Monday, September 30, 2019

Promote communication in health and social care Essay

1.1 Identify the different reasons people communicate: To share thoughts; To share information; To express feelings; To share ideas; To build relationships; To create effective communication; To gain reassurance and acknowledgment; see more:explain how individuals from different backgrounds may use communication methods in different ways. People communicate in order to establish and maintain relationships with others, to give and receive information and instructions, to understand and be understood, to share opinions, knowledge, feelings, and emotions, to give encouragement and show others they are valued. 1.2 Explain how communication affects relationship in the work setting: Communication is very important because without communication lots Of misunderstanding would happen. Communication is a fundamental relationship-building skill in the workplace. If people don’t communicate well they limit their ability to connect, can create conflict. Good communication skills are essential, because they help them to develop relationships and demonstrate that they care. Helps to build trust and relationships. Also it encourages participation, create equality, promote empathy and share understanding. 2.1 Observation 2.2 Describe the factors to consider when promoting effective communication. There are many factors to consider when trying promoting effective communication. There are some of them. Disabilities such as: Hearing loss, impaired vision, mobility problems or speech impairment. Environment: Environment is very important factor to consider as well. Ensure the lights, air, temperature, noise and crowd. 2.3 Observation 2.4 Observation 3.1 Explain how people from different backgrounds may use and/or interpret communication methods in different ways: Communication can be different when related with people from different backgrounds. Communication can be interpreted different ways depending of the person you are talking with. It can be because they don’t speak English, are from a different country or they may not understand you. Communication can be used in many ways by using different methods. Verbal language or non-verbal language such as: Touch Gestures Proximity Tone of voice Language used. People from different backgrounds can use communication by being confident. This shows their personality and will help the communication between them and others around. Different backgrounds of different people can cause misunderstandings when using communication. Therefore cause conflicts. It is important to understand that people who do come from different backgrounds may have different ways of communicating and they may even interpret the way others communicate unexpectedly different. 3.2 Identify barriers to effective communication There are many barriers for effective communication stereotyping is one. When an individual has a preconception about another individual, it makes it difficult for the individual not to see the other’s communication as a prejudice. Not understanding or being aware of an individual’s needs, wishes, beliefs, values and culture. Not making communication aids available or checking they are working A noisy environment A lack of privacy Not allowing sufficient time to listen. 3.3 Observation 3.4 Observation 3.5 Explain how to access extra support or services to enable individuals to communicate effectively: Looking for specialties organisations such as: GP Individual’s family/friends Social worker Specialist nurse Advocate Support groups 4.1 Explain the meaning of the term confidentiality: It means keep information private and safe. It can include that you would have to passing on private information with the permission individual’s permission or only passing on information without the individual’s permission to others, who have a right to it or need to know it. 4.2 Observation: 4.3 Describe the potential tension between maintaining an individual’s confidentiality and disclosing concerns: Breaching a confidence Not respecting the individual’s rights to privacy Putting the rights of others before those of the individual Safeguarding issues. http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/80799-level-3-unit-pwcs-31-principles-of-communication-in-adult-social-care-settings.pdf http://www.studymode.com/essays/Barriers-To-Effective-Communication-77841.html

Sunday, September 29, 2019

E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development

Public Organiz Rev (2010) 10:31–47 DOI 10. 1007/s11115-009-0087-6 E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development Shahjahan H. Bhuiyan Published online: 9 July 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract This paper critically examines the progress made in introducing and implementing e-government programs and policies in Kazakhstan. It argues that in order to achieve the articulated development goals, the Kazakh government has moved toward e-government paradigm to ascertain a people-centered, accountable and transparent government.Available data substantiates that the initiative faces several challenges such as political support and relationship between political institutions, bureaucracy and citizens, digital divide, widespread corruption, lack of human resources, and inadequate infrastructural development, which needs to be amputated to improve public service delivery. This study illustrates some international development experiences to und erstand the benefit of e-government. Such experiences may serve as policy guidelines to the successful implementation of e-government to ensure overall development in Kazakhstan.Keywords Development . E-government . Kazakhstan . Service delivery Introduction Electronic governance has been widely endorsed as a solution to a range of predicaments in the public sector. With promises of decreasing corruption, cutting red tape, reducing government costs, and fluctuating participatory governance, the egovernance revolution has swept most nations, capturing the imaginations of policy makers and attracting the interests of citizens and business alike (Salem 2006).Electronic government evolves swiftly through defined stages, beginning with a web presence of public agencies (â€Å"interaction†) to a means for citizens around the clock seven days a week in the convenience of their homes (â€Å"transaction†) (Netchaeva 2002). This essentially creates a new ground for public sector operation. The S. H. Bhuiyan (*) Department of Public Administration, Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP), 4 Abai Avenue, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan e-mail: [email  protected] com 32 S. H. Bhuiyan equence of stages was depicted as inevitable, fueled by technology, citizen demand, and economic realities in the public sector (Mayer-Schonberger and Lazer 2007). The prime objective of any technological innovation is to improve the quality of human condition. This cannot be achieved by technological advances alone. First and foremost, they have to be successfully applied to human society. Such an approach is significant for governance and public administration because of its impact on a larger section of the society (Sharma 2002).To reap benefit of the information and communication technology (ICT), international development agencies are paying considerable attention to the gradual improvement of egovernment, particularly in developing countrie s. The most recent United Nations Report entitled e-Government Survey 2008: From e-Government to Connected Governance succinctly illustrates the importance of e-governance: ‘E-government can contribute significantly to the process of transformation of the government towards a leaner, more cost-effective government.It can facilitate communication and improve the coordination of authorities at different tiers of government, within organizations and even at the departmental level’ (UN 2008, p. xii). In the same vein, the 2001 Human Development Report entitled Making New Technologies Work for Human Development, commissioned by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), clearly portrays the role of ICT for development as it stated: ‘[I]t is time for a new partnership between technology and development. Human Development Report 2001 is intended as the manifesto for that partnership’ (UNDP 2001, p. iii). Again, in the UnitedNations system, the World Bank launc hed an e-government website, and in November 2002 its Information for Development Program released The E-Government Handbook for Developing Countries. Later on, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development convened the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva in December 2003, and in Tunis in November 2005. Outside the UN system, many initiatives were launched. One was the Roadmap for E-Government in the Developing World, released by the Pacific Council on International Policy in April 2002 (Holliday and Yep 2005, p. 239). Kazakhstan was a part of the USSR until its collapse in 1990.During the Soviet regime, public documents were largely shelved as ‘classified’, and thus restricting people’s access. Living with such cynic norms of governmental operation for years, the Government of Kazakhstan (GoK), after independence in 1991, quickly realized the need of a transparent and accountable government. In the midst of transitional challenges, the Gov ernment has chosen the introduction of e-government for the twin objectives of providing fast and quality access to public services and of improving public services’ effectiveness through the widespread use of ICT in the public sector (World Bank 2006).In order to measure how far e-government initiatives have contributed to the improvement of relationships between politicians, bureaucrats and citizens in post-independence Kazakhstan, this paper: (i) analyzes the background to the introduction of e-government programs and policies; (ii) describes the overall development of e-government; (iii) investigates the challenges facing the implementation of e-government initiatives; and finally (iv) highlights its contribution to development.In short, the main focus of this paper is to critically examine the progress made so far in introducing and implementing e-government programs and policies in Kazakhstan. This paper concludes by presenting a road E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challen ges and Its Role to Development 33 map showing how e-governance in Kazakhstan can be utilized as an instrument of development. In reality, Kazakhstan is in transition. Of the many transitions now going on, an important one is the shift from ‘closed’ to ‘information’ society.Here lies the significance of the present study, insofar as it analyzes how this shift is being negotiated in a crucial area of development, the public sector. There is much to gain from a critical assessment of the success of e-government initiatives have so far attained in post-independence Kazakhstan, as it sheds light on the challenges it is confronted with at present, which in turn helps to identify some of the ways as to how they can effectively be overcome. The existing scholarship on e-government in Kazakhstan is less than satisfactory.This paper is intended to make a contribution to the steadily emerging area of study focused on e-government in a local as well as global context. Methodology This paper is based primarily on secondary sources. Three sources in particular have been explored and analyzed: first, published academic journal and newspaper articles on e-government; second, reports published by the international organizations; and finally, review of websites of both public and private agencies in Kazakhstan and elsewhere.The latter contributes to our understanding regarding the contents and services they provide to citizens. What is E-government? E-government was introduced in the field of public administration in the late 1990s, though it has not been clearly defined and understood by scholars and practitioners of public administration (Moon 2002).The term e-government arises by analogy to the concepts and practices of electronic commerce applied to the public sector, referring to the delivery of government services to the public ‘on-line’ (typically over the Internet) or to the technological infrastructure required to deliver those s ervices (Brown 2005, p. 242). E-government denotes the strategic, coordinated use of ICT in public administration and policy decision-making (Haldenwang 2004).Similarly, by e-government, Tandon (2005) refers to the provision of efficient, convenient and transparent services by government departments and agencies to citizens and businesses. The Global study of E-government, a joint research initiative for global egovernment by the United Nations (UN) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), provides a comprehensive definition of e-government: Broadly defined, e-government includes the use of all information and communication technologies, from fax machines to wireless palm pilots, to facilitate the daily administration of government.However, like e-commerce, the popular interpretation of e-government is one that defines it exclusively as an Internet driven activity†¦to which it may be added â€Å"that improves citizen access to government information, services and expertise to ensure citizen 34 S. H. Bhuiyan participation in, and satisfaction with the government process†¦it is permanent commitment by government to improving the relationship between private citizen and the public through enhanced, cost-effective and efficient delivery of services, information and knowledge. It is the practical realization of the best that government has to offer. † (UN and ASPA 2002, p. 1)According to World Bank, e-government means to governmental use of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other agencies of government (cited in Sharma 2002, p. 607). The World Bank definition indicates the areas of operation of the concept and also lays down the broad benefits accruing out of this utilization of ICT to the field of governance, namely, to promote citizen empowerment, improve service delivery, strengthen accountability, inc rease transparency, or improve government efficiency (cited in Tandon 2005, p. ). This paper takes a wider view of e-government by adopting the application of ICT tools to the improvement of governance through building public-private partnership to achieve development. In this article, ‘e-government’ and ‘egovernance’, despite their subtle conceptual differences, are interchangeably used. Kazakhstan: context The Republic of Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia bounded in the West by the Caspian Sea, in the North by Russia, in the East by China, and in the South by Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan (see Box 1 for summary information).Extending over a territory of 2,725,000 square kilometer (Makhmutova 2001), it is the second largest country of the former Soviet Republics with a population of 15. 48 million in 2007 (World Bank 2008), of whom 4. 5 million are ethnic Russians (Wilson et al. 2002), and population density 5. 7 per square kilometer (Agency of Statistics of Kazakhstan website: www. eng. stat. kz). Kazakhstan continues to negotiate the enormous challenges inherent in any transition from a planned to a market economy and, in the last decade, has experienced plummeting production levels (Wilson et al. 002) and two-digit (now 11%) inflation continues to grow. In recent days, Kazakhstan makes considerable progress in almost all aspects of life. Although, critics expressed concern about the limit of the country’s democratic development and the lack of its commitment to hold free and fair elections. For example, the most recent Presidential elections were held in December 2005 when President Nazarbayev won a third term with more than 90% of the vote.The elections gained negative commentary from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which claimed they had not met international standard, citing campaign restrictions, interference in polling stations, multiple voting, pressure on voters, media bias and restric tion on freedom of expression (Keesing 2005 cited in Knox 2008, p. 478). In the same vein, in 2001, another scholar also observed: â€Å"It is as yet too early to herald the dawn of real democracy in Kazakhstan† (Robinson 2001).Kazakhstan’s economy has gone through stages of decline, stagnation, and high economic growth after independence in 1990. The period from 1990 to 1997 was the E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 35 period of negative economic growth, or at best stagnation (in 1995–1997, economic growth was close to zero) due to transformation in economic arrangements. It was only from 1998 that Kazakhstan entered the phase of strong and sustained growth (Agarwal 2008). In the first nine months of 2007, Kazakhstan’s GDP grew by 9. % (ESCAP, 2008). In 2007, GDP per capita was US$ 7,857 (UNDP 2007). However, GDP growth is projected to fall to 5% in 2008, and a modest increase to 6. 3% is penciled in for 2009 (ADB 2008). Over the period 1998–2004, the population living below the poverty line in Kazakhstan declined significantly from 39% in 1998, to 20% in 2004 (Agarwal 2008). The measures being taken by GoK to raise the living standards of the population have cut poverty levels by 1. 7% in 2006 by comparison with 2005 (to 18. %), and the figures for 2007 indicate that poverty levels have fallen to 12. 7% (UNESC 2008). The long-term development strategy ‘Kazakhstan 2030: Prosperity, security and improved living standards for all Kazakhs’ was adopted in 1997. It identified seven priorities for the country’s development: (i) National security, (ii) domestic stability and social cohesion, (iii) economic growth, (iv) health, education and welfare for the citizens of Kazakhstan, (v) energy resources, (vi) infrastructure, transport and communications, and (vii) a professional state.Since 1998 all the programs adopted in the country are being developed in accordance with the noted development strategy of the country, which aimed at improving the quality of life for the population by reducing social exclusion and raising the quality of social services, improving the environment, and involving civil society in development (UNESC 2008, p. 6). Box 1: Kazakhstan: summary information Head of State President Nursultan Nazarbayev, first elected in December 1991 and re-elected in 1999 and 2005. National Legislature Bicameral: 77-seat lower house (Majlis), 39-seat pper house (Senate). Language Kazakh is the state language. Russian is most widely spoken. Currency Tenge Exchange rate 2007 average US$ 1 ? 120 Tenge Unemployment rate 8. 8 (2003) Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) 99. 5 (2005) Life expectancy at birth (both genders) 65. 9 years (2005) GDP 104 billion US$ Internet users (per 100 people) 12 Time required to start a business (days) 21 Sources: Agarwal 2008; UNDP 2007; Wilson et al. 2002; World Bank 2008. The development initiatives of GoK have contribu ted to improving human development index (HDI).In 2007/8, the HDI for Kazakhstan is 0. 794, which gives the country a rank of 73rd out of 177 countries (UNDP 2007). In the contrary, the 36 S. H. Bhuiyan ongoing mammoth development activities also encouraged, it would seem, widespread corruption in the country. As a result, during the years, Kazakhstan consistently gained poor corruption perception index (CPI). A 2008 Global Country Report on the state of corruption launched by the Transparency International ranks the country 145th among 180 countries with a CPI 2. (Transparency International 2008). Admittedly, the backdrop painted a landscape that suggests the critical importance of implementation of e-government scheme in Kazakhstan with an aim to quick and quality access to public services, improving its effectiveness, combating corruption, poverty reduction through income generation, and thus building a breeding ground for development. The state of E-government in Kazakhstan Over all situation: benchmarking Kazakhstan has envisioned joining 50 most competitive countries in the world by 2030.In achieving this goal, ICT plays a critical role by readying the country for entry into the forum of competitive world. In doing so, Kazakhstan’s accomplishments in fostering e-government include (World Bank 2006): & & & & & Recognition of e-government as a priority at the highest political level and the elaboration of an e-government strategy; Establishment of the Agency for Informatization and Communications (AIC) as an independent regulatory authority empowered to implement state ICT policy; Creation of government agency Web sites (32 out of 42 government agencies have their own Web sites);Development of a number of corporate networks and databases (e. g. , integrated taxation, customs, pension information systems) by individual government agencies; and Enacting important legislations such as the laws on e-documents and esignatures. Kazakhstan has made substant ial progress in introducing ICT in public sector. In terms of e-readiness, the United Nations Report on the e-Governance Survey 2008 recognizes Kazakhstan as the leader of Central Asia, while the region has regressed the most since the 2005 survey.This global survey report has ranked the country 81 among 189 countries with an index value 0. 4743 as compared with 65 among 179 in 2005 (UN 2008, pp. 31–32). Table 1 shows e-government readiness in Central Asian countries. The table indicates that the countries in the region had a lower e-government readiness index than in 2005. In spite of government’s efforts, Kazakhstan slips from its 2005 position partly because 2008’s Survey had more focus on the interactive and transactional stages which largely remain unachievable, and thus the scores were lower (UN 2008).Another potential reason is its weak telecommunications facility. A 2004 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data shows that effective teledensity in the country was quite low, 16. 23 (ITU 2004). However, this number continues to improve. In 2000, the main telephone lines per 100 people were 12. 3 E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 37 Table 1 E-government readiness for Central Asia Country 2008 Index 2005 Index 2008 Ranking 2005 Ranking Kazakhstan 0. 4743 Kyrgyzstan 0. 4195 0. 4813 81 65 0. 4417 102 Uzbekistan 0. 4057 76 0. 114 109 Turkmenistan 0. 3262 79 128 †¦ Tajikistan 0. 3150 0. 3346 Region 0. 3881 0. 4173 132 117 World 0. 4514 0. 4267 †¦ Source: UN 2008, p. 32 which increased to 19. 1 in 2006, while in the same period mobile cellular subscriber increased from 1. 3 to 51. 2 (World Bank 2006). The e-Government Survey 2008 data shows that both mainline telephone and cellular user further increased to 19. 77 and 52. 86 respectively (UN 2008). E-government program objectives and implementation Kazakhstan’s e-government program incorporates a three-stage approach (World Bank 2006) : & & & st stage: creation of the basic components of e-government infrastructure, such as the governmental portal, a â€Å"payment gateway† providing a linkage with the banking system, national identification system, government-wide ICT network backbone infrastructure, creation of cross-agency information systems, provision of mainly informational and transactional e-government services, promoting Internet use among the citizens and bridging the digital divide. 2nd stage: expansion of the scope and depth of e-government services (predominantly of transactional nature) and comprehensive ICT-enabled reengineering of government administrative procedures. rd stage: ICT-based transformation of government agencies’ operation, building a fully-fledged information society, provision of e-health, e-education, e-culture, e-democracy and other services. Some tasks related to the first stage were implemented in 2006. On the April 12, 2006, e-government web-portal (www. e. gov. kz ) was launched which provides more than 900 information services (egov magazine 2007). This portal is tri-lingual: Kazakh, Russian and English. Laws ‘On Informatization’ and ‘On Amending Certain Legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Sphere of Informatization’ were developed and enacted.Interagency electronic workflow with digital signature has been implemented in 39 state bodies. A pilot model of National Authentication Center for physical and legal entities has been developed, and a pilot project on integrated transportation medium of state bodies has been implemented in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. In an interview with the egov magazine in July 2007, Kuanishbek Esekeev, the Chairman of AIC, reported that GoK had implemented, on 38 S. H. Bhuiyan an experimental basis, government databases on ‘Physical Bodies’ and ‘Legal Entities’, in six oblasts (regions).Moreover, 15 interactive services such as land register and address register software were developed and tested in pilot zones: Citizens’ Service Centers (CSC) of Almatinskiy and Saryarkinskiy regions, Astana (egov magazine 2007). To connect citizens with the web, till 2006, 460 public access points kicked off. Eleven classrooms for providing computer literacy were opened in several regions as a part of capacity development of public sector employees, where more than 1,500 civil servants have been trained (egov magazine 2007).In 1997, a state program was adopted to incorporate information technology (IT) into the general education system, so as to create IT network within the international education space. In 2007, the provision of computers to schools had reached one computer for every 21 pupils compared with one for every 62 in 2001 (UNESC 2008, p. 15). Besides, online instruction has been introduced into the teaching process, comparing a set of five subject schemas, and work has been progressing to connect the education system to t he Internet (UNESC 2008).The AIC is currently working to develop interactive services delivery through national e-government portal. In recent days, the Agency has been successful to deliver limited e-services. For example, it is possible to submit tax statements to the authorities as well as to clear mutual payments with the state budget through electronic channels in real time using digital signatures, which distinguishes Kazakhstan from other CIS countries (World Bank 2006, p. 10). In March 2006, a service has been launched, which enables citizens to submit applications to five ministries (e. . , Ministry of Economic Affairs and Budget Planning) and get an answer to his or her question in 3 to 5 working days. Almost all Akimats (city government) and ministries opened their virtual reception rooms. Visitors can download reference-document; get acquainted with legal base and search addresses of various offices (AIC website: www. aic. gov. kz). Future plans The transactional phase o f e-government development will allow citizens to pay for using public services via governmental portal.AIC is in the process to implement a payment scheme based on existing electronic transactional (payment) system of second-tier banks. GoK is committed to build a transparent information society that presupposes gradual increase of the portal users in number. It means this will eventually transfer public services delivery only in electronic form. As a move to this, AIC plans to provide 900 different kinds of services that are to be exhibited on the portal in 2009 (egov magazine 2007). The challengesIn 2005, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has estimated that more than 60% of e-government projects in developing countries fail (Salem 2006). Likewise, Kazakhstan confronts with multifaceted challenges to the introduction of e-government, and some of them are described here. E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 39 Political suppo rt and relationship between political institutions, bureaucracy and citizens Kazakhstan e-government program receives strong support from the President and his office.AIC has been given a mandate to coordinate and lead the effort (World Bank 2006). But problem arises due to the government’s tendency to monopolize political power (Perlman and Gleason 2007), dodging the established norms of multi-party politics. As a consequence, in the August 2007 elections, the President’s political party â€Å"Nur Otan† (father land) received 88. 41% of vote and captured all seats, and thus became the only party in the parliament when none of the parties were able to meet 7% threshold required to obtain parliamentary seats (Bakenova 2008, p. 4; Iqbal 2007). It is corroborated that political elitism is compounded by the fact that Kazakh opposition political parties are in disarray and fractured, offering no real alternative to the voting public (Knox 2008, p. 487). Kazakhstan is dominated by a formal political elite and a highly centralized and power base comprising the Administration of the President of Kazakhstan and key stakeholders therein: the State Secretary, Head of Administration and Security Council Secretary (Knox 2008).Cummings (2005, cited in Knox 2008) argued that the elite system is a compelling factor behind the emergence and maintenance of authoritarianism in Kazakhstan. Given disintegrated political context, it is clear that political communication develops in line with one’s party affiliation, which limits the general trust in government. As a result, the nature of relationship existing between the party in power and opposition signals low quality of political development in Kazakhstan. The lack of political participation, however, compartmentalizes the development of e-governance.On the other hand, a major means through which interaction between citizens and politicians occurs is the parliamentary website, which is supposed to fac ilitate the top-down flow of information from the legislature to citizens, allow a bottom-up channel for feedback from citizens to the elected members, increase transparency by providing detailed information about legislative procedures and activities, expand the number of avenues for greater public scrutiny of the nature and processes of public policies and thus enhance the accountability of these elected politicians to their constituencies (Norris 2001, cited in Haque 2002, p. 38). To this point, Kazakh Parliament maintains a website (www. parlan. kz) and provides a list of basic information such as parliamentary activities, legislative acts, constitution, and list of parliamentary groups. It also provides an option to the website visitors to contact parliamentary secretariat to inform their queries and comments. The emergence of e-governance has significantly changed the nature of the relationship between citizens and public servants (Haque 2002). A 2002 World Bank survey made an assessment of Kazakhstan’s governance and service delivery.The survey suggests that general areas where Government can work on to improve the quality of public services through e-government. For example, the results of the survey indicated that households were not satisfied with their interactions with public officials (World Bank 2002). To improve this perception, ICT can be utilized for the reduction in the time that citizens and businesses have to spend to complete transactions with public bodies can be set as one of the performance indicators. If the transactions can 40 S. H. Bhuiyan e completed online, citizens do not have to spend the time to visit and wait at a public office, as long as they have an Internet connection (World Bank 2006, p. 20). Corruption In April 2005, the President of Kazakhstan signed a decree ‘On Measures to Step up the Fight against Corruption’ to strengthen discipline in the activities of state bodies and officials (Transparency Int ernational 2006, p. 185). Against this backdrop, petty corruption in the various form of bribe taking is a fixture of daily life (Gleason 1997, p. 379). High profile corruptions are also rampant.For example, the President of the state-owned Kazakh Telecom joint-stock company was sacked by Security Council when it was revealed that his monthly wage was $365,000 (Knox 2008, p. 487). Similarly, in 2007, Kazakh Anti-corruption Agency (financial police) filed charges against the selection committee of â€Å"Bolashak† (future) program, a presidential scholarship scheme that enables talented young Kazakhs to study in developed countries. The charges stated that many scholarships have been actually purchased through the corrupt jury decisions (Bakenova 2008, p. 94).It is widely believed that e-governance is promised to reduce corruption, which displeases corrupt political executives and bureaucrats, who, in turn, create building blocks to the implementation of e-government programs. Digital divide ‘Digital divide’—exclusion of groups within the population to get access to a computer—is another challenge that has received government attention. It reveals that only 12% of the population in Kazakhstan has skills to use PCs and half of them can use computer without being helped (egov magazine 2007), and only 12% are Internet users (World Bank 2008).To bridge the gap, the government is implementing Digital Inclusion Program for years 2007–2009. This program aims to increase number of ITC educated people by 15% and prepare the country to the transition from the industrial to information society (AIC website: www. aic. gov. kz/? mod=static&Ing=rus&id=22, accessed November 22, 2008). Many governments across the world have taken up measures to lessen the magnitude of the problem. Philippines and Hong Kong, for example, have facilitated this partly by providing free or subsidized access to computers and Internet) in designated public pla ces (Holliday 2002). Telecommunications infrastructure is relatively problematic, although there are examples of significant public intervention. To this effect, several municipal governments in Germany have facilitated the development of high-speed network cables, fiber optics, and public access to improve digital economy (Hasse 2002). Infrastructural development E-government operation requires strong technological infrastructure such as computing and telecommunications. A great deal of financial resources is involved to develop structure.In Kazakhstan, it is more burdensome due to its vastness and unique geographical structure. The government has so far (2005–2007) allocated E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 41 approximately US$380 million (World Bank 2006) for the purpose of e-government implementation. Let alone government fund is inadequate to meet required expenses, which warranted a partnership among public, private and donor agencies f or the accumulation of investments. Kazakhstan’s poor infrastructural readiness for egovernment also reflected in the e-Government Readiness Survey 2008 where it scored 0. 306 on infrastructure index (UN 2008). Human resources There is no denial that in most of the developing countries e-government programs suffer due to the lack of quality human resources. Kazakhstan is no exception. A 2006 World Bank report points out that even AIC, the lead organization to implement e-government, is struggling with the shortage of professional staff, leaving only 12–15 for the ‘informatization’ task (World Bank 2006). To overcome the challenge, GoK provides continuous training and education to develop professionals in this field.However, given the low public sector compensation packages, it is unclear whether the shortage of professionals will ever be overcome. Admittedly, Kazakh public administration suffers from migration of knowledgeable employees to its growing priv ate sector due to attractive emoluments. This will essentially constrain country’s journey toward e-government development. Poverty Given the gradual decline of the population living below the poverty line, the reduction of poverty is still an important policy goal for Kazakhstan (Agarwal 2008).However, a Gini coefficient (a measure of income inequality, with higher values denoting more unequal incomes) increased from 25. 74 in 1988 to 33. 85 in 2003 (ESCAP 2008). Income inequality is on the rise and took a defiant shape due to onslaught global economic meltdown, which also affects Kazakh economy. Consequently, rates of rural poverty continue to grow, and the economic necessity force migration from rural areas to the towns, which contributes to increase urban poverty too.According to UNDP, nearly 16% of the total population lives on less than US$2 per day (Euromonitor International, www. euromonitor. com/pdf/indonesia. pdf, accessed November 22, 2008). In this context, it is argued that a large population is unable to buy PCs (price of a PC ranges between 40,000–60,000 Tenge) and be connected with Internet (initial connection fee and deposit amount to nearly 20,000 Tenge even with the state-owned Kazakh Telecom). Apart from the above, there are disparities in the distribution of basic services in Kazakhstan (Gleason 1997).For example, a study shows that due to ageing Soviet transmission and distribution lines, electricity losses average 15%, reaching 30% to remote areas (cited in Cochran 2008, p. 1), which causes frequent power cut1 mainly in rural settlements and thus upset the prospect of their social and economic life. This poverty-ridden environment is often not receptive to adopt technological innovations, like e-government. 1 Kazakhstan produced 76. 3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in 2007 and consumed just over that amount, 76. 4 billion kWh (Cochran 2008, p. 1). 42 S. H. Bhuiyan Harnessing privacyRapid adoption of global netw orks and technological innovations has raised many outstanding concerns from civil society over the protection of their privacy and personal data and has brought into focus the possibility of the rise of ‘Big Brother ’ (cited in Bhuiyan 2006, p. 114). In a similar vein, referring to Korea, Jho (2005) illustrates that the Korean government has faced fierce public opposition and suffered major setbacks in pursuing some of its ICT projects. This symptom worries yet growing civil society of Kazakhstan and effective dialogue with the government can reduce tension over the issue.E-government in the context of development New ICTs can make a significant contribution to the achievement of good governance goals (Heeks 2001). The e-governance permeates the four domains of government: its role in fostering economic growth and social cohesion, its relationship with the governed, its internal administration, and its relationship with the international environment (Brown 2005, p. 251 ). In each of these areas developing countries are faced with limitations on institutional capacity and infrastructure, financial resources and civil service skills that characterize—and prolong—lower levels of development (Brown 2005).Against this backdrop, efforts have been made for implementing e-governance in many developing countries and some of them were successful. The outcomes of those practices have shown improved government functioning, better service delivery, and triumph over many socio-economic, political and administrative ills. Among them, three cases are presented below to help us to understand the usefulness of using e-government to achieve development goals. Lessons learned from the cases have immense value to reorganize Kazakh public administration in line with e-government mandate.Case 1. Brazil: house of representatives e-participation The Brazilian House of Representatives website allows citizens to talk to their representatives and to participate in debates directly through the Internet. The Government of Brazil also provides an e-participation platform that permits Members of Parliament and citizens to communicate through chat rooms, discussion forums and the service â€Å"Falm com Deputado† or â€Å"Talk to the MP†. This form of eparticipation has enhanced the interaction between citizens and Members of parliament.In a country as vast as Brazil and with a geographically dispersed population, online participation has provided citizens with a greater voice in the creation of policies and laws. (UN 2008, p. 31) Case 2. Health service in Malta The Malta Health Ministry is an excellent example of providing customer service online. The portal allows citizens to apply for the European Health Insurance Card online. It has an electronic patient library provided through a partnership with a E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 3 private firm, which provides citizens with a medical encyclo pedia, information on surgeries and procedures, and has animated lessons. The portal also provides its citizens with a list of local pharmacies. (Source: http://www. ehealth. gov. mt/article. aspx? art=90 cited in UN 2008, p. 60) Case 3. E-seva program in Andra Pradesh, India The Government of Andra Pradesh has a clear vision to create a knowledge society by using IT in all aspects of development and governance (www. esevaonline. com, last accessed November 24, 2008).Consequently, E-Seva (electronic service) program was launched to effectively deliver public and social services to the citizens. This program offers services of multiple central, state and local government agencies as well as some private sector organizations. The salient features of E-Seva include the following: & & & & & & & 46 e-Seva centers (with 400 service counters) spread over the Twin Cities and Ranga Reddy District. All service counters are facilitated with an electronic queuing system. Operating from 8:00 a. m. to 8:00 p. m. , on all working days and 9:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. n holidays (Second Saturdays and Sundays). ‘One-stop-shop’ for over 66 government-to-consumer (G2C) and business-toconsumer (B2C). No jurisdiction limits- any citizen in the twin cities can avail of the services at any of the 46 e-Seva service centers. Online services: eForms, eFiling, ePayments. Payments by cash/cheque/DD/credit card/Internet. The Government of India data shows that e-Seva centers offer the total of 132 G2C services from 16 government departments, and 15 B2C services from 10 business firms. Services include, among others, online transaction processing of payments, issuance of certificates, and licenses.The number of transactions at e-Seva centers was initially under 5,000/month (August 2001). It quickly gained popularity and the number surpassed a million in July 2003. As of May 2004, the level of transaction is above 1. 1 million. (Source: http://www. esevaonline. com/ cited in World Bank 2006, p. 42) The first case makes it clear that interaction between MPs and citizens through Internet helps the former to better understand citizens’ opinions, grievances, and demands, while the latter participates in scrutinizing public policies and laws.Kazakhstan government needs to implement the practice, contextualizing it to the local conditions, to boost up contact between parliament members and citizens, a pre-requisite for ensuring good governance. The second case is focused on electronic delivery of customer services related to healthcare in an EU country, Malta. The dismal performance of healthcare sector in Kazakhstan (Iqbal 2007) warrants a major overhaul. As a part of perceived reform, GoK may experiment with the transferability of Malta’s practice in public healthcare outlets.The third example illustrates the significance of providing public services through public-private partnership (PPP) in Andra Pradesh, an Indian state. PPP is now a common stra nd of ‘third way’ government policy, with better efficiency promised 44 S. H. Bhuiyan from the private funding of public infrastructure through the transfer of risks to private concerns. In this perspective, GoK may consider to build PPPs as a potential strategy to deliver effective and efficient services to the citizens. Over and again, control of corruption and poverty reduction are two important development challenges that are being facilitated through e-government.These issues are in some detail discussed here. Corruption Heeks (1998) points out that the level of corruption in the public sector sharply decreases in countries where e-government exists. A survey in India has revealed that, in the states where e-government has been established even partially, the corruption rate has substantially fallen. The survey has found that in Kolkata and Mumbai, two Indian cities, due to implementation of e-governance in some public sector, corruption rate has declined to 19% an d 18% compared to 51% and 38% respectively in 2000 (Kabir 2008).Similarly, in Bangladesh, one may observe that due to computerization of Railway Reservation System, the number of black-marketers has decreased considerably. Elimination of the middle-men in citizen-government interaction, in fact, is the major factor eradicating corruption (Kabir 2008). Poverty reduction Admittedly, the Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank has made a significant contribution to the development of ICT in Bangladesh. During the years, Grameen philosophy has proved that ICT can be very useful to uplift the rural and disadvantaged communities in Bangladesh and beyond (cited in Hossain 2005).According to the founder of the Bank and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus identified three key areas ICT can play an immediate role in helping the poor (Yunus 2004, cited in Hossain 2005) are: 1. Integrating the poor into the mainstream economy by expanding their market, eliminating the middle-men in their bus iness, and creating international job opportunities through service out-sourcing; 2. Bringing information, educational programs, skill training, and healthcare services, etc, all in a very user friendly way, even to the most remote villages; 3.Empowering the poor, particularly poor women, with a stronger voice that can be heard behind the borders of their villages, better access to information, and improvement in the democratic process. The study by Aminuzzaman et al. (2003) found a positive correlation between the uses of ICT and poverty reduction in Bangladesh. According to the findings, at the individual level, the Village Phone (VP) of Grameen Bank has contributed significantly to income generation of rural women (popularly known as phone ladies).Socially, it has given a new status and image to those women who are getting Bank’s support to start this venture both at the family and community levels. Moreover, at the community level, it has narrowed gaps between cities and villages by enhancing frequent communication between family members. Economically, it has increased business transactions and dissemination of information (Aminuzzaman E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 45 et al. 2003, p. 327). In an earlier but similar study by Bayes et al. 1999) also evaluated the role of VP (of Grameen Bank) within the context of rural development in general and of poverty reduction in particular. They came up with two basic conclusions: first, pursuance of pragmatic policies can turn telephones into production goods, especially through lowering transaction cost, and second, the services originating from telephones in villages are likely to deliver significant benefits to the poor in Bangladesh (Bayes et al. 1999). Kazakhstan suffers from rampant corruption and poverty.As a means to control corruption and eradicate poverty, the government can evaluate the suitability of the noted (or similarly designed) initiatives for implementati on in Kazakhstan. Conclusion The paradigm of e-government emphasizes coordinated network building, external collaboration, and one-stop customer services to facilitate efficient service delivery to citizens, and, thus, contrasts sharply with the traditional bureaucratic paradigm, which stresses standardization, departmentalization, and division of labor (Ho 2002).In order to keep pace with the articulated development goals, particularly to achieve Kazakhstan 2030, the GoK has started to move toward e-government paradigm to establish a citizen-centered, accountable and transparent government. Kazakhstan’s past political history was linked to the long-standing legacies of monopolism, clanocracy, and cynicism of the Soviet period (Gleason 1997, p. 379). In the new Kazakhstan, situation has not improved to the extent many had expected. The country is still marked by widespread corruption, abject poverty, digital divide, lack of infrastructural development and human resources.In t his context, egovernment offers opportunities, though rudimentary at the present stage, to the government to improve service delivery across the country. The international development experiences clearly portray the benefit of egovernment. Such experiences may serve as policy guidelines to the implementation of e-government in Kazakhstan, after careful evaluations to their acceptability in Kazakh society. An important challenge to e-government implementation in developing countries is the lack of financial resources. The case of Kazakhstan is very much the same.The honeymoon period of booming Kazakh oil economy is under stress. To continue the systematic implementation of e-government even during the sluggish economy, public-private partnership is a necessary strategy for the avoidance of huge initial investment costs. The successful implementation of the program will surely change the public administration landscape and enable the government to deliver services to a transparent, ac countable, and client-focused environment. References ADB (Asian Development Bank). (2008) Asian development outlook 2008 [Kazakhstan]. Available at: http://www. db. org/Documents/Books/ADO/2008/KAZ. pdf, last accessed December 5, 2008. 46 S. H. Bhuiyan Agarwal, P. (2008). Economic growth and poverty reduction: evidence from Kazakhstan. Asian Development Review, 24(2), 90–115. Aminuzzaman, S. , Baldersheim, H. , & Jamil, I. (2003). Talking back! empowerment and mobile phones in rural Bangladesh: a study of the village phone scheme of Grameen Bank. Contemporary South Asia, 12(3), 327–348. Bakenova, S. (2008). Civil service in Kazakhstan: Deja Vu? International Journal of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe, 1, 89–96. Bayes, A.Braun, J. V. , & Akhter, R. (1999). Village pay phones and poverty reduction: insights from a Grameen bank initiatives in Bangladesh. ZEF Discussion Papers on Development Policy. No. 8. Bonn: ZEF, University of Bonn. Bhuiyan, S. H. (2006). E-government in Bangladesh: prospects and challenges. Journal of Politics & Administration, 1(1), 105–118. Brown, D. (2005). Electronic government and public administration. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(2), 241–254. Cochran, J. (2008). Kazakhstan’s potential for wind and concentrated solar power. KIMEP Working Paper. No. . Almaty: College of Social Sciences, KIMEP. Cummings, S. (2005). Kazakhstan: Power and elite. London: I. B. Tauris. egov magazine. (2007). Interview with Kuanishbek Esekeev, Chairman, Agency for Informatization and Communications. Retrieved from: http://www. egovonline. net/interview/print. asp? interviewid=184, last accessed March 27, 2008. ESCAP. (2008). Economic and social survey of Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved from: www. kazakhemb. org. il, last accessed November 18, 2008. Gleason, G. (1997). Prospects for Kazakhstan’s asian liberalism. Democratization, 5(3), 376–385.Haldenwang, C. (200 4). Electronic Government (E-Government) and development. The European Journal of Development Research, 16(2), 417–432. Haque, M. S. (2002). E-Governance in India: its impact on relations among citizens, politicians and public servants. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 68, 231–250. Hasse, D. (2002). E-Government: The future of federal and municipal institution. An unpublished Master’s thesis. Magdeburg: University of Magdeburg. Heeks, R. 2001. Understanding e-governance for development. i-Government Working Paper Series. Paper No. 11.Manchester: IDPM, University of Manchester. Heeks, R. (1998). Information technology and public sector corruption. Information System and Public Sector Management Working Paper Series. No. 4. Manchester: University of Manchester. Ho, A. T. -K. (2002). Reinventing local governments and the E-government initiative. Public Administration Review, 62(4), 434–443. Holliday, I. (2002). Building e-government in East a nd Southeast Asia: regional rhetoric and national (In) action. Public Administration and Development, 22, 323–335. Holliday, I. , & Yep, R. (2005). E-Government in China.Public Administration and Development, 25, 239– 249. Hossain, F. (2005). E-governance initiatives in developing countries: helping the rich? or, creating opportunities for the poor? Asian Affairs, 27(4), 5–23. Iqbal, H. (2007). Democracy and Central Asian states. Regional Studies, 4, 66–95. ITU (International Telecommunication Union). (2004). ITU Data. Available at: http://www. itu. int/ITU-D/ ict/statistics/at_glance/main04. pdf, last accessed November 5, 2008. Jho, W. (2005). Challenges for e-governance: protests from civil society on the protection of privacy in egovernment in Korea.International Review of Administrative Sciences, 71(1), 151–166. Kabir, A. (2008). Discourse on e-governance: Bottomline. The Daily Star. November 14. Retrieved from: http://www. thedailystar. net/pf _story. php? nid=63243, last accessed November 14, 2008. Keesing Record of World Events. (2005). Kazakhstan presidential elections. December. Knox, C. (2008). Kazakhstan: modernizing government in the context of political inertia. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 74(3), 477–496. Makhmutova, M. (2001). Local government in Kazakhstan. In Igor Munteanu & Popa Victor (Eds. . Developing new rules in the old environment: Local government in Eastern Europe, in the Caucasus and in the Central Asia. Available at: http://lgi. osi. hu/publication/2001/842ch8-kz. pdf, last accessed October 7, 2008. Mayer-Schonberger, V. , & Lazer, D. (2007). From Electronic Government to Information Society. In V. Mayer-Schonberger & D. Lazer (Eds. ), Governance and information technology: From electronic government to information government. Massachusetts and London: MIT. E-Government in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Its Role to Development 47 Moon, M. J. (2002).The evolution of e-governmen t among municipalities: rhetoric or reality? Public Administration Review, 62(4), 424–433. Netchaeva, I. (2002). E-government and E-democracy. The International Communication Gazette, 64(5), 467–477. Norris, P. (2001). Digital divide? civic engagement, information poverty and the internet in the democratic societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Perlman, B. J. , & Gleason, G. (2007). Cultural determinism versus administrative logic: Asian values and administrative reform in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. International Journal of Public Administration, 30(12), 1327–1342.Robinson, A. (2001). Geopolitics and oil focus the spotlight on Central Asia. Financial Times Survey. December 17. Salem, F. (2006). Exploring e-government barriers in the Arab States. Policy Brief. No. 2. Dubai: Dubai School of Government. Sharma, T. (2002). E-governance: process reengineering approach. Indian Journal of Public Administration, XLVIII(4), 606–616. Tandon, H. (2005). e -governance: an Indian perspective. Policy & Society, 24(3), 1–28. Transparency International. (2008). Corruption perception index 1999–2008 (Kazakhstan). Available at: http://www. transparencykazakhstan. rg/eng/content/8. html, last accessed January 7, 2009. Transparency International. (2006). Global country report, 2006 [Kazakhstan], pp. 184–188. Available at: www. transparency. org/publications, last accessed November 18, 2008. UN (United Nations). (2008). United Nations e-government survey 2008: From e-government to connected governance. NY: United Nations. United Nations/American Society for Public Administration [UN/ASPA]. (2002). Benchmarking egovernment: A global perspective: Assessing the progress of the UN member states. NY: UN/ASPA. UNDP (United Nations Development Program). 2007). Human development report 2007/2008 [Kazakhstan]. Available at: http://hdrstat. undp. org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_KAZ. html, last accessed November 13, 2008. UN DP. (2001). Human development report 2001: Making new technologies work for human development. NY: Oxford University Press. UNESC (United Nations Economic and Social Council). (2008). National report on the achievement of Kazakhstan’s strategic priorities to 2030 in the light of the millennium development goals. Available at: apps01. un. org/nvpcms, last accessed November 20, 2008. Wilson, J. , Gardner, D. Kurganbaeva, G. , & Sakharchuk, E. (2002). The changing role of local government managers in a transitional economy: evidence from the Republic of Kazakhstan. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 15(4/5), 399–411. The World Bank. (2008). Kazakhstan: Data and statistics. Available at: http://www. worldbank. org. kz/ website/external/countries/ecaext/kazakhstan, last accessed November 13, 2008. The World Bank. (2006). Kazakhstan e-government program and the road ahead. Washington, DC: World Bank (a joint economic research program with the Government of Ka zakhstan).The World Bank. (2002). Kazakhstan governance and service delivery: A diagnostic report. Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region. Yunus, M. (2004). Petersburg Prize 2004- acceptance speech delivered by Professor Muhammad Yunus in the Prize giving ceremony on June 27, 2004, at the Development Gateway Forum 2004, held at Petersburg Conference Center, Kongiswinter, Germany Shahjahan H. Bhuiyan is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Administration at Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP), Almaty.He earned a Ph. D. in Development Studies from the University of Bonn, Germany. His research interests are in governance, public policy and administration, public management, organization theory and behavior, culture, knowledge and development. Copyright of Public Organization Review is the property of Springer Science & Business Media B. V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

At&t in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

At&t in China - Essay Example AT&T also needed to reconsider how its decentralized organizational structure could serve as a barrier in China where product pricing are mixed up with other factors in sealing contracts. Another barrier to be faced with a long-term view was that telecoms sector in China would probably remain a heavy regulated industry for a long-time. Like media and utilities, the telecoms industry is a sector that Chinese authorities would not trust wholly into the hands of foreigners because of its national security implications. It must be assumed that since AT&T already signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in February 1993 with the Chinese authorities allowing AT&T to offer its broad array of services in the country albeit jointly with the Chinese government meant that at even with the regulated aspect of the telecom industry, the company had been given room to negotiate terms in their undertakings. And even when the United States threatened to tie China's human rights record to the renewal of its Most Favored Nation Status - AT&T, being the America's biggest telecom firm was at an opportune time to use it to leverage its influence on the US government and use it to negotiate some favorable terms from the Chinese government. To be able to compete in China, AT&T needed to address three fronts so as to keep up with the challenge - first, the heavy regulated aspect of the Chinese telecommunicat... whose focus is to provide direct telephone services as could be seen in its primary operations in the United States was a challenge in China where providing actual telephone services was closed off to foreign companies. It must then re-focus on manufacturing and systems and network infrastructure build-up for the state enterprise agencies responsible for purchase of telecom equipment at least for the short term while actual provision of telephone services were yet closed off. The decision of whether to embark on a national manufacturing strategy must be deferred according to the set-up of the telecom industry in China, where economic decision making had been decentralized to the local government units.1 AT&T could focus building manufacturing plants on targeted locations based on which provinces or regions offer the best deals in terms of market access, tax breaks, availability of manpower, availability of competitive facilities and utilities, etc. But first it must explore venues to establish joint ventures with local Chinese companies especially in the field of 5ESS switch manufacturing, VLSI manufacturing, network management expertise, R&D with Bell Labs, optical transmission manufacturing, wireless manufacturing, customer premises equipment manufacturing, training, systems integration, and network service offerings.2 The strategy of having local Chinese partners would greatly help a foreign company such as AT&T to smoothen relationships with Chinese telecom regulators. Local partners would also offer valuable insights into the unique aspects of the Chinese market, with the special note that AT&T in 1993 had very few years of experience in terms of international or global strategizing. The importance of local partners takes an even more importance as the foreign

Friday, September 27, 2019

Electoral College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Electoral College - Essay Example There is also the problem of the unequal weight of votes. However, I n support of it is does generally support federal character in the nation, and requires a candidate to maintain wide spread support to win, and also helps keep the separations of powers in tact. 5. Pursuant to the Twelfth Amendment, the House of Representatives is required to go into session "immediately" to vote for President if no candidate for President receives a majority (270 votes) of the 538 possible electoral votes. 6. There are many suggest alternatives. One is simply for the popular vote to be the only deciding factor. There is also a proportional; system that is pending that would change the vote to go to candidates based on the percent of the vote they get. 7. No. It is not fair, all states do not get the same attention and smaller states are often left out. Candidates may not even campaign in smaller states because they know it is not worth their time or money. Big states and swing states get all the attention for the most part. 10. To me it seems less democratic, and people are not really voting for the candidate. People are instead voting in order for their electors to vote so in that since it is an indirect democracy of sorts, however it is still not as direct as I would like to see out system be. 11. Bad idea. People should win the election based on popular vote, no other system should even have ever been considered. We should not let people pick the candidate because of some number system like the Electoral College; we should let the person with the most votes wins. That is what democracy s all about after all.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Concept and Process of Marketing (Coca-Cola case) Essay

The Concept and Process of Marketing (Coca-Cola case) - Essay Example Marketing can also be defined as a process through organization creates effective channels of exchanging of goods and services with their customers, through coordination of the four P’s of marketing, which are product, price, place and promotion. Marketing therefore involves identifying a product that can satisfy a given consumer need, determination of its price, determination of an effective distribution channel for the product to reach the customer, and finally designing ways to inform the potential consumers about the product (Wysong and Flores, 2008, p.54). 1.2 Consumers Needs and Wants Consumers are motivated to buy goods and services by their specific wants and needs, a consumers needs are those items that every person requires for survivor such as clothes, food and shelters. The consumer’s wants refers to those items that a person would consider buying after fulfilling his or her needs, which may include a car, going for holiday among others. However, a want can easily translate into a need when a person desperately wants an item. However, Hartline and Ferrell (2010, p.184) warns that referring to needs as necessities is simplistic since the definition of a need is subjective. Therefore, in this respect, a need occurs when a consumer’s level of satisfaction is below the desired level while a want is a desire of a given product to cater for a need (Hartline and Ferrell, 2010, p.184). As stated earlier, a consumer will buy goods and services primarily to satisfy his or her wants and needs. Therefore, it is prudent for a business to understand the needs, which can be satisfied by its products. As Hartline and Ferrell...For instance, Coca-Cola has in the past used their bottles to conduct a lottery, whereby a faithful customer who manages to collect specific winning bottle tops gets the reward. 2.37 Consumer profitability. Companies undergo various costs in the process of advertising, consumer relations, and in the process of trying to increase their sales. Consumer profitability is the difference between the revenue that a company gets customers, and the cost they incur to get those customers (Raaij and Eric 2002, p 1). Coca- Cola Company should do the cost benefit analysis, in order to ensure that revenue incurred in the customer relation process is more than the costs incurred, and that such difference is significant. 2.38 Narrow marketing focus Narrow marketing involves a product with fluctuating prices in the market, which is usually as a result of change in demand or supply. A narrow marketing strategy involves a company not putting efforts to win new customers. The cost of narrow marketing focus is low sales, fluctuation in product demand. Coca–Cola Company can avoid this pitfall through adopting strategies to get new customers and using good customer relations to retain existing customers.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Invasion of Privacy in the Business World Research Paper

Invasion of Privacy in the Business World - Research Paper Example In business, there are two approaches to privacy; consumer protection and free market. In free market, commercial organizations are allowed to make the major business decisions based on idea that the consumers will do business within the desired degree of privacy (Francis, 1991). If some organizations do not sufficiently maintain privacy of their operations, then they lose competitive advantage and ultimately lose the market share. This occurs when an organization fails to offer favorable privacy option to its clients or by failing to provide sufficient information of the privacy practices that it carries out. Usually consumers are unable to claim the violation of privacy made by organizations. The consumer protection approach advocates more defined protection policies and heir enforcement by the government (Rosen, 2010). The reason is based on the idea that individuals do not have time or the knowledge to make decisive choices or they are not aware of alternatives available.In the U nited States privacy is not explicitly guaranteed by the Constitution. It has been implicitly mentioned in the 4th, 5th and 14th amendments of fundamental freedom right that ensures protection of citizen from government intrusion and interference. In addition, Common Law appears to recognize some degree of protection of privacy of information.In 1970, the Fair Credit Reporting Act was passed to law, to ensure that customers were protected from information gathered from them by the private sector.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Participative Management - A Study of John Lewis Partnership Case

Participative Management - A of John Lewis Partnership - Case Study Example Competitors find it difficult to replicate the competitive edge acquired by such a firm over a period of time. The objective of this report is to analyze HRM principles and theoretical observations applicable to John Lewis Partnership. The report will also examine whether and where the HRM policies adopted by the company fulfill or fall short in strengthening its efforts to achieve organizational goals and attempts at suggesting remedial measures. Human Resource Management-Participative Management: The central theme of human resource management is to enhance employee performance through employee commitment (Armstrong, 1987, Storey 1995 cited in McGunnigle 2000). The right human resource management system attracts and retains the right talent, develops workforce skills, resolves or avoids conflicts and motivates workforce into a culture of commitment to achieve organizational goals (Storey 1995 cited in McGunnigle 2000). Watson et al. suggest that a culture of commitment may be induced by the application of specific practices within HRM areas such as recruitment and selection, training and development, reward systems, employee participation, involvement and empowerment (Watson et al. 1996 cited in McGunnigle 2000). Kinnie et al. ... Involvement in decision making Performance appraisal with tight links to contingent pay (Holbeche 2001 p.13) Kinnie et al. sound a word of caution when they argue that the application of specific HR policies may not have a uniformly desirable effect on all employees working in an organization. They argue that the extant debate on the links between HR policy and organizational performance has been based on the distinction between the 'best practice' and 'best fit' perspectives, both of which assume that HR policies have the same effect on all employees working in an organization. The best practice view put forth by Pfeffer (1994, 1998 cited in Kinnie et al. 2005) identifies a set of policies associated with performance improvement applicable to all industries and by implication to all employees. On the other hand the best-fit strategy proposed by Schuler and Jackson (1987 cited in Kinnie et al. 2005) and Miles and Snow (1984 cited in Kinnie et al. 2005) suggests that HR policies consistent with business strategy maximize performance. (Kinnie et al. 2005). There have been a number of references to 'participative management' within the literature on human resource management, which however must not be confused with permissiveness. According to Frohman, it is a "practical approach to solving problems and achieving performance targets by utilizing people as resources." As against the human resource approach which "aims to generate compliance and employee morale" participative management is a "quest for improved performance and quality." (Frohman 1988) John Lewis Partnership (JLP): JLP is an employees' co-operative, wholly owned by its 64,000 employee-partners. This unique democratic management model imbues the company with a corporate

Monday, September 23, 2019

Homework # 01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homework # 01 - Essay Example red to particular situations and specific markets, nowadays economic models are customized to illustrate outstanding features of reality describing special problem under discussion.Even though many economists claimed that major economic problems were solved, unemployment by money wages was hard to solve. The economists were unable to identify the cause of economic growth. Growth theory led to a new modeling to help address the question. It was able to deal with goods, capital; that varied continuously in quality. In addition, the theory helped in discovering asymmetric information. Growth in education was able to explain growth residual hence accounting for increases in both labour force and capital. However, the asymmetric information needed further exploration before it is documented. With the help of the automobile market, Akerlof was able to discover that information asymmetry played a key role in business cycles. It is a major issue in those markets that quality of goods is hard to see without casual inspection. With the help of mathematics, he proved that asymmetric information could lead to the collapse of used cars market at the expense of new

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Critically evaluate the current status of the setting including policies and practices Essay Example for Free

Critically evaluate the current status of the setting including policies and practices Essay Self-reflection is a very important tool to be used in order to keep the nursery up to date with current legislation and to raise service standards. By regularly looking at where we are as a setting we can ensure that we continue to offer high quality education to our children. â€Å"Research has proven that self-reflection and evaluation both support good practice within a setting as a part of continual development. Importantly this self-reflection supports good outcomes for children.† (Barber and Paul-Smith 2009, pg. 8) We have been using Ofsted SEF to evaluate where we are doing well and assess where we need to improve. â€Å"The self-evaluation form is designed to help early years providers to review and improve their practice, so that it is of the highest standard and offers the best experience for young children. Importantly it is a useful tool for you and any assistants or staff to evaluate the impact of what you do on children’s welfare, learning and development.† (Ofsted 2009, pg.13) PEST ANALYSIS POLITICAL ï‚ · Politically unsettled ï‚ · Arab spring ï‚ · Benevolent dictatorship ï‚ · No pressure groups ï‚ · Frequent change of legislation but no clear guidelines ï‚ · No official body or organization to refer to ï‚ · Government policies are not consistent and not properly disseminated ECONOMICAL ï‚ · Unsecure financial world markets ï‚ · Fluctuating exchange rates ï‚ · Expensive living ï‚ · Uncertainties in the economy ï‚ · No direct income taxes or VAT ï‚ · Several indirect taxes ï‚ · Increasing running costs ï‚ · Rapid expansion of Early Years industry ï‚ · Increasing competition SOCIAL ï‚ · Increasing number of working mothers ï‚ · Wider range of people ï‚ · Image of good standard of living and overall safety ï‚ · People moving and settling in the area ï‚ · Increased focus on Early Years Education ï‚ · Attractive area for different nationalities ï‚ · Broad spectrum of curriculum covered in the country TECHNOLOGICAL ï‚ · Easier information access (internet) ï‚ · Wider audience ï‚ · Better ability to reach out to the Community ï‚ · Blogging (positive and/or negative) ï‚ · Personal Technology ï‚ · CCTV cameras (name of city) is a safe place, its economy is considered ever flourishing but due to the ongoing global economical crisis it has its financial restraints. This analysis has also outlined how a business can be easily set up but also how difficult it is for it to thrive due to frequent changes in the legislation and the lack of consistent guidelines. Nevertheless, the increased interest in Early Years Education will soon allow practitioners to offer to all children high standards of learning. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS ï‚ · Well trained, qualified and experienced staff ï‚ · Impressive facilities ï‚ · Outstanding outdoor area ï‚ · Central location ï‚ · Extra-curricular activities ï‚ · Early years themed workshops and professional advisors WEAKNESSES ï‚ · Turnover of staff due to economic situation ï‚ · Policies and Procedures (only few in place) ï‚ · Being tenant of the facilities ï‚ · Old building badly maintained ï‚ · Lack of training opportunities ï‚ · Limited parental involvement ï‚ · Managerial limited decision making ability OPPORTUNITIES ï‚ · Several marketing options ï‚ · Exponential growth of market ï‚ · Partnership with professionals in childcare ï‚ · Diversified skills of staff with different backgrounds ï‚ · Wide professional network THREATS ï‚ · Extremely high price of rent ï‚ · Frequent new regulations with high implement costs ï‚ · New nurseries poaching staff and rising salary expectations ï‚ · Loss of key staff ï‚ · Frequent families’ relocations (name of nursery) is a newly established nursery in (name of city) that was initially planned with a greater focus on business rather than learning. Policies and Procedures were compiled and printed out hastily, without team brainstorming or subsequent effective compliance. The absence of specific legal requirements in the country makes it possible for nursery and day cares to operate, though in the best interest of children, without proper policies and procedures in place. Going through the process of self-evaluation has been the most valuable eye opener possible for me. I now know where we are and where we want to be. PEST and SWOT analysis have  allowed me to celebrate our strengths and pinpoint our weaknesses. Generally all policies will need to be rewritten, implemented and properly disseminated, but priority will be given to Child Protection and Behaviour Management Policies. A Staff training plan also needs to be put in place in order to ensure high standards in care and education of all children. Last but not least, it will be paramount to monitor progress and ensure that our procedures reflect our policies and that good practice is consistent throughout the academic year by gathering evidence regularly.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Task-Centred Anti-Discriminatory Practice in Social Work

Task-Centred Anti-Discriminatory Practice in Social Work Demonstrate your understanding of the main principles of TASK CENTRED PRACTICE. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the theory in its application to anti discriminatory practice. Introduction The International Federation of Social Work states that: â€Å"The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human  relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being.  Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the  points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and  social justice are fundamental to social work†[1]. The best kind of social work is that which places the client or service user at the centre of everything it does. This is a core principle of task based social work, rather than working with a set of preconceived ideas the social worker has to negotiate the legal framework within which she/he is obliged to operate in order to achieve the best results for the service user. Task based social work is therefore first and foremost ethical and anti-oppressive social work which takes as its foundation the Human Rights Act of 1998 that each person should be dealt with in terms of the concept of the inherent worth of the individual. This assignment will first give some definition of the role and responsibilities of the social worker. From within this framework it will then look at the main principles of task centred practice and will use imaginary scenarios to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the theory and its application to anti-discriminatory practice. Social Work People looking for a career as a social worker usually have more luck if they have had some experience of dealing with individuals in the community. This could involve work placements or being involved with voluntary work, both of which seen as good practice and background to engage in social work practice. Prior community involvement is seen as a valuable asset for anyone wishing to become a social worker. Social services is set against a background of voluntary charity work in the late nineteenth century and people who get involved in community work are seen to have the right kind of spirit, or an interest in social justice that is a valuable part of social work (Moore, 2002). Tasks and Roles Within the Legal Framework The social worker’s role is outlined by what was the personal social services. The overall aim of social workers is a concern with individuals and the care they may need. Under Government legislation and the Code of Practice, social workers have to act in accordance with the 1998 Human Rights Act, the 1990 NHS and Care in the Community Act (a result of the 1988 Griffiths Report), the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person’s Act of 1970 and the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act. More recently social workers are legally required to be involved in partnership working with other agencies (ref) and this has been extended to include the service user/service provider relationship. There is, arguably, some truth in the fact that this takes what is at heart a charitable search for social justice and puts it on a par with businesses and at the mercy of market forces. The primary work behind task centred practice is the identification of social systems, what they might be and what they do. Thus the properly qualified social worker needs a good deal of sociological knowledge with regard to things like class, gender, race and religion. He/she would also need to be aware of Parson’s work on social systems and socialisation because this gives an insight into the boundaries from which a service user may be operating (Payne, 1991). Once social workers are aware of social systems and how they operate then it is possible to be able to define any imbalances within a working relationship (Payne ibid). This last is a necessary part of anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, however, we shall see that task centred practice can be a two edged sword for the social worker. Payne’s (1991) systems analysis is essential to task centred practice because it provides the social worker with a conceptual basis to start breaking a problem and its solution into manageable pieces.Task centred practice is based on the idea that people learn by doing and that when they have a success this then improves their performance (Hanvey, 1994). Task centred theory is further premised on the view that tasks are a series of steps that a professional would take in order to help a service user achieve a goal. This goal would need to take into account the rights and responsibilities of others as well as those of the service user. There are three key parts of task centred practice the first part of this process focuses on the problem or situation that the social worker is faced with, for example a young mother who has been hospitalised with mental health problems and now wishes to look after her child herself. In this situation the social worker would have to break the problem down for example what might the risks to the child be if it was left unsupervised with a mother from a difficult client group? The social worker would begin by looking at the whole picture and then focus on particular aspects of the situation that could be problematic. Added to this as the social worker investigates the problem further he/she may find the shape and scope of the problem changing (Hanvey, ibid). Thus the social worker has to establish certain parameters e.g. the urgency of the problem and the chances of failure or success as well as any support the service user may have. In the case of a young mother with mental health iss ues for example the following problem might occur: If the social worker needs to make a visit and the service user refuses to allow entry this could cause problems with regards to any future assessment, something which is required by the legal framework. According to the terms of the Community Care Act of 1990 (circular LAC (92) 12, any needs assessment would have to take into account that persons current living situation, any help or support from friends and relatives and what she herself hopes to gain from the assessment. Because of mental health needs this client would be entitled to a specific type of assessment.[2] A task centred approach involves looking at what the service user wants (in this case to have parental rights and control of her child), what the problems might be. If an earlier assessment has shown that family and friends would be able to offer little in the way of help and a young child is involved then the social worker has a duty to search for alternatives. If the mother’s care of the child is erratic and she is posing a problem for other people around then it would be the social worker’s duty to call in the medical officer of health who then has to obtain an order from the magistrates’ court. This would allow the social worker to gain entry and to assess the situation and the needs of the child, however, this could bring the social worker into a value conflict situation (this, I think is one of the problems with the task centred approach). Task centred social work means that once the social worker has defined the problem and the hoped for outcome, he/she then has to decide whether the outcome is really attainable and what the consequences might be if it were achieved. With the imagined scenario used here achieving what the client wants could involve the social worker in a variety of problematic situations. Ethically speaking the interests of the service user should take priority. However the social worker has a duty to bear in mind the BASW guidelines on ethical practice, Boulton (2003) has said of this: In exceptional circumstances where the priority of the service users interest is outweighed by the need to protect others or by legal requirements, make service users aware that their interests may be overridden (Boulton, 2003 p.10).[3] Where it has been estimated that a child may be at risk then a social worker has a duty of care under the 1989 Children’s Act. At the same time there is a requirement to act within a framework that is informed by the Human Rights Act of 1998 and the rights of the mother have to be taken into consideration. There is a dilemma here for the social worker because a wrong decision could result in harm occasioned either to the child or to the mother as a result of her own actions. In such circumstances a social worker is bound to make an assessment of risk, and also probable harm. If harm is occasioned then the social worker could be held to account. The (system we are in now is almost ready to treat every death as chargeable to someone’s account, every accident as caused by someone’s criminal negligence, every sickness a threatened prosecution. Whose fault? Is the first question (Douglas, 1992:15-16).[4] Clearly this situation needs a multi-agency approach including the social worker, his/her immediate superior, someone from the child protection scheme, the mother’s GP, the health visitor and the mother. Putting the child on the child protection register with regular reviews may help alleviate the situation and is in line with the requirements of the 1989 Children’s Act. This could therefore become a case where the service user’s rights will be overridden because the primary duty is to the child. This is where a social worker would be faced with a conflict of ethics and values which may lead to a practice situation where, as a practitioner, the social worker cannot be right. The final part of a task centred approach is to define just how long a social worker can give to a particular case and this is almost impossible to define, particularly in the imagined scenario above. A case like this could go on for years with different levels of professional involvement. Conclusion Task centred theory, I believe is a good starting point for social workers as it provides some sort of framework for dealing with some of the problems service users may present. While the theory is meant to support anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, this relies on a thorough understanding of social systems and how they operate. On the other hand there are some situations where a social worker has to weigh the needs of one person against another and this can result in apparent oppression and neglect of a service user’s human rights. The fact of the matter is that there will always be cases where someone is the loser and this is a sad fact of social work experience. Bibliography http://www.gscc.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/30BC32F2-20B2-4D90-ABAB-3666D5BB44EB/0/Rolesandtasksconsultationpaper.pdf accessed 31st March 2007 Boulton, J 2003 Code of Ethics for Social Work available at http://www.basw.co.uk/articles.php?articleId=2page=14 Hanvey, C and Philpot, T. 1994 Practicing Social Work New York, Routledge Kemshall, 2002 Kemshall, H. 2002. Risk, Social Policy and Welfare Buckingham, Open University Press p.9 Payne, M. 1991 Modern Social Work Theory. A Critical Introduction, London: Macmillan. The Care Programme Approach Policy: towards integrated care programme approach and care management (2000) South London and Maudsley NHS Trust 1 [1] http://www.gscc.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/30BC32F2-20B2-4D90-ABAB-3666D5BB44EB/0/Rolesandtasksconsultationpaper.pdf accessed 31st March 2007 [2] The Care Programme Approach Policy: towards integrated care programme approach and care management (2000) South London and Maudsley NHS Trust [3] Boulton, J 2003 Code of Ethics for Social Work available at http://www.basw.co.uk/articles.php?articleId=2page=14 [4] Quoted in Kemshall, 2002 Kemshall, H. 2002. Risk, Social Policy and Welfare Buckingham, Open University Press p.9

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Ben Mikaelsen’s Countdown :: Mikaelsen Countdown Essays

An Essay on Ben Mikaelsen’s Countdown      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Countdown is a book written by Ben Mikaelsen and was first published in 1996.   It has a total of 248 pages and published by the Hyperion Books for Children company.   This book is mainly about sending the first teenager in space.   And it is also about finding how a young coward becomes a village warrior.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This story takes place in Big Timber, Montana and in Kenya, Africa.   The setting starts off in winter and fourteen-year-old Elliott Schroeder is busy working around his family farm.   On the news, NASA announces the first Junior Astronaut program and youth all around the country will get a chance to become the first teen in space.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meanwhile, in Kenya, Africa, a young fourteen year old Masai, Vincent Ole Tome returns from tending to his family farm also.   Vincent was no ordinary boy either, his father had sent him to the â€Å"wood school† which is similar to regular school in America.   With the education he had received, many boys disliked him and named him a coward for not working as hard in the family farms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Getting back to Elliott, many things occurred since the announcement of the Junior Astronaut program.   Elliott is chosen to become to first teenager in space and begins his nine month training along with his alternate, Mandy Jane Harris.   This was it, the only chance that Elliott Andrew Schroeder was going to become a national hero and the only thing in his way was Mandy.   Because of that he developed a disliking towards her which almost costed them their privilege to go to space.   Then Elliott realized that his disliking had to reasonable justification and they became the best of friends for the last four months of training.   Then the day came, when Elliott was really going to become the first teen in space and his only duty was to speak to anyone on earth throughout NASA’s space mission.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While all of this was happening in America, in Kenya, Africa, Vincent is now being tested by the elders of his village along with all other young Masai boys to find who is the bravest of them to become a warrior.   Leboo, a not so close friend of Vincent, tries to tear Vincent’s spirits down by naming him a coward.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Ismene And Haimon of Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Antigone Ismene And Haimon Antigone, the character, is a tragic hero because we care about her. Ismene and Haimon help us care about Antigone by making her feel worthy of loving. And with out this her plan to bury her brother seems irrelevant to the reader because we can care less about her. Ismene, although weak and timid, is in the story to illustrate that Antigone is capable of being loved. "We are only women, We cannot fight with men, Antigone" (Sophocles 881). Another reason Ismene is incorporated to Antigone is to show exactly strong-willed Antigone is. Haimon is there to show that Antigone has a life and a future outside her purpose. What else Haimon brings to the story is he makes Creon look like a fool, but more importantly he validates Antigones cause. So without Antigone having to live for she would have nothing to lose, therefore, her death would not be tragic. The prologue juxtaposes the differences in character between Antigone and Ismene. Ismene works of what is sensible, while Antigone uses more emotion. "Antigone: He is my brother. And he is your brother, too. (Talking about burying Polyneices). Ismene: But think of the danger! Think what Creon will do" (Sophocles 881). In this part of the play we really see how strong Antigone is by witnessing just how feeble Ismene is. "Another example of this is when Antigone is talking to Ismene saying she is going to bury Polyneices no matter what. Ismene replies that you can't. Antigone then says well I will until my strength gives out" (Sophocles 882). Not only is Ismene weak but it she is also a law a biding citizen. In scene two Ismene shows the viewers that she is still weak, but also that Antigone is a hero because heroes must be loved. And this is where we find that at least one person does. "But how could I go on living without her" (Sophocles 892)? Here the viewer also finds out that Isme ne has good intention toward her sister, its just hard for her to show them. Likewise in the beginning of scene three Haimon will not do anything to hurt his father Creon. "I am your son, father. You are my guide. You make things clear for me, and I obey you" (Sophocles 893). This quickly changes though. Haimon now is fed up with all the bad talk about Antigone and is also in a way speaking for the people.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Lab 2.6.2: Using Wireshark

Lab 2. 6. 2: Using Wiresharkâ„ ¢ to View Protocol Data Units Learning Objectives †¢ Be able to explain the purpose of a protocol analyzer (Wireshark). †¢ Be able to perform basic PDU capture using Wireshark. †¢ Be able to perform basic PDU analysis on straightforward network data traffic. †¢ Experiment with Wireshark features and options such as PDU capture and display filtering. Background Wireshark is a software protocol analyzer, or â€Å"packet sniffer† application, used for network troubleshooting, analysis, software and protocol development, and education. Before June 2006, Wireshark was known as Ethereal.A packet sniffer (also known as a network analyzer or protocol analyzer) is computer software that can intercept and log data traffic passing over a data network. As data streams travel back and forth over the network, the sniffer â€Å"captures† each protocol data unit (PDU) and can decode and analyze its content according to the appropria te RFC or other specifications. Wireshark is programmed to recognize the structure of different network protocols. This enables it to display the encapsulation and individual fields of a PDU and interpret their meaning.It is a useful tool for anyone working with networks and can be used with most labs in the CCNA courses for data analysis and troubleshooting. For information and to download the program go to – http://www. Wireshark. org Scenario To capture PDUs the computer on which Wireshark is installed must have a working connection to the network and Wireshark must be running before any data can be captured. When Wireshark is launched, the screen below is displayed. [pic] To start data capture it is first necessary to go to the Capture menu and select the Options choice.The Options dialog provides a range of settings and filters which determines which and how much data traffic is captured. [pic] First, it is necessary to ensure that Wireshark is set to monitor the correct interface. From the Interface drop down list, select the network adapter in use. Typically, for a computer this will be the connected Ethernet Adapter. Then other Options can be set. Among those available in Capture Options, the two highlighted below are worth examination. [pic] Setting Wireshark to capture packets in promiscuous modeIf this feature is NOT checked, only PDUs destined for this computer will be captured. If this feature is checked, all PDUs destined for this computer AND all those detected by the computer NIC on the same network segment (i. e. , those that â€Å"pass by† the NIC but are not destined for the computer) are captured. Note: The capturing of these other PDUs depends on the intermediary device connecting the end device computers on this network. As you use different intermediary devices (hubs, switches, routers) throughout these courses, you will experience the different Wireshark results.Setting Wireshark for network name resolution This option all ows you to control whether or not Wireshark translates network addresses found in PDUs into names. Although this is a useful feature, the name resolution process may add extra PDUs to your captured data perhaps distorting the analysis. There are also a number of other capture filtering and process settings available. Clicking on the Start button starts the data capture process and a message box displays the progress of this process. [pic] As data PDUs are captured, the types and number are indicated in the message box pic][pic] The examples above show the capture of a ping process and then accessing a web page. When the Stop button is clicked, the capture process is terminated and the main screen is displayed. This main display window of Wireshark has three panes. [pic] The PDU (or Packet) List Pane at the top of the diagram displays a summary of each packet captured. By clicking on packets in this pane, you control what is displayed in the other two panes. The PDU (or Packet) Detai ls Pane in the middle of the diagram displays the packet selected in the Packet List Pane in more detail.The PDU (or Packet) Bytes Pane at the bottom of the diagram displays the actual data (in hexadecimal form representing the actual binary) from the packet selected in the Packet List Pane, and highlights the field selected in the Packet Details Pane. Each line in the Packet List corresponds to one PDU or packet of the captured data. If you select a line in this pane, more details will be displayed in the â€Å"Packet Details† and â€Å"Packet Bytes† panes. The example above shows the PDUs captured when the ping utility was used and http://www. Wireshark. org was accessed. Packet number 1 is selected in this pane.The Packet Details pane shows the current packet (selected in the â€Å"Packet List† pane) in a more detailed form. This pane shows the protocols and protocol fields of the selected packet. The protocols and fields of the packet are displayed using a t ree, which can be expanded and collapsed. The Packet Bytes pane shows the data of the current packet (selected in the â€Å"Packet List† pane) in what is known as â€Å"hexdump† style. In this lab, this pane will not be examined in detail. However, when a more in-depth analysis is required this displayed information is useful for examining the binary values and content of PDUs.The information captured for the data PDUs can be saved in a file. This file can then be opened in Wireshark for analysis some time in the future without the need to re-capture the same data traffic again. The information displayed when a capture file is opened is the same as the original capture. When closing a data capture screen or exiting Wireshark you are prompted to save the captured PDUs. [pic] Clicking on Continue without Saving closes the file or exits Wireshark without saving the displayed captured data. Task 1: Ping PDU CaptureStep 1: After ensuring that the standard lab topology and c onfiguration is correct, launch Wireshark on a computer in a lab pod. Set the Capture Options as described above in the overview and start the capture process. From the command line of the computer, ping the IP address of another network connected and powered on end device on in the lab topology. In this case, ping the Eagle Server at using the command ping 192. 168. 254. 254. After receiving the successful replies to the ping in the command line window, stop the packet capture. Step 2: Examine the Packet List pane.The Packet List pane on Wireshark should now look something like this: [pic] Look at the packets listed above; we are interested in packet numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 and 15. Locate the equivalent packets on the packet list on your computer. If you performed Step 1A above match the messages displayed in the command line window when the ping was issued with the six packets captured by Wireshark. From the Wireshark Packet List answer the following: What protocol is used by ping? _icmp_____________________________ What is the full protocol name? _____________________________ What are the names of the two ping messages? __echo ping requet, echo ping reply _____________________________________________________________________ Are the listed source and destination IP addresses what you expected? Yes / No Why? _no. frst time using wireshark. Results are amazing______________________ Step 3: Select (highlight) the first echo request packet on the list with the mouse. The Packet Detail pane will now display something similar to: [pic] Click on each of the four â€Å"+† to expand the information.The packet Detail Pane will now be similar to: [pic] As you can see, the details for each section and protocol can be expanded further. Spend some time scrolling through this information. At this stage of the course, you may not fully understand the information displayed but make a note of the information you do recognize. Locate the two different types of â €˜Source† and â€Å"Destination†. Why are there two types? __________________________________________________________________ What protocols are in the Ethernet frame? ____________________________________________________________As you select a line in the Packets Detail pane all or part of the information in the Packet Bytes pane also becomes highlighted. For example, if the second line (+ Ethernet II) is highlighted in the Details pane the Bytes pane now highlights the corresponding values. [pic] This shows the particular binary values that represent that information in the PDU. At this stage of the course, it is not necessary to understand this information in detail. Step 4: Go to the File menu and select Close. Click on Continue without Saving when this message box appears. [pic]Task 2: FTP PDU Capture Step 1: Start packet capture. Assuming Wireshark is still running from the previous steps, start packet capture by clicking on the Start option on the Capture menu of Wireshark. At the command line on your computer running Wireshark, enter ftp 192. 168. 254. 254 When the connection is established, enter anonymous as the user without a password. Userid: anonymous Password: You may alternatively use login with userid cisco and with password cisco. When successfully logged in enter get /pub/eagle_labs/eagle1/chapter1/gaim-1. 5. 0. exe and press the enter key .This will start downloading the file from the ftp server. The output will look similar to: C:Documents and Settingsccna1>ftp eagle-server. example. com Connected to eagle-server. example. com. 220 Welcome to the eagle-server FTP service. User (eagle-server. example. com:(none)): anonymous 331 Please specify the password. Password: 230 Login successful. ftp> get /pub/eagle_labs/eagle1/chapter1/gaim-1. 5. 0. exe 200 PORT command successful. Consider using PASV. 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for pub/eagle_labs/eagle1/chapter1/gaim-1. 5. 0. exe (6967072 bytes). 26 File send OK. ftp: 69 67072 bytes received in 0. 59Seconds 11729. 08Kbytes/sec. When the file download is complete enter quit ftp> quit 221 Goodbye. C:Documents and Settingsccna1> When the file has successfully downloaded, stop the PDU capture in Wireshark. Step 2: Increase the size of the Wireshark Packet List pane and scroll through the PDUs listed. Locate and note those PDUs associated with the file download. These will be the PDUs from the Layer 4 protocol TCP and the Layer 7 protocol FTP. Identify the three groups of PDUs associated with the file transfer.If you performed the step above, match the packets with the messages and prompts in the FTP command line window. The first group is associated with the â€Å"connection† phase and logging into the server. List examples of messages exchanged in this phase. ___________________________________________________________________ Locate and list examples of messages exchanged in the second phase that is the actual download request and the data trans fer. __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________The third group of PDUs relate to logging out and â€Å"breaking the connection†. List examples of messages exchanged during this process. __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Locate recurring TCP exchanges throughout the FTP process. What feature of TCP does this indicate? ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Step 3: Examine Packet Details. Select (highlight) a packet on the list associated with the first phase of the FTP process.View the packet details in the Details pane. What are the protocols encapsulated in the frame? ___________________________________________________________________ Highlight the packets containing the user name and passw ord. Examine the highlighted portion in the Packet Byte pane. What does this say about the security of this FTP login process? ___________________________________________________________________ Highlight a packet associated with the second phase. From any pane, locate the packet containing the file name. The filename is: ______________________________Highlight a packet containing the actual file content – note the plain text visible in the Byte pane. Highlight and examine, in the Details and Byte panes, some packets exchanged in the third phase of the file download. What features distinguish the content of these packets? ___________________________________________________________________ When finished, close the Wireshark file and continue without saving Task 3: HTTP PDU Capture Step 1: Start packet capture. Assuming Wireshark is still running from the previous steps, start packet capture by clicking on the Start option on the Capture menu of Wireshark.Note: Capture Options do not have to be set if continuing from previous steps of this lab. Launch a web browser on the computer that is running Wireshark. Enter the URL of the Eagle Server of example. com or enter the IP address-192. 168. 254. 254. When the webpage has fully downloaded, stop the Wireshark packet capture. Step 2: Increase the size of the Wireshark Packet List pane and scroll through the PDUs listed. Locate and identify the TCP and HTTP packets associated with the webpage download. Note the similarity between this message exchange and the FTP exchange.Step 3: In the Packet List pane, highlight an HTTP packet that has the notation â€Å"(text/html)† in the Info column. In the Packet Detail pane click on the â€Å"+† next to â€Å"Line-based text data: html† When this information expands what is displayed? ___________________________________________________________________ Examine the highlighted portion of the Byte Panel. This shows the HTML data carried by the packet. When finished close the Wireshark file and continue without saving Task 4: Reflection Consider the encapsulation information pertaining to captured network data Wireshark can provide.Relate this to the OSI and TCP/IP layer models. It is important that you can recognize and link both the protocols represented and the protocol layer and encapsulation types of the models with the information provided by Wireshark. Task 5: Challenge Discuss how you could use a protocol analyzer such as Wireshark to: (1)Troubleshoot the failure of a webpage to download successfully to a browser on a computer. and (2)Identify data traffic on a network that is requested by users. _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________ ________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Task 6: Cleanup Unless instructed otherwise by your instructor, exit Wireshark and properly shutdown the computer. ———————– Packet List Pane Packet Details Pane Packets Bytes Pane