David Berkowitz the Son of Sam .44 Caliber Killer - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1904 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/22 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Topics: Relationship Essay War Essay Did you like this example? David Berkowitz: the Son of Sam or the . 44 caliber Killer On the summer night of July 29, 1976 shots rang out in a New York City neighborhood. This marked the beginning of the . 44 caliber or the Son of Sam murders. His reign of terror would grip this city and its surrounding areas for over a year. Sadly the Son of Sam whom was eventually identified as David Berkowitz a severely disturbed young man that fell under the several theories of crime causation. In his early life he felt awkward and scorned by his peers because of being adopted and his appearance. These feelings would later follow him into his adult life and as referred by Bardsely  (n. d. )†, he would be  creating fantasies that would crowd out reality and eventually David lived in a world populated by the demons his mind had created,† (22. The Blood Monster,  para. 5). Further reading and research of the Son of Sam uncovers that he would have had the potential to find his way into the theories of labeling and psychological criminal causation. David Berkowitz was born Richard David Falco in Brooklyn, New York. His mother who was involved in an affair immediately gave the child up for adoption. Within the week of his birth he was adopted by Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz. While growing up under their care he began to show some characteristics of his violent tendencies that were to come. Although his parents provided and loved him he was known his neighborhood for having a violent streak, he assaulted neighborhood kids for no apparent reason. He was hyperactive and very difficult for Pearl and Nat to control (Bardsely,  n. d. ). Then the tragedy that many wuld say pushed him further down his diluted path struck. Pearl had a recurrence of breast cancer in 1965 and 1967. The disease and chemo dissipated Pearl to a very meager state that was very difficult for David to handle. Then in the fall of 1967 Pearl died. It was at this time that the delusions began to take form in his mind. After Pearl’s death David deteriorated into almost a state of paranoia. He acted out by becoming more involved in petty larceny and pyromania. His state of mind was that of a very disturbed young man because he began to believe that her death was the part of some plan to destroy him. During this eriod of time Nathan re-married and things became even more turbulent for David as his relationship with this woman was very strained. In an effort to escape these feelings of anger, frustration, and strain from his family life David joined the army in the summer of 1971 for three years. During this time he had his only consummated sexual experience with a woman. She was a prostitute in Korea. He contracted a venereal disease as a souvenir (Bardsely,  n. d. ). Before the delusions escalated to murder David began a spree of arson fires. He set 1,488 fires and kept a diary of each one. This was part of his control fantasy. He felt as if there was no control in his life b ut when he lit these fires he had control of even society. Yet the fires would only ease his delusions for some time. In the Fall and Winter of 1975 began David’s cry for help as referred in Bardsely  (n. d. ), Davids state of mind in November was very bleak when he wrote to his father in Florida: Its cold and gloomy here in New York, but thats okay because the weather fits my mood gloomy. Dad, the world is getting dark now. I can feel it more and more. The people, they are developing a hatred for me. You wouldnt believe how much some people hate me. Many of them want to kill me. I dont even know these people, but still they hate me. Most of them are young. I walk down the street and they spit and kick at me. The girls call me ugly and they bother me the most. The guys just laugh. Anyhow, things will soon change for the better. † (20. Cry for help,  para. 1). Yet no one seemed to hear his cries. He barricaded himself in his apartment only to leave for food at th is time. His bizarre fantasies drove him to start write such things on the wall as: In this hole lives the Wicked King. Kill for my Master. I turn children into Killers. By Christmas Eve David’s emotional and mental state were ready to collapse into a pile of rubble and it did. He performed his first attacks at knife point on two young women. He killed at what we would perceive at random but in his diseased mind these were targets for his demons that ordered him to sacrifice them for their young beautiful blood. Following these attacks David’s delusions dissipated. It seemed as if the demons had been feed and were in a dormant state. He moved from the Bronx to a two-family home in Yonkers. Here though the delusions would grow stronger and more elaborate. The Cassara family, whom he was renting from, owned a German Sheppard who was noisy and howled frequently. He would become David’s unrelenting torment. Inside this family’s dog lived a demon that w as ordering David to go hunting for blood. This would drive him to the edge becoming even suicidal at one point. No longer able to bear he left the Cassara’s and moved to an apartment home in Yonkers. Here a man by the name of Sam Carr owned a black Labrador that would also torment David. Yet the more disturbing thing was the way these delusions were being to unravel. He began to believe that Mr. Cassara was General Jack Cosmo, commander in chief of the devil dogs roaming the streets of New York. Sam Carr at this time became host of a powerful demon by the name of Sam who worked for General Jack Cosmo. This was the demon which David refers to his later letters to the news and police. David would soon became the . 44 caliber killer in July of 1976 with his first assault at gun point. David continued on his violent killing spree that was incited by his fantasies that had now become his reality. Then in August of 1977 Operation Omega, which was the task force assigned to t he Son of Sam murders, caught a break. First they had an eye-witness at the latest scene of David’s murderous assault on a couple. Then they began connecting the dots between the killing of Cassara’s German Sheppard and Sam Carr’s Labrador. After their pets had been murdered they both received odd and disturbing anonymous letters. They both reported these happenings to the police but no notice was taken till David was tied in to knowing them both. The biggest break that they found was through a simple traffic citation that turned everything full circle. The night of his latest murder David Berkowitz of Yonkers received a traffic citation at the scene of the crime. He was curiously tied to these two men and had an uncanny resemblance to the description of the man which the eye-witness saw that night stalking around the area. Once it was all connected and the case that was to be brought forward again David Berkowitz was solid the Police took action on August 10 , 1977. They put David’s neighborhood under surveillance. They waited patiently for hours. As the hours passed the show of force grew with their anticipation. Everyone wanted to apprehend this man who had alluded the police for so long. Finally he emerged from the apartment building with his signature brown paper bag that held is . 44 caliber gun. Once in his vehicle the officers made their advance to his car. Upon his capture David did not seemed shocked but had a smile glued on his face for the arresting officer. After his capture and incarceration in Attica Prison David agreed to be interviewed by a veteran FBI agent by the name of Robert Ressler in 1979 that dug deeper and found what others could not. During these interviews Ressler had David admit to him that his real reason for shooting women was out of resentment toward his own mother, and because of his inability to establish good relationships with women. † He would become sexually aroused in the stalking and shooting of women and would masturbate after it was over (Bardsely,  n. d. ). Stalking women had become a nightly game for him and if no victim was found then he would return to the scene of his previous crimes to relish in their memories. Weather David Berkowitz actually heard the demon dogs commanding him to kill for blood or he killed from pent up emotional and mental anguish of women he fits into the characteristics of one that commits crimes through the psychological theory. As stated by VonFrederick Rawlins  (2005),†Psychological theory states that people commit crimes because of personality imbalances developed early in childhood. †Ã‚  (para. 4). We could clearly see that David had a turbulent childhood starting as early as his birth. His lack of social development and feelings of inadequacy began very early in life as stated earlier. We could see how these inadequacies that plagued him from childhood followed into his adult life. His strange behavi or would then lead him into the theory of labeling. As David grew older he saw that people labeled each other and he began noticing those labels which were bestowed on him from his appearance and strange behavior. According to VonFrederick Rawlins  (2005),  Labeling theory provides the underpinning for the noninterventionist perspective. This theory maintains that people enter into law violating careers when they are labeled for their acts and organize their personalities around such labels. In essence, if you continuously told a person that he/she was a â€Å"worthless soul on the road to perdition,† that person may just end up in prison on their way to hell. †Ã‚  (para. 3). Due to the labeling which David endured in reality and in his delusions he was driven to a path that would cause criminal activity. This was a path that would lead him to a sense of control which he did not have. The Summer of Sam was a reign of terror that can be plausibly explained through the theories of crime causation that were implemented in the relentless search for the Son of Sam. All along this treacherous road that the Son of Sam followed through a little over a year of terrorizing he followed not only his demons but the theories of crime causation. He was a model to two of these theories because of his lack of social development and the series of traumatizing events that involved his childhood. These crimes like many today and in our past were not motivated by an ultimate evil but through the thoughts and emotions of a purely human man that was extremely emotionally and mentally disturbed. References Montaldo, C. (n. d. ). David Berkowitz The Son of Sam. About. com: Crime/Punishment. Retrieved from https://crime. about. com/od/murder/p/sonofsam. htm VonFrederick Rawlins, l. c. m. (2005). Theories of Crime Causation. The VonFrederick Group. Retrieved from https://www. vonfrederick. com/pubs/Theories%20of%20Crime%20Causation. pdf Bardsely, M. (n. d. ). Son of Sam. Tru tv Crime Library. Retrieved from https://www. trutv. com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/berkowitz/letter_1. html Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "David Berkowitz: the Son of Sam .44 Caliber Killer" essay for you Create order

Comparative of Henrik Ibsen´s A Doll´s House and...

Within one’s lifetime, the mark to finding oneself is being able to overcome hardships and difficulties in order to unravel the full potential concealed within them. From being manipulated and deceived, this manages to bring about an ability hidden within oneself that can only be triggered by experiencing what it is like to be a victim of deception. In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and As You Like It by William Shakespeare, each author entraps their protagonists with the role of being manipulative or the victim of being manipulated to further enhance the author’s purpose of revealing or unlocking the hidden potential that arose within the characters. Throughout A Doll’s House, Torvald views Nora’s actions as being deceiving not only towards him but also towards her family. However, Nora gain her perspective on her own actions and begins observing it differently than Torvald’s. The play states, â€Å" It was me they told that his life was in danger...well, well, I thought, you’ve got to be saved somehow. And then I thought of a way-,† (Ibsen 35-36). Within Nora’s and Mrs. Linde’s private conversation, Nora conveys that her manipulation of money revealed how she deceives her husband even though it was in good intent to save his life. In addition, this demonstrates Nora’s willingness to think about others, such as her husband, before realizing for herself that there were going to be consequences for her later on. Within the play, Nora states, â€Å" You have never understood me. AShow MoreRelatedIbsen11859 Words   |  48 PagesM.F.A. Committee Member ______________________________ Kenneth Cleaver, Ph.D. Committee Member ______________________________ James Nutter, D.A. Honors Director ______________________________ Date Forshey 3 Abstract In Henrik Ibsen’s plays, A Doll’s House, The Wild Duck, The Lady from the Sea, and Hedda Gabler, the theme of captivity is demonstrated in the female protagonists Nora, Hedvig, Ellida, and Hedda. The theme of captivity also serves as a performance guide for the portrayal

Sales and Marketing Hell Pizza Report Free Essays

Table of Contents 1. 0 Introduction(Mila)3 2. 0 Overview (Mila)5 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Sales and Marketing Hell Pizza Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now 0 Marketing strategy (Mila)6 4. 0 Environmental scan. (Tina)7 4. 1 Demographic7 4. 2 Economic Factors7 4. 3 Global Environment8 4. 4 Natural8 4. 5 Technological Factors9 4. 6 Political Environment:10 4. 7 Sociocultural Environment10 4. 7. 1 Social responsibilities10 4. 7. 2 Demographical shift11 4. 7. 3 Shift in public conception11 4. 7. 4 Social Events11 5. 0 Competitive analysis. (Tina)12 5. 1 Competitors12 5. 2 Points of Difference12 5. 3 Position in the Market13 5. 4 Future competitors13 6. Market segmentation, target marketing and positioning (Mila)14 6. 1 Geographic segmentation14 6. 2 Demographic segmentation15 6. 3 Behavioural segmentation20 6. 8 Positioning Map: (Tina)21 7. 0 Product Strategy (Mila)23 8. 0 Price Strategy (Mila)25 9. 0 DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY (Mila)27 10. 0 COMMUNICATION STRATEGY (Mila)28 10. 1 Mass communicated advertising in common with targeted communication28 10. 2 In-store communication29 11. 0 WEBSITE EVALUATION. (Tina)31 11. 0 Website evaluation31 11. 1 Technical aspect31 11. 2 User friendliness31 11. 2. 1 Ease of navigation31 11. 2. 2 Ease of contact31 11. Site attractiveness32 11. 4 Marketing effectiveness32 11. 5 Legal compliances32 12. 0 STRATEGY ASSESSMENT (Tina)33 Reference35 1. 0 Introduction(Mila) This report has been compiled to gain an understanding of marketing strategy of Hell Pizza chain operator based in New Zealand. The company operates through 65 outlets in New Zealand and franchised in Britain, Canada, India, Korea and Australia (Restaurant and Food Services Industry in New Zealand, 2012). In this report only New Zealand’s marketplace will be reviewed and contains the analysis of Hell Pizza’s most successful marketing practices. Eight research objectives have also been reviewed: †¢ environmental scan †¢ competitive analysis †¢ market segmentation †¢ targeting and positioning †¢ product strategy †¢ pricing strategy †¢ distribution strategy †¢ communication strategy †¢ website evaluation Mainly secondary research data has been used to compile this report and personal communication as a primary research data has been marginally used to justify some statements. Method for secondary research: – Statistics New Zealand is operated by the government and is a New Zealand national statistical office. Roy Morgan Research is an international market research company. In this report data is used identify profile of adult consumers and percentage of the adult population (14 years and over) who visited Hell Pizza, Pizza Hutt and Dominos in the last 4 weeks for market segmentation and competitive analyses. 2. 0 Overview (Mila) Hell Pizza is a pizza chain operator based in N ew Zealand and headquartered in Wellington. It was first established in 1996 at the Kelburn squash club and serving university students, and until now Wellington remains the strongest territory of Hell in New Zealand. Current menu items offered include standard pizzas, gourmet pizzas, desert pizzas, pastas, salads, sides, dips, and beverages (Restaurant and Food Services Industry in New Zealand, 2012). Hell Pizza provides dine in, pickup and delivery service options. The company was sold to Tasman Pacific Foods in 2006, and then bought back in 2009 by directors Stu McMullin, Callum Davies and Warren Powell; two years later Warren Powell sold his shares claiming that sales are plummeting (Rogers, 2012; Hurley, 2011). Today Hell has franchise outlets in countries such as Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Britain and a total 65 shops in New Zealand (Restaurant and Food Services Industry in New Zealand, 2012). The Company takes 50,000 to 60,000 orders a month. Out of total orders 40 to 50 per cent of its New Zealand business is delivery orders; the busiest store is Hell Pizza on Cuba Street in Wellington (Rogers, 2012). 3. 0 Marketing strategy (Mila) Even though Hell Pizza Company does not have any clear formal mission statement, it can be spotted through relative available information about the company. Strong brand awareness, controversial promotional activity, good service and quality innovative pizzas – are the components being valued by the company throughout the process of business expansion. â€Å"Our strategy has always been to be noisy in the market† (McMullin, as cited in Rogers, 2012). The company’s mission has been to tempt people into the experience without talking about price in a price-driven saturated marketplace (Medcalf, 2005b). Mainstream world of pizza was found boring by the group of young founders therefore their vision was to create a fun, hard-core, elastic brand and use every opportunity to get people talking (Boyles, 2005). The foundation of the company however was built on producing â€Å"Hell specific† (Stu, as cited in Boyles, 2005, para. 10) high quality food. Davies (as cited in Allen,2004) stresses that even though the pizza market is very competitive, Hell Pizza remains focused on quality and had never competed solely on price (Davies, as cited in Allen, 2004). According to McMillan (2005), Hell Pizza is consistent in providing â€Å"really good pizza† and it is that focus that made the franchise successful (McMillan, as cited in Medcalf, 2005a, para. 21). Technology is seen by the director Stu McMullin as a point of difference for the company, a â€Å"policy that has not let him down† (Start Up, 2012, para. 2; Medcalf, 2005). Hell Pizza was the first food delivery used mobile ETPOS and also the first online pizza ordering system in New Zealand (Start Up, 2012; Medcalf, 2005a). Hell Pizza grew explosively (from 14 shops in 2003 to 33 in 2005) and opened its first restaurant in London, UK in 2007, followed by a store in Brisbane, Australia in 2008 and by today also locating stores in Canada, Korea and India (Franchiseek New Zealand, n. d. ). 4. 0 Environmental scan. (Tina) Constantly changing marketing environment consists of the different forces that affect the marketing management ability to develop and maintain successful transactions with its target customers (Kotler, Bowen Makens, 2010). According to Kotler et al (2010a), these forces can either be negative or positive, and it is up to the company to continuously adapt to the changes, in order to survive and thrive. The marketing environment consists of a microenvironment, and a macroevnironment. The microenvironment refers to all factors which will directly impact the day-to-day business and the company itself, such as the suppliers and customers (Kotler et al, 2010a). The macroenvironment, according to Kotler et al (2010a), consists of all the forces which affect the company, providing it with both opportunities and threats. The seven major forces which influence the marketing strategies and plans of Hell Pizza will be examined in this section: demographic, economical, global, natural, technological, political and social. 4. 1 Demographic Although Hell Pizza has a diverse market, their custom base comprises of consumers in the age group of 20 to 39 years old, who were also found to be open to the use of technology (Medcalf, 2005b). 4. 2 Economic Factors New Zealand has been in a recession since early 2008, which took a turn for the worse when the global financial crisis hit in September the following year (The Treasury, 2012). However, the economy has begun to pick up, which was possibly due to the Rugby World Cup and increased exports (The Treasury, 2012). According to Davies (personal communication, 15 August, 2012), the economic downturn had little effect on Hell Pizza, as people are more likely to stay at home and order takeout, as opposed to dining out in a restaurant. This is confirmed by a survey by Statistic New Zealand, (2010), which showed on average 8. 4% increase in takeaway food sales from 2009 to 2010. 4. 3 Global Environment Hell’s Pizza has become a multinational operation, in an effort to achieve one of its visions – â€Å"Global Domination† (Hell Pizza, n. d. ). In addition to New Zealand, Hell Pizza also have shops in India, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and several other countries (Hell Pizza, n. d. ). In countries such as India, United Kingdom and South Korea, their population density is significantly higher than that of New Zealand; therefore each shop they open will be exposed to exponentially greater amount of people. However, opening up shops overseas also means that Hell Pizza has to adapt to the local culture. For example, in South Korean, Hell Pizza had to cut their menu down to just 11 items for the South Koreans, as well as alter the brand attitude slightly. Whereas New Zealanders can relate to the laid-back personality with Hell Pizza, Koreans are not as comfortable with such informality (Rogers, 2012). Another example which demonstrates the effect of different cultures on a business is Hell Pizza in India, where they had to offer greater variety of vegetarian pizzas, in order to fit into to the local customs (Rogers, 2012). . 4 Natural As the world become more concerned about the pollutions around the globe, consumers are beginning to demand businesses to become more environmentally friendly (Kotler et al, 2010a). Unsustainable energy sources such as oil and coal are fast running out, leading to an increase in the transportation cost across the production chain, and thereby increasing the final food prices (Kotler et al, 2010a). While Hell Pizza recycles where they can, and try to be as environmentally friendly as possible, Davies (personal communication, August 15, 2012) admits that these efforts have to take into account the cost effectiveness and profitability of these measures. 4. 5 Technological Factors A survey by the Statistics New Zealand (2009b) demonstrates the importance of websites; 43% of people interviewed in 2009 have purchased online in the last 12 months, as opposed to just 29% in 2006. Technology such as online ordering systems which enable the consumers to service themselves can replace some of the labour intensive jobs (Reid Bojanic, 2006). The shift from telephone ordering to online ordering means that staffs that were previously tied up with answering the phone is now freed to assist with production. This allows for more efficient use of labour, thus reducing the labour cost. The newest technology war is on smartphones. A survey conducted in 2010 has found that 33% of all people interviewed said they access retail websites through their cell phone (Arellano, 2011). Currently, Hell Pizza has an iPhone application, where the user can place orders (iTunes, 2012). However, users on other systems such as Android and Windows are left out (iTunes, 2012). If Hell Pizza can reach those users, they would really be taking good advantage of the smartphone technology. 4. 6 Political Environment: All businesses are regulated by the government legislations and laws, which makes up the political environment (Kotler et al, 2010a). Some of the regulations and legislations which the hospitality industry in particular must abide by regarding the consumers include Food Hygiene Regulations 1974, Food Act 1981 and amendments 1996. As for the employees, there are the Health and safety in Employment Act 1992 and subsequent amendments 2002, and Occupational Health and Safety regulations. Any additional laws could affect the operation of Hell Pizza. For example, the Food Industry Group is working on changing New Zealand’s system of nutrition information on food labelling, to one which would be more informative and clear (Food Industry Group welcomes Australian approach to nutritional labelling, 2011). If this goes through, Hell Pizza would have to change their existing nutritional traffic light system to the new one. However, Hell Pizza has made sure to state on their website that any political changes which affect their ability to deliver their promised service is outside the company’s control, therefore they cannot be held accountable (Hell Pizza, n. d. ). 4. 7 Sociocultural Environment The social environment is continuously evolving, as it is shaped by the perception and behaviour of the consumers. The consumers in turn, are constantly being influenced by the changes in the other major forces in the macroenvironment (Reid Bojanic, 2006). 4. 7. 1 Social responsibilities The population as a whole has also become more conscious of the environment and social ethics (Kotler et al, 2010). According to the funder of Hell Pizza Callum Davies (personal communication, August 15, 2012), his company contribute to various charity organisations, and does their best to buy from local businesses, thereby backing the New Zealand economy. An example was when Hell Pizza donated all the revenue they made in their shops on 16th of March, 2011, to the Christchurch Earthquake Relief (Scragg, 2001). 4. 7. 2 Demographical shift The NZ demographic has evolved over the past decade. For example, the Asian population has grown by 66% since 2011 (Statistics New Zealand, 2011; Statistics New Zealand, 2012). Also, as the regular customers continue to grow older, the target market of Hell’s Pizza evolves as well. 4. 7. 3 Shift in public conception The public has become more health conscious; in response Hell Pizza has developed a traffic light system which allows the consumers to see which pizzas are healthier than others, thus making an informed decision about what they eat (Laws, 2012). . 7. 4 Social Events Social events can also have a big impact on businesses. For example, when the Rugby World Cup was hosted in New Zealand, it was a great opportunity for Hell’s Pizza to promote its products to foreigners, especially those who have Hell’s Pizza in their home country. During this time, a competition was held where people were encouraged to take a picture with celebrities with a Hell Pizza Fis t drink holder (http://www. facebook. com/photo. php? pid=7627413l=b968e46e75id=p43522837224). 5. 0 Competitive analysis. Tina) Every business faces its own set of competitors, and it must recognise these competitors in order to change its marketing strategies accordingly (Kotler et al, 2010a). Competitors can be categorised into four levels. First level is businesses which offer comparable core products. Second level is those serving matching level of product. The third level is companies which offer the same service. Lastly, the fourth level is anyone who is competing for the same consumer dollar, including the consumers themselves (Kotler et al, 2010a). For the purpose of this report, only direct competitors who are on the first level are analysed, as it is difficult to measure the exact impact of all other indirect competitors. 5. 1 Competitors Hell Pizza is a franchise, so other pizza chains such as Domino’s and Pizza Hut are all considered its direct competitors. Although publicly, the business claims they are not competing against budget pizza chains (Janes, 2009), their custom bases still overlaps, Hell Pizza’s product is gourmet pizzas, therefore its New Zealand competitor s also extend to businesses such as Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza, Non-Solo Pizza, and La Porchetta. Points of Difference 1) Innovative and controversial marketing campaign Not only can the customers easily identify the distinctive Hell theme, its marketing strategies have established its brand as more than just an image; it has taken on its own personality (Medcalf, 2005b). 2) Quality Quality of food, healthy toppings, food hygiene and the offering of greater variety than the traditional varieties all differentiates Hell Pizza from its competitors (personal communication; Medcalf, 2005b). 3) Traffic light system As mentioned earlier, Hell Pizza has recently developed a health traffic light system, which not many of their competitors have done (Laws, 2012). 5. 3 Position in the Market Despite these competitive edges, Hell Pizza is still behind pizza giants such as Domino’s and Pizza Hut. A survey has found that among those who visited Hell Pizza, Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza in the last four weeks in 2010, out of those who are ages 18 and over, Hell Pizza was the least visited store with only 13. 80%, whereas Domino’s and Pizza Hut showed 27. 5% and 20. 10% respectively (Fast food places visited in last four weeks, 2010). . 4 Future competitors The food industry is one which has a low entry barrier, as well as a low exit barrier (Kotler et al, 2010a). However, as Sharma and Gadenne (2010) found in their study, businesses that differentiate itself from its competition through quality are more likely to maintain their market share, as opposed to businesses with low pricing strategy. Hell Pizza is therefore more likely to secure their position in the market against new entrants than other budget companies. 6. 0 Market segmentation, target marketing and positioning (Mila) Most companies segment a market by two or more demographic, geographic, psychographic and behaviouristic variables, however there is no single way to segment a market (Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans, Armstrong, 2010b). 6. 1 Geographic segmentation New Zealand’s population is highly urbanized where Auckland region accounted for  about one-third  of New Zealand’s estimated resident population and remains a second fastest growing main urban area and Wellington remains the third largest area with 386,000, closely behind Canterbury (Statistic New Zealand, 2009a). However, this has changed since the Christchurch earthquake, which caused an estimated number of 8900 people to leave the area. (Newell, Beaven, Johnston, 2012). In New Zealand Hell Pizza operates 65 outlets in 16 towns and cities. Significantly more branches are in Auckland region 25, followed by 14 brunches which are located in Wellington region (Statistic New Zealand, 2009a). The correlation between the number of Hell Pizza outlets and the population distribution can be seen from Image 1 and 2. [pic] [pic] 6. 2 Demographic segmentation Tables 1,2,3,4 and 5 are the information data retrieved from Roy Morgan and variables by which demographic profile of the market segmentation was identified. Generation It can be seen from the table 1 below, that out of those who visited Hell Pizza outlets Generation Y made up the most of those who visited, followed by Generation X and Z. Table 1. Percentage of the generation of adult population (14 years and over) who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks for the period from August 2009 – July 2010. [pic] Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Ltd, 2010. Reprinted with permission Sex Data, retrieved from Roy Morgan Single source (table 2), shows that there were slightly more male visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks than female, with 17,1% and 12,2% respectively. Table 2. Percentage of make and female of adult population (14 years and over) who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks for the period from August 2009 – July 2010. [pic] Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Ltd, 2010. Reprinted with permission Ethnic Group From data derived from Roy Morgan, table 2, it was found that out of those who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 week European population made up a significantly larger portion of those who visited. Table 3. Percentage of male and female of adult population (14 years and over) who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks for the period from August 2009 – July 2010. [pic] Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Ltd, 2010. Reprinted with permission Weekly household expenditure As it can be seen from the table 4 below, out of those respondents who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks, most of those have an average weekly living and household expenditure $1000 and over, followed by those who spends $800-$899on all living and household in an average week. Table 4. Percentage of how much does your family spend on all living and household expenses in an average week (dollars) of adult population (14 years and over) who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks for the period from August 2009 – July 2010. [pic] Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Ltd, 2010. Reprinted with permission Occupation As can be seen from the table 5 below, out of those who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks, the majority of them works full time, out of this majority, most are white collared workers. Table 5. Percentage of occupation of adult population (14 years and over) who visited Hell Pizza in the past 4 weeks for the period from August 2009 – July 2010. [pic] Source: Roy Morgan New Zealand Ltd, 2010. Reprinted with permission Therefore, based to Roy Morgan data, an average visitor to Hell Pizza store representing a demographic segment in New Zealand would most likely be a white collared European male or female of Generation Y or X, with an average weekly living and household expenditure from $800 and over. Georgaphically, Hell Pizza mainly segments Auckland and Wellington as to larger markets. . 3 Behavioural segmentation Occasion segmentation Hell Pizza offers gourmet catering â€Å"to everyone’s desires† (Hell Catering, n. d. ). Hell Pizza is suitable for themed parties such as Halloween, conferences and other occasions. Benefits segmentation Hell Pizza offers a wide range of meal options for those who is: †¢ gluten free †¢ vegetarian †¢ â€Å" HELLthier† option meal. 6. 8 Positioning Map: (Tina) Brands are rated together against each other similarity or dissimilarity which results in a multidimensional map identifying factors that discriminate between brands (Kotler et al, 2010b). Below is the two-dimensional map of Hell Pizza and its main direct competitors in New Zealand – Pizza Hut and Domino, based on online research. High According to Hell Pizza’s menu (2012b), in addition to the standard pizzas, gourmet pizzas, desert pizzas, pastas, sides, and dips, customers can also decide their choice of salads and chilli. This choice is unique to Hell Pizza, differentiating it from its competitors. Compared with Hell Pizza and Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza offer more varieties of pizzas and crusts. While their prices are lower on average, the surcharges they put on the additional options such as cheesy crusts are higher than Hell Pizza and Pizza Hut (Domino’s Pizza, 2012). Pizza Hut offers less variety across most product categories, and is slightly more expensive than Domino’s Pizza, but still much cheaper than Hell’s Pizza. The differentiating point for Pizza Hut is that it offers greater variety of Mia Pizza (snack pizza) than the other two pizza shops (Pizza Hut, 2012). 7. 0 Product Strategy (Mila) Hell Pizza’s product analysis will be based on the theory from Kotler et al (2010b). Product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need (Kotler et al, 2010a, p. 298). Kotler et al (2010a) suggest that product should be viewed in three levels: Core Product: What is the core benefit your product offers? Actual Product: a quality level, features, styling, brand name packaging Augmented product: additional consumer services and benefits. Therefore, Hell Pizza’s: Core product – gourmet pizza Actual product –consistent, high quality pizza (Medcalf, 2005), supported by a strong brand personality (evil and sinful image is present in the menu), featured with original packaging (as shown in image 3 below). Augmented product – Hell Pizza benefits its consumers with a choice for those who are gluten free, vegetarian or those who prefer HELLthier option meals. Personal selling in Hell Pizza can also be referred to an intangible augmented product as an important part of a hospitality product. [pic] Retrieved from: http://www. facebook. com/hellpizza Product life cycle stage According to the available information Hell Pizza’s PLC appears to be at Growth stage, which is a period of great market acceptance and increasing profits (Kotler etal, 2010b). Information below points out to the company’s prosperity. – Since it was established in 1996, Hell Pizza grew explosively from 14 shops in 2003 to 33 in 2005, and accounts 65 outlets in New Zealand today( reference). – Sales revenue increased from $1. 2 million to $55 million between 2002 and 2006 (stuff. o. nz, 2008). – April, 2012 New Zealand Herald described Hell Pizza as a third biggest player on the market ( New Zealand Herald, 2012) – Hell Pizza established franchises in Korea and India in 2011 (Rogers, 2012). 8. 0 Price Strategy (Mila) Kotler et al, (2010b) suggests that company’s pricing decisions are affected by internal factors: company’s marketing objectives, marketing mix strategy, costs and organisation; and external factors: the nature of the market demand, competition and other environmental factors. There are five general pricing approaches which a company combines when setting their prices: cost- based approach (additional mark-up to the cost), value-based approach (prices are based on buyers perceived value), competition based approach (prices are largely based on competitor’s prices) and performance-based pricing (seller is paid on the basis of performance of the offer) (Kotler et al, 2010b). – Hell Pizza charges $17. 50 for a 12. 5 inches (double) Pizza and $8. 50 for a 7. 5 pizza (snack), with an additional options for thin bas $2 or gluten free base $3. Hell Pizza is focused on quality and had never competed solely on price (Allen, 2004). Hell Pizza charges higher price compared to its direct competitors Pizza Hut and Dominos to cover the high product quality (Hell Pizza, 2012; Domino’s Pizza, 2012; Pizza Hut, 2012). Therefore: – Externally Hell Pizza operates under monopolistic competition markets, where buyers and sellers, who trade over a ran ge of prices, which occurs because sellers differentiate their offers (Kotler et al, 2010b). – Quality leadership is one of and an apparent internal marketing approaches for Hell Pizza. Hell Pizza uses a combined cost based – value based general pricing approach There are also different price – adjustments strategies (such as discount pricing allowances, segmented pricing, psychological pricing, promotional pricing, value pricing, geographical and international pricing) , that companies use to account for different customers and situations (Kotler et al, 2010b) – Hell Pizza regulary applies promotional pricing (attracts customers or rewards loyal customers, (Kotler et al, 2010b). – Geographical and international pricing is also present (Korea, India) – Psychological. For example, the misfortune cookies advertisement promoted six cookies for $2. 50 (http://www. facebook. com/hellpizza); it is priced as such so that consumers cannot easily calculate and compare the price of each individual cookies. 9. 0 DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY (Mila) Distribution system for Hell Pizza is direct marketing, which means that there are no intermediaries involved. Hell Pizza distributes in 16 cities and towns in New Zealand. The company locates most of its branches in Auckland and Wellington – cities with the highest numbers of the country’s population, with 25 and 14 branches respectively. Hell Pizza uses four methods of selling its products directly to the market: – Dine in or take away option. Customers can go to the nearest Hell Pizza, place an order and either eat at the restaurant or leave with the order – Order online. Domestic customers can place the order online, and either picks up the pizza or get it delivered. – iPhone application. Fast and mobile option to order a pizza for either pick up or delivery for those who own an iPhone. Convenient for ordering if the only internet access you have is through the phone. – Home and office delivery. Customers can place orders either via the phone, online or an iPhone. 0. 0 COMMUNICATION STRATEGY (Mila) Depending on whether Hell Pizza wants to inform, remain or persuade its audience, company uses various integrated marketing communication (IMC) tools and technologies. Integrated marketing communications include adverting, personal selling, sales promotion, online and direct marketing and enti tle coordinating organisation’s promotional efforts (Kotler et al, 2010b). 10. 1 Mass communicated advertising in common with targeted communication This is where customers’ self-select the message or product involved and those are tailored to suit various market segments. – Public relations. In order to build or reinforce corporate image, handle or head off unfavourable rumours, events or stories. According to the Advertising Standards Authority Hell Pizza finds controversy as a way of generating publicity (as cited in Lord 2012). Overall the company has produced the most complained-about advertisings, including mailed out condoms to promote its â€Å"Lust† meat pizza, attracting a record of 685 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority in 2006 (Boyles, 2005). – Pay-Tv commercials, â€Å"Pizza Roulette†, â€Å"Sides† and â€Å"Quarn† advertisings on TVNZ’s channel (Hell Pizza, 2012). – Radio advertising. Numerous times Letterbox drops. Mailed out condoms to promote its â€Å"Lust† meat pizza. – Billboards. Such as a billboard with the advertising of cross buns with a slogan â€Å"For a limited time. A bit like Jesus. † (Hell Pizza, 2011). – Telephone directories. Yellow pages – So cial Media. Hell Pizza actively engaged with their customers through social network Facebook and Twitter, with over 49,000 likes and 5,000 followers respectively (personal research, as at 18th of September, 2012). – Mobile advertising. Such as an old 1970’s hearses Cadillac with the inscription â€Å"The Quickest Way to Hell†, painted down the side with their Web address. 970’s police cars, with police lights and sirens â€Å"To Protect and Serve Damned Tasty Pizza†, they also have mini coopers, beach buggies and three wheel scooters they use to deliver pizza, painted with their logo (PIZZA MAGAZINE REF). – Interactive YouTube’s â€Å"Deliver me to Hell† game has also been very popular in NZ and very successful overseas, such as the company even sponsored zombie shows in the United States and South America. Furthermore iPhone’ application,  had over 5,000 downloads in the first month, and that is without even the compa ny promoting its release. 0. 2 In-store communication – Personal selling. Personal interaction between Hell Pizza and their customer happen either when customer places the order or dines-in the restaurant, through the phone or when delivery happens. – Point of purchase promotions. Posters and the communication from personal selling. – Merchandising. Company merchandise such products as T-shirts with such slogans as â€Å"eat me†, and â€Å"providing oral pleasure since 1996†, beanies, boxer shorts and other stuff with company’s logo on it (Boyles, 2005). 10. Sales Promotions is a strong tool used in conjunction with advertising in order to create awareness or change a value for money perception (Kotler et al, 2010b). Hell Pizza’s sales promotions include: – Money-off deals – Redeemable coupons. For example $1 for a double or gourmet pizza from Hell in Christchurch, where 9718 was bought (Treat Me, n. d. ) – Discou nt vouchers, such as those on Vouchermate (2009). – Premium offers (free delivery on Tuesdays – Contests and games of chance and skill. Pizza Roulette included Facebook competition where people uploaded videos of themselves playing the game. Another competition was during the Rugby World Cup, included to stalk celebrities with the fist and take a picture of them (http://www. facebook. com/photo. php? pid=7627413l=b968e46e75id=p43522837224). – Event Sponsorship (Kapiti sports clubs) – Fundraising ( Hell Pizza Northland Hell Pizza Northland, are giving some money to the Karoriri Pirates swimming club  to help with  fundraising) – Charity, such as the donation Hell Pizza offered to the Christchurch Earthquake Relief as mentioned earlier (Scragg, 2001). 11. 0 WEBSITE EVALUATION. (Tina) 11. 0 Website evaluation Hell’s Pizza website is designed by Inject Design, who specialise in projects which are unique and creative (Inject Design, 2011). In order to evaluate the website thoroughly, five categories will be examined: technical aspect, user friendliness, site attractiveness, marketing effectiveness, and legal compliances (Morrison, Taylor Douglas, 2004). 11. 1 Technical aspect The website is accessible through all the widely used browsers, such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and it also has a mobile version which allows access for smart phone users. The time it takes to load each webpages is never more than a few seconds, which is acceptable. There are no spelling mistakes identified. 11. 2 User friendliness 11. 2. 1 Ease of navigation The website is simple and straight forward; therefor it is easy to navigate around, with a home button on every webpage. However, perhaps because the web designer assumed web users would have no problem getting around, there is no sitemap or search engine. 11. 2. 2 Ease of contact There is only one email address available: feedback@hell. co. z and it is displayed at the bottom of every page, along with their 0800 number. Therefore anyone who wants to contact the headquarters of Hell’s Pizza for any enquiries unrelated to feedbacks may search all over the page before realising that is the only email address. For all other contact information, users must first choose a region, then the stores, before gaining access to the contact phone number, address, and opening hours. 11. 3 Site attractive ness The overall colour scheme is white and some red text on black background, which makes it easy to read while maintaining visually appealing. The pages are uncluttered and clean; the background pictures keeps to the theme of Hell, and are all on the top, bottom and sides of the page, acting as a frame which guides the eyes to the middle. Overall, the website is appealing and clear. 11. 4 Marketing effectiveness Current promotions and discounts, most of which contain links to their own promotional videos, are displayed on the homepage, as well as an additional ‘Promotions’ page. The marketing position is clear throughout every page, and keeping to the same theme. However, the website does not tangiblise heir products; there are no pictures of their pizzas or stores, making it hard for users to visualise the actual products. 11. 5 Legal compliances In the ‘About’ section, there is a ‘Privacy’ page as well as a ‘Terms and Conditions’ page, which displays information such as how they collect information, Consumer Guarantees Act, payment policy, and liabilities. These explain clearly how the business protects themselves as well as the customers, which can provide reassurance for the customers. 12. 0 STRATEGY ASSESSMENT (Tina) Hell Pizza has relatively strong position in domestic market. Elements such as Increase in revenue, franchise extension and the launch of the new iPhone application indicate that product is still at it Growth stage for Hell Pizza. Aggressive branding and advertising in common with consistent product quality are the core strategies for Hell Pizza and is affected by the many external factors such as the surrounding environment and competitors, and determined by their market segmentation and position. Hell Pizza positions itself as a gourmet pizza store, and differentiates itself from competitors through quality, and not price. Hell Pizza offers the most expensive product, compared to its main competitors, as well as the best service and mainly targets to those of Generation Y or X, with an average weekly living and household expenditure $800 and over. While it does not compromise its quality through price, Hell Pizza often runs various promotions and competition, such as the ‘Celebrity fisting’ (http://www. facebook. com/photo. php? pid=7627413l=b968e46e75id=p43522837243) mentioned earlier. Hell Pizza uses various integrated marketing tools and technologies, which include mass communicated advertising and in-store communication. Although these are the most complained-about advertisement (Rogers 2012), they also generate much publicity, which raises public awareness. All these communication strategies keep to the theme of Hell and the company’s fun image, while appealing to their target market. As a result, the company is able to send consistent messages to its customers, which are distinctive and unique to the company, thereby differentiating itself from their many direct competitors. Overall, the marketing strategy of Hell Pizza is strong and innovative. Reference Allen, S. (2004, Dec 24). Hell pizza franchise extends its horizons. Dominion Post, pp. -B; 9. Retrieved from http://ezproxy. aut. ac. nz/login? url=http://search. proquest. com/docview/338145934? accountid=8440 Arellano, J. (2011). Mobile shopping increases. Rural Telecommunications, 30(2), 9-9. Retrieved from http://ezproxy. aut. ac. nz/login? url=http://search. proquest. com/docview/862163216? accountid=8440 Boyles, T. (2005, November). All Hell breaking lose. PMQ Pizza Magazine. Retrieved from http://pmq. com/mag/2005november-december/allhell. php Domino’s Pizza. (2012). Menu. Retrieved from http://www. dominospizza. co. nz/menu/pizzas/ Franchiseek New Zealand. (n. d. ). Hell open franchise operation in the UK. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from http://www. franchiseek. com/NZ/NewsDetail. asp? NewsID=295 Hell Catering. (n. d. ) Home. Retrieved 29 September, 2012, from http://hellcatering. co. nz/ Hell Pizza (Producer). (2011, May 4). Hell Pizza: Hell Cross Bun [Television Advertisement]. Auckland, New Zealand: TV 3. Hell Pizza (Producer). (2012a, May 1). Hell Pizza: Pizza Roulette [Television Advertisement]. Auckland, New Zealand: TV 3. Hell’s Pizza. (2012). Hell’s Pizza Order. Retrieved from: https://hellpizza. com/nz/order Hell Pizza (2012b). Menu. Retrieved from http://hellpizza. com/nz/stores/menu-picker/menu/standard Hell’s Pizza. n. d. ). Retrieved September 17, 2012, from http://www. hellpizza. com/ Hurley, B. (2011, August 21). Hell Pizza director sells up. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from http://www. nzherald. co. nz/business/news/article. cfm? c_id=3objectid=10746463 Inject Design. (2011). About Us. Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://injectdesign. co. nz/ iTunes. (2012). Hell Pizza. Retrieved September 17, from http://itunes. apple. com/nz/app/hell-pizza/id460256659? mt=8 Kotler, P. , Bowen, J. T. , Makens, J. C. (2010a). Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism (5th Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. , Brown, How to cite Sales and Marketing Hell Pizza Report, Essay examples

Social Care and Technology

Question: Explain how technology can be used to support users of health and social care services in living independently. Explain health and safety considerations in the use of technologies in health and social care? Answer: 1. Case Study Technology has become the part and parcel of human life today. In the first case study of Sally a woman with multiple sclerosis various factors are studied and discussed of the role of Technology in making her life easier and also the barriers in the smooth assistance by using the technology and assistance. 1.1 Technology as a support of health and social care services in living Independent life- It wont be an exaggeration if the present era is called to be in the midst of Technology Revolution. Health care being a primary need of mankind, is not untouched by this revolution. Technology has replaced human beings in many fields in the form of computers, machinery and even robots (Davies, 2013). In the social and health care department too, technology has made it easier and people have become independent all thanks to the machines and tools. The concept under explanation in this study is that how technology is helping the health care and social care easier and independent. 1.1.1 Independent living- Independent living refers to the ability to live independently in the community and at the same time be a productive member of the community (Yang, 2013). It might not mean that the person is living a life on ones own, but rather its concerned with having the control on his life. Independent living means having a freedom to choose where to live and having same freedom of making any choice like a non-disabled person (Independent Living May Reduce Recidivism, 2004). With reference to the Elder-care, the independent living is considered as a step in the continuum of the care. The next step here is the assisted living. 1.1.2 The users of health and social care services- The people who need health and social care are generally people who have certain kind of physical disability and need assistance. Also the elderly people who are of the age where they need constant attention and assistance in their activities. As given in the first case of Sally, she is a person suffering from multiple sclerosis. Due to which her vision and motor controls have weakened and thus she needs some assistance in her activities. There the social and health care services help. Technology comes in the picture as a saviour for such patients (Kim, Younsu and Ryu, Hoyoung, 2012). 1.1.3 Meaning of assistive technology in health and social care Heath care and social care services have two aspects, one the medical and physical help and other is the psychological help to the disabled and old. Assistive technology means any device or any system that helps an individual to perform a task that was not possible otherwise. It is helpful in increasing the ease and the safety of the activity (Davey, 1999). This technology ranges from the simple technology devices like calendar clocks to the high- tech devices like automatic lighting and telecare sensors. 1.1.4 The assistive technologies provided to Sally The case study here of Sally, a 42 years old woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis reveals and bases the fact the technology can help in making life easier for the patients of such diseases. A vision specialist recommends Sally to use an eye patch when warranted to help her in the vision problem. After that when she feels difficulty in office works and driving, due to weakness in the right side of body, a special keyboard is prescribed that covered a larger surface and has large black letters which are surrounded by a yellow background. Other technical assistant tools she is provided are dressing stick and toothbrush handles. For cooking some kitchen aids which included jar openers and recipe card holders. Some larger pots and pans; and also for gardening the adapted gardening tools are to be used by her to live her normal life with same routine. That means the real independence. For driving, a spinner knob and left foot accelerator are fitted in her car and she is given training t o use them. Then gradually she even had issues with her memory so psychologist referred a personal digital assistant (PDA) that is called the "Pocket Coach". It functions with a single button push and assists in the memory functioning by telling what she has to do next. 1.2 The barriers to the use of technology- In most of the countries in the world, the disabled are considered to be a burden on the family and society. They are considered to be an object of professional intervention and a burden for not just others but for themselves also. They are deprived of basic needs like education and jobs and that leads to force them to live a life of poverty. In that case its not easy for them to afford a technical assistance as these facilities are very expensive. The barriers can be of various types, as social, financial, the lack of internal resources and the resistance to technology (Copley and Ziviani, 2004). The new technology is very expensive for most of the disabled people who actually need it. They are not earning so it becomes a burden rather than help. Society is very resistant to change. Change of any kind is not easy to mingle in the social setup and technology is a little complicated one as it needs a lot of training too. Sally must have felt the same constraints as she was to be trained in using all the new technical gadgets and helps designed for her; especially, at the age of 42, when she had a certain way of life and habits of using things in a certain manner. To change all that with the psychological impact of the ailment is not easy for anyone. 1.3 Benefits of technologies to health and social care organisations and their users- The technology has its benefits that nobody can ignore. For the independent and comfortable life the technology is a boon to the disabled people. It assists them in daily routine and thus makes the family or society also a sense of relief. It makes the individual independent and confident that even being disabled, one is not a burden on the society or family. As in the case of Sally now she can drive herself and even work in an office so can be financially independent. Also daily routine work she can manage without bothering the family. If the buildings, transport systems and all other general needs and facilities are disabled friendly then the society doesnt need to feel that disabled are a burden. 2.1 Health and safety considerations in the use of technologies in health and social care- General belief in the society is that the technology will improve the health care efficiency, its quality, users safety and also the cost paid by the society. But is has its constraints and concerns like the same technology may also introduce some adverse errors. The safety considerations are very important. The first thing to be kept in mind is that new technology needs training. The nurses or other specialists must have proper training (Higginson, Jefferys and Hodgson, 1997). The person who is going to use it, the patient, needs to be trained with patience and perfection so that he may use it to benefit. It may not have any adverse effect on health of the user as well as the people around, as some radio active device or something alike should be used carefully. The technology is usually a complex phenomenon so it must be made user friendly. The family especially has to be the first bearer after the patient himself. Then they have to adapt their outlook and life styles according to the needs of the patient. The needs can be social, psychological, biological, physical or even financial. The technology can assist the patient but it may not be as efficient as the real body and mind of the person. Also the psychological brunt sometimes makes it difficult, so the family and social care have to keep the patients moral high. 2.2 Discuss ethical considerations in the use of assistive technologies- It is very important to think carefully and rationally about all the pros and cons of the technical assistance for the patient and care givers. Many technical devises may have a threat to the privacy of the user. In that case the user has to be very careful and alert while using it. So comfort is affected. The technology may have a very alarming threat that it may cut off the person from the real world. The real human contact needed may not be available when they start using the technical support. The technical support lacks the personal, psychological and emotional touch to it. The patient then may fall prey to the loneliness and that is not at all advisable. So the ethical consideration needs to be given here to this problem. Other factors are also there. The device may be complicated and the user may not get used to it. Like the age factor may intervene or even the technical knowledge of the person. As in the case of Sally, she is 42. That age is considered to be a little difficul t, to learn a new technology easily. It may also foster a one sided focus on the patients problem. The help may prove sometimes threat to the amount of strength or ability that is still there in the patient. The technology may make him totally dependent on itself and that is also a hindrance in the recovery and the self confidence of the patient may get adversely affected. 2.3 Explain the impact of recent and emerging technological developments on health and social care services, organizations and care workers The latest technology in the field of health care and social care are very advanced and complex. Its impact on society is generally positive, but the negative aspects cannot be denied as well. The technology has to be not just user friendly, but also the environment and surrounding should not get any adverse effect or disturbance due to the use of technology by the disabled. The patient needs all kinds of support that can be aided with the help of the technology. The recent emerging technology has made the work of organisations and individuals very easy to a great extent. Now the patients daily routine works can be handled by technology and a personal 24*7 assistance may not be mandatory, thanks to the technology. The outdoor activities can be empowered by the help of assisting technology and that can give independence to the individual and freedom to the carrier. As in the case of Sally, she could drive and even pursue her job. With the technical support she could continue her hobbi es or household works like cooking and gardening, without being a burden on the family or society. Task 3 Using case studies: Mini Report The report here is about a patient Maggie, who is diagnosed suffering from Dementia. Dementia is a state where the mental health suffers. It is not a specific disease as such. It deals with various mental health ailments like the memory loss and weakness any other thinking powers; a sense of time also may get affected. Various mental implications are there attached to this problem. It may get so severe that can reduce the persons abilities to perform the day to day activities normally. It may create problem in the keeping track of a simple thing like a wallet, a short term memory loss can be observed in the patient. The person may feel difficulty in planning and preparing meals and keeping track and plan of travelling and appointments. 3.1 Identify Maggies specific needs Maggie is a lady aged 62, who lives a very active life. She has an early onset dementia. Dementia is generally related to Alzheimer. The memory loss and loss of a sense of timing and planning being the main feature it is considered as a serious problem faced by the elderly people generally (Ferrer, 2012). Maggie is suffering from a condition here she has lost the sense of time. The family and friends are concerned about her safety as she leaves the house at any time, especially at night. Living alone, this condition may be very dangerous for Maggie. So the most specific need of Maggie is she must have someone to accompany her at house as her husband has recently passed away. She has the home care assistance too appointed to her, but home care generally comes early in the morning when Maggie is nit found at home. This makes her treatment suffer lot by missing the medication and care needed. So she needs some system to keep track of her medication and food. But most importantly some sy stem to keep her alarmed about the timings and her sense of time and place. The alarming effects of dementia are many including the memory and thinking problems. These two specifically lead to a sense of loss at the part of patient in various forms. This may lead to loss of self esteem as the normal daily works need assistance now. It can lower the self confidence. Adversely affect the independence and autonomy that is a very difficult situation for an elderly person. The special roles and responsibilities start suffering as happened with Maggie in the case study, she cannot manage her house properly and her relations might suffer because of that. The ability to carry out the favourite hobbies or pass times also deteriorates. Even the basic daily activities like cooking; eating and driving get affected adversely and make the physical health aslo suffer. But all this doesnt mean that the person has lost his emotional and psychological abilities. He still has the emotional connection with the family, friends and society. Also the connection with the environment has altered but not diminished. So, proper care and technical assistance may help the patient in leading a rather normal life. 3.2 Recommend assistive devices to support Maggie to continue living independently Maggie needs help in mental activities and that can be supported by assistive devices designed for Dementia patients specially. The computerised care givers are the first type of technical assistance needed for the Dementia patients. MemeXerciser is an example of an emerging tool that is an intelligence device meant to provide cognitive support to the patient. Memory loss being the foremost problem, the most devastating one for the elderly persons, this device focuses on early assistance in this problem. Some more helpful devices can be robots that mimic human or animals and they can help the patient in moving around, bathing, and even provide the artificial social assistance. Even in some countries it has been introduced in the medical help by the governments themselves. Then the social media, computers and some little things like talking diaries, alarms, Memory Prompts and home security systems can help in the initial stages. Maggie may use them and live a rather comfortable and sa fer life. Also some other devices can be used by her like Medication aids so that she doesnt miss her medication. Locator devices are one more useful thing as it can be attached to the things which patient needs more often but forgets where placed. Also the patient can keep it in pocket so that if like Maggie does, goes out somewhere at odd hours, can be found by the family easily. 3.3 Evaluate the usefulness of technology for users of health and social care services The technology has made human life easier and much smoother. It helps in all the walks of life and in the health care it can prove to be a real boon. As far as the efficiency, compliance and quality of care is concerned, technical assistance can give numerous benefits to the care provider. The technical advancement and involvement may simplify the works of the care givers. The second very important benefit is that it can make the communication easy and fast between staff, patients and their families. The simpler the work gets, more rewarding it becomes. On the part of staff and patient both the technical assistance makes the work much more fruitful. Conclusion The fact is that the disabled person oneself is the best judge of ones needs and abilities. They must take themselves the initiative either individually or collectively in designing better solutions of their problems. Independent living must not be taken as living a life of isolation or living only on their own, but a life that has a control of the person himself and not anyone else. The surroundings must be made disabled friendly so that a disabled person can enjoy a normal life by commuting comfortably and going to places where non-disabled persons go and do the similar activities. The schools, offices and parks etc. have to be designed in a way that disabled person can use it independently without hassle. Then one more important fact is that no one must be forced to use any technology if it is not right or comfortable for them. too much dependence on the technical support may make the patient suffer more emotionally and that is a serious threat. References- Davey, A. (1999). With Respect to Old Age--Findings of the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care in the United Kingdom. Public Policy Aging Report, 10(3). Davies, S. (2013). The latest revolution [next manufacturing revolution]. Engineering Technology, 8(9). Independent Living May Reduce Recidivism. (2004). Psychiatric News, 39(24). Kim, Younsu, and Ryu, Hoyoung, (2012). Determinants of Users' Satisfaction with Social Care Services. Health and Social Welfare Review, 32(3). Higginson, I., Jefferys, P. and Hodgson, C. (1997). Outcome measures for routine use in dementia services: some practical considerations. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 6(3). Copley, J. and Ziviani, J. (2004). Barriers to the use of assistive technology for children with multiple disabilities. Occupational Therapy International, 11(4). Wahlster, P., Scahill, S., Lu, C. and Babar, Z. (2015). Barriers to access and use of high cost medicines: A review. Health Policy and Technology. Case Study. (2002). Rehabilitation Nursing, 27(1). Ferrer, I. (2012). Defining Alzheimer as a common age-related neurodegenerative process not inevitably leading to dementia. Progress in Neurobiology, 97(1). Swaffer, K. (2014). Dementia: Stigma, Language, and Dementia-friendly. Dementia, 13(6). Etscheidt, S. (2012). "Truly Disabled?": An Analysis of LD Eligibility Issues Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 24(3). Yang, C. (2013). Being independent from whom? Analysing two interpretations in the paradigm of independent living. Disability Society, 29(5). Groups with specific needs. (2006). Family Practice, 23(Supplement 1). Future health care technology. (1986). Health Policy, 6(4). David Johnson, J. (2014). Physician's emerging roles relating to trends in health information technology. Informatics for Health and Social Care. Technology in society. (1989). Technology in Society, 11(4).

Medicare and its Mission

How To Publish More Consistent Content To Grow A Blog

How To Publish More Consistent Content To Grow A Blog Are you one of the 86% of bloggers who plan to publish more content in 2015? Yeah. Were planning to publish more content, too. While creating and publishing consistent content may seem a bit tough at first,  itll really help you build reader loyalty and grow your audience. And that will ultimately increase your traffic, social media shares, and search engine rankings. It did for us at . How To Publish More  Consistent #Content That Will Help You Grow A Successful #BlogSo, how can  you actually create more consistent content? It boils down to a few things: Understand why youd actually like to create more content. Plan  your publishing momentum. Execute the plan. Simple, right? Heres exactly how to create consistent content that will help you grow a successful blog. Take A Step Back: Why Do You Want To Publish More Content? If you want to publish more, you probably have your reasons. But publishing more itself shouldn't be your goal. For example, you may decide  to focus on something like increasing your pageviews, social media shares, email signup conversions, and even product or service signups. Publishing more #content shouldn't be your #blogging goal. Here's why.It's really not complex, I promise! You just need to know the goal you want to reach and how an average blog post contributes to that goal right now. Then you can  use  this algorithm to do it  yourself: Divide your metric's goal by what an average blog post currently contributes to that goal. That should give you a rough estimate of how many posts you need to write. Example: Let's say you want 8,000 pageviews a month. If an average blog post receives 1,000 pageviews, you'd have to write 8 blog posts to reach your goal. You can see this algorithm would work  for  pageviews, social media shares, email signups, product signups, or whatever you're measuring. From there, you can look at how consistently you create content today compared to how much content you  need to create to hit your goals: Simply subtract the number  of posts you need to write from  the amount you're currently publishing. The result is the number of posts  you need to write to reach your marketing goals. Example:  You need to write 8 blog posts to reach your monthly goal. If  you only currently write 4 posts, you need to write 4 more posts to reach your goal. While these algorithms aren't a  perfect solution, they're super helpful for gauging how much content you need to publish to hit your marketing goals. And once you know about how many posts you want to create, you can make a plan to create consistent content. This post has some super helpful algorithms for nerdy #bloggers who want to publish more #content.Creating Consistent Content Is Like Running A Marathon Alright! So you're going to publish a ton of new content, right!? Might as well just publish a bajillion posts right away. Or not. Creating consistent content is like preparing for a marathon. It's not a sprint. And you're not going to be able to run it your first day. You need to build up your tolerance- and practice your approach- and eventually, you'll be able to run a ton of miles in a relatively short amount of time. Did you know that at for a while, we published three posts a week, and then we cut back to two? We jumped the gun and published more content than we could handle. After we cut back, our content became longer. We  actually grew our subscribers. And we had time to plan how we could publish  three posts a week. That's a true story about how consistent and quality content can build a loyal audience (we love you guys!) while building momentum for a successful blog. Now we're back to consistently publishing three blog posts of awesomeness every  week. From here, you need to figure out the pace that's right for you. Creating consistent #content is like preparing for a marathon. You can't run it your first day.How To Build Up Your Momentum To Publish Consistent Content There are a few  things you need to do to prepare for your blogging marathon. 1.  Consist-a-tize the content you're already creating. First, let's get the content  you're already writing publishing consistent. Choose the specific days and times you'll commit to publishing. According to your goals, there is research to help you choose the best times to publish your blog posts. Choose a day and time that should help you achieve your marketing goals. Plan any posts you're already working on in your content marketing editorial calendar  for that specific day and time for the next month at least. Remember that example from earlier? It looks like  publishing your blog posts Mondays at 11 a.m.  EST gets you the most traffic. If your goal is pageviews,  publishing your content consistently at this time should help you accomplish just that. 2. Commit to creating consistent content. Before you add more content to your editorial calendar, get what you're already doing under control. If you'll need help with anything to create the content, figure out how you'll overcome those challenges. Struggling for content ideas? Figure out where you'll find your blog ideas. If you need graphics, know how you'll create your visuals. Planning the details ahead of time- maybe with a workflow- and getting everyone on board from the get-go is the best way to create consistent content. Even if you're a solo blogger, a workflow with a set of to-do lists can help you stay on track. Here's an example of the workflow we use at from beginning to end to make sure everything is done at just the right time: Gather ideas: 21 days before post. Target a keyword: 14 days before post. Find a great  headline: 14 days before post. Write the draft: 7 days before post. Create graphics: 6 days before post. Edit and prep the post to publish: 3 day before post. Schedule  social media messages: 1 day before post. Publish post.Nail your #blogging process now  so publishing  more consistent content will be easier later on.3. Plan how you'll add in more consistent content. Once the stuff you're already creating is publishing consistently, you're ready to add in more. Like you did before, choose the next  best days and times to publish your content. Then  add one new post at a time to  your editorial calendar. This is really where you should take your time to build up your publishing tolerance. Creating more content isn't better. Creating more content that is better is better. So... maybe try an editorial calendar  that looks something like this for your first 6 months: Though this example is a bit specific, you can apply this same theory to your content creation process. 3 Ways To  Actually Plan, Create, And Publish Consistent Content There are 3 big ways you can plan consistent  content and commit to your editorial calendar. 1. Plan ahead to save a ton of time. Plan ahead. The number 1 thing you can do to actually create content consistently is planning ahead.  There is no better tool than an editorial calendar to help you do this. Be selfish with your time. Use your time for what matters. We all get swamped in our workloads, but that's why you have to prioritize. I read a book a couple years ago called Vital Factors: The Secret To Transforming Your Business- And Your Life. The book  had a very simple concept: Focus on the vital few projects that will actually make a difference rather than the trivial many that overwhelm your life. Make it a point to stick with consistent content creation as part of your vital few.  And actively tell yourself to let go of what doesn't matter.

EXCEL 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EXCEL 5 - Assignment Example ceipts is also done to identify whether the trend is clearer, whether there are any anomalies left or any more cyclical patterns lasting more than one year. Finally, a review of the double smoothed results to determine whether the values from the projected position are reasonable. We can also determine the impact of the recent values on the projection and whether it skews the projection. From observing the raw receipt data, it is evident that there is both positive, negative and stationary trends at different months of the line graph. The initial months show a positive trend for the first points before a negative trend begins. This trend doesn’t last long before another stationary then positive trends are observed. Essentially, there is no definite trend with the raw receipts as it emerges as a zigzag trend of positive, negative and stationary trends. Generally, a positive trend is observed. There are few anomalies observed through the projection period. The first anomaly is a spike in the 10th month of the projection period. Another spike though not too significant is evident at the 22nd month. A significant anomaly is evident at the 46th month where the highest spike in the entire projection period is observed. Other minor spikes are shown at the 36th and 40th month of the projection period respectively. There is no significant dips (decreases) in the proje ction period although minor decreases in the 9th, 21st, 30th, 33rd and 45th can be observed from the graph. Particular patterns can be observed in the dips (decrease) and spikes (increase) in the projection period. The spikes (increase) seem to occur after twelve months exhibiting an annual pattern over the projection period. The dips (decrease) however, do not exhibit a particular pattern as some occur after 2 months. It is also important to note that after every dip (decreases) there is a spike (increases) in the following month but not of equal proportions. The comparison between the de-seasonalized and

Sexual Orientation in Organizational Communications Essay

Sexual Orientation in Organizational Communications - Essay Example Despite serious social movement of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community in recent decades, the minority of people are still fighting for equality. And in this fight corporations are extremely important in terms of the LGBT community acknowledgment because they can provide their employees with decent support and do it more profoundly than country and local authorities (LGTB Manual, 2010). There are few companies that are able to risk their reputation, unless their reputation is so immaculate, and make such a contradictory issue as accepting non-traditional sexual orientation of the employees in company`s policy. Such companies receive unnecessary attention and their public relations sphere is suffering. In such a situation Disney, the company specializing in the children`s entertainment content and supporting homosexuality acknowledgment at working places looks absolutely extraordinary (Tully, 2013).However, Disney was and remains such company, and despite its worldwide success it is being accused of promoting immoral values to the future generation. Reasonably it raises a lot of questions regarding the place of homosexual propaganda in a corporate world and especially in children`s content. However, Disney manages to communicate to the world that their policy is grounded on higher values such as equality, acceptance, and diversity, and sticking to these goals can ser ve as the most important factor. Moreover, Disney`s internal policy of visibility is coherent with its external representation which proves that the company has a well-elaborated policy and know what image to create in consumers` perception. Disney was established in 1923 by two brothers, Walter and Roy Disney as a small cartoon studio in California. Today this multinational corporation is one of the biggest Hollywood studios and is the owner of 11 theme parks around the planet, two aqua parks, and several broadcasting companies. The company`s main product was  children`s animation movies before it launched its radio, films, and entertainment facilities (Corporate History, 2008).

Managed Care Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managed Care Organizations - Essay Example The group is paid a fixed fee per month. Independent practice association model HMO - This is similar to group model. The HMO enters into contract with a group of individual health care providers (through a legal entity - practice association). The difference is that the independent practice association (IPA) can treat patients other than the HMO enrolled patients as well. Network model HMO - It is a combination of all of the above. The HMO can have multiple contracts; it can hire some doctors and pay them salary, it can have IPA contracts with other doctors, and can have exclusive contracts with groups. Point of service model HMO - In point of service (POS) model, the patients enrolled in the HMO can consult with doctors who are not outside the network of HMO, without needing a referral from a doctor of HMO network. This provides the patients the flexibility consult any doctor of their choice although they have to pay more to consult with doctors outside the HMO network. A PPO is a form of MCO which makes arrangements with health care providers to seek reimbursement at lower rates. Thus, the patients pay lower than regular fees when they consult the health care providers (preferred providers) who are part of the PPO network. The managed care organizations generally reduce cost by improving efficiencies. ... Techniques Used by Managed Care Organizations to contain costs The managed care organizations generally reduce cost by improving efficiencies. The efficiency can be increased by optimally utilizing technology, reducing overheads, enhancing patient care treatments, and increasing utilization rate of the available medical equipment. The managed care organizations also provide incentives to health care providers if they select economical ways of treatment. They provide guidelines on various matters; for instance, how to maximize utilization rate of hospital rooms for in-patient treatment; what should be the length of hospital stay for particular treatment; eliminating unnecessary office processes and procedures so that costs can be reduce; etc. These techniques assist the hospitals and doctors to provide better services to patients, and at the same time, to reduce the cost of these services. The patients, thus, have to pay lower amounts to the managed care organizations. Hence the objective of providing low cost health care services is achieved. However, in order to ensure that providers do not exhibit unethical behavior by providing lesser than required services to the patients in order to reduce costs, all the medical records are kept for future reference and are periodically reviewed by external party. In addition, quality assurance reviews are undertaken to verify the quality of services provides to the patients (Managed Care Magazine, 2000). Reimbursement for Services There are various ways the providers are reimbursed for services by the managed care organizations. These include: Salary: Normally used for staff model; the doctors are hired and are provided fixed monthly salary. Fixed Capitated Fee: The provider is paid

Components Of A Good Password Computer Science Essay

Components Of A Good Password Computer Science Essay Computer manufacturer and OS developers often build and deliver systems in default modes to secure the system from external attacks. From developers view this is the most efficient mode of product delivery. As per the organisation or a user, they require more protected and secured system before it is placed into service. Security baselines are standards which defines a minimum set of security controls for organisations. Security baselines typically address both technical issues such as software configuration and operational issues such as keeping applications up to date with vendor patches. In the security baselines, if hardware, OS, network and application followed the recommended minimum set of security settings then it will significantly decrease its vulnerability to security threats. The process of securing and preparing the system against the internal and external threats and system vulnerabilities is called hardening. Reduce the main reasons of attack that includes the removal of unnecessary services, software and unnecessary usernames or logins. It makes the system more secure, reliable, efficient and gives optimised performance. 12.2 Password Selection Password selection is one of the critical activities that often get neglected as part of a good security baseline. Currently most systems are protected by a user ID and password. If an attacker discovers the correct user ID and password by guessing or by using freely available password cracker tools, then they can gain access to the system. By following basic guidelines and principles in choosing passwords, the passwords used on the system will protect the assets. 12.2.1 Selecting a Password Users should consider a few basic requirements while choosing the password. Set a minimum number of characters and never accept shorter password. Do not use dictionary words and mix of lowercase and uppercase letters with usually one or two numbers. Randomly created passwords are strong passwords and they are difficult to guess and will defeat most password-cracking utilities. However, randomly generated passwords are difficult to remember and users often write down these passwords usually in a location close to the machine. Thus it defeats the purpose of the password. 12.2.2 Components of a Good Password User should create their own easy to remember passwords. Password is meant to protect access and resources from hackers. It should not be easy for them to guess or crack through password cracking tools. Common guidelines to make the password more difficult to guess or obtain are as follows: It should be at least eight characters long. It should include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, special characters or punctuation marks. It should not contain dictionary words. It should not contain the users personal information such as their name, family members name, birth date, pet name, phone number or any other detail that can easily be identified. It should not be the same as the users login name. It should not be the default passwords as supplied by the system vendor such as password, guest, admin and so on. 12.2.3 Password Aging Password aging is technique used by system administrators and it forces the user to change their passwords after specified period of time. If it is not changed within a specific period of time, it expires and must be reset. Password aging can also force a user to keep a password for a certain number of weeks before changing it. Changing passwords periodically will protect against brute-force attacks because when password is changed the attacker must restart the attack from the beginning. If password is changed periodically, an attacker will never be able to cycle through all the possible combinations before the password is changed again. Most operating systems have options that allow system administrators to apply password aging and prevent password reuse. Common guidelines are as follows: User must change their passwords in every 60 to 90 days. A very secured service requires to change passwords every 30 to 45 days. System must remember each users last five to ten passwords and should not allow the user to reuse those passwords. 12.3 Hardening Most computers provide network security features to control outside access to the system. All nonessential softwares such as spyware blockers and antivirus programs prevent malicious software to run on the system. Even with all these security measures, systems are still vulnerable to outside access. System hardening is a step by step process of securely configuring a system to protect it against unauthorised access. It also helps to minimise the security vulnerabilities. The three basic areas of hardening are as follows: Operating system-based hardening It includes information about securing and hardening various operating system. It also includes methods to secure file systems. Network-based hardening It examines the methods and procedures of hardening network devices, services and protocols. Application-based hardening It includes security of client-side user applications and services such as Domain Name Service (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Web servers. 12.3.1 Operating System-Based Hardening Operating system hardening is the first step towards safeguarding systems from intrusion. Systems received from the vendors have preinstalled development tools and utilities which are beneficial to the new user as well as it also provide back-door access to an organisations systems. Operating system hardening includes the removal of all non essential tools, utilities and other systems administration options through which hackers can easily access the system. Hardening process will ensure that all security features are activated and configured correctly. This process makes the system secure, efficient, reliable and gives optimised performance. Some of the security tips to harden the OS include the following: Disable all unnecessary protocols. Disable all unnecessary services. Disable all unnecessary programs and processes. Verify and then install all vendor patches. Install all product updates. Use vulnerability scanner to identify potential security weaknesses. Configure file system security according to the least privilege rule. Note: Least privilege rule states that, allow access to those individuals who require it and allow only as much access required to complete the task. File System Controlling access to the resources is an important factor in maintaining system security. The most secure environment follows the rule of least privilege. The network administrator receives more complaints from users after following this rule as they are unable to access resources. However, receiving complaints from unauthorised users is more beneficial than suffering access violations that damage the organisations capability to conduct business. The least privileged environment can use the user groups to assign the same access to the resources instead of assigning individual access controls. However, in some cases individual users need more or less access than other group members. To maintain security, network administrator provides greater control over what each user can and cannot access. Updates OS updates are provided by the manufacturer of the specific component. Updates contain improvements to the OS and hence, will make the product more secure, efficient and stable to the users. For example, Microsoft updates are labelled with security updates. These updates address security concerns recognised by Microsoft and install them if required. In addition, updates enhance the capability of a specific function that was underdeveloped at the time the system or application was released. Updates should be thoroughly tested in non-production environments before implementation. Since this new and improved function has more security breaches than the original components, it requires complete testing. Hotfixes, security packs and patches are product updates to resolve a known issue. Hotfixes Hotfixes are components that are designed to fix a particular critical system fault. Hotfixes are created by the vendor when a number of client systems indicate that there is compatibility or functional problem with a manufacturers products used on a particular platform. These are fixes for reported or known problems. Hence, hotfixes should only be installed to correct a specific problem. Service Packs Service packs are collection of updates or hotfixes. It correct known issues and provide drivers, updates and system administration tools that extends product functionality that include enhancements developed after the product is released. Service packs are tested on different hardware and applications to ensure compatibility of existing patches and updates. Service packs must be thoroughly tested and verified in non-production environment before it installed on working systems. Patches Patches are used to prevent hackers from invading the system with virus and other malware that exploits the operating systems vulnerabilities. This improves the usability and performance of the system. OS patches are available on the vendor Website that supplies the product. Since patches are issued at unpredictable intervals, it is important to configure the system to automatically connect with the latest security patch updates. When the new update is released, the OS will prompt to install. While preparing clean installation it is advisable to download and install all known patches before introducing the system to the network. 12.3.2 Network-Based Hardening The tremendous growth of the Internet allows to openly access any system on a network. Hence, proper control over network access must be established on systems by controlling the services that are running and the ports that are opened for network access. In addition to the systems, network devices such as hub, routers, switches and modems must be examined for any security vulnerability. Any flaws in the coding of the OS can be exploited to gain access to the network components. These components should be configured with very strict parameters to maintain network security. The softwares of these components require to be updated regularly. By taking necessary steps, network administrator should limit or reduce attacks, accidental damage through their networks. In addition, network hardening also recommend the correct configuration of network devices and the requirement to enable and disable the services and protocols within a network. Firmware Updates Updating the firmware of the hardware device is provided by the manufacturers. These updates fix incompatibility problems or device operation problems. These updates should be applied if the update includes fixes for an existing condition or if it will make the device more secure and more functional or extends its operational life. It is recommended to install and test the firmware updates in a non-production environment to verify if the update contains the necessary fixes and benefits that are required. Device Configuration Network devices such as routers and switches configured with default installation settings. These default settings leave a system extremely vulnerable as it is set for convenience and not for security. Choosing a good password and limiting access to any open ports is very important in maintaining security of the devices. Good passwords are one of the most effective security tools because a good password can be resistant to several forms of attack. Determining the minimum set of services that the devices are running and good passwords is important for maintaining security of those devices. Apply patches and updates that are released by the product vendor in a regular interval. Enabling and Disabling Services and Protocols It is important to measure the current requirements and conditions of the network and infrastructure and then disable the unnecessary services and protocols. This leads to network infrastructure that is less vulnerable to attack. Access Control Lists Configure access list at the network devices to control access to a network. Access list can prevent certain traffic from entering and exiting a network. Access control lists are controlled by an administrator. 12.3.3 Application-Based Hardening Application hardening is the process to prevent exploitation of various types of vulnerabilities in software application by implementing the latest updates. Applications such as browsers, office suites, e-mail client and services provided through servers such as Web servers, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), DNS servers and DHCP servers on a network require regular updates to provide protection against newly developed threats. Web Servers At present most of the organisations have a Web presence on the Internet for numerous business advantages. Due to Internet popularity, Web servers have become extremely popular targets for attackers. Original content on the Websites are replaced with hackers data. E-commerce sites are attacked and users personal account information is stolen. Microsofts Internet Information Server (IIS) or Apache server are most popular Web servers applications in use today. To secure Web servers from hackers, administrator must apply updates and patches, remove unnecessary protocols and services and properly configured all native controls. It is also recommended to place the Web server behind a firewall or a reverse proxy. Microsoft has developed URLScan and IIS Lockdown tools which are designed to secure IIS servers from attacks and exploits. URLScan is a monitoring utility that examines all incoming URLs and rejects any requests for files, directories or services outside the intended scope of the Website. The IIS Lockdown tool turns off unnecessary functions which reduces the attack surface available to an attacker. E-mail Servers E-mail servers and clients are vulnerable to different attacks such as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, virus attacks, relay and spoofing attacks. There are numerous deficiencies in the different versions of e-mail server software such as Sendmail for Linux and UNIX and the Exchange or Outlook for Microsoft. E-mail servers are constant potential sources of virus attacks and therefore must have the strongest possible protection for scanning incoming and outgoing messages. E-mail servers should not have non-essential services and applications installed. Administrative and system access should also be securely controlled to block installation or execution of unauthorised programs and trojans. The following attack points should be considered while hardening an e-mail server: Open mail relay allows unauthorised users to send e-mail through an e-mail server. Storage limitation, to limit DoS attacks based on message size. Spamming includes identical messages sent to numerous clients by e-mail. Virus propagation, ensure the anti-virus programs and applications are performing correctly. FTP Servers FTP allows number of users to access and download remotely stored data. It distributes application updates, device drivers and free software to users. Users access this data anonymously. This anonymous access to FTP servers becomes a problem as administrator does not provide anonymous access or does not properly secure the FTP service. This involves setting the appropriate permissions, not allowing the FTP process to be run by an unprivileged user and not allowing users to upload or modify files. Some FTP servers allow upload and download service for authorised users and hence, in that case anonymous access should be completely removed. To overcome buffer overflow problem ensure that FTP server software is up to date and patched. DNS Servers DNS server converts systems host names into IP addresses so that the communication can be correctly routed through the network. Client systems use DNS to locate Web servers, e-mail servers, FTP servers and number of other servers and network services. DNS can be major target for an attacker. The DNS server can be exploited by the following ways: Stealing zone transfers DNS servers are configured to provide information such as list of hosts and routers with IP addresses to other secondary DNS servers. This secondary DNS server is used to maintain a backup copy of the DNS database and to provide name resolution services for client systems. An attacker can receive a zone transfer and use it to track victims network and search for potential targets. Zone update spoofing An attacker can spoof the address of the primary DNS server and send a bogus update to a secondary DNS server. Client systems receive incorrect information and network communication from this bogus server and redirects users to a location controlled by the attacker. DNS cache poisoning Some DNS servers allow attackers to insert bogus information into a DNS cache. To secure and harden the DNS server from various types of exploits, actions to be taken are as follows: Do not place any information on publicly accessible DNS server to avoid snooping around the DNS server. Do not provide additional host information in Host Information (HINFO) records of DNS. HINFO record contains descriptive information about the OS and features of particular system and attacker could use this information to gain access. Configure the DNS servers to only allow zone transfers to specific secondary servers. Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) allows zone transfer to be signed. Zone transfer signing allows secondary servers to verify the credentials of the primary server before accepting data. Ensure that DNS software is patched and up to date to avoid DNS cache poisoning. NNTP Servers Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) servers allow news clients to connect to news servers to share information privately or to post articles to a public NNTP server. NNTP servers are vulnerable to DoS attacks, buffer overflows. To exploit server, attackers connect to a private NNTP server to gain any information to compromise network. Sometimes users post accurate diagrams of their network to ask a technical question and attacker can use this information to find ways to exploit a network. They can even offer bogus advice to create a hole in the networks defences. To protect the organisation from NNTP server exploits, block the NNTP port at the firewall to make NNTP server inaccessible to external users. To protect posted private information, authenticate user to prevent anonymous logins to the NNTP server. Also encrypt communications using SSL/TLS to prevent packet sniffing of confidential data. Do not allow users to post confidential information to the public which will compromise their network. File and Print Servers Files and print servers in a network are used to share resources but it is a common way in which hackers can gain information and unauthorised access. When sharing is enabled to share the resources with a trusted internal network over a NIC, the system is also sharing those resources with the entire untrusted external network over the external interface connection. Attackers attempt to make unauthenticated connections to shared resources on the network. If sharing permissions are configured incorrectly for an easily exploited user account, attackers can gain access to resources and alter them. To secure the file and printer shares block access to shares and related information at the firewall. Use the rule of least privilege to secure shares from external attacker. Virtual Private Network (VPN) is also used to encrypt communications between clients and servers to secure data transmission. Data Repositories Data repositories are locations that hold information about networks, applications and users. Attackers can use the information stored in data repositories to formulate attacks against organisation. Hence, ensure that this information is limited and restricted for external users. As well as authentication and encryption of the data is necessary to protect them from external attacks. Directory Services A directory service is used to store, organise and provide access to information in a directory. The information in a directory services can include system accounts, user accounts, mail accounts, service locations and shared resource information. The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a common directory service that organises data in a hierarchical manner. The top entry in a LDAP directory information tree is called root and this LDAP root server creates the hierarchy. The directory service hierarchy and the information it stores provide a good map of network infrastructure. This is convenient for authorised users in a network as well as for attacker. Attacker can use numerous ways to compromise LDAP servers such as attacker can use network resources information stored at directory service to examine network structure, resources and potential targets. Attacker can gain victims network information that is transferred over LDAP through eavesdropping. Some of the ways to protect LDAP hierarchy are as follows: Protect LDAP hierarchy by configuring the strongest authentication to the different versions of LDAP. Both LADP v2 and LDAP v3 support anonymous and simple authentication which are not very secure. Anonymous authentication does not require password and simple authentication uses a password in unencrypted format which attacker can easily hack. Strong authentication over LDAP v2 and LDAP v3 is provided through Kerberos version 4 authentication and Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) communications respectively. Use Secure LDAP (LDAPS) that allows encrypting communications using SSL/TLS. Block access to LDAP ports from the Internet so that attackers cannot make connections using these ports. Databases Database servers are used to store data. Both the data and the database server can be target for an attacker. An attacker can steal the data or take over the database server to exploit it. Some of the ways that the database servers can be exploited are as follows: Unexpected data queries or commands Numerous database servers use Structured Query Language (SQL) which allows for the querying and posting of data. An attacker can use SQL commands to do unexpected things is called SQL injection. Unauthenticated access If unauthenticated access to database server is allowed then the attackers can easily connect and exploit the database server. To secure database servers consider the following points: Test the database by running irrelevant queries and attempt to access unauthorised information. Do not allow unauthenticated connections to the database server. While transferring confidential data to and from database server, use SSL/TLS or VPN connection to protect data. To avoid database server to be queried by external users, block access to it at the firewall. 12.4 Chapter Review Questions 1. How an individual should secure a password? (A) Selecting a password with at least eight characters, at least one change in case and at least one number or special character (C) Storing the password in wallet or purse (B) Using the same password on every system (D) Changing passwords at least once a year Ans: A 2. Which of the following steps is part of the hardening process for OS? (A) Remove unnecessary programs and processes (C) Setting appropriate permissions on files (B) Disable unnecessary services (D) All of these Ans: D 3. Which amongst the following is the correct step to overcome buffer overflow problems? (A) Select strong passwords (C) Install the latest patches (B) Remove sample files (D) Set appropriate permissions on files Ans: C 4. Which of the following requires software up to date and patched? (A) Operating systems (C) Applications (B) Network devices (D) All of these Ans: D 5. Rule of least privilege states that ____. (A) allow access to users who requires it (C) allow limited access (B) allow access to everyone (D) allow full access Ans: A and C 6. Which of the following is designed to fix a particular critical system fault? (A) Hotfixes (C) Patches (B) Service packs (D) None of these Ans: A 7. Which of the following extends product functionality after the release of product? (A) Hotfixes (C) Patches (B) Service packs (D) None of these Ans: B 8. Which of the following fixes incompatibility problems or device operation problems? (A) Hotfixes (C) Firmware update (B) Service packs (D) None of these Ans: C 9. Which of the following steps are used to secure Web servers? (A) Apply patches and updates (C) Place the web server behind a firewall (B) Remove unnecessary protocols and services (D) All of these Ans: D 10. BIND stands for _______. (A) Berkeley Internet Network Domain (C) Berkeley Intranet Name Domain (B) Berkeley Internet Name Domain (D) Business Internet Network Domain Ans: B 12.4.1 Answers 1. A 2. D 3. C 4. D 5. A and C 6. A 7. B 8. C 9. D 10. B Summary In the chapter, Security Baselines, you learnt about: Components of a good password and password aging. Different ways to harden the OS. Different ways to harden the network and its devices. Different ways to harden applications such as browsers, office suites, e-mail client and services provided through servers such as Web servers, E-mail servers, FTP servers, DNS servers, NNTP servers, file and print servers, directory services and databases.