Reading Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reading Film - Essay Example The film is a superb blend of sexuality and racial prejudice. The film captivates one of the brilliant performances by Juliana Moore. With a vulnerable emotion and strength of mind, she portrays the emotion of a housewife whose spouse has a covert gay life. It’s amazingly true that a movie like ‘Far From Heaven’ has that stylish finish along with tremendous emotional compulsion. This is a rare blend indeed and the greatest achievement with this particular film is the immaculate compatibility between the crew and the stars that make every moment of the movie artificial As well as deeply felt. (Indiana University, n.d.) In a film like ‘Far From Heaven’, the ambience of the narrative and the projection of the theme are never obvious. Yet, the film slowly enchants its spectators and one doesn’t need to wait for long to experience complete entwinement with the film. The film is extremely sensitive and far from being a mere domestic melodrama of Whittaker family, the movie is a strong portrayal of myriad social consideration that transports the film to a realm of difference from the ordinary movies of the same genre. Picking up a particular scene from the movie with so many emotionally exuberance is very difficult. Yet, the scene which forms the most sensitive and most climactic scene of the entire film demands a detailed description. The scene to be noted is where Cathy Whittaker, played by Julianne Moore finds her man Frank, played by Dennis Quaid, in the arms of his gay partner. Undoubtedly, Moore reaches the league of the contemporary actresses after this brilliant performance. The language of camera transcends any narrative incorporated in this scene and the feeling and the expression of Moore is equally mind-blowing. The cinematography, score implementation of light editing and sets make it a complete visual. The visual effect used at the backdrop of the scene makes it so compatible with the

MIH512-Demography and Health (Module 3-SLP) Essay

MIH512-Demography and Health (Module 3-SLP) - Essay Example This population increase lead to the societal changes proposed by Durkheim, namely that an increase in population would lead to a more dense society with more specialization. This in turn would then influence future patterns of population growth or decrease. The growth in both countries is very similar. Rapid population growth in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was caused by an influx of emigrants. Neither one of these nations has experienced any significant amount of out-migration. Traditionally they have been the destination for immigrants. Both countries also show aspects of the Theory of Demographic Transition. The projected population shows a leveling of growth over the next few decades. This growth is then shown to decrease indefinitely for some time afterwards. The burning question is can these countries sustain continued growth for the next few decades before an overall decline is realized, or are we already at the threshold of the carrying capacity of our ecosystem. Some neo-Malthusians would argue that the greatest hope for humanity is an increase in the death rate, thus slowing the growth of the population. Canada and Brazil are both countries with vast natural resources and lots of open space. The advanced economy of Canada and the growing economy of Brazil seem to indicate that they will be able to provide growth and a high standard of living for much of their population into the near future. But as Eberstadt points out in his article, population growth or decline is largely determined by culture, so projections of growth or decline are tricky to make (Eberstadt, 2003). According to the Rule of 69, Canada’s population is expected to double in about 68 years. This is calculated based on the current change in population change from 2007-2008 of 1.01%. Brazil is expected to double its population in about 73 years based on an annual growth of .96%. It does not seem likely that this doubling will

Literature review of work and family conflict

Literature review of work and family conflict This chapter introduces and explains the important theoretical and practical resource for an understanding of the conflict between work and family among married female teachers in Malaysia. This chapter consists of two sections namely; section I: Theoretical framework of work-family conflict from Western and Islamic perspectives. For section II: Literature Review on Work-Family Conflict. Focus of the study is to examine the impact of work-family conflict-efficacy WFC efficacy and religious coping (RC) on work-family conflict (WFC) and well-being among female teachers in Malaysia. The study also validates the instruments. Then, the researcher estimate the relationships. This chapter explained on theoretical perspectives that support the theoretical framework as foundation and background of the study that being conducted. Apart from that, this section also discusses the basis and background of the study of conceptual framework research on the perspective of theoretical background in Western and Islamic Perspectives. It involves on the development of a model on the relationships among the variables in WFC efficacy, RC, WFC and well-being. Many researchers have attempted to construct a single model for WFC conflict in connection with well-being. Theories and models discussed in this section were the relevant in work-family conflict, which provided significant contributions in the construction of the proposed theoretical framework. The model is based on the theoretical foundations and empirical evidences obtained from literature reviews, which consists of several elements. Overviews of Work-family Conflict Theories Role Theory by Kahn et al., Spillover Theory Conservation of Resources Model (COR)by Model of Work-Family Role Pressure Incompatibility Overview of the Theory of Well-being Model of Teachers Stress by Kyriacou Sutcliffe) Social Cognitive Theory by Bandura Religious Coping Theory by Pargement Moral Development Theory by Carol Gilligan OVERVIEW OF WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT THEORIES Several theories have been received a great deal attention in the literature throughout the past few decades. Most of the studies focused on six competing theories as a theoretical framework in work-family conflict research; role theory, spillover, compensation, segmentation, conservation of resources model (COR) and Integration. In this study, the researcher focuses only on several theories that related to WFC which are role theory, spillover and COR. The main focus of the study is to examine the relationship of WFC efficacy and religious coping (RC) on work-family conflict (WFC) and well-being (WB) of married female teachers in Malaysia. Work-family conflict is a type of inter-role conflict in which the role demands stemming from one domain (work or family) are incompatible with role demands stemming from another domain (family or work) (Greenhaus Beutell, 1985; Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, Rosenthal, 1964). According to Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal (1964), roles are the result of expectations of others about appropriate behavior in a particular position. Role conflict is described as the psychological tension that is aroused by conflicting role pressures. Role theory suggests that conflict occurs when individuals engage in multiple roles that are incompatible (Katz Kahn, 1978). Based on the discussion of the work-family conflict and well-being model, Figure 2.1 provides the summary. Role Theory (Kahn et al., 1964) Spillover Theory (1980) Model of Work-Family Role Pressure (1985) Conservation of Resources Model (1989) Model of Teacher Stress (1978) The Relationship between Personality and Stress (Bolger and Zuckerman, 1995) Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977) Religious Coping (Pargament, 1990) Role Theory (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal, 1964) Most of the research on the work-family interface has been guided by role theory (e.g., Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, Rosenthal, 1964; Katz Kahn, 1978). According to role theory, the demand of multiple roles has given an impact for well-being. This rationale basically fits the logic of a stressor-strain model (Karasek Theorell, 1990), with work-family conflict as stressor. Similarly, much of the research on WFC has been based on the premise that multiple roles inevitably create strain (e.g., Frone et al., 1992, Allen Grigsby, 1997) as suggested by role theory (Katz Kahn, 1879).Due to limited amount of time and energy that individuals have to fulfill their multiple roles at the same time, they tend to experience stress (Goode, 1960). Specifically, the role theory (Duxbury Higgins, 1991) postulates that expectations associated with work and family roles can lead to physical and psychological strain in two ways. First, the demand of multiple roles within the work and family domain can lead to overall increase in workload. Second, expectations surrounding either of these roles can evoke pressures that dominate the time of an individual and interfere with expectations associated with the performance of the other role. However, the usefulness of role theory as a basis for crossover research is that it underscores the inter-relations between a focal person and his / her role senders in the work and family setting. Spillover Theory According to the spillover explanation, it may refer to the impact that the satisfaction and affect from the work domain has on the family domain or the impact that the satisfaction and affect from family domain has on the work domain. Additionally, the relationship between work and non-work activities can be positive or negative. Positive spillover refers to situations in which the satisfaction, energy and sense of accomplishment derived from the work environment carry over into the non-work domain. Conversely, negative spillover occurs when problems, fatigue or frustration carry over from the work domain to the non-work domain (Bartolonme Evens, 1980). Other researchers have conceptualized spillover in a similar manner. For example, Zedeck and Mosier (1990) asserted that increased satisfaction (dissatisfaction) in the work domain leads to increased satisfaction (dissatisfaction) with life. Spillover is a process whereby experiences in one roles more similar. Research has examined the spillover of mood, values, skills and behaviors from one role to another (Edwards and Rothbard, 2000). Therefore, spillover is likely to promote work-family conflict when an affect like dissatisfaction with work consistently spills over in to ones family life, thus increasing role conflict. This role conflict stems from the difficulty associated with trying to maintain a satisfying home life when dissatisfaction from work continues to interfere. Therefore, the central premise of spillover is reciprocity or bidirectional relationship of affect in the work and family domains. In other word, conflict between work and family occurs because the affect from one domain (work) is incompatible with the other domain (family). In this study spillover theory explain the negative effect in dealing with work and family roles respectively. Model of Work-Family Role Pressure Incompatibility The model of work-family role pressure incompatibility (figure 2.3) which was proposed by Greenhaus Beutell (1985) encompassed the antecedents of interrole conflict and offered detailed explanations of the types of interrole conflict, which were used widely by researchers in the work-family interface. The model depicted two main areas, the sources of conflict in both work and nonwork domains and the role pressure incompatibility. The role pressure incompatibility reflected the interrole conflict construct in the present study; and was classified into three forms; time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. However, in this study examined only two forms as defined by Netemeyer et al. (1996, p.401), that work-family conflict as a form of interrole conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. Greenhaus Beutell (1985) proposed the model of work-family role pressure incompatibility (figure 2.3) encompassed the work domain and family domain that explained in detailed the types of interrole conflict, which were used widely by researchers in the work-family interface. The model depicted domains from work and family which affect from three forms of interrole conflict namely; time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. However, in this study examined only two forms as defined by Netemeyer et al. (1996, p.401), that is work-family conflict as a form of interrole conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. FAMILY DOMAIN Illustrative Pressures Time Young Children Spouse Employment Large Families Strain Family Conflict Low spouse support Behaviour expectations for Warmth and Openness Role Pressure Incompatibility Time devoted to one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements for another role. Strain produced by one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of another role Behaviour required in one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of another role. WORK DOMAIN Illustrative Pressures Hour worked Time Inflexible work- schedule Shiftwork Role conflict Strain Role Ambiguity Boundary-spanning activities expectations for Behaviour secretiveness and objectivity Negative Sanction for Noncompliance Role Salience Figure 2.3. Work-Family Role Pressure Incompatibility (Adapted from Greenhaus Beutell, 1985: pp.78) The strength of this model was the conceptual distinctions made among the types of interrole conflict. Therefore, this model assisted in the development of the theoretical framework in the current study by suggesting the different types of interrole conflict to be evaluated in both work-and nonwork-domains. For instance, in work domain, if the amount of working hours were too much makes it difficult to fulfill the roles in family domain. Conservation of Resources Model (COR; Hobfoll, 1989) Often work-family researchers have not based their predictions on strong conceptual frameworks (Hobfoll, 1989). The field has been dominated by role theory (Kahn et al., 1964), which is undoubtedly the most cited theory by work-family researchers, together with spillover and segmentation theory (Zedeck Mosier, 1990). Although these theories offer a rationale for the consequences of work-family conflict, they are limited in explaining actual behavior, interaction between actors, or decision making or prioritizing in case of work-family conflict (Poelmans, 2004). Thus, to develop a comprehensive theoretical background for this research, the study also included conservation resources model by Hobfoll (1989) that can explain, predict, and help solve problems that individuals face when balancing work and home responsibilities (Clark, 2000, p. 749). Hobfoll explain that when an individual perceives or experiences environmental circumstances that threaten or cause depletion of resources, he or she psychologically responds in ways that minimize loss of resources. For example, resources might include self-esteem and employment (Hobfoll, 1989). In this study, WFC-efficacy and religious coping as resources of work-family conflict that hopes to reduce work-family conflict and increase well-being of married female teachers in Malaysia. Grandey and Cropanzano (1999) were among the first researchers to apply COR to examine work-family conflict (WFC). They argue that COR theory is an improvement over the use of role theory. Role theory is limited in its ability to explain work-family relationships because it fails to specify moderating variables that might affect the relationship between work-family stressors and stress outcomes. COR theory, in contrast, proposes that interrole conflict leads to stress because resources are lost in the process of juggling both work and family roles (p. 352). The role of work and family stress as an antecedent of work-family conflict can also be explained by the COR model as suggested by Grandey and Cropanzano (1999). The COR model proposes that individuals act to acquire and maintain a variety of resources, such as objects, energies, condition and personal characteristic. COR theory provides a framework for understanding the nature of stress, based on the belief that individuals seek to obtain, build and protect their resources. The theory has been applied to a variety of setting, including community psychology, disaster research, and organizational research. Furthermore, the COR model appears to be a promising perspective for advancing our understanding of work-family relationships. Overview of the Psychological Well-being Theories Associations between work-family conflict and psychological distress have been widely explored and suggest that increased conflict is associated with increased psychological distress ( Major et al., 2002; Stephens et al., 2001) Many different well-being conceptualizations have been provided but, as Gasper (2002), point out, the term well-being is a concept or abstraction used to refer to whatever is assessed in an evaluation of a persons life situation or being. In short, it is a description of the state of individuals life situation. In addition, Easterlin (2001), for example, goes so far as to equate explicitly happiness, subjective well-being, satisfaction, utility, well-being and welfare. Kathryn Dianne (2009) argued that employee well-being consists of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and dispositional affect), workplace well-being (job satisfaction and work-related affect) and psychological well-being (self acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, autonomy, purpose in life and personal growth). In recent years, researchers, educators, policy-makers and politicians have been directly concerned with well-being, which have been viewed variously as happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment, contentment; and engagement and fulfillment or a combination of these and other, hedonic and eudaimonic factors. It has also been recognized that well-being and the environment are intimately interconnected and may take different forms. Well-being is complex and multifaceted. It is considered as a state and a process. Well-being includes personal, interpersonal and collective needs which influence each other. Well-being may take different forms, which may conflict across groups in society, requiring an overarching settlement. Well-being may also take different forms over the life course of an individual. Interventions to enhance well-being may take different forms. They should be conducted at individual, community and societal level. In the 50 years since Jahodas (1958) seminal report outlining the complexity of defining mental health, significant progress has been made towards the definition and conceptualization of this concept. One noteworthy development was the turn away from definitions of health as the absence of disease (Keyes 2006). Later this was cemented by the work of authors such as Diener (1984), Ryff (1989), Waterman (1993) and Ryff and Keyes (1995). Essentially they argued that mental health should be defined as the presence of wellness rather than the absence of disease. Some speculation surrounds the causal ordering of these two constructs; some believe life satisfaction is a determinant of job satisfaction (whereby overall life satisfaction spills over into satisfaction with life domains) whilst others believe job satisfaction is one of the determinants of overall life satisfaction (Rode 2004). However, the title of the paper, Building a Better Theory of Well-being prepared by Easterlin (2007) shows that Western theories of well-being were inconclusive. Model of Teacher Stress (cf. Kyriacou Sutcliffe, 1978a, p.3) Kyriacou and Sutcliffe (1978a) adopted the theoretical conceptualization of Lazarus to predict school teachers stress reactions. Figure 2.4 presents a simplified version of the model. According to the model, potential stressors are seen as antecedents of teacher stress. Characteristic of the Individual Teacher Biographical personality e.g. support, self-efficacy Teacher Stress Negative effects Response correlates psychological physiological behavioural Chronic Symptoms Psychosomatic coronary mental Coping Mechanisms To reduce perceived threat Potential Stressors Physical psychological Figure 2.4 A Model of Teacher Stress (cf. Kyriacou Sytcliffe, 1978a, p.3) Kyriacou and Sutcliffe (1978a) make an explicit distinction between stressors which are mainly physical (e.g., many pupils in the classes) and those which are essentially psychological (e.g., poor relationships with colleagues). Coping attempts can help to deal with stressful situations, that is, to reduce the perceived threat of those situations. If coping mechanisms are inappropriate, stress occurs. Teacher stress is seen mainly as a negative affect with diverse psychological (e.g., job dissatisfaction), physiological (e.g., high blood pressure), and behavioral (e.g., absenteeism) correlates. In the long run these negative stress effects lead to physiological and biochemical changes accompanied by psychosomatic and even chronic symptoms like coronary heart diseases. Finally, characteristics of the individual teacher are assumed to influence the process. Based on this model, the present study examined WFC-efficacy as a characteristic of the individual teacher on WFC and well-being a nd religious coping as a coping mechanism considered as a predictors in dealing with WFC and well-being. To be clear, WFC is the main dependent variable and well-being as a second dependent variable. WFC-efficacy and religious coping are analyzed as predictors of WFC and well-being Furthermore, the study also integrate WFC as a mediator between both predictors respectively. Banduras Social Cognitive Theory Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with judgments of personal capability, whereas self-esteem is concerned with judgments of self-worth. People make causal contributions to their own psychosocial functioning through mechanisms of personal agency. Among the mechanisms of agency, none is more central or pervasive than peoples beliefs of personal efficacy. Perceived self-efficacy refers to beliefs in ones capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations. Efficacy beliefs influence how people think, feel, motivate themselves, and act. A central question in any theory of cognitive regulation of motivation, affect, and action concerns the issues of causality. Do efficacy beliefs operate as causal factors in human functioning? The findings of diverse causal tests, in which efficacy beliefs are systematically varied, are consistent in showing that such beliefs contribute significantly to human motivation and attainments (Bandura, 1992a). The substantial body of research on the diverse effects of perceived personal efficacy can be summarized as follows: people who have a low sense of efficacy in given domains shy away from difficult tasks, which they view as personal threats. They have low aspirations and weak commitment to the goals they choose to pursue. When face with difficult tasks, they dwell on their personal deficiencies, the obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of adverse outcomes. Banduras social cognitive theory states that behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors are all important in understanding personality. Bandura coined the term reciprocal determinism to describe the way behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors interact to create personality. Behavior Person and cognitive Environment factors Figure 2.6 Banduras Social Cognitive Theory Banduras social cognitive theory emphasizes reciprocal influences of behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors. The environment can determine a persons behavior, and the person can act to change the environment. Similarly, person/cognitive factors can both influence behavior and be influenced by behavior. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can master a situation and produce positive outcomes. Bandura and the others have shown that self-efficacy is related to a number of positive developments in peoples lives, including solving problems, becoming more sociable, initiating a diet or an exercise program and maintaining it, and quitting smoking (Bandura, 2001, 2006, 2007a, 2007b; Schunk, 2008; Schunk Zimmerman, 2006). Self-efficacy influences whether people even try to develop healthy habits, as well as how much effort they expend in coping with stress, how long they persist in the face of obstacles, and how much stress and pain they experience (Fisher, Schilinger, 2006). Researchers also have found that self-efficacy is linked with successful job interviewing and job performance (Judge Bono, 2001; Tay, Ang, Van Dyne, 2006). Making positive changes to promote our health can be challenge. But fortunately, we all have a variety of psychological and social tools at our disposal to help us in the journey to a new, healthier life. There are three powerful tools: self-efficacy, motivation, and religious faith. Self-efficacy is the individuals belief that he or she can master a situation and produce positive outcomes. If there is a problem to be fixed, self-efficacy-that is, having a can-do attitude-is related to finding a solution. Self-efficacy is the power of belief in you. Not only self-efficacy related to initiating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle; religious faith is, too (Krause, 2006; Park, 2007). Pargaments Religious Coping Theory (1990) Religious-coping responses may eliminate or resolve the stressful probe, thereby preserving or improving the health of the person. Such a hypothesis suggests a model of religious commitment that has both direct and indirect effects on health, with the indirect effects operating through religious support as well as religious coping. Religious coping is dealing with life effectively within the research for significance toward the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Pargament (1990, 1997) suggested a process through which religion plays a part in coping. The process of coping activities and coping outcome, and religion can be a part of each of the central constructs of coping. Religion can contribute to the coping process, shaping the character of live events. In addition, religion itself is shaped by the elements of this process. People bring with them a system of general beliefs, practices, aspirations, and relationships which affect how they deal with difficult moments. A number of studies have definitely linked religious participation to a longer life (Hummer others, 2004; Krause, 2006; McCullough others, 2000). Religious-coping responses may eliminate or resolve the stressful probe, thereby preserving or improving the health of the person. Such a hypothesis suggests a model of religious commitment that has both direct and indirect effects on health, with the indirect effects operating through religious support as well as religious coping. Religious coping is dealing with life effectively within the research for significance toward the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Religious coping is expressed in the cognitive construction of the triggering event, in the ends sought and in the methods used to reach these ends. Religious coping may be involved in the conservation or transformation of ends. Pargaments (1997) model is potentially useful in determining how this religious coping influence work-family conflict. Pargament (1997) proposed a model that integrates religion into Lazarus and Folkmans (1984) classic tripartite theory of coping consisting of primary and secondary appraisals of a stressor; cognitive or behavioral strategies to deal with the event; and sought-after outcomes of coping. Specifically, Pargament (1997) theorized that life events can be interpreted in religious term (i.e., religious coping appraisals), that religion offers people of all ages unique religious pathways to cope with s tress (i.e., religious coping processes), and that religion can imbue with sacred significance the destinations that people strive to reach by means of coping processes. In Pargaments model, religious coping is a broad construct, defined as a search for significance in times of stress in ways related to the sacred (Pargament, 1996, 1997). The term the sacred highlights what makes religion unique. The core of the sacred consists of concepts of God, the divine, and the transcendent, but virtually any object can become part of the sacred through its association with or representation of divinity (Pargament Mahoney, in press). And, unlike other personal and social institutions, religion connects the search for significance during times of stress with higher powers and beliefs, experiences, rituals and institutions associated with supernatural forces. In this frame of reference, spirituality is conceptualized as the heart of religion and defined as the search for the sacred (Pargament Mahoney, 2002). Issues on Feminism in Work-Family Conflict Carol Gilligans Moral Development Theory As human beings grow we somehow develop the ability to assess what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. In other words; we develop morality, a system of learned attitudes about social practices, institutions, and individual behavior used to evaluate situations and behavior as good or bad, right or wrong (Lefton, 2000). One theorist, Carol Gilligan, found that morality develops by looking at much more than justice. The following will discuss the morality development theory of Carol Gilligan and its implications. Carol Gilligan was the first to consider gender differences in her research with the mental processes of males and females in their moral development. In general, Gilligan noted differences between girls and boys in their feelings towards caring, relationships, and connections with other people. More specifically Gilligan noted that girls are more concerned with care, relationships, and connections with other people than boys (Lefton, 2000). Thus, Gilligan hypothesized that as younger children girls are more inclined towards caring and boys are more inclined towards justice (Lefton, 2000). Gilligan suggests this difference is due to gender and the childs relationship with the mother (Lefton, 2000). Kohlbergs theory is comprised of three levels of moral development becoming more complex. Kohlbergs moral development theory did not take into account gender, and from Kohlbergs theory Gilligan found that girls do in-fact develop moral orientations differently than boys. According to Gilligan, the central moral problem for women is the conflict between self and other. Within Gilligans theoretical framework for moral development in females, she provides a sequence of three levels (Belknap, 2000). At level one of Gilligans theoretical framework a womans orientations is towards individual survival (Belknap, 2000); the self is the sole object of concern. The first transition that takes place is from being selfish to being responsible. At level two the main concern is that goodness is equated with self-sacrifice (Belknap, 2000). This level is where a woman adopts societal values and social membership. Gilligan refers to the second transition from level two to level three as the transition from goodness to truth (Belknap, 2000). Here, the needs of the self must be deliberately uncovered; as they are uncovered the woman begins to consider the consequences of the self and other (Belknap, 2000). One study by Gilligan Attanucci (1988) looked at the distinction between care and justice perspectives with men and women, primarily adolescence and adults when faced with real-life dilemmas. The study showed that: a) concerns about justice and care are represented in peoples thinking about real-life moral dilemmas, but that people tend to focus on one or the other depending on gender, and b) there is an association between moral orientation and gender such that women focus on care dilemmas and men focus on justice dilemmas (Gilligan Attanucci, 1988). Gilligans theory has had both positive and negative implications in the field of psychology. One positive implication is that her work has influenced other psychologists in their evaluations of morality. Also, Gilligans work highlights that people think about other people in a humanly caring way. Gilligan also emphasized that both men and women think about caring when faced with relationship dilemmas, similarly both are likely to focus on justice when faced with dilemmas involving others rights. On the other hand, the most criticized element to her theory is that it follows the stereotype of women as nurturing, men as logical. The participants of Gilligans research are limited to mostly white, middle class children and adults (Woods, 1996. In general, literature reviews have provided that Gilligans work needs a broader more multicultural basis. In work-family conflict study, Gilligans theory can explain regarding the different between female and male in handling work and family domain as general. The moral orientations and development of women in this theory has shows that women is more caring or in other word more responsible in terms of handling family related condition compare to men. In summary, Carol Gilligan has provided a framework for the moral orientations and development of women. Gilligans theory is comprised of three stages: self-interest, self-sacrifice, and post-conventional thinking where each level is more complex. Overall, Gilligan found that girls do develop morality, differently than others. Gilligans theory holds particular implications for adolescent girls specifically as this is typically when they enter the transition from level two to level three. However, as do all theories Gilligans has advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when looking at moral orientations. The History of Work-Family Conflict Construct Since its early development, theoretical discourse in the field of work-family conflict has been confined to a few dominant theories, such as role theory (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek Rosenthal, 1964; Katz Kahn, 1978) and spillover theory (Zedeck Mosier, 1990). Since Zedecks (1992) call for the refinement and development of theory in the work-family field, a series of alternative theories have been suggested as a conceptual basis for explaining work-family conflict, such as Hobfolls (1989) conservation of resources theory (Grandey Cropanzano, 1999). Most research on the work-family interface has focused on work-family conflict (Allen et al., 2000). Conflict between work and

Self-Deception and Absurdity Essay -- Psychology, Self-inflation Bias

Self-deception is described as a strong urge and desire to maintain or defend a belief or idea that one regards to be the truth even while there is strong evidence that the contrary is actually the truth (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Self-deception is â€Å"a way we justify false beliefs† and these rationalizations â€Å"may even produce it themselves† (Skeptic’s Dictionary; Perspectives, 117). Some views of self-deception suggest that it is an egoistic act, while others do not believe that this is necessarily true. There is also controversy over whether or not the deceiver is conscious of this incidence. That is, the dispute is over whether the deception is intentionally self-induced. Another debate examines whether or not this tendency is an everyday human occurrence. Self-deception must first be defined before arriving at the conclusion that it is an everyday occurrence because, according to one possible definition, self-deception is argued not to eve n exist. The process of defining this phenomenon can be very difficult and quarrelsome because of diverging views and opinions of the definition. Some may even argue that there are different categories of ‘self-deception’ that only loosely apply to actual self-deception and that this is why it is hard to come to conclusions on the subject (Van Leeuwen). The process of defining self-deception implicates a moral and social definition and understanding as well—questions such as, â€Å"Is self-deception immoral?† and, â€Å"Does society play a role in self-deception?† must be answered. The theory that self-deception is an evolutionary trait must also be taken into account and may answer the question of whether or not self-deception is present in all human affairs—do we have a genetic predispositi... ...lid. This would lead to the conclusion that self-deception is not present in humans and, therefore, cannot be exhibited in all human affairs because it would not exist. Self-deception is a highly debated topic that has a large amount of support on both sides of the spectrum. In psychology and philosophy, though, one must retain the understanding that nothing is either always or never. There will only be assumptions that something is the truth. It will not be the whole truth unless proven to be. Therefore, the argument regarding self-deception may remain unresolved until actual evidence is given that asserts and establishes one of the many theories to be true. Meanwhile, it can be assumed either that the concept of self-deception is valid or that it is not valid. If it is assumed to be valid, it is also possible to assume that it is exhibited in all human affairs.

The TQM & HR: How Business Functions and Works

Over the past few decades, Total Quality Management (TQM) has become a business wide concept. One important aspect often overlooked is the relationship between TQM and Human Resources (HR). Both of these aspects play a significant role in how ones business functions and works. Even though they are both equally recognized as key components of any prospering productive business, there is limited current research that discusses the link between the two. The purpose of this study is to present the current data on the subject as well as offer new information that may help business use these aspects of their businesses more effectively. As is inevitable for any idea that enjoys wide popularity in managerial and scholarly circles, total quality management has come to mean different things to different people. There is now such a diversity of things done under the name â€Å"total quality† that it has become unclear whether TQM still has an identifiable conceptual core, if it ever did. We begin with a close examination of what the movement's founders had to say about what TQM was supposed to be, and then we assess how TQM as currently practiced stacks up against the founders) values and prescriptions. (Hackman & Wageman, 1995) Virtually everything that has been written about TQM explicitly draws on the works of W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Kaoru Ishikawa, the primary authorities of the TQM movement. Rather than studying the precise writing, this research simply draws on the main concepts presented by them. TQM has become something of a social movement in the United States. Hackman & Wageman (1995) identify a number of gaps in what is known about TQM processes and outcomes and explore the congruence between TQM practices and behavioral science knowledge about motivation, learning, and change in social systems. It has now been a decade since the core ideas of TQM set forth by W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Kaoru Ishikawa gained significant acceptance in the U. S. management community. In that decade, TQM has become something of a social movement. It has spread from its industrial origins to health care organizations, public bureaucracies, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions. There are particular assumptions set in place regarding TQM. The first assumption is about quality, which is assumed to be less costly to an organization than is poor workmanship. A fundamental premise of TQM is that the costs of poor quality (such as inspection, rework, lost customers, and so on) are far greater than the costs of developing processes that produce high-quality products and services. Although the organizational purposes espoused by the TQM authorities do not explicitly address traditional economic and accounting criteria of organizational effectiveness, their view is that organizations that produce quality goods will eventually do better even on traditional measures such as profitability than will organizations that attempt to keep costs low by compromising quality. The strong version of this assumption, implicit in Juran and Ishikawa but explicit and prominent in Deming's writing, is that producing quality products and services is not merely less costly but, in fact, is absolutely essential to long-term organizational survival. (Hackman & Wageman, 1995) The second assumption is about people. Employees naturally care about the quality of work they do and will take initiatives to improve it–so long as they are provided with the tools and training that are needed for quality improvement, and management pays attention to their ideas. As stated by Juran (1974: 4. 54), â€Å"The human being exhibits an instinctive drive for precision, beauty, and perfection. When unrestrained by economics, this drive has created the art treasures of the ages. † Deming and Ishikawa add that an organization must remove ail organizational systems that create fear–such as punishment for poor performance, appraisal systems that involve the comparative evaluation of employees, and merit pay. The third assumption is that organizations are systems of interdependent parts, and the central problems they face invariably cross-traditional functional lines. To produce high-quality products efficiently, for example, product designers must address manufacturing challenges and trade-offs as part of the design process. Deming and Juran are insistent that cross-functional problems must be addressed collectively by representatives of all relevant functions (Juran, 1969: 80-85; Deming, 1993: 50-93). Ishikawa, by contrast, is much less system-oriented: He states that cross-functional teams should not set overall directions; rather, each line division should set its own goals using local objective-setting procedures. (Hackman & Wageman, 1995) The final assumption concerns senior management. Quality is viewed as ultimately and inescapably the responsibility of top management. Because senior managers create the organizational systems that determine how products and services are designed and produced, the quality-improvement process must begin with management's own commitment to total quality. Employees' work effectiveness is viewed as a direct function of the quality of the systems that managers create. Some writers have asserted that TQM provides a historically unique approach to improving organizational effectiveness, one that has a solid conceptual foundation and, at the same time, offers a strategy for improving performance that takes account of how people and organizations actually operate. In the early 1980s, a new concept entered managerial discourse: Total Quality Management (TQM). Later called â€Å"Total Quality† (TQ), TQM was heralded by governments, major corporations and the business media as the most effective and elegant way out of the economic crisis and into the global market. It should be noted, however, that the preoccupation with quality is by no means new. In the 1980s, TQM became a product in itself, nearly a billion-dollar industry (Giroux & Landry, 1998). Human Resources has been seen as an ineffective business component by some researchers, one in which only gave reason the everyday paperwork and employee relations (Jones, 1996). Globalization in the business theater is driving companies toward a new view of quality as a necessary tool to compete successfully in worldwide markets. A direct outcome of this new emphasis is the philosophy of TQM. In essence, TQM is a company-wide perspective that strives for customer satisfaction by seeking zero defects in products and services. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) TQM is an encompassing management approach whose principal tenets are to satisfy (internal and external) customer needs through strategies of employee empowerment and performance measurement. Customer needs are addressed through the multi-faceted concept of quality,' which includes such elements as performance, conformance, accuracy, reliability, and timeliness. In many instances, these elements are quantifiable and, hence, subject to evaluation, assessment, and continuous improvement. Employee empowerment is used because it allows employees to address customer problems in a timely and often tailored way (Berman & West, 1995) A common problem with the implementation of productivity improvement innovations such as TQM is that many organizations implement them at a token level rather than fully committing themselves to success (Downs and Mohr, 1980; Miller, 1993). Token implementation, or paying lip service, occurs because organizations and individuals receive recognition and other benefits from being or appearing to be in line with current thinking, while avoiding the risks of actual innovation. Such behavior is reinforced by perceptions of meager rewards for success or often severe, punitive consequences of failure. Token implementation also occurs as the result of a flawed implementation plan, inadequate commitment, and follow-through by those mandating the implementation of innovation, a lack of training in applying the innovation, incongruent organizational policies, and other factors (Radin and Coffee, 1993). TQM provides a paradigm shift in management philosophy for improving organizational effectiveness. TQM focuses the efforts of all members of the organization to continuously improve all organizational processes and increase value to customers, while relying upon a clear vision of the organization's purpose. This depends on the removal of barriers both within the organization and between the organization and its various stakeholders. TQM has been embraced by thousands of organizations as an important, approach to management. The key reason human resources was not effective in the past was the structure, which was hierarchical and functional. Another deterrent to human resource effectiveness is the lack of collaborative relationships with the business units. Human resources had historically managed from a position of control, so there was hot a real sense of partnership with the units. Human resource strategy and planning has changed and grown significantly during the last 25 years. We can track these developments from functional strategies in the 1980s to capabilities strategies in the 1990s to results strategies today. Strategic shifts in HR mirror the business and labor market conditions of the times and follow influential breakthroughs in business thinking, from the 7-S model to competing on core competencies to the current rise of operating models and execution. Longer-term changes in the employment relationship, from relational to transactional employment, and the current emerging three-part workforce of elites, profit makers, and costs, provide another important context for HR strategy and a way to view the future. Looking ahead, we can see differentiated, results-based strategies and plans for different workforce segments. We can also envision the need for more vital contributions from HR in HR and business strategy and ethical and cultural leadership. (Gunman, 2004) As Conner (1997) reported in the research, Working, people care desperately about the meaning of their work and its significance. This conclusion is a fundamental principle of organization theory and behavior, human resources management, and public personnel management. It rests on a nearly unshakable empirical foundation. Employees who â€Å"experience meaningfulness† from their work are more likely to enjoy high internal work motivation and high job satisfaction, to exhibit less absenteeism and turnover, and to do high-quality work. In addition to reminding us that people want to experience meaning in and from their work, the quality movement emphasizes the notion of â€Å"empowerment. † Unfortunately, what this term means is not exactly clear, perhaps because it means different things to different people. The idea seems to be that people are empowered† to the degree that they understand what is expected of them; they are given the ability to meet those expectations; and they are given an incentive, either intrinsic or extrinsic, to do so. It follows, then, that they are empowered to translate their understanding into goal-accomplishing behavior. Some organization theorists describe empowerment as a â€Å"psychological mindset,† which comprises several dimensions: the fit between one's job and personal values; the belief that one has the necessary knowledge, skills, and so forth, to perform a job or task well; and the belief that one can make a difference with respect to organizational outcomes. Making quality improvements was once thought to be the sole responsibility of specialists (quality engineers, product designers, and process engineers). Today, developing quality across the entire firm can be an important function of the HRM department. A failure on HRM's part to recognize this opportunity and act on it may result in the loss of TQM implementation responsibilities to other departments with less expertise in training and development. The ultimate consequence of this loss is an ineffective piece-mealing of the TQM strategy. Thus, HRM should act as the pivotal change agent necessary for the successful implementation of TQM. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) HRM can act as senior management's tool in implementing TQM in two fundamental ways. First, by modeling the TQM philosophy and principles within its departmental operations, the HR department can serve as a beachhead for the TQM process throughout the company. Second, the HR department, with senior management's support, can take the TQM process company-wide by developing and delivering the long-term training and development necessary for the major organizational culture shift required by TQM. The HR department also has major strengths in terms of recruitment, selection, appraisal, and reward system development to institutionalize a quality-first orientation. An appreciation of the capabilities of HRM to model and institutionalize TQM begins with an understanding of the TQM philosophy. HRM can jumpstart the TQM process by becoming a role model. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) This means that HRM has two specific tasks: â€Å"Serving our customers, and making a significant contribution to running the business. † This emphasis on customer-oriented service means that the HR department must see other departments in the firm as their customer groups for whom making-continuing improvements in service becomes a way of life. In their efforts to achieve total quality management, HRM can demonstrate commitment to TQM principles by soliciting feedback from its internal customer groups on current HR services. HRM should include suggestions from its customers in setting objective performance standards and measures. In other words, there are a number of specific TQM principles that the HR department can model. The current emphasis on quality as a competitive strategy has produced many views regarding the actions necessary to achieve it. A number of approaches have been created that have been considered as effective. There are five basic principles, which flow throughout the different themes. Focus on customers' needs; Focus on problem prevention, not correction; make continuous improvements: seek to meet customers' requirements on time, the first time, every time; Train employees in ways to improve quality; and, apply the team approach to problem solving. To institute total quality management as a philosophy within an organization, all employees must come to realize that satisfying customers is essential to the long-run well-being of the firm and their jobs. No longer is the customer-driven focus exclusive to the marketing department. However, customer satisfaction can only be achieved after first defining the customer groups. The new perspective here is that all employees exist to serve their customer groups, some internal and some external to the firm. The human resources department has internal customers to satisfy, which indirectly provides ultimate satisfaction to external customers. In addition to identifying customer groups, there are other essential TQM customer issues. Clarifying what products and services will provide maximum customer satisfaction, measuring satisfaction, and continually monitoring and improving the level of customer satisfaction are all fundamental to the TQM philosophy. For the HR department, applying these TQM issues would translate into identifying the expectations of senior management, their principal internal customer, regarding TQM, and spearheading the TQM program's implementation based on those expectations. TQM in practice for HRM might also mean periodic surveys, both formal and face-to-face, to monitor senior management's levels of satisfaction as the TQM process unfolds. Giroux & Landry, 1998). The TQM approach entails identifying the wants and needs of customer groups and then propelling the entire organization toward fulfilling these needs. A customer's concerns must be taken seriously, and organizations should make certain that its employees are empowered to make decisions that will ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. This can be achieved by promoting an environment of self-initiative and by not creating a quagmire of standard operating procedures and company policies. Flexibility is the key, especially in a business environment that is diverse and constantly changing, as most are today. In modeling these aspects of the TQM process, the HR department would need to identify human resource concerns of other departments and undertake to continually improve its performance, especially in any trouble areas that become known. Based on this â€Å"customer first† orientation, organizational members are constantly seeking to improve products or services. Employees are encouraged to work together across organizational boundaries. Underlying these cooperative efforts are two crucial ideas. One is that the initial contact with the customer is critical and influences all future association with that customer. The other idea is that it is more costly to acquire new customers than to keep the customers you already have. Exemplifying TQM here would mean that the HR department would need to train itself, focusing on being customer-driven toward other departments. Quality improvement programs typically involve the directed efforts of quality improvement (QI) teams. Using teams and empowering employees to solve quality-related issues using such tools as statistical process control. (SPC) represent fundamental changes in how many businesses operate. The Focus of SPC, also known as statistical quality control (SQC), is defect prevention as opposed to defect correction. Defect prevention results from continuously monitoring and improving the process. In this context, â€Å"process† refers to service delivery as well as manufacturing. To ensure that output meets quality specifications, monitoring is performed by periodically inspecting small samples of the product. SPC alone will not ensure quality improvement; rather, it is a tool for monitoring and identifying quality problems. (Giroux & Landry, 1998). The effective use of quality improvement teams, and the TQM system as a whole, can be reinforced by applying basic principles of motivation. In particular, the recognition of team accomplishments as opposed to those of individuals, and the effective use of goal setting for group efforts, are important in driving the TQM system. The HR department is in a position to help institutionalize team approaches to TQM by designing appraisal and reward systems that focus on team performance. After 25 years of progress, we can look at HR strategy and planning to see where it has been, where it is, and where it may go. Keep in mind three intertwining elements: change, continuity, and context. In HR strategy and planning, the overriding changes are big ones: From little strategic thinking before 1980 to functional strategies throughout the 1980s and early 1990s to capability strategies in the 1990s to results strategies, which are emerging today. (Gubman, 2004) Functional strategies describe HR processes that usually are synonymous with parts of the HR department. Therefore, we have training strategies or compensation and benefit strategies, depending on which HR programs most need attention or answer some particular organizational issue. Capability strategies address the culture, competencies, and commitments the business needs to succeed and how HR can secure them. If the business strategy is to become a leader in a new technology, this means organizing and recruiting a new generation of engineers and scientists to launch a research and development group. Alternatively, if the company needs to improve customer service in its call center, it means becoming a leader in work/life programs to attract and retain highly skilled customer service representatives who get more flexible work arrangements. Gubman, (2004) reported that results strategies are comprised of the HR-related business outcomes that are part of companies' overall business strategies. For a mega discount retailer, an HR results strategy is a specific level of speed and cost in recruiting and hiring, designed to provide people at the right time, volumes, and prices. For an insurance company, it's the timely development of a particular number of agents to grow the business. Often these strategies are part of a balanced portfolio of performance measures. Continuity refers to the three challenges always in front of HR: Attract, develop, and retain talent; Align, engage, and measure and reward performance; and continually control or reduce HR program and people spending. These challenges are timeless, and every HR function can be arranged under one of them. You might even say these are why HR exists: It fulfills these tasks for the organization. Because of this, HR leaders have to handle all three challenges well; HR strategists need to pay attention to all of them, not something they always do. Truly, how much strategy is directed at cost control? Usually it is not even seen as a strategic issue. Yet it is easy to argue now that the biggest HR trend of the last 10 years, at least as measured in program dollars, has been outsourcing key HR processes. In addition, this trend is likely to continue until the last dollar of excess costs has been saved. Particularly intriguing is how these challenges wax and wane depending on the economy. All three are always present, but which one dominates depends largely on the robustness of the economy and the job market. When jobs are plentiful and talent is in shorter supply, attracting, developing, and retaining moves to the forefront and somewhat less attention is paid to the other two. When there are more people than jobs, and there are pressures on profits, increasing productivity through measurement and reward and cost controls/reductions take the main stage. This argues for a high level of economic knowledge and awareness among HR leaders and strategists. They should be able to make a nimble reading of the economic situation–macro, industry, company, and division–to know what to emphasize. We could argue about how many are knowledgeable and can react to changing economic conditions, but it is easy to agree few writings on HR strategy even broach the topic. The economy and the job market are part of the context in which HR operates. The last 20 years have seen dramatic shifts in technology, globalization, and workforce demographics and values. Each of these affects HR strategy and planning significantly. Some impacts can only be seen over a long period of time and appear quite gradual. Others appear in the blink of an eye. How many among us were talking about the permanent loss of high-knowledge jobs to developing countries as little as 12 months ago? If we are truly strategic thinkers, keep in mind how all of these elements–the changes from functional to capability to results strategies, the three constant challenges or tasks of HR, and the power of contextual influences (the economy, technology, globalization, and the changing workforce)–interact as we survey past, present, and future in HR strategy and planning. We probably will fall short in drawing all the connections and implications of these powerful variables. After all, as Jim Walker pointed out in 1980, strategic thinking is hard work. (Gubman, 2004) For many companies, the philosophy of TQM represents a major culture shift away from a traditional production-driven atmosphere. In the face of such radical operational makeovers, a determined implementation effort is vital to prevent TQM from becoming simply latitudinal and the team approaches just another management fad. Senior management must take the lead in overt support of TQM. Human resource management can plan a vital role in implementing and maintaining a total quality management process. HR managers are responsible for recruiting high-quality employees, the continual training and development of those employees, and the creation and maintenance of reward systems. Thus, TQM controls processes that are central to achieving the dramatic cultural changes often required for TQM to succeed. Tailoring the TQM cultural development program to the firm's circumstances is essential in overcoming resistance to change and moving beyond simple compliance toward a total commitment to TQM. Holding a major liaison role between top management and employees, HRM has many opportunities to establish communication channels between top management and other members of the organization. Using these channels, HR personnel can ensure that employees know they are the organization's number one priority in implementing TQM. Building trust through an open exchange of ideas can help allay fears regarding the work-role changes that TQM requires. This can provide the foundation for all employees to be trained to consider their peers in other departments as internal customers. Here again, HRM has the opportunity to emphasize this new outlook by example. By exemplifying a customer-first orientation, HRM can help establish a departmental view of service throughout the entire organization. Part of HRM's functional expertise is its ability to monitor and survey employee attitudes. This expertise can be particularly important for a TQM program, since getting off to a good start means having information about current performance. Thus, a preparatory step is to administer an employee survey targeting two primary concerns. One involves identifying troublesome areas in current operations, where improvements in quality can have the most impact on company performance. The other focuses on determining existing employee perceptions and attitudes toward quality as a necessary goal, so that the implementation program itself can be fine-tuned for effectiveness. In general, HRM is responsible for providing training and development. With their background, HR departments are well positioned to take the leading role in providing such programs consistent with the TQM philosophy. HR managers have an important opportunity to communicate a history of their organization's TQM program and its champions. Equally important, HRM can tell stories of employees who are currently inspiring the TQM philosophy. As corporate historian, the HR department should be primarily responsible for relaying the TQM culture to members of the organization in employee orientation training. Beyond communicating the TQM philosophy, the specific training and development needs for making TQM a practical reality must be assessed. Basically, HR professionals must decide the following: What knowledge and skills must be taught? How? What performance (behaviors) will be recognized, and how will we reward them? HRM has faced these questions before and can best confront them in the TQM process. Training and development that does not fit within the realm of these questions will more than likely encounter heavy resistance. However, training and development does fall within the realm of these questions probably will be accepted more readily. Quality can no longer be viewed as the responsibility for one department. It is a company-wide activity that permeates all departments, at all levels. The key element of any quality and productivity improvement program is the employee. Consequently, employee commitment to a TQM program is essential. Because of its fundamental employee orientation, HRM should seek the responsibility for implementing TQM programs rather than risk losing their influence over the key element of TQM — the employee. Organizations with a solid reputation for providing high customer satisfaction have a common viewpoint: consistently taking care of the smaller duties is just as important as the larger concerns. Just as they attempt to instill an overall quality philosophy across the company, HRM can emphasize consistent quality in its own operations. The day-to-day delivery of basic HR services can be just as important as developing strategic programs that may have higher visibility and supposedly greater long-term consequences. As a guardian of such functions as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance evaluation and reward systems, the HRM professional is best able to take charge of these important functions as they relate to a TQM strategy. The full potential of the entire work force must be realized by encouraging commitment, participation, teamwork, and learning. HRM is best suited to accomplishing this by modeling these qualities. Leading by example, the HR department could then sustain the long-term TQM process company-wide. A by-product of setting a TQM example can be the improved standing of the HR department in the eyes of other, traditionally more influential departments. (10) But, the primary end result can be total quality management as a successful competitive strategy for organizational survival. (Clinton, Williamson & Bethke, 1994) Not only has the presented data shown the significance of TQM and HRM, it has also supported the idea that there is a strong correlation between the two, and it is necessary to have a balance and understanding of the importance of each aspect of business. Therefore, when discussing the relation between the two it is easy to state that they go hand in hand. It is also evident that they enhance one another. As stated earlier, both concepts separately were see as positive aspects with faults and difficulties, however, those problems and difficulties seem to diminish substantially when the two concepts are intermingled and utilized to their fullest extent.

Security & EConsumer Awareness

Security & E? consumer Awareness When you buy a product from an online store you expect the company to keep your data safe from loss and damage. For the company to do this they need to look in to threats to the data and how to stop this, a company needs to know the laws of data protection and different ways to prevent this like firewalls and antivirus software and encrypting the customers data to stop people reading it, this report will tell you about the types of threats ways to stop these and the laws of data protection.All companies should do a risk assessment; they should do this to make sure that the data on the computer is safe. A risk assessment finds risks and then rates them and then says how they will be fixed. Threats to your data through an Organisations website Data intercepted by copycat website or phishing Data intercepted by use of copycat web site. The way they do this is to send you an e? ail for example saying you have to check something on your bank and at the bot tom of the email there will be a link that looks like your banks website but in fact it sends you to a different website that looks the same and then you enter your detail to your bank then the owiners of the copycat website will be able to take your identity and your money. Here is an example of how they do this underneath. As you can see the address in the email will be spelt wrong or have something extra like this one has an ip address in the front this is a big give away because professional bank website would just have the bank name, this kind of e? ail is usually blocked by your spam wall in your e? mail address but if you do get an e? mail from the bank type the URL in the search bar or search engine The one on the right is the correct one because as you can see there is no number in front and it just says the banks name, also you can see there is https which stands for hypertext transfer protocol secured this is only on the official bank website to try to stop hackers. Usual ly the banks logo will be next to the URL address as you can see from the example above this is another way to check if the banks website looks legit.Companies can help people not fall for these traps by providing bank protection software to the entire user; many banks do this now and run this with your normal protection like Norton but the best way to prevent these scams is to teach people how to avoid the traps this has the highest effectiveness against this scam but the computer also has to have anti? virus software that also looks for these scams and this will give you the highest effectiveness against you falling for this trap.The effectiveness of these preventions is very high but this depends on the versions of the software that you have and if the software reads it as a threat or the real thing but the way that has the best effectiveness would be to teach employees and customers about the threats and show them examples of how they would really send them for example they woul d send â€Å"Dear† then your name rather than â€Å"Dear Customer† because then that would show they know you and not just trying to guest who you have accounts with, this would be the best way to prevent these scams and I feel would have the highest effectiveness against this scam.Key loggers Key loggers are used to intercept your data which you type into your keyboard hacker usually use this to get passwords to bank amount and any other thing that requires a password. A key logger remembers everything you type and everything you delete, for your computer to get a key logger on it you have to download it because it software but key logger are usually hidden or disguised as another piece of software so you download it be accident, a key logger runs in the background of your computer so you don’t even know that its running.The way to block key loggers is to make sure your fire wall on and after you download any software use should scan it using your virus protect ion software. This can happen by employees using the company’s internet to download things that they are not meant for. The way a hardware key logger works the device is put in between your keyboard and computer tower then on the same computer open up note pad and each key logger comes with a three digit code that you have to hold down at the same time to bring up what has been key logged on that computer.To prevent key logging these companies can installer anti spyware, but now programs like Norton and MacAfee have this type of protection built in as well, this will only work if the program is kept up to date this is because there are new virus and bugs being made all the time. The effectiveness of these types of protection is very high as long as the anti? irus software is running at its highest version by being kept up to date, but it is not 100% because some key loggers may not be detected because there not in the protection software’s virus database or they might not be detected because there inside another program that’s not detected as a virus.To protect against hardware key logger in a office there are many ways like adding CCTV and keypad locks to doors but these might all catch who doing it and not stop it right away so by the time the cameras are checked the information may be already stolen which could have bad effect on the company and its reputation but if you used both of the measure to try to prevent key logging you have the best chance to prevent in with a very high effectiveness of achieving protection against key logging. Data copied by employeeYour data can could become copied by employees and of loss or copied by human error problem with this is that human error is very hard to spot because most of the time the files are moved, copied, loss or deleted but accident so the employee could be given personal data away unaware that they are doing it, if corporate files are lost or stolen they can be valuable to the company o r loss the company a lot of money. Dishonest employees will copy the files a flash drive like a USB or external hard drive if it a lot of information with the information they copy they will sell to other companies for large sums of money, they couldAs you can after you open it in notepad it gives you options to see what has been reordered along with other options. This type of key logger costs around ? 30 pound which is cheap is you were taking people banks details or selling information to other company. use the information to create a fake identity for them or they could use them to empty your bank account which could give you big debt and a bad credit record, which mearns you could be refused loans, credit cards and a mortgage for your house.The way that this can be prevented is to disable USB slots on all computers and give the employee work e? mails that can be monitored. The effectiveness of these preventions is good but not 100% because depending on the job the employee will still have access to the internet which mearns they might not use the company email and use their own which mearns some of the fixes wouldn’t work and to data could still be stolen.Another way that would make there protection against data being stolen very effective is to add levels of access to information meaning only employees with the right access level can get certain information from the servers which would allow pretty high effectiveness against information being stolen because it makes the group smaller that has access to it meaning if it was stolen it would be easy to find who did it meaning that the risk of getting caught is higher so this adds the scare factor to stealing the companies personal information or bank detail because the risk of getting caught is very high which mearns the effective of this method is very high. Data sold by employeeIf the employee sells the data they can make a lot of money by selling to gangs to make fake identities or to other compan ies so they can try to sell you products through the mail or over the phone, if your information is sold people could run big debt up in your name or even take the money that you have been saving up in your bank. The way the company can prevent people from selling their data is to have CCTV watching the offices and disable the USB ports on the computer this will prevent people from plugging in portable memory in the pc and copying the data across, also the company should use internal monitoring on all the pc in the offices and a check after work hours should be carry out to see if people have copied any information across or sent it using the internet.Also the company could make employees sign an agreement that will show the employee what would happen if they were to steal the data and this might prevent it because they may feel that the chance of getting caught is higher. The effectiveness of having CCTV around the office is very high the reason for this is because if they feel tha t they are being monitored the chance of them getting caught becomes a lot higher meaning the risk for reward may not be worth it but the best way to prevent this would be to disable the USB drive and monitor the computers using internal monitoring software this would have the highest effectiveness against people stealing data because if they steal the data they are going to get caught because of the monitoring software meaning again the reward isn’t worth the risk. Data sold by companyThe company is allowed to sell data to other third party companies for a lot of money the reason they do this is so the other company can also they to sell you products over the phone or by post, this is only allowed if the person doesn’t tick the do allowed third person parties to see my information, if this box is not ticked the company is allowed to sell it on to all of it third person companies but some companies sell it without the person permission if this happen and the company id found out it will be closed down because of the laws it has broken. An example of this is when a phone company sold information on about when contacts run out so other companies could phone up and try to sell phones and contacts, the article is show below. Companies should train employees so that they don’t make mistakes and also make them aware of the Data Protection Act.The way the company could prevent this is to make sure they are up to date with the Data Protection Act and if they are planning to sold this information to third person parties they need to make sure they have permission from the customers because if this information is sold without them knowing or agreeing they will use trust in the company meaning they could loss customers. This would be one of the only ways of preventing this because if the company wants to sell the information they will because it’s up to the board of directors and they can’t really be restricted by anything in the compan y because they could bypass most blocks that would stop employees because they have control of the monitoring and have the highest access level.The effectiveness of this prevention is very low because in the end they company has the final say on were the data goes and who can have access to it, the reason for this is because they can do what they want with the data, so no matter what protection the company has to prevent employees they could go ahead and sell information for more profit. Data stolen by hackers Your personal information could be intercepted by hacker when you are signing on to a website or where your information in store on a company server and hacker have broke the firewall and decryped to code then the hacker could sell your data or use it for there own personal things like buying cars and house or even running up un? payable debt.An example of hacker steals company data is when a hacker claimed to have broke into a t? moblie server and got information about addres s and corporate information, the article is shown below. The article states that the hacker has got people personal information and is now going to sell the information to the highest bidder, to stop these companies should be running regular checks to see if any information has been copied by hackers. There are many ways the company could stop hackers from taking and gaining access to their information, the first way would be to make sure the company has an up to date firewall that will prevent hackers from gaining access to the network, along with this though they should also have anti? irus and spyware software install this would make sure if an unwanted visitor was on the server the information would be secured and the visitor signal would be blocked. The next prevention would be for the company to encrypt there data so that if hacker intercept the data when its being transmitted they will not be able gain anything from it because it will encrypted with an 120 bit encryption or h igher meaning they would not be able to break it or would take a long time. Also the company could make sure that the data is transmitted across the faster route to get to its destination meaning there are less places for the hackers to intercept and gain access to the information.The effectiveness of a firewall in a company is very high because this will stop unwanted people being able to snoop on the server or network but his will not stop the hackers 100% because firewalls are not unbreakable by some high level hackers but if you were to have firewalls and then have anti? virus and spyware software installed this would make the effective a lot higher because they would have to break and bypass a lot more system and have a higher risk of getting caught before they find what they what meaning this has a high effectiveness against the hackers. The effectiveness of stopping hackers intercepting data by encryption and making the chain of transfer shorter is very effective because encr yptions are hard to break of take a long time even for the best hackers.So if you have all these preventions it will have a very high effectiveness against the company’s information being stolen. In correct or out of date data stored by a company If you send the company wrong information such as phone number, address, postcode etc. This can be bad because if the company think you are sending wrong information be you’re not the owner of the account they will contact the bank and the bank will lock the account until the owner comes into the branch. Also if wrong information is stored on the server they could be sending your private information to the wrong address like bank statements or private letters so it’s always important to keep your information up to date so your information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.Also companies should update records to comply with Data Protection Laws, this makes sure that all data it kept safe and only people with the c orrect access level gain access to the information also this prevents the company from transferring details to other people without your permission. There are many ways to prevent in correct or out of date data being stored by the company the main way to update and back up information weekly and send it to a different off site server, this will make sure the information is kept up to date and stored correctly meaning wrong information in used. Another way would be to make sure that the wrong records aren’t edited is by only allowing them to edit new record and if they want to access a existing record they have to bring it up and the server will only allow certain edits to the data this would prevent the wrong data from being stored on the server.Also only certain people should have access to stored data this will prevent people from opening it to view it and then changing something so the data is stored wrong because this could be bad for the company because private informati on could be sent to the wrong people which could mean the company break the Data Protection Act and could be held responsible. The effectiveness of the preventions is very high also as this backing update and updating is done weekly and is stored different location to the main information the reason for this is because if it stored in the same placed if the data is changed or corrupted it could also happen to the backup copy of the information. If it wasn’t stored of site backing up the information would be pointless.Also making sure the information can only be changed and access by certain people has a high effectiveness because there less people that can change it by human error meaning the information will be stored correct. Loss due to error or Hardware failure A company could loss data by hardware failure, if a company loss data by hardware failure it can cost them time and money so the company should always have their data saved in two different server in different buil ding, basically they should do a backup every night so if there is a hardware failure they can go back to yesterday’s work and personal, so yes they do loss some stuff but not everything.Sometimes big companies get virus which is set to destroy valuable data or corrupt valuable data big companies should run regular checks to check their firewall has not be attack and broke by a virus because when they do the backup to their second server the virus could get sent there and the all the information could get deleted or corrupted which would loss the company money and customers. Data loss comes from the state data spill, Data loss can also be related to data spill incidents, in the case personal information and cooperate information get leaked to another party of people or deleted. Also backup policies should be in place and backup should be checked occasionally to see if they work or not and if they are effective as they might not work.A way to prevent loss due to hardware failu re is to make sure your technology is up to date, a way to do this would be to upgrade the hardware regularly this will give it less chance of failing because it will not just break down due to age or become ineffective. The effectiveness of upgrading hardware is low the reason for this is because the hardware is very unlikely to fail if it well looked after and kept at a low temperature this will ensure that you will not lose data due to hardware failure. The effectiveness of backing up data on an offsite location is very effective because it will stop data from getting corrupted but needs to be regularly re? acked up so it’s kept unto date, the reason this works so well is because if the original data on the main server is loss and corrupted the backup version of the data will be unaffected because it has not connection to the original server where to main data is stored the reason for this is there only an active connection when the data is being backed up to the offsite s erver and this minimise the risk of the backup data being corrupted. Along with this you need to make sure the server is secure has antivirus software installed the effectiveness of this is high but this kind of software can always be bypassed but will allow good security against low level hackers who are trying to destroy data, if this security is used and the data is backed up weekly it will have high effectiveness and will minimise the risks of data loss due to human error or hardware failure. Natural disastersAn over looked type of data loss is via nature disasters such as floods, fires, hurricanes or earthquakes if one of these hit the building were you were storing all your data there data would be loss without any chance of recovery because the server would be destroyed, so companies should back there data up to different building away from the first server so if that server get broke by a natural disaster. Also your server should be stored off the ground floor because then t here is less chance of the flood reaching your servers and the last thing is all server rooms should be fitted with co2 sprinkler not water because water will damage the server do this and your data is more secure from fires. The effectiveness of backing up data on an offsite location to prevent loss due to natural disaster is very effective because it will stop data from getting corrupted but needs to be regularly re? acked up so it’s kept unto date, the reason this works so well is because if the original data on the main server is loss and corrupted the backup version of the data will be unaffected because it has no connection to the original server where to main data is stored the reason for this is there only an active connection when the data is being backed up to the offsite server and this minimise the risk of the backup data being corrupted, but this will only be effective if the offsite location is in different area to the main server so if a natural disaster hits o nly the main server is destroy or damaged. The effectiveness of putting the server of the ground floor to prevent flood damage is high because to will stop the floor reaching the servers and damaging them but this would only work if the foundations of the build were sthrong because if the floor was sthrong and the building was weak the building may fall meaning the prevention was pointless.The effectiveness of having fire prevention is high but there is still a risk of loss of data the reason for this is that if the fire starts in the server the co2 sprinkles will go off but some of the data will be loss before the fire is put out, but if all these preventions are used together it will give you high effectiveness against natural disaster damage and loss. When you’re searching a website for a product and buying products from a websites you need to know that your details are secure and that no one can take your identity or use your money on other products you don’t want, there are ways to check the website is secure so that people can’t get your details, the three main ways are looking for the HTTPS, the padlock and the security certificates the three ways are shown below. Padlock HTTPS Security Certificate SET which stands for Secure electronic transactions is standard protocol for using your credit or bank cards over an insecure networks like the internet ecure electronic transactions is not a payment system but some protocols and formats the let the user to employ the existing credit card payments on an open network, it gained to gain traction. VISA now premotes the 3? D secure scheme. Websites and computers now use firewalls to stop hacker, Trojans and spyware these firewalls come on the website and computers but you can buy better firewalls like Norton firewalls stop identity thief and lots of other things that take data from u and could take your money these firewalls are a big advancement on security but people are still find ways to get passed them that’s why you have to buy the new version of Norton every year and update daily to ensure new viruses can be caught.Also websites and companies use user names and passwords this is to stop people getting to the system and taking data and using it to steal peoples things, also big companies use access levels for example MI5 use access level to stop new employees seeing top secret data and to make sure people only see what’s in their pay grades also employees should have passwords but they should have to change them regularly to avoid revelation. Antivirus software is available to buy from shop or online, antivirus software protects you from identity thief, stolen details and etc. There are many antivirus software’s some of the main ones are Norton and MacAfee these cost about ? 5 per year this is because it protects you from many different dangers that could make you loss item or stolen your thing like work and all of the firewall’s and vi rus protections offered by Norton is shown below. When data is being sent from a computer to a server that contain personal and credit card data information the data in encrypted to stop people intercepting the data and reading it the encryption changes a password for example from jamesjamesjames it would change it to something like rygf84943gv43g3t83vg347vt539v, so if someone took that data they would be unable to use it. For example Game. co. uk tell you that they encrypt there data with a 128 bit encryption so this mearns its petty much unbreakable. When a company is working with data like personal and bank information all of he employees have to agree and sign the data protection act this mearns that they agree to keep any information there given a secret, for example they can’t download data and give it to another company or another person because then they would be breaking the data protection act they have signed and could get fined or go to jail to up to 10 years. Als o there are laws that also stop an employee or a company giving data away to other companies or people but big companies find ways to get around this because they are legally allowed to give your data to third person party of their company unless you say otherwise. Business that keep personal and bank information on site should have physical security like cameras and guards and even guard dogs if the information is they import, they need this because it’s no good having amazing fire walls well someone could walk and a pick the server up and walk out.The DPA which stands for Data Protection Act 1998 is a UK act of parliament which is a UK law on the processing of data on identifiable of living people. It’s the main piece of info that governs use to enforce protection of personal data in the UK. The DPA does not mention privacy it was made to bring the law into line with the European Directive of 1995 which requires members to start to protect people fundamental rights a nd freedoms. This law is very effective and people get caught and feel the law hit them every day around the world. There are 8 data protection principles that relate to the data protection act 1998 they are as followed: 1.Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless – (a) At least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met, and (b) In the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is also met. 2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes. 3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed. 4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. 5.Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for th at purpose or those purposes. 6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act. 7. Appropriate technical and organizational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data. 8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data. The most important of these is 7,The CMA which stands for computer misuse act 1990 in an act of parliament this was introduced partly in response to the decision and R v Gold & Schifreen 1998, the act has nonetheless become a model for which many other counties have drawn to when making their own visions of the CMA. The Consumer Protection Regulation mearns if you sell goods or services to c onsumers buy the internet, TV, mail, phone, or fax you need to stick to consumer protection regulations the key parts of these regulations mearns that you must give consumers clear information including details of the goods or services offered delivery arrangements and payment and you must also provide this information in writing and the consumer has a cooling? off period of seven working days.