, is what people today have made a must part on sport. Pleasure and participation sports absolutely cannot be grouped with power and performance sports when in relation to aggression. Pleasure sports are simply played for pleasure. Score is usually not kept. The athletes p articipating are usually on occasion doing it for fun and exercise. A majority of athletes who have been playing sports since they were little, have probably been pounded into their heads that to be successful in sport, you need to be aggressive, and at some times, unnecessary. Also that to get what you want, you have to go at it with all force. Not that this is wrong but, this attitude in today's society has been a major problem factor to the athletes when they get older, to get into trouble with the law. Those long-term effects of so-called discipline, patterns develop these destructive behaviors. (9. Montague) Although some people are still in belief that aggressive behaviors in all forms are grounded into instincts, but they also relate these actions to sports. Their parents played, who were known for their aggressive behavior, so the child feels that they have to live up to that expectation.( 6. Storr) Athletes do have to be aggressive to a point, so that the team can form a st rategy to win. There is also a limit to aggression when it turns into violence. People might say that it's not aggression or violence, its just adrenaline pumping. Adrenaline isn't even similar to violence. Aggression, maybe, but nothing that would be harmful to anyone else. This might be a factor to why contact sports are so popular. For example, football, hockey, rugb... ...o suffer by an outcome that nobody wants to see, doing away with sports in general. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aggression and Violence, social interactionists perspectives. , Richard B. Felson and James T. Tedeschi 1993 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sport in Society, Issues and Controversies 6th edition, Jay J. Coakley 1998 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anger, Madness, and the Daimaonic; the pyschologists genesis of Violence, evil and creativitiy. Stephen A. Diamond 1996 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A History of Aggression Freud, Paul E. Stepansky 1977 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violent Men; an inquiry into the pychology of violence, Hans Toch 1969 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human Aggression, Anthony Storr 1968 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Creation of Deviance, Interpersonal and organized determinants, Richard Hawkins, Gary Fredman, 1975 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power and Innocence, Rollo May 1972 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Man and Aggression, Ashley Montague 1968 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolescents and their Families, Paths of Ego Development, Stuart T. Hauser, Sally I. Powers, Gil G. Noam 1991

No Christmas :: essays research papers

When Christmas Couldn’t Come   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We lived in the farmhouse until my dad lost his job in 1994. No longer able to afford a mortgage, let alone utilities in the old, drafty house we moved into a smaller house two doors down. My mom called the new house â€Å"cozy† – making the best of a situation I couldn’t begin to understand; words like â€Å"WIC†, â€Å"welfare† and â€Å"debt† meant nothing to me at the time. I missed the barn that longed to be explored, the hill where at eight, I saw my first snowfall and of course, my room. The new house wasn’t mine, it was Miranda’s, a friend who moved away, my room wasn’t mine, it was hers. My mind raced with thousands of questions, all of them pitying myself, feeling bad for Andrea, forgetting about my family, all of them until my mom told the four of us that Christmas couldn’t come that year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The words fell out of my mom’s mouth like hail from a winter sky, pelting me in the face, stinging my entire body. What did she mean Christmas couldn’t come, that we could no longer afford any â€Å"extras†, that things were going to be â€Å"different†? Instantly my eyes swelled with things unfamiliar to a tomboy, my heart raced my shortening breath as I struggled to empathize with my parents, searching for a question, an answer, something to make it better. Before that November day I never thought about money or affording things; I grew up in a upper-middle class family where eating out was a commonality, vacations were assumed and for all I knew money could have grown on tress. I was eleven, self-absorbed in wants and wishes where the new house was a drag not more affordable and sharing a room was suffocating, not compromising. Life, for me, had never consisted in cutting corners or working to make ends meet, I simply lived getting what I wanted, not what I needed. Only after that conversation with my

Cultural differences in communication with groups and teams Essay

The process of passing information from one person to another is complex and a subject of discussion. This is because effective communication is essential for the development of any organization yet it has been marked with many problems, which have far reaching effects. Over time, communication has developed progressively from oral communication to written communication and now to the media and websites but still marked with the same complexity. It is in this interest that this paper is written. It focuses on defining communication, identifying its problems and there causes and giving the possible solutions and recommendations to this problems. Definition Communication refers to an act of passing information from a given source to a recipient through a given medium (Hulkkonen, et al, 2010). It may also be defined as a connection that provides accessibility of two agents or places. For effective communication to occur there must be a source, a medium of transferring the information and a recipient. All the parties involved in communication should have a common interest of passing and receiving information otherwise there will be poor presentation or misinterpretation between the two and the common goal of transferring information will not be achieved (Texas Christian University, 2010). One common mode of communication is oral communication which includes direct speeches, poetry and songs. Secondly, we have nonverbal communication which involves the transfer of wordless information. This can be achieved through body languages such as facial expression and gestures or object communication such as symbols graphics and clothing. Lastly we have media communication which includes the radio, websites and telephones. The choice of the mode of communication to be used depends entirely on the type of information to be transferred, the number of recipients to be involved and the distance between the source and the recipient (Hulkkonen, et al, 2010).. Communication problems Although communication is essential in any society or organizational groups and teams, which is conscious of achieving its goals, many people still continue to struggle to communicate and unfortunately finds they are unable to express their thoughts and ideas efficiently or even lack proper listening skills (Wood, 2009). This inability to communicate effectively can result to misunderstanding and can cause conflict and even war at its worst amongst members with different cultural backgrounds. Another problem of communication is incompetence. Poor interpretation of instruction due to poor presentation of information can lead to misunderstanding in groups and teams or resulting into wrong actions being taken (Yarbrough & O’Rourke, 2009). Still, Poor communication can lead to endless and unnecessary arguments, which are time and energy consuming. The can result to dissatisfaction and lack of commitment among members of a given group or team. Lastly, mistrust among the members can amount to tension in groups and teams further leading to lack of coordination or total collapse of such groups and teams if proper action is not taken.. Causes of communication problem One major cause of communication problem is fear. It is a common trend of human beings to protect their interest. This renders communication impossible because the need to protect our own interest is accompanied by lack of openness (Penn State University, 2007). This can amount to an endless and unnecessary argument because every body will be after his own interest. Another major cause of communication problem is misaligned expectation (Gupta, 2009). This occurs when different members of a given team have different opinions on how things should be done or handled and all thoughts are not properly taken into consideration or harmonized. This can result to a conflict because no matter how they communicate they will never understand each other. Another cause of communication problem is incompetence. It is advisable to have the message clear and specific so that it can be accepted and acknowledged by the recipients. Lack of knowledge of the subject matter can lead to lack of this clarity and specification in the message and hence poor communication (Wood, 2009). Lastly is poor communication skill. Some effort must be put to make sure that the message is effectively passed to the recipient and that it cannot be misinterpreted Alternative solutions to communication problems One way of preventing communicating problems is to build trust among group members. This is aimed at overcoming fear, which was described earlier on as major cause communication problem. Trust is built when one does exactly what he/she is expected to do. In addition to this, it is important to learn good communication skills, appreciate your differences and attain a consensus based on a common goal (Wiethoff, Lumsden, & Lumsden, 2009). Strategies for implementing and evaluating the chosen solutions The above solutions will be declared effective if there will be efficient communication among the involved agents. There should be no misinterpretation of information, unnecessary arguments, any form of confusion or conflict. In addition to this, each and every member of a given team should be satisfied, committed and encouraged to participate for the common goal of the team (Texas Christian University, 2010). All this would be a sign of effective communication in teams and groups. Conclusion In conclusion therefore, effective communication is essential for the better running of any organization in the society. It is therefore important to put more effort in developing good communication skills that will eliminate the above discussed problems and their causes References Gupta, P. (2009). Five Things You Can Do to Manage Cultural Differences in Virtual Teams. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://ezinearticles. com/? Five-Things-You-Can-Do-to-Manage-Cultural-Differences-in-Virtual-Teams&id=2634314 Hulkkonen, J. , et al. (2010). Cultural Differences in Multinational Team Communication in an IT Service Organization. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. outshore. org/LinkClick. aspx? fileticket=9uZxktWCVoc%3D&tabid=58&mid=387 Penn State University. (2007). Building Blocks for Teams: Tips for Effective Communication. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://tlt. its. psu. edu/suggestions/teams/student/communicate. html Texas Christian University. (2010). Communication in Groups and Teams. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. cpeng. tcu. edu. tw/teaching/951/comm/1212-comm. ppt Wiethoff, C. , Lumsden, D. , & Lumsden, G. (2009). Communicating in Groups and Teams: Sharing Leadership. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Wood, J. (2009). Communication in Our Lives. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Yarbrough, B. , & O’Rourke, J. (2009). Leading Groups and Teams. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

My Finished Career Portfolio Essay

1. Introduction–state your industry and what value you anticipate the portfolio will be of to you. The industry that I am most interested in is the Business Administration industry. In interviews, my portfolio will show potential employers the proof of my skills, education, work experience, references, career goals, and works in progress. By providing a career portfolio and highlighting my positives, employers will take me more seriously and know that I take my career seriously. 2. Describe in a two-page paper what exact documents you have in your career portfolio. List them one-by-one. State how it looks to you and how effective you believe this will be. The documents I have in my career portfolio are: Statement of originality and confidentiality Work philosophy My career goals for the next five years My resume, cover letter and reference list with permission from each reference that I may use them for job hunting. I have tabbed sections for the skills that I want to promote such as management, training and communications. I have several letters of recommendation requested from professors and former employers I am working on skill sets lists of the critical skills I have that relate to the jobs I am looking for. This I think is going to be an on the job process when I get hired on by an employer. I have a list of projects and activities that I have in progress in my career portfolio as well. I have official transcripts from obtaining my GED and an unofficial transcript for Everest University to be replaced with the official transcript upon completion of my degree. 3. Have you utilized this as yet during an Interview? I have not had the experience of using my career portfolio in an interview as of yet. 4. Have you also assembled an electronic portfolio?  I have not assembled an electronic career portfolio as of yet. I plan on doing that as soon as I possibly can so that I can utilize that as well when looking for a job in my degree field.

This Is My Most Important Event in My Life

A Significant Event I think in a human life, everyone has a significant event that they can't forget. Mine is a poignant farewell party where I said good-bye to my family, my relatives, and my friends. Everyone was laughing and telling funny stories, but I wanted to be alone. I sat on the roof of my house and looked at the stars. It was very hard to leave. I knew I loved them so much and I didn’t truly want to go to the U. S. ; however, I decided I must go and make my own future. I realized that this was my chance to build my career which would benefit me and my family. It was an emotional evening.I will always remember it. It was a lovely day with a sunny morning, a cloudy afternoon, and a windy evening. That morning, I went to the America Embassy for an appointment with the delegate for an interview to receive my F-1 Visa. Maybe it was my lucky day. There were many people who wanted to get a Visa that day. I had waited more than three hours in the waiting room for my turn. I was nervous about what he would ask me. But the interview was easier than I thought. I passed it with a smile on my face. When my father knew I had passed the interview, he was really happy.He told me he would organize a big farewell party for me, and he did it. He invited all of our relatives and friends. Then we prepared everything for the upcoming party together. When all of us were in my house, we separated two groups. One went to market to buy food and beverages. Another group went to the bakery to buy a big farewell cake. We attended the farewell party with a happy atmosphere. During the evening, we took photos and sang the songs we loved. We had a feast with a diverse menu, which included appetizers, main dishes and the desserts. We were joking while we were cooking and eating.The meal was good, but I really enjoyed our affection for each other. After the dinner, we went to the living room to continue the party with playing cards and video games. After a while, my grandpa be gan telling us some his legend tales. Step by step, everybody told many funny stories that made me laugh too much. I knew everyone was sad that I would be leaving, but they still celebrated because they loved me. I realized it, and I laughed with them because I didn’t want them worry about me. On the other hand, I still wanted to be alone so that I could think about many things.I didn’t even know what I was thinking about. I just wanted to find a quiet space so that I could feel peaceful in my mind. I climbed up, sat on the roof and looked at the stars on the sky. Some thought started appearing in my mind. I knew when I left my country; my parents would be sad and worry about me. I thought about my younger brother, who was still a teenager and hoped he would start studying hard and listening to what my parents said. I was also concerned that I would not see my grandparents anymore because they were very old. I knew I would miss my aunts and uncles also.I thought about my friends and all the good time we’d had together. We still had many plans to perform together. Furthermore, I thought about my future. I might perceive and experience more things in the other culture. In addition, I was able to improve my English skill in listening as speaking. This was my opportunity in order to build my career according to my plan; this also was my chance so that I could found my own company. Otherwise, I would be independent. I imagined that how many troubles I would meet. Not only I didn’t scare, but I also felt interesting.I would figure them out and handled by myself. There were some reasons motivate me that I should left Vietnam to the U. S. That really was my significant event; the first time I seriously thought about a lot of things in one night. And now I realize I have matured more since I came here. I’m becoming a man. I may solve many problems as well as I know how to take care of myself. Nonetheless, I still miss my parents, my a ll relatives. I always want to graduate the University as fast as I can so that I could come back my country and visit all of them.

Jonathon Livingston Seagull Essay

1. The fictional book, Jonathon Livingston Seagull written by Richard Bach, sold over a million copies during its debut in 1970 and stayed on The New York Times Top Ten list for 38 weeks in a row. The story focuses on Jonathon the seagull’s passion for flying and his belief that there is more to life than scavenging for food. Bach explores the idea that there is more to this life than what meets the eye and the extreme satisfaction you receive when doing something you are great at and have a passion for. 2. The setting of this story takes place on some sea shore where thousands of seagulls live. The sea shore setting described in the book really helps to paint a picture of what Jonathon and this flock of seagulls experienced daily, â€Å"It was morning, and the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of a gentle sea.†(Bach pg 3) 3. Jonathon Livingston Seagull is the protagonist in this story with his strong drive and persistence to be different from the flock and to be his own seagull. The antagonists in the story are the Elders of the flocks of seagulls because they are very closed mined leaders and they force Jonathon and other seagulls to be outcast from society and ban them to a life of isolation and despair. Chiang was an Elder Gull that taught Jonathon very specialized flying techniques and improved his skills and taught him things about life. When Jonathon was outcast from the gull community everyone in the community thought that Jonathon was a reckless and irresponsible seagull, so when Jonathon finally returned to the community and everyone saw how amazing his flying skills were they changed their minds and many of them asked to be taught by Jonathon himself which was breaking the gull community law, This is an example of foil characters. â€Å"His thought was triumph. Terminal velocity! A seagull at two hundred and fourteen miles per hours! It was a breakthrough, the greatest single moment in the history of the flock, and in that moment a new age opened for Jonathon Gull.† (pg 16-17) 4. The plot of this story is a traditional plot type. The story ends with the last words of his Jonathon’s teacher, â€Å"Keep working on love.† Through his teachings, Jonathan understands that the spirit cannot be really free without the ability to forgive, and that the way to progress leads for him, at least through becoming a teacher, not just through working hard as a student. So, if any seagull believes that it is free to do what it wants to, it becomes Jonathan the seagull, for whom, possibilities were endless. Every law is an illusion. Once we become conscious of this, our existence gets a new meaning. a. The biggest conflict was Jonathon going against the norm of the seagull community and ultimately getting expelled from the community for his irresponsible acts. â€Å"For his reckless irresponsibility†, â€Å"Violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull family.† (pg 24) b. The situation at the end where Jonathon returned to the breakfast seagull flock was significant because it demonstrated forgiveness and compassion. These gulls hated Jonathon and wanted nothing to do with him and yet he still had the courage to forgive them and even teach them how to fly like he does. â€Å"You have to practice to see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and help them to see it in themselves.†(pg 89) 5. -This book was definitely one of the more inspiring books that made me think out of the box that I have read in quite some time. For example, I really liked one of the messages that implied that if you want to have a fulfilling happy meaningful life you need to stop following the crowd and make your own path even if there are consequences. If you find something that you are good at and enjoy doing stick with it and master it and watch how it will shape you life. -This story uplifted my spirits and motivated my behavior change in several ways. For example, Jonathon Livingston Seagull is a great example to me because not only does he go against the norm and try to learn everything about his passion in life, he also learns forgiveness and compassion for the other seagulls of the community and wants to teach them how to live a wonderful life. I have noticed in my life that I am most happy when I have found something that I love to do and also when I am helping others find that same thing or serving them in some manner and I think Jonathon mastered this aspect of true charity. â€Å"You have to practice to see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and help them to see it in themselves.†(pg 89) 6. In conclusions the book had both strong and weak contributing factors. The strong factors were that it had a very unique, interesting story line that kept the reader interested enough to keep reading. Bach also used implied messages of inspiration and important values in this life which in my opinion was very cool and had a strong plot. Some of the weak factors were that the book almost needed to be read straight through in one sitting to really get the message and make sense. It was not very challenging to read which could be good and bad. The setting was not very descriptive, it basically just took place either in the air or on the sea shore. I think the proper age group for this book would be late high school students and college students and even young adults. Richard Bach impacted me by creating a plot and story line that delivers a messages that anything is possible in life as long as you want it enough and practice at it thus, I am now interested in making some changes in my life. Works Cited Back, Richard. Jonathon Livingston Seagull. New York: Scribner, 1970.