Kansas Colleges and Universities Pursuing Online and Campus-based Education in Kansas, the Sunflower State 2019

Thanks to the giant yellow flowers that line its valleys and slopes in the summer, Kansas is sometimes referred to as the Sunflower State. Kansas is the geographic center of the U.S. and home to several influential companies. From 1996 to 2017, nearly a half million people, almost half with Kansas college degrees, left the state in what is called the Rural Flight. Working professionals in search of a Kansas college education are now being lured to the state with enticing benefits. Economic Incentives Draw Graduates of Kansas Universities and Colleges Back to the State In an attempt to maintain its economic health, Kansas university newcomers are sometimes offered free land and tax incentives from the state government. Despite its reduction in population, Kansas still boasts a strong economy: The September, 2017 Kansas unemployment rate was 4%, below the national average. 1,416,800 people are employed in the state of Kansas. The 2017 Kansas gross state product was $98 billion. The 2016 2017 Kansas median household income was $42,223. .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c:active, .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u0e4169d7a646c891faf5db2662901f5c:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Accelerated BSN Option Take a Leadership Position in the Field of Nursing as a Case ManagerKansas Major Employers Offer Lucrative Careers to Graduates of Kansas Colleges and Universities In addition to manufacturing and agriculture, Kansas is a prominent source of computer machinery. Wichita is also a center of aircraft industry, housing successful producers of private planes. Some of the top Kansas employers of Kansas university graduates are: Sprint Nextel Corporation in Overland Park, Kansas. Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Kansas. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Topeka, Kansas. Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas. Embarq in Overland Park, Kansas. Learjet, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas. Students of Kansas Colleges and Universities Personalize Academic Schedules to Suit Individual Needs Kansas college students have access to numerous academic programs in Kansas and beyond the borders of the state. Working professionals have the option of attending online programs, Kansas schools, or a combination of each through schools, such as: University of Phoenix: Wichita College Campus and Online Programs. Kaplan University: Online Programs for Kansas Residents. Capella University: Online Programs for Kansas Residents. American InterContinental University: Online Programs for Kansas Residents. Westwood College: Online Programs for Kansas Residents. Warren National University: Online Programs for Kansas Residents. .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8:active, .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u3375128ca88dd206d6401a4f09f4a5b8:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Solving Environmental Problems with Science and TechnologyFor a complete list of Kansas colleges and universities, students are encouraged to visit College-Pages.com, the leading education and resource website. Prospective students will also find links to informative articles about making education and career decisions in the state of Kansas. Related ArticlesNorth Dakota Colleges and Universities Pursuing Online and Campus Based Education in North DakotaMontana Colleges and Universities Pursuing Online and Campus Based Education in Montana, the Treasure StateIllinois Colleges and Universities Pursuing Online and Campus-Based Education in Illinois, The Inland EmpireArizona Colleges and Universities Pursing Advanced Education in The Grand Canyon StateIowa Colleges and Universities Pursuing Online and Campus-based Education in Iowa, the Hawkeye StateNebraska Colleges and Universities Pursuing Online and Campus Based Education in Nebraska, the Cornhusker State

Case Study Bin M Self Reflection Paper - 1033 Words

Katarzyna Harasim Gorczynski MGT 3120/MNUA Instructor: Bin Ma SELF REFLECTION PAPER Throughout semester I completed various self- assessment exercises that were developed by behavioral researchers to test my skills, abilities and interests. The exercises include; Emotional Intelligence Assessment, Individual Ethics Rate, Entrepreneurial Intentions Scale, Organization Structure Preference Survey, International / Global Manager Potential Scale, Leadership Style Assessment, Dominant Needs Assessment, Communication Style Assessment. Completing them, I was able to gain knowledge and understand my behavior with strengths and weaknesses as a manager and employee. One of the strengths I discovered thru self- assessment exercises was high emotional intelligence. It is important part of my character because it provides ability to accurately identify my own emotions, as well as those of others. Such a characteristic allows me to utilize emotions and apply them to tasks, like on the spot thinking and problem-solving. Additionally, it gives me opportunity to manage my feelings, including directing my own thoughts, as well as the talent to cheer up or calm down individuals. As an Employee with a high level of emotional intelligence I have a level self-awareness that helps me to understand co-workers and meet deadlines. I’m not bothered by client criticism and I remain focused on a task at hand to continue working on accomplishing my task, rather than becoming upset and discouraged.Show MoreRelatedProject Citizen Brings Safety to Schools1101 Words   |  4 Pagesincident. Project Citizen is an effort to improve our community one step at a time. Project Citizen requires a lot of research for specific sections of our main problem. These are called tasks. After all of the tasks are finished, everyone writes a paper summarizing the main problem. Then, everyone makes a presentation in groups. The keys to being successful in Project Citizen are to work hard, research well, work as a team, and most importantly, be organized. The steps to Project Citizen are: IdentifyingRead MoreSaudi Arabia’s Military: the Social Aspects of the Kingdom’s Armed Forces6871 Words   |  28 Pagesshort one. Strategic movements by the House of Saud in the 1800s started the birth of the Kingdom, and the military has quickly transformed from a tribal militia to a regional super-power. However, Saudi Arabia is not without its faults. In this paper, I will paint a brief picture of where the Saudi military originated from and how it evolved into its current state. I will then address significant issues with manpower in the Saudi armed forces, the most critical failure of their military systemRead MoreUnderstanding Religious Identity and the Causes of Religious Violence7269 Words   |  30 PagesUnderstanding Religious Identity and the Causes of Religious Violence Peace Prints: South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, Vol. 1, No. 1: Spring 2008 Understanding Religious Identity and the Causes of Religious Violence Saira Yamin Abstract The paper examines various scholarly works that explore the causes of religious violence. It addresses questions such as: what elements of religion contribute to violence and protracted conflict; how does religious identity motivate groups engaged in aggressiveRead MoreProfessional Presence and Influence5302 Words   |  22 Pagespresent and future. It is a construct of our knowledge, our influences, our self-awareness and practices. It comes down to how each of us understands what it means to be human and how to care for one another. This is always evolving based on new experiences and knowledge. Through looking over time at the view point of humans, to personality tests, to personal development and lastly looking at optimal healing environments this paper will construct my professional presence and look at ways to improve myRead MoreImpact of merger and acquisition on employee motivation12272 Words   |  50 Pagesï » ¿ Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Employee Motivation- Telecommunication Merger in the UK A case of T-Mobile and Orange Mobile Merger Abstract Over the past one decade, mergers and acquisitions increased at a record rate globally, especially in the United States. The telecommunication sector experienced no exclusion to this phenomenon and the three major telecommunication mergers included MCI and Verizon, Sprint and Nextel, and BellSouth and ATT. As a result, the telecom playfieldRead MoreStudent Registration System8250 Words   |  33 Pagesin Bachelor of Science in Computer Science study entitled â€Å"Student Registration System of AMA Computer Learning Center (ACLC) College – Ormoc† has been prepared and submitted by Albert Christian, Celeste S. Capote, Jobelle G. Espina, and Anthony Florence S. Rosal for oral examination. Mr. Paul M. Grafilon Thesis Adviser APPROVAL SHEET In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the for the degree in Bachelor of Science in Computer Science study entitled â€Å"Student Registration System of AMARead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizational Behavior Comprehensive Cases Indexes Glindex 637 663 616 623 Contents Preface xxii 1 1 Introduction What Is Organizational Behavior? 3 The Importance of Interpersonal Skills 4 What Managers Do 5 Management Functions 6 †¢ Management Roles 6 †¢ Management Skills 8 †¢ Effective versus Successful Managerial Activities 8 †¢ A Review of the Manager’s Job 9 Enter Organizational Behavior 10 Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study 11 Disciplines That Contribute toRead MoreApproaches to Organisation and Management19498 Words   |  78 Pages2 APPROACHES  TO  ORGANISATION  AND MANAGEMENT Organisational  behaviour  is  a  discursive  subject  and  much has  been  written  about  it.  The  study  of  organisations  and management  has  therefore  to  proceed  on  a  broad  front.  It  is the  comparative  study  of  the  different  approaches  that  will  yield benefits  to  the  manager.  The  study  of  organisations,  their  structure and  management  is  important  for  the  manager.  Identification  of major  trends  in  management  and  organisational  behaviour,  and the  work  of  leading  writersRead MoreImpacts of Profitability and Financial Leverage on Firm’s Capital Structure9947 Words   |  40 Pagesoutcomes for my research. Finally, I would like to thank my family and close friends who supported me in my work and give me â€Å"I can do† attitude. Thank you all for being there with me and backing me for my research-based achievements. Abstract In this paper, a great emphasis is being given to the investigation of the effect that profitability and financial leverage of an organization has on its overall capital structure. Though the implications of proposed research work are quite vast that cover almostRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesknow better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis

Molecular Biology RNA

Question: RNAi is a fairly new tool that molecular biologist use to inhibit gene expression. RNAi can inhibit gene expression in two ways. Please describe the principle of RNAi and the two ways in which RNAi can inhibit gene expression. Answer: Principle of RNAi RNAi refers to RNA interference. It is a process of gene silencing, which is sequence-specific and occurs at the post-transcriptional level (Allison, 2007). It involves the creation of short molecules of RNA that are complementary to endogenous mRNA. Two ways of inhibition of gene expression by RNA The cleavage of double-stranded RNA occurs by Dicer involving an ATP-dependent reaction resulting in the formation of RNA-inducing silencing complex (RISC) (Castel Martienssen, 2013). The miRNA precursor is cleaved by Dicer to produce 22 nucleotides miRNA. The single stranded miRNAs gets incorporated into RISC, followed by recognition of target and final inhibition (Fellmann Lowe, 2014). Mechanism of RNA interference (Allison, 2007) References: Allison, L. A. (2007). Fundamental Molecular Biology. Castel, S. E., Martienssen, R. A. (2013). RNA interference in the nucleus: roles for small RNAs in transcription, epigenetics and beyond.Nature Reviews Genetics,14(2), 100-112. Fellmann, C., Lowe, S. W. (2014). Stable RNA interference rules for silencing.Nature cell biology,16(1), 10-18.

Sales management

Introduction With the current revolution in the corporate world, many organizations find the need to keep up with the set trends in the corporate scene. This is essential for them to maintain relevance, as well as achieve set targets and strategic objectives. One of the important aspects of business management is sales personnel management. This is an important business aspect that can lead to efficiency and effectiveness in business. This study will seek to analyze the various tools and techniques used in sales personnel management.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sales management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Management Techniques Personnel management encompasses a deep interest in the well-being of an employee. Its main aim is ensuring that employees have a sense of satisfaction. Personnel management tasks include training, selection, hiring, motivation, rewards, and compensation among others. Personnel man agers are mainly involved in execution of these important tasks (Ingram, 2008). Training Training encompasses the process of improving personnel competencies, knowledge and potentialities, (in regards to the specific tasks that will be assigned to them). This is an essential process that should be perpetual, in order to achieve excellent execution of jobs (Ingram, 2008). It gives sales personnel managers an easier time in dealing with sales personnel. There are different basis on which training is carried out. Training is carried out upon induction of new sales people to the company. It is also important to train current sales personnel .This empowers them to brush up on their knowledge and ultimately improve their performance. Another party that would require training would be a promoted employee. It would be important for him to be fully trained on new aspects pertaining to the job. Training that accompanies upgrades on the existing technologies is fundamental as well. Sales perso nnel training is implemented on the basis of the premise that salesmanship is a dynamic profession .Effective salesmanship demands an ongoing learning process. The sale force requires knowledge on company products, as well as markets they should venture into. Lack of training leads to lower sales, which ultimately has an impact on the company returns. With adequate training, personnel will be motivated to achieve set targets. They will also require minimal supervision, leading to improved efficiency in the work place (Ingram, 2008). Selection and Hiring Selection entails assigning tasks to the most competent persons. It is critical to hire self driven sales people, who are ready to face challenges in the market. This can be done by conducting interviews, in order to identify the unique qualities required. Organizations should therefore take their time in screening suitable candidates.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your fi rst paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rewards Salespeople highly appreciate their efforts being acknowledged. Rewards are mainly in form of bonuses and prizes. These act as impetus for them to increase sales and improved their performance. Managers should take the initiative to acknowledge the efforts of the most outstanding sales people. This will have a positive impact on the selected employee as well as the entire sales force. Motivation Salespeople also require freedom to exercise their ideas, as well as discernment of what is good for their sales. Such provision enables them to feel trusted enough to conduct business on behalf of the company .This motivates them, with the impact being improved performance. Motivation should be done by implementing policies that provide a given a level of autonomy to employees. Compensation Compensation is an important aspect in employee performance. Organizations need to pay employees adequate and a reasonable commission for their work. Th e feeling that they are compensated accordingly will boost their morale. The company should also cater for the expenses incurred in the course of the employees work. Management Tools Management tools include quotas, targets, and sales reports as well as call reports. These tools are important in monitoring sales force performance and identifying what areas need to be worked on. Sales Quotas and Targets Quotas and targets are stipulated levels of sales that are set for the sales force. In most cases, the sales manager and the personnel come to an agreement on a certain level of sales. However, these levels may be stipulated by the organization. They may be set with no consultations with sales force (imposed quotas) or on the basis of prior company performance (extrapolated quotas). Nonetheless, it is important to note that such targets should be as achievable as possible. Failure to this can lead to the sales force being frustrated. Sales and Call Reports Sales reports are written ac counts of sales made. They are used by managers to access needed information pertaining to the sales. Call reports are written accounts of the number of customers contacted by the sales force. They provide information on customer information and potential sales to be made. Both reports provide an avenue for communication of information between the personnel and their managers (Ingram, 2008,). Report evaluation enables the two parties to discuss sales performance and come up with ways to improve it. In addition, the sales and call reports are used to evaluate the progress of the personnel’s work. Managers also find these reports helpful, in determining the most suitable target market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sales management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Effects of technology on Sales management The use of technology in sales management is beneficial to the managers, as well as their employees. Technology automates some of management and sales tasks, making it easier to accomplish set objectives. Increased efficiency is evidenced in use of the internet to deliver reports to managers. This makes work easier for both parties, by getting rid of bulky paper work (Goldenberg, 2002). Such developments boost employee morale and simplify manager’s administrative tasks. Conclusion Today’s corporate world necessitates effective sales personnel management practices. These management practices are essential for companies that aim to have a cut above the rest. Among these sales personnel management techniques, is employee training. Training empowers employees with additional knowledge that is essential for specific tasks. It also enables them to brush up on what they may have forgotten. Another sales management technique is selection and hiring. The practice entails detailed screening of employees and only hiring the most promising sales force. Employee motivation, use of rewards as well as a proper compensation plans are also management techniques. These ensure that employees are motivated and in the right frame of mind needed to deliver desired results. Management uses tools such as quotas, targets and sales reports for a number of reasons. These include, monitoring of sales force performance and determining suitable markets for their sales force. Technology is also an aspect in sales management that has revolutionized it. The incorporation of new technology has made work much easier for both employees and the management. References Goldenberg, B. (2002). CRM automation .London: Prentice Hall Ingram, T. (2008).Sales Management: Analysis and Decision Making. New York: M.E.Sharpe This essay on Sales management was written and submitted by user Eleanor Rutledge to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Film Summary - Gattaca essays

Film Summary - Gattaca essays In the course of this film we see Vincent Freeman become Jerome Morrow, a genetically superior human being conceived through a genetically modified birth. Vincent was born through a faith birth, the way of which used to be normal. From the first moments of Vincents life, he is evidently seen as a lesser form of life due to the low quality of his DNA, and a child not worthy of his fathers name. He is condemned to an underclass and enters a life of career discrimination. With the birth of his brother Anton, a vetro child, comes an intense rivalry that is struck between the two. Anton plays a major influence in Vincents life. From an early childhood, Vincents goal and dream is to travel into space. The main constraint preventing him from achieving this dream is his pre-determined genetic makeup and the discrimination against faith births that come with it. At first, while he is interested in astrology, he realizes there is not a good possibility of getting into the Gattaca space program. This way of thinking is changed when he defeats Anton in one of their chicken contests. As the concept of an invalid defeating a valid person is unheard of, this makes everything possible for Vincent. It is the point in which he becomes aware of the depth of his own courage and the inner strength he possesses, and from this gains new confidence and hope in getting into Gattaca. From this awareness, he enlists in the help of a DNA specialist while working as a cleaner at Gattaca, more so for knowledge of the company than employment reasons. We see an array of instances in which Vincent demonstrates his sole aspiration fo r space travel, through himself quoting If the glass is clean it will be easier for you to see me when Im on the other side. When Irene exclaims, If you're going to pretend you dont care, dont l...

Home of Quality †Uniquely Crafted Papers to Help You Improve Skills

Home of Quality – Uniquely Crafted Papers to Help You Improve Skills Just like any other paper, writing an introduction for a controversial essay requires that you must start with an effective opening statement. You have to begin with problems at hand while giving background information in details. Importantly, you must ensure to put the main argument so that your audience can be certain of your ideas. Most good controversial essay topics are those that are logical and are persuasive in a way. Before you begin scripting, consider the following 4 tips. Begin with a hooks statement. This part will get your reader interested and continue reading your content. If it is boring, he or she may switch off and even stop reading through the rest of the paper. To write this, you can start with a personal story or quotes. Also, statistics can serve the same purpose. For example, when writing about ‘why abortion should be legalized,’ you can start by giving factual data. So, this is one of the fascinating topics for controversial essay you can often consider and write an interesting fact about it. This concept will grab the attention of a reader, and he or she will be interested in knowing your claims in the paragraphs below. Second, you need to include a piece of interesting background information about the issue. This part will enable the audience to be able to understand the problem you are trying to present and that this information gives historical relevant facts that can be essential to explaining and putting forward points more logically. If you feel overwhelmed, join us, and we will assign the best writer for your prompt. Third, writing a good thesis statement is a recipe for a quality paper. It is often written in one single statement that sums up the main argument you are trying to portray. So, it should assert your central position on that given issue, and in most cases, a standpoint that your audience will seemingly argue against. Therefore, in this case, it cannot be a fact. For example, if you are given a topic to write about war, you can write a thesis like this. â€Å"President Trump should resign because he is not capable of commanding the American Soldiers, given that there is a looming presence of threats from the Middle East.† Fourth, there are things you ought to ignore. Do not include analysis of what is in the body at the introduction. Here, you only set up your view and then lay evidence to support it. Even if the introduction is a road map, you should avoid statements that explicitly denote approach; you are going to use to write your points. It does not give crucial pertinent data on your topic. We have many topics to choose from. You can consider the following samples. The government should ban the manufacture and selling of tobacco Every country should activate the death sentence Smoking should be permitted in public areas People should be allowed to vote from age 13 The government should ban energetic drinks All clubs should close at 11 P.M. Technological advancements will reach its peak in 2050 We have numerous samples of easy controversial essay topics that you can often pick from. You only need to make a point of contacting our support team for assistance. We will write your paper for you based on the given question. How to Choose an interesting controversial essay topics In most cases, a student may not know how to select a subject once he or she has been given a question. Well, we know this a significant challenge for students. As a result, we often advise students to consider subjects that they feel comfortable to work on. With this approach, one will be able to give an account of events in a more logical manner. The best controversial essay topics often take a stand that the audience least expects. So, you must choose one that interests you the most. It is pragmatic to do a thorough research firsthand because this will enable you to cover a broad range of subject on the issue, to select effective college controversial essay topics, Shallow research on the subject may limit your approach on the topic at hand. About Our Controversial Essay Topics for College Students We have vast examples of topics to choose from. Apart from selecting, we have writers that can help you write your paper at the most affordable rate. Our professionals will give you some good topics for an controversial essay to help you get started. There are many reasons why you need to choose us. First, we have highly qualified writers who can work on your controversy essays. Second, we customize the content to produce papers that are free from plagiarism and are of high quality. Therefore, joining us will help you improve your skills by giving you topics to write an controversial essay on, and even craft a quality paper for you in time. Our service is different from other firms in various ways. Other platforms will charge you high prices for writings, but we often offer affordable rates, that is congruent to the question and size of work. Also, other companies will sell you a sample essay that was written previously. This approach, in most case, results in plagiarism. Knowing the dire consequences of this vice, we do not want any of our students to tread that path of pain. As a result, we give an individualized approach to every paper to enhance its content and give it a unique outlook. The assigned writer will do thorough research before starting. There are many reasons to join. They are not limited to the merits you get, such as fast delivery, low prices, quality, and free and unlimited revision. 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Biography of presidential candidate Barack Obama Essay

Biography of presidential candidate Barack Obama - Essay Example As for his personal life, his parents got separated when he was merely 2 years old and they divorced at a later stage. His mother remarried and moved to Indonesia in the year 1967 where Obama attended local schools at Jakarta and then returned to Honolulu to spend his time with his grandparents as he attended school from the fifth grade onwards. He graduated from high school in 1979. (Curry, 2004) Obama went ahead towards Los Angeles where he got enrolled at Occidental College and then made his way towards New York City to transfer his educational qualifications at the Columbia University. Barack Obama majored in political science and his specialization was within international relations subject. He worked at Business International Corporation and later switched to New York Public Interest Research Group. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for a period of 12 years and became a lecturer for another 4 years. After this, he was appointed as Senior Lecturer for 8 years. He is also a member of a number of companies and sits at the board of governors/directors for them. Some of these companies include Public Allies Chicago, Woods Fund, The Joyce Foundation, Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and a few others. The dominating impression about Obama is that he will bring about a change and this is the aspect that he is highlighting the most. He has awakened a new sense of energy within the people through his refreshing and innovative ideas. Critics seem to think of him as an immature President to-be but then again some are supporting him for the mere reason of change that Obama has clung on to for so long now. Obama supports the basis of a free market for America as well as encourages the widespread economic security basis all over the world. Obama is of the view that terror can only be curtailed if the perspective of the terrorists could be

Concepts and Case Analysis in the Commercial Law of Contracts Research Paper

Concepts and Case Analysis in the Commercial Law of Contracts - Research Paper Example Dotty has a right for the goods bought together with the premise and may sue to specific performance. It allows the buyer to sue for specific performance when the goods are specific. The remedy is discretionary and will only be granted if the goods are of special value or unique in their nature like the antique furniture. Dotty can also sue the vendors against trespass on the goods. An action for trespass to goods lies where there is wrongful interference with another person's goods, which are in his possession. The interference includes actual taking off or a direct and immediate injury to the goods. This tort aims at protecting personal property. For an action to be enforceable as a trespass on goods, the plaintiff must establish that at the time of trespass, he had the possession of the goods either actual or constructive and that his possession had been wrongly interfered with or disturbed. For this case, it was a trespass on chattels or goods. This is based on possession. The tort consists of interference with the goods, which are in the actual or constructive possession of the plaintiff. We need to determine whether the seating and hair dryers are fitting to the land and also consider whether it has been fixed with the intention that it will remain in position permanently or for an indefinite or substantial period, or whether temporary purpose. If they prove to have been fixed merely for a temporary purpose, it is obviously not a fixture Land includes things affixed to the land such as buildings and fences, and so on. A fixture is an object that was affixed to land with the intention of becoming a permanent feature of that land.  

Marine Pollution Essay Example for Free

Marine Pollution Essay Pollution of the worlds oceans is quickly becoming a major problem on Earth. We know very little about the effect that pollution has on the oceans, but we continue to dispose off chemicals, sewage and garbage into it at an unprecedented rate. Most people likely do not even know what types of pollutants reach the oceans. There may be billions of people unconcerned about ocean pollution and hence this problem. Truly, the fish catch from the sea will tend to bio concentrate the pollutants to finally reach the humans. Toxic Ocean Pollutants Toxic pollutants in the ocean ecosystem have massive impacts on the plants and animals. Heavy metal poisoning (such as lead and mercury) from industrial effluents accumulate in the tissues of top predators such as whales and sharks (so do not hesitate to support ban of hunting whales and sharks but to the dislike of many others). Many a times such poisoning causes birth defects and damages nervous system. Dioxins from the pulp and paper bleaching process can cause genetic chromosomal problems in marine animals and may even cause cancer in humans. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) typically cause reproduction problems in most marine organisms. PCBs usually come from older electrical equipment. Poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are another source of marine toxic pollution and typically come from oil pollution and burning wood and coal. These PAHs are responsible for causing genetic chromosomal aberrations in many marine animals. Lastly, low-level radiation poisoning is also possible in the ocean environment. Though scientists know very little about how radiation affects marine organisms, it cannot be a good thing anyway. Some marine species such as a population of Beluga whales living in the St. Lawrence River area in Eastern Canada are in serious trouble because of marine toxic pollution. These Beluga whales are the victims of ocean pollution ranging from PCBs to heavy metals as well as other pollutants. However, toxic pollution is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of total ocean pollution. The toxic pollution varies from PAHs heavy metal pollution from industrial effluent and fallout, PCB pollution and even possible low level radiation. No matter what we humans do, there is potential for serious pollution of the oceans. Marine Garbage Marine garbage disposal is another major form of ocean pollution. The worlds oceans are a virtual dumping ground for trash. Sometimes the garbage includes junked out fishing nets, plastics, general household garbage and even like bulbs. In one case, an island 300 miles from the nearest inhabited island (and 3000+ miles from the nearest continent) had 950 pieces of garbage ranging from plastics to tin cans. Garbage in the oceans is a serious issue as fish entangle themselves in fishing nets and animals sometimes eat trash products and die. There are numerous examples of dolphins, sharks and whales entangling themselves in fishing nets and dying from oxygen starvation. It is possible to clean garbage from the oceans if humanity quits using it as a garbage dump. Marine garbage can often enter into animal gut; plastic pop tab rings accidentally strangle animals and so forth. Controlling this form of pollution is important to maintain a healthy ocean ecosystem. Even simple plastic bags can have large pollutive impacts within the ocean. In one case, a deceased sperm whale was found to have a party balloon blocking its digestive system. The whale died from inability to process its food and died of starvation. Plastics can also have negative impacts to boats if they accidentally plug water intake lines. Sewage Disposal in Ocean Sewage is yet another major source of marine pollution. Typically, the problem with sewage is that it causes massive nutrient loading in the ocean ecosystem. Nutrient loading triggers algal blooms in the water leading to the loss of dissolved oxygen. After the depletion of oxygen levels, many organisms in the ocean die from being unable to breathe properly. Other problems associated with sewage include parasites/bacteria that force closure of public coastal beaches and poisoning of shellfish fisheries. For the most part, cities in the developed world have sewage treatment facilities but many of the cities in poorer areas have little to no sewage treatment. As the world population continues to increase, sewage pollution will be on the rise. What we often do not realize is that the waste water out of washing our clothes, faces, dishes and cattle, is ultimately headed to the sea. This includes everything from our homes (toilets, washing machines, bathtubs, dishwashers and so forth), industrial effluents and even chemicals such as paints and fertilizers that we dispose of down the drains. Eventually, all of this sewage pollution adds up and we land in serious problems due to lack of oxygen for organisms and poisoned water. Non-Point Pollutants The last major source of ocean pollutant is non-point. Non-point pollution can come from amazingly varying sources, viz., runoff from farmland (fertilizers, manure), industrial runoff (heavy metals, phosphorous), urban runoff (oils, salts, various chemicals) and atmospheric fallout of airborne pollution. Obviously, it is the hardest to control. Point pollution, in contrast, is pollution from a direct source like a factory outfall pipe. The enrichment of water by nutrients, especially compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus, causes an accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life to produce an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms and the quality of the water (Eutrophication). Input of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to the sea is a natural prerequisite for life, not an environmental problem. It becomes a problem only when the input increases to such levels that the original properties or functions of the ecosystem change. Then, it becomes too much of a good thing. When this manifests in marine waters or a lake, it is referred to as eutrophication a concept covering a series of events in the aquatic environment. Input of too large amounts of nutrients, followed by other events and effects is ominous and results in higher levels of nutrients in the water. Physical, chemical and biological changes that follow tend to reflect in the fauna and flora, oxygen conditions change and other changes in the water mass, in the sediments and on the surface of the bottoms. Pollution of coastal waters: Kerala under microscope The coastal waters of the maritime states are under the constant threat of pollution from a number of sources. The relatively long shoreline of India (6000 Km) is no exception either. More so is the case of Kerala. Compared to the rest of the union, profile of Keralas coastal waters may be better; still a lot remains to be achieved. The tropicality of the region and consequent intense rain fall in the hinterland, along with the physiography has immensely contributed to the quality of coastal waters. The agrarian nature of land use itself has become a bane to the coastal water bodies of the state in the midland as well as in the lagoons in coastal land. Fertilizer residue originating from the tea, cardamom, and rubber plantations of the highland and midland are finally headed to the coastal water of the ocean. But, the brunt is borne by the waters in the lagoons, ponds and other inland water bodies. The intracoastal water way is no exception either. Obviously, the fertilizer residue leads to the eutrophication of the coastal waters, and adds to the reservoir of the chemicals that already exists in the sea. Luckily, the amphibious plant species that characterize the fresh water bodies and lead to their eutrophication, do not survive in the marine environment. However, if not checked, we may reach a situation like in the mouth of Mississippi River, where a 60 mile wide algal belt has reportedly come to stay. The sheer size of the coastal waters is an insurance against the pollutants, like the fertilizer residues, yet could not influence the sea water chemistry to any great extent. Where do we go from here? Industrial pollution is not as bad as it used to be in the developed world as new techniques and better waste and effluent treatment are put in place. New laws and regulations make it difficult for people to dump their trash into the oceans though inevitably some dumping will always occur. One idea is to promote community beach-cleaning events where in everybody volunteers in to pick trash off the beaches. By cleaning up the trash on beaches, we lessen the potential chances of accidental animal kills and afford better and cleaner looks for beaches. Reduction of sewage is possible through the installation of better sewage treatment facilities and by adoption of volume reduction technologies for the worlds cities. Developed countries like Canada and the United States as well as Western Europe should assist the poorer countries in installing sewage treatment facilities. Reducing harmful sewage discharge would be a major start in helping to clean the oceans of pollution. Many areas of the world have reduced non-point pollution through proper recycling facilities for used oil and paint products. In the past, people simply dumped used oils and paints into the sewer system where they would do serious damage to the water. Pollution will still occur but with effort and determination it

Television Censorship Essay -- Media

Television Censorship Censorship in television is a very debatable topic in today’s media and social realms. Nowadays what is considered appropriate by many may actually be considered explicit or unsuitable by the people in charge. Some may wonder ‘who is deemed so highly that they can decide what is and is not appropriate to watch. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is ‘responsible for administratively enforcing the law that governs what is and is not appropriate. Within this article I will discuss how the FCC decides what the American viewers are allowed to see. The first example the FCC regulates on television is called ‘obscene broadcasts’. According to the FCC obscene speech in not protected by the First Amendment and cannot be broadcast at any time. To be obscene, material must meet a three-prong test: Â · An average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; Â · The material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically def...

Legal Ethics Healthcare Essay

The legal concept of vicarious liability and the Doctrine of Respondeat Superior occurs when the employee commits a tort or civil wrong within the scope of employment and the employer is held liable although the master may have done nothing wrong( Regan 2002). Physicians and other healthcare providers need to be aware of this doctrine in the supervision of their staff and their day-to-day medical practice. The legal relationship between an employer and an employee is called agency. The employer is called the principal when engaging someone to act for him. The person who does the work for the employer is called the agent. The theory behind respondeat superior is that the principal controls the agent’s behavior and must then assume some responsibility for the agent’s actions (Phelps & Lehman 2005). Most medical malpractice suits are filed as result of negligence (ie, a type of tort or civil wrong) – Negligence is defined by what a reasonably prudent person would or would not do in the same or similar circumstance. Negligence can result from the individual medical provider or from some type of agency relationship that exists between two or more health care providers. In general, when we discuss the relationship between agency and malpractice, we refer to the concept of vicarious liability and the Doctrine of Respondeat Superior ( Columbia 2000). In the context of medical malpractice a negligence action is often precipitated by a bad outcome. Numerous cases have involved the concept of vicarious liability and the Doctrine of Respondeat Superior as a successful cause of a medically negligent action. Recent changes in the health care system may contribute to additional causes of action being recognized. As managed care has moved to the forefront of health care, many medical providers have left independent practice and become employees of large health care organizations (HMOs) or hospitals. Some medical providers have formed their own business with health care extenders who perform many of the services previously provided by the medical provider. As a result, HMOs and hospitals have become employers of medical providers, and medical providers have become employers of their health care extenders (Regan 2002). In the past, the relationship with the patient and extensive documentation in the medical record were the most important elements in preventing malpractice litigation. These efforts, while important, may have less of an effect in the evolving health care climate. With these changes, principles of agency and vicarious liability may become increasingly important in evaluating malpractice liability. Both the negligence of a health care employee employed by an individual medical provider and the negligence of an individual medical provider employed by a health care company have given rise to successful malpractice suits. The Doctrine of Respondeat Superior is one to weigh carefully by both plaintiffs and defendants in their current practice of law and medicine. References: Malpractice. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2000. http://kids.infoplease.lycos.com/ipd/A0401963.html Raines v Mercer, 55 5W2d 263, 264 (Tenn 1932) Regan, J. , & Regan, W. (2002, May). Medical malpractice and respondeat superior. (Review Articles). Southern Medical Journal, 95(5), 545-549. Retrieved January 23, 2013, from Nursing and Allied Health Collection via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/nrcx/start.do?prodId=NRC Respondeat Superior. (2005). In S. Phelps & J. Lehman (Eds.), West’s Encyclopedia of American Law (2nd ed., Vol. 8, pp. 334-336). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3437703788&v=2.1&u=lom_davenportc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w

“Of Friendship” by Francis Bacon and “Friendship” by Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

Friendship is practical and a way of life. It is practical because it resolves the conflicts you are experiencing through reflection, your friends help you without you telling them. The efficiency of friendship lies on how you communicate with your friends. It is a way of life because it mirrors your values and attitude as a person. According to a famous saying, â€Å"Birds of the same feather flock together. Usually, friends have the same interest, opinion, habits and activities. The essays â€Å"Of friendship† by Francis Bacon and â€Å"Friendship† by Ralph Waldo Emerson revolves on the theme of   how friendship becomes practical and a way of life. Same is the point of view of William Rawlins which says that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a cultural category and source of imagery about ideal human relationships and   social    being, the term â€Å"friendship† usually evokes positive connotations. Its idealt ypical characteristics include the freedom to choose and maintain one’s bonds with others voluntarily, the personalized recognition of and response to particular individuals’ intrinsic worth as human beings, the pursuit of equality based on the   corresponding validity of friends’ subjective experiences, a shared orientation of mutual good will, understanding, trust, support, and acceptance, and heartfelt   feelings of platonic affection and concern. (271)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First will be the discussion of the style. Bacon’s essay is impersonal, brief and descriptive ,using figures of speech   and detailed while Emerson’s is personal, unabridged   and poetic just like the first sentence of his essay â€Å"We have a great selfishness that chills like east winds the world, the whole human family is bathed with an element of love like a fine ether†, using similes and metaphors and other figures of speech. Emerson’s style is conversational and subjective. Bacon’s style uses a smooth transition touching one subject after another in an abrupt manner and sentences are fluid while in Emerson’s coherence is improved, explaining every idea that he has in mind. The same idea is given by Edwin Abbot:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would seem that Bacon’s habit of collecting choice words and phrases, to express his meaning exactly, briefly, or ornately, had from a very early date the effect of repelling some of his hearers by the interspersion of unusual expressions and   metaphors. ( 450)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next will be the discussion of the essay’s focus, content and organization .The essay accomplishes to instill to the mind of the reader the message it wants to convey. The words are clearly defined except for those old English that was used. Both are appropriate to individuals reading the essay and it does consider the needs and expectation of the reader. Both are supported with adequate details and evidences .The choices of the words are just. Emerson’s essay does not really get my attention due to its length, it becomes boring to read although there are memorable quotes and ideas that I get that really moved me and make me realize what he is talking about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Afterwards will be the discussion of the essay. â€Å"Of Friendship† by Francis Bacon denotes the idea that no man is an island, coming from its introductory words: â€Å"It had been hard for him that spake it to have put more truth and untruth together in few words, than in that speech. Whatsoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god.†It is companionship. A person should not isolate himself from the society.   It also discusses the fruits of friendship like confession and built of trust to another person , understanding and affection .Light comes out of the dark and confused thoughts become clear, that is the role of friendship. You also must not elevate yourself from others but be of equal to them to achieve true friendship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Friendship† by Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us that the sweetness of life is achieved through friendship .Intellect can help but it should act to feel the happy expression of being a friend and to befriend someone. A possession of a friend is more than the material things that the world is offering. Emerson also uses the physiology of a human to discuss the importance and meaning of friendship and also the mythological beings like the Greek gods and their representation in the essay as an agent of companionship. If Bacon has fruits of friendship to sweeten up life Emerson has the elements of friendship including tenderness,patience,silence and camaraderie to pump up the relationship and make it worthwhile.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To sum it up, I would like to borrow the words of C.S. Lewis that says that friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art. It has no survival value;rather is one of those things that give value to its survival. It is unnecessary because friendship comes naturally, it is not forced. It has no survival either because its only residence is a good heart. As I have said friendship is practical, so if we have friends and they don’t act like one don’t mind them. True friends know the value of each one. Friendship does not survive in a lifetime but by the time that you are need by your friend. Friendship is also a way of life. Act as you are but know the value of friendship because according to John 15:13, The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them†. Works Cited   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abbott, Edwin. Francis Bacon: An Account of His Life and Works.London:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macmillan,1885.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rawlins,William.   Friendship Matters: Communication, Dialectics, and the Life Course.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New York:   Aldine De Gruyter,1992.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sharp, Ronald.   Friendship and Literature: Spirit and Form.   Durham, NC.:   Duke   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   University Press,1986.

How To Tell Time in Spanish

How To Tell Time in Spanish You can tell time in Spanish if you can count to 29 and learn a handful of words. Its that easy. Basic Rules for Telling Time in Spanish The basic way of telling time in Spanish is to use the singular form of ser (to be), which is es, for one oclock and the plural form, son, for other times. Minutes can be stated simply by separating them from the hour using y, the word for and. Es la una. (It is 1:00.)Es la una y dos. (It is 1:02.)Son las dos. (It is 2:00.)Son las tres. (It is 3:00.)Son las seis y cinco. (It is 6:05.)Son las siete y diez. (It is 7:10.)Son las once y diecinueve. (It is 11:19.) To indicate the half hour, use media (a word for half). Use cuarto (meaning fourth) to indicate the quarter hours. Es la una y media. (It is 1:30.)Son las cuatro y media. (It is 4:30.)Es la una y cuarto. (It is 1:15.) It is customary to use menos (a cognate of minus) to tell time during the second half of each hour, stating the number of minutes until the following hour. Es la una menos diez. (It is 12:50. It is 10 until 1.)Son las cinco menos cinco. (It is 4:55. It is 5 until 5.)Son las diez menos veinte. (It is 9:40. It is 20 until 10.)Son las ocho menos cuarto. (It is 7:45. It is quarter until 8.) Key Takeaways: Telling Time in Spanish The most common way of telling time on the hour in Spanish follows the pattern of es la una for 1:00 and son las [number] for later times.For incremental times, add y [number of minutes up to 29] after the hour and menos [number of minutes up to 29] before the hour.You can also use media and cuarto for the half-hours and quarter-hours, respectively. How To Include Time Periods of the Day In most of the Spanish-speaking world, both 12-hour and 24-hour clocks are used, the latter being common in schedules and similar printed materials. To indicate time of day when using the 12-hour clock, use de la madrugada for the wee hours of the morning, de la maà ±ana from then until noon (mediodà ­a), de la tarde between noon and early evening, and de la noche from evening to  midnight (medianoche). Es medianoche. (Its midnight.)Son las siete y cuarto de la maà ±ana. (Its 7:15 a.m. It is 7:15 in the morning.)Es mediodà ­a. (Its noon.)Son las cuatro menos cinco de la tarde. (Its 3:55 p.m. It is 5 before 4 in the afternoon.)Son las ocho y media de la noche. (Its 8:30 p.m. It is 8:30 at night.) The abbreviations a.m. (from the Latin ante meridiem) and p.m. (from the Latin post meridiem) can also be used as in English. Son las 4 y media a.m. (It is 4:30 a.m.)Son las 2 p.m. (It is 2 p.m.) Time in the Past When talking about the time that events took place, use the imperfect tense of ser. Era la una y cuatro de la madrugada. (It was 1:15 in the morning.)Era medianoche. (It was midnight.)Eran las once de la noche. (It was 11 at night.) Other Time Expressions Here are time-related expressions and words that can be useful: Son las tres y cuarto en punto. (Its 3:15 exactly.)Son las seis y media ms o menos. (Its about 6:30.)Salimos a las nueve. (We are leaving at 9:00.)Ser la una. Sern las tres. (It will be 1:00. It will be 3:00.)Buenos dà ­as. (Good day, good morning.)Buenas tardes. (Good afternoon, good evening (until about 8 p.m.).)Buenas noches.(Good evening, good night (as either a greeting or a farewell).) ¿Quà © hora es? (What time is it?) ¿A quà ©Ã‚  hora ...? (At what time ... ?) ¿Cundo ...? (When ... ?)el tiempo (time)el reloj (clock)el despertador, la alarma (alarm clock)el reloj, el reloj de pulsera (wristwatch) Sample Sentences Los Bombers de Mallorca llegaron a la zona a las dos y media de la tarde. (The Mallorca Bombers arrive in the area at 2:30 p.m.) Era ms oscuro que la medianoche. (It was darker than midnight.) La clase comienza a las 10 de la maà ±ana y termina a mediodà ­a. (The class begins at 10 a.m. and ends at noon.) El sbado tengo que levantarme a las cinco y media de la maà ±ana. (On Saturday I have to get up at 5:30 a.m.) Eran las siete de la tarde y no habà ­a nadie. (It was 7 p.m. and there was nobody there.)

The 4 cornerstones of great customer service - The JobNetwork

The 4 cornerstones of great customer service - The JobNetwork Chances are, if you’re interviewing for a position in customer service- whether as a customer service rep or another service role- you’ll be asked to define good customer service or to describe what good customer service means to you. This is one of the most typical questions (right up there with â€Å"tell us about your strengths and weaknesses†) for this type of position, so you should definitely be prepared to answer it- and answer it well. Don’t panic. Here’s a primer for how to tackle your answer prep for this golden question. Make sure your answer contains elements from each of these major sections.Awareness/ExpertiseWhatever the product or company you’re representing, it’s best to have knowledge of it inside and out. Thorough intelligence about what it is you’re selling or supporting is an absolute must to deliver quality service to customers, whether you’re dealing with books, food, drinks, technology, ads, widget s, websites, or designer shoes. Mention the pride you take in knowing your product and inventory inside and out–that’s how you help consumers make the satisfying choices that will keep them coming back.DemeanorFirst and foremost, good customer service involves  a good attitude. Greeting and farewell-ing customers with a warm smile or a genuinely friendly gesture are crucial for first and final impressions. Be sure to mention friendliness, helpfulness, and willingness to go the extra mile. Highlight how you’re not the type to just go through the motions, and how you’re willing to accept responsibility and blame and fix things whenever you can.EfficiencyIt’s not enough to just be friendly and pleasant; you also have to get things done. Mention how much you value your customers’ and your company’s time. Your promptness, reliability, and efficiency- particularly under fire- are all good to describe. Talk about how you have a deal with s pecific situations from your past in a timely and graceful way.Problem-solvingCustomer service almost always involves a bit of conflict now and again. Sometimes you have to deal with problematic customers, and sometimes you need to solve particularly tricky problems for customers as they come up. Paint yourself as someone who will think outside of the box for a solution, and be prepared to describe how you have done this in the past.Your ideal answer to this common question will cover all these bases. To sound well-prepared and interesting, make sure to throw in a real-life anecdote or two with good examples of just how you were able to practice these four virtues in the past. Then, tie it all together by speaking about how and why they contribute to your overall impression of what makes good customer service (and what makes you so good at providing it). You’ll impress with how well you prepared, and be one step closer to nabbing the job.

The President Can Only Read One Page (Line from US TV Series The West Essay - 1

The President Can Only Read One Page (Line from US TV Series The West Wing) - Essay Example You’ll remember this was a major issue during the financial crisis as Goldman Sachs was advising clients on investments, while making investments that ran counter to the very equities they were recommending. This is bad for us because it limits our activities and the amount of revenue we can bring in. There are a number of potential arguments you can adopt. One perspective contends that just because Goldman Sachs was morally bankrupt doesn’t mean that the entire industry needs to suffer ("Sec pitches budget," 2012). Another perspective argues that implementing the Volcker Rule will unnecessarily restrict banking and investment in the United States. Additionally, individuals have argued that if this regulation passed it would hurt the banks’ abilities to compete internationally (Patterson, 2012). While these are strong arguments, it may also be more effective by arguing that its passage should be delayed and reconsidered ("Dodd-frank criticism roundup:," 2012). Dodd-frank act - sec. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CGsQFjAB&url=http://www.sec.gov/about/laws/wallstreetreform-cpa.pdf&ei=q1NuT-_7Oebj0QGpwoW3Bg&usg=AFQjCNGj12VcoYHuakKquosc4ObHaJE_bw&sig2=lJrCl2Tt00CivlDZYr9gtw Khimm, S. (2012). Banks’ preemptive strike against dodd-frank. Retrieved from

Diversity in the Workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity in the Workplace - Research Paper Example Therefore, when analyzing diversity, all these aspects have to be considered in order to understand how they affect performance at workplace, motivation, success and interactions with others. Diversity in the workplace improves morale, builds a greater teamwork, and promotes positive relations among individuals, enhances mutual understanding and respect among them. Furthermore, diversity is all about dignity and respect for all, learning from others and understanding each other well. This research paper provides a thoughtful discussion of diversity in the workplace, exploring its importance, challenges of managing a diverse workplace, and effective strategies to manage diverse workforce. Generally, diversity can be defined as â€Å"acknowledging, understanding, accepting and valuing differences among individuals based on ethnicity, culture, age among other aspects† (Green et al, 2013). Arguably, diversity is very essential especially in today’s global market place since organizations interact with diverse cultures and different clients, thus it should be managed effectively. Therefore, all factors that seem to interfere with the promotion of diversity at workplace should be examined and eliminated. At workplace, no employee should be discriminated when it comes to recruitment, promotion, merit increase, salary, and training among others, based on gender identity, nationality, religion, or race. In order to achieve effective diverse workforce, the organization should clearly define all its activities that it is interested in improving like expanding customer base (Finn, n.d). Diversity in the workplace is a very important issue that organizations should focus on since it yields greater productivity and competitive benefits to the organization (Green et al, 2013). Managing diversity is a reflection of effective management that helps to improve productivity of an organization as well as customer service. Due to globalization, there is increased inter action of individuals from diverse cultures, races, religions as opposed to ancient times. With this, people do not concentrate at one place working or interacting with those coming from their cultures, or race (Green et al, 2013). Today, individuals are being recruited in every place they wish worldwide because organizations are competing to promote and achieve diversity to have a multicultural organization where no one is discriminated. Mangers have to learn necessary skills to fit in multicultural work environment since managing diversity remains to be an organizational challenge and they have to be able to deal with multicultural differences so that everyone in the organization is treated with dignity. Organizational leaders should inculcate the culture of diversity by â€Å"ensuring that all managers have inclusive management style† (Pollitt, 2006, p.24). Mor-Barak proposes that diversity is the right thing to embrace with equal opportunities offered to all, irrespective of their background, beliefs, or gender. This implies that all employees are given equal access to job opportunities in the organization (Mor-Barak, 2011). Organizations and businesses should care about diversity in the workplace since it does not only affect them but also the suppliers and customers. Ensuring that there is diversity in the workplace yields many benefits to employees, customers, and the organization as a whole.

Does Illegal Immigration Help or Hurt U.S. Economy Essay

Does Illegal Immigration Help or Hurt U.S. Economy - Essay Example According to the research findings illegal immigrations are not good for the United States of America because they are helping less and causing more harm not only to the U.S. society but also to the overall economy. Large-scale illegal immigrations produce a negative impact on the economy of the United States. Some of the most obvious economic impacts of illegal immigrations include less job opportunities, increased poverty, increased educational costs, decreased foreign investment in immigrant-populated areas due to increased fear of crimes, and less number of skilled employees in the original countries of the immigrants. It is a fact that when the host country starts hiring illegal immigrants on low salaries, the number of available jobs decrease for the local citizens. Espenshade states, â€Å"Illegal immigrants have high rates of labor force participation but typically earn about 30% less than their legal counterparts from the same region of the world†. However, it also re sults in increase in the graph of poverty because when people will not have good jobs, they will not have money to spend which will ultimately increase poverty. Moreover, low salaries for the illegal immigrants also increase poverty. â€Å"Their wages are low and they are more affected by downturns in the economy† (â€Å"Immigration Policy†). Illegal immigrants do not have skills and qualification that are required to get good jobs. They just go to the United States to do low profile jobs for money, which also results in overpopulation and poverty for the local and poor people. Poor people do not have enough resources to get standard education, which makes them go for low profile professions, such as, waiters, dishwashers, petrol pump operators, sanitary workers, and plumbers. However, when employers fill such jobs with illegal immigrants on low wages, no place is left for the local citizens. According to Sterne, employers prefer to hire undocumented immigrants, as the y are cheaper and unregulated (556). Increase in the number of illegal immigrants also impose burden on the taxpayers. Illegal immigrants receive all social services and do not pay the taxes that they should actually pay in return of those social services. Increase is the number of crimes is one of the major drawbacks associated with immigrations. Sadowski-Smith states, â€Å"Undocumented immigrants are also increasingly criminalized within punitive local, regional, and national legislation that further exacerbates vulnerability to exploitation† (799). Some percentage of the immigrants falls into criminal activities when they do not find jobs or any kind of work in the countries where they migrate. Some of those crimes include kidnapping for ransom, stealing money, rape, robbery, physical

Analysis and Detection of Metamorphic Viruses

Analysis and Detection of Metamorphic Viruses Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation Metamorphic Viruses are very special type of viruses which have ability to reconstruct into entirely new offspring which is completely different than the parent; Main object to use these techniques to rebuild itself is to avoid detection by Antivirus Software. Although for the time being some well known metamorphic viruses are detectable, but it is predicted that in future we might face problem of similar viruses those would be capable of changing their identification and perform malicious tasks. Our objective in this thesis is to perform an in-depth analysis of metamorphic code, and evaluate some best practices for detection of metamorphic viruses. 1.2 Outline This document has been divided into five chapters; first two chapters are for introductory purpose it provides basic information about viruses in Chapter 2 we have tried to give some details about virus evolution how metamorphic viruses came into existence. Chapter 3 includes detailed information about metamorphic Virus, Formal definition, Core components of Architecture and some explanations from a virus writer about metamorphic viruses. Chapter 3 deals with some of techniques which are being used by metamorphic viruses and what advantages these viruses have using those techniques. Chapter 4 contains different type of detection methodologies used to detect metamorphic viruses. It also contains sample code from different metamorphic viruses for their feature comparison. Chapter 2 Computer Virus Introduction 2.1 Introduction The term Virus was first described by Dr. Fred Cohan in his PHD thesis during 1986[1] although different type of computer malware where already exited that time but the term was specifically introduced by Dr. Fred. Thats why in may research papers he is considered the father of Virus Research [2]. According to his formal definition as virus A program that can infect other programs by modifying them to include a possibly evolved copy of itself[1] Based on this definition we have taken some pseudo code of Virus V from his research [25]. program virus:= {1234567; subroutine infect-executable:= {loop:file = get-random-executable-file; if first-line-of-file = 1234567 then goto loop; prepend virus to file; } subroutine do-damage:= {whatever damage is to be done} subroutine trigger-pulled:= {return true if some condition holds} main-program:= {infect-executable; if trigger-pulled then do-damage; goto next;} next:} This is a typical example of a computer virus, we can divide this virus into three major parts first subroutine which is infect-executable it tries to look for and executable file or any other target file which it wants to infect it contains a loop which tried to append the virus body to with the target file. Second subroutine do-damage is the virus code its self for which virus has been written this is called virus payload upon execution it performs some damage to the system. The third subroutine trigger-pulled is some sort of trigger to execute the virus code it could be some condition based on date or system or file. Main code of virus is that once the condition is met we it should append itself to the target file and perform something. If we evaluate this definition modern viruses cannot be considered as virus because there are several different type of viruses which are not performing any harm such as â€Å"Co-Virus†, their main target is to help the original virus by performing such tasks so the execution of original virus could be performed without being detected. Peter Szor has redefined this definition [2] as â€Å"A computer virus is a program that recursively and explicitly copies a possibly evolved version of itself.† This definition is also self explanatory, as the author suggest it recursively and explicitly search for the target files and then infect them with virus code to make possible copies. As we are all aware virus is special kind of malware which always requires a user attention to propagate such as either he access the infracted file or tries to execute infected files. Grimes[26] append this definition with boot sector information and other methodologies as Viruses are not limited to file infections only. 2.1.1 Different Type of Malware In this section we will try to discuss some type of malware which like virus but they are not virus. This section is for information purpose only. Viruses its self could be of different kind based on their activity we can define their category, such as boot sector virus, File Infection Virus or some of advanced Macro Viruses which are used inside Microsoft Office documents to automate the process. Basically all virus follow the same process of infection which is described by Dr. Fred Cohen in V Sample Virus. We will define some of advanced code armoring techniques in Section 2.2. 2.1.1.1 Trojans Trojans are very famous backdoor malware some time they are not considered as virus as their main objective is to let attacker gain access to the target machine without getting noticed by the user. Their main objective is not only to gain access but it could be executing some sort of malicious code. Origin of their name is from Greek History where a giant horse was built to gain access inside the castle and transport soldiers through that horse. Same technique is used with Trojans they tricked users by displaying something on screen and behind it is doing something else. Trojan does not infect files or attach their code to other files usually they contain some sort to joiner utility which help users to embed their code or application inside the Trojan. Trojans can used to gain access to infected systems, mounting share drives or disturbing network traffic through Denial of Services attacks. Some famous examples of Trojans are Netbus, Subseven, Deep Throat ,Beast etc. Some remote administration Trojans can have their client side which can be used to communicate to the infected computer. Above image is Client side of Beast Trojan which can perform so many operations on the target machine once it is connected. 2.1.1.2 Spyware and Adware Spyware are very common problem of todays internet user. They are used to get information about users and monitor their activity with or without his knowledge. Till now antivirus companies are unable to define detection and removal of spyware software because there are some famous companies who are selling spyware software to monitor user activities and they are getting legal support to protect spyware from getting removed by antivirus. With spyware it is quite possible that without user knowledge they transport all user information and activities to some monitoring email address. There is some sort of spyware which are only used to get all key press events by users whatever he is typing or writing in email or entering password. It will be recorded and based on the software settings it can be sent to email or saved on disk. Adware are slightly different than malware they collect information about users internet activity and based on that they tries to display target advertisement to the users or install some software on users system which displays unwanted advertisement to the user. 2.1.1.3 Rootkits Root kits are specially crafted virus; their main objective is to gain administrative level access on the target system. Usually they contain some virus or script to execute the malicious code on target machine, enable root level access for the attacker and hide the process, allowing attacker full access to machine without getting noticed. Detailed information about root kits is beyond the topic. Based on their functionality we can say that they hijack the target system and monitor all system calls. They are now capable of patching kernel also so attacker can get higher level of permissions. Security researchers have demonstrated a new technology called â€Å"Blue-Pill†[27] which has helped them creating a super root kit without getting any performance degradation or system restart. They have used virtualization support inside processor to run in a virtual machine mode. 2.1.1.4 Worms Worms are considered as the most advanced version of malware unlike virus they do not require any user interaction to propagate, but like virus they can replicate their code by infecting other target files. They can be combined with Trojan horses to execute on target machine. But unlike virus they are always dependent on some software for their execution without that specific software they cannot perform their actions. These try to exploit vulnerabilities of software or operating system to perform malicious actions. Love Bug is one of famous worm example it used Microsoft Emailing software to distribute its copies. CodeRed and Nimda are some other examples which used Microsoft protocols to distribute and infect other systems. 2.2 Virus Evolution Viruses are evolved throughout the time thats why today we are dealing with the most advanced type of viruses of all time. Most of time researchers are challenged by the virus writers to detect their created virus and create vaccine for it. In the following section we will describe some of the techniques which are used by virus to satisfy the main objective of Virus writer that is â€Å"Make Virus Completely Undetectable†. From time to time they have used different techniques in this section we will discuss those techniques and how those techniques lead toward metamorphic viruses. 2.2.1 Encryption Encryption is the main sources of information hiding. It has been used some centuries the same way virus writers are using encryption to avoid detection by antivirus. A decryptor is attached with the main virus code to decryp the virus body and performs the action. lea si, Start ; position to decrypt (dynamically set) mov sp, 0682 ; length of encrypted body (1666 bytes) Decrypt: xor [si],si ; decryption key/counter 1 xor [si],sp ; decryption key/counter 2 inc si ; increment one counter dec sp ; decrement the other jnz Decrypt ; loop until all bytes are decrypted Start: ; Encrypted/Decrypted Virus Body The above code is from [5] for Cascade Virus. In the same article the author has suggested four major reasons why some virus writer will use encryption: Prevention against code analysis: With encryption it becomes quite difficult to disassemble the virus code and examining the code for instructions which can be quite interesting for the virus researchers. For example if someone is performing specific operations such as calling INT 26H or calling specific Crypto API. By using encryption users will bet get an idea about what are the intentions of users because most of file contents will be encrypted and it is quite possible it may contain some Junk Code also. Making disassembling more difficult: Virus writers can used encryption not only to make it difficult they can also us to make this process more time consuming and difficult they can include more junk code inside or wrong instruction so the researchers will not be able to perform static analysis of code and get some confusing idea about the code itself. Making virus temper proof: Same like real life business products some virus writers do not want their virus code to be used by others with their name or generate new variant from their code because it is quite possible someone will decrypt virus and again generate another virus by modifying the code. This is also some sort of prevention from reverse engineering the virus. Avoid detection: This is the core objective of virus write to evade detection by Anti Virus software, based on time to time new techniques have been developed in following section we will discuss some of these techniques how they use encryption. Mostly the virus contains the decryptor within their code this had helped the Virus researchers to detect viruses based on their decryption signature. But this method is not very successful as it may raise an exception in case some other software tries to use similar methodologies to decrypt data. As time evolved they have developed some new interesting techniques. Most of time in assembly they use simply XOR ing operations help then in decrypting virus code. For example in above code of Cascade Virus it is using XOR to decrypt each byte of virus code unless all body is decrypted. With XOR they have some advantage first of all it is very simple operating and second XOR ing the same values twice yields the first value this operating can help them in decryption and making it more confusing during static code analysis. Peter Szor has described some of these strategies which can be used to make process of encryption and decryption more difficult [2-Chapter7], according to him: Virus Writers are not require to store decryption key inside the virus body some advanced virus such as RDA.Fighter generate their decryption key upon execution. This technique is called Random Key Decryption. They use brute force method to generate key during run-time. These Viruses are very hard to detect. It is under control by the attacker how he wants to modify the flow of decryption algorithm, it can be forward or backward or it is also possible to have multiple loops inside a single body. Or multiple layers of encryption. Second most important factor is the key size which can make decryption process more difficult based on the key length. Obfuscation is another factor involved in it. In Metamorphic Viruses Similie.D was one of the virus which used non-linear encryption and decrypts the virus body in semi-random order and most important thing is that it access the encrypted portion of virus body only once.[3] There is another factor involved in virus encryption such as virus is encrypted with very strong algorithm such as IDEA virus [9] which contains several decryptors. Main source of interest is that it is quite easy to detect virus and remove it but it is extremely difficult to repair the infected file as on second layer of IDEA it uses RDA for key generation. Microsoft Crypto API is part of Windows operating system. This can also be used for malicious purpose, Virus writers can use Crypto API to encrypt data with some secret key or call their API through virus code to perform encryption. It is also difficult to detect this because other program such as Internet Explorer also uses this API to encrypt transmission over secure channel. There is another variation in decryption which was demonstrated by W95/Silcer Virus that the first portion of virus which is already decrypted force Windows Loader to relocate infected software images once they are executed loaded in to memory. For the purpose of decryption the virus itself transfers relocation information. There are other possibilities such as some virus use file name as their decryption key in such case if file name is modified virus cannot execute and there is possibility we will not be able to recover that file after infection. Other methods such as it can use decryptor code itself as decryption key it help them in such condition if someone is analyzing code or virus execution is under a debugger it will raise an exception. 2.2.2 Oligomorphism With encrypted virus it is quite possible to find the decryption mechanism to challenge this situation virus writers implemented a new technique to create multiple decryptors and use them randomly while they are infecting other files. Major difference between Encryption and Oligomorphism is that in encryption is uses same decryptor for encryption purpose while in oligomorphic virus have multiple decryptors and they can use any of them during the process. Whale Virus was first of this kind to use multiple decryptors. W95/Memorial[7] is one of very famous examples of oligomprphic viruses it uses 96 different type of decryptors. mov ebp,00405000h ; select base mov ecx,0550h ; this many bytes lea esi,[ebp+0000002E] ; offset of Start add ecx,[ebp+00000029] ; plus this many bytes mov al,[ebp+0000002D] ; pick the first key Decrypt: nop ; junk nop ; junk xor [esi],al ; decrypt a byte inc esi ; next byte nop ; junk inc al ; slide the key dec ecx ; are there any more bytes to decrypt? jnz Decrypt ; until all bytes are decrypted jmp Start ; decryption done, execute body ; Data area Start: ; encrypted/decrypted virus body Sliding key feature can also be noted as with this feature it is quite possible to change instructions for decryptor. If we get other instance of same virus it has little variations there is a little change in loop instruction Another Variant of W95 Memorial mov ecx,0550h ; this many bytes mov ebp,013BC000h ; select base lea esi,[ebp+0000002E] ; offset of Start add ecx,[ebp+00000029] ; plus this many bytes mov al,[ebp+0000002D] ; pick the first key Decrypt: nop ; junk nop ; junk xor [esi],al ; decrypt a byte inc esi ; next byte nop ; junk inc al ; slide the key loop Decrypt ; until all bytes are decrypted jmp Start ; Decryption done, execute body ; Data area Start: ; Encrypted/decrypted virus body . It has been mentioned [2] that a virus is only called Oligomorphic if it can mutate its decryptor slightly. Detecting Oligomorphic virus is extremely difficult because as they have random decryptors it is quite possible that our virus detecting mechanism will not able to detect if there are quite large number of decryptors. 2.2.3 Polymorphism The term Polymorphism came from Greek origin Poly means multiple and morphi means forms. We can say that these types of viruses can take multiple forms. They are much advanced than their ancestors like Oligomorphic virus they rely on mutating their decryptor in such a way so it generates number of variation of same virus. Core of their operation is their engine which helps them in mutating. For each infection their mutation engine generates a completely new instruction set for decrypter. This process help them in generating a completely new virus having exact functionality as their parents but the sequence of instruction is entirely different from others[28]. Antivirus software are challenged by their method as every time a new file is infected it generated a new encryption code and decryptor so those software who are relying on virus decryptor signature will not be able to detect those viruses as new offspring are completely different in decryptors signature. Research has already shown that it is possible for a mutation engine to generate several million different type of decryptor code for new viruses [28]. Dark Mutation Engine is one of very famous example of polymorphic virus following code has been taken from [2]. mov bp,A16C ; This Block initializes BP ; to Start-delta mov cl,03 ; (delta is 0x0D2B in this example) ror bp,cl mov cx,bp mov bp,856E or bp,740F mov si,bp mov bp,3B92 add bp,si xor bp,cx sub bp,B10C ; Huh finally BP is set, but remains an ; obfuscated pointer to encrypted body Decrypt: mov bx,[bp+0D2B] ; pick next word ; (first time at Start) add bx,9D64 ; decrypt it xchg [bp+0D2B],bx ; put decrypted value to place mov bx,8F31 ; this block increments BP by 2 sub bx,bp mov bp,8F33 sub bp,bx ; and controls the length of decryption jnz Decrypt ; are all bytes decrypted? Start: ; encrypted/decrypted virus body Idea behind making a code engine was that in beginning virus writing was very difficult and time consuming so the experienced virus writers helped novice in virus generating by giving them code mutation engine with little modification they can use this engine within their own virus code and it can perform same operations. Based on the virus type and engine capabilities it can enhance the virus functionality there are several viruses which can use Microsoft CryptoAPI in their polymorphic operations. Marburg is also one of very famous polymorphic virus which has entirely different mechanism in file infection. till now we could think that infection method if polymorphic virus could be same just decryptor is changing but that virus introduced some of new methodologies like key length in encryption could be different and each file which it is infecting is using different encryption mechanism.[8] Start: ; Encrypted/Decrypted Virus body is placed here Routine-6: dec esi ; decrement loop counter ret Routine-3: mov esi,439FE661h ; set loop counter in ESI ret Routine-4: xor byte ptr [edi],6F ; decrypt with a constant byte ret Routine-5: add edi,0001h ; point to next byte to decrypt ret Decryptor_Start: call Routine-1 ; set EDI to Start call Routine-3 ; set loop counter Decrypt: call Routine-4 ; decrypt call Routine-5 ; get next call Routine-6 ; decrement loop register cmp esi,439FD271h ; is everything decrypted? jnz Decrypt ; not yet, continue to decrypt jmp Start ; jump to decrypted start Routine-1: call Routine-2 ; Call to POP trick! Routine-2: pop edi sub edi,143Ah ; EDI points to Start ret There are examples of other viruses which shows that 2.2.4 Metamorphism After all these evolution in virus, now we are dealing with one of the most advanced version of these viruses. Polymorphic viruses were really challenging to detect and remove from system, but it was just a matter of time Researchers tried to build solutions against polymorphic viruses. Viruses writer tired to work on something really amazing a virus which would be able to rebuild itself with same functionality but entirely different from the parent. This proposed solution was first implemented in W32/Apparition, If it finds a compiler in some machine it tries to rebuild itself into completely new shape. Following code has been taken from [2] two different variants of W95/Regswap . This virus was first of its kind to implement metamorphism in shifting registers. a.) 5A pop edx BF04000000 mov edi,0004h 8BF5 mov esi,ebp B80C000000 mov eax,000Ch 81C288000000 add edx,0088h 8B1A mov ebx,[edx] 899C8618110000 mov [esi+eax*4+00001118],ebx b.) 58 pop eax BB04000000 mov ebx,0004h 8BD5 mov edx,ebp BF0C000000 mov edi,000Ch 81C088000000 add eax,0088h 8B30 mov esi,[eax] 89B4BA18110000 mov [edx+edi*4+00001118],esi Although till now there is no big incident reported due to metamorphism as normal computers do not contain such utilities like compilers or scripting support to rebuild virus but this situation could be very dangerous for Linux machine where scripting languages and compilers are enabled by default. Upcoming versions of Microsoft Windows are also having support of .Net and MSIL which is capable of generating such virus very easily MSIL/Gastropod is one of famous example of metamorphic virus. In upcoming section we will describe main architecture of metamorphic viruses. Chapter 3 Metamorphic Virus Architecture The idea behind metamorphic legacies came from the same biological aspect that the parents are mutating and generating new offsprings which are entirely different than their parents but they are performing the same actions as their parents were doing. Virus Writers have adopted the same idea and implemented in the form of metamorphic virus. Power of any virus relies in its power to bypass the Antivirus Scanner and perform actions. Usually constants in their virus body, specific register allocation, patterns or heuristics scanning are some of the common ways to detect a virus. Metamorphic Viruses are one of those kinds which are capable of transforming their code into new generation, these viruses are capable of changing their syntax but their semantics remain same throughout generations. Polymorphic viruses were difficult to detect but their main weakness was their decryption mechanism once researchers found their decryption methodology and add this as a signature to antivirus products through this they were able to detect full generation of polymorphic virus but in case of metamorphic virus this approach fails because the syntax of code and mechanism of operation is entirely different throughout generations. They are considered as shape shifters [2] because each generation is entirely different than each other. Metamorphic engines are mostly buggy, this could be our luck that till now there is no perfect metamorphic engine available. It has been reported that metamorphism has been used as a mean of software security the same way it has been used in viruses to for their protection. They can be used stand alone by which they are self generating viruses and capable of performing actions on target system or they could take help from the surrounding environment in downloading some plug-in form internet or generating their new copies. Metamorphic viruses are capable of changing arrangement of their instruction. This ability gives them ability to generate new undetectable virus for examples if a virus contains n number of subroutines it will generate n! different type of generations. In case of BADBoy Virus it has 8 subroutines and it is capable of rearranging its subroutines it can generate 8! = 40320 type of different virus. This grows if number of subroutine increases inside the Virus Body. Above image is a code module of Badboy Virus in file it just need to take care of Entery Point whereregardless of where it is located remaining subroutines are access through jump instructions throughout the code. Zperm is another exam of metamorphic virus the above code sample is from Zperm virus which shows its rearrangement of code. 3.1 Formal Definition This formal definition is presented in [13] according to this definition let à ¡Ã‚ µÃ‚  P(d,p) represented as a function which is going to be computed by a program P in the current environment (d,p) in this case p represents programs stored on computer and d represents data processed. D(d,p) and S(p) are two recursive functions , T(d,p) is a trigger and is an injury condition and I(d,p) is considered as injury condition. In Case of this we can say that pair (v,v) are recursive functions and( v and v) are metamorphic virus if all conditions X(v,v) satisfies. Where T(d,p) ,I(d,p),S(d,p) is entirely different than T'(d,p) ,I'(d,p),S'(d,p). Based on that we can say that v and v are metamorphic virus and they are performing same actions. Polymorphic Virus share their kernel but in metamorphic virus each virus has its own kernel. 3.2 Core Architecture In this section we will discuss major components of metamorphic virus, although there are several other components already explained but architecture represented in [10] is considered as best. According to original author they have divided metamorphic virus in to two categories close-world or open-world. Open World are those who integrate with executing environment and perform some actions such are download some spyware etc. Here we will describe functional architecture of closed world viruses. Most of them perform binary transformation. 3.2.1 Locate Own Code The virus must be able to locate its code from inside the infected file or its own body each time it is transforming into new form or infecting a new file, metamorphic virus which are infecting other files and use them as their carrier must be capable of locating their code from inside the infected file. Mostly in file they use some predefined location of their startup code this location is mostly constant and remains contestant throughout the other generations. There are only few incidents when Engine tries to put dynamic locations. 3.2.2 Decode Once the code of virus is located by metamorphic engine it tries to obtain some sort of blue print information about how to transform. Although this is one of the drawback of metamorphic virus that within them self it they contain their architecture about how they are getting transformed. This information is very critical because this information is further encoded inside body of new virus. This unit can also retrieve information about flags, bit-vectors, markers, hints which will help in building new viruses. There is a drawback of this approach as it is required by the virus engine itself so virus write cannot obfuscate this area. 3.2.3 Analyze Once the core information is gathered there is other information which is very critical for proper execution of metamorphic virus. Without this information transformation cannot be performed. Metamorphic engine must have information about the register liveliness. If it is not available from Decode phase the engine must be capable of constructing it via def-use analysis. Control Flow Graph is also required by transformation phase because this will help in the rewriting logic and flow of the program. Control Flow graph is required in case if the malware itself is capable of generating the code which can shrink or grow in new generations and also it is required to process the control flow logic which is further transformed into code. In the following code it has gather its main idea about code what it is required to perform and it is further transforming it to simplified instructions. 1) mov [esi+4], 9 mov [esi+4], 6 add [esi+4], 3 2) mov [ebp+8], ecx push eax mov eax, ecx mov [ebp+8], eax pop eax 3) push 4 mov eax, 4 push eax 4) push eax push eax mov eax, 2Bh 3.2.4 Transform This unit is most important area of virus as it is capable of generating new virus. Most of virus logic resides here. This unit generate new instruction blocks semantically which are exactly same like its code but syntax is a bit different. Here some sort of obfuscation is also performed, metamorphic engine tries to rename registers , inserts NOP and garbage instructions and reorder the execution of block. Following code block has been taken from their examples in [10]. 1) mov eax, 10 mov eax, 5 add eax,5 2) mov eax, 5 sub eax, 10 mov eax, 1 add eax, 2 sub eax, 8 3) mov eax, 5 add eax, 5 mov eax, 10 4) cmp eax, 5 ja L1 cmp eax, 2 je L2 cmp eax, 5 jb L3 L1 : mov ebx, 3 jmp L4 L2 : mov ebx, 10 jmp L4 L3 : mov ebx, 10 jmp L4 L4 cmp eax, 5 ja L1 cmp eax, 5 jb L2 L1 : mov ebx, 3 jmp L3 L2 : mov ebx, 10 jmp L3 L3 3.2.5 Attach Attach unit it only available in those viruses which infect files and use them as source of replication. Transform unit not only transforms own code but also the code of target file, where it sets some entry point to virus main routine. During the attachment process it also shuffle the code