Social Media and Network Security

Social Media and Network Security Mohammad I. Khan GMU Honor Code statement: By placing this statement on my webpage, I certify that I have read and understand the GMU Honor Code on http://oai.gmu.edu/the-mason-honor-code-2/ and as stated, I as a student member of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work. In addition, I have received permission from the copyright holder for any copyrighted material that is displayed on my site. This includes quoting extensive amounts of text, any material copied directly from a web page and graphics/pictures that are copyrighted. This project or subject material has not been used in another class by me or any other student. Finally, I certify that this site is not for commercial purposes, which is a violation of the George Mason Responsible Use of Computing (RUC) Policy posted on http://copyright.gmu.edu/?page_id=301 website. Abstract Social media security is a big concern nowadays and network security itself is another concern. Network security has changed a lot in the recent years. This paper aims to investigate and talk about the public associations on social media networks, the rationale of social practices, the dynamic way of character and protection, the creation and dispersal of social media and network security, the social media network security and the overall network security of the present time. This paper begins with todays social media character and network security for social media. It discusses the nature of network security, system protection, the social networking progression of security. Furthermore, it also describes network security threats, their definition and types, and how we will be benefitted from this, and whats the new network security infrastructure might be in the near future. Also, this paper provides the background, uses, ethical and social issues, advantages and disadvantages of th e network security based on social media sites and network security individually in details. Keywords: Social networking sites; network security; social media and network security Introduction Social media has not only changed the way people interact in the world, but also it is advancing more to make it easier to access. Social networking sites allow people to communicate and remain in contact with friends as well as meet new people. Social media alludes to online communication that takes into consideration client created content as content sound, video, pictures and so on to be distributed in a very versatile way for overall public utilization regularly. It also includes the intuitive exchange with others. Social media is a vital source for sharing social activities. There are various kinds of social media such as Wikis, Blogs, Microblogs, Photo Sharing, Videos, News Feed and so on. Social networking sites are viral; at times, mysterious in nature, prompting social sites being seen as targets for hackers and cyber-criminals recently. Reasons being that online networking itself permits the clients to customize their online identity and share personal information. Along wi th all these things, network security is also a concern nowadays and has a relation with them. Famous social networking sites, for example, Facebook and Twitter have been able to be focused for security attacks. Without network security, we cannot protect our privacy and our stuff on the internet and in the social networking sites. In this paper, I will analyze the current practices of network security for social media services what is network security and the benefit of network security, social networking threats, future of network security, and emphasis on the ethical/legal and social aspects as well as a glimpse at the future security issues facing this area. Background, types and current security threats Network security refers to any kind of activities intended to secure system. In particular, these activities secure the ease of use, integrity, trustworthiness, and safety of the network and information. Compelling network security focuses a variety of threats and prevents them from entering into the network. Network security is refined through software and hardware. The software must be continually updated and figured out how to shield the network from developing threats. A network security system normally comprises of numerous parts. All parts work together, which minimizes maintenance and enhances security. These parts include Anti-virus and anti-spyware, firewall for blocking unauthorized access to the computer, Virtual Private networks (VPN) for providing secure remote access. On the other hand, Social media security is an issue nowadays. Online social networks were especially one of the hackers most loved targets. According to Dong and L.N., network security has turned into th e present spotlight on the improvement of information technology. From all parts of network information security issues, we should first make sense of the variables that trigger network security (Dong, L. N., 2014). According to another research study (2009) accumulated by the US National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), more than 74% of clients unveil individual data, including email addresses and birthdays on their profiles (Express Computer, 2009). Cyber-criminals can take data about anyone from their social networking profile and posts and afterward tailor their assaults taking into account anyones interests and likes. This is known as social engineering and it makes security threats a great deal more hard to perceive. According to Wu, Social Engineering, which relies on exploiting the human element of trust, obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems (Wu, 2012, p.173). With such a large A number of users, Facebook is a target for scams; it can likewise uncover anybodys personal information to their group of friends. Scams on Facebook incorporate cross-site scripting, clickjacking, survey scams and theft of identity. One of the scammers most loved strategies for assault existing apart from everything else is known as cross-site scripting or Self-XSS. Clickjacking is likewise frequently fixing to survey scams which trap users into introducing an application from a spammed link. New Facebook security highlights give assurance against scams and spam. However, tragically theyre primarily incapable. Self-XSS, clickjacking and review tricks basically did not exist only a couple of years back, but rather they now show up on Facebook and other social networks every day. Another study showed that Facebook, for instance, was sued commonly in 2011 which made the firm pay about $20 million to compensate its clients for utilizing their information without explicit permission (Vel murugan Mathiyalagan, 2015). Security threats on social networking sites keep on growing. Another example of social networking site is twitter. It is a micro-blogging site. Even though most shortened URLs are real, if a link redirects anyone to another page that requests a twitter password everybody should leave it immediately for security purpose. Ethical issues related to social networking sites and Network security Social networking permits anybody to share essentially anything on the web. Any business without a social media policy networking approach risks expanding outside security attacks. Here are a few ethical rules a business ought to take after when conveying online: Sharing information which will give anyones brand a positive picture. People need believable information, so they should give them that. This will fabricate trust for business, which can expand leads and clients. When sharing, know about others viewpoints. Be interested in what others need to say. When to react, be reasonable in what we say to make a social prosperity for our business and client connections. Be mindful of who can see our information, what is being shared, and what is being said and partook in regards to our business. If something negative is being shared, investigate it for believability. On the off chance that it is dependable, react to it in a positive style to demonstrate that we think about what is said concerning our business, and that some kind of move is being made to progress. Overall, a business ought to make a positive, trustworthy online nearness for both their own particular advantage and for the advantage of their clients. On the other hand, a security policy is the accumulation of standards that help the clients to carry on in a certain approach to recognizing what is lawful and unlawful to access to ensure computer system in their network. Also, it helps the administrator to ensure that everything in the network system is secure and no one can pulverize or harm the system. So, the security policies are important to big business network. Likewise, without security policies the clients will open websites and these websites may have a virus or worms which will impact to our network function. Moreover, an unapproved individual can access to the network and do the illicit activity which will destroy the system. There is numerous approach to apply security policy. For instance, strong password, use a firewall and so on. However, one of the greatest ethical issues that identified with system is security policy. In some organizations the security policies are apply feebly or in awful way. Secondly, the hacke rs are enormous issue to the network and it is spread quickly in the word for quite a while. For instance, stolen medical insurance record from any organization and they will offer this data to another organization with no authorization. Third, the weak network design security system is gotten to be one of the greatest ethical issue that identified with network. Some administrator in the organizations do not apply enough security to the network, which cause a great deal of unauthorized clients access to network and look over the secret information. It happens because of the weak network security. According to Jayson, Some of Facebooks research on client conduct found that 71% of individuals drafted at least one post that they never posted (Jayson, 2014). Social Implications Social media is potentially the most indispensable segment of the Internet. At the same time, being open and social networking sites makes true worries about protection and security. Social networking sites urge individuals to be more open about their own lives. Besides, things they post stay accessible uncertainly. While most sites permit their clients to control who sees the things theyve posted. Social networking sites are possessed by private organizations, and that they profit by gathering information about people and offering that information on, especially to third party advertisers. Security settings are just intended to shield one from different individuals from the social network, yet they dont shield ones information from the proprietors of the service. Basically, one person is giving every one of his/her information over to the proprietors and believing them with it. There are other reasons also that can expose ones privacy. One study showed that boasting more than 500 mi llion active users around the world, the social networking site is presently being focused by cyber-criminals (Sanchez, 2010). On the other hand, Viruses and malware frequently discover their direction into computers through enticing advertisements. Its better not to click those ads. Secondly, we have to be cautious of whom we acknowledge invitations from while making online network. Sharing our information to individuals we dont know can be hazardous. In case, if we get friend requests from an unknown person, we should not accept the request in the social networking sites. Third, Part of the online networking websites are all the different games and applications. These are also called third party apps. Most of them are unsafe, before giving the application a specific level of consent concerning our information we have to be careful. We have to ensure what the application is viewing and sharing before consenting to the terms. Exposing too much information falls us into trouble. Four th, we have to utilize our security settings properly. Social media sites give us the capacity to limit who has the access to our information. For instance, Facebook gives us a chance to choose who our friends are and what content they can see.   One Consumer Reports says that issues are on the rise 11% of households utilizing Facebook had inconvenience a year ago, which ranges from a more unusual utilizing their login information to online harassment (Fitzpatrick, 2012). Future of social networking and network security The future of security controls on social networks is by all accounts on a promising direction. for example, biometrics system will be installed with two-step verification and enhanced endeavors are being made for securing clients privacy. With thoughts, for example, online ID labels, eye recognition system etc. Conclusion Social network holds colossal control over the lives of people and this force brings a duty of making social network a more secure spot. This must be done when security frameworks are solidly set up without bargaining the wellbeing of clients. References Dong, L. N. (2014). Design of computer information network security system.  Applied Mechanics and Materials, 539, 305-309. doi:  http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.539.305 This is research and reviews that describes the network security systems. Fitzpatrick, A. (2012). Study Says Facebook Privacy Concerns Are on the  Rise Is It Accurate? Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://mashable.com/2012/05/04/facebook-privacy-concerns-study/#vnDzBrKMnqqf This is a website that says about the Facebook privacy and security. Jayson, S. (2014). Social media research raises privacy and ethics issues.  Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/08/data-online-behavior-research/5781447/ This is a newspaper publication that discussed privacy and ethics issue for social media. Social networks: Boon or bane? (2009).  Express Computer, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/217384554?accountid=14541 This is a research and reviews that describes the network security threats. Sanchez, M. (2010, November 10). Know the Security Implications  of Social Media. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://blogs.cisco.com/smallbusiness/know_the_security_implications_of_social_media This blog was created for knowing the security implications of social media. Velmurugan, J. S., Mathiyalagan, P. (2015). SOCIAL NETWORKING THREATS AND  SECURITY ISSUES: AN ENQUIRY. International Journal of Management Research and Reviews, 5(4), 270-274. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/1683315551?accountid=14541 This is a research and reviews on Social networking threats and security issues. Wu, H. (2012). A review of social media security risks and mitigation  techniques.Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 14(2), 171-180.doi:  http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.1108/13287261211232180

The Movie, Real Women Have Curves Essay -- Cinema

Being a curvaceous young woman is hard enough. Especially when you’re trying to find love, you’re seeking approval and anticipating a better future for yourself. The film Real Women Have Curves stresses how important higher education is to a Mexican-American teenager and the wrath she endures from her mother because of her weight and aspiration. Mark Twain stated that, â€Å"Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great† (http://thinkexist.com/quotation/keepaway_from_those_who_try_to_belittleyour/215215.html). I believe I can personally relate to Real Women Have Curves, the reason being is because I’m a daughter, I’m overweight, and I’m seeking a post-secondary education. This is a synopsis of Real Women Have Curves; I’ll reveal why the film is so inspiring to me, I’ll give feedback from movie reviews, and I’ll use documents from my course’s textbook, to fully develop my ideas. Real Women Have Curves is a 2002 movie adapted from a 1987 screenplay by George LaVoo and Josefina Lopez. The film was directed by Patricia Cardoso and produced by LaVoo. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Real Women Have Curves stars America Ferrera as Ana, an intelligent and ambitious 18-year-old who has just graduated from Beverly Hills High School in Los Angeles. Ana’s wish is to attend Columbia University; however, Ana’s mother, Carmen, sees a different future for her. She’s determined that Ana will become a seamstress, at her oldest daughter’s dress store. Carmen even tells Ana’s father, â€Å""I can educate her. I'll teach her how to sew. I'll teach her how to take care of her husband†. Roger Ebert stat... ...f- hollywood-celebrities-what-is-the-average-size-of-a-hollywood- actress-history Ebert, Roger. (2011, January 1). Real women have curves. Retrieved from http://www.metacritic.com/movie/real-women-have-curves Flixster.(2002, October 20). Rotten tomatoes. Retrived from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/real_women_have_curves/#!reviews=all&page=3 Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. K. (2009). Fat as a Feminist Issue. "They say/I say": the moves that matter in academic writing: with readings (pp. 202-203). New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. K. (2009). The Growing College Gap. "They say/I say": the moves that matter in academic writing : with readings (p. 379). New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Thinkexist.com. (1999, January 1). Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/keepawayfromthosewhotrytobelittleyour/215215.html

Wyoming-Colorado Border Wars Essay -- USA Geography History Essays Pap

Wyoming-Colorado Border Wars Deep in the heart of the American West lie two of the largest, most rugged, beautiful states in the nation, both of which have long been engaged in a heated rivalry. North and South from one another, Wyoming and Colorado have been at a border war since before either even gained statehood. With 97,195 square miles, Wyoming is the 10th largest of all 50 states. While the state is vast in land, it is scarce in population. As of 2005, a mere 509,294 residents inhabit â€Å"The Cowboy State† making it the least populated state in the nation (Wyoming facts, demography). Colorado, however, has a population of 4,159,000 according to the 2000 Census. Colorado is the 8th largest state in the nation encompassing 103,598 square miles (Colorado, facts). These â€Å"neighbors† however, have had anything but friendly relations. From water rights to football games, the infamous â€Å"Border War† has raged for over a century and will not likely cease in the near future. Long before interstates, college sports teams and cross-country travelers divided and merged the two states of Wyoming and Colorado, a natural border acted as a divider between the two. Near Carr, Colorado any traveler venturing down Interstate 25 drives directly through Natural Fort. A very interesting and large rock formation, Natural Fort once acted as a rest stop for travelers between Colorado and Wyoming. As cities in both states grew closer to one another it was closed, however, it still acts as a natural border between the two states. Natural Fort served first as the site of a battle between the Blackfeet and Crow Indians. On November 21, 1834 rival tribes, the Crow and Blackfeet, came across one another. Taking refuge within Natural Fort, the B... ...ns to find balance occur more frequently as time goes on. References The Bronze Boot. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from Wyoming Athletics from http://wyomingathletics.com/trads/bronzeboot.html (October 19, 2005). ROTC Traditions Continue During Border War. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from University of Wyoming from http://uwyo.edu/news/showrelease.asp?id=3101 Gibbard, F. (March, 2005). Wyoming v. Colorado: A "Watershed" Decision. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from The Colorado Lawyer from http://www.cobar.org/tcl/tcl_articles.cfm?ArticleID=4063 U.S. Supreme Court. (1940). State of Wyoming v. State of Colorado (309 U.S. 572 (1940), No. 10) from http://waterplan.state.wy.us/BAG/platte/briefbook/LaramieRiver1922.html Natural Fort, Carr, Colorado. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from Wallpaper Dave's Gift Shop from http://wallpaperdave.com/fort.htm

Statement of Purpose/ Personal Statement

The world’s economies are facing many challenges and there is an urgent need for quick, effective solutions to address these never-ending issues in order to safeguard the lives of billions of people whose lives depend on it. Therefore, choosing economics does not come as a surprise given that; for the past seven years I have ensured and built a solid career in accounting which will definitely be applicable in the course. I have grasped the way the accounting system works, how numbers play a big role in the business world and how this figures impact on an individuals or country’s economy. I have chosen to further my education at University of Wyoming undertaking a doctorate in economics because I feel confident that this course will greatly benefit me, it is more than a stepping stone in the advancement of my career and I know my personal qualities of being a hard worker, very resourceful and a great team player can be productively applied. My academic qualifications as seen in my transcripts show that I am passionate when it comes to my studies and always work towards achieving good grades. I attended King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia (2001-2005) where I successfully graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting. In 2007, I enrolled at Johnson and Wales University, USA where I am currently pursuing my Masters in Business Administration specifically in Global Business Leadership with concentrations in accounting. In my studies I have gained knowledge on a number of areas that are essential in this course which include: auditing, corporate taxation, strategic and effective communication, laws of accounting, professional ethics, and strategic services in marketing and financial management. All this and some of the undergraduate courses especially the few arts disciplines and research will go a long way in helping me understand the course more. My work experience at Almutawa Press Company from 2002 to 2005 gave me an opportunity to know how businesses operate and how the skills we learn in school are very necessary in any organization. I am very reliable when it comes to completing tasks and in meeting tight and strict deadlines. Furthermore, I can multi-task and prioritize and my pride lies in a job well done. I possess a highly dependable attitude that is both strong and professional which enables me to strive and excel in a fast paced, high volume and stressful working environment. Other than education and work, I have had the privilege of learning and living in a different country from where I was born and this has enabled me to interact with people from different parts of the world. I have embraced different cultures and practices and my experiences with them have made me a better person in terms of being more knowledgeable in matters other than academics and at the same time appreciative of other people’s views on life as well as knowing how different economies operate with regards to the policies they use. I have great plans for my future since my aim is to come up with better economic policies that will be used all over the world and work with great companies and individuals. It will be a great honor joining and advancing my career at University of Wyoming and be part of a world class teaching and research institution that is focused on helping people build their careers professionally while equipping them with skills that last a life time.

George Gittoes White Earth Essay

George Gittoes’ art piece, White Earth is a dramatic oil on canvas depicting the political corruption a 15 year old boy had been pressured into. Gittoes, the renowned Australian artist has always created his pieces by inspiration of his life experiences. He has an immense passion for art and humanity so being an eye witness to suffrage of humanity all over the world is conveyed in his work. White Earth is another successful and captivating work. Gittoes was witness to an Afrikaaner – Weerstands Beweging (AWB) Rally in South Africa of April 1994, where he saw a 15 year old boy submerged in the propaganda of Nazi in youths. The young boy gets on the stage silent with resentment as photographers begin to infinitely snap at him. Gittoes’ sympathy for the boy is emphasized as he retells them â€Å"raping and torturing† him. Too young to understand the political corruption he is stuck between being used by the ABW and being tortured by the international press. Trapped, as the victim of this controversial saga, his only escape is to close his eyes, however it is impossible to close his to ears to the Hate Speech delivered by Terre Blanche. Gittoes sympathized for his entrapment and compelling distressed state, so he depicts and dramatically distorts this experience through the art piece, White Earth. Being one to love expressionism, his passion for it gives meaning to convey and express emotions and feelings. He exaggerates the boy giving specific detail and emphasis to his ears. The distortion of his ears expresses the impossibility of closing his now larger ears. The figure to the right is racist Terre Blanche driving the propaganda into him, taking advantage of his naà ¯ve and young position. Distinct lines and vibrant colours on the boys face determine his resentment and struggle in his entrapment of what is around him. Once again George Gittoes amazes us with his brilliant techniques and skills. The strokes and their positioning all are part of his meaning in this sad  piece. Distortion not only occurs in his ears but all over his body, he appears larger as if we had grown up, Gittoes portraying his growth is too fast and unnatural due to the boy’s youth and already ‘political career’. White Earth along with many of George Gittoes’ work depicts inhumanity, suffrage and the struggle of people everywhere. It is on of his best works portraying the struggle of a boy stuck between two corruptions and expressing his longing to escape the entrapment. Art lovers all over the world have passion for this renowned piece and those hating suffrage and inhumanity will also be touched by this intricate story ever so sad yet breathtaking piece, by the profound and magnificent George Gittoes.

Future of software engineering Essay

The term â€Å"Software Engineering† implies a literal meaning of the mechanics and the engineering aspects of building and deploying a software or program. However, the topic of this paper is to justify and explain the future support that organizational goals can get in the organization’s workings. The paper will be presenting the aspects of software engineering as a tool for helping organization’s fulfilling their goals. The area selected for this paper is â€Å"Decision Support Systems† i. e. the importance and suitability of such systems will be discussed as the future of software engineering. Decision support systems (DSS) will be defined in greater detail in the accompanying sections and their advantages and disadvantages will be highlighted in the final chapter. It is important to note that DSS’s are under-used in the world in terms of quantity as well as efficiency. There are very few organizations in the world that house a fully up-and-working DSS and use it extensively for the purpose of analyzing and summarizing data. The logical details of a DSS are also laid down in this paper that can lead to the relation of such systems with our topic and justify their future uses in achieving organizational goals and objectives. The level where DSS operate is also well-differentiated and the general misconceptions held about these systems are also explained to avoid confusions and expose their real job and workings. CHAPTER 2 Decision Support Systems are those systems that give an organization the edge in making decisions and understanding data by making it meaningful in a presentable and summarized output. These systems assist in the general decision making; they do not make or propose the decisions, as is the general misconception about them. Their job is to gather data, process it in pre-defined formats, accompany related information and present in an easy-to-read and user-friendly format. These systems basically cater to the needs of the executives who do not possess enough time to read all source data and need the top view of figures or data in order to shape up decisions. Thus, DSS organize data and fulfill management needs by using modeling software and/or simulation to produce reports and ad hoc queries consuming up data and raw facts and churning out meaningful information and figures. There is no restriction on the organization level on which a DSS can be installed and similarly a DSS can cater to a variety of organizational needs and objectives from all levels within the organization (Marakas, 2002). DSS are systems that take in raw facts and figures, process them, analyze and summarize those figures providing the top view or the analysis of that entire data set. Now it should be understood that the data taken by a DSS for analyzing purpose is not the basic data contained in organizational tables and files. In fact, this data is partially processed: it is the output from a Management Reporting System (MRS). An MRS is used to generate grouped reports at the Operational level (Marakas, 1998). An example would include the hours worked by each employee during a particular month. It should be understood that there is no bias or conditional filter used in disseminating the data produced by an MRS. Hence, the DSS is fortunate enough to lay its hands on data that is predominantly raw and organized. This leads to significant time saves in terms of organizing data by understanding its relevance and scope. An MRS produced report has a narrow scope (Marakas, 1998). However, DSS reports and documents are more long-lasting and can be used for future referencing. In fact, a DSS is used to produce summaries of work over time periods defined by the management or automatically set. These reports are then archived and are useful in personal analysis of trends and performance. DSS assist management in doing Trend-Analysis, forecasting and taking decisions based on the analyzed results (Holsapple and Whinston, 1996). It should be stressed again that the primary purpose of these systems is to gather data, organize it and produce analytical views that management can use in fuelling their decisional justifications. The main idea of a DSS being installed is that it can get its data from a variety of sources and still produce one summary useful for the decision. This means that managers no longer need to look at three or four different reports and spend hours trying to make sense out of them. A single composite report created by an intelligent system such as a DSS can help save time, productivity and make decision making timely and effective. This is the main aim and function of a DSS: to provide summarized and timely data for analytical purposes grouped into well-defined areas for inference (Marakas, 2002). The reporting format of a DSS is highly flexible. It can be structured or unstructured depending on the scenario, the person being reported to and the situation where the reporting is to be carried out. Although the question about the type of report is a secondary issue, the primary concern is the type of decision that can be taken using a DSS. Here again, no restrictions or barricades on the of decision, which can be anything between structured and unstructured, including a hybrid (semi-structured). DSS possess the capability to analyze data in four distinctive ways (Marakas, 2002): 1. What-If Analysis: Changing a variable and analyzing its effects on other dependent variables in the same time or work domain. 2. Sensitivity Analysis: Keeping all variables constant, except one, and noting down its individualistic effects on the output. 3. Goal-seeking Analysis: Opposite of What-If. It is done by setting the goal and looking at what changes need to be done to reach that goal. 4. Optimization Analysis: Using constraints defined by the management, it seeks for a possible set of solutions or optimizations DSS are intelligent data processors, not data creators. Without input data, DSS cannot perform any inferential tasks. Just like a car is useless without fuel, irregardless of the model and functions, a DSS, however much efficient and strong, is useless without input data and raw facts that are impediment for the decision-making and analysis purposes. CHAPTER 3 A Decision Support System is primarily for the tactical level in an organization, nevertheless it can well adapt to the other levels. It can be even be used in a hybrid of levels gathering data from one level, analyzing it and reporting it to another level. In this way, a DSS can contribute towards organizational objectives very aptly (Thompson, 1999). The fully functional DSSs in The world are a strong reflection of the fact that a DSS can really help a company to overcome its Information Reporting problems and become a leading firm in is business on the basis of the jobs performed by a DSS enabling workforce efficiency and effectiveness. The DSS works on the principle of arranging data so that inferences can be made as quickly and as easily as possible. Imagine the future corporate world without a DSS. A weary manager leading a bored, monotonous workforce that is dilapidated with the over burdening of compiling data from every nook and corner and making it meaningful and presentable to their bosses (Thompson, 1999). A DSS allows for the generation of routine reports as easy as it is to click on the Print button. The fact that a DSS allows for repeatable, routine and scheduled reports to be produced without the interference of any person makes its usage and relevance even more pronounced. The application of a DSS transforms greatly the way in which an organization works to achieve its organizational goals. Take the example of 4 workers divided in a hierarchical manner striving for the collection of data and organizing it. After this organizing, this data is given to another 2 workers who then process it and present it to the management. With a DSS in place, the job definitions change: only 1 worker from the upper hierarchy is required to monitor formats and give commands timely. Another worker is needed to key in the data, as it is automatically organized. This reduces the job for 3 lower workers and 1 upper worker. You might say, bad. But looking on the brighter side, these 4 employees’ forces and skills can be polished on another branch: say, the marketing department (Marakas, 2002). Now that brings the organization more closely and quicker to fulfilling its short-term goals, which are just a break-down of the overall long-term goals. DSS allow for Business Process Re-engineering. This means that a DSS can be implemented for a key strategy or technical change in the methodologies and the system specifications f the current work methods and practices. This may sound too subjective to be understood in a practical corporate environment. How do several firms manage a turnaround in their sales and efficiency by keeping the same bunch of employees, the same size of plants, marketing strategies and same old buyers? The answer is Business Process Re-engineering (Marakas, 1998). This means changing the old ways or trading them with new ones that are according to the practices required by the DSS implementation. A classic example is the retailer who did not have any inventory control and alarm system and was often low in certain inventory when it was high and demand and had excess of another when its season was off. After the implementation of a DSS, it was able to act an alarm system that gave beeps when certain inventory levels receded; no this conception is false. It was actually a reporting system that could use sales data and produce individualistic item reports. It simply meant that the retailer could now generate reports on the sales of his individual items on his list and compare it with what he expected each item to spend in his store. After looking at a couple or more reports, he can, ideally, identify the general time each type of grocery took to be sold and the time periods when certain inventory was needed and what was the best time to hold up more inventories considering the future aspects. One might argue as to the effectiveness of such a DSS as described above and point out the costs involved in setting up a DSS. But, believe me, in the long run, there will be a point where the decisions made using the information churned out by the DSS will result in significant cost savings and greater sales for the retailer since the retailer will now be having a fairer idea of each type of inventory and the time it took for it to be converted into sales. It is worth noting, that there was no change of inventory, marketing, employees or shop; only the DSS was implemented and BPR was carried out that lead to the retailer creeping more steadily towards his personal goals. Competition is the key for survival in today’s world, be it any industry. Globalization has meted out a strong barrier to entry for smaller firms into the global market and the existing big fishes are also finding it hard to compete with global giants. Here, comes the need and advantage of a DSS. A DSS makes it possible for an organization to keep its maintain its grip on the market as well as blesses new entrants with the opportunity to seize the market share from big giants on the basis of the reporting system they use. What do all companies have in common? Reporting that leads to Decision making. And what is the basic job of a DSS? Information organization and Reporting. So why not combine something needy with something that can fulfill the formers needs. Common sense and simple logic make it more than evident that a DSS is best suited for the achieving of organizational goals and objectives. This logic can be derived from the fact that quicker and more effective decisions fuelled by organized information will lead to strategic edges in competition and success (Marakas, 2002). History has borne testimony to the fact that often big giants in the market look to buying up small ventures in the market owing to them posing serious threats to their future goals and survival. Now the question that lies here is: what makes these small ventures so important in the eyes of big companies in that they regard them as threats, given the difference in their sizes and market shares? It must be the technology: specifically DSS and Expert Systems. While discussing the latter is beyond the scope and requirement of this paper, I would like to reinstate the use of DSS in the meeting of organizational goals and objectives. As a final bow, I would like to re-emphasize the fact that the tried-and-tested formula of the implementation of a DSS to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in company goal achieving capabilities has never been proved wrong in any major investment and changeover. Thus, we can safely assert that a DSS is essentially a valuable contributor and facilitator towards the achievement of organizational goals and objectives in a timely and successful manner (Marakas, 1998). CHAPTER 4 In compendium, I would like to end my discussion with the futuristic advantages as well as the disadvantages a DSS holds. Generally speaking, there are more visible advantages of a DSS than disadvantages owing to their easy-to-use nature and the variety of jobs they can perform. The most important advantage of a DSS is the use of data and producing a timely report that can be used to justify and influence organizational decisions. On a futuristic outlook, time will become more and more scarcer and decisions will have to me made more quickly if they are to have any impact. If managers are left doodling over 300 files to understand a trend and then make a decision then it is highly likely that at the end of the day, the company will be losing out to businesses using DSS’s (Holsapple and Whinston, 1996). This is due to the high level of automatic dissemination and organization of data done by a DSS that enables it to cater to the format and the needs of specific informational roles and managerial positions. The flexibility of a DSS will allow its extensive future use for organizational goals. A DSS does not mean a system that only produces analytical reports and stops. There is more to it. The DSS also records the decisions made and stores results of decisions and retrieves such data for future decision making purposes. An example would be when a manager was in a problem to decide on price cuts in order to remain competitive. The manager did not cut the price, and soon enough, there was a 65% sales cut. Instantly, the management decided to cut the prices but were still only able to recover just 60% of the lost sales. Slowly, they progressed, lucky enough not to go out of business. In the future, when a similar situation persists, the DSS will show the past decision along with the outcome. It is important to note here also, that in line with our past definitions of a DSS being a decision facilitator, not a decision maker, the DSS will just provide the course of action taken previously, and will not propose the manager to take the step of cutting prices as it had lead to a worsening period for the company. The decision still lies at the hands of the manager who can again decide to retain prices owing to a difference of situation or other factors. The variety of data that a DSS can handle is commendable (Holsapple and Whinston, 1996). It can be configured to use several data sources easing down managerial work. Time, efficiency and ease of work all lead directly to a guarantee of achieving organizational goals, since if decisions are made on time, with good hindsight and information, they are bound to be successful and contribute towards standards set to be met by the organization. Futuristic advantages of a DSS include giving one company a strategic edge over another through the effective use of a DSS which enables them to gather information from wide sources and work with them quickly in order to produce meaningful results that can be used to trigger well-timed decisions. DSS makes Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) a possibility, a process where the core activities and components of an organizational work flow or department are re-designed to improve their effectiveness towards organizational goal achieving. A possible disadvantage of a DSS might be their stagnancy with newer data types and the need to define reporting formats and the types of reports it can produce. A coffee maker knows how to make coffee. Similarly, a DSS cannot be programmed to work with data types as they come. It has to be informed, which is done in the designing phase, and once its made, there is no automatic way in which it can align itself to a data type without it having been configured earlier. So there is the need for redefinitions. On the positive outlook, a DSS is a well-oiled machine that is a very important part in running the organizational motors nonchalantly and stopping errors and inefficiency becoming an impediment to organizational goals and objectives (Thompson, 1999). The future is not happening without the use of a DSS, for sure. It is imperative that DSS be taken on into the future since it is an efficient part required to keep the wheels of efficiency and effective time management ticking on. REFERENCE: 1. Brooks Jr. , F. P. (1987). No silver bullet: essence and accidents of software engineering, IEEE Computer, 20(4), pp.10-19. 2. Marakas, George M. (2002). Decision Support Systems(2nd Edition) 3. Marakas, George M. (1998). Decision Support Systems in the 21st Century. 4. Holsapple, Clyde W. and Whinston, Andrew B. (1996). Decision Support Systems: A Knowledge Based Approach. 5. Thompson, J. Barrie (1999). Here, There and Everywhere: The Future of Software Engineering Education. Twenty-Third Annual International Computer Software and Applications Conference, from http://csdl2. computer. org/persagen/DLAbsToc. jsp? resourcePath=/dl/proceedings/&toc=comp/proceedings/compsac/1999/0368/00/0368toc. xml&DOI=10. 1109/CMPSAC. 1999. 812708

How Sweet and Honorable It Is: A Euphemism of War? Essay

Dulce Et Decorum Est is a poem written by a young British Army soldier of the World War I turned poet Wilfred Edward Salter Owen. He was once commended as one of the most important figures in twentieth century and known as one of the best poets, he is also called as the Greatest War Poet in English Language as most of his literary pieces tackle stories of war and relevant topics. Owen wrote the said poem on 1917 during the First World War while he was on military service and tells accounts based primarily on his personal experience and points of view towards war. However, the poem has made available in public three years after Owen got killed in 1918, days before the ceasing of the same war that he condemned. It was published posthumously to honor the author. Analytically, the meaning of the poem Dulce Et Decorum Est has to be a euphemistic narration of war with the purpose of either to promote patriotic deeds of the soldiers or to condemn the act of war per se. Perhaps, the author wanted the reader to provide the right justification and/or connotation about the poem itself whether it has intentionally written to comfort the soldier as the old saying tells how noble it is to die for one’s own country, or sees the other way around, which is to point out something like it is really useless to end one’s life in a battle just like that. The title of the poem alone depicts ironic truth as the Latin phrase Dulce Et Decorum Est has the literal meaning â€Å"How Sweet and Fitting It Is†. Even if it is a commending statement, it could also signifies sarcasm as he questions how sweet and fitting would it really be to die for something. Originally, the phrase has to be written like this: Dulce Et Decorum Est: Pro Patria Mori, which has the accurate meaning â€Å"How Sweet and Honorable It Is to Die For Your Country! †, as the author excerpted this phrase from Quintus Horatius Flaccus’ third book among his four books of poem published on 23 B. C. , which entitled Odes or Carmina in Latin language. Owen’s narrative poem all began on the first line of the first stanza â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks† which gives us descriptions that in real battle, odd feeling and uncomfortable situation of the ones involved in the chaos especially the soldiers, who are half-standing and half-lying, truly happens. Being in a chaotic war is never easy, and that is what the author trying to tell us. The word â€Å"double† in it offers a feeling of both the physical tiredness and emotional numbness at the same time, which the person involved could not just simply be withdrawn from and got nowhere to run. As the first stanza offers physical and emotional torture being in a battle, the second stanza denotes psychological agony. â€Å"Gas! GAS! Quick boys! † With this narrative, the author wants the reader to feel the state of panic and the urgency that has inflicted once in the midst of a chaotic ambiance where everyone struggles to survive. This could be the reason behind the usage of capital letters and exclamation points on the first line of the second stanza. The third stanza, though it is the shortest stanza of the poem having only two short lines, illustrates clear and dramatic picture of the speaker’s encounter of a dying colleague in his dreams, or should we say nightmare, and how they both felt helpless in the traumatic situation. â€Å"In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. † Here, we can see that although the war is over, the tragic familiarity of the speaker still haunts him as a sign of trauma even when he’s asleep. Thus, the war creates pain and suffering to the soldiers not only during war but moreso, even when the war is long ended. On the last stanza, the speaker addresses â€Å"you† which denotes direct involvement to the reader. He wishes to personally make an appeal to the public, particularly to the next generation, that the heroic deed of patriotically dying for the sake of one’s country is nothing but purely euphemistic act of injustice and pointless death because such kind of death could be preventable. He concluded the poem by stating the irony of the title Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori, which he emphasized as an â€Å"old lie†. Wilfred Owen got many strong points in this poem that whoever read the text might be involved. Weakness if there’s any, has not obviously seen which make Owen surpass the level of being an amateur poet. The poem was simply a silhouette of Owen’s stand against the ongoing war that his audience would surely agree. Historians and students find this work very significant for the study of History to deeply understand World War I and the people behind it. R E F E R E N C E S Owen, Wilfred. 1997. Dulce Et Decorum Est. Modern History Sourcebook: World War I Poetry. http://www. fordham. edu/halsall/mod/1914warpoets. html#owen21 (accessed October 1, 2008). Barnhill, Candace. 2005. Wilfred Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est. http://people. smu. edu/cbarnhil/ENGLISH/ENGL2327/engl2327. htm (accessed October 1, 2008). Osondu, Emmanuel. 2008. Biography: Wilfred Owen. Helium, Inc. http://www. helium. com/items/1167412-biography-wilfred-owen (accessed October 1, 2008).