Category: Uncategorized

Identification of target population 

Population of 5,206 inhabitants, 1,649 of whom are under the age of 18 and 461 of whom are over 65. Hispanics made up 60.5 percent of the population in the year 2000.

Who is most impacted by poverty in Hartford CT

Most of the households in the community and most college students

3) Is poverty accepted by those impacted?

Poverty is never accepted by those impacted (most of the households) they mostly depend on Agriculture but in winter season, they live in low-income housing in the city.

4) What else have you learned or know about the population?

Estimated median household income is $24,864 and 72% of families are living in poverty in this neighborhood. Unemployment rate is 61.5%. There is a total of 1,940 of housing units, 1,437 of those are renter-occupied housing units. 340 are owner-occupied housing units and 64.5% of these structures were built before 1950. Which explains why the houses seem to be in poor conditions.

5. Based on national data what population is most at risk for poverty?

Between 2007 and 2010, the STD Control Program of the Connecticut Department of Public Health recorded 7,768 cases of chlamydia in Hartford, nearly 1.5 times the state’s second-highest chlamydia outbreak. Gonorrhea is STI’s second most popular. Between 2007 and 2010, Hartford accounted for almost 20% of all state gonorrhea cases. In 2009, Parkville Health Department reported 55 Chlamydia and 14 Gonorrhea infections

6. What neighborhood has the highest number of poverty?

Windham and New London counties, $33,000 in New Haven County, $34,000 in Fairfield County, $36,000 in Litchfield and Middlesex counties and $37,000 in Tolland County.

Poor outcomes in parts of Upper Albany don’t surprise Amber Elliott, a community organizer who works to improve conditions in one of the state’s poorest areas, North Hartford.

7. What crimes are associated by poverty?

Total crimes against persons in 2011 was 69 while total crimes against property in 2011 are 641. However most crimes are not reported due to fear of law enforcement officers. The vulnerable are more than twice more likely to fear burglary and rape about three times more likely to fear bombings, theft and car abuse. This worry is legitimate, as there are three and a half times as many offenders living in the 20 percent most deprived districts as in the 20 percent least poor ones. Transportation, % household with more than one vehicle 2,442 and the average commute time is 28+ minutes.

8. What is the highest number in recovering poverty?

Connecticut’s poverty rate in 2018 was 10.4 percent, up from 9.6 percent in 2017, according to the American Community Survey’s. There were 361,377 people in Connecticut living in poverty, up from 334,128. The most recent building in Hartford’s unremarkable, undisputed city center was completed 13 years ago according to Bill Farley, President of Connecticut’s CB Richard.

For the first time in decades, the Adriaen Landing, a major downtown development, is expected to rebound. Nobody, even Gov. John G. Rowland, the most enthusiastic proponent of the effort, believes it will be enough to get Hartford back to existence.

9. What services are provided for families and individuals that are facing poverty?

Poverty, an unhealthy diet that leads to obesity, STIs, housing quality, neighborhood safety, and education are the main issues wreaking havoc in Hartford. Another question that could arise is that many non-English speakers pose a barrier to access to all kinds of health-promoting opportunities

10. Is the state of CT providing those in poverty with medical attention or care?

Any health figure outstanding from the 2005-2007 census: Hartford’s heart disease is 24.2% compared to 25.6% for CT and 25.4% for U.S. Diabetes concentrations are 3.4% higher in Hartford, CT 2.6%, and U.S. 3.1%. Septicemia in Hartford is 2.6%, CT 2.1%, and U.S. 1.4%. Strokes in Hartford 4.8%, CT 5.2, U.S 5.5% (Health, 2016). Living in poverty is related to higher mortality rates from obesity, diabetes, hypertension, opioid and alcohol, sexually transmitted illnesses, mental wellbeing, and infectious and parasitic diseases.

Between 2007 and 2010, the STD Control Program of the Connecticut Department of Public Health recorded 7,768 cases of chlamydia in Hartford, nearly 1.5 times the state’s second-highest chlamydia outbreak. Gonorrhea is STI’s second most popular. Between 2007 and 2010, Hartford accounted for almost 20% of all state gonorrhea cases. In 2009, Parkville Health Department reported 55 Chlamydia and 14 Gonorrhea infections.

11. Is the state of CT helping those in poverty with mental illnesses or disabilities? And how?

America is one of the best known organizations for advocating globally for eliminating injustices concerning poverty, hunger, and social issues. Combined with their expertise on these issues, they are able many times to garner the voice needed to affect real change concerning hunger. An intentional community of people dedicated to serve the hungry and poor, St. Andrew’s works

12. Is there any organization in CT that help people in poverty look for jobs or are helping them financially? And how?

Food Banks and Anti-Hunger Groups all of these groups are now working to sensitize those seeking to alleviate poverty and hunger and provide services to those in need. End Hunger Connecticut is designed to end hunger among the people of the state.

For many, locating a food pantry in which to receive aid is the hardest part when trying to support a struggling family. Food Pantries makes it easy to locate different resources across the country. Children’s Hunger Alliance directly feeds children nutritious and healthy meal options that ensures the reinforcement of a healthy lifestyle that many low-income children do not have access to Oxfam

to feed the community several ways. They gather and distribute fresh crops, as well as harvest potatoes and produce – these donations to the community can make the lives of the under privileged much easier.

13. Name a couple of organizations that provide care in the community in CT

End Hunger CT! Inc. is a statewide anti-hunger and food security, advocacy organization dedicated to ending hunger and promoting healthy nutrition in Connecticut. Goals include raising awareness of hunger in the state of Connecticut, promoting access to federal nutrition assistance programs and speaking out to eliminate the root causes of hunger.

WIC is a federally-funded food and nutrition education program for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and their children up to the age of five. WIC provides nutrition information and healthy food such as, eggs, milk, beans, cheese, juice, cereal, peanut butter and infant formula. Information on breastfeeding and healthy eating are provided as well as Farmers’ Market coupons for designated months. Administered by the Department of Public Health (DPH), WIC is designed as a preventive health measure for its participants.

14. Name atleast two or three groups that support, prevent or reduce poverty in Hartford CT

Any of these projects are non-open, ensuring only a certain amount of money is spent every year. A few examples of open-and-ended and entitlement programmes which use poverty criteria for determining eligibility are the supplementary nutrition assistance (formerly Food Stamps), the national School lunch pro grammer, certain portions of Medicaid and the subsidized Medicare part.

Some state and local governments have agreed to comply with federal poverty requirements with some of their own programs and activities. Two examples are financial conditions to comply with child care and the determination of civil indigence for judicial purposes. Many private corporations (for example, utilities, cable providers and pharmaceutical companies) and other entities use the criteria to decide who qualifies for low-income benefits.

15. Name two groups that would benefit from poverty in the community and wouldn’t want it to stop? 

The youth and parents with benefit as this will stop vices such as stealing and all other vices related with poverty.

16. Name at least two poverty prevention programs that HAVE proven to word on reducing and preventing poverty in the community of Hartford CT? and explain how? 

Most people who live in those areas lack education, lack role models, and lack motivation to better themselves. They accept their situation and live their life as best as they can (D.O, 2012). Education and motivation are important for people to get out of certain situations that life has thrown at them. It is solely up to you to better yourself and not to blame others for your situation.

Identity Theft in Cyber Crime

Name:

Professor

Institution

Course:

Date:

Introduction

Identity theft is an issue, which is often heard in most new channels, and it has affected quite a number of American individuals. The scope of this paper will cover the issue of identity theft in the United States as well as how congress is involved in this matter. Also, it will give an analytical research on this issue in aspects that deal with identity theft trends. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, identity theft is a crime that is fast growing. Furthermore, in an annual basis, there are around 700,000 American citizens affected by it. Identity theft is recognized as being a federal crime. It takes place when people unlawfully take and use other people’s personal identification. The latter includes using their account numbers, social security numbers, and even another person’s name. As a result, of the current economic downturn, those in charge of making polices are trying to find ways of reviving the American economic health. Moreover, identity theft seeks to threaten the country’s financial stability. There are many security and economic risks, which are associated with identity theft (Vaca, 2002).

This paper seeks to give a critical analysis concerning the issue on identity theft. Furthermore, it will examine the actions that congress is taking in order to solve this unlawful crime.

Critical analysis on the issue on Identity Theft in the United States

People should be aware that they are prone to become victims of identity theft at any time. There are many times when potential victims spend a lot of time in activities that encourage identity theft. These include fixing credit records, opening and closing accounts. In an attempt to clear one’s name, there are expenses, which are extremely high. Individuals have been known to lose their jobs, and others even being denied loans. In other scenarios, people have landed themselves in jail, as crimes were committed using a mistaken identity Research has found out that, on an annual basis, Americans who are victims of identity theft are growing fast in numbers. Internet expansion and increased globalization are responsible for the increase in cases concerning identity theft. In turn, it becomes difficult for law enforcers to apprehend and identity perpetrators of identity theft. Some of the perpetrators conduct their illegal activities from outside America. It is a fact that thieves who steal identities can either operate in a syndicate, or individually (Vaca, 2002). The criminal networks are always being investigated by the FBI, so that they capture the syndicate’s masterminds. For example, the FBI has been able to identity Boston as among the leading identity theft locations in America. Congress has given law enforcement agencies the power, which they need, in order to catch identity thieves. This is a step in achieving rewarding results, and to ensure that this matter comes to an end.

In the year 2007, the Red Flag Rule that focuses on Identity theft was established by congress. It demanded that financial institutions and creditors were to come up with preventive programs that focused on identity theft. Later on, congress formed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions in the year 2003. It had to keenly follow the Red Flag Guidelines, and work together with federal agencies that focus on banking. It meant that the financial institutions and creditors were to alert congress about any suspicious documents. Moreover, they were to identify suspicious addresses, identifiable information, warnings and notifications, derived from consumer reporting agencies. Unfortunately, the Red Flag Rule was met with resistance as the institutions and creditors were not prepared (Kim, 2012). This issue persisted until the year 2010, and Congress was blamed as it could not handle this matter. It is extremely uncertain on how identity theft will be impacted by the Red Flag Rule. Fortunately, financial institutions and creditors will be assisted as they will be cautious on any suspicious activities and security matters. The latter are some of the leading causes of identity theft cases in America. The Red Flag Rule advocates for identity theft cases to be prosecuted as well as be investigated. In turn, financial institutions and creditors will be identified by their specific red flags. Also, they will need to ensure that law enforcers and consumers are identified whenever there are any incidents of breach of data. This information will save many Americans from having their personal identifiable information from being stolen. It seems that early notification is a sure way of ensuring that damages and mitigation caused by identity theft is quickly reduced. It is indeed true that the Red Flag Rule introduced by congress is a measure to reduce cases of identity theft (Synovate, 2006).

Congress is constantly involved in acts, which will ensure that those found guilty of identity theft are punished. Also, it seeks to find ways of ensuring that people are deterred from engaging in any identity theft issues. President Obama has made developments in an attempt to address the issue on identity theft. He has made it clear on various occasions that identity theft will not be accepted by the government. Obama believes that when people steal other people’s identities, they are facilitating crime. Through punishing those who are guilty of committing identity theft crimes, other related crimes will be unfolded. Obama wants congress to expand the Theft Task Force as it is one sure way of handling identity theft. Furthermore, many other inclusions have been made by the task force concerning theft identity. The latter contain other crimes such as tax fraud, counterfeit securities and mail theft (Gary, 2012). Also, it should be known that the congress does not have sufficient evidence to claim that the mentioned crimes are indeed related to identity theft. If the list is expanded by congress, other parties such as investigative agencies and American attorneys have to be included. They should be able to show the relationship that exists between federal crimes and identity theft. This should take place by giving a detailed report on other predicated offenses that are not codified. Moreover, if congress decided to have the list expanded matters of importance, such as national security and economic health would be ignored. Many consumers have complained about an increase in cases that concern identity theft. In turn, many guilty individuals have been convicted and imprisoned as a result of complaints by the customers. The victims who are being affected by this vital issue are widening in scope as children are also being affected. Organizations are now becoming aware that they are targets for identity thieves. According to the Task Force, identity thieves are using a method known as ‘phishing’ in order to carry out their heinous acts. They trick individuals by claiming they are an organization, and thus an easy way for them to obtain individuals personal information. Congress has been urged by the Task Force to make their statutes on identity theft more clear. In turn, organizations and individuals will be protected by the laws set up by congress (The President’s Identity Theft Task Force, 2007).

Conclusion

In conclusion, identity theft is an issue of extreme importance and it cannot be ignored. Many people have lost valuable things in their lives to the ruthless identity thieves. In turn, congress has had to found a way of dealing with this issue before it escalates any further. Various task forces have been set up such as the Theft Task Force and the Red Flag Rule in order to combat this issue. The American public needs to be well informed in order to avoid being involved in the identity theft issue. Congress has shown that is has a role to play in ensuring that identity theft prevalence is reduced. Furthermore, centers and hotlines have been made available, so that the public reports about any identity theft issues. Also, more research is done to curb the problem on identity theft. Various stakeholders should participate in research and finding out how to get rid of this problem. If research is done in the appropriate manner, Americans will be saved from having their identities stolen. Indeed, identity theft is an issue that should be carefully considered as it is one that affects the American population significantly.

References

The President’s Identity Theft Task Force, Combating Identity Theft: A Strategic Plan, Apr. 23, 2007, 91-92.

Synovate, Federal Trade Commission: 2006 Identity Theft Survey Report, http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/11/SynovateFinalReportIDTheft2006.pdf.

Gary R. et al., Identity Fraud Trends and Patterns: Building a Data-Based Foundation for Proactive Enforcement, Center for Identity Management and Information Protection, Utica College,

Kim, R. 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report: Consumer Version, Javelin Strategy & Research, February 2012, HYPERLINK “http://www.javelinstrategy.com” http://www.javelinstrategy.com

Vaca, John. (2002). Identity Theft. New York: Prentice Hall.

IFSM 300 Final Assessment Exam

By my signature below, I confirm that the work contained here is my own, I have received no outside assistance and have properly cited and referenced any external research that has been incorporated in my answers. I have fully complied with UMUC’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism (Policy 150.25). Failure to properly credit your research sources is a violation of this policy.

________insert name _____________________________

(Typed signature represents actual signature)

Instructions:

Use the Case Study presented here to answer the questions below. Your answers should be long enough to answer each question fully and completely and typed the individual question. Use as much space as is needed. Your answers should demonstrate an understanding of the concept(s) should apply critical thinking and should provide analysis of the Case Study in light of the concepts(s). You should not just re-iterate what has been presented in class, but integrate the information and relate it to the Case Study. Proper APA style must be used for any citations and references that you use. Your Exam will be graded on the completeness and accuracy of your responses and whether you have appropriately tied your responses to the Case Study. Responses that do not mention the Case Study will receive very few points, if any. Each question is worth 10 points.

OLD DOMINION TRAIL BIKES

Case Study

In 1985 Ted Thomas took $6,000 of his savings, borrowed another $4,000 from his best friend, and opened a bike rental business in Vienna, VA, adjacent to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) that goes from Purcellville to Old Town Alexandria (45 Miles) and connects to the Mt Vernon Trail (18 Miles) and ends at George Washington’s Mt Vernon Estate. He rented a location, bought 10 bikes and opened his first store in Vienna near an entrance to the W&OD Trail, where there is also parking, and near the historic Vienna Inn and a number of food and drink establishments. He has since opened stores in Old Town Alexandria and Reston, VA, where he sells, rents and repairs bicycles. The Vienna store is now his anchor store, and at 5,000 square feet, it is three to five times larger than his other stores. Ted estimates he sells around 3,000 new bikes a year. Because of the high use of the W&OD trail, especially on weekends, he also provides tune up and maintenance services at all of his stores for the many riders from up and down the trail.

In 2012, Ted leased a store in the heart of D.C., near the Smithsonian Museums and other tourist attractions. He uses this store to rent bikes to tourists and residents of the city, and does some repairs to his rental bicycle inventory in the back of the shop.

Although he has always made money, or he would not be in business, Ted has seen a decline in bikes sales of about 20 percent since 2008. He attributes this to the downturn in the economy and the growth in Internet sales. However, his rental and tune up and repair business has increased dramatically. Over the past few years, he realized that he must be more aware of expenses and decrease them wherever practical in order to preserve profits.

Ted has thinks that the one of the most important factors is the weather, but has no data to support that thinking. On rainy days, there are few customers in the stores, while on sunny weekends all of his locations are extremely busy. From spring through fall, Ted keeps all his stores open seven days a week, while in the winter months he opens his stores on the weekend when the weather is good for riding. Through observation, Ted figures his highest sales occur in May, and that June and September are his best months for rentals. He also sells many bikes during the holiday season in December, but in January and February, he often wonders if he should close shop and go to Florida for a couple of months.

Old Dominion Trail Bikes grosses between $5 and $8 million annually and earns Ted a comfortable six-figure income. Each year, he leaves a considerable amount of cash in the business so that he does not have to borrow money. He sells a wide variety of bikes (from tricycles for toddlers to sophisticated racing bikes) and accessories such as helmets, speedometers, bike racks, repair kits, and clothing. Bicycle sales have decreased to account for 25 percent of revenues. Accessories such as helmets, bike racks, gloves, and locks amount to another 5 percent. Rentals make up about 35 percent, and repairs make up the remaining 35 percent.

In recent years, he has noted that customers are less likely to purchase the high-end road and triathlon bikes, and are purchasing bikes in the range of $400 to $1,000. The lower priced bikes are also easier to sell and to keep the cash flow moving.

Most of the rental business is concentrated in the D.C. store in downtown and the Alexandria store, due to the tourists and university students located near those stores. Ted is excited about rentals, as they have a huge profit margin. He can charge as much as $50 a day, which means the bikes pay for themselves after just a few rentals.

Ted’s expenses include the cost of goods such as new bikes and accessories, rent and payroll. He negotiates leases for all his locations except the Alexandria store, which he owns outright. Ted has 15 full-time employees and usually hires another 15 part-time employees during the busy months and weekends.

Until two years ago, he was spending about $30,000 a year on advertising in local papers. Now he uses a simple website and has links on many of the local biking trail sites to provide information about his various locations, and his advertising budget is close to zero.

In the late 1990s, Ted over-expanded to six stores, including a store in Purcellville, VA, and one in Bethesda, MD. The expansion necessitated a warehouse in Springfield, VA, the hiring of a general manager and considerable overhead expenses. In a subsequent cost-reduction effort, Ted closed the Bethesda store, gave up the warehouse and moved his inventory to the Vienna store, and let the general manager go. Now, he handles all the general management tasks himself, which affects the time that he has available to plan and develop strategies.

Ted further reduces his expenses by working in the Vienna store two days a week. Since he has only one staff person in some of his stores, he has to make special arrangements if that person does not come to work, or takes a day (or week) off.

He is trying to expand the bicycle repair work, especially on the weekends, so he will be able to increase revenue from this profitable aspect of his business. He needs to have repair capability at each store to maintain the rentals, prepare the new bikes for sale, and perform the periodic maintenance for the bikes that he has sold, as well as provide the breakdown repairs and adjustments for the riders on the Trail.

In an effort to increase profits, Ted tries to get good deals from his suppliers so he can realize a good margin on bike and accessory sales and repairs. He looks for situations where suppliers have more bikes in a line than they need and buys those bikes at a discount for rentals and low-end sales, while maintaining a rapport with high end suppliers so that he can offer his customers the best at reasonable prices. By doing so, he can sell bikes at a lower retail price with on-the-spot delivery while still realizing a nice profit.

Ted has no bank debt, and has long since repaid the $4,000 he borrowed from his friend to start the business. He feels that, because he has a diverse business strategy that addresses the many different aspects of the local bike business, he will do well in the many different economic climates as long as he is able to manage his varied business. He also feels that he is insulated from “substitutes” from the Electronic world, due to the rental and repair aspects of his business.

Questions:

List 3 strategic goals for Ted’s business and provide an explanation of each.

According to the passage the first strategy Ted has for his business is choosing appropriate locations for his businesses. The first location he chose to establish his bikes rental was a place in Vienna near the entrance to the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, which is highly used during the weekends. The place is also known to have parking, located adjacent to the historic Vienna Inn and has a couple of food and drink outlets. In addition to that, in 2012 he rented a store in the core of D.C next to the Smithsonian Museums and other tourist attraction sites. This means that he gets to rent his bikes to many tourists and university students near the stores. Secondly, Ted diversified his services and he has a wide variety of goods, which he has in his stores. Since he opened stores in Old Town Alexandria and Reston he ventured into selling, renting and repairing bicycles. He sells a wide variety of bikes ranging from tricycles for toddlers to sophisticated racing bikes. Additionally, he sells accessories such as helmets, bike racks, gloves and locks. Diversifying his business helps him realize good profits. Third, Ted enjoys economies of scale; he gets suitable deals from his suppliers, which enable him, realize good profits from the bikes, accessory sales and repairs. He buys goods from them in bulk, such that he is given discount; this enables him to offer his customers, bikes and accessories at the best prices. By so doing he is able to sell bikes at lower retail price and still realizing good profits.

Identify 5 specific types or categories of information that Ted needs to run his business and explain why they are important to him.

The categories of information that Ted needs to run his business include; the information that is obtained through the Internet, business profile entailing the kind of information that is readily available within the company. Industry and economic analysis sheds some light about the national economy, it enables Ted to know whether to hike or reduce the price of his bikes. Market research is another category it is an effort to gather information regarding target markets or customers. (Mort. D, 2012). Ted also needs to track weather information; during the spring and fall there was a lot of traffic in the bike shop. People seemed to like biking during those seasons so he kept his bike shop open for longer hours so that he could maximize his profits. In addition, the frequency of customers is essential. Ted opens up shops in areas that are frequented by bikers. This allows him to market to bikers and increases his profit potential. Lastly, supplier information is important. Ted strives to obtain good deals from his suppliers; he researches bike lines to determine the bikes that are not selling so he buys these bikes at discounted prices and sells the bikes to customers and still makes out with a decent profit. He also keeps a good relationship with suppliers of high-end bikes so that they sell him bikes great prices.

Identify and explain three business processes that Ted likely uses in his business and explain how a technology solution could help each one of them.

There are three type’s business processes that Ted uses in his business including; management processes, operational processes and supporting processes. Management processes entail the processes that oversee the running of his business; Ted being the manager of his business can apply some technological ways to make this more effective. For instance, in his website he can provide a place where customers can ask questions and get answers from others and using e-mails which helps improve customer service and respond to their needs more quickly (Atkinson C. Et al, 2010). Second, includes the operational processes, it constitutes the main business and creates the primary business stream like taking orders from customers. In Ted’s business, it could be possible that customers want to make orders for bikes to be taken at a later date. Efficiency of the operational processes can be solved by making use of software like customer relationship management software, which facilitates better management of customer needs and implementing data management and analytics, which entails making use of data collected from customers to analyze their tastes and preferences. In this case, it would be easier for Ted to know that people prefer cheaper bikes to expensive bikes. Third are the supporting processes, which support the core operations of the business. They may include accounting, technical support and call center. In Ted’s business, the people he has employed to help him run his several stores are the ones in this category. The technological solution in this situation is creating a company intranet. Such that when employees log in, the default page in this case is the company’s intranet. This way things work out more easily and communication becomes more efficient. Ted’s employees can get updates from fellow employees, read company updates and company’s calendar of events. From the intranet, if an employee wants a day off, can send a message automatically to the boss for approval without necessarily having to make phone calls (Schonthaler, F Et al, 2012).

Ted has a website with information about his stores. Identify and explain two additional ways Ted could use the Internet in his business. Tie each use to a specific e-commerce business model and explain how that model applies.

In addition to providing information about his stores in his website, Ted can use Internet in his business to purchase goods from his suppliers. He can also use Internet to sell bikes and accessories to his clients. Ted purchasing goods from his suppliers is a Business-to-Business Model (B2B). This entails larger companies that supplying a merchandise or service to other businesses. When Ted uses Internet to market his goods to customers this is termed as Business to Consumer Model (B2C). Any business that sells goods directly to its customers online falls under this category (Watson, D. 2013).

Explain to Ted what a supply chain management (SCM) system could do for his business and how it might improve his operations. Be sure to cover the full range of SCM functionality as it applies to Old Dominion Trail Bikes.

Supply chain management refers to the management of the flow of cash, flow of merchandise and flow of information externally and internally of a group or companies that share the same value chain. It majorly entails the movement and storage of materials in their raw form, finished goods from their point of origin to the point of consumption and information that facilitates these activities like orders or picking lists. In the case of Old Dominion Trail Bikes, the supply chain is short since Ted gets his goods directly from his suppliers. This shortens the procurement process since there are no intermediaries hence minimizing the cost. Moreover, it is possible to get direct feedback from his customers thus knowing what he should improve (Luther, K. 2010). 

How could Ted combine the information he gets from in-store customers with those who purchase via the website into a single Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and what three benefits would he gain from doing so?

The Customer Relationship Management is a means by which organizations are able to open up communications channels between the company and its customers, both current and future. It is a way of getting feedback from the customers and a way of giving information to the customers. Ted can compile the feedback he gets from his in-store customers and the ones who shop online and put it in a single Customer Relationship Management (CRM). First, compiling the views of his customers will have some benefits like helping Ted manage his business by enabling him to identify his target audience and aids in channeling marketing efforts consequently reducing cost of acquiring customers. CRM will enable Ted as the manager to analyze customer service satisfaction. It will provide Ted with information to take into consideration his customers tastes and preferences when making business decisions. CRM will provide Old Dominion Trail Bikes with competitive advantage, since the firm can operate more efficiently and draw more customer insight (Baran, R. J Et al, 2010). It can also be used as an evaluation of sales to pinpoint the products that are being sold fast.

Ted would like to increase repair work and rentals as they are the highest profit aspects of his business and the Internet is not a competitor. What are three specific ways he could use technology to accomplish this?

Ted can use technology to make a remarkable increase in his repair work and rentals profits; to start with Ted can make use of accounting software, which is important since it will allow Ted to see his profits and losses at a glance. It can also help Ted maintain a budget for his business. Old Dominion Trail Bikes can also adopt a time tracking software that will enable Ted as the manager to know what tasks result in reasonable profits and the ones that do not. It will help him decide what tasks need to be improved and what needs to be phased out. Finally, utilizing social media to increase marketing of the repair work and products offered is a good practice. Facebook, twitter and Instagram would be great platforms since a lot of college student and tourists use social media.

Monitor customer preventive maintenance and repair work and offer special maintenance programs and rates to previous customers. Ted is not sure if he should implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution. Identify and explain three benefits to an ERP for Old Dominion Trail Bikes. Identify and explain two important considerations in implementing an ERP.

Benefits for the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in Old Dominion Trail Bikes include helping collect, distribute and manage information across the several stores owned by Ted. This result into high productivity and low costs that will help improve customer service, increase sales and lead to realization of good profits. Second, analysis and simulation abilities can help Ted plan in a better way, react faster and with effectiveness to changes in demand and competition actions. In this case having an ERP will enable Ted to know that cheaper bikes draw more income than the expensive bikes. Moreover, modern ERP systems enable users to have improved tracking of incoming merchandise and the sales made, to make visibility and control manageable. In accordance to this, it is easy for Ted to keep records of what was bought and sold. When implementing the ERP strategy, Ted must consider several factors including implementation costs and process efficiency. Considering the implementation costs and time taken for implementation, it should be relatively cheap and not time consuming. Ted should choose an industry-specific preconfigured type of solution. Since the customization hassle is catered for like specific components are already pre-build. Further, bringing into light the process efficiency, effective business processes, based on an industry’s practice, it is of vital importance to ensure that process efficiencies are achieved so as to get the positive result for implementing ERP (Hossain, L. Et al, 2012).

If Ted implements an ERP for Old Dominion Trail Bikes, he will need to know whether the project was a success. List and explain three metrics (or measures) he can use to determine whether the project was a success.

In order for Ted to determine whether the project is a failure or a success there are some metrics that are used for determination. This includes; product success, its main purpose is to measure the success of delivering the product in full accordance with the project’s plan that includes scope, performance requirements, and functionality. If the feedback from the end users, which is the customers, is positive and they enjoy the services provided then the ERP was a success.

Also, the project management success should be evaluated. This determines if the project was successfully managed in harmony with the project management plan. The staff is the user of the ERP, so if they have accepted and adapted to the ERP it means that the training and implementation was right. Finally the objective outcome is a dimension that is specific to evaluate if the project’s outcome resulted in delivering the expected benefits, which were developed and geared the launch of the project. Employees need to report that the workload has not yet reduced but has made it easier to perform the functions of their job.

Since neither Ted nor anyone on his staff has any experience with information technology, list and explain five things he should consider or address as he proceeds with his IT projects.

When evolving technologically, Old Dominion Trail Bikes should consider some factors like cost, effectiveness, timeline and deadlines, available technological resources and level of maintenance costs. First, Ted should consider hiring an IT contractor to help with the implementation of the project since neither he nor any of his staff has any IT experience. Ted should consider the resources that the projects are taking up. The benefit of applying any project should outweigh the cost of implementing the project. They must be cost friendly and worth the while. Considering timelines and deadlines in Ted’s case, he may decide that he wants everything done by the time summer comes around to help him in his operations. Staff and customers should be able to easily understand this project and work with it. Availability of technological resources like databases, servers and hosting is a consideration too; when the mentioned are already present it makes it easy to make use of technology. The level of support needed after launch is a worry. Maintenance costs should be as little as possible (Kendrick, T. 2009). Lastly, the projects should comply with any local laws to make sure that there are no potential problems that may cause delays.

References

Atkinson, C., & Draheim, D. (2010). Business process technology: A unified view on business processes, Workflows and enterprise applications. : Springer Science & Business Media.

Baran, R. J., Galka, R. J., &Strunk, D. P. (2010). Principles of customer relationship management, Australia, Cengage Learning

Hossain, L., Patrick, J. D., & Rashid, M. A. (2012). Enterprise resource planning: Global opportunities and challenges, IGI Global.

Kendrick, T. (2009). Identifying and managing project risk: Essential tools for Failure-Proofing your project New York,: AMACOM Division American Management Assn.

Luther, K. (2010). Supply chain management: Issues in the new era of collaboration and competition. , IGI Global.

Mort, D. (2012). Business information handbook 2012, Berlin: Walter De Gruyter

Schonthaler, F., Vossen, G., Oberweis, A., & Karle, T. (2012). Business processes for business communities: Modeling languages, methods, tools: Springer Science & Business Media.

Watson, D. (2013). Business models: Investing in companies and sectors with strong competitive advantage: Harriman House Limited.

Table of Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u 1.0Introduction PAGEREF _Toc25936256 h 12.0Methodology PAGEREF _Toc25936257 h 22.1Research Methodology PAGEREF _Toc25936258 h 22.2Research Method PAGEREF _Toc25936259 h 22.3Methods and Procedure for Data Collection PAGEREF _Toc25936260 h 32.4Steps for Data Analysis PAGEREF _Toc25936261 h 43.0Findings and Deliberations PAGEREF _Toc25936262 h 5Table 1:Findings from the Research PAGEREF _Toc25936263 h 53.1 First Strategy PAGEREF _Toc25936264 h 53.2 Second Strategy PAGEREF _Toc25936265 h 73.3 Third Strategy PAGEREF _Toc25936266 h 84.0Summarization and Suggestions PAGEREF _Toc25936267 h 84.1Conclusive Summary and Suggestions PAGEREF _Toc25936268 h 94.2Proposals for Additional Studies PAGEREF _Toc25936269 h 9

1.0Introduction 

As multinational corporations explore more market niches to increase their market shares, the Swedish clothing retail called Hennes & Mauritz, popularly known as H&M, is not lagging behind. Since its establishment in 1947, H&M has grown immensely and is currently the globe’s second-largest apparel retailer relying on over 132,000 employees who run more than 4,500 stores in over 62 countries across the world. The company deals with fast-fashion apparel for virtually all people including kids, teenagers, women and men (Mo, 2015). As part of its expansion processes, H&M entered the New Zealand market in 2016 and is now operating with over five stores across the country.

H&M realized a significant decline in its profits for the year ending November 30, 2019, due to specific reasons which could entail its substantial investments in logistic operations and acquisition of digital technology (Abaño, 2019). The company made such massive investments to ensure speedy deliveries, upgraded mobile apps amongst other related processes with the aim of improving product selection and shopping experience for its clients. Although the decline in profits is based on company-wide operations and gains, H&M’s revenue from the New Zealand market could have contributed significantly due to the absence of online sales operations. Since the company is yet to establish a website for New Zealand, customers have to physically visit its stores to select and purchase their clothing (Nadkarni, 2019). Consequently, this study is based on the assumption that New Zealand clients endure lots of difficulties while shopping in H&M. Hence, as unsatisfied customers, the target market makes fewer purchases, a practice that attracts low sales and profits. Therefore, this report analyzes and evaluates various strategies that H&M could employ to encourage more convenient and exciting shopping experiences.

This document has three major sections. As one of the sections, the methodology is employed to present suitable approaches for finding an answer to the research question. The next section presents findings and discussions from the chosen literature. Finally, summarized details regarding conclusions and recommendations feature in the last section. 

Methodology 

This section presents a comprehensive explanation and analyses of methodology that were employed in this study. Precisely, section 2.1 offers details regarding applied research methodology. Moreover, section 2.2 presents the research method. Still, statement of the methods and measures of data collection comprise section 2.3. Finally, the method and procedures of data analysis constitute section 2.4.

2.1Research Methodology 

This study would rely primarily on qualitative methodology to collect a vast amount of data related to the subject under study. Qualitative research serves as a suitable approach for conducting this type of study since it encourages collection of enormous amounts of subjective data, hence facilitating the development of better decisions (Silverman, 2016). The author would endeavor to establish the meaning of various aspects, including activities, images, and related issues, by employing their skills, knowledge, and competencies. Accordingly, this type of study is appropriate for understanding human behaviors.

Since this study strives to determine, analyze, and evaluate various strategies that H&M could employ to realize improved shopping experiences by its varied categories of customers, qualitative research is essential to ensure better decision making.

2.2Research Method 

This study would rely on a qualitative content analysis (QCA) approach to analyze and evaluate strategies that H&M could employ to realize better customer experiences. Accordingly, the writer would analyze, assess available data and generate related information that would inform the establishment of conclusions and necessary recommendations. The author would rely on their critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate available information with regards to operations of H&M. Still, QCA acts as an appropriate tool since it enables the researcher to systematically analyze and retrieve critical content from the available resources and establish useful themes (Mayring, 2014). Since the researcher would be dealing primarily with non-numerical data, QCA acts as the most appropriate tool for summarizing the voluminous content and developing more meaningful understandings about the subject.

2.3Methods and Procedure for Data Collection 

This research study would rely primarily on secondary sources of data because they (secondary sources) are relatively cheap and reliable sources of information (Hox & Boeije, 2005). Since secondary data serve as one of the most readily available types of data, the researcher would employ their competence and skills to critically read and analyze relevant resources. Moreover, the use of secondary sources of data acts as an essential practice since it promotes acknowledgment and appreciation of great work that other academicians and scholars have accomplished. Consequently, the study would rely on the most relevant and readily available resources to gain vital information that could provide foundation and support for its claims.

Secondary sources of data that would be employed for this study could entail company websites, academic books, annual reports, and research articles (Clark, 2013). Accordingly, information that would be collected from such resources includes the benefits that H&M would realize upon adoption and utilization of an online sales platform in Australia, impacts of employing and developing its employees, and the effects of establishing a customer-centric culture. Consequently, the author would critically read, analyze and evaluate data from the resources to gain insight regarding the alternatives that H&M could embrace to improve shopping experiences amongst its clients.

 Besides, data for this study would be collected systematically. First, the author would identify and find relevant resources. Specifically, certain aspects that revolve around the theme of customer experience would be considered to streamline the search processes. A research study should rely on the most appropriate resources to adequately respond to the research question. Thus, sufficient judgment would be employed to ensure that quality resources are used in this study.

Secondly, the researcher would critically read, analyze, and evaluate information from the selected resources. The researcher would collect critical points, make summary and inferences that are essential for the next sections of the paper.

2.4Steps for Data Analysis 

As stipulated in section 2.2 above, this study would rely on Qualitative Content Analysis. Accordingly, both descriptive and interpretive analyzes would be used (Zhang & Wildemuth, 2009). Even so, the process of analyzing data would comprise various steps. First, the researcher would code the collected data to understand applicable themes. Coding is an excellent tool for classifying qualitative data into useful categories to facilitate data analysis. Thus, the researcher would conduct intensive and extensive studies to gain a sufficient understanding of the different kinds of data analysis for appropriate coding exercises. The main reason for coding the data is to acquire a summarized version of data for better extraction of required data (Zhang & Wildemuth, 2009). Thus, coding is essential for this study because the author would deal with large volumes of data. 

After coding, the researcher would critically analyze and interpret the data to determine their meaning and importance. Accordingly, it would be relatively more comfortable for the researcher to adequately describe and explain the varied strategies under study. Thus, critical thinking skills would be employed to determine the most suitable strategy for encouraging better shopping experience in the H&M company.

3.0Findings and Deliberations

This section of the report offers results that the researcher attained from the study. Moreover, the findings would be discussed regarding the operations of H&M.

Table 1:Findings from the ResearchStrategy

Focus Result

First strategy Use of retail online sales and marketing

Promotes a convenient shopping experience and more satisfaction among customers

Second strategy Train and develop sales staff Attracts more professionalism and quality service provision

Third strategy Offer discounted prices for most of the apparel Makes it more affordable for the clients to purchase the clothing

 

3.1 First StrategyThe first strategy that would be recommended for H&M company is the establishment and use of the internet for retail online sales and marketing as well as home deliveries. This approach focuses on the determination of the most suitable technology that H&M could utilize to market and sell its products over the internet. Since the firm has spent massive amounts of money in purchasing and upgrading Mobile App that could facilitate online sales and marketing, it would be relatively more comfortable for the H&M to introduce the approach in New Zealand. Moreover, the company should invest other additional funds in establishing and running a suitable online platform that is tailored for the New Zealand market. Though the strategy could appear costly in the short-run, H&M would reap massively in the long-run when customers would realize great shopping experiences. Some clients could even make some purchases that could otherwise be unplanned for following the capacity of the online platform to promote and convince customers to acquire particular products (Dawson & Kim, 2010). Consequently, online sales and marketing would attract lots of benefits to the firm and its clients by encouraging more marketing and shopping convenience.

The company’s varied clients would enjoy lots of convenience by shopping through an online platform. Precisely, the customers would select and pay for their preferred clothing at the comfort of their households and other suitable places. Consequently, the customers would avoid the otherwise tedious and challenging physical visits and movements in H&M’s stores. Moreover, the clients would enjoy relative ease while determining and comparing the prices of their desired products (Lee & Lin, 2005). Thus, shopping online is relatively easier and more comfortable.

Besides, the customers would avoid the otherwise tiresome and time-consuming processes of travelling and ferrying their products when H&M offers delivery services. As part of the package, H&M would have to deliver its products to the customers, probably at some extra cost. It would not make sense for the firm to offer online services and expect the clients to collect their products at its physical stores. Hence, the company would provide home deliveries to attract more satisfaction amongst the customers though it could be a costly practice.

As a result, H&M’s clients would be dealing primarily with interactive online platforms rather than human beings. Consequently, the company could offer high-quality services since technology tends to encourage consistency in service provision. Thus, the company could rely on a fewer number of salespersons while making massive marketing campaigns and sales processes (Patterson, 2007). Still, the firm would drastically limit the number of physical movements for purposes of sales and marketing. Therefore, online sales and marketing would significantly improve the firm’s traditional sales model.

3.2 Second Strategy H&M could employ the second strategy, which focuses on training and development of sales and marketing employees to encourage more professionalism and provision of high-quality services (Tahir et al., 2014). Courteous salespersons with exemplary professional conduct would offer quality services to the company’s clients. Accordingly, the firm could opt to conduct certain training and development sessions to impart more information and skills in its workforce, particularly the sales and marketing team. Consequently, the employees would appropriately handle their clients, thus attracting more satisfaction regarding their shopping experiences.

Moreover, well-trained and competent employees tend to be more efficient while handling their roles (Tahir et al., 2014). Consequently, customers would realize satisfaction through time-saving owing to the speedy and highly-efficient sales team. Still, the well-trained sales force would exhibit more persuading and convincing capabilities by leveraging their skills to the sales and marketing processes. Besides, the employees would be more helpful to the customers with regards to the provision of essential information such as qualities, prices, and benefits of using specific clothing. Subsequently, clients would be making more informed purchase decisions with fewer strains.

Nonetheless, the customers would encounter huge costs while travelling, selecting and purchasing their clothing. The clients could be forced to travel long distances, walk within the firm’s stores, and endure long queues to acquire their products. Besides, the customers would physically select and compare different types of clothing and their prices, a practice that is tiresome. Fortunately, the clients would enjoy the personal services and courteous interactions with the company’s employees. However, the clients might not realize maximum satisfaction following the above-mentioned challenges.

3.3 Third Strategy The other alternative that H&M could employ is to sell some of its clothing is clothing at reduced prices. Lowering the prices of certain products could encourage customers to make more purchases due to higher affordability (Möller & Watanabe, 2010). Moreover, proper pricing could serve as one of the most effective ways of attracting more market share and increasing sales when there is tight competition. As part of sales and marketing strategies, H&M could endeavor to attract more satisfaction and convenience amongst its clients by offering its apparel and related services such as deliveries at discounted rates.

However, the practice of lowing prices could attract negative impacts on the company’s reputation. Some of the firm’s clients could perceive that H&M has compromised the quality of its products (Amaldoss & Jain, 2005). Thus, it would not be advisable for the company to lower prices of its products since it is dealing with fashion clothing, products that are usually meant for the high-class people with lots of money to spend. Such category of people could be willing and ready to pay well to acquire their clothing in convenient ways. Still, H&M could continually realize low prices or even losses by offering its products and services at reduced prices. Since the firm is striving to increase its profit margins, a suitable strategy should encourage more sales at relatively reasonable prices. Hence, the company should not lower its prices beyond particular limits to attain its target profits.

4.0Summarization and Suggestions  

This section offers advice and conclusions regarding the most suitable strategy that H&M should adopt to attract better shopping experience by its clients. Moreover, some suggestions for future research studies are provided.

4.1Conclusive Summary and SuggestionsFindings from the discussions above reveal that the use of retail online sales serves as the most suitable approach for encouraging better shopping experience at high convenience. The overall benefits of using online platforms for marketing and selling the products outweigh the costs of acquiring and running applicable technologies. Consequently, it is recommended that H&M introduces the use of online marketing and sales in New Zealand to facilitate more convenient shopping experiences by its clients. The firm should rely on an online platform that is tailored to the New Zealand market.

Fortunately, this approach would favor H&M since it (H&M) has already invested heavily in the acquisition of appropriate technologies and logistics (Abaño, 2019). Consequently, the company would incur some extra amounts of money to introduce such services to the New Zealand market. Luckily, this strategy would benefit the company and its clients by facilitating more convenient sales and marketing practices and shopping experiences for the sales team and clients, respectively.

4.2Proposals for Additional StudiesAlthough the discussions suggest that the target clients, comprising the high-class persons, have lots of money to spend, certain assumptions prevail. Such a group of people could be willing and ready to spend lots of money to acquire specific products and services. Therefore, further research should be conducted to determine if clothing constitutes such products and services. Besides, it is recommended that the approximate amount of funds that this group of persons have at their discretion and are willing to spend on luxurious apparel be determined to facilitate informed pricing.

References

Abaño, J. (2019). H&M blames decline in profits on online investment. Retrieved 29 November 2019, from https://insideretail.co.nz/2019/02/05/hm-blames-decline-in-profits-on-online-investment/‌

Amaldoss, W., & Jain, S. (2005). Pricing of conspicuous goods: A competitive analysis of social effects. Journal of Marketing Research, 42(1), 30-42.

Clark, G. (2013). 5 Secondary data. Methods in Human Geography, 57.

Dawson, S., & Kim, M. (2010). Cues on apparel web sites that trigger impulse purchases. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 14(2), 230-246.

Hox, J. J., & Boeije, H. R. (2005). Data collection, primary versus secondary.

Lee, G. G., & Lin, H. F. (2005). Customer perceptions of e-service quality in online shopping. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 33(2), 161-176.

Mayring, P. (2014). Qualitative content analysis: theoretical foundation, basic procedures and software solution.

Mo, Z. (2015). Internationalization process of fast fashion retailers: evidence of H&M and Zara. International Journal of Business and Management, 10(3), 217.

Möller, M., & Watanabe, M. (2010). Advance purchase discounts versus clearance sales. The Economic Journal, 120(547), 1125-1148.

Nadkarni, A. (2019). H&M opening in Westfield Newmarket in December. Retrieved 29 November 2019, from https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/116036659/hm-opening-in-westfield-newmarket-in-decemberPatterson, L. (2007). Marketing and sales alignment for improved effectiveness. Journal of digital asset management, 3(4), 185-189.

Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016). Qualitative research. Sage.

Tahir, N., Yousafzai, I. K., Jan, S., & Hashim, M. (2014). The Impact of Training and Development on Employees Performance and Productivity A case study of United Bank Limited Peshawar City, KPK, Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 4(4), 86.

Zhang, Y., & Wildemuth, B. M. (2009). Qualitative analysis of content. Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science, 308, 319.

Why is the data collection process is so important?

According to Hullett & Preston (2000), Data collection is very important in any project implementation process. Data collection provides information for project managers or leaders of any business or project to make decisions based on statistical facts. We live in an era of data and statistics. Therefore, it is paramount that before engaging in any project, data should be collected to define possible risks, growth opportunities and also to forecast the successful implementation of the project. In addition, data collection helps to identify risks and mitigate against risks.

What can project managers do to protect the quality and integrity of the data collection process?

Project managers can protect the integrity and quality of the data collection process by selecting the right people to collect data. First, the integrity of people collecting data in the field also adds to the integrity of the data (Project Management Institute 2017). Secondly, it is paramount to brief the people who are supposed to collect data on what they are expected to look for and what should be asked or interviewed so that the data collected can have integrity and quality. Furthermore, the quality and integrity of the data collection process can be assured by the sources of the dubious data characters cannot give true information. Therefore, data should only be collected from authentic sources.

Who do you think should be involved in data collection for project risk management? Why?

All stakeholders should be involved in the data collection process. To have wider data that increases the validity and minimizes error margins, all project team members must collect data so that all risks can be exhausted. Leaving out some people in the data collection process will undermine the integrity of the data collection process. Therefore, all key stakeholders should be part and parcel of the data collection process.

What insights can be used in the development of your Risk Management Plan and Risk Register?

The insights that can be used to develop a risk management plan and risk register should include objective data and subjective data. The goal of collecting data in risk assessment is to minimize risk, avoid risk or solve the risk. Therefore, the source of risk, the person responsible for the risk, and the resources needed to solve the risk play an important insight.

References

Hullett, T. & Preston, Y. (2000) Garbage In, Garbage Out? Collect Better Data for Your Risk Assessment. Proceedings of the Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium.

Project Management Institute (2017). A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK@Guide). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Response to Pic 1

Your responses to the questions were clear and straight to the point. The analysis to address why data collection has importantly captured the reasons for data collection in terms of assessing risks, better planning, increasing the project’s success, and developing a better team to control risks. The second question on the quality and integrity of data collection was clearly stated in terms of why data is quality and integrity is important in terms of who should be involved, training of data collection agents, and the importance of the sources of the data collection process. While examining the people who should be involved in data collection, the identification of the project manager to invite all participants to take part in the process is plausible since it is the way to go to have inclusive data. Identification of bias and need to have objective and subjective data to form the insights for risk register and risk management plan.

Response to Pic 2

Your analysis for the question concerning the importance of data collection is candid and well elaborated. You stated the reasons for data collection regarding assessing risks, pointing out how data can help establish a successful business, take reserve process, and develop critical problem-solving steps. On the other hand, while addressing the quality and integrity of data collection, your position that utilizing different data collection tools and choosing the right people via interviews is unique and outstanding because different data collection tools can increase data integrity and quality of data collection data. Furthermore, while analyzing people involved in the data collection process, pointing out to stakeholders, experts, and opinion holders makes much sense since the larger and diverse the team, the better the data collection process. Finally, identifying the insights on what forms part of the risk register or risk management plan both subjective and objective data should be involved is sufficient to develop a sound plan.

Hume on Religion

Name

Institution

Year

David Hume, a renown philosopher makes an incredible analysis and digest of who he believed God to be and the general role of religion. The philosopher discusses that religion as the basis to mankind’s link to spirituality has been the fore that has shaped the thinking and actions of many people. In a closer analysis, Hume discusses the role, power, and nature of God in his superior and holy aspects. In addition, Hume assess how mankind has taken and applied religion in all spheres of life as well as the effects of overreliance on religion. Hume argues that mankind cannot determine the fate of nature but rather submits to the forces of religion and the unseen who is God to control the destiny and future of mankind. In this regard, Hume seeks to breakdown the relationship between mankind, God, and nature. The philosophy behind Hume’s arguments is based on his observations, life experiences, as well as the intellectual knowledge on matters of religion. This paper will discuss Hume’s analysis of religion by looking at his philosophies. The essay will break down the core views of Hume on how he perceived God and matters of religion from mankind’s perspective.

Hume holds the thought that religion as the mankind’s platform to reaching God has evolved and taken many paths. He observes that mankind’s actions have not always portrayed God in who he is but gone contrary to the natural law. In addition, Hume states that mankind has misused his place in God’s creation to abide to unknown forces and beliefs thus causing God to draw far from his creation. He also questions the extent to which mankind has gone to abide to the perceived ways and lost paths that are both dangerous and irritating to God. In addition, Hume corrects what he sees as lack of direction among people who even claim to know their supreme God (Graham, 2016). Hume also looks at ethics, morals that are the basis upon which people’s behavior actions revolves. In his view, religion ought to shape and still the right virtual and moral sin a person thus guiding their behavior towards others and God. To elaborate on this, Hume stipulates that mankind as the image of God ought to reflect goodness, morals and wisdom in all his ways. Hume is also concerned over the lack of direction when mankind is approaching God who is by far wise and ought to be respected and feared (Sieczkowski, 2018). Interestingly, Hume also questions why mankind ought to fear the same supreme God who they should call on in times of need. These observations by Hume seem to have evry diverse and yet contradicting direction that fails to abide by their true meaning. Hume appears to hold two beliefs and takes many sides when it comes to the matters of religion and mankind’s relationship with God.

Hume seen as a conservative and a rigid philosopher argues that God as the sole controller of the man’s fate cannot be advised or changed in his decisions. The philosopher bases his argument on the perceived nature and power of God who is also senas the supreme and wise being. According to Hume, there is only one way to define God and that is based on his goodness, power, and wisdom. Hume argues that God as the wise creator has everything lined up and in a perfect way where no man can alter the fate of his destiny (Graham, 2016). In his view of seeking God and worshiping, Hume is quick to claim that God deserves all the attention from mankind. He however discourages the misguided religious beliefs that have led many to belief in a different god. The value of Hume’s ideas is rooted in what he terms as man’s half-baked view of God that has continually derived a different religion altogether.

In his view, Hume acknowledges that man should work hard and still seek God as his guide and provider. The value of religion and relationship between God and man is well analyzed where Hume sums up that man is always reliant on God. He also claims that he does believe in miracles as they are a violation of natural law. In this regard, Hume argues that miracles have blinded many in religion to a point where they are unable to lay ground to what they can do and push their way. The arguments by Hume seems to point to a very concerning aspects of religion that defines man’s role and relationship with God. In his view, Hume argues that mankind as the central pillar of God’s creation has abandoned his role by taking on beliefs that are jot in line the core teachings (Sieczkowski, 2018). He also refers to the need for wisdom over strengths when dealing with matters of religion. The arguments raised by Hume are also tied to the value of religion in shaping man’s view and relationship with God that are supposed to be on holiness and purity.

In conclusion, the views given by Hume are based on what he perceived as the place of religion in God’s-mankind relationship. In order to capture the right tone, Hume states the various aspects of religion that define what God prefers and how mankind has changed the core values of holiness and faith in God. Hume was very unpredictable in his views as he would often acknowledge God’s existence but still challenge some of the arguments about God’s existence.

Reference

Graham, G. (2016). Hume and Smith on Natural Religion. Philosophy, 91(2), 345-360.

Sieczkowski, T. (2018). David Hume and the Naturalness of Religion. Ruch Filozoficzny, 74(3), 75-88.

Case Study Stage 5

Insert Name

Insert Date

Project Description

The project is aimed at seeing the full implementation of an inventory management system, which is meant to keep track of accounts of supplies in store for the continued growth of the business.

The following IT components will be required for the successful implementation of the inventory management system.

A centralized database that contains all information on supplies, including what is already in stores, its count, dates supplied, deficit, names of suppliers, and other relevant details (Gupta, 2013).

Interactive software that connects the database to the users as well as any other third party software.

A new server, on which the database will be hosted.

The successful completion of this project will necessitate the deployment of the following business resources.

An implementation manager, who will oversee the development and implementation of the inventory management system.

An IT team that will be charged with the system development and implementation.

Project Management

The scope of this project has its focus on the accomplishment of a fully functional inventory management system for UMUC Haircuts to keep track of accounts of supplies. At present, there is no existing electronic system that serves this purpose, which means that the system will be developed from scratch.

This project is scheduled to last for a period of 6 months as the maximum time expended for all deliverables to be in place.

In regards to Human Resources, there will be a project team that will be charged with the development and implementation of the system from start to finish, which will be under the supervision of an implementation manager. The implementation manager will be appointed internally.

Financial resources are still under review by the project committee. The financial proposal was presented to the committee for review and approval and the outcomes will be communicated to the project team through the implementation manager.

Upon the successful completion of the project, UMUC Haircuts will have a centralized database, interactive software that connects the database to the users, and new server, on which the database will be hosted. All these will be fully integrated and employees will be trained.

System Development Life Cycle

The phase of SDLC will involve the elicitation of information on user requirements from all relevant persons, especially the owner, managers, and employees.

During system analysis, the user requirements will be documented and presented to the development team. The team will match the requirements to the development process as well as the tools that will be necessary for the development and implementation processes to be completed.

System design will be the third phase, in which the development team will engage in the process of developing algorithms and conceptual models for the system to be developed.

The programming phase will involve coding the various modules identified as necessary for the entire system to be in place.

The testing process will involve testing the modules prior to integration as well as the entire system after integration, during which a sample of end users will be called upon to take tests. Any necessary reviews and corrections will be made after this.

During the implementation stage, the complete system will be deployed and installed on the server and user computers, after which the implementation team will conduct training.

The operations and maintenance phase is continuous and will involve the continued use of the system, with the necessary improvements being identified and made accordingly. Technical support will be part of this phase.

Business Process Changes

All business processes concerned with the supply chain will be affected and will have to change.

Every entry of supply that comes in and out will be entered into the database through the user interface.

It will also be possible to retrieve information on what remains in the inventory from the same interface.

Supplier details will also be available via the same interface.

Employee Training

Employees will have to be trained on how to use the new system, especially how to make inventory entries and how to retrieve records of supplies from the system.

It is also necessary to train end users to deal with simple technical issues in the system, which helps them become even more comfortable with the system (Preston, 2001).

They will, therefore, be trained on how to deal with simple technical hitches of the system in case the support team is unavailable.

It will be important to use the development team for the training processes, as they are the ones most familiar with the system.

Leadership Expectations

The project will meet all user requirements specified during the system analysis phase.

The project will be completed with the stipulated schedule and budget.

Training and technical support will be offered extensively.

Inventory efficiency will be drastically improved.

Defining Success

The system is fully functional and integrated with all computers and any third party software.

Inventory is fully automated.

Users have appreciated the change and there is no resistance.

References

Gupta, S. M. (2013). Reverse Supply Chains: Issues and Analysis. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Preston, R. (2001). Net Projects Won’t Fly Without End Users’ Buy-In. InternetWeek 858, PG9.

References

Gupta, S. M. (2013). Reverse Supply Chains: Issues and Analysis. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Preston, R. (2001). Net Projects Won’t Fly Without End Users’ Buy-In. InternetWeek 858, PG9.

Hume on Religion

Name

Institution

Year

David Hume, a renown philosopher makes an incredible analysis and digest of who he believed God to be and the general role of religion. The philosopher discusses that religion as the basis to mankind’s link to spirituality has been the fore that has shaped the thinking and actions of many people. In a closer analysis, Hume discusses the role, power, and nature of God in his superior and holy aspects. In addition, Hume assess how mankind has taken and applied religion in all spheres of life as well as the effects of overreliance on religion. Hume argues that mankind cannot determine the fate of nature but rather submits to the forces of religion and the unseen who is God to control the destiny and future of mankind. In this regard, Hume seeks to breakdown the relationship between mankind, God, and nature. The philosophy behind Hume’s arguments is based on his observations, life experiences, as well as the intellectual knowledge on matters of religion. This paper will discuss Hume’s analysis of religion by looking at his philosophies. The essay will break down the core views of Hume on how he perceived God and matters of religion from mankind’s perspective.

Hume holds the thought that religion as the mankind’s platform to reaching God has evolved and taken many paths. He observes that mankind’s actions have not always portrayed God in who he is but gone contrary to the natural law. In addition, Hume states that mankind has misused his place in God’s creation to abide to unknown forces and beliefs thus causing God to draw far from his creation. He also questions the extent to which mankind has gone to abide to the perceived ways and lost paths that are both dangerous and irritating to God. In addition, Hume corrects what he sees as lack of direction among people who even claim to know their supreme God (Graham, 2016). Hume is also concerned over the lack of direction when mankind is approaching God who is by far wise and ought to be respected and feared (Sieczkowski, 2018). Interestingly, Hume also questions why mankind ought to fear the same supreme God who they should call on in times of need. These observations by Hume seem to have evry diverse and yet contradicting direction that fails to abide by their true meaning. Hume appears to hold two beliefs and takes many sides when it comes to the matters of religion and mankind’s relationship with God.

Hume seen as a conservative and a rigid philosopher argues that God as the sole controller of the man’s fate cannot be advised or changed in his decisions. The philosopher bases his argument on the perceived nature and power of God who is also senas the supreme and wise being. According to Hume, there is only one way to define God and that is based on his goodness, power, and wisdom. Hume argues that God as the wise creator has everything lined up and in a perfect way where no man can alter the fate of his destiny (Graham, 2016). In his view of seeking God and worshiping, Hume is quick to claim that God deserves all the attention from mankind. He however discourages the misguided religious beliefs that have led many to belief in a different god. The value of Hume’s ideas is rooted in what he terms as man’s half-baked view of God that has continually derived a different religion altogether.

In his view, Hume acknowledges that man should work hard and still seek God as his guide and provider. The value of religion and relationship between God and man is well analyzed where Hume sums up that man is always reliant on God. He also claims that he does believe in miracles as they are a violation of natural law. In this regard, Hume argues that miracles have blinded many in religion to a point where they are unable to lay ground to what they can do and push their way. The arguments by Hume seems to point to a very concerning aspects of religion that defines man’s role and relationship with God. In his view, Hume argues that mankind as the central pillar of God’s creation has abandoned his role by taking on beliefs that are jot in line the core teachings (Sieczkowski, 2018). He also refers to the need for wisdom over strengths when dealing with matters of religion. The arguments raised by Hume are also tied to the value of religion in shaping man’s view and relationship with God that are supposed to be on holiness and purity.

Demea argues that although God clearly exists, we cannot know his nature, because God’s nature is beyond the capacity of human understanding. In his views, Demea argues that God as the powerful being is at the center of all creation and his relationship with man cannot be changed. He also adds that God is beyond human understanding as his powers and capacity is far more than human beings can understand. Still, Demea does not base his ideas on a single outlook but compares how mankind approaches God and thus draws these conclusions. Demea also looks at ethics, morals that are the basis upon which people’s behavior actions revolves. In his view, religion ought to shape and still the right virtual and moral sin a person thus guiding their behavior towards others and God. To elaborate on this, Demea stipulates that mankind as the image of God ought to reflect goodness, morals and wisdom in all his ways. To add on this, Demea appears to borrow from what he perceives as an extremely powerful God who is beyond human understanding and reach.

I support Hume’s views as he offers firm ideas and shows how religion being a strong pillar in humanity has been exploited and misused. I also support the fact that God is supreme and always a strong aspect in the entire creatin. I would agree with the ideas offered because they are well articulated within the philosophical values of religion. In conclusion, the views given by Hume are based on what he perceived as the place of religion in God’s-mankind relationship. In order to capture the right tone, Hume states the various aspects of religion that define what God prefers and how mankind has changed the core values of holiness and faith in God. Hume was very unpredictable in his views as he would often acknowledge God’s existence but still challenge some of the arguments about God’s existence.

Reference

Graham, G. (2016). Hume and Smith on Natural Religion. Philosophy, 91(2), 345-360.

Sieczkowski, T. (2018). David Hume and the Naturalness of Religion. Ruch Filozoficzny, 74(3), 75-88.

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Diagnosis and Treatment

In Chapter Three of ‘Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’, Rebecca Skloot’s, main character is Henrietta. She regularly visits Johns Hopkins Hospital for her routine checkup after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. The main focus is about her visit to Hopkins, as well as her Physician, and his boss, TeLinde known as Uncle Dick. He is one of the country’s top cervical cancer experts. Henrietta has Cervical Epidermoid Carcinoma, which is at its initial Stage. There are two types of carcinomas and occur as ether non –invasive or invasive .TeLinde is continuously seeking quest for Henrietta’s prognosis and treatment of cervical carcinoma (Skloot, 2010).

This paper seeks to present the life of Henrietta, who seeks to find treatment for cervical cancer, after being diagnosed.

Diagnosing and treating carcinoma has been an uphill task. Luckily, in 1941, an article in Papanicolaou introduces the ‘Pap smear’ test, which diagnoses in situ carcinoma.

There are two challenges of the Pap’s smear. Many women do not go for testing and interpretation of results by doctors is often inaccurate. TeLinde publishes what cervical cancer is and urges surgeons to verify results with biopsies (Skloot, 2010).

According to Skloot, doctors working in public wards, including TeLinde, carry out research, without the knowledge of the patients. Since they are receiving free treatment, it is justified to use them as payment for treatment. Jones and TeLinde have proof that 62% of women with invasive cancer initially had carcinoma in situ. In turn, TeLinde is seeking Gey’s services to find a cure and cause for cancer. Henrietta has invasive and malignant cancer.

Hopkins treats invasive carcinomas using radium, which is extremely dangerous. It destroys cells, causes mutations, burns skin, and kills cancerous cells. Research by Jones et al; believe in radium’s effectiveness and safety. Henrietta is being treated using radium and Gey obtains her cervical tissue (Skloot, 2010).

Works Cited

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Crown Publishers, 2010, Print.

Networking for a Charity

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Peer-to-peer networks

The networking set up has improved with the latest versions of windows. Specifically, connecting the computers correctly prompts windows to set up the appropriate settings automatically. Windows 7 enables a user to ‘save’ a wireless connection for automatic connection when the computer comes close to the network. For that to happen, first, each computer has to have a network interface card (NIC), for example USB network adapter, internal network adapter, a network PC card, and a mother-board based network chip. An external router is also needed. The user must activate DHCP (Dynamic Host Control protocol) on the router. The DHCP automatically assigns different/unique IP addresses to the computers connected to the network. The network cable should run from the NIC to the router ports. In case of a high-speed modem, the user can run a network cable from the WAN port in the router and into the modem’s network port. This process ensures that all the six computers can share internet connection. In addition, all commuters must have unique names and use the same workgroup name.

Internet, files, and devices sharing in a network

Sharing of devices such as printers in many workplaces brings convenience and cost efficiency. Sharing printers in a network involves connecting it to the host computer. The host computer then ‘shares’ the printer to all the network computers by allowing them to print over a LAN or internet connection. The main limitation of sharing printers using a host computer is that it must be on if any computer is to use the printer. If the user wants to print using a different computer on the same network, then they must have a network setup and a printer installed on the host computer. In addition to printers, networks can also share files such as documents, photos, and music among others. Joining a home group is the easiest way that one can use to share pictures, videos, music, documents, and printers as well. When joining a home group, a user has to instruct windows on which libraries and folders to share. A user can protect the home group settings using a password, which is changeable at any time. The ‘share with’ menu is the simplest way to share things, but a public folder offers another option.

Network security

Not many people have addressed the security issues with P2P networks. The problem comes with the requirement to provide anonymity for the users of P2P networks and the increasing need of providing data integrity, confidentiality, accountability, authentication, non-repudiation, and robust access control. Other problems affecting P2P networks include pseudospoofing attacks whereby malicious parties claim multiple identities, thus causing fundamental security threats. For example, the e-bay system reputation, which is a P2P system constantly, finds itself under pseudospoofing attacks (Damiani, 2002). The security of P2P networks becomes worse with the lack of centralized authority to vouch for security parameters or identities. However, features of the TCG specifications can be used to improve the network security. Specifically, using TGC protocols for DAA (Direct Anonymous Attestation) enforces the use of a stable platform-dependent pseudonyms and consequently reducing pseudospoofing in P2P networks.

Users can use runs of DAA protocols to build entity authentication at the level of pseudonyms and safely link it to secure channels using known end points. Many security services in networks rely on the user to establish stable identities (Rivest, 2005).

Hardware recommendations

A network enables computers to share resources between/among them. The computers to use in a network have to meet certain standards that are compatible to the operating system in use. There are many hardware components needed to create a network involve. A keyboard and a mouse are essential as they perform routine operations in a computer. There are wired and wireless versions of keyboards and mice. A monitor displays what the user is doing on the keyboard and mouse. A VGA cable connects the computer with the monitor. Printers are also important for the printing needs of the users in the networks.

Many printers are wireless although wired ones are also available at a lower price. Networks cables (comes in different colors such as yellow, red, and blue) connect many computers together. All these hardware devices are available at general stores, computer stores, or web stores over the internet. Computers are connected together using the serial ports. However, connecting many computers together needs one to use a central ‘object’ that connects all computers and other devices. This ‘object’ then distributes or manages the network traffic. Most users use a hub, router, or the switch as the ‘object’ at the center of a network.

The network also requires one to have network cards, which can be internal, external, or wireless. The network cards (NIC) connects a computer to the exterior. Most computers from big companies come with tested and ready network cards. The last party involved in a network is an ISP (Internet Service provider). This company connects the network and the internet. These involve local telephone companies and local TV cable companies. In addition, a firewall is needed to protect the network from potential intruders. Types of firewalls include software and hardware firewalls.

References

Damiani, E. (2002). A Reputation-based Approach for Choosing Reliable Resources in Peer-to-Peer Networks. In V. Atluri, editor, Proceeding s of the 9th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, pages 207-216. ACM Press

Rivest. R. (2006). SDSI: A Simple Distributed Security Infrastructure, Revised. Presented at CRYPTO’96 Rumpssession.