Person Who Made an Impact in My Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Person Who Made an Impact in My Life - Essay Example He had also lived a moral life, that his integrity is beyond reproach. He is also a very good family man. He has a wife who loves him and whom he loves back, with children who equally loves and respects him and are also motivated to excel in their chosen fields of endeavors. This is the reason why I kept on pushing myself to do better in school and to study different fields of endeavor because I know that to do good in my chosen career, I have to prepare myself well through a good and multi-disciplined education. As a student, my uncle was a scholar and had different degrees. His academic preparation enabled him to excel in his chosen career. I am doing the same thing today. I am trying my best to do well in school and to expose myself in the different field of studies to make myself a well-rounded professional when I have graduated later and embarked on a professional career. I consider myself lucky because I realize this lesson early in my life. I know that all this hard work, all this perseverance that I am exerting will pay off when I graduated in school because this will prepare me well to excel in my chosen field of endeavor. I am hoping that when I have already graduated in school, I will be successful like him both in my professional and personal life. Essay B: The Recent Financial Crisis (issue of importance to me) When I ask what recent issue I consider important that has significance to me, my family and the community at large, I cannot help but talk about the recent financial crisis. The crisis made the lives of a lot of people difficult. There were people I know personally who lost their jobs and their homes, and young as I am, I felt how desperate the situation was. Perhaps the recent financial difficulty that everybody experienced during the recent crisis made the young people in this generation to mature early. We began to worry about our future and this country when we only used to think about ourselves. Suddenly, we were thinking about politic al issues and responsibilities because we saw how some families disintegrate with the crisis and cannot help to wonder how the crisis happened. People of my age became aware and realized how vulnerable our country to crisis. When we begin to think like that, perhaps it is safe to surmise that we matured early. Personally, the recent financial crisis sparked my curiosity to inquire about what caused the crisis that made people lost their jobs and their homes. I was dismayed to know that the root cause of the financial crisis was the greed of a few people that eventually took the toll in our economy. I will no longer discuss the details of the root cause of the crisis so as not to consume space in this paper but suffice to say that had the financial professionals been ethical in their practice and considered beyond themselves, the crisis would not have happened. In a way, my inquiry on what caused the recent financial crisis had taught me how important it is to be ethical in our profe ssional practice because a profession’s collective misdemeanor will have an impact not only in their respective industry but also on the economy as a whole. I learned that the lack of ethics in ones professional practice will make people distrustful not only in our industry but also in our economic system as a whole.  Ã‚  

How to Write a Case Study Essay Example for Free

How to Write a Case Study Essay Wetting Balance TestingSolderability Testing Analysis Components -PWB- Assemblywww. standsgroup. com Requisite OrganizationFree research and information from the RO International Institute. www. requisite. org Novi Team BuildingIdealna zabava za zaposlene. Novo u Srbiji Bumper Ballswww. vekoldmc. com Business School Ads †¢ Case Study Business †¢ Business Case Study †¢ Swot Analysis Strategic †¢ Personal Swot Analysis †¢ Swot Analysis When writing a case study analysis, you must first have a good understanding of the case study. Before you begin the steps below, read the case carefully, taking notes all the while. It may be necessary to read the case several times to fully grasp the issues facing the company or industry. Once you are comfortable with the information, begin the step-by-step instructions offered below to write a case study analysis. Time Required: Varies Heres How: 1. Investigate and Analyze the Company’s History and Growth. A company’s past can greatly affect the present and future state of the organization. To begin your case study analysis, investigate the company’s founding, critical incidents, structure, and growth. ( Erwin) 2. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses Within the Company. Using the information you gathered in step one, continue your case study analysis by examining and making a list of the value creation functions of the company. For example, the company may be weak in product development, but strong in marketing. ( Ria) 3. Gather Information on the External Environment. The third step in a case study analysis involves identifying opportunities and threats within the company’s external environment. Special items to note include competition within the industry, bargaining powers, and the threat of substitute products. ( Vince) 4. Analyze Your Findings. Using the information in steps two and three, you will need to create an evaluation for this portion of your case study analysis. Compare the strengths and weaknesses within the company to the external threats and opportunities. Determine if the company is in a strong competitive position and decide if it can continue at its current pace successfully. ( Rod) 5. Identify Corporate Level Strategy. To identify a company’s corporate level strategy for your case study analysis, you will need to identify and evaluate the company’s mission, goals, and corporate strategy. Analyze the company’s line of business and its subsidiaries and acquisitions. You will also want to debate the pros and cons of the company strategy. ( Joyce) 6. Identify Business Level Strategy. Thus far, your case study analysis has identified the company’s corporate level strategy. To perform a complete analysis, you will need to identify the company’s business level strategy. (Note: if it is a single business, the corporate strategy and the business level strategy will be the same. ) For this part of the case study analysis, you should identify and analyze each company’s competitive strategy,  marketing strategy, costs, and general focus. ( Kristy). 7. Analyze Implementations. This portion of the case study analysis requires that you identify and analyze the structure and control systems that the company is using to implement its business strategies. Evaluate organizational change, levels of hierarchy, employee rewards, conflicts, and other issues that are important to the company you are analyzing. (Result pros cons c/o Mark) (Computations c/o Ira) 8. Make Recommendations. The final part of your case study analysis should include your recommendations for the company. Every recommendation you make should be based on and supported by the context of your case study analysis. (All Tips: 1. Know the case backwards and forwards before you begin your case study analysis. 2. Give yourself enough time to write the case study analysis. You dont want to rush through it. 3. Be honest in your evaluations. Dont let personal issues and opinions cloud your judgement. 4. Be analytical, not descriptive. 5. Proofread your work! What You Need †¢ A case study †¢ Instructions from your professor †¢ Writing tools †¢ Quiet time.

Pearl Harbor :: essays research papers

PEARL HARBOR AMERICA ENTERS THE WAR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  December 7, 1941, â€Å"A date that will live in infamy,† was the name that our President gave the worst military attack ever on United States soil, Pearl Harbor. It all started in May 1940, when Japan sent Kiichi Gunji to the newest Pacific Battle Ship Port. We chose to read this book because we both are interested in Pearl Harbor and the new movie about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A major incident in the book Pearl Harbor was how the Japanese got all of the information it needed to attack the United States. They came over by a cruse ship from Japan to Hawaii and went around Hawaii like tourists. Yoshikawa and Mikami was the main spy who went around the island in a taxi with the driver named Kotoshirodo. They spied from several spots but liked the pier at Pearl City the best. He liked it so much because he could see the Pearl Harbor and the naval air strips on Ford Island from there. He went every so often so he did not make anyone too suspicious and also made sure he never went in the same clothing each time he went. He sent all the information he gathered and sent it back to Japan to be looked over. These spies where a major part of the story and the way the book ended. Another major event in this story is when the author talked about Yamamoto’s Operation Hawaii and all the problems with them. In February 1941, Commander Minoru Genda was assigned to Yamamoto’s Operation Hawaii. His comment was the plan was difficult but not impossible; but he turned down a lot of Yamamoto’s idea. Some ideas he didn’t keep were: the plans would take off from carriers about 500 miles from Hawaii. They would not have enough gas to make the trip there and back to the carrier ships, so Yamamoto’s plans to fly towards the carriers until their gas ran out and ditch in the Pacific, was scrapped. Genda wrote up a new plan that had the attack starts at dawn and should be a total surprise. Carriers would refuel at sea at Midway Island, and the planes would drop torpedo, dive, and high-level bombing on the United States ship and planes. Pearl Harbor :: essays research papers PEARL HARBOR AMERICA ENTERS THE WAR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  December 7, 1941, â€Å"A date that will live in infamy,† was the name that our President gave the worst military attack ever on United States soil, Pearl Harbor. It all started in May 1940, when Japan sent Kiichi Gunji to the newest Pacific Battle Ship Port. We chose to read this book because we both are interested in Pearl Harbor and the new movie about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A major incident in the book Pearl Harbor was how the Japanese got all of the information it needed to attack the United States. They came over by a cruse ship from Japan to Hawaii and went around Hawaii like tourists. Yoshikawa and Mikami was the main spy who went around the island in a taxi with the driver named Kotoshirodo. They spied from several spots but liked the pier at Pearl City the best. He liked it so much because he could see the Pearl Harbor and the naval air strips on Ford Island from there. He went every so often so he did not make anyone too suspicious and also made sure he never went in the same clothing each time he went. He sent all the information he gathered and sent it back to Japan to be looked over. These spies where a major part of the story and the way the book ended. Another major event in this story is when the author talked about Yamamoto’s Operation Hawaii and all the problems with them. In February 1941, Commander Minoru Genda was assigned to Yamamoto’s Operation Hawaii. His comment was the plan was difficult but not impossible; but he turned down a lot of Yamamoto’s idea. Some ideas he didn’t keep were: the plans would take off from carriers about 500 miles from Hawaii. They would not have enough gas to make the trip there and back to the carrier ships, so Yamamoto’s plans to fly towards the carriers until their gas ran out and ditch in the Pacific, was scrapped. Genda wrote up a new plan that had the attack starts at dawn and should be a total surprise. Carriers would refuel at sea at Midway Island, and the planes would drop torpedo, dive, and high-level bombing on the United States ship and planes.

Illicit Trade and Drug Trafficking Proving to be a Major Problem Essay

Illicit Trade and Drug Trafficking Proving to be a Major Problem Drug trafficking and illicit trade have proven to be major problems that the international community face as it enters into the twenty-first century. Currently the illegal drug trade market is one of the largest sectors of the modern global economy. Because of this fact, the drug trade is deeply rooted in many nations economic and social cultures, which makes it very difficult to control. Drug trafficking also brings with it the problems of organized crime money laundering, corruption, and violence. In 1999, the United Nations Economic and Social Council warned that the international drug trade was brutal, dangerous, and ruthless for those involved with its actions, as well as those trying to enforce restrictions against it. In the debate over the international illicit drug trade, many have argued that the current situation is based on a supply and demand. The international business of narcotics produces around 400 billion dollars in trade each year, which accounts for almost 10% of all worldwide trade. With that in mind, over the past decades the problem with the illicit trafficking of drugs has been based mainly on the supply of narcotics to the international community. Many nations such as Thailand, Laos, Pakistan, Morocco, Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia are heavily dependant upon the profits of the international drug trade. The United Nations has been continuously involved in stressing the need for governments to reduce production and supply of illicit drugs. However, many nations rely on the profits of the international drug trade as a sustaining force in their economies; this has proven to be a very difficult task. Over time, the problem with illicit drug trade has worsened, over the last decade the production of opium and marijuana nearly doubled, and the production of cocaine tripled. The increase in the demand for drugs, has led to the increase in production of synthetic drugs as well as an increase in the profits for those involved in the drug trade themselves. With the demand for drugs on the rise throughout the international community the time has come for problem solving bodies such as the United Nations to step in and take action. Past United Nations Actions For the past decade the United Nations has been heavily involved in the fight against the illicit drug... ...d NGOs to encourage farmers to reduce the cultivation of illicit opium in favor of alternative crops, but more action needs to be taken.  · Middle Eastern Bloc With the rise of the black market and mafia in certain areas, drug consumption has taken a major rise in recent years. Demand for opium, cannabis, heroin and cocaine have risen drastically. The governments within this region must focus on the stronger law enforcement and restriction of corruption especially in transit countries. . Policy Questions  · What systems or programs does your country support relating to drug trade and control?  · What, if anything, has your country done in the past to help deal with illicit drug trade?  · Does your country rely on illicit drug trade for its economy?  · What has your nation done in collaboration with the United Nations or other independent NGO’s to combat illicit drug trade? Research Here are some good sites for research- http://www.state.gov/g/inl http://www.unesco.org/most/ds22eng.htm http://www.unesco.org/most/ds22eng.htm http://www.unesco.org/most/ds22eng.htm And don’t forget the Mira Costa MUN site http://www.cyberverse.com/~costamun/ GOOD LUCK!

Key Success Factors †Organizational Culture Essay

In this assignment we introduce the idea that the organizational culture is the personality of an organization which can be defined, measured, sustained and changed and have an important impact on an organization’s effectiveness. We want to define organizational culture as it is presented by two theorists, indicate levels of expressions of culture in an organization, and provide specific strategies or tools to modify organizational culture. We know that every individual has something that psychologists have termed â€Å"personality†. An individual’s personality is made up of a set of relatively permanent and stable traits. When we describe someone as innovative, relaxed, warm or conservative, we are describing personality traits. An organization, too, has a personality, which we call the organization’s culture. Organizational culture is an important situational variable that influence all members of an organization to various degrees, so it is important to have a sound understanding of this construct to manage and work effectively in an organization. In this paper project we want to define organizational culture as it is presented by two theorists, indicate levels of expressions of culture in an organization, and provide specific strategies or tools to modify organizational culture. Chapter IDefinitions of Organizational CultureWe will present how Schein defines organizational culture in â€Å"Organizational culture and leadership†(1992) as it is presented by Yukl in â€Å"Leadership in Organizations†(1998) and Ott’s definition of the organizational culture in â€Å"The Organizational Culture Perspective†(1989) as it is presented by Lawson and Shen in â€Å"Organizational Psychology†(1998). Schein’s definition of organizational cultureSchein (1992) defines culture of a group or organization as shared assumptions and beliefs about the word and their place in it, the nature of time and space, human nature, and human  relationships. Schein distinguishes between underlying beliefs (which may be unconscious) and espoused values, which may or not be consistent with these beliefs. Espoused values do not accurately reflect the culture when they are inconsistent with underlying beliefs. For example, a company may espouse open communication, but the underlying belief may be that any criticism or disagreement is detrimental and should be avoided. It is difficult to dig beneath the superficial layer of espoused values to discover the underlying beliefs and assumptions, some of which may be unconscious (Yukl,1998). The underlying beliefs representing the culture of a group or organization are learned responses to problems of survival in the external environment and problems of internal integration. Schein say that the primary external problems are the core mission or reason for existence of the organization, concrete objectives based on this mission, strategies for attainting these objectives, and ways to measures success in attaining objectives (Yukl, 1998). All organizations need to solve problems of internal integration as well as problem of external adaptation. Objectives and strategies cannot be achieved effectively without cooperative effort and reasonable stability of membership in the organization. Internal problems include the criteria for determining membership in the organization, the basis for determining status and power, criteria and procedures of allocating rewards and punishments, an ideology to explain unpredictable and uncontrollable events, rules or customs about how to handle aggression and intimacy and a shared consensus about the meaning of words and symbols. The beliefs that develop about these issues serve as the basis for role expectation to guide behavior, let people know what is proper and improper and help people maintain comfortable relationship with each other (Yukl, 1998). Robbins (1994) and others sustain too that the shared values determine in large degree what employees see and how they respond to their  world (Robbins,1990; Robbins, 1994; Stoner and Freeman, 1992)When confronted with a problem the organizational culture restricts what employees can do by suggesting the correct way – â€Å"the way we do things around here†(Bower,1966) – to conceptualize, define, analyze, and solve the problem (Robbins, 1994). We believe that the internal and external problems are closely interconnected and organizations must deal with them simultaneously. In conclusion, Schein (1992) defines the organizational culture as shared assumptions and beliefs about the world and their place in it, the nature of time and space, human nature, and human relationships. Organizational culture have distinct dimensions that can be defined and measured. This is important to know in order to develop and use change strategies of the culture. Ott’s definition of the organizational cultureOn the other hand Ott (1989), in â€Å"The Organizational Culture Perspective† describe organizational culture as a social constructed, unseen, and unobservable force behind organizational activities. Organizational culture is a social energy that moves organizational members to act and unifying theme that provides meaning and direction to and mobilizes the members. It functions as an organizational control mechanism, informally approving or prohibiting behaviors (Lawson and Shen, 1998). In short, organizational culture is a hypothetical construct that must be inferred from the share thoughts, feelings, values, and actions of organizational members. Last, Ott suggested that organizational culture is a concept, construct, energy, idea, rather than a thing that can be directly observed, measured and manipulated. But we do not agree that the organizational culture is just a concept, energy, idea and can not be observed, measured or manipulated because then we can not discuss about managing and changing the organizational culture.  If culture exists, and we argue that it does, it should have distinct dimensions that can be defined, measured, and changed. I n â€Å"Organization Theory – Structure, Design and Applications† Robbins (1990), propose that there are ten characteristics that when mixed and matched tap the essence of an organization’s culture:1. Individual initiative, which is the degree of responsibility, freedom, and independence that individuals have. 2. Risk tolerance. The degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggressive, innovative, and risk-seeking. 3. Direction. The degree to which the organization creates clear objectives and performance expectations. 4. Integration. The degree to which units within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated manner. 5. Management support. The degree to which managers provide clear communication, assistance, and support to their subordinates. 6. Control. The number of rules and regulations, and the amount of direct supervision that are used to oversees and control employee behavior. 7. Identity. The degree to which members identify with the organization as a whole rather than with their particular work group. 8. Reward system. The degree to which reward allocation are based on employee performance criteria in contrast to seniority, favoritism and so on. 9. Conflict tolerance. The degree to which employees are encouraged to air conflicts and criticisms openly. 10. Communication patterns. The degree to which organizational communications are restricted to the formal hierarchy of authority. These ten characteristics include both structural and behavioral dimensions which means that organizational cultures are not just reflections of their members’ attitudes and personalities. A large part of an organization’s culture can be directly traced to structurally related variables (Robbins, 1990). John P. Kotter in â€Å"Leading Change† (1996) sustain that culture refers to norms of behavior and shared values among a group of people. Kotter(1996) says too that culture is not something that you manipulate easily but it is possible to make the transformation. â€Å"The first step in a major transformation is to alter the norms and values.† (Kotter, p.156,1996,). He sustain that cultures changes only after you have successfully altered people’s actions, after the new behavior produces some group benefit for a period of time, and after people see the connection between the new action and the performance improvement. In conclusion, organizational culture is not just a concept, construct, idea, energy, ghost which can not be seen or measured but it is a system of shared meanings with a certain structural and behavioral dimensions that are closely associated and interdependent. In every organization there are patterns of beliefs, symbols, rituals, myths and practices that have evolved over time. These in turn create common understanding among members as to what the organization is and how its members should behave. Organizational culture refers to norms of behavior and shared values among the people items which can be changed to increase the performance of an organization. Chapter II Levels of expression of organizational cultureAccording to Schein (1992) organizational culture is discernible at three different levels: artifacts, values and basic assumptions. ArtifactsIt is widely agreed that the most readily observable but least exact expression of the shared meanings of the culture are represented by artifacts. Artifacts include things and the arrangement of things in an organization, as well as observable behaviors captured by organizational stories and ceremonies, rites and rituals (habitual activities rooted in values and basic assumptions like weekly or monthly departmental meetings or presentations), and norms (unwritten rules for appropriate and inappropriate behaviors). Artifacts of a culture are quickly detected but the share meaning is the key for appreciating and becoming deeply aware of the organizational culture. Values Values, defined by Schein (1992) as someone’s sense of what ought to be, as distinct from what is, represent the second level of organizational culture. Shared values are important concerns and goals shared by most people in a group that tend to shape group behavior and that often persist over time even when group membership changes (Kotter, 1996). The basic issue at this level of organizational culture is the members’ determination of what works or is successful for a given organizational problem. Values can be both espoused and enacted; however, adults pay the greatest attention to enacted or operationalized values and are more inclined to modify their own values in response to them than to values that are solely expressed or espoused (Lawson and Shen, 1998). The validity of a given value is determined by testing the preferred solution against physical or social realities. For example, out of many comparable manufacturing processes, one is selected or valued because it yields the most durable product or particular activities are performed in particular ways because the feel right or are accepted by a large majority of organizational members as the right thing to do. Hence, what works and what members agree works becomes the anvil against which values are hammered out for a particular organizational culture. Basic assumptionsAccording to Schein (1992) when the initial preferences for organizational problem solving continue to be successful, organizational members increasingly take the originally tentative solutions for granted and come to believe that their selected solutions actually reflect reality because they have continued to be successful. If a solution works repeatedly, it must be true, and any doubt about its efficacy is eliminated from the minds of the members and eventually from the cultural mind of the organization. For example, if the members of an organization share the beliefs that they must first and foremost learn to harmonize human actions and desires with the elements of the world, such as clean air, water, open spaces, and respect for vegetation and other living creatures it is most likely that they will be working for a â€Å"green organization†. As the members act on their fundamental beliefs and the organization succeeds, grows, and prospers, the fundamental beliefs are taken for granted and simply acted on without further reflection or regard. According to Schein (1992) when these fundamental beliefs are shared, taken for granted and nondebatable, they become the basic assumptions of the culture. Changing basic assumptions is an anxiety-provoking and difficult process that involves double-loop organizational learning or basically changing the important things you have done and still do, rather than single loop learning which involves getting more efficient at what you now do (Lawson and Shen,1998). In conclusion to this chapter we have understood that there are several level of expression in the organizational culture like artifacts, values and basic assumptions which can be determined analyzed and changed. Artifacts are observable behaviors but least exact expression of the shared meanings of the culture; values represent important concerns and goals shared by most people in a group that tend to shape group behavior and also we have the basic assumptions which are the fundamental beliefs shared by all the members about the organization which are very difficult to change, but it’s possible to do this. Chapter III Cultural Change StrategiesOrganizational learning and organizational culture are intimately linked to each other, and this linkage  provides the bases for instituting organizational cultural change. A number of different changes are possible, including elimination of existing cultural forms that symbolizes the old ideology, modification of existing cultural forms to express the new ideology, and creation of new cultural forms (Yukl, 1998). Schein’s change strategySchein’s (1992) leader-centered change strategy is perhaps the most fully articulated. It is a strategy that involves a clinical relationship between outside consultants and informed and cooperative insiders whose primary joint task is to identify and then change the basic assumptions of the organizational culture primarily by changing either the leaders’ assumptions or changing the leaders. The external or outside consultant has the distinct advantage of independence and transience (Wallace and Hall1996). As an outsider, the external consultant is independent of the organization’s hierarchy and status system. Detached financially, socially, and emotionally from the consultee’s system. The outside consultant is in a position to be more objective in the assessment and diagnostic stages of the consultation process, and is free to offer new perspectives and paradigms for action. We consider that the outside consultant it’s very important to have in a change process from the organization. Schein (1992) identified specific primary strategies that can be applied to change an organizational culture. All these strategies focus on the formal (and informal) organizational leader or leadership team and include for example: what leaders pay attention to, measure, and control; how leaders react to critical incidents and organizational crisis; observed criteria by which leaders allocate scarce resources; deliberate role modeling, teaching, and coaching; observed criteria by which leaders recruit, select, promote, retire, and excommunicate organizational members. Schein (1992) also identified secondary strategies and reinforcement mechanism to change organizational culture that include modifying  organizational rites, rituals, and stories; structuring reward system to promote change; and revising formal statements, such as the organizational mission statement (what we do), vision statements (what we aspire to be), value statements and recruitment materials. Schein’s cultural change process focuses primarily on the leader or leadership team and involves the external consultant working closely with organizational insiders who are committed to organizational change and have sufficient influence to an impact on many members of the organization. Lawson and Shen Cultural Change StrategyLawson and Shen cultural change strategy combines features of different approaches that, in one way or the other involve changing norms, or unspoken rules of behavior, reward systems and organizational rites or organized and planned activities that have both practical and consequences (Lawson and Shen, 1998). Basically, there are three phases to these cultural change strategy: assessment; construction and implementation of cultural and learning change projects and organizational outcome measures and project modifications. Lawson and Shen (1998) recognize too the importance of the external consultant in the changing process of the organizational culture. Phase 1, assessment, involves three steps: identifying the client, increasing cultural awareness and establishing baselines. In the first step the external consultant focuses on identifying the organizational processes of motivational systems, leadership, decision making, conflict resolution, and individual – organizational change as the client for the change program, rather than a particular individual, group, or unit. It is important to indicate that these organizational processes will change only if individual members who give life to them change their shared and unifying patterns of thoughts, feelings, values, and actions about the critical issues in the organization. Phase one also involves increasing cultural awareness by assembling as many of the documents that serve as a preliminary directory of an organizational culture. To obtain information about organizational stories, jokes,  ceremonies and rituals; information from external persons or organization that interact regularly with the target organization. And establishing cultural baselines by creating a document that describes the current organizational culture. From the assessment document, the leadership, committed organizational members and the change consultant can identify the cultural baselines and focal processes around which the consultant can build cultural change projects. Phase 2, construction and implementation of cultural and learning change projects, is the action phase. Once the draft mission statement is completed, the consultant expect some suggestions for revision and discuss the document to give everyone an opportunity to participate in the process. The external consultant expect suggestions from the internal consultant or from the manager of the organization. The internal consultant is aware of the existence of sensitive records and data; through experience the inside consultant has prior knowledge of the organization’s history, social structure, power structure, communication channels, politics, and local customs and beliefs in the organizational community. In addition, it is important to have a good collaboration between the external consultant and the internal consultant because the insider has command of the organization’s language – the jargon (favorite terms and phrases unique to the organization) which is very important to make an implementation of cultural and learning change (Wallace and Hall, 1996). Here it is appropriate to establish some learning experiments in which a current process that supports the new mission statement is described and root causes of problems and barriers to change are identified and then to start implementing a change in a given process while monitoring changes in performance. Last it is important to initiate or reinforce an existing rite of enhancement. Phase 3, organizational outcomes measures and project modifications, includes a synthesis and interpretation of performance or outcome measures for all  cultural change projects and then decision about what modification of existing cultural change project are required and established as the way to do things in the organization. It is critical to provide systematic feedback to members so they become aware of their individual and collective sense of efficacy (capacities to execute specific patterns of actions), identify the extent of resistance to change and help to identify barriers to change in the organizational culture (Lawson and Shen, 1998) . Cultural transformation requires time and if the leadership is not prepared for a sustained campaign then the focus will be lost and the transformation effort will dwindle and die. A good collaboration between the external consultant and the leadership of the organization is required for the success of the changing process which may take a couple of good years. Kotter (1994) affirm too that culture changes only after you have successfully altered people’s actions, after the new behavior produces some group benefit for a period of time, and after people see the connection between the new actions and the performance improvement. In conclusion to this chapter we have understood that a number of different changes are possible to make in an organizational culture, including elimination of existing cultural forms that symbolizes the old ideology, and creation of new cultural forms in the organizational culture to save an organization and to make it if profitable and more efficient. We indicate that both cultural change strategies are worthy to be followed considering that both accept the importance of an external organizational psychologist consultant who is working closely with the internal consultant / manager and is promoting change strategy that involves the leadership team and change strategy for the other members of the organization by creating reinforcement mechanisms to modify organizational rites, rituals, to promote an holistic change in the organization. ConclusionsIn conclusion to this paper project it is essential to remember that organizational culture is a situational variable that influences, to  various degree, all members of an organization. We have learned that organizational culture is the unifying and shared pattern of thoughts, feelings, values, and actions that serve to bind together organizational members and distinguish them from nonmembers. Organizational learning and organizational culture are linked to each other and this provides the bases for instituting organizational cultural change. We have seen two specify change strategies and the steps to implementate them which can be applied in a wide variety of organizations. We have understood that a solid understanding of organizational culture minimizes the unnecessary expenditure of attention and emotions regarding what, how, when and why to think, value, feel, and act in the workplace. REFERENCES _____Yukl, G. (1998). Leadership in Organizations. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall_____ Kotter, P. John, (1996). Leading Change, Boston: Harvard Business School Press_____Lawson, R.B., Shen, Z. (1998). Organizational Psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press_____Robbins, P. Stephen, (1990). Organization Theory – Structure, Design, and Applications. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall_____ Robbins, P. Stephen, (1994). Management -fourth edition. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall_____Stoner, A. James, Freeman, R. Edward, (1992). Management. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall_____Wallace, A. William, Hall, L. Donald (1996). Psychological Consultation – Perspective and Applications. Pacific Grove, C.A.: Brooks / Cole Publishing Companycopyright  © Sorin Balogh

buy custom Educational Creed essay

buy custom Educational Creed essay I believe education should transcend all boundaries and give opportunities to all children to realize their maximum potential regardless of race, religion, disability or economic status. In the 21st century, it is hard to imagine that there are places in the world, where children have no opportunity to get a decent education. To feel oneself comfortable in the modern changing and complicated world, all individuals must have an access to different educational institutions in early stages of their life as well as throughout their whole lives. Having equipped by learning opportunities, children can realize their maximum potential in studying, development of their various skills and abilities that they will later can provide in their future life and work (Blum, 1998, p.28). Schools, colleges and universities must be perfect educational establishments for students of different backgrounds, religions, races, disabilities and economic status. For this reason, the USA is the best place for c hildren from any part of the world who are coming to live and study as immigrants and native citizens. Transcending all those boundaries, the educational system may help students to feel free and comfortable in the modern society that is an important tool for better education. Once the governments can provide these opportunities, they, therefore, protect their citizens and countries by learning how to live together in peace and harmony for better prosperity of their nations (Aleman, 2001, p. 485). I believe the school is a place where students` basic needs are met so they feel safe, secure and free to learn in an unbiased atmosphere that believes in their ability to reach their full potential and become life-long learners. Every educator needs to remember that students dont care about what they know until they know they care. The school is the first stage in children`s life where they may be responsible for their work, i.e. their studies. It is really very important for educators to help young people to feel themselves secure and protected in the course of their studies. Only feeling themselves protected and comfortable, individuals can possess their potential abilities, get necessary knowledge and skills from their studies. Creating friendly and peaceful atmosphere, teachers as well as students can master their studies in order to have perfect knowledge in different fields of studies and gain better grades that are also very important for their self esteem and satisfaction (B igler, 1999, p. 35). I believe schools have the responsibility to connect the social boundaries of the community with the developmental indicators that drive the social interactions of students. Schools cannot treat these two denominators as separate elements when educating youth. The social interaction of students in schools is an essential tool which makes the whole educational process effective. Connection of the social boundaries and development of students` skills and abilities can be the great instrument of the establishment of better education and understanding as well as communication among all the participants of the educational process, i.e. teachers, students and their parents. To learn how to exist, study, interact creatively among all those participants of the educational process, will lead to achieve better developing and understanding of students` origins, customs, traditions, history and backgrounds (Aleman, 2002, p. 491) I believe schools need to work diligently to see the forest beyond the trees. By focusing on where students need to be, schools can formulate detailed plans on how to get there. Governments and schools must provide honest and accountable programs in order to provide high quality training for their students. These programs may help children to study and develop their talents, skills and abilities according to their opportunities (Blum, 1998, p.30). Having such opportunities, give children the awareness of their human dignity and better future, which are based on their traditions, value of caring and responsibility. Buy custom Educational Creed essay

Do Not Judge A Book By Its Cover Essays - Virtue, Knowledge

Do Not Judge A Book By Its Cover Essays - Virtue, Knowledge Do Not Judge a Book by Its Cover We as teenagers are often defined as shallow, naive, and sometimes uncompassionate youngsters. Most of this recognition comes from our common failure to take social risks and possess an open mind. We are all one student body, yet we are so separated in many aspects. Much of the segregation exists because we are unable to look past appearances. What gives designer clothes, thick lensed glasses, or different hairstyles the authority to determine if we are people who are worth knowing? Would you feel hurt if people rejected you because you had a few pimples on your face? Would it be fair? These days, there is too much emphasis on looks. If everyone would take a brief moment to see the shining wit or loving personality in a person instead of his or her body, then the world would unmistakably be a better place. There are many truly great and natural differences among people. ?Nerds? are not ?football players.? Their talents, skills, and capacities are not the same. An unalterable condition in human society is that the lowest cannot be made equal with the highest. Nature is vain. However, these conditions are adapted to benefit both individuals as well as the community. Life requires varied aptitudes, diverse services, and miscellaneous types of people to carry on its affairs as life as a whole. Drawn by our natural tendencies to fall into peer pressure, in our feelings of inadequacy, we constantly seek to form exclusive associations or ?cliques.? Within these groups, we should discourage any exclusion based on the wrong reasons such as appearances, which many people cannot drastically change. It is important to remember that our harmony depends on our effort and ability to accept others in whatever form they come, even if they are different in ethnicity, religion, or appeara! nce. All forms of conformity are self sacrilege. We are in a state of many changes, a chance to try new things, and to discover who we really are. One?s struggle to be their own person inside as well as out is an admirable task that calls for courage. Do not ridicule those who walk down the hall with mismatched socks pulled up to their knees, or those who wear bright, patterned clothing. They are only expressing themselves and sharing their uniqueness. Our inability to individualize people is a weakness that we must not dismiss. The recognition of our rights, individual and collective, include our most basic obligation: respect for our peers. Next time, think about what is in a hairstyle, or what is in make-up. Sadly, they both have too much significance in our superficial expectations. Man is a person endowed by our Creator with gifts of body and mind. We are all created in His image and likeness. We, as imperfect sinners, do not have the right to judge or question His wisdom. Rather we are obliged to regard our bodies as good and honorable. Mankind is not wrong when he regards himself superior to bodily concerns. For by interior qualities, he can overcome the whole sum of mere things. The intellectual nature of the human person needs to be perfected by wisdom, for wisdom gently attracts the minds of mankind in a quest for love of what is true and good. It is important to remember when wisdom and understanding is present, man can pass through visible realities to discover the real person within. Never judge a book by its cover. Appearances can be deceiving. Within the most unattractive people can lie the most caring hearts. They are able to give to uncaring people, like ourselves, the gifts of forgiveness and friendship. Just imagine that each gift is wrapped with unconditional love and delivered with the most genuine smile. Let there be no more victims of discrimination. Ignore the false perceptions of beauty that society has imposed on us. Remember, true beauty lies within. As soon as one realizes that in their heart, everyone may be better known, better loved, and better served.

Digression Definition and Examples

Digression Definition and Examples Digression is the act of departing from the main subject in speech or writing to discuss an apparently unrelated topic. In classical rhetoric, digression was often considered one of the divisions of an argument or the parts of a speech. In A Dictionary of Literary Devices (1991), Bernard Dupriez notes that digression does not particularly make for clarity. It . . . easily becomes verbiage. Observations About Digression Digression, according to Cicero, had been put by Hermagoras . . . in the speech, between the refutation and the conclusion. It might involve praise or blame of individuals, comparison with other cases, or something that emphasized or amplified the subject at hand. Thus it is not literally a digression. Cicero criticizes the requirement as a formal rule and says such treatment should be interwoven into the argument. Ironically, ethical digressions of the sort here described are very characteristic of his greatest speeches.(Source: George Kennedy, Classical Rhetoric, 2nd ed. Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1999)Its Christian and Secular TraditionDigression in Classical Oratory[A]mong other functions, the digression in classical oratory served as a formal transition and in this capacity became incorporated into medieval and Renaissance arts of preaching. For Quintilian a digression outside the five divisions of the speech reflected an emotional detour; and indeed, from the early rhetoric ians, digression was associated with the extra breath of the furor poeticus, the inspired passion which excites emotion in the listener, which touches and persuades.(Source: Anne Cotterill, Digressive Voices in Early Modern English Literature. Oxford Univ. Press, 2004) But I digress-You are no doubt enlightened, he inserted in a gracious tone, but contrary to urban legend, there is actually an entire underworld of Christians who are normal, alert, engaged, even a good time. Many are very smart, well educated, even leaders in their fields. These are people who participate in real life and the open-minded discussions about it. I have met some of them in reading and in person. He grinned. But I digress.-Grinning, too, I could not help but think of Lord Byrons pronouncement that in life there exists no such thing as a digression.(Source: Carolyn Weber, Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir. Thomas Nelson, 2011)Digression is the soul of wit. Take the philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton, or Hamlets fathers ghost and what stays is dry bones.(Source: Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, 1953)Robert Burton on Delightful DigressionsOf which imagination, because it hath so great a stroke in producing this malady, and is so powerful of itself, it will not be improper to my discourse, to make a brief digression, and speak of the force of it, and how it causeth this alteration. Which manner of digression, howsoever some dislike, as frivolous and impertinent, yet I am of Beroalduss opinion, Such digressions do mightily delight and refresh a weary reader, they are like sauce to a bad stomach, and I do therefore most willingly use them.(Source Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1621) Also Known As: digressio, the straggler

Gender and Culture Studies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender and Culture Studies - Article Example All these do not act independent from each other. Studies try to analyze and explain how they work together â€Å"how they mutually construct one another† (Collins et al 62). My goal in this paper is to try explaining the article and the different ideas being portrayed. As noted earlier, the article presents us with the insight of how race and gender are socially put together out of dysfunctional definitions of â€Å"the family†. Generally, gender and race are socially built groups rather than important and biological groups. Collins shows how these groups are formed and how idealized and often the dysfunctional images of â€Å"the family† project a hierarchy that functions in the best interest of everyone. The idealized family needs a breadwinner who is able to protect and maintain the other family members, a wife who is a stay at home mother, and obedient children. This means the public of economics and politics have no impact or influence what so ever on the private domestic sphere of women and children. But this is becoming unrealistic especially in the present day, for it is difficult for survival value for the women and the children who solely depend on the man as the provider. Discrimination on the lines of gender and race is real in the modern society as individuals use an imagined image of a certain group to create a hierarchical categorization. We use the family images to view our nation and use it in the definitions of policies. As matter of fact, the assumption that a few wealthy white men are capable of not only protecting the whole national family but also acting to the best interest of the society comes from accepting the hierarchical categorization. Deviance or protest of any kind to this assumed fact makes one ungrateful and thus conservative politicians expect that women and people of color should not only be submissive According to Collins there were six different dimensions which will be explained in terms of gender, race

Report paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Report paper - Essay Example Import of cereals into the country has been on the verge of increasing because of the rising needs for the use of cereals, vegetable and milk. The main factor that triggers this scenario is the increase in the number of young people as compared to the older people in the workforce. For instance, with the increased rates of employment culminating to maximum in the year 2010 to 2012, the workforce continues to demand for the increase in food supplies. However, the rates of increase in the importation of cereals are going down. An explanation for this is deeply rooted in the effort by the governance and policy makers of the region to bring about food security and contribute to the growth of GDP (Das & Mustapha 92). The data below shows the countries that export cereals to Qatar: The following is a relational chart that brings about the connection between the declines in the rates of importation of cereals into Qatar. It shows the way the development in the GDP of the country. The relation is in the mode in which it influences the food security as well as strategies for the economic growth (Das & Mustapha

Making of Narco State in Afghanistan Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Making of Narco State in Afghanistan - Article Example To many, the United States led invasion of Afghanistan to topple Taliban's rule of the country were seen as aggression designed to get back to the international terrorist who staged the 9/11 attacks on Twin Towers of New York World Trade Center. But studying the background of the Talibans even the more objective mind might justly the US led coalition action against Afghanistan. First, it has become the breeding ground for international terrorist who do no have regard at all to human life, human rights and human dignity. As a matter of fact, even Afghan citizens particularly women were victims of bodily abuses, economic deprivation and injustice, corruption and so forth. This paper deals with the historical and cultural concept and influence of tribalism in their country, as well as its effect in the rise of the world's perception that Afghanistan is becoming a Narco State. In 1960s, Afghanistan was monarchial with the king and his relatives "dominated the central government," according to Microsoft Encarta. But in 1963, a prime minister was appointed for the first time outside the "royal family in order to distance the monarchy from policy-making" (Encarta). However, the administration of the new prime minister had experienced many conflicts; a series of coup ahs brought into power the Mujahidin Government. According to report made by Afghanistan Assessment, the new government is faced with "immense economic problems, including serious food and fuel shortages, a collapsed industrial sector, a severely damaged infrastructure, the difficulties of refugees returning to their ravaged farms and field studied with mines and high inflation." Prior to the 1973 Coup d' etat, Afghanistan has been beneficiaries from both East and West; both the United States of America and the Soviet Union built an international air part in Kabot and Kandahar respectively. But the 1973 coup d' etat had not only had some effect on Afghanistan but also foreign powers' attitude to domestic and political forces in Afghanistan. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, the Soviet installed Karmal as President, yet his regime was continuously plagued by civil wars, and constantly disrupted by anti-government guerilla forces; the Mujahiden depriving the government of authority over large areas of the countryside. Though poorly armed at first, they soon began to receive supplies mainly from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United States of America and China, which later helped them overthrow the existing government. According to Mohsen Makhmalbaf, during the early years, Afghanistan was "ruled by tribes." These tribes had each leader that a single leader coming from one tribe may not be acceptable. So they formed Tribal Federalism known as "loya Jirga." Makhmalbaf stressed that since then until now, "a more just and appropriate form of governing has not emerged in Afghanistan." Same author added further that the Loya Jirga system shows that "Afghanistan has never evolved economically form an agricultural existence." It has never moved beyond tribal rule and failed to achieve a sense of nationalism. He also pointed out that in Afghanistan each Afghan is Pashtun (the most dominant tribe), Hazareh,

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Literature review - Essay Example cribe the previous Presidential elections The stakes in the election have been raised by the use of these terms, but the changes that have resulted from these elections have not lived up to the importance given to the election, save for a few of the Presidential elections that go back quite a way in time. Examples of these lie in the first Presidential election in 1789 that made George Washington the President, as it set the pattern of the four year tenure of the President; the 1800 Presidential election, which saw for the first time power changing hands from one political party to the other; the 1864 Presidential election that returned Abraham Lincoln to continue the fight, and bring to an end the stalemate in the Civil War; and the 1932 Presidential election that brought Franklin D. Roosevelt to power and the manner in which he changed the scope and power of the federal government. Now this election is being acclaimed as the most important election in history. There is a definite c hange that it might bring and that is in the form of the first African-American President. Other changes are promised, but they have to be delivered and be momentous for it to rank among the important elections in the history of the U.S.A. Democratic presidential candidate Obama received a surprise endorsement from the respected Republican retired General and former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who at one time was touted as a possible first African American President. Critics of this endorsement in the Republican Party have charged that this endorsement of Powell stems from the Obama being an African American, while his opponent Republican presidential candidate is white; his resentment of the present Republican President George Bush and the opportunism of Powell, with Obama leading in the opinion polls. Powell defends his endorsement of Obama saying that it is a well thought out move after assessing the two candidates, the initiatives that they will take as President, the

Theorist Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Theorist - Research Paper Example According to Warren, humans acquire knowledge or rather learn using different communication patterns (Rhode, 2006). Studies show that, hypotheses help people understand certain life phenomena since hypothesis applies special degree of critical thinking and evaluation, which are suitable for elaborating and explaining different life issues. Leadership concept is confusing and ambiguous as some of the other explanations provided by certain scholars. Warren Bennis realized he could do better at expounding much on the topic by developing theories describing ways in which one can learn to be a leader, provide the meaning of the connotation leader and/or leadership, and show ways of shaping the facet of leadership in organization (Anbuvelan, 2006). In his Leadership theory, Warren points out that, ‘the concept of leadership is powerful as it eludes or turns people away from one form in order to taunt them on the with its complexity and slipperiness’ (Fitzgerald, 2002). As such, people with different level of thinking have come along with a wide range of words, which include domination, manipulation, rank, influence, control, prestige, authority, and power among others just to define the concept of leadership, yet there still no sufficient wording that can define it (Bennis & Biederman, 2009). Referring to his d escription of theoretical excerpts, it is seeable that Warren believes in rehearsal and dialectical emphasis of leadership, which has no bureaucracy or biasness (Hernon, 2010). Due to the existing welter of confusion, the coherent leadership theory seeks to address the complexity and value-laden potency, which tends to resist a final answer (Goethals, Sorenson, & Burns, 2004). Ideologically, Warren beliefs that learning or acquiring knowledge is simply adapting or changing what people thought to be accurate or true. In order for people to understanding the meaning

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Literature review - Essay Example cribe the previous Presidential elections The stakes in the election have been raised by the use of these terms, but the changes that have resulted from these elections have not lived up to the importance given to the election, save for a few of the Presidential elections that go back quite a way in time. Examples of these lie in the first Presidential election in 1789 that made George Washington the President, as it set the pattern of the four year tenure of the President; the 1800 Presidential election, which saw for the first time power changing hands from one political party to the other; the 1864 Presidential election that returned Abraham Lincoln to continue the fight, and bring to an end the stalemate in the Civil War; and the 1932 Presidential election that brought Franklin D. Roosevelt to power and the manner in which he changed the scope and power of the federal government. Now this election is being acclaimed as the most important election in history. There is a definite c hange that it might bring and that is in the form of the first African-American President. Other changes are promised, but they have to be delivered and be momentous for it to rank among the important elections in the history of the U.S.A. Democratic presidential candidate Obama received a surprise endorsement from the respected Republican retired General and former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who at one time was touted as a possible first African American President. Critics of this endorsement in the Republican Party have charged that this endorsement of Powell stems from the Obama being an African American, while his opponent Republican presidential candidate is white; his resentment of the present Republican President George Bush and the opportunism of Powell, with Obama leading in the opinion polls. Powell defends his endorsement of Obama saying that it is a well thought out move after assessing the two candidates, the initiatives that they will take as President, the

Explain the basic principles of MR image production Essay - 2

Explain the basic principles of MR image production - Essay Example MRI is the safest imaging clinical imaging technique that is used for a variety of medical purposes like differentiating between normal and pathological tissues for diagnosis and tracking dynamic changes in tissue properties over time. Magnetism is physical phenomenon in which materials and moving charged particles can attract or repel other materials or moving charged particles (Ballinger, Intro to MRI, 1998). Magnetism results from moving electric charges or intrinsic spin moments of electrons or nucleis. Spin is a quantum mechanical property. This means that the available spin energy levels are constrained to specific, discrete values. A spin 1/2 particle has only two possible spin states: spin up (+ 1/2) or spin down (- 1/2). The magnetic moment is aligned with the spin. The spin-up and spin-down states are described as being equal in energy, or degenerate. However, if another magnetic field is introduced, the spin-up and spin-down states will be no longer equal in energy. The energy difference introduced by applying the external magnetic field is known as the Zeeman splitting (van Geuns, 1999). This effect is very important in such applications as magnetic resonance imaging. Magnetism can be classified as par amagnetism, diamagnetism, ferromagnetism, and antiferromagnetism (Ballinger, Intro to MRI, 1998). Having microscopic magnetization, protons within a magnetic field produce wobbling as they spin. The rate of this wobbling or precession constitutes resonance or Larmor frequency (Intro to MRI). The application of a radio frequency pulse at the Larmor frequency causes a change in the distribution of spins with respect to their energy state and precessional phase coherence (Rodr ´Ã„ ±guez, 2003). Practically, it means that If individual nuclei is exposed to RF radiation at the Larmor frequency, nuclei in the lower energy state jumps to the higher energy state (Intro to MRI). Upon

Primary education Essay Example for Free

Primary education Essay India has made large strides in educating its population of more than a billion people, yet a lot remains to be done. It is commonplace now that education is both intrinsically valuable and also instrumental for economic well-being, and this is true for individuals and entire nations. No country in the world has been able to develop without the spread of mass education. An educated population is a prerequisite for take-off into high economic growth. Table 1 in the appendix shows literacy rates for India as a whole and by sex. It also shows the decadal rates of change from 1901 to the present. 2 Literacy rates have increased for both males and females, and though the latter continues to lag behind the former, there has been a narrowing of the male-female gap in literacy: from 24. 8% in 1991 to 21. 7% in 2001. In 2001, the absolute number of illiterates declined historically for the first time by nearly 32 million. In terms of state-wise performance, Kerala continues to occupy first rank as it has done historically; on the other hand, densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar are yet to overcome their educational inertia. 3 The average figures for India as a whole hide a great deal of variation among states. Table 2 in the appendix provides literacy rates for states for the years 1991 and 2001, for the population as a whole, by sex and also provides the decadal rate of change. In 2001, Kerala, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh had more than 75% of their population of 7+ years literate. On the other hand, even in 2001, less than half of Bihar’s population of seven years and above was literate with female literacy rate only 33. 6%. In terms of zones, states in the South and West outperform states in the North and East. 2. Primary Education Primary education refers to the education of children between the ages 6-11 years (grades 1-5). Universalization of Primary Education (UPE) is a constitutional provision in India and there has been a steady expansion in the spread of primary education since Indian independence in 1947. The Indian educational system is the second largest in the world after China. In 2001-02, there were nearly 0. 66 million primary schools in India 1 This study has been undertaken as part of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Project. 2 Before the 1991 census, only those belonging to the age-group 0-4 years were excluded from the population in order to compute literacy rates and the basis of the computation was the entire population. From the 1991 census onward, literacy rates were computed based on the population aged 7+ years and above. 3 In Bihar, Nagaland and Manipur as well as Delhi and Chandigarh, the absolute number of illiterates has increased in the 1990s. 4 providing access to 84% of habitations with a primary school located within a distance of one kilometer. Between 1997 and 2002, the gross primary school enrolment rate4 for India was 111 for males and 92 for females. The net primary school enrolment rate5 on the other hand was only 78 for males and 64 for females. The net primary school attendance rate between 1999 and 2002 was 79 for males and 73 for females. However, of the children who entered primary school, only 68% reached grade 5 between 1995 and 1999 (UNICEF, 2004). Table 3 provides data on gross primary school enrolments by sex between 1950-51 and 2001-2002. As can be seen from the table there has been a steady increase in the numbers of boys and girls attending primary school over time. In Table 4, state-wise enrolment of boys and girls as a percentage of their age-group is provided for 1997-1998. Girls’ enrolment has been steadily increasing over time and in 2001-02, nearly 45% of girls in the age-group 6-11 were enrolled in school. These statistics are heartening because at least until the 1990s, one of the most dismal aspects of India’s education system was the large percentage of the population in the younger age groups that were out of school. Socio-economic disparities Despite the strong constitutional backing for the provision of primary education in India6 and its expansion over time, the system is characterized not only by low achievements but also by large unevenness of achievements. Huge gaps remain between rural and urban areas, and the probability of getting any education at all sharply depends on gender, caste and income. Women, scheduled castes and tribes and the poor are faced with formidable barriers when it comes to getting basic education. Of the 200 million children in the age group 6-14, it is estimated that 59 million are out of school. Of these 35 million are girls and 24 million are boys (Ministry of Human Development, GOI). Apart from socio-economic determinants, the educational infrastructure and the management and the governance of the educational system in India are far from efficient or sufficient. The government is the largest provider of education in India with only about 10% of primary schools owned by the private sector. 7 The quality of education provided by the public education system is low which translates into low educational abilities even for those who are able to complete primary education cycle. Moreover, there is a lot of ‘waste’ in the educational system with dropout rates as high as 40% for the country as a whole and in some Indian states, they are as high as 75%. Though the number of primary 4 Gross primary school enrolment rate is computed as the number of children enrolled in primary school regardless of age divided by the population of that age group. 5 Net primary school enrolment rate is computed as the number of children in that age group enrolled in primary school divided by the population of that age group. 6 In 2002, the Supreme Court of India decreed that free primary education was a constitutional right. 7 Around 3% of private schools are aided by the government, which makes government intervention in the education sector even greater. 5 schools in the country increased, more than 1 lakh8 habitations still do not have access to a primary school within a distance of one kilometer. Teacher-pupil ratios are inadequate: less than 2 teachers are available in rural areas to teach a class size of around 100 students. Teacher motivation and teaching incentives are also very weak. India perhaps has the highest rate of teacher truancy in the world. Poverty and Education. Empirical evidence strongly shows that, both at the level of the household as well as at the level of the country, there is a positive relationship between income (and wealth) and educational attainment. More income simply means more resources available to spend on the acquisition of education. With more than 250 million people in India living on less than a $1 a day, poverty remains a major barrier to educational access. Although education is provided ‘free’ by the government, the cost of uniforms, textbooks and transportation costs are beyond the reach of many households (Tilak, 2004). Added to these direct costs are the indirect (opportunity) costs of wage/domestic labor which children perform and the costs of acquiring education become considerable for households. Graphs 1 and 2 in the appendix show simple regressions of literacy rates for sixteen states against state poverty rates and state per capita income for 2001. As is expected, literacy rates decline with poverty and rise with per capita incomes. State per capita incomes seem to explain literacy rates better than poverty rates. Filmer and Pritchett (2001) using Demographic Health Survey data for India find that the gap in enrolment between the highest and the lowest wealth class is as much as 52 percentage points. Gupta (2003) using the 52nd round of National Sample Survey data finds that the percentage of people who have completed five years of schooling declines as one descends consumption deciles. In the lowest consumption decile, the proportion of people who have not completed the primary school cycle is greater than 80%. 9 While poverty status and income class are strong determinants of who goes to school and for how long, they do not make up the whole story. Indian states of Kerala and Himachal Pradesh even with fewer resources at their disposal have been able to achieve much better educational and health outcomes compared to rich states such as Punjab and Haryana in India. This is true even when we look at cross-country outcomes. For example, Sri Lanka and Botswana do much better in education and health terms than would be predicted based on their level of resources; the Latin American countries do much worse given their resources (Mehrotra and Jolly, 1998). 8 One lakh is equal to 100,000. 9 These graphs are meant to be illustrative of the association between resources and education and do not claim any direction of causality. The relationship between resources and educational attainment is bidirectional. The poor cannot afford schooling. With little human capital, the opportunities to escape persistent poverty are very restricted and the poor can be trapped in a low education, low income vicious cycle across generations. A large literature has analyzed both theoretically and empirically persistence of poverty inter-generationally due to lack of resources to invest in education.

Definition Of Voting System Information Technology Essay

Definition Of Voting System Information Technology Essay Using an electronic voting system has become more and more popular worldwide and is replacing traditional paper voting methods. However, with wider adoption it has been increasingly criticized for not being secure enough and has had some controversy over the fact that the voters need to put their trust in a system they have no idea how works and is often closed black box device. However, although users demand a transparent and secure voting system, they also demand fast and reliable results, and that is something that only an electronic voting system can provide. In the last decade many organizations and governments have started electronic voting. Some companies have also specialized in electronic voting systems, and some of them have had a lot of criticism19 2 Definition of voting system a voting system is not just the equipment necessary to cast a vote. the voting system standards (VSS) has two definitions, addressing the physical and functional components of a voting system. the physical aspect defines a voting system as comprising all the hardware and software, procedures, manuals, and specifications . http://homepages.nyu.edu/~tsc223/ElectronicVoting.pdf Voting system means, a method of casting and processing votes that functions wholly or partly by use of electromechanical, or electronic apparatus or by use of paper ballots and includes, but is not limited to, the procedures for casting and processing votes and the programs, operating manuals, tabulating cards, printouts and other software necessary for the systems operation. A voting system consists of a configuration of specific hardware and software components, procedures and expendable supplies; configured into a system which allows votes to be cast and tabulated. No single component of a voting system, such as a precinct tabulation device, meets the definition of a voting system. Sufficient components must be assembled to create a configuration, which will allow the system as a whole to meet all the requirements described for a voting system in this publication. http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voting-systems/pdf/dsde101Form.pdf Properties of voting systems Researchers in the electronic voting field have already reached a consensus pack of four core properties that an electronic voting system should have (Cranor and Cytron 1997): Accuracy: (1) it is not possible for a vote to be altered, (2) it is not possible for a validated vote to be eliminated from the final tally, and (3) it is not possible for an invalid vote to be counted in the final tally. Democracy: (1) it permits only eligible voters to vote and, (2) it ensures that eligible voters vote only once. Privacy: (1) neither authorities nor anyone else can link any ballot to the voter who cast it and (2) no voter can prove that he voted in a particular way. Verifiability: anyone can independently verify that all votes have been counted correctly. Accuracy, democracy and verifiability are, in most cases of todays electoral systems, assured by the presence of representatives of opposite parties. The privacy property is currently assured by the existence of private voting booths, allowing voters to cast their votes in secrecy. 50 Voting system life cycle Many discussions of voting system security vulnerability fail to consider the entire voting system. In addition to the hardware and software that make up the voting equipment, the system includes election workers, voters, and is deployed in a variety of physical environments. Election workers are often volunteers whose skill with technology can vary widely. Similarly, voting technology that assumes a level of technological literacy on the part of the individual voter will potentially be susceptible to error. A security assessment of election equipment that only considers hardware and software without examining its use in real contexts may conclude that the equipment is satisfactory. Considering the larger system including election workers and voters will require analysis of procedures with a focus on fair voting criteria anonymity, confidentiality, integrity, and audit ability. http://www.ejeg.com/volume-2/volume2-issue3/v2-i3-art4-lauer.pdf Voting Places Voting at polling places [8] : The department can provide the reliable, no virus, and easy-handled voting machine in the polling places. The voters can be authenticated by the traditional protocol and the technological authentication of voters might not be necessary. It provides the highest security compared to other electronic voting place. Voting at home with voters computer [8]: Voters can cast their votes by using their own computers at home. It is hard to prevent the third partys advertisement appearing on the screen while voting. It is much more difficult to secure the voters computer from the attacks of hackers and virus. Voting at anyplace with mobile devices [8]: The voters can use their devices to get access to internet in any place and cast a vote through the electronic voting system. Not only can the laptop be used to vote, the PDA, cell phone, and any other mobile devices might also be used to vote in the future. But there are many harsh problems need to overcome. The security is the most serious problem. It is vital to make sure that the computer and network in which the voters get access is not monitored, intercepted, or tampered by any attackers. http://homepages.nyu.edu/~tsc223/ElectronicVoting.pdf Voting in Egypt Voting in Egypt is like any other country; most of countries still using the conventional voting technique in government election, but now Egyptian government think to electronic voting system rather that conventional voting to avoid the problems they faced on it. There is a lot of problem in conventional voting in Egypt: 1- There is no good relationship between the government and popular, popular cant trust the government and depend on it, voter here is like a blind person that must rely on the other person to vote for him. 2- Sometimes, government coerced and carries on the voters to vote for a particular candidate, and eliminate them from voting freely. 3- Some candidates trying to win by buy the votes from the voters. 4- Government can cheat by substitute the original ballot by derivative ones. So there must be another way to solve these problems or reduce it as possible, and give the voters the confidence to believe of the system, form this point we think to use a new technology to improve the election by building a new system that is convenience for environment of our country Egypt. A novel in e voting in Egypt http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:0tkjSklsJf0J:citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.96.19%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf+electronic+voting+system+diagramhl=engl=ukpid=blsrcid=ADGEESg4A60cHXQU91yKcqMtBvIK_QDFE30y-uM9olPWwuYpBHDS3k8QAmQIPJ_Nrm_aeGkQIaxMoxq3mTREZsaEZvCCdW3GsOQGS61G15RFdCai5s2KbqO728FXRmPkFgmGU_UwQWHbsig=AHIEtbSKAxn_DBTwcaIIcGPif-nYac-epA How voting works In the United States, voting is a local issue. The Federal government certainly has a lot of say about voting through the Federal Election Commission, but in the end, its state and local officials who administer elections. In most states, the secretary of states office runs an elections office that sets rules and administers statewide elections. The actual elections themselves are usually the purview of the county clerk. Moreover, counties and municipalities bear the majority of the cost of managing elections. In 2000, the total county election expenditures were estimated at over $1 billion, or about $10 per voter. Voting is more complicated than simply tallying votes. In fact, most of the work in an election occurs long before the voter ever steps into the booth. Voter registration requires large databases of voters, their addresses and geographic calculation of precinct and district information. Ballot preparation is a long process that is complicated by myriad rules and regulations. The election itself must be administered, usually with the help of a large, volunteer workforce that gets to practice about once per year. All of these activities, in addition to vote tallying, are part of a voting system. http://www.extremedemocracy.com/chapters/Chapter%2011-Windley.pdf Voting systems design criteria Authentication: Only authorized voters should be able to vote. Uniqueness: No voter should be able to vote more than once. Accuracy: Voting systems should record the votes correctly. Integrity: Votes should not be able to be modified without detection. Verifiability: Should be possible to verify that votes are correctly counted for in the final tally. Audit ability: There should be reliable and demonstrably authentic election records. Reliability: Systems should work robustly, even in the face of numerous failures. Secrecy: No one should be able to determine how any individual voted. Non- coercibility: Voters should not be able to prove how they voted. Flexibility: Equipment should allow for a variety of ballot question formats. Convenience: Voters should be able to cast votes with minimal equipment and skills. Certifiability: Systems should be testable against essential criteria. Transparency: Voters should be able to possess a general understanding of the whole process. Cost-effectiveness: Systems should be affordable and efficient. http://www.terena.org/activities/tf-csirt/meeting7/gritzalis-electronic-voting.pdf 3 Definition of e-voting system An electronic voting (e-voting) system is a voting system in which the election data is recorded, stored and processed primarily as digital information. Electronic voting is a means of having a paperless voting system. Electronic voting is a term used to describe any of several means of determining peoples collective intent electronically. Electronic voting includes voting by kiosk, internet, telephone, punch card, and optical scan ballot (a.k.a. mark-sense). Thefreedictionary.com 17 An electronic voting system (on-line voting, internet voting) is an election system which uses electronic ballot that would allow voters to transmit their secure and secret voted ballot to election officials over the internet [2]. With the prosperity of internet over the years, inventers start to make the use of electronic voting in order to make the voting process more convenient and raise the participation of the civic. From now on, engineers have repeatedly created new technology to improve the feasibility of electronic voting system. http://www.terena.org/activities/tf-csirt/meeting7/gritzalis-electronic-voting.pdf electronic voting refers to use of computer or computerized voting equipment to cast ballots in an election. this term, sometimes, is used more specifically to refer to voting that take place over the internet. electronic system can be used to register voters, tally ballots, and record votes. http://profsite.um.ac.ir/~kahani/doc/ejisdc05.pdf 3.1 Type of e voting system E-Voting is a type of voting that includes the use of a computer rather than the traditional use of ballot at polling centres or by postal mail. It encompasses various types of voting: kiosks, the Internet, telephones, punch cards, and marksense or optical scan ballots. http://jatit.org/volumes/research- papers/Vol2No1/4vol2no1.pdf there is two types of e-voting: polling place voting and Internet voting. Polling place voting. In a polling place, both the voting clients (voting machines) and the physical environment are supervised by authorized entities. Depending on the type of polling place (precinct or kiosk [6]), validation may be either physical (e.g. by election officials) or electronic (with some kind of digital identification). Casting and tallying are electronic: the voting clients may be Direct Recording Electronic. Internet voting. The vote is cast over the Internet and the voting client is unsupervised during voting (the voting client may be at home, at work, in a library, etc). Registration may be either physical (at the elections office) or electronic (with some form of digital identification). Validation, casting and tallying are electronic. I-voting requires a much greater level of security than e-commerce. While checking the eligibility of voters, and that no voter casts more than one vote, is no more difficult than meeting the security requirements of an e-commerce application, ensuring this and meeting other requirements such as privacy, a universally verifiable audit trail and uncoercibility, has been difficult to achieve in a practical and affordable way. http://euro.ecom.cmu.edu/program/courses/tcr17-803/Burmeister.pdf Advantage The advocate of electronic voting claims that the convenience, mobility, tally speed, less cost, and flexibility are the main advantages. Following are the descriptions of the advantages. Convenience: With the well-designed software and system, the voters can simply use his voting equipment with the minimal time and skill to finish the voting process [2]. Mobility: Voters can cast their votes at a specific polling place, home, or any place in which they can get access to the internet. People can even use the mobile device such as cell phone or PDA to vote. There is no restriction on the location [2]. Tally Speed: [3] Once the voting time is over, the computer can immediately calculate the result of the election. It is much faster than the traditional ballot counting method operated by people. Less Cost: [3] Compared to paper ballot voting, electronic voting saves money from reducing the personnel expense, expense for location management and administration fee, etc. In the beginning, the investment expense of building up the electronic voting system would be very high. But after the system is built up, the total expense would be reduced to be much lower than paper ballot voting. Flexibility: Electronic voting system can be designed to support a variety of ballot question formats [2]. It can be used to collect public opinions or election. Voter participation: With convenience and mobility of the system, it would motivate people who are not interested in voting or unable to vote originally. It would increase the participation of voters. http://homepages.nyu.edu/~tsc223/ElectronicVoting.pdf 2.5 Disadvantage Despite the particular advantages to electronic voting system, critics of electronic voting argue about the security issue and the unequal access chance to the internet are the main drawbacks to the system. Inequality problem: It is apparent that the people with low salary might not be able to afford the equipment for electronic voting. And some people who are not able to use the computer facility might lose their privilege in voting. Vulnerable to Security: The security issue is the main drawback of the electronic voting system. So far, there are still many kinds of attacks which are hard to prevent completely. The attacks might be happened from the webpage, network, to the extent of servers database. Denial of Service attack: A denial of service is characterized by that an attacker prevents legitimate users from using resources. An attacker may attempt to flood a network and thus reduce a legitimate users bandwidth, prevent access to a service, or disrupt service to a specific system or a user [4]. Now it is very hard to completely avoid this kind of attack. Nevertheless, people can adopt some methods such as Filtering Routers, Disabling IP Broadcast, Disabling Unused Services, and Performing intrusion Detection [4] to make the network more secure. Virus: Virus such as Trojan horse would do great damage to the system. The server can be easily protected from the attack of virus by using some specific kinds of operating system. But the client such as personal computers might not secure enough and are easily infected with virus. These viruses might attack computer from http://www.vvk.ee/public/dok/Yldkirjeldus-eng.pdf E-voting system concept The e-voting concept is similar to the envelope method used during advance polls today to allow voting outside of polling place of voters residence: * the voter identifies himself/herself to polling commission, * the voter fills the ballot and puts it in an inner envelope, * that envelope is put into another envelope on which the voters data is then written, * the envelope is transported to the voters polling station, the voters eligibility is verified, and if the voter is eligible, the outer envelope is opened and the anonymous inner envelope is put into the ballot box. The e-voting follows the same scheme. E-voter creates during the voter procedures an inner envelope (which is essentially an encrypted vote) and an outer envelope (which is essentially a digital signature). The following considerations speak in favour of the envelope method: * simplicity and understand ability of the scheme, possibility to draw a parallel with traditional elections; * simplicity of system architecture the number of components and parties is minimal; * full use of digital signature. http://www.vvk.ee/public/dok/Yldkirjeldus-eng.pdf 2. Votes cannot be known before the official ballot reading; 3. Only registered voters will be able to vote; 4. Each voter will have one and only one vote; 5. Vote secrecy is guaranteed; it never will be possible to link a voter to his/her vote; 6. The voting website will resist any denial of service attack 7. The voter will be protected against identity theft; 8. The number of cast votes will be equal to the number of received ballots; 9. It will be possible to prove that a given citizen has voted; 10. The system will not accept votes outside the ballot opening period; 11. The system will be audible. Character of e-voting system discusses the following characteristics of a good electronic voting system: accuracy, democracy, privacy, verifiability, convenience, flexibility, and mobility. Each account includes the characteristic of accuracy, but the authors define accuracy in different ways. For example, Schneier defines accuracy as direct mapping from intent to counted vote. Standard defines accuracy as the extent to which a given measurement agrees with an accepted standard for that measurement and includes significant discussion of acceptable error rates in the body of the document. For Cranor, A system is accurate if (1) it is not possible for a vote to be altered, (2) it is not possible for a validated vote to be eliminated from the final tally, and (3) it is not possible for an invalid vote to be counted in the final tally. Combining these definitions produces: An accurate voting system counts all valid votes with minimal processing error such that the intent of eligible voters is reflected in the final tally. Each account also discusses the requirement that voters be able to cast their vote in secret, without a link between the voter and the cast ballot. This characteristic is referred to as anonymity, confidentiality, or privacy. Both characteristics, accuracy and privacy, are essential in an ideal voting system. Yet, it is a non-trivial matter to achieve both simultaneously. For example, how do we insure that the intent of eligible voters is reflected in the final tally, without a back-channel to the voter after the vote has been counted but, wouldnt a back-channel to the voter compromise privacy. Each account also discusses the requirement that voters be able to cast their vote in secret, without a link. http://brahms.emu.edu.tr/rza/An%20Introduction%20to%20Electronic%20Voting.pdf characteristics, such as security, reliability, ease of use, and cost effectiveness http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07576t.pdf Basic Principles of E-voting The main principle of e-voting is that it must be as similar to regular voting as possible, compliant with election legislation and principles and be at least as secure as regular voting. Therefore e-voting must be uniform and secret, only eligible persons must be allowed to (e-)vote, every voter should be able to cast only one vote, a voter must not be able to prove in favour of whom he/she voted. In addition to this the collecting of votes must be secure, reliable and accountable. According to Estonian election legislation e-voting takes place from 6th to 4th day before Election Day and the following requirements are laid out: (1) On advance polling days, voters may vote electronically on the web page of the National Electoral Committee. A voter shall vote himself or herself. (2) A voter shall identify himself or herself using the certificate entered on his or her identity card which enables digital identification. (3) After identification of the voter, the consolidated list of candidates in the electoral district of the residence of the voter shall be displayed to the voter on the web page. (4) The voter shall indicate on the web page the candidate in the electoral district of his or her residence for whom he or she wishes to vote and shall confirm the vote by signing it digitally using the certificate entered on his or her identity card which enables digital signing. (5) A notice that the vote has been taken into account shall be displayed to the voter on the web page. (6) Voter may change his or her electronic vote during the advance voting period from 6th to 4th day before Election Day: 1) by voting electronically; 2) by voting in polling station. http://www.vvk.ee/public/dok/Yldkirjeldus-eng.pdf E-Voting Procedures In this section we will describe in greater detail the behaviour of the components present in the general architecture of the system during different stages of e-voting. 6.1. Key Management The key management procedures and the security scheme used are one of the most critical points of the system on which the fulfilment of the main requirements of the system (privacy and secrecy of voting) depends. What follows is not a final description of the measures and procedures, but we will outline the main concept, main risks and possible solutions. The main tool to guarantee the secrecy of voting in the system is asymmetric cryptography. A system key pair is generated, the public component of which is integrated into client software and is used to encrypt the vote. The private component of the key pair is used in the Vote Counting Application to decrypt the vote. It is of utmost importance that the use of private key is possible only for counting the votes in the VCA (at 19.00 on election day and, if necessary, during recount). When the period for filing complaints has expired, the private key will be destroyed The privacy and secrecy of an e-voter can be compromised by a simultaneous occurrence of two security hazards: a party appears in the system (or outside the system) who has access to both the private key of the system as well as the digitally signed votes. Even though this data is separated in the system, the risk remains. A one and only private key is probably a lot easier to protect than the digitally signed e-votes the latter pass through several system components (Voter, VFS, VSS) and data transfer channels, consequently, the danger of leaked e-votes is higher. Thus fo r ensuring the security the main focus should be on key management. The private key is subject to two dangers: * Compromise or becoming publicly available. The occurrence of this would enable the parties in possession of digitally signed e-votes to determine who cast a vote in favour of whom, thus compromising the privacy of the voter. * Corruption. The private key carrier may be destroyed, lost or be corrupted because of a technical error. When this occurs it becomes impossible to decrypt the e-votes and all the electronically cast e-votes are lost. This is a critical danger and therefore two key pairs should be used simultaneously in the system. The key pair is generated in a Hardware Security Module (HSM) in such a way that the private component never leaves the module. The generation of the key pair and use of private key is maintained by key managers, there should be several of them. A scheme N out of M is recommended, for National Electoral Committee four members out of seven should be present in order to perform security critical operations. Key managers have physical (for example a keycard) as well as knowledge-based (PIN-code) authentication devices for communicating with the HSM. The procedures of key management, meaning the generation of the key pair and PINs, delivery of the public component to the vendor of client application, preservation of the private component, its backup and delivery to the VCA must be subject to audit supervision and should be described in a separate document. http://www.vvk.ee/public/dok/Yldkirjeldus-eng.pdf Paper voting system Paper-based voting: The voter gets a blank ballot and use a pen or a marker to indicate he want to vote for which candidate. Hand-counted ballots is a time and labour consuming process, but it is easy to manufacture paper ballots and the ballots can be retained for verifying, this type is still the most common way to vote http://crypto.nknu.edu.tw/publications/200805ICIM_eVoting.pdf In paper voting, the conformation to these principles is achieved via voter identification, supervised voting and distributed counting procedures. People are admitted to the polling station only once, and they only get one opportunity to cast their vote. It is also hard to add invalid ballots to or remove valid ballots from the ballot box unseen. The paper system uses separate counting sessions in the different districts, and allows any citizen to attend the counting process, and thereby verify the result. Moreover, since voting is done under supervision of the election officials, you will be guaranteed a private voting environment. This is a warrant for the secrecy of your vote. Via these aspects, paper voting has acquired a large deal of trust in the experience of citizens. Still, the ease with which this system has been replaced in the Netherlands suggest that there are other factors involved as well. One may argue that the electronic voting machines currently in use have been accepted based on passivity rather than trust. When these machines were introduced in the Netherlands, there has not been much debate about the conformation to the aforementioned principles. Instead, their introduction has been more or less tacitly accepted in spite of decreased transparency which is typical of passivity. http://www.win.tue.nl/ipa/archive/falldays2005/Paper_Pieters.pdf Paper voting has earned a large amount of trust in the experience of citizens, partly due to the well organised social context. Progress in technology should not lead to problems with democratic progress in society, which may easily become the result of distrust in the election system. If voting technology mediates the relation between people and democracy in such a way that the experience of trust and stability is reduced, for whatever reason, the actions that are invited are political passivity on the one hand, and protest and obstruction on the other. http://www.win.tue.nl/ipa/archive/falldays2005/Paper_Pieters.pdf Voting by Paper Ballot In colonial America, early voters substituted beans, kernels of corn, seashells, or rocks for the multi-colored balls used in Greece, as well as using a show of hands and voice to conduct elections (Rusk 313). In 1629, the first vote credited with using paper ballots took place in a Salem, Massachusetts church and by the Civil War only Kentucky and Virginia were still voting by voice.6 In 1800, the Northwest Territory enacted a law stating that elections should be held by ballot. http://josephhall.org/arnold_ca_vs_hist.pdf Paper-based E-voting system In a paper based e-voting system, a touch screen is used in voting. After the voter has finished casting his votes, the unit prints out a hardcopy of the ballot which the voter has to pass to the election officer in charge so that it can be counted in a centralized location. The ballots will then be counted through optical-scan voting systems. This system has the advantage of a paper trail as every persons votes are recorded on a piece of paper. However, holes that are not properly aligned in a punch card or stray marks on an optical-scan card may lead to a vote not being counted by the machine. Moreover, physical ballots can still be lost during or after transit to the counting stations. http://www.topbits.com/e-voting.html Direct recording electronic systems A DRE (Direct Recording Electronic) voting system consists of a computer with a touch-screen monitor, a permanent storage medium such as a write-once memory card, software, and, in some systems, a ballot printer. The computer is much like a home computer. A touch-screen monitor allows the user to touch a marked spot on the monitor surface with his finger, thus entering data as if the screen were a keyboard; you have seen one if you have ever used an Automatic Teller Machine. The software consists of two parts: 1) An Operating System that supports the voting software and directly controls the monitor, the permanent storage, and any other device that forms part of the computer system. 2) The voting system itself, which runs as an application on the Operating System. It manages the user interface, guards against certain user errors e.g., it refuses to accept a vote if the user votes for more candidates than there are offices to be filled and records the vote of each user on the users command. The voting system also counts the votes and records the counts, or else cooperates with a central computer to produce these results. The ballot printer, if there is one, produces a document that may look like a ballot; it shows the choices made by the user. After the user has examined it, he may direct the system to record his vote or he may ask for another chance to vote. When the voter has made his choice, the system disposes of this document in one of a number of ways, which will be described later. Most of the DRE systems installed in the United States today do not have these printers. Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems This is essentially voting through a comput