smartphonereviews469.wordpress.com Open in urlscan Pro
192.0.78.12  Public Scan

Form analysis
4 forms found in the DOM

GET https://smartphonereviews469.wordpress.com/

<form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="https://smartphonereviews469.wordpress.com/">
  <label>
    <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span>
    <input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search …" value="" name="s">
  </label>
  <input type="submit" class="search-submit" value="Search">
</form>

POST https://subscribe.wordpress.com

<form method="post" action="https://subscribe.wordpress.com" accept-charset="utf-8" style="display: none;">
  <div>
    <input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter your email address" class="actnbr-email-field" aria-label="Enter your email address">
  </div>
  <input type="hidden" name="action" value="subscribe">
  <input type="hidden" name="blog_id" value="107314030">
  <input type="hidden" name="source" value="https://smartphonereviews469.wordpress.com/">
  <input type="hidden" name="sub-type" value="actionbar-follow">
  <input type="hidden" id="_wpnonce" name="_wpnonce" value="f24b1d0050">
  <div class="actnbr-button-wrap">
    <button type="submit" value="Sign me up"> Sign me up </button>
  </div>
</form>

<form id="jp-carousel-comment-form">
  <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" class="screen-reader-text">Write a Comment...</label>
  <textarea name="comment" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-textarea" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" placeholder="Write a Comment..."></textarea>
  <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-submit-and-info-wrapper">
    <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-commenting-as">
      <fieldset>
        <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field">Email (Required)</label>
        <input type="text" name="email" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field">
      </fieldset>
      <fieldset>
        <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field">Name (Required)</label>
        <input type="text" name="author" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field">
      </fieldset>
      <fieldset>
        <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field">Website</label>
        <input type="text" name="url" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field">
      </fieldset>
    </div>
    <input type="submit" name="submit" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-button" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submit" value="Post Comment">
  </div>
</form>

POST

<form method="post">
  <input type="submit" value="Close and accept" class="accept"> Privacy &amp; Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. <br> To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: <a href="https://automattic.com/cookies/" rel="nofollow">
			Cookie Policy		</a>
</form>

Text Content

Skip to content
Menu
 * About
 * Contact


HEALTH LIVING BLOG


RELATIONSHIPS AMONG INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT, REQUIREMENTS UNCERTAINTY, AND
SOFTWARE PROJECT PERFORMANCE

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

Relationships among interpersonal Conflict, Requirements Uncertainty, and
Software Project Performance

Summary of the Article

Relationships among interpersonal Conflict, Requirements Uncertainty, and
Software Project Performance is an article that was written by Tsong Shin Sheu,
Julie Yu-Chih Liu, Hun-Gee Chen, and Charlie C. Chen and published by the
International Journal of Project Management in 2011. In this article, the
authors present a candid report on the empirical research conducted on the
relationship between user requirements uncertainty and interpersonal conflicts.

As much as interpersonal conflict plays a significant role in determining the
relationship between the Information System (IS) professionals and users, it can
greatly negatively impact on the IS projects. The objective of the research was
to study effectiveness and efficiency as some of the most important significant
elements of a project performance. Efficiency means a stringent adherence to the
use of available resources such as number of participants, participants and
time. For an IS project to succeed, the project has to be smoothly and
efficiently run by ensuring that an appropriate strategy is employed in line
with the expected technical and organizational changes. Apart from the
efficiency of the project, the development process should always be effective
because without this, no quality production or goals can be attained as
anticipated.

To conduct the study, the researchers employed the use of judgmental sampling
technique. Here, a sample was collected from 1,600 top companies from Taiwan.
These are companies from the Common Wealth Magazine that is one of the most
reputable magazines within the country. Of this sample, there were top 500
service-related companies, 100 top banks, and 1,000 top manufacturing companies
located within Taiwan. The reason why only such companies were included in the
sample is because such top firms are known to be concerned about the IS. The
companies do hire well-trained experts for the IS maintenance and system
development. Therefore, their inclusion in the sample would help in generating a
reliable data for the research.

When collecting the data, the researchers opted for the use of survey. To do so,
questionnaires were sent to the participants who were exclusively IS
professionals. Each of the questionnaires sent to the respondents was
accompanied by a postage paid envelope that would be used in sending back the
questionnaire upon the completion of the survey. However, for the sake of
conformity to the set ethical standards governing research, participation in the
survey was voluntary. So, all the respondents were free to choose to respond to
the questionnaires without necessarily being coerced. This justifies why only
114 valid responses were received from the total of 1547 questionnaires emailed
t the respondents. Besides, the research was to be confidential because private
information provided by the respondents was kept away from other non-authorized
parties. It would only be used for the intended academic purposes. At the same
time, the consent of the participants had to be sought prior to the beginning of
the survey.

To analyze the data, the researchers employed the use of Partial Least Square
(PLS) technique. The PLS technique greatly contributed towards the measurement
of the validity and reliability of the indicators and constructs used in the
research. After the analysis process, the researchers gotten the findings that
requirement instability contributes to interpersonal conflict, which of course
negatively impacts on the project performance due to its influences on
diversity. The study also revealed that uncertainty which simply refers to the
lack of adequate information requires diversity and instability. Software
development incorporates the elements of external and internal interactions.
Therefore, it is upon the IS users to make a proper choice of the interactions.
The research also revealed that whenever a stable state that exist between the
IS professionals and users is broken, conflicts occur because of the divergent
views held by each person. Interpersonal conflict, if not properly controlled,
can escalate to serious levels that can in turn interfere with the success of
the project.



Strengths of the Research

The study conducted by these scholars displayed that it was properly done. It
was quite interesting to learn much about the concept of interpersonal conflict
in an IS setting. The observations made by the researchers were so educative o
what kind of activities to be carried out in the organizations that was sampled
and included in the studies. The research has a lot of strong areas that can be
banked on to make it have findings that can be relied upon by the decision
makers and other scholars who might be interested in conducting further studies
in the future.

The first strength of the research is that it involved the use of a literature
review. Unlike many other studies, this research was based on a thorough
analysis of reputable, sound and credible resources published by renowned
scholars. Here, the researchers sought for background information on IS and how
the Taiwan organizations have been handling the management. At the same time,
the literature review provided useful information on the concept of
organizational management, conflict eruption and resolution. For instance, at
one point, the researchers found out that IS management is not a simple task,
but is a complex activity that requires a collaboration between the IS
professionals, users and all the other stakeholders. The in-depth nature of the
literature review enabled the researchers to base their studies on
well-researched publications that are valid enough and can be relied upon to
understand the research topic.

Besides, the research was not bias because it was done using a suitable
methodology.  To eliminate any form of bias, the researchers began the studies
by making a proper choice of the population sampling technique. With the
judgmental sampling technique, the researchers managed to identify the
participants and used a proportionate sample of 1,600 Taiwan companies. This
helped in removing any bias that might be encountered because the researchers
made sure that the sample was adequately representational of the entire Taiwan
companies. After all, the participants were carefully chosen after setting out
an inclusion criteria that had to be met by any of them right before the
beginning of the studies. At the same time, the researchers got rid of the bias
by a proper analysis f the data. This was achieved by using testing tools that
suited each of the variables used in the study. When it comes to the
measurements, the research adopted a proper use of measurement approaches for
the variables used in the studies. The same can be said of the hypothesis whose
testing was above board since it was done as expected. All these played a
significant role in making sure that there was no biasness in the research.

The other strength of the research is that it was done under the guidance of
theories. Since a large portion of the study was mainly on conflict, the
researchers felt that it was necessary to apply the principles of theories of
conflict. From the conflict theory employed in the study, it was established
that conflict is indeed not a good thing because it often contributes to
negative interference or negative emotions between the involved stakeholders.
When interpersonal conflicts infiltrate into an organization, the normal
functioning of the organization is seriously interfered with. Whenever this
happens, the organization will get paralyzed because it can fail to effectively
discharge all its functions in a right manner it ought to. Actually, the use of
this theory in the research was well-advised because it helped in presenting the
researchers with background information that could be relied upon to shed more
light on the research topic.



Weaknesses

The study had some weaknesses that might have made it to generate unreliable
results. First, the non-probability sampling technique used was bias. Although
the sampling technique was representative as far as the IS development and
industry type is concerned, it was not proportional. The survey that was carried
out was entirely based on the opinion of the IS project professionals only. This
implies that the scope of the study was so narrow. Instead, if it were not to be
bias, the survey questionnaires were to be responded to by the professionals and
all the other stakeholders. The biasness of the sampling technique was noticed
when a mere 7.37% response was realized. This is a minimal response rate that
was not commendable because it would result into bias that would have been
prevented if a proper choice of sampling was done. However, this could have been
prevented if in any case the researchers could have made efforts to incorporate
a broader inclusive population sample.

In addition, the research did not attempt to evaluate the moderating impacts of
software development process on the type of relationship that exist amongst the
ISD outcomes and interpersonal conflicts. It was undesirable because the
researcher were to broaden the scope of the assessment by extending to these
areas. Instead, it was quite discouraging to observe that the researchers
limited the assessment to frequency and intensity of interpersonal conflict.
This was a serious weakness because prevented the researchers from doing an
extensive study to cover all the areas of interpersonal conflict that might be
necessary in understanding IS in Taiwan. Different organizations have their own
uniqueness that should be put into account especially when conducting such
studies. Likely moderating impacts of the software must be assessed and keenly
weighed against the relationship between ISD results and interpersonal
conflicts. Each type of conflict influence outcome differently. Therefore, when
conducting such studies, the researcher should be keen enough to address the
diversities that exist in each particular situation.

Implications of the Study

This is one of the most invaluable studies that can be relied upon in
transforming the software development sector. It can positively impact on this
sector in many ways:

First, the research helps in providing adequate information on the nature of
interpersonal conflict between the IS professionals as well as the users.
Besides, it can sensitize the IS managers on the viable techniques to apply in
the assessment and controlling the level of interpersonal conflict within the
organization. Moreover, the study will provide insightful information on the
roles of each stakeholder in the eradication of interpersonal conflicts and
instabilities that might derail the smooth-running of the production process.
Lastly, the research will be a basis for the improvement of the quality of the
software development projects because it addresses the challenges of
interpersonal conflict faced in the organization. This shows that the research
will be useful in ensuring that the process of software development is operated
successfully regardless of the challenges faced in the production process. All
the areas covered in the studies can be helpful to anyone who is interested in
making some contributions towards the fight against interpersonal conflict in
such a setting.

Conclusion



Relationships among interpersonal Conflict, Requirements Uncertainty, and
Software Project Performance is a good research that was conducted by credible
scholars. In this study, the researchers carried out an extensive study on the
topic of interpersonal conflict between the IS professionals and users. As
established in the study, interpersonal conflict and instabilities are some of
the challenges that might prevent the process of software development to run
smoothly. The concept of interpersonal conflict was studied using a
non-probability sampling technique in which a considerable proportionate sample
was identified and used in the studies. Despite its limitations, the research
still managed to rely on its methodology to produce valid findings that can be
relied upon to provide insightful information to be used by professionals in
understanding, researching on and making the necessary steps in improving the
concept of interpersonal conflict in the process of software development.

Sponsored Content

Skip
Ads by


Amazon Hates When You Do This, But They Can't Stop You (Try It Now) Online
Shopping Tools | Sponsored
This Is the Game Everyone Is Talking About BuzzDaily Winners | Sponsored
Cloud IT Cyber Security Migration Tools IT Services | Search Ads | Sponsored
Learn More



MAGIC TECHNOLOGY BALANCED SCORECARD

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

 

 

 

Magic Technology Balanced Scorecard

Most organizations encounter challenges while attempting to achieve their
strategic goals through formulation of strategies and planning. The management
within such firms has to ensure that effective strategies are laid out to help
overcome the challenges and obtain the desired results in the market. The
balance scorecard has become a common tool used in most organizations for
managerial purposes and in strategic planning (Carmona, Iyer, & Reckers, 2011).
This helps the businesses align their activities that are undertaken by the
stakeholders with the vision of the firm as well as the laid out strategy. In
addition, it helps boost communication both within and outside the organization
in as much as it enables the management to monitor the performance of the
organization given its strategic objectives. The management team at Magic
Technologies seeks to utilize the balanced scorecard in the implementation of
its organizational strategies and attain its objectives in the market.

Since its establishment in Taipei in 1994, Magic Technology was a leading
producer and manufacturer of electronic components, both active and passive
components. This market leadership enabled the company to attain a capital of
NT$250 million in 2009 under the supervision of Allan Lo as the CEO to oversee
the operations of its factories in Shenzen and Suzhou, mainland China. As the
electronics industries began to specialize on value chain, Magic deemed it
necessary to have strategies that would help retain its competitiveness in the
market and spread its influence on a global scale. While the value chain was
created through the manufacture of active and passive electronic components,
Magic Technology focused on the manufacture of passive components that would be
used in storage of static current, prevention of electromagnetic current
interference, filtration of impurities found in the electric current, and
moderation of voltage and electric current. The inductors, under passive
electronic components category, were the key source of revenue for the company
even as regional competition for the product continued to intensify. The
consumers of their electronics, the suppliers of the inputs, the staff members
among other stakeholders in the firm, expect the value chain delivery of the
company. These electronics created the customer value proposition for the
organization, delivering the products to the customers in the mainland China
through the transfer of the manufacturing plants (Carmona, Iyer, & Reckers,
2011).

The adoption of the globalization trend led to significant gaps between the
headquarters at Magic Technology. The presence of multiple offices could lead to
the challenges of coordination between the managerial teams in the different
locations. These challenges and administrational gap could be reduced through
the creation of an organizational culture that helps unify the multiple offices
established by Magic Technology. The management at Magic should focus on the
unique aspects of the organization that would enable it to create a culture that
unites their headquarters. The leaders within the organization should work
towards the creation of a culture that aligns the objectives of the stakeholders
with the mission of the firm (Zheng, Yang, & McLean, 2010). Overseeing employees
in the factories in mainland China may be difficult for Allan Lo to achieve
unless the right system is established to facilitate remote oversight that
ensures the organizational goals are given a priority. The effectiveness of the
attempts to create a unified culture and eliminate the gaps between the two
headquarters is determined through the observation to see that all the
identified challenges have been resolved. In addition, the nature of
communication between these offices indicates the effectiveness of the approach
to eliminate the gaps (Wang, Mora, & Raisinghani, 2015).



Magic Technology encounters various challenges in the electronic industry. These
challenges include the lack of clarity in business strategy, weaknesses in the
execution of operations in the factories, incomplete mechanisms of checking and
evaluating the key performance indicators, weak management systems, and
insufficient product analysis within the organization (Rothaermel, 2015). These
challenges can be addressed and resolved through the establishment of a balanced
scorecard that would help in the management and alignment of strategy and key
objectives of the organization. The score cared would help in ensuring that the
business strategy is clear, eliminate the weaknesses in execution, and enhance
the management of performance within Magic Technology (Wang, Mora, &
Raisinghani, 2015).

Using the balanced scorecard helps observe and monitor various aspects of an
organization, thereby enabling the management and team members to restructure
the firm for the attainment of desired objectives. The scorecard looks at the
financial performance, internal processed, business capacity, and the
satisfaction of the stakeholders within the organization in relation to the
strategy and vision of company, Magic Technology (Wang, Mora, & Raisinghani,
2015). Using the different perspectives it is possible for the metrics to be
developed, enhance the collection of data for managerial use, and facilitate the
analysis of the data to come up with viable and applicable inferences on the
strategy to be adopted by the organization.

Figure 1: Magic Technology Balanced Scorecard

For the attainment of the desired growth, the organization should consider the
growth and learning perspective of their employees and stakeholders. This
focuses on the training of employees as well as the development of a positive
attitude towards a corporate culture that is capable of leading to the
improvement of individuals and the entire organization. Due to the changes being
experience in the industry, Magic Technology should utilize the knowledge
possessed by workers to ensure a continuous learning process. The inclusion of
metric helps the management to direct funding towards training, which is most
effective and productive for the firm (Rothaermel, 2015). Clearly, growth and
learning are the key foundations of organizational success in the face of
competition in the market. Another key perspective is the business processes
within the organization determine what the organization achieves in the external
environment, by being able to cease opportunities and counter the possible
threats in the market. The management is able to determine the customers’ needs
and ensure that the products are customized to meet these needs. The financial
perspective of the organization focusses on the need for financial data to help
the management determine and predict the future flow of income. Corporate
databases ensure that the financial metrics across all the factories of the
organization can be easily managed.in addition, the organizational leaders able
to assess the risks facing them and conduct and evaluation of costs and benefits
from the operations they engage in the industry. Focusing on the customers and
stakeholders ensures that they remain fully satisfied and willing to maintain
their loyalty. Any dissatisfaction among consumers could lead them to look for
alternative sources of satisfaction, thereby shifting their attention to the
products offered by the rivals of Magic Technology. Thus, customer and
stakeholders’ metrics should be fully analyzed to ensure that the products
offered match their needs (Carmona, Iyer, & Reckers, 2011).



Therefore, to regain its magic, Magic Technology should adopt a strategy that
allows them to align the vision and strategy of the firm with the financial,
customer, organizational process, and learning and knowledge needs of the firm.
The company should maximize on its strengths in these perspectives and ensure
that they utilize these strengths to counter the challenges they are currently
experiencing in the market. The development of a strong research and development
team will ensure that the organization is able to cease opportunities while
minimizing the risks involved with entry into a new market, which they are not
familiar. As such, the adoption of an effective strategy would enable Magic
Technology to regain its initial glory as a leading manufacturer of electronic
components that are highly appreciated by their customers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Carmona, S., Iyer, G., & Reckers, P. M. (2011). The impact of strategy
communications, incentives, and national culture on balanced scorecard
implementation. Advances in Accounting, 27(1), 62-74.

Rothaermel, F. T. (2015). Strategic management. McGraw-Hill.

Wang, F., Mora, M., & Raisinghani, M. (2015). Web-Based Decision Support for
E-Business Strategies: A Balanced Scorecard Approach. Int. J. Info. Tech. Dec.
Mak., 14(03), 455-479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219622014500291

Zheng, W., Yang, B., & McLean, G. N. (2010). Linking organizational culture,
structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of
knowledge management. Journal of Business research, 63(7), 763-771.




RFID

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

 

RFID has gained acceptance in all technological circles and is being used in
some real life situations. It has been linked to some applications and has
increasing use in Information Systems in the current era. The use of RFID has
been accepted in technological development as well as automation.It has been
known to increase efficiency in some processes and has widely been accepted in
some technical branches (Szilágyi & Dupláková, 2016). The central principle of
this form of technology includes the use of wireless non-contact radio frequency
electromagnetic fields of r automatic identification as well as observation. The
RFID system consists of some features including a Transponder, which is an
electronic magnet circuit that has aerials and its energy source. It also has a
RFID reader that has transmission channel and can receive circuit with a decoder
and antenna. It also contains middleware that is constituted of supporting
systems such as a control computer, database, and telecommunication network.

These systems work in some aspects that include operating frequency as well as
reading distance and targeting and the protection of particular data. The RFID
consists of its energy source and is dependent on the power supply as well. It
can spread electromagnetic fields by aerial, and the electromagnetic field is an
energy source as well as a channel for communication in the line of the sensor
to the RFDI tag (Szilágyi & Dupláková, 2016).The RFDI tag serves as a source of
identification and sanctions for temperature and pressure measurement in the
device. It can be independent on a sensor and often contains sensors for
measurement of all physical aspects. It can communicate to the user visually as
well as with the inclusion of sound. The RFID system is currently being applied
in the railway transport system. It often comprises of the use of an inbuilt
system in the vehicle as well as an inbuilt computer. They provide receiving
information from the middleware, and it includes visual as well as audio
warnings. The use of RFID technology has improved comfort as well as the
productivity of the railway transport system and reduces administrative as well
as personnel costs.

 

 

 

 

References

 

Szilágyi, E., & Dupláková, D. (2016). Application of RFID Technology for
Increasing Of Efficiency and Safety in Railway Transport. Annals of the Faculty
of Engineering Hunedoara – International Journal of Engineering, 14(3), 139-142.


RESPONSE

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

Introduction

Schuler and Jackson (2007) points out that Human resources management is
critical to any organization in different areas ranging from the company image
and creating a strategic plan. As such, the Human resource practitioners in
either small or large organizations who are acquainted with well- rounded
expertise provide a number of services to the workers of the organization. As
the Human Resource executive of a large hospital system, I have the mandate of
organizing the human resource department through the implementation of goals and
objectives to enhance the overall performance and productivity of the hospital.

To begin with, I will initiate an aggressive plan that is estimated to cost
about forty percent of the total budget that is allocated by the management in
the improvement of the hospital system. I will begin by doing the promotion of
the existing members of staff with the aim of boosting the morale of the staff
and at the same time hiring other health practitioners from other heath sectors
with the objective of bringing new ideas and innovation in the hospital
management system. As a new Human resource executive of the hospital, I will
also come with measures to ensure there is a pay rise and also implement the
workers benefit program which will be geared towards lowering the rate of
absenteeism usually witnessed among the unsatisfied employees of most firms
(Dunn, 2010).

Additionally, I will hire more nurses who will work as the level 1 workers and
then promote the existing nurses to level 2 and 3 so as to improve the customer
satisfaction that would emanate from the increased productivity of the
employees. At the same time, I will ensure that there are more doctors to
supervise the nurses that will be hired to take the level 1 position. I would
also begin the workers- funded pension and tuition support so as to provide the
hospital workers with the incentives that would see them continue with their
careers in their quest for higher learning. The performance appraisal program
will be necessary when implemented at all times with the purpose of boosting the
morale of the hospital workers and rewarding the more productive employees of
the hospital (“Performance Appraisal System in Technology Start-Ups: Strategic
Implications for HR Managers”, 2012).

Furthermore, I will introduce the workers participation program to enable the
hospital employees to have more control over their working conditions and this
would ensure the increase in the productivity by reducing the employee turnover
that would then increase the customer satisfaction. I will also offer the
existing employees with overtime and extra work so as to finish the job for the
customers that would be geared towards boosting the moral of the hospital
employees. Also, I would introduce the employee training program that would
necessitate the training of the new nurses plus the promoted ones as this would
help give the workers a sense of confidence in their line of duty thereby
reducing the employee turnover and enhance the employee morale. I will also
ensure that funds are allocated to the ongoing training of the doctors and the
supervisors for them to improve on their expertise as well as their management
skills to effectively manage their subjects (Schuler & Jackson, 2007).

Conclusively, I would release enough funds to set up the formal quality control
system in the hospital management and this would ensure improvement on the
quality of service delivery while increasing the productivity of the employees.
The quality control department will ensure realization of positive results and
the quality of medical care provided to the patients visiting the hospital
(Schuler & Jackson, 2007). Furthermore, it would be necessary to introduce the
safety and accident prevention program in the hospital arising from the high
employee turnover in the hospital. This measure can be achieved through the
introduction of computerized hospital system in the hospital and also through
the new employee orientation program for the new employees. The computerized
system can assist in the diagnosing the patients on infectious and chronic
diseases that are usually transmitted to the medical practitioners. On the other
hand, the new employee orientation program would ensure that the new recruits in
the hospital are educated on the hospital operations that utilize the
computerized system.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Dunn, B. (2010). Human Resource Management: The Importance of Getting It Right.
Rangelands, 32(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.2458/azu_rangelands_v32i4_dunn

Performance Appraisal System in Technology Start-Ups: Strategic Implications for
HR Managers. (2012). China-USA Business Review, 11(07).
http://dx.doi.org/10.17265/1537-1514/2012.07.009

Schuler, R. & Jackson, S. (2007). Strategic human resource management. Malden,
MA: Blackwell.

 


COMMON VULNERABILITIES IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE CONTROL SYSTEMS

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

Common Vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems

Industrial control systems face various vulnerabilities, which may occur both
within and outside the network of the control system. These vulnerabilities
arise from various sources, mainly due to the operations and communications
carried out by these control systems. The inefficiencies or the lack of
administration and security governance, inadequate funds to ensure proper system
management, and the attrition of employees in the automation of the control
system could also expose the system to these vulnerabilities (Stamp, Dillinger,
Young, & DePoy, 2003). In addition, the vulnerabilities may arise due to
external attacks due to the individuals outside the system, who take advantage
of the loopholes in the network being used by the control system. Being able to
understand the vulnerabilities that the industrial controls systems at PureLand
Wastewater will ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to mitigate
them.

PureLand Wastewater faces threats and vulnerabilities in their ICS. A major
threat is that the company has not established the sensitivity levels of the
data that is circulated in their system. Most secure systems are determined by
the ability to classify and identify the data into their appropriate categories
based on how sensitive they are to the organization. Failure to establish such
distinction makes it hard to determine where the precautions could be applied or
data segments that requires more security. Most ICS systems become vulnerable
due to lack of effective security administration, mainly due to the absence of
effective policies to help in system administration (Stamp, Dillinger, Young, &
DePoy, 2003). The lack of policies on security leads to lack of measurability
and self-perpetuation of security, which in turn makes the network more
vulnerable to external threats. For the prevention of these vulnerabilities, the
organization should apply procedures that enhance security administration making
it effective and instills coherence. This is done through the implementation of
security plans and training, implementing guides, as well as auditing the system
controls to enforce security. The architecture of the control system could make
it more vulnerable due to the physical infrastructural damages or architectural
designs that weaken the protection of the system data. In addition, the networks
and links that are used to convey data or signals within the organization may
expose it to security vulnerabilities. The platforms that are used could also
endanger the data shared within the organization due to harm that may arise form
incidences within the company. The use of passwords does not always guarantee
the protection of the data as these may be accessed and lead to damages. The
failure by the company to collect or examine the system logs could cause the
system to become vulnerable and possible loss of vital information (Stamp,
Dillinger, Young, & DePoy, 2003).

Thus, the weaknesses in the management of the systems within the organization
may lead to more vulnerabilities and failure of the system being used in the
company. The industry is largely unaware of the threats that are present in
their environment and the capabilities of their adversaries. Deploying complex
modern IT equipment by those in charge of automation could lead to result to
deficiencies in the security of the system, while most of them as well as those
operating the systems have insufficient knowledge and training on how to utilize
them. The process of mitigating these challenges is comprehensive and calls for
the creation of awareness on security matters within the industry, developing an
effective and strong system of security governance as well as enhancement of the
vulnerabilities by configuring and integrating technology in the system used
within the industry. Failure to address and mitigate each of these
vulnerabilities could lead to serious effects and possible failure or poor
operation of the industrial control system of the company.



 

References

Stamp, J., Dillinger, J., Young, W., & DePoy, J. (2003). Common vulnerabilities
in critical infrastructure control systems. SAND2003-1772C. Sandia National
Laboratories.




PROVIDING SECURITY IN BANKING SECTOR

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

 

A research paper about providing security in the Banking industry

Executive summary

The soul of a banking sector is the information or the data. Furthermore, this
budgetary and saving money information incorporates client financials and
account data, cardholder information and exchanges and non-open individual data.
All the information created or utilized by a fiscal administration’s firm is
controlled, conceivably delicate or private. The information security
consistency and monitoring challenges alone are overwhelming for keeping money
or monetary policies companies. At the point when a borrower has conceded an
advance from a bank, the bank will frequently need security for the credit it
makes.

Taking critical security over an advantage implies that the bank can, on the
bankruptcy of the borrower, claim that benefit, offer it and utilize the returns
to reimburse the credit. However, this puts the bank in a more grounded position
than lenders who don’t have security. Contingent upon the conditions, the bank,
has the choice of taking security over particular resources of the organization
or every one of the advantages of the organization (International Conference on
Network and System Security, Lopez, Huang, & Sandhu, 2013). On the off chance
that the bank does the last, a debenture will be utilized to make altered and
gliding charges over all the property and resources of the organization.

Project charter

Today’s reality is unified with expanding utilization of online access to
administrations. Internet Banking is one of the online access that is speedily
growing. To give clients with sheltered, steady, vigorous online environment to
do online managing an account the banks ought to actualize “best of breed”
advancements to verify clients personalities when they sign in. By so doing,
they will warrant that their information is transmitted safely and reliably Bank
ought to have the best reinforcement and possibility procedures and ought to
detail the best security arranges and rehearses. The sole objective of this
article is to provide a detailed analysis of the banking systems security and
how it operates. Also, the paper tries to investigate a few of Technologies,
what’s more, Security Standards the distinctive scientists have prescribed to
banks for safe web keeping money and correlation of some security frameworks
given the suggestions provided by these creators for secure internet keeping the
money.

Security framework

The most widely recognized innovation danger or risk to saving money and money
related organization is phishing assault. The typical phishing attack depends on
social designing because the shoppers who are the objectives are controlled.
They are deceived into uncovering their usernames and passwords expected to get
to their online saving money accounts. With these qualifications, the fraudster
can skim reserves, assume control records, and take the record holders’
personality (NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Information Assurance and
Computer Security, Thomas, & Essaaidi, 2006).



The more up to date assault systems are of another kind than the great phishing
and require different protections. Alternative types of crime, similar to
spyware, Trojan steeds, and keyloggers, can bring about a client to unwittingly
download malware which is PC code created for the malevolent goal of gathering
different customer data (NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Information
Assurance and Computer Security, Thomas, & Essaaidi, 2006). The stolen data can
be utilized for fraud, which is a significantly more treacherous prospect than
the record skimming or record takeover connected with the more basic phishing
assaults.

Regulations of the industry

COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology), is produced
by The Information Systems Audit and Control Association and Foundation to give
administration and business process proprietors with an IT management model to
comprehend and deal with the dangers connected with IT. COBIT comprises of four
principle parts to be specific, arrangement and sort out, obtain and actualize,
convey, what’s more, backing, lastly screen and assess (Harmer, 2013).

 * ISO 27002

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is ”the world’s biggest
designer and distributor of global benchmarks in an extensive territory of
subjects counting data security administration frameworks and practices. The ISO
27002 standard, formally The ISO 2005 standard, is a benchmark industry code of
practice for information security “(Harmer, 2013). IT traces eleven control
instruments and a hundred and thirty security checks. The standard builds up
rules and general standards for ”starting, actualizing, keeping up, and
enhancing data security administration inside an association” (ISO, 2006).

PCI Data Security Standard, a set of extensive prerequisites for improving
installment account information security, was created by the establishing
payment brands of the PCI Security Standards Chamber. Including American
Express, Find Financial Services, JCB Universal, MasterCard International and
Visa Inc. Inc. Worldwide, to encourage the broad selection of predictable
information efforts to establish safety on a worldwide premise (Harmer, 2013).
The PCI DSS is a multifaceted security standard that incorporates necessities
for the safety administration, approaches, systems, system engineering,
programming outline and other basic defensive measures.

Safety requirements of an industry

Data security segments can be portrayed as the rule that empowers the usage and
upkeep of data security, for example, a data security arrangement, hazard
appraisals, specialized controls, and data security mindfulness. These parts
could be considered in a data security administration system to give
associations a comprehension of the prerequisites for an all-encompassing
arrangement for data security. It additionally consolidates specialized,
procedural, and individuals orientated parts with the end goal of developing a
proper level of data security culture and minimizing dangers postured to data
resources (NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Information Assurance and Computer
Security, Thomas, & Essaaidi, 2006).

There are a few utilized ways to deal with data security administration systems
keeping in mind the end goal to characterize and develop another data security
management structure for managing an account. These segments were chosen from
every methodology where a segment was delineated as a key guideline, or as a
data security control. Where sections covered between methods, for example,
“Strategies,” a joined part class was defined. Corporate administration, moral
behavior, trust, and evaluator security system are excluded in numerous
different structures, albeit each of the four sections is considered as critical
segments by various analysts when administering data safety in an association.



Policies, procedures

It is conspicuous that not a single of the system covers all data security
administration sections, a portion of the structure, for example, PCI Security
Standard is definite to the operational level. Some different structures, for
example, ISO 27002 or the COBIT (Harmer, 2013), have specialized practice
security models, which have the character of basic setup and operation of IT
frameworks and just by implication influence data security. (International
Seminar on Network and Structure Security, Lopez, Huang, & Sandhu, 2013). Lopez,
Huang, and Sandhu (2013), likewise express that “in spite of the fact that it is
regularly talking about “best practice” regarding information security. By and
by there is no standard that totally controls the majority of the parts of data
safety and can satisfy the necessities of individual organizations to the same
degree (Harmer, 2013).

The reasons why there can’t be right data protection, on account of the critical
contrasts between different financial administrators, even inside the same
business (Harmer, 2013). Distinctive organizations have assorted sizes, money
related qualities, societies, values, center skills, dreams, business
techniques, plans of action, target client portions, furthermore unique danger
approaches. In this manner, organizations have different originations about the
significance and estimation of data security for the accomplishment of specific
business goals and a correspondingly different ability to pay for it (Harmer,
2013).

Conclusion

In today’s mechanical and social environment, security is a highly critical part
of a managing an account and money related organization framework. Clients are
exceptionally worries about safety and fraud rise. Business accomplices,
suppliers, and sellers are requiring it from one another, especially while
giving conventional system and data access (International Conference on Network
and System Security, Lopez, Huang, & Sandhu, 2013). Secret activities using
methods to increase aggressive knowledge and to blackmail associations is
turning out to be more predominant. Banks capacity to exploit new open doors
frequently relies on upon their ability to give public, open, accessible, and
secure system network and administrations.

Having a notoriety for protecting data and the earth inside which it dwells
improves an association’s capacity to safeguard and increment piece of the
overall industry. An extended data security administration structure is very
required in this developing business sector. Some broad benchmarks Furthermore,
best practices have been produced, for example, COBIT, ITIL and ISO 27002,
however not one of them can satisfy particular and extraordinary necessities of
an association. This advancing examination is to create a particular data
security administration system to fit with managing an account domain and it
data framework.

 

 

 

 



References

Harmer, G. (2013). Governance of initiative IT based on COBIT 5: A managing
guide. Ely, Cambridgeshire: IT Governance Pub.

International Seminar on Network and Structure Security, Lopez, J., Huang, X., &
Sandhu, R. (2013). System and structure security: 7th Intercontinental
Conference, NSS 2013, Madrid, Spain, June 3-4, 2013. Minutes. Berlin: Springer.

NATO Unconventional Research Workshop on Info Assurance and Workstation
Security, Thomas, J. P., & Essaaidi, M. (2006). Information assurance and
computer security. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

 


THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CELEBRITY BRANDING/ENDORSEMENT IN THE SINGAPOREAN MARKET
FOR CLOTHING INDUSTRY

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

 

 

 

The Effectiveness of Celebrity Branding/Endorsement in the Singaporean Market
for clothing industry

Discussion and Implications

The advertising industry has undergone significant changes, gaining a lot of
popularity, which has enabled most organizations to reach out to more consumers
thus gaining a competitive advantage in the market. Celebrity
branding/advertising has become a commonly used method of product advertising,
as a way of influencing people’s perception and consumption of a particular
product (Muda et al, 2014, 12). Based on the results obtained in the primary
research, it is evident that a higher section of the population that was
interviewed expressed their concerns on fashion trends, and how they perceive
celebrity-branded clothing that they purchase. The respondents during this
survey are selected randomly as a way of ensuring that the research findings are
not biased on age or gender of the participants among other demographic aspects.
As a result, the company, Exclusive Inc., can use the data results while
formulating the marketing strategy within the market in Singapore in future. The
survey is designed to explore the demographics and the buying habits of the
people in the Singaporean market for the fashion clothing based on their
perception of celebrity endorsement.

Based on the results from the primary research, most of the respondents during
the survey are in the age group 20-29 years, which forms 48.3% of the selected
sample while those in the 30-39 age group accounted for 31.7% with equal gender
representation in a sample of 120 respondents. Majority of those individuals who
reported to be between 20-39 are in active employment, which indicated that 80%
of those in the sample are employed. In addition, more than 55.9% of those in
the sample have attained an academic degree or higher, while those with a
Diploma were about 32.5%, which is an indicator of high educational attainment
with more than 88.4% being holders of a diploma or higher. The income of 45.8%
of the sample falls within $30,000-$60,000 while those below $30,000 form 30.8%
of the selected sample. Additionally, most of those selected in the sample work
are in the executive and professional occupation groups, which make up 67.5% of
the sample or 40% and 27.5% respectively. Thus, this survey indicates the power
of consumption by the young people in Singapore, where the purchasing motives
are driven by desire for quality and luxury clothing products. Such products are
capable of differentiating the consumers from the rest of the people in the
market and make them unique mainly due to the perceived quality as dictated by
celebrity branding.

The findings indicate that, it would be beneficial for the Exclusive Inc. to
focus their marketing efforts on the young consumers in the market. To attract
these consumers, Exclusive Inc. should be able to design and offer products that
are customized to meet the fashion needs of the young population, improve the
experience of the consumers, and adopt marketing mechanisms that allow the image
of the company brand to be distinguished from that of the competing firms in the
industry. The findings from the secondary research indicate that product
branding makes it prestigious, as much as it becomes exclusive and the consumers
attach a social status to it, similar to that given to the celebrity marketing
this product. From the primary research, it is clear that the respondents’
self-confidence rises when they purchase and wear clothing that is identified
with luxury or the high status of the popular celebrity. Some also believe that
purchasing branded clothing improves their social recognition and respect in as
much as they gain self-fulfillment by using the same product as that used by a
celebrity. Thus, consumption patterns of an individual in the population is
influenced by the social value that they attach to the product as well as the
perception held by other people regarding the product that is advertised by a
known public figure. This justifies the findings in secondary research
indicating that the consumer’s decision to buy a product that is associated with
luxury brand is highly driven by the belief on the social image that the product
they purchase carries. Therefore, by establishing a strong and unique brand
image, Exclusive Inc. will be able to influence the consumption habits of the
people in the market (Muda et al, 2014, 15).



The primary research indicates that 87.5% purchased their fashionable clothing
from retail store while the rest purchased them online. In addition, 65.0% and
22.5% purchase the branded clothing products annually and quarterly respectively
while the rest made purchases on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly basis. In
addition, the primary research indicated that 57.5% of the respondents made the
purchase of the branded clothing without noticing any celebrity endorsement
while 29.2% indicated that their purchases were not driven by celebrity
endorsement and the rest agreed to the influence of celebrity endorsement on
their purchasing decision. Similarly, the data collected from the sample
indicate that both male and female consumers have equal likelihood of switching
to another product that is endorsed by a celebrity. The involvement of the
celebrity in negative news does not have a significant impact on the highest and
most frequent consumers in the fashion industry as they are likely to continue
the consumption even after the negative news have been spread about the
celebrity. However, those in the higher income levels, $90,000 and above are
likely to reduce their consumption of the celebrity-endorsed product following
this news.

Regarding the most preferred brand communication channel, the internet and
social media platforms are leading from the primary research findings.
Similarly, the social media platforms and applications that allow for active
interactions, content sharing, and collaboration are most effective while market
a product through celebrity endorsement according to secondary research. Print
media, radio, and television are poorly ranked in their effectiveness in
celebrity endorsement as most of the common and frequent consumers of the
fashion clothing products spend most of their time on the social media and the
websites, where they can check the products. The celebrity-endorsed products are
more likely to appear on the website and social media as compared to the other
information channels where the advertisement of the clothing endorsed by a
celebrity is less likely to appear (Muda et al, 2014, 18). Most people trust the
information obtained from the television and the website as compared to that
from the print media, social media, and the radio regarding a celebrity endorsed
product. On the other hand, the primary data research findings indicate that the
consumers are more likely to purchase a product that is endorsed by a celebrity
if they see it being advertised on the website. The purchasing behavior
decreases from the print media, social media, television, and radio
respectively. The high preference of the social media and website indicates that
Exclusive Inc. should rely on these channels due to the influence they are
likely to produce on the purchase of their celebrity endorsed clothing.

The interactive nature of social media and website increases the effectiveness
of celebrity advertising as the consumers get to share information regarding the
product with other potential consumers. In addition, the reviews given about a
product influence the purchasing behavior of those who read such comment.
Positive reviews of a celebrity endorsed clothing are more likely to drive sales
while negative ones could ruin the brand image. Thus, Exclusive Inc. should
intensify its online campaigns where more success is likely to be attained by
influencing the consumption patterns and conduct brand sensitization enabling
them to attract new customers and retain the existing share of the market.

 

 



Reference

Muda, M., Musa, R., Mohamed, R.N. and Borhan, H., 2014. Celebrity entrepreneur
endorsement and advertising effectiveness. Procedia-Social and Behavioral
Sciences, 130, pp.11-20.


LAST TWO QUARTERS REPORT

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Mukolwe Daniel

Last two quarters Report

 

According to Schuler and Jackson (2007), Human resource Management is
fundamental to productive, employee- oriented workplace where the workers are
engaged and energized. In our bid to further organize the human resource
department, the third quarter saw us make aggressive decisions to further
enhance the performance of our company. Our major goal for this quarter was to
further increase the productivity of the company and thus we hired one qualified
employee to level 2. Such employee was to bring new ideas and methods to the
firm thus improving the productivity of the firm to a greater extend. We also
decided to promote one employee to the level of the supervisor in level 2
because of the many workers who were currently located in level 1. Furthermore,
we started the employee training in both level 1 and 2 so as to acquaint the
newly hired employees with skills to improve the probability of success of our
workers. Our team ended this quarter by improving the quality assurance program.
As such, our team allocated $4000 to train all the supervisors at all levels to
be conducting quality checks during the production process.

Going to the last quarter, we launched strategies that were to consume the
remaining amount in the budget. Due to the fact that it was our last quarter of
the year, we decided on the pay rise so as to boost the employee morale to work
and finish year on a high note. Furthermore, we improved on the employee
participation through creation of voluntary problem- solving groups in an
attempt to provide the employees with more control over their work and to have
self- direction. Additionally, our team allocated $11,000 towards improving the
Human Resource Information system to enhance easy record keeping. Our thinking
behind this scheme was to facilitate decision making process in all the areas of
the Human Resource management department when staffing, conducting job analysis,
conducting performance appraisal and training of members of staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

References

Schuler, R. & Jackson, S. (2007). Strategic human resource management. Malden,
MA: Blackwell.


POSTS NAVIGATION

Older posts
Search for:


RECENT POSTS

 * Relationships among interpersonal Conflict, Requirements Uncertainty, and
   Software Project Performance
 * Magic Technology Balanced Scorecard
 * RFID
 * Response
 * Common Vulnerabilities in Critical Infrastructure Control Systems


Blog at WordPress.com.

Health Living Blog
Blog at WordPress.com.
 * Follow Following
    * Health Living Blog
      Sign me up
    * Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.

 *  * Health Living Blog
    * Customize
    * Follow Following
    * Sign up
    * Log in
    * Report this content
    * View site in Reader
    * Manage subscriptions
    * Collapse this bar

 

Loading Comments...

 

Write a Comment...
Email (Required) Name (Required) Website

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website,
you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy