The Corporate Governance Model and Corporate Social Responsibility Assignment

The Corporate Governance Model and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practices of Walmart - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that it will be instantly approved if one states that the concept of corporate governance has existed since the existence of any form of organization. The idea of corporate governance serves as a model that encompasses the means through which organizations prepare their conduct of business conduct. Over the recent past, the term corporate governance has come to the vanguard of public attention largely due to the ongoing issues related to governance that have cropped up both at the national level as well as the economic level where it concerns the organization. At the same time governing bodies have also stated the importance of considering the needs and determinants of the society while conducting business. As has been mentioned by Adrian Cadbury, the best way of explaining social responsibility is to state that the sustained prevalence of organizations is supported by a mutual accord between the organization and the community. Sir Adrian C adbury has also argued that the core meaning of the agreement between the business and the society is that organizations should not go after achieving their immediate profit making objectives by compromising with long-term needs and requirements of the community. Therefore it can be seen that corporate social responsibility has gradually become an integral aspect of the mainstream corporate governance. The US being a free market economy has proven to be one of the most favorable business locations for not only the home country organizations but for companies based in other countries as well. However, the institutional and regulatory environment can become very daunting for the businesses that have been established here. The last two decades have been witness to various catastrophic events that not only questioned the integrity of the companies which were involved in those events but also highlighted the loopholes that existed within the US institutional environment. The WorldCom and Enron failure, as well as the financial crisis in 2007-08, revealed the ineffectiveness of the US institutional environment. It is after the unfolding of such catastrophic incidents that the US regulatory and governing bodies decided to make manifold changes in their institutional framework.

Investigating Dynamic Malware Analysis tool Research Proposal

Investigating Dynamic Malware Analysis tool - Research Proposal Example Signature based detection is susceptible to invasion. Since the pattern or the signature is obtained from a familiar malware, this detection technique is easily evaded by obfuscating a program such as junk insertion and packing (Mishra, 2010). Even simple obfuscation such as code re-ordering and inserting no-ops can create a variant of malware able to evade signature-based detectors. This technique is also not able to detect unknown malware. The signatures of this program are architecture by close observation of known malware hence signature-based detection is only able to detect â€Å"known malware.† At times, signature-based detection fails to pick a variant of an already known malware. In this respect, signature-based detection offers minimal zero-day protection (Venugopal & Hu, 2008). In addition, the signature database grows exponentially since the detector uses a specific signature for every variant of malware. Heuristic scanning bears a close resemblance to signature scanning with the only difference being, instead of checking for particular signatures; heuristic scanning will check for certain commands or instructions within a program, which are not typically found in application programs (Aycock, 2006). The heuristic engine ultimately is better placed to sense for potentially malicious executions in previously unexamined and new malicious behavior such as virus replication mechanism, payload of Trojan or worm distribution routine. Generic virus protection renders all other malware scanners obsolete and offers sufficient protection to stop any malware. The user is saved from weekly software updates since the software is able to detect all malwares. Although heuristic malware check offers tremendous benefits, today this technology is not adequate. Virus writers are able to come up with viruses that disregard the

The marketing department in luxury fashion industry (fashion subject) Coursework

The marketing department in luxury fashion industry (fashion subject) - Coursework Example The media plays a significant role in educating citizens on the luxury items in the industry. Globalization plays a big role in promoting luxury brands in the global platform. The marketing of luxury brands relies a great deal on marketing mix. Marketing luxury fashion brands is one of the most challenging sectors (Kapferer & Bastien 2009). The product, placement, promotion, and the price are one of the important factors in determining marketing of luxury brands. The knowledge of fashion and trends is important to individuals who want to work in a marketing department of a luxury brand. It is a crucial tool for the individual and the organization selling the luxury brands. An individual who wants to work for a corporation selling luxury products in the marketing department must be passionate. Good listening is one of the factors that marketing departments. It creates good customer awareness in the organization dealing with luxury products. Creativity and imagination is significant for individuals working in the marketing department of fashion products. People at this position should have good communication skills to assess what the customer wants. Pricing plays an important part in marketing of luxury brands in the world. Prices affect the way individuals perceive a product depending on the rates. Consumers relate luxury products with their price range. The prices of luxury products have to be set right because it will meet the customer expectations. Prices are marketing decisions to other factors in the fashion industry. The prices create the image that the luxury brand wants to reflect in the mind of the consumer (Sum, Kim, & Kim 2013). The elements used to make the product attractive to the consumer are the essential aspect of the fashion industry. The design, packaging, branding, and its value enable categorization of the product. The named factors are significant in the marketing

Zaras Business Model Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Zaras Business Model - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that establishing Zara’s Fast fashion apparel chains in Galicia (Spain) was a noble idea as the case study pointed that by late 1990s, only US exceeded Western Europe in terms of total retail sales where chains accounted for about 85% and 70% of the total sales respectively. Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe accounted for about half while the rest contributed less than 10% mostly coming from the poor markets. Any sensible business would focus on market expansion and consolidation within its current region as Zara did if the market had the right purchasing power and favorable cost for the various means of production. Galicia was one of the poorest regions in Spain with about 17% unemployment rate compared to a national level of 14%. This meant that labor was available cheaply. In addition, its rich tradition in textile and their non-discriminatory behavior provided a good opportunity for Inditex to develop and learn the tricks of developing tre ndier fashions that would suit high-end markets like Italy. However, the poor vertical integration in the textile value chain and poor communication networks meant the company had to invest heavily eating into its profits which erodes the gains. This made it sensible for the company to focus on other regions in Europe to maintain its competitiveness. Zara had an organized market entry strategy where it identified markets in Europe that resembled the Spanish market. Choice of product market selection is influenced by product, market and marketing factors. This was done by a team of commercial experts who analyzed the micro and macro variables and the future prospects to influence apparel retail chain with profitable gains. In addition, Zara’s designers tracked closely the trends in consumer preferences and made products to match the changes. Normally, when companies identify new markets with similar consumer behavior, tastes, preferences, and purchasing power, it becomes easie r to penetrate such markets. This assertion is supported by the case study which indicates studies that showed the different countries in Europe and their market behavior in relation to apparels.   Ã‚  

Role and Functions of Law Paper Essay Example for Free

Role and Functions of Law Paper Essay Law works in many ways for business and for our society to coexist. This is done by setting rules and expectations that provide ways to solve disputes and assign government agency to enforce them. Law is defined as â€Å"a body of rules of action or conduct prescribed by controlling authority, and having legal binding force.† (Melvin, 2011). It is very important for business owners to understand law in the type of services that they provide, from either hiring employees or safety in the work place. A business owner has to provide an equal opportunity to all those how seek jobs in their company without discriminating from gender, age or race. Safety in the work place is important to avoid law suits to be filed against the company. These law suits can go from not providing proper work equipments to failure to fix broken ladder way or not having safety procedure in place. The role that law provides in society is to provide a general guide lines to live day to day. The law also provides safety for its citizens though Administrative Law â€Å"source of law that authorities the exercise of authority by executive branch agencies and independent government agencies† (Melvin, 2011). This law gives law enforcement the authority to enforce the laws set by congress, which enforces punishments to violators if guilty. The law also protects its citizens from settling disputes with violence or aggression. Being in the military and work as a legal clerk I found law to be very important to keeping its military structure. For instance a law that I at first didn’t understand was that if a member of the military could get discharged if they won the lottery, it was explained to me that it can have a huge problem in the rank structure. If a private was to be a millionaire and a Sergeant was to give him orders and decides to disobey him he would care about his punishments which could result in reduction of pay or liberty. The private in this instance has the money so it wouldn’t bother him to lose pay and he  can just buy video games, play online, have cable and it wouldn’t affect him. Law in the military extends throughout the world to make sure that every member of the military should always act in professional and keep a good image on the United States. Working as a process server I started to understand how important law are in my job I am protected by the law to accomplish my duty, by law I am able to go up to a house and knock on the addresses home without being consider trespassing. This is a very important law that I must follow for if I do something like jump a locked fence I would be breaking the very same law that protects. As a process server my duty is to serve court documents to defendants to appear at a specific superior court, if I were to lie or falsify information during the process of serving a defendant the case can be lost even if the attorney did nothing wrong. Having law in our business protects the owners and employees they reduce law suits and prevent abuse. Law also protects the citizens of the United States and common standard laws they apply to everyone in that jurisdiction and punish those who choose to ignore them. Without laws our business and society would fail to live in peace. References Melvin, S.P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business: A Managerial Approach: Theory to Practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Security Threats in Businesses

Security Threats in Businesses Musa Hajara Muhammad Introduction The business environment is becoming a fast paced globalized economy that depends on information and data carried via open channels. As a business organization, it is critical to maintain and protect both physical and virtual property that is being owned against intruders, potential theft and other acts that could cause loss of any form. Dominos, for example, one of the biggest pizza delivery company faced a massive data breach where customer information was made public, hence resulting in loss of sales and customers. In today’s global, digital world, data rules. Safeguarding intellectual property, financial information, and a company’s reputation is a crucial part of business strategy. With the number of threats and the sophistication of attacks increasing, safeguarding becomes a formidable task.Businesses, both small and big are under massive attacks by external agents in order to get credit card information and other confidential data which can be have a negative imp act on the growth of the business. However, this security threats are not limited to attacks from the outside, but also from within the firm (BusinessSecurity, 2013). A recent survey shows that 80% of security breaches are caused by insiders- most often employees, more than 20% of attacks on the corporate WEB sites come from the inside, almost 30% of companies, experience more than 5 attacks from the inside every year. However, it has also been argued that having too much security may affect business processes. According to Cowan (2012), while there are various security solutions to help protect businesses from potential reputational or financial damage, a heavy investment in business security solutions may have a counter-productive impact on the business. It can affect the corporate culture, flow of information and operational processes, leading to inefficiencies and productivity loss (Cowan, 2012). On the other hand, being too permissive can have the same result, with employees able to access, share, lose or damage sensitive data too easily (Cowan, 2012). According to Cowan, business security needs to be tailored to each business depending on their respective risks and business objectives, that is, Security measures must neither be so restrictive that they affect business processes, nor too relaxed and thereby causing harm (Cowan, 2012). The key is to weigh up all the risks and vulnerabilities, potential consequences and controls, and then decide which information assets to protect and which can be accessed and shared openly without major consequences. Following a risk-based approach will lead to business growth and spending the right amount of time and money on the right level of protection in the right areas (Cowan, 2012). As a result of the negative issues of security threats to businesses, many companies today are adopting a corporate security strategy. Corporate securityidentifies and effectively mitigates or manages, at an early stage, any developments that may threaten the resilience and continued survival of a corporation. It is a corporate function that oversees and manages the close coordination of all functions within the company that are concerned with security, continuity and safety (Wikipedia, 2010). Core components of corporate security includes personal security, physical security, information security, corporate governance, compliance and ethics program, crime prevention and detection, fraud deterrence, investigations, risk management, business continuity, and crisis management (Wikipedia, 2010). While it takes effecting time planning to implement, Bordoloi (2012) argues that developing an effective governance approach to corporate security results in five basic outcomes: Reduced risks and potential business impacts to an acceptable level; Strategic alignment of security with the enterprise strategy and the organizational objectives; Business value generated through the optimization of security investments with organizational objectives; Preserved and increased market share due to the reputation for safeguarding information; Efficient utilization of security investments that support organization’s objectives. Also Adhering to a good corporate security policy can assist senior management to help them make decisions and then pass the essential actions to those in management positions. Al-Awadi Renaud (2008) argue that implementing an effective security solution can be complex and time consuming, stating that while it can slow a firm growth due to the resources involved, it is the key strategy for the sustainability of a firm in the 21st century. Al-Awadi Renaud (2008) identified five key factors for the successful implementation of a business security strategy. They include awareness and training, budget, management support, Information Security Policy Enforcement and Adaptation and organization mission. Critical success factors for security policy implementation Dhillon (1999) argues that, organizations must have ongoing education and training programs to achieve the required outcome from the implementation of an information security policy. The 2002 security awareness index report cited by McKay (2003) concluded that organizations around the world are failing to make their employees aware of the security issues and the consequences. Hone Eloff (2002) explain that the behaviour and attitudes of employees towards information security will be more in line with secure behaviour if top management demonstrates concern, therefore it is suggested that the tone of security is set by the attitudes of those at the top of the organization (Hinde, 1998). Management wont act to support the information security unless they can see that it supports the organizations core business function (Blake, 2000). Hence they must be convinced of the importance of information security before they will to provide sufficient budget, and act to enforce the information security policy (Von Solms, 1999). Also, Bjorck (2002) describes budget as the financial facility which firstly rationally estimates the costs and secondly assesses the access required to the resources to achieve successful implementation of information security. Organizations require adequate funding (Doherty Fulford, 2005) to achieve effective information security. â€Å"Budgets generally depend on the manner in which individuals’ investments translate to outcomes, but the impact of security investment often depends not only on the investor’s own decisions but also on the decisions of others† (Anderson Moore, 2006, p.612 ). Lack of information security budgeting in organizations leads to under- investment in appropriate controls (Dinnie, 1999). Moreover, Fung et al. (2003) explains that a good security policy is the keystone to a sustainable business growth. There is no doubt that the adoption of a security policy is the initial measure that must be in place to minimize the threat of unacceptable use of any of the organization’s information resources. And lastly, Siponen (2001) explains that in terms of security, organizations usually do nothing as long as nothing goes wrong, but when things do go wrong, they suddenly pay attention and a lot of effort is required to recover from the situation, even though sometimes full recovery is impossible. Some of the experts said that the organizations clear goals and objectives are essential in implementing security policies and that having a culture of secure information in the organization will affect its success. Conclusion Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power. Businesses are beginning to understand the need to demonstrate to customers that their information is being handled securely, especially in the light of numerous data breaches such as the NSA scandal. When customers are aware that the information a firm possesses about them is highly secured, they tend to build confidence in such a firm, and invest even more. What has been discovered from the analysis above is that firms that are concerned about security are more likely to survive both internal and external threats posed to them. However, due to the complexity of implementing these security initiatives, certain schools of thought are of the opinion that it may take firms concerned with security time to grow. These thoughts have led to the emergence of security analysts, data managers, network and security engineers, and other security personnel who specialize in safe guarding company data and information from various mishaps. In recent years the amount of money pumped into security firms around the world simply goes a long way to reiterate the fact that firms are getting keener about security investment. $15 million pumped into Cylance, $23 million into EndGame, and a whopping $50 million into FireEye are a few from the several investment deals reached with tech security companies. (Bryon Acohido, 2013). Investing in security can cost a company a large amount of its resources, but not adequately investing in securing its most valuable asset, which is information can cause a company to totally shut down in the case of any data exposure or loss. Alpex Consulting Africa Managing Director, Joseph Kibe, in Kenya said, â€Å"Organizations have lost a lot of data and there must be a lot of losses incurred because of customers’ data being thrown away when information leaks to the wrong hands. The economy has to wake up and secure this information†¦if you walk into an insurance firm, a bank, or a hospital, is your information secure? That is what will determine who makes it †¦Ã¢â‚¬  For a successful security policy, organizations must institute security policies to prevent unauthorized access to their resources. Steps must be taken to ensure that employees get the required awareness and security training to make them aware of the security issues and the consequences of insecure behavior. Moreover, the results suggest the ethos of security must come from the top of the organization to encourage a serious attitude from employees and an expectation that they will comply with the organizations security policy rules and regulations. A point worthy of note is that, for a firm to think about security in the first instance, it must already have a decent amount of presence over the internet. This alone, can make a company gain more profit and recognition due to its global presence. Most security breaches occur in the most developed of countries, and this is because of the level of advancement in technology, and also sophistication in cybercrime. A country who is just at the developing stage seldom experiences high level of security mishap. This goes a long way to say that the level of development in a country can be directly proportional the amount of cybercrime that occurs in that country. Implementation of security won’t be possible if a sufficient budget is not allocated. Clear organizational mission statements and goals result in positive employee behavior and positive attitudes towards securing the organization’s information assets. Just like a car, building, or machine, information is an asset, and the most valuable in this era of information technology. Safeguarding such a valuable asset will in no way slow down the growth of a firm, but set it apart from its adversaries. References Bordoloi, C. (2012) 5 Benefits of Proper IT Security Governance URL: http://www.enterprisecioforum.com/en/blogs/cj-bordoloi/5-benefits-proper-it-security-governance Accessed (23/06/2013) Bjorck, F., 2002. Implementing Information Security Management Systems – An Empirical Study of Critical Success Factors. Wikipedia (2010) Corporate Security URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_security Accessed (23/06/2013) Dhillon, G., 1999. Managing and Controlling Computer Misuse. Information Management Computer Security, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 171-175. Doherty, N. F. and Fulford, H., 2005. Do Information Security Policies Reduce the Incidence of Security Breaches: An Exploratory Analysis. Information Resources Management Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 21-39. DeviceLock (2012),Corporate security: risks of the insiders attack URL: http://www.devicelock.com/articles/detail.html?CODE=corporate_security Accessed (23/06/2013) Business Security (2013) Understanding Business Security URL:http://www.businesssecurity.net/ Accessed (23/06/2013) Cole, E (2010) Importance of cyber security to protect your business URL: http://www.securityhaven.com/specialist/cyber-security-for-business.html Accessed (23/06/2013) Hone, K. Eloff, J.H.P. 2002. What makes an Effective Information Security Policy. Network Security, Vol. 20, No. 6,pp. 14-16. Fung, P., Kwok, L. Longley, D. 2003. Electronic Information Security Documentation. Australian Computer society, Vol. 21. Dinnie, G., 1999. The Second Annual Global Information Security Survey. Information Management computer security, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 112-120. Hind, S. 2002. Security Surveys Spring Crop. Computers and Security, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 310-321. McKay, J. 2003. Pitching the Policy: implementing IT Security Policy through Awareness. SANS Institute. Von Solms, R. 1999. Information Security Management: Why Standards are Important. Information Management Computer Security, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 50-57.

French Revolution vs The Romanian Revolution

French Revolution vs The Romanian Revolution Edy Lipianu Between the result of the French and Romanian Revolutions, which one greaterly affected the nations ideal optimistic perspectives of being a free nation? Well while Romania, which turned into a democratic nation after the dictator Ceaușescus execution, France unfortunately wound up with a military autocracy after Napoleon finished King Louis XVI supreme government. Was Napoleon military rule that awful for the French residents and was the democratic system of Romania even that useful for the Romanians? Looking at the two may help discover which one really turned out to be to a greater degree a free nation after their interesting revolutions.. While France was governed briefly by the famous military pioneer, Napoleon Bonaparte from 1789-1790, his rule was not as unforgiving as King Louis. He brought down charges intensely, permitted laborers to eat, and gave more rights to men, yet very few for ladies, shockingly. He gave individuals an essence of religious flexibility, better instruction, and sensible law. The French Revolution completely changed the social and political structure of France. It finished up the French government and its dread and finished political power from the Catholic church. It passed on an illumination to Europe including flexibility and freedom for the normal individual and furthermore the abolishment of servitude and the benefits of women. In spite of the way that the surprise completed with the climb of Napoleon, the musings and changes did not pass on. These new contemplations continued influencing Europe and shaped an expansive number of Europes front line governments. This was a period of ideological, political and social change in the political history of France and Europe all things considered, in the midst of which the French federation, as of now an inside and out government with primitive advantages for the nobility and Catholic pastorate, experienced radical change to outlines in light of Enlightenment measures of republicanism, citizenship, and rights. These movements were joined by horrible turmoil, including executions and concealment in the midst of the Reign of Terror and battling including each other huge European power. The Revolution was at first an acclaimed uprising against the through and through impact of the ruler and against their advantages and was executed for flexibility, value, and society. In reality, it incited to the loss of flexibility, dictatorship, and patriotism. The revolt relied on upon a hatred of tradition and yearning to use the force of the state to make another demand. People were given better approaches for life as nationals of the state. To crush the impenetrability to revolt and the new demand around 18,000 40,000 people were executed. The Romanian Revolution began as a notable revolt in Timisoara. After Ceaușescu was toppled, an affiliation named National Salvation Front, confined abruptly by second-rank companion party people repudiated to the methodologies of Ceaușescu and non-cooperated individuals in the revolt. Iliescu was promptly perceived as the pioneer of the affiliation and thusly of the transitory master. Romanias new individual in control, who was president from 1988-1996 and gave the subjects of new Romania an essence of vote based flexibility. That is the point at which another constitution was made giving everybody every one of the rights that truly demonstrated to individuals proper methodologies to live similarly in agreement. Iliescu proposed multi-party choices and a special vote based framework. This is extensively held to have inferred the determination of Perestroika-style changes rather than the aggregate ejection of existing establishments; it can be associated with the warm assembl ing the new organization was given by Mikhail Gorbachev and the straggling leftovers of the Soviet activity and the way that the fundamental post-dynamic overall comprehension set apart by Romania was with that country. Iliescu did not deny Communist reasoning and the program he at initially showed in the midst of the revolution included reconstructing the cultivating and the revision of trade, yet not a change to private enterprise. These points of view were held by various people from the FSN as well, for instance, Silviu Brucan, who declared in mid-1990 that the change was against Ceaușescu, not against socialism. Iliescu later evoked the probability of endeavoring a Swedish model of socialism. Gossipy tidbits prospered for a significant long time that Iliescu and other second-rank Communists had been needing to topple Ceaușescu, in any case, the events of December 1989 overpowered them. For instance, Nicolae Militaru, the new organizations first insurance serve, said that Iliescu and others had needed to take Ceaușescu prisoner in February 1990 while he was Out of the capital. Regardless, Iliescu denies this, saying the method for the Ceaușescu organization-particularly the Securitates ubiquity-made early plan for a miracle everything aside from outlandish. The French were soothed from King Louis XVIs total government and that was certainly a decent begin for their nation, everything showed signs of improvement in little ways, and individuals got the chance to live feeling free, they thought Napoleon was a saint. Napoleon had a broad and intense impact on the present day world, conveying liberal changes to the various domains that he vanquished and controlled, for example, the Low Countries, Switzerland, and extensive parts of cutting edge Italy and Germany. He executed central liberal arrangements in France and all through Western Europe.His lawful accomplishment, the Napoleonic Code, has affected the legitimate frameworks of more than 70 countries around the globe. Both of the nations ended up effectively showing signs of improvement after their insurgencies. Be that as it may, between the result of the French and Romanian Revolutions, Romania greaterly affected the nations general hopeful perspectives of being a free nation. Romania, which turned into a law based nation after the tyrant Ceaușescus execution, gave individuals more rights and everybody was equivalent. To the degree of opportunity, Romanias Revolution improved the nation a much place for its inhabitants. SOURCES: Book: Napoleon: A Life The French Revolution: From Enlightenment to Tyranny by Ian Davidson http://www.becparlamentare2008.ro/rezul/part_tara_100.pdf http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d3be5f1a-ee6e-11db-b5e9-000b5df10621.html https://archive.org/stream/codenapoleonorf00statgoog#page/n4/mode/2up http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCode.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT00000607072 1dateTexte=20080121 http://www.historytoday.com/marisa-linton/robespierre-and-terror http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20050526.shtml http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/august10.html https://books.google.com/?id=bFQ6VO1sFGsCpg=PA139lpg=PA139dq=G ospriyomka+gorbachev#v=onepageq=Gospriyomka%20gorbachevf=false http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/40551/seweryn-bialer-and-joan-afferica/sp ecial-supplement-the-genesis-of-gorbachevs-world https://books.google.com/books?id=9O15MzNKMuoClpg=PP1pg=PA89#v= onepageqf=false http://www.adevarul.ro/actualitate/politica/Ce_s-a_ales_de_primul_Guvern_postd Ecembrist_0_617938566.html http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/romania/tudor.html http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/mineriadele-anului-1990-democratia-sub-bate-898037.html http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/c_code.html http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123270568/abstract http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/405364/National-Salvation-Front EXTRAS http://www.history5