Anne Sexton’s Cinderella: An Analysis Essay

We’ve consistently read or been perused fantasies once in our lives, and how would they generally end? Truly, joyfully ever after. In Anne Sexton’s â€Å"Cinderella†, she stirs up the conventional fantasy, by including her own story. She utilizes mockery to complete the story, causing the reader’s desire for an upbeat closure and a customary fantasy to vanish. In doing as such, she delineates the distinction between the fantasy and reality world. With Sexton’s cruel expressions of the real world, she breaks the fantasies of the perusers looking for a customary fantasy. The utilization of Sexton’s wry tone foretells what is to come in the sonnet. The line â€Å"That story† (Line 5), which is rehashed various occasions all through the sonnet, makes the perusers think about the first Cinderella fantasy. Maybe alongside this, by expressing â€Å"That story† all through the sonnet, she is attempting to remind us how every fantasy is the equivalent. It generally goes something like this: poor young lady meets prince†¦and POOF! They live cheerfully ever after! Presently, when is life ever that simple? By including her own account, Sexton is delineating to the perusers an increasingly practical fantasy. Sexton utilizes incongruity through her mockery also. Maybe, it changes the reader’s sees on the old style fantasy. Cinderella is portrayed as, â€Å"Cinderella was their house cleaner. /She rested on the dingy hearth every night/and strolled around looking like Al Jolson† (Line 30-32). Al Jolson who was a white man, who imitated a dark man, is contrasted with Cinderella. Be that as it may, taking on the appearance of a dark man was Jolson’s decision, and being their house keeper wearing grime was not Cinderella’s. Another case of unexpected symbolism in Sexton’s sonnet is genuine my preferred lines in the sonnet. â€Å"The oldest went into a space to give the shoe a shot/yet her large toe disrupted the general flow so she basically/cut it off and put on the shoe. /The ruler rode away with her until the white bird/instructed him to take a gander at the blood pouring forward. /That is the route with removals. /They don’t simply recuperate up like a wish† (Lines 81-86). Maybe Sexton is attempting to show the perusers how life never goes like a fantasy. We don't get a pixie back up parent to give us our one straightforward wish. We should battle for everything that we need to have in our grasp. With the utilization of her sarcasm, Sexton, portrays to the peruser how far the stepsister went to accomplish her joyfully ever subsequent to closure. In the wake of perusing this sonnet, the reader’s desires may change through Sexton’s utilization of mockery. â€Å"Cinderella and the ruler/lived, they state, cheerfully ever after,/like two dolls in an exhibition hall case/never disturbed by diapers or residue,/never contending over the planning of an egg† (Line 100-104), from these lines, Sexton is in actuality changing her fantasy into a legend, making Cinderella and the sovereign only a pictures held tight the divider. By her utilization of mockery, Sexton is delineating for the perusers how the fantasy finishing is in certainty not reality. Because Cinderella weds the sovereign doesn't important imply that they will live cheerfully ever. In the event that an individual runs off and gets hitched, it never turns out very like a fantasy. Through Sexton’s sonnet, the peruser can get the message of the joyfully ever idea, for we start to understand that life is simply never that simple and never runs a lo ng, smooth street. Sexton utilizes mockery just as her own accounts to foretell the consummation of the sonnet. On this, she generally utilizes unexpected symbolism and furthermore changes the reader’s see on the great fantasy finishing. Through her own redo of â€Å"Cinderella†, Sexton effectively demonstrates to us that fantasies don't exist as a general rule. Sexton is conveying the message to have reasonable dreams and not sit at home simply sitting tight for a perfect suitor to pull up in the pumpkin carriage.

The Power of Music in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues Essay -- Sonnys B

The Power of Music in James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues From the start, Sonny's Blues appears to be questionable about the connection among music and medications. All things considered, the universes of jazz and illicit drug use are truly interlaced; it could be conceivable that Sonny's enthusiasm for jazz is simply a reason for his way of life and habit, as the storyteller accepts for a period. Or on the other hand maybe the world that Sonny has entered by getting engaged with jazz is the peril in the event that he had not experienced jazz he wouldn't have experienced medications either. However, the intimations given by the depictions of music and what it accomplishes for different figures in the story exhibit music's valuable nature; music and medications are not related for Sonny. By examining the snapshots of music intertwined all through the story, it tends to be resolved that the creator depicts music as something to be thankful for, the preserver and sustainer of expectation and life, and Sonny's just way out of the profound and o ut of control opening of his life in Harlem, with its specialist hazard of medications (414). The story's first experience with music is after the storyteller has educated of Sonny's capture. He is considering the young men he instructs, and how they could all be sucked under (419) similarly as Sonny has been. He hears their giggling in the schoolyard and notes its taunting and isolated quality, a clamor made by frustrated youth as opposed to the untainted, euphoric sound one expects of youngsters (410). One kid whistles a tune, a cool and moving, entangled and straightforward tune, spilling out of him just as he were a fledgling, and the music figures out how to take off over the brutal hints of disappointment (410). Plainly this music is bliss and salvation. Since he focuses on this straightforward music, one kid doesn't revile and cave... ..., on the grounds that this story is the main light we have in this dimness (438). Sonny's Blues is loaded up with instances of music and how it improves things. The student, the barmaid, the mother, the sibling, the uncle, the road Pentecostals, all utilization music to make a second when life isn't so terrible, despite the fact that the world despite everything holds up outside and inconvenience extends above. Music and the story it tells give expectation and happiness; rather than being the instrument of Sonny's pulverization, acquainting him with the universe of medications, music is out of a portion of the grotesqueness. For Sonny and different characters in this story, music is a bastion against the sadness that plagues hindered lives; the light aides them from the haziness without trust. Works Cited Baldwin, James. Sonny's Blues. The Oxford Book of American Short Stories 1992: 409 - 439.

The 5 Ways a Personal Loan Will Affect Your Credit Score

The 5 Ways a Personal Loan Will Affect Your Credit Score The 5 Ways a Personal Loan Can Affect Your Credit Score The 5 Ways a Personal Loan Can Affect Your Credit ScoreCertain  aspects of taking out a personal loan can help your score, while others can hurt it. In the end, just make sure youre borrowing responsibly.Maintaining your credit score is a pretty non-negotiable part of modern day life. While it certainly is possible to live a rich and full life without any credit score whatsoever, it involves quite a bit of extra hassle, and it’s certainly not for everyone. If you want access to credit, you’re going to need to maintain your credit score. It’s as simple as that.The most common form of credit that people use is credit cards. And that makes sense. Their revolving balances allow people to use them for everyday purchases, all the while accruing points or miles that they can use for future purchases or travel. Like all forms of consumer credit, credit cards can hurt or help your credit score. It all depends on how you use them.The same holds true for unsecured personal loans. In this post, we’ll give you a detailed overview of how a personal loan can both harm and help your credit score. But what it all comes down to is this: Using credit responsibly is good for your score, while using it irresponsibly is bad. How your credit score works.Your credit score is created using information from your credit reports, which track your history of using credit over the past seven years. (Some information, like bankruptcies, will stay on your report for longer.) Your credit reports are compiled by the three major credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax.Your credit reports contain a whole range of information, including how much credit you’ve used, what type of credit you have, your total open credit lines, whether you pay your bills on time, the age of your credit accounts, whether you’ve filed for bankruptcy or had liens placed against you, any debt collection actions taken against you, and whether you’ve had any recent hard credit inquiries.All that info rmation is then fed through a (mostly) secret formula to create your credit score. The most common type of score is your FICO score, which is scored on a scale from 300 to 850. The higher your score, the better. Any score above 720 is generally considered great, while any score below 630 is considered flat-out bad.The two most important factors in your credit score are your payment history (35 percent) and your total amounts owed (30 percent). Together they make up well over half your score. The other major factors are the length of your credit history (15 percent), your credit mix (10 percent), and your recent credit inquiries (10 percent).1. How a personal loan affects your payment history.This is the one category where the effects of your personal loan will depend entirely on your behavior. Assuming that you take out a personal installment loan, which is broken up into a series of small, regular payments, paying your loan on time helps your score while missed or late payments hur ts it.Payment history is the single most important part of your credit score, and one late payment can dramatically lower your score. Meanwhile, it takes months and years of on-time payments to maintain a sterling payment history and to keep your score afloat. If you’re looking to repair your payment history, a personal installment loan (used responsibly) can be a great way to accomplish that.2. How it affects your amounts owed.When you take out a personal installment loan, you are adding money to your total amounts owed. This will probably have the effect of lowering your score in the short-term. Adding more debt means that you are increasing your overall debt load, which will likely cause your score to go down. Taking on more debt means an increased risk that you’ll take out too much.However, if you have a thin credit history (which means you haven’t used much credit), taking out a personal loan will likely help your amounts owed in the long run. Showing that you can manage your debt load is great for your score and sends a signal to potential lenders and landlords that you’re a good bet.This is one area where credit cards have a leg-up on personal loans. With a credit card, you can help maintain your credit score by never using more than 30 percent of your total credit limit. And when the opportunity arises to raise your credit limits, take it! Personal loans don’t come with a credit limit, so they don’t factor into your “credit utilization ratio.”3 4. What about your  length of history and credit mix?While these factors are less important than your payment history and your amounts owed, they’re still areas where a personal loan can help or hurt your score. With your credit mix, for instance, it will depend on what other kinds of loans or cards you’ve taken out. Does this personal loan make your mix of loans and cards more or less diverse?For instance, if you have two credit cards and car loan (all of which you are using responsibly), t hen taking out a personal loan will likely help your score because it means you’re using a new kind of credit. Whereas if you take out an online loan in addition to the two other personal loans you’ve used, your score will probably get dinged. The more diverse your credit mix, the more it will help your credit.In regards to the length of your credit history, most traditional installment loans come with a multi-year repayment period. So the longer you’ve been paying off your loan, the older the average age of your credit accounts. Older credit accounts help your score because they show that you’ve been able to maintain long-term relationships with your lenders.There is, however, a weird downside here. When you finally pay off your loan, it could actually cause your score to drop. What?! Well, closing out the account will lower the average age of your open accounts, which will hurt your overall score. This is also why you shouldn’t close old credit cards. The age of those ac counts (plus the higher overall credit limit) helps your score!5. A new personal loan means new credit inquiries.When you apply for a regular personal loan, your lender will run a hard check on your credit. This means pulling a full copy of your credit report so that they can get a full accounting of your credit history. It’s standard procedure for personal loans, auto loans, and mortgages.Here’s the downside: Recent credit inquiries will ding your score. Usually, no more than five points or so, and the effect will usually be gone within a year or so. Still, there’s no denying that this part of taking out a personal loan will slightly lower your score. With home and auto loans, multiple inquiries can be bundled together on your score, but this generally doesn’t happen with regular personal loans.Stay away from no credit check loans.There’s one exception to this rule, and it has to do with certain types of bad credit loans. Most lenders who serve people with poor credit wil l not run a hard check on your credit history, which means that your score won’t get dinged. However, many will still run a soft credit check, or pull in data from other alternative sources to get a good idea of your borrowing history before approving your application.And yet there are no credit check loans out there thatâ€"you guessed itâ€"don’t run any sort of credit check whatsoever. Common types of no credit check loans include payday loans, cash advances, and title loans. These types of loans often come with astronomical interest rates and lump-sum repayment terms that can make them incredibly difficult to pay back.And what’s worse, these lenders typically don’t report payment information to the credit bureaus, so paying the loan off on time won’t help your score at all. But if you default on the loan and get sent to collections, they’ll report the account to the bureaus, which will lower your score. Basically, these loans can’t help your score at all, they can on ly hurt it.The most important thing is to borrow responsibly.As we said up top, the most important part about taking out a personal loan is to use it responsibly. Don’t take out more money than you need, make your payments on time, and make sure your payment amounts fit within your budget. You could even possibly use your personal loan to consolidate higher-interest credit card debt.Do all that, and your personal loan will end up being a net positive for your credit score. To learn more about maintaining your credit score, check out these other great posts and articles from OppLoans:No Credit Card? Here Are 6 Ways You Can Still Fix Your Credit ScoreShould You Cosign That Loan? 5 Things To Consider5 Surprising Ways You Can Hurt Your Credit ScoreWhat other questions do you have about credit scores and borrowing? We want to hear from you! You can find us  on  Facebook  and  Twitter.

Consumer Fraud - 2436 Words

Consumer Fraud Yolanda Garnett Wilmington University Consumer Fraud Introduction Consumer fraud is a purposeful, unlawful act that deceives, manipulates, or provides false statements to damage others. Fraud is described in the dictionary as â€Å"deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage (fraud). Consumer fraud is usually associated with a person or group of people manipulating something to deceive others for his/her or their personal gain. In 2005 fraud cost U.S organizations more than $600 billion annually, and consumers lost more than $30 billion annually (Statistics). This paper will review how consumer fraud occurs, the victims of consumer†¦show more content†¦Many times suspects hack into computers to gain personal information used to steal a person’s identity. Typically this is done by spying on a person’s computer activity to gain bank passwords when he/she is logging into bank accounts or when making online purchases. The perpetrator norma lly then takes this information and commits identity theft or bank fraud. Scams Another form of internet fraud is scams. There are many types of scams. People usually become victims to scams by actively participating in something they were tricked into believing was true. Examples of online scams are work from home requests, lottery winning emails, fraudulent sales sites. Art Koff the founder of RetiredBrains.com was quoted in The Wall Street Journal stating that, â€Å"online traffic to work from home sections has grown 90-fold since the financial crisis of 2008† (Tergesen, 2011). Work from home scams usually require upfront investments in office supplies or other materials and fail to deliver the promised salaries. Also, recently there have been work from home scams that require the person to make purchases to ship overseas to their â€Å"employer† and the person never receives payment for these items or the payment they received was worthless. Another online scam is the â€Å"winning the lottery† scam. This happens when a person usu ally receives an email stating he/she has won something and needs to send money for the taxes. The person is swindled out of thousands of dollars usually andShow MoreRelatedConsumer Fraud1004 Words   |  5 PagesIssue Paper When consumers engage in fraud, they attempt to deceive businesses for their personal gain or when a consumer intentional deceives an organization by taking an economic advantage over them (insert bibliography 1 ). There are multiple ways a consumer can deceive a business. Some examples include identity theft; check fraud, credit card fraud and shoplifting. Employees, consumers, and businesses can do fraud in many ways. Consumers have achieved consumer fraud by improving and changingRead MoreInternet Fraud: an Overview of Classifications, Government Actions, and Consumer Protection3671 Words   |  15 PagesInternet Fraud: An Overview of Classifications, Government Actions, and Consumer Protection December 14, 2006 Internet Fraud: An Overview of Classifications, Governmental Actions, and Consumer Protection Internet fraud is an increasing threat to our technological society, which thrives on the advances and benefits of the Internet and e-commerce. With the increased growth and dependence of the Internet, creative individuals have found ways of conveying fraudulent schemes as legitimate goodsRead MoreDeveloping an e-Business Strategy Essay1276 Words   |  6 Pagesmodel or a B2B e-business model. Due to the rapid development of technology and globalization in the 21st century, e-business has suddenly become an important means of conducting business transactions given the big difference in both businesses and consumers’ way of living prior and during the advent of technology. According to (Wickramasinghe, 2007) since the various e-business models were tested to deliver outstanding and beneficial results in any organization, big or small, many organizations hasRead MoreFraud : A Broad Spectrum Of Individuals At Any Time1238 Words   |  5 PagesFraud can affect a broad spectrum of individuals at any time. Companies and consumers are losing billions of dollars every year. The effects of such deceptions can way heavily on companies and consumers. Fraud can be committed in many different ways. It can range from employee embezzlement to email scams. With increasing frequency, fraud continues to occur. No matter what the news reports, without proper controls; fraud will still occur. Proper controls and training need to be put in place at companiesRead MoreEssay on Online Fraud, E-Crime, and Internet Scams1308 Words   |  6 PagesOnline Fraud, E-Crime, and Internet Scams In the mid-1980’s, computer-related crimes appeared in the United States. Computer-related crimes have now spawned into Internet crimes, and have raised issues regarding Internet security. Essentially, the Internet has become a playground for criminal mischief. Basically, 21st-century technology and Internet accessibility are providing arenas for criminals to use old-fashioned techniques to take advantage of consumers. Recently, Internet crimeRead MoreInternet Hoaxes and Fraud Essay1313 Words   |  6 Pagesand Fraud The Internet has many benifical uses that everyone can use to create an easier and more relaxed life. People can now work in there home over the computer, purchase goods and services and even meet new people. The Internet has taken the vast amount of space that separate people from across the world and connects them through a network of phone lines, cable and DSL modems, and even satellites. Unfortunately, with this great new technology we face a new problem. Internet fraud and hoaxesRead MoreThe For A Large 3d Printing Company As A Global Sales Coordinator1146 Words   |  5 PagesThe risk of fraud in organizations has dramatically increased in recent times due to the pressures caused by the financial crisis. I currently work for a large 3D printing company as a global sales coordinator. My job includes most of the follow but it is not limited too primarily assisting the sales team, focusing mostly on managing schedules and the distribution of any sales documentation. I daily p repare and then follow up on any sales quotations made for clients, negotiating terms with the clientRead MoreIdentity Theft Is Improving With Time1216 Words   |  5 Pagespersonal shredders. In the 1990s along came computer fraud, which increased in occurrences tremendously near the turn of the century. The Internet age is the latest stage of evolution, which evolved less severity from murder, but widespread frequency that spans countries and continents. Identity fraud is currently defined as the unauthorized use of another person’s personal information to achieve illicit financial gain. Identity fraud can range from simply using a stolen payment card accountRead More Corporate Code of Conduct Policy Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pageskey-points that are being use to amend our Code of Conduct guidelines. Our Code of Conduct amendments will include the following precepts: a) Refusal to deal, exclusive dealing and pricing discrimination b) Insider trading c) Mail fraud and consumer fraud CODE OF CONDUCT PRECEPTS 1. Refusal to deal, exclusive dealing and pricing discrimination, these precepts are based on the following foundations: a) Basic antitrust laws: These are laws that established the Federal Trade Commission toRead MoreIBM Business Analytics-Case Analysis1181 Words   |  5 PagesThe diverse array of products and services we offer enables consumer and businesses to make payments and transfer money around the world. From New York to Russia or London to India - in more than 197 countries - MoneyGram s money transfer service moves money quickly and easily around the world. The payment services also help businesses operate more efficiently and cost effectively. We offer our products and services to consumers and businesses through a worldwide network of agents and financial

The Souls Of Black Folk By. B. Dubois - 1080 Words

In The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois, DuBois argues his point-of-view on racial tensions in the south during and after Reconstruction. DuBois was a key figure African-American historian and civil rights activist in his time leading and defending his fellows African-Americans. One of DuBois’s themes ranges on race relations developed after Reconstruction in the south. DuBois elaborates on the overwhelming divide between the white population and the black population in his chapter about race relations. DuBois lists how blacks have been crippled economically, socially, and politically by disfranchisement and the Jim Crow laws after reconstruction. To begin with, to understand DuBois’s opinion on race relations, one must first understand The Souls of Black Folk in its entirety. Written in 1902, the work is a critical critique on the then current relationship between races in the south. The work was written over a period of time as DuBois analyzed the status level for African-Americans after Reconstruction. DuBois sets out his point that, â€Å"blacks of the South need the right to vote, the right to a good education, and to be treated with equality and justice† (p. 3 DuBois). DuBois is mainly setting out his point not to African-Americans, but to the whites in America who do not understand the struggle. Early in the 20th century whites outside of the south did not notice the problems black in the south. So, DuBois was looking to bring back the attention that much of theShow MoreRelatedSouls Of Black Folk, By B. Dubois1673 Words   |  7 PagesDifferent documents ranging from 1903 to our present day in 2015 mirror this same ideology. People such as W.E.B DuBois, Anne Moody, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama, expressed the same concern. Many people in our society, past and present, see being African American as a sign of inferiority. Race shouldn’t be the distinguishing factor between people. Moody, King, Obama, and DuBois all show that the fixation on race was a debilitating problem and appealed to their audiences for action to breakRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk By. B. Dubois1936 Words   |  8 PagesDouble consciousness is a term coined by W.E.B. DuBois in his 1903 book, entitled The Souls of Black Folk, that describes the cognitive dissonance that arises from being both black and American. DuBois describes the duality felt by African-Americans as always â€Å"measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity† and that the black man â€Å"simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American without being cursed and spit upon by his fellowsRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk By William E. B. Dubois1066 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Souls of Black Folk† was written in 1903 by William E. B. Dubois (4). Dubois was an activist for civil rights and an author of many pieces regarding the lifestyle, struggle and historic patterns of African Americans (4). Though Dubois was born after the abolition of slavery, he knew the prospects of the African American struggle were most likely formed due to the conditions of black lives during slavery. Dubois was also an educator and advocate for educational opportunities in black communitiesRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk, By B Dubois Pioneers Two Concepts That Describe The Black Experience1680 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B DuBois pioneers two concepts that describe the Black experience in America— the notions of â€Å"the veil† and â€Å"double-consciousness.† The meaning and implication of these words not only describe the plight of being Black and American then, it also refers to what it means to still be Black and American today – the remnants of the past live on. DuBois explains the veil concept in reference to three things: the literal darker skin of Blacks, which is the physical demarcationRead MoreW .E.B Dubois Thoughts on Education Essay762 Words   |  4 PagesW. E. B DuBoiss thoughts on education The Souls of Black Folk, written by W.E.B DuBois is a collection of autobiographical and historical essays containing many themes. DuBois introduced the notion of twoness, a divided awareness of ones identity. One ever feels his two-ness Ââ€" an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keep it from being torn asunder (215). There are many underlying themesRead More. E. B. Dubois, of the Dawn of Freedom: a Synopsis and Critical Discussion838 Words   |  4 Pages04/04/06 W. E. B. Dubois, Of the Dawn of Freedom: A synopsis and critical discussion William Edward Burghardt Dubois work, The Souls of Black Folk, gave a critical discuss of the early, twentieth century through the eyes of the Negro. Although many have limited this work to Dubois argument of, The Talented Tenth, it should be noted that Dubois work encompasses much more than that. The purpose of the essay is to summarize and give a critical eye to W. E. B. Dubois Of the Dawn ofRead MoreHow Race Relationships Throughout The Southern Area Of The United States1153 Words   |  5 Pagesrelationships in the southern area of the United States can be understood as social facts and further this essay will illuminate if being of black skin colour in the southern area of the United States can be regarded as pathological in respect to Durkheim’s sociological views. Firstly one needs to define the two concepts at hand, namely (a) social facts by Durkheim and secondly, (b) pathological by Durkheim. In regards to (a) social facts, Durkheim refers to ideas, values and concepts that a society has developedRead MoreKarl Marx s The Soul Of Black Folks 947 Words   |  4 Pages W.E. B. Du Bois did not stratify race, class and nation as a personal characteristic but as social hierarchies that formed Blacks access to position, poverty, and authority. W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard University, and he focused on history, civil rights, and sociology. In 1909, Dubois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Soul of BlackRead MoreJean Booker T. Washington. B. Dubois1358 Words   |  6 PagesChloe Thompson Ms. Webster English III H 5B 5 May 2015 W.E.B DuBois One of the late 19th century and early 20th century’s most prominent black empowerment leaders was W.E.B DuBois. In research it is clear that DuBois was not subtle to one job or career choice. As a civil rights activist, educator, sociologist, historian, writer, editor, scholar, and poet, DuBois contributed to changing American society today. DuBois is mostly remember for his work with the NAACP and his notorious feud with civilRead MoreB. Du Bois928 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"In my own country for nearly a century I have been nothing but a nigger.† -W.E.B Dubois On February 23, 1868 in a small town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts one of the greatest leaders in African American history was born. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, better known as W.E.B. Du Bois is one of the greatest scholar, writer, editor, and civil rights activist. Many civil rights leaders and other important black leaders and role models see W.E.B Du Bois as the father of the Civil Rights Movement

Types of Racism Free Essays

Racism should not be ignored. There are two types of racism in the world. The two types of racism are overt racism and institutional racism. We will write a custom essay sample on Types of Racism or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Overt racism, especially in its contribution to the racist impact of qualification requirements on blacks. † 1. Overt racism contributes to a social and residential segregation, thereby isolating blacks at every income level from white society. â€Å"As a result of overtly racist â€Å"last-hired, first fired† policies toward blacks and the favoring of whites for on-the-job training, many blacks have been unable to gain work experience, particularly special working skills. 2. Overt racist action is when harm is inflicted or a benefit withheld either because of the perpetrator†s racial bias against the victim or because the perpetuator is prejudice of others. Institutional racism is when a person or firm has a practice that is race-neutral but still has an adverse impact in blacks as a group. Institutional racism also reinforces future racism by contributing to the presence of blacks at the bottom of the employment level. â€Å"The adverse effect on blacks of these neutral practices also contributes to the perpetuation of racist attitudes. 3. Individuals growing up in a society where blacks are visibly predominant in the lowest jobs tend to believe that blacks naturally belong there. â€Å"Recent studies show that less-educated workers can be trained by employers for skilled positions that are frequently reserved for college graduates. † 4. Black academics were initially excluded by racist attitudes from many white departments. Whites who are no more productive than blacks will tend to receive a better payoff. â€Å"Whites have eleven times the wealth of blacks; one-third of all blacks have no major assets what so ver except for the cash that they have on hand. † 5. Blacks wanted to get rid of Jim Crow laws. Jim laws made blacks segregated from the white community. Blacks couldn†t use white facilities to buy products instead, blacks had to buy from their facilities. â€Å"A University of Chicago investigation showed that because of persistent prejudice suburban blacks are more likely to suffer segregation than other minorities of equal income and social status. † 6. There were other signs of racism in the past like the trading of blacks slaves from Africa. Blacks who didn†t want to be a slave either revolted against their masters or committed suicide. Masters were very harsh on the blacks. Masters would punish and beat the slaves for no reason. There were a lot of anti-racist role models that were heroes to the blacks. Rosa Parks was famous role model because she stood up for what she believed in. She sat in the bus seat not letting any white sit in her seat. Rosa Parks was arrested for that reason. Because of her actions that she took after she got out of jail, racial segregation became illegal. Elizabeth Eckford braved the angry white crowds by herself when she was the first black person to get accepted into Little Rock High, which was an all white school. Martin Luther king Jr. was another brave role model. Martin Luther King Jr. always made flights to states to help the community win over racial segregation. Martin Luther King Jr. always brought huge crowds wherever he made a speech. He made very inspiring speeches to the blacks, which gave them more courage to protest against the whites. Martin Luther King Jr. was probably the most inspiring person this century because he led the blacks to freedom. He is so inspiring that he will become a saint. Segregation started in the late 1980s even though slavery existed for more than two hundred years. Segregation laws were rapidly affecting blacks. More laws were made in the early 1900s because of the inspiration of Jim Crow laws. â€Å"During the second half of the 1980s, racial violence against blacks increased nationwide. In 1988, a white supremacist movement of violent skin-headed youths, whose weapons included knives, baseball bats, and their own steel-toed boots, sprang up spontaneously in cities throughout the nation. 7. This lowered the blacks courage to fight against the whites. â€Å"Many blacks are excluded by requirements for work experience because as students they have been barred from white schools where relevant training was available or had been denied work experience and training by prejudice supervisors and employers. â€Å"8. Blacks lack of personal connections to the job market, but it arises in large part from segregation created by overtly racist practices. â€Å"As job losers, blacks tend to move down to unskilled temporary work, or to no work at all. † 9. Since blacks can†t find good jobs, they usually make the community bad by stealing and joining gangs to keep themselves alive. â€Å"It is still true that the more disagreeable the job, the greater the chance of finding a high proportion of blacks doing it. † 10. Cities don†t know that they need to have better working conditions for blacks or they will have as much suffer as blacks do. â€Å"Hiring by personal connections also tends to keep blacks at the bottom of the occupational ladder. † 11. It keeps them down because blacks don†t have many connections to people who own a store. Blacks felt the racist impact of such past hiring discrimination when, as less senior, they were less likely to gain work promotion and more likely to lose their jobs in economic recessions. † 12. Whites have been the first in line for hiring, training, promotion, and desirable job positions because of racism. White people either have been responsible for racism or have passively benefited from it. Since there are firms that don†t hire blacks in very low wages, white people have to either take the jobs and get low payment and bad working conditions, or don†t take the job and don†t get anything to help the community that the job provides. The whites also benefited from racism. Whites tend to get more promotions because there are no black competitions. Whites also benefited from housing discrimination where racism was strong. There have been a lot of cases of mass murders in a county. There was a case where, in one summer, eighty blacks have been beaten, thirty-five shot, five murdered, and more that twenty churches burnt down by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Most KKK members usually got away for the murders and damages they committed. KKK members only started getting accused after segregation became illegal. But still, only blacks who were brutally murdered had a trial against the KKK. KKK groups are very confident about passing through a conviction. The KKK was always there where the black protesters were. They were there to intimidate them. They also wanted to start a fight whenever they had an opportunity too. â€Å"The isolation of blacks from white society is also sustained by widespread racist attitudes that exclude blacks from white clubs and social circles where networks leading to jobs are formed. † 13. Blacks not only suffer from discrimination but being isolated from a white community. Blacks lack personal connections to residents of all-white suburbs where many new jobs have been created. † 14. The adverse effect on blacks is exacerbated when suburban employers rely on walk-in applicants from these neighborhoods. â€Å"According to a 1981 study, black school districts in the black belt states receive less funding and inferior education by comparison with economically similar white districts, in a part as a result of local (white) decision making. † 15. White decision-making affects blacks a lot because the whites want to help their school funding more than the blacks school funding. The racism of government practices encouraged race discrimination by landlords who blocked the escape of blacks from ghettos, and by employers and unions who refused to hire, promote, or train them, as well as widespread communication of an insulting stereotype of blacks, derogatory to their ability and character. † 16. Because racist treatment of blacks in business and professional reduced family income, it hurt their sons and daughters. â€Å"Among these black parents injuries, they suffered discrimination policies of federal agencies in allocation of business loans, low-interest mortgages, agrarian price supporters, and government contracts. 17. There are a lot of different remedies for almost every issue involving racism. One of the reasons for avoiding racism is that blacks willingness to accept lower wages and adverse working conditions reduce labor†s bargaining power generally with management. â€Å"Although long-term black employees have the benefit of high sonority ranking, after the 1964 Civil Rights Act many continued to suffer the racist impact of departmental sonority arrangements. † 18. Under such arrangements, a worker who transfers from one department to another loses all sonority credit.   Because of programs that help families over racism, black children start to have more black role models, which creates more self-confidence. â€Å"Complaints can be lodged in a court or administration under title seven of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits such discrimination, and may be pursued against a firm or a union on behalf of an identifiable individual or group. † 19. Other ways of avoiding racism could be real dangerous. One way is to stand firm where there are firms who practice racism. Doing this would give blacks a chance to end racism in that firm. Blacks could move away if they feel too intimidated by the whites. â€Å"In some situations where blacks are notoriously scarce, the courts have approved â€Å"set-asides,† which unlike goals, reserve a specific number of positions for minorities only. † 20. They could also hold strikes against the government facilities so that they would stop the racism in the community. â€Å"Because blacks are disproportionately represented in the bottom-level positions, their personal recruitment tends to maintain occupational segregation. † 21. There are other things that help blacks like some programs that give shelter, food, clothing, and caring. One more way is to ignore the people who are intimidating you. Almost every remedy has its adverse effects. Complaint remedies could be deficient in a number of ways. â€Å"Since the complaint remedy requires proof of bias, it does not apply to institutional race-neutral policies. Yet qualification standards can be manipulated by prejudiced employers to exclude blacks, especially, as we have seen, vague personality standards. How to cite Types of Racism, Essay examples

The Case of Adoption of IT4IT by Shell Free Sample for Students

Questions: 1. What were the gaps in IT Service Management in Shell Company before adopting IT4IT? 2. Why did Shell Decided to adopt the IT4IT Instead of Developing its Own Framework? 3. What were the Outcomes of adopting IT4IT Shell?4. On what Grounds would adoption of IT4IT be ustifiable for Organisations that had already adopted ITIL? Answers: Introduction Shell operates in over 70 countries with over 94,000 people employed across over 30 refineries and chemical plants and 44,000 service stations producing 3.1 million barrels of oil equivalents per day. This case study is about the adoption of open standard IT4IT for IT management by Shell. IT4IT involves running of IT as a business in involving planning, building, deployment, operation, and retirement. The company added IT4IT reference architecture version 2 technical standard to its existing base of standards including W3, W2r, W32b and (gt)2. The case study explores the IT infrastructure as it was before the adoption of IT4IT, explores the reasons for adoption, and assesses the outcomes of the adoption. Lastly, the case would help understand if addition of IT4IT could be an appropriate move for companies who have already adopted ITIL(Enterprise Opinions Limite, 2016). This case study explores the reasons for adoption of the open source framework by Shell. It first studies the condition of Shell IT systems before the system was adopted so that reason for adoption could be better understood. The case study also studies the output would result from the use of framework. At last it would also explore IT4IT for the companies that are already using ITIL to understand if the two frameworks would be supportive of each other(Graham, 2016). 1.Gaps in IT service management Shell has a lot of complexities involved in its IT structure as it was huge consisting of 27,000 servers and 140,000 desktops over which 4,500 applications ran containing over 3000 supplier licenses. The company has 10 data centres worldwide storing over 35 perabytes of data. 25,000 networking devices are managed with 1.4 million IP addresses in Shell. Shell has had political, commercial as well as IT challenges faced. While on one side they were attacked by activists in response to their pricing or other commercial strategies, on the other side, company faced security issues because of hactivists. Attitudes of IT users were also found to be changing with them demanding things to happen fast. The company was dealing with the multiple pressures simultaneously including internet threats, external issues of hacktivist and activitist, commercial pressures, and pressures due to change of attitude of users. The IT landscape of Shell is huge, complex and critical(HP Enterprise, 2017). It is not run with full insights or full automation as a business. The company manages its IT system involving systems and processes like investment planning, investment prioritization, requirements and testing systems for building, service catalogue for deployment, and monitoring of integrated systems. But the company could not get the most out of their systems. An integrated system that could take care of the IT management for the complete life cycle of IT would an appropriate thing to have or developed(The Open Group, 2016). 2.Adoption of IT4IT The Shell faced a dilemma between cost, agility, and manageability in IT management. There were functional requirements of these systems that needed reduction of costs and risks while business requirements demanded increase in speed, agility, and improvement in performance and experience. There were tradeoffs happening between cost and growth, speed and agility versus diversity and complexity, and technology disruption and manageability. In order to ensure that these tradeoffs do not have add adverse impact on the system performance, an integrated IT system was adopted that would allow a seamless flow between different components and stages of the IT life cycle(The Open Group, 2015). As per a Gartner research, an integrated IT system can help an organization save up to 20% of its IT costs allowing company t make use of saved money out of IT budget for innovation. The company needed its system to achieve better quality, increase the speed of development, reduce cost of implementation and IT, and improve management of risks, enhance monitoring, and better exception handling(The Open Group, 2016). The company had a choice between having own propriety standard or going for an open standard. The company had been managing IT4IT for over a decade formally as an IT department seeing that the gap between the needs and actual capabilities was only growing because of the disruptive environment like cloud, IOT, big data and so on. The department realized that problem was big as well as the value that solution to the problem would also be big(Allen, 2016). Thus, the department believed that the problem could not be entirely solved by a single company and that too when the company was actually not an IT company. Developing own propriety framework would not even have build a competitive advantage for the company as IT was not the core to it. Thus, management thought that it was fair to use IT management just the way others did. Thus, the company decided to adapt to the open framework and with the collaboration with experts helped move things faster. Also, the solution was to bring in the value for the customers and a collaborative approach would be useful in generating that(GARDNER, 2016). 3.Outcomes of adopting IT4IT Shell Adopting IT4IT means running IT like a business, IT is not just deployed but used. It is monitored to understand what it is telling about IT and actions are taken based on them. The outputs or results are measured in terms of performance of the IT systems. The measurements would include metrics, actions, and improvements that can help understand the capabilities of people, processes, information, and tools(HP, 2016). IT4IT helps figure out the cost of each element of the lifecycle, risks that are taken during deployment or implementation, what mitigation plans does a company have against those risks and the value that is created at each stage of the life cycle(NS Tech, 2016). With this clarity, an IT team would be able to analyze IT systems and incidents as well as identify if incidents are created in the system or not by specific suppliers or teams. Suppliers adding incidents can actually help improve the system and thus, they may be rewarded while those skipping the process maybe d iscontinued with. Adoption of IT4IL would bring out facts and figures with analysis of the system performance in the real time so that appropriate actions can be taken for improvement(Saran, 2015). 4.Justification of adoption of IT4IT IT4IT and ITIL architectures actually complement each other. While ITIL is a community based process framework which serves as guidance for managing IT services, IT4IT standard s a data driven model that provides prescriptive guidance for the management of IT systems. Thus, IT4IT framework can actually help build a foundation on which the best practice IT models like ITIL can be run. In some perspectives, IT4IT is seen as a competition while others felt that both would not provide any support for each other. But considering the flexibility of the framework, it can be said that combination of the two may not a bad but good(TOGAF, 2016). ITIL includes a set of best practices and is process driven while IT4ITis process agnostic and it is focused on the automation of the IT function. As compared to ITIL, IT4IT can provide a bigger picture of the IT systems in an organization throughout the whole life cycle of IT management value chain. Conclusions This report was prepared to understand why Shell adopted the IT4IT open framework over developing a propriety framework of its own for integrated IT management which was the need of the time. It was found that the because of the disruptive technologies connecting with the IT systems of the company and making it difficult to fill the gap between what was needed and what was developed, the company management through that the problem could better be solved if it was a collaborative effort understanding the value it would give to the IT community. The report also discussed the outcome of adoption and it was found that the management was able to track the data and run analysis that would help company take insights and act upon them. The case study also revealed that IT4IT was actually a complementary framework for ITIL systems and thus, can be supportive to the system. References Allen, A., 2016. IT4IT modernizes IT and increases business value, s.l.: Techtarget. Enterprise Opinions Limite, 2016. IT4IT The Basics. [Online] Available at: https://www.theitsmreview.com/2016/04/it4it-the-basics/ [Accessed 31 March 2017]. GARDNER, D., 2016. The Open Group IT4IT Architecture Offers a New Direction | @CloudExpo #Cloud. [Online] Available at: https://opensource.sys-con.com/node/3775829 [Accessed 31 March 2017]. Graham, D., 2016. Designing the Business of IT. [Online] Available at: https://enterprisearchitects.com/designing-the-business-of-it-with-it4it/ [Accessed 31 March 2017]. HP Enterprise, 2017. IT4IT Value Chain. [Online] Available at: https://saas.hpe.com/en-us/software/it4it-value-chain [Accessed 31 March 2017]. HP, 2016. IT4IT: the new enterprise architecture framework , s.l.: Hewlett Packard Enterprise. NS Tech, 2016. IT4IT is a push for sexy new IT architecture standards and its got a powerful advocate in HPE. [Online] Available at: https://tech.newstatesman.com/enterprise-it/it4it [Accessed 31 Mach 2017]. Saran, C., 2015. CIOs collaborate on managing the business of IT, s.l.: TechTarget. The Open Group, 2015. The Open Group IT4IT Forum Launches First Standard. [Online] Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-open-group-it4it-forum-launches-first-standard-534517031.html [Accessed 31 March 2017]. The Open Group, 2016. IT4IT FAQ, s.l.: The Open Group. The Open Group, 2016. Shell and The Open Group IT4IT Reference Architecture, Version 2.0: The Adoption of the IT4IT Standard at Shell, s.l.: The Open Group. TOGAF, 2016. IT4IT Relationships with ITIL and Other Practices and Standards, s.l.: TOGAF Foundation.

Influence of Exports on Indian Economy Essay Example

Influence of Exports on Indian Economy Essay Exports have played an increasingly important role in India’s economic growth in the last two decades. Still Export instability and its impact on the domestic economies of developing countries like India has been of continuing interest. However, studies dealing with the impact of export instability on economic growth have yielded two fairly different views. The 1st view emphasizes the negative impact of export instability on growth. This is based on the variability in export earnings, uncertainty in this also has an impact on private investment decisions and adversely affects both the level of capital. Due to this close link of the government revenue with export revenue instability in the exports causes variability, which amounts to disruptions in public investment and infrastructure. The second view emphasizes that export instability does not inhibit the process of growth, in fact it may encourage the growth. Rise in income due to deviations of export revenues from their trend will leave consumption unchanged and savings will rise which is believed to raise the level of investment and rate of economic growth. EXPORTS IN INDIA: India has been described as an ‘import substituting country par excellence’. A balance of payments crisis in 1991 led to the initiation of an ongoing process of trade liberalization. These events corrected the in-built systemic bias against exports and they have led to a degree of correction of the price distortions in the Indian economy through the creation of a more open economy. We will write a custom essay sample on Influence of Exports on Indian Economy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Influence of Exports on Indian Economy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Influence of Exports on Indian Economy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer More importantly, increased competition and the presence of firms from foreign markets has injected a greater degree of quality consciousness and customer orientation, which has been largely absent due to the lack of competitive pressures. In the past there were few foreign firms present in the protected domestic Indian market. These changes have reduced the tendency of Indian firms to seek and obtain protection from foreign imports. Policy reform has also reduced the effectiveness of attempts by Indian firms to hide behind high tariff barriers and it has challenged interests that have attempted to perpetuate inefficient production. In recent years, India’s percentage share in world exports has been increasing steadily, though at a slow pace. Further, India is building up new areas of strength in export markets by moving to computer software exports, exports of pharmaceuticals and engineering manufactures in addition to traditional export strengths in gems amp; jewellery amp; textiles. Post 1991, the gradual liberalization of the Indian economy characterized by policy reforms created a conducive environment for India’s exports to flourish and evolve into social and economic growth. Hence, the last two decades have witnessed India transform from a closed economy to a considerable player in the global market. Though India had previously experienced a negative growth in its exports, such a prolonged period of decline had not been witnessed in over two decades. It is evident that India’s export performance and economic growth are closely inter-linked. Over time, the export sector has grown to be a significant earner of foreign exchange and a major contributor to India’s national income. Further, the performance of this sector is highly dependent on domestic as well as global factors. As a consequence of this, domestic as well as international economic policies have a bearing on the overall export performance of India. India’s export performance : India’s international trade and reliance on domestic factors fueled growth during the fifties, exports played a smaller role, where India’s exports lost its world market share between 1951-1960 and 1961-70. Till the mid seventies, India’s policy was restrictive and focused on developing the domestic industry, while tightening control on foreign trade . Moreover, India’s exports also suffered because export incentives were only available to a limited number of manufacturing industries and selected agricultural exports. The table below reveals that the period between 1961 and 1970 had higher imports (as a share of GDP), compared to exports which may have contributed to a growing foreign exchange shortage. Additionally, high levels of inflation and budget deficits coupled with the India-Pakistan war severely affected foreign aid and led to a foreign exchange crisis, which resulted in the devaluation of the rupee in 1966. Export and Import growth (%) Following the oil-price shocks, the Indian rupee steadily appreciated by almost 20 percent between 1979 and 1986 and had an adverse impact on its export competitiveness. It is interesting to note that in the early eighties, when world exports grew at 2. 7 percent per year, Indian exports grew at a higher rate of over 6 percent. Nonetheless, India’s share in world merchandise exports fell to less than 1 percent from as much as 2. 1 percent in 1951. India’s export performance since 1991 has fluctuated. In 1997, for the first time after liberalization, India’s exports registered a negative growth of 2. 33 percent. The situation for India worsened when its competitor countries (ASEAN) devalued their currencies amidst the crisis, which reduced the competitiveness of India’s exports in the international market for textile and electronics commodities, where India directly competed with ASEAN exports in overseas markets. India’s imports also suffered and reduced by 2. 44 percent due to weak domestic demand, lower industrial activity and a lower unit value of imports. Export and Import share (%) in India’s GDP : Source: Author’s calculations based on World Development Indicators (WDI) and United Nations (UN) Comtrade database http://data. orldbank. org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators , http://comtrade. un. org/db In 2001-02, India faced another setback in its exports, at large, due to the semi-recession faced by the US; one of India’s biggest trading partners. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre caused a net loss of 0. 25 percent of US GDP and also had an impact on India’s exports, which grew only at 5 percent that year. The next major setback for India’s exports was the global crisis of 2008. The collapse of large investment banks around the world coupled with high oil prices and rising inflation led to a global recession. Even though the export sector plays a significant role in the domestic economy by contributing close to 25 percent to India’s GDP (in 2009), its contribution to world exports continues to remain minimal, at a mere 1. 5 percent of world exports in 2009. Between 1991 and 2009, India’s share in world exports rose from 0. 56 to 1. 52 percent. But overall, the economic reforms implemented in India did not have a significant impact on India’s position in the world export market, unlike the reforms implemented in countries like China, South Korea or Taiwan. Sectoral composition of Exports Merchandise exports comprise a major portion of India’s exports to the world. However, a decline in its share and a rise in the contribution of services is visible post 1996. India has experienced a rapid growth in its services sector in the last decade and this is likely to continue in the near future. A combination of demand and supply side factors has influenced the growth of services in India. Sectoral contribution of India’s total merchandise exports : Source: Author’s calculations based on United Nations (UN) Comtrade database http://comtrade. un. rg/db A comparison of India’s export composition with that of its competitors reveals a major point of difference. While for India, services has grown to be a major contributor to its world exports, some of its key competitors like China, Brazil and South Africa continue to earn close to 90 percent of their export revenue through merchandise exports alone. Therefore, the merchandise component plays a bigger role in the exports of other emerging economies, a fact which could explain why India’s share in world merchandise exports has remained low. India- Goods (merchandise) and Services share (%) in total exports Source: Author’s calculations based on UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) database http://unctadstat. unctad. org/ReportFolders/reportFolders. aspx? sCS_referer=amp;sCS_ChosenLang=en Government Initiatives Even though India’s manufacturing exports have resurged since 2001 and grown at a steady rate of over 25 percent between 2002 and 2008, the manufacturing sector has not performed as well. Where the share of manufacturing GDP has remained stagnant. In contrast, the services sector has performed well and contributed significantly towards India’s economic growth. Moreover, India’s performance in services exports has been stronger than most other emerging economies for which their manufacturing sector has been the main driver. A historical review of government initiatives reveals that the policies designed by the Indian government have been instrumental in shaping the development of international trade. As India has progressively moved towards becoming a more open economy, policies have evolved to support trade and increase the volume of exports. However, the average performance of the manufacturing sector has for long, been a cause of concern. In recent years, the Indian government has acknowledged the severity of this issue and taken an important policy initiative in 2011 by approving the New Manufacturing Policy. This policy is aimed at building the capacity of the sector, strengthening its contribution to the GDP as well as improving the international competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. The Indian economy, however, continued to be resistant towards imports and this was reflected in the existing tariff rates. Share of manufactured exports in world (manufacturing) exports: Source: Author’s calculations based on United Nations (UN) Comtrade database http://comtrade. n. org/db India’s key manufactured exports: Since manufactured goods constitute a majority of India’s merchandise exports, it is important to analyze the composition of manufactured exports to identify India’s key export commodities. The following figure shows the distribution of top manufactured goods exports. Source: Autho r’s calculations based on United Nations (UN) Comtrade database http://comtrade. un. org/db Overall, the figure depicts a structural shift in India manufactured exports, away from cotton and textile oriented exports and towards more technique and technology-based items such as pharmaceutical products (medicaments), elecommunication equipment’s etc. The export barriers in India have been hampering Indian exports to a great extent and most of such barriers have been announced by the European Union regarding certification requirements, application of pesticides, dumping of waste products. But the most significant export barrier faced by the Indian exporters is red tapism which is mostly accompanied by corruption. However, the government of India has considered plans to liberate the Indian exporters from the cumbersome paper works and simplify the required procedures. Indian Government keeps swinging on the products that are banned from being exported from India . Frequent ban on export of food grains and other farm commodities should soon be addressed by the commerce department. The move will help India restore some global credibility as it has often faced flak for its banning. Indian Government has banned 58 products from being exported from India. Flip-flop on exports of onions, sugar and cotton in particular has been criticized at the international forum such as  WTO  and G-20, creating fears of India being branded as an unreliable supplier. CONCLUSION: Growth of an economy is directly related to exports. If exports increase at a faster pace as compared to imports, nothing can stop an economy from being a developing one. On the other hand, the instability in exports can adversely affect the process of economic development. It is clear that the export performance of an industry is shaped by a number of factors, including global and partner country economic conditions, costs, market structure, domestic regulations and policy incentives. India’s export performance is equally likely to be affected by macroeconomic variables such as inflation, world demand (or GDP), tariff and non-tariff barriers and also exchange rates. In particular, an RBI report suggested that fluctuation in the value of the rupee affected Indian industries asymmetrically. While labor-intensive sectors such as cotton and leather experienced a fall in export growth (due to an appreciated rupee between 2006 and 2007), high import-intensive sectors like engineering were expected to perform better during the same period, due to lower import costs. Rest apart Government olicies do play a vital role in this sector. Government needs to plan the development, look into other influencing factors and accordingly regulate the EXIM ( Export-Import ) policies to better growth.

Frederick the Wise compared to Machiavellia Principles essays

Frederick the Wise compared to Machiavellia Principles essays Frederick the Wise, was one of the electors of Saxony during the Protestant Reformation (PR). He was one of the six electors whose job was to choose the new Holy Roman Emperor. When Martin Luther was exiled Frederick gave him a hideout. This act let Luther keep his movement going, and without him being there chances are the PR would not have happened at that time or ever. This also allowed Frederick to play both sides of the revolution. If the Protestants won, he could say he helped, and if the lost he could say he captured Luther. Frederick also remained Catholic; this gave him ties on both sides of the religious war. This was very cunning on Fredericks part. Machiavelli states that princes are most successful when they are crafty and are able to trick others, rather then strictly keeping their word. (Machiavelli XVIII) While Frederick was obviously a cunning man he was also a very honorable man. Being an elector meant he had many people offering him bribes. Pope Leo o ffered him a Golden Rose, which was symbol on the highest favor. Fredrick had dismissed it. Frederick also helped Luther because he did not think it was right for him to be persecuted when he had done no real crime, not just for political reasons. Machiavelli says honor makes a person look good, if it does not interfere with being clever. (XVIII) Many of the characteristics people would normally consider good qualities, honor, morality, and kindness are good to have in Machiavellis opinion, except when it gets in the way of increasing or maintaining rule. (XV) Frederick also should have angered the Pope extremely, and under normal circumstances would have probably been dealt with quickly and harshly. Machiavelli says it is important to avoid hatred from people, especially powerful people. (XIX) Frederick was kept safe however because Pope Leo wanted him to be the next Holy Roman Emperor. Even though Fredrick continually d...

Incidents in the life of a slave girl (1861) by Harriet jacobs Essay

Incidents in the life of a slave girl (1861) by Harriet jacobs - Essay Example The major source of encouragement to such individuals was the dream of establishing families of their own in freedom. A major hindrance was imposed upon the slaves if they already had children or families while under the rule of their slave masters or holders. In Linda’s case, her grandmother was a source of empowerment in her life, acting as both her father and mother. Her free grandmother, who was always there for her and her brother Benjamin reinforced Linda’s economic needs and emotional support (Jacobs 4). In the story, Linda talks of her grandmother endless stream of support and refuge that indebts her to her grandmother. Linda’s grandmother is also her personal confidant to whom she tells all her secrets and dreams. As such, Linda respects her grandmother so much that she does not tell her of the struggle against advances from Dr. Flint, and this marks the first conflict between the two. Since her childhood, Linda’s grandmother was always encouragin g her to assert her sexuality in order to avoid further slavery. This is an effort to pull her out of enslavement. Nevertheless, Linda faces many challenges while maintaining her sexuality, including the advances from Dr. Flint (Jacobs 21). Ultimately, she goes against her grandmother’s wishes and gives herself to Mr. Sands. This move, which she considers as triumph over her master, will have a negative impact on her relationship with her grandmother. Her grandmother is not happy after Linda confesses to her not only because of the importance of gaining freedom by maintaining her purity, but also because of societal values. Both the whites and the slaves held the institution of marriage in high regard. Another reason was the fact that children of slaves were to follow their mother step of servitude. Despite her grandmother’s empowerment, she also acts as a hindrance in her quest to obtain freedom. The relationship between Linda and her grandmother suffer a major blow a s her grandmother does not approve of her path to freedom. Linda’s intimate relationship with Mr. Sands is completely unacceptable before her grandmother’s opinion. Linda eventually has two children with Mr. Sands, who tend to delay her escape mission to freedom. Linda eventually considers another strategy: hiding until Dr. Flint becomes discouraged and sells her and her children to another slave master. In her plan to escape with Mr. Sands, her grandmother discourages her by a mother’s guilt, telling her not to trust the man but rather stick to her kids. She goes ahead to tell her that a woman who leaves her children loses her respect. This persuasion by her grandmother is a dilemma in her escape plan, which might secure the safety of her children and herself. Linda’s grandmother continues to instill the fears of her being a bad mother by relating to her children, Ben and Ellen, like a mother. Her loyalty to her grandmother and the natural fear of forsak ing her kids continues to hinder her escape plans, but not until the safety of Ben and Ellen threatened. Linda views their proposed move to plantations as slaves revive her escape plans. She acknowledges that the slaves in plantation are subject to harsh conditions than those in serving in the urban. The thought of her children suffering cruel treatment and conditions in the plantations forces her to flee disregarding her grandmother feelings and opinions. Linda places her children’s safety before the wishes of her grandmother, opting to remaining hidden in her grandmother’

SIOP Lesson Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SIOP Lesson Plan - Research Paper Example Learners in all the grades benefit both in the content area and the bilingual aspects. This paper will prepare a SIOP lesson plan for grade five students under the food and nutrition topic whereby, working in collaborative groups, they will be required to identify the nutritional values of food served in the school cafeteria. This paper will describe a learning project whose length is five class periods covering multiple content and sheltered instructional approaches that address learners with special needs and the ELLs. The standards used are contained in the New York State ELA, and the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). New York State ELA Standards Standard 1: The students will read and write, then listen and speak for the purpose of understanding and information. Standard 3: The students will read and write, then listen and speak for the purpose of evaluation and critical analysis. This lesson plan will address the above requirements by ensuring students r ead, listen, write and speak effectively so as to comprehend content, present information, communicate with fellow students and evaluate their own progress. TESOL Standards Standard 1: Within the school environment, ELLs will communicate in English for both instructional and social purposes Standard 2: ELLs will communicate ideas, concepts and information that facilitate their academic success in the art of language. The lesson plan will require the ELLs to use English in their communication of ideas, concept and information throughout the project (Tharpe & Gallimore, 1988). Content Objectives Students will be able to know nutritional values of food offered for lunch on the school menu by engaging in learning groups and investigative methods to research on the content. They will then present their findings in PowerPoint form in groups. Language Objectives Students will be able to communicate information verbally. They will re-tell the contents of the curriculum and use appropriate v ocabulary to describe what they have learnt. Although content and language objectives are presented as distinct objectives, they are with the standards as well as each other. Vocabulary The key vocabulary words are vitamin, sodium, fiber, mono-unsaturated fat, poly-unsaturated fat, protein, carbohydrate and calorie. Materials KWL chart, graphic organizer created by the teacher, computer projection screen, PowerPoint, classroom laptops, internet resources, and recipe cards. Strategies The strategies are driven by language and content standards, and the implementation is done with consideration to the theories of language acquisition that appeal to an assorted scope of learners. The learners are presented with an opportunity to utilize technology resources and graphic organizers, re-state information, work in mutual learning groups and discover information through research. Because the plan is designed for both learners with special needs and ELLs, strategies like jigsaw are used for their proven instructing effectiveness. A meaningful, thematic mode of instruction facilitates acquisition of second language, gives room for collaboration, provides scaffolding, and allows opportunities for use of oral and written English while building background. Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, the strategies are also designed to develop the learners’ mental skills, grow their emotional or feelings aspects and enhance their

Card Security For Republic Bank Customers

Card Security For Republic Bank Customers There is no doubt that most organisations today are becoming essentially dependant on the use of credit cards, arguably its most strategic asset, is to support existing business operations. However, credit card fraud and identity theft has continued to plague the banking and retail industries as there seems to be no feasible solution to these crimes. Advances in technology have opened a gateway for hackers to restructure their position of attack, intruding on ones personal life. The basis of this project is on the new Chip and PIN technology introduced on credit cards. Ive considered this to be an interesting topic because of the publicity this technology has been receiving across the world and it has even reached to our shores, here in Trinidad and Tobago. Hence, Republic Bank Limited one of the local banks would be the case studied in this research. Chapter two would encompass the existing literature on credit card history and Chip and PIN. This chapter would outline how credit cards have become smart cards and how the Chip and PIN cards are used. Chapter three gives the entire design of the project and the objectives to be obtained for the research. Moving to chapter four, the research framework adopted for this study on Chip and PIN and how it relates to the model undertaken in the research. The findings from this research would be summarized version of the data collected, with the analysis of the theory and research framework the author undertook in this study. In concluding, the author would report on the learning aspects of the research and provide an assessment of achievements, giving a position on the research question. Literature REVIEW This section is intended to place the scope of the project with literature surrounding the components of the research question. The Credit Card Transaction Process Discussed This payment mechanism was formally introduced in 1958, when the BankAmericard card, now known as Visa was franchised across the global community. By introducing an electronic authorization system, the BankAmericard was able to be used globally. Now by partnering with banks across the globe, Visa has been able to provide an international processing system for the exchange of money. The workings of a credit card transaction are such that it comprises of four main steps. These are: Authorization Batching Clearing Funding The cardholder requests a purchase from the merchant, which is then submitted to the acquirer by the merchant. The acquirer then sends a request to the issuer to authorize the transaction. Once the authorization code is sent to the acquirer verifying that credit is available, the transaction is authorized and the cardholder receives the product. (This is further explained in detail on page 9 of this document) This simple process of electronic transacting has opened up a world of e-commerce opportunities. From an information system perspective the processing workflow of an online credit card transaction is shown below: Figure 1: Online Credit Card Processing Workflow Diagram (Hubbard, 2003) Because of the vulnerabilities that lay in a transaction, more so the networks across which the information is exchanged, various security breaches can occur. Types of Credit Card Fraud There are many different types of credit card fraud. Fraudsters are very innovative in finding new ways of committing credit card crime and as technology changes so does their crime tactics. Security issues surrounding the card fraud has moved from the traditional ways of committing credit card crime (Application Fraud, Intercept Fraud and Lost/Stolen Card Fraud) to the modern techniques namely, Skimming, Site Cloning and most recently Triangulation. Skimming is the fastest growing type of credit card fraud around because of its simplicity. Pocket Skimming devices can be easily carried around and the cardholders data can be obtained by merely swiping the card through the battery-operated magnetic card reader. This technology has also evolved so as to read the data of Chip and PIN cards, with the use of a scanner. These scanners, which can write or even re-write the data on the Chip cards, are fully portable and have high storage capacities. Because some of these devices are not illegal, they are easily accessible to hackers and can be bought over the internet. Site Cloning involves cloning an entire site or just the pages where customers make purchases. Since the web pages are identical customers are not aware that their personal information is being compromised. Also, confirmation details are sent to the customer just as the official companys website would, so the crime goes undetected. The details entered on the cloned site are then used by the fraudster to commit credit card fraud. Another method of credit card fraud is Triangulation. Goods are presented on websites at discounted prices, which can be shipped to the customer before payment. Again, just as with site cloning, the site appears to be legitimate then the customer proceeds to enter their personal data. With this captured information the fraudster can then order goods from legitimate retail websites using the credit card number obtained. Due to these security issues surrounding credit card information security, there has been global industry-wide concern for the protection of cardholders data. Since security management is a systematic issue, a serious look at what can be done to prevent security breaches is necessary-whether it may be legislation, the use of fraud detection system monitors or the application of data encryption/ authentication techniques. Chip and PIN Technology Credit cards have been a feasible solution for making payment processing simple and efficient. The history of the credit card dates back to the 1900s when oil companies and proprietors created their own credit card as a means of obtaining customer loyalty and improving customer service. However, as with advances in technology, the credit cards have evolved from having just encoded magnetic stripes to modern day Chip and PIN cards, with embedded microchips, which can store and transmit data. These Chip and PIN cards were developed to provide an inter-operative system that would combat card fraud (counterfeit and plastic cards). This transaction processing infrastructure has enabled the cash-less revolution, whereby consumers, governments and businesses benefit from the electronic payment network, which has shifted payments by cash and cheques to an efficient electronic payment system. The mechanics of a credit card transaction is such that the merchant acquirer, usually the bank processes transactions on behalf of the merchant. This payment by credit card represents an offer for issuance of payment in exchange for the goods or services provided by the merchant, (Transaction Processing). There are two parts to this type of transaction processing: the first is front end processing which involves the capture of data messages across communication channels to the point of sale devices; and secondly the back end processing which involves the balancing of accounting information by acquirers and issuers and the submission of the payment to the acquiring merchants bank. As a result of the rapid advances in technology, data security continues to be a major concern as every transaction that involves the transmission data across networks is open to external attacks. Attacks on a consumers card information can come from any angle, whether it may be data thieves or network intruders. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), which comprises of major payment brands namely VISA, MasterCard, Discover and a few others, have created global compliance standards to protect cardholders data. These set of standards help govern and educate all merchants and organisations that process, store and transmit data, as well as the manufactures of the devices used in transaction processing. The PCI SSC (2010), Data Security Standard Quick Reference Guide, as summarized below, outlines the best practices for protecting cardholder data: Develop and Maintain a Secure Network Install and maintain firewall configuration to protect cardholders data. Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords or other security parameters. Protect cardholders data Protect stored data Encrypt transmission of cardholders data across open public networks Maintain a vulnerability management program Use and regularly update anti-virus software or programs Develop and maintain secure systems and applications Implement strong access control measures Restrict access to cardholder data by business need to know Assign a unique ID to persons with computer access Restrict physical access to cardholder data Regularly monitor and test networks Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data Regularly test security systems and resources Maintain an information security policy Maintain a policy that address information security for all personnel Nevertheless, despite these procedures in place, there has been amplified instances of the various types of credit card fraud, namely Intercept Fraud, Skimming, Site Cloning as well as Triangulation. This propelled an industry and governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"led initiative in the UK to embark on the introduction of Chip and PIN card technology. Based on the EMV standard (Euro pay, MasterCard, Visa) Chip and PIN technology was launched in the UK on February 14th 2006. This programme was introduced to combat credit and debit card fraud, and to provide an ideal way of validating the cardholders identity. By utilizing smart card technology a microchip is embedded with the customers information which includes their unique four digit PIN. For transactions to be accepted, the customer PIN entered must match the one encoded on the microchip. These steps are further explained below: The card is inserted by the customer into the card reader. The card reader would then prompt the user to insert their PIN. A four-digit PIN is then entered by the customer. Once the reader accepts the PIN entered the transaction would be approved. Note the PIN entered is not displayed on the reader but rather represented by asterisks. The customer is issued a receipt as confirmation of the transaction process. This process removes the responsibility and accountability from the merchant to the customer for point of sale transactions. The card never leaves the customers hand and as such prevents skimming of ones card information. One of the benefits of the Chip and PIN cards is that the Chip itself is encrypted with a range of security features, which the transaction processing system uses to identify the cardholder. These security features are said to be virtually impossible to replicate. The terminals used for Chip and PIN transactions, use secure transmission technology to ensure the privacy of the cardholders data and can operate over a range of connectivity environments, such as wired, wireless and cellular networks. The PCI Security Standards Council also developed a framework of standards which is legally enforced through a merchant/service provider/card brand agreement. These include requirements that support the encryption of the cardholders account data and the point of sale terminal integration. Figure 2: Outline of the process of a Chip and PIN transaction The PIN entered replaces the request for signature as verification of the transaction. This is why the banking industry in the UK has campaigned for this technology, because signatures can be forged, however the PIN is unique to that person. Although the United States is yet to convert to this technology, countries such as Japan, China, Canada, Mexico as well as the majority of the European Countries have all introduced Chip and PIN technology and it is gaining momentum in various other countries including Trinidad and Tobago. Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago Limited is the first local bank in Trinidad and Tobago to introduce Chip and PIN technology to make the concept of paying by credit card safer for cardholders. The bank adopted this type of technology because this is now an industry-wide conversion from the magnetic-stripe cards and it is also in keeping with the EMV standard. Conversely, a potential security issue with Chip and PIN card terminals is its capability of processing cards with the magnetic stripe as well. Because of this the request to enter the customers PIN can be bypassed by the merchant, with a receipt generated to be signed by the customer. Now because this option is still available it poses an added security threat to card transactions. So, unfortunately skimming still remains a huge problem for cardholders and sadly enough this includes Chip and PIN cardholders as well. Although this practice is slowly migrating from EMV compliant countries, once a card has been skimmed it can still be used in countries where the magnetic stripe is still prevalent, for example some Asian Countries and the United States. This is why many fraudsters can still create a fake card with stolen magnetic stripe information which can be used in for example the United States. The United States believes that although Chip and PIN has reduced fraud for face to face card transactions, there are a still a number of issues surrounding the security of the system used for this these transactions. Now as with any new system introduced, there have been a number of studies on whether Chip and PIN cards are really secure. So the question is has Chip and PIN technology impacted on the activities of overall card fraud or has the activities of fraudsters shifted from retail crime. In a study by Emily Finch (2010) The Impact of Chip and Pin Technology and The Activities of Fraudsters, it was recognised that since the implementation of Chip and PIN technology participants involved in card fraud made varying decisions when it came to their crime of choice. The Decision to Desist The Decision to Continue To work with others Shift to Distance Transactions Diversification of Theft into Identity The study also shows that there is a shift in the attack strategy of fraudsters from point of sale card fraud to Internet and Card Identity Fraud. In an analysis of Internet and Card Identity Fraud, we can note that Chip and PIN technology was not designed for preventing these types of card fraud. So, the question remains, was Chip and PIN successful at what it was set out to achievereduce card fraud? This too can be argued further as there are other limitations. How can one link a particular card to a specific owner? Once the PIN is known by the individual a transaction can be completed with ease. Other studies have shown that the card readers used for Chip and PIN transactions can be modified. In a study by a team of University of Cambridge Computer Scientists, they have uncovered a series of fatal flaws in the Chip and PIN system. One example is where the internal hardware can be replaced without external evidence of this. This new terminal could then be programmed and modified so that it performs just as a typical terminal, where the card details can be collected and allow criminals to make cards with a fake magnetic stripe, which along with the PIN would enable a fraudster to make valid purchases. Another example is that fraudsters can insert an electronic wedge between the stolen card and the terminal, which tricks the terminal into believing that the PIN was correctly verified. Further, with this wedge inserted, any PIN can be entered and the transaction would be verified. This type of fraud makes it difficult for the victims of the attack to be refunded by the bank as the receipt given is authentic and would state verified by PIN. The bank in turn would be accurate in stating that no refund is required as their records show verified by PIN. This type of complaint appears as an act of negligence by the cardholder as he/she allowed their PIN to be compromised. So based on this study the point of sale attacks are much more prevalent, since before the introduction of Chip and PIN cards, consumers only entered their PIN at ATMs. Now with the introduction of Chip and PIN, consumers are using their cards at various other public areas. To combat the compromising of the consumers PIN a shield over the keypad has been used as added security but in many public areas there are video cameras and a persons PIN can still be captured on footage. So, although the UK banking industry has claimed to have rolled out this new technology successfully in 2006, there seems to be some negative aspects of this technology. The architecture surrounding Chip and PIN technology is questionable and the onus is on the banking industry to ensure that cardholders information is protected. Additionally, it also seems that Chip and PIN terminals offer no difference to what the magnetic stripe terminals offered. These terminals can be tampered with, which is a clear indication that there needs to be accurate configuration of these terminals so as to secure the cardholders data when transmitting transactions and that is not vulnerable to incident of attack. So the intent of Chip and PIN technology has more so opened a new marketplace for fraudsters than prevent/reduce fraudulent activity. PROJECT DESIGN, OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH METHODS The scope of this project is to outline the features of Chip and PIN technology and whether its implementation thus far has been beneficial. This section of the project would provide the methods involved in achieving the data for the project as well as the results based on the data collected. The chosen approach to this design is online research (journals/scholarly articles) along with a case study on the implementation of Chip and PIN technology in Trinidad and Tobago, with the case being Republic Bank Limited. Objective 1 A good foundation for this objective would be the interpretation of the credit cards history. How has this cash-less mechanism moved from a local innovation to a global payment mechanism by use of digital communication across networks? In gaining a clear understanding on the reason for the implementation of this technology, a wealth of research would be conducted on credit card technology and digital security. Objective 2 A holistic understanding on the basis of credit card fraud and the types of fraudulent activities and the steps taken to prevent credit card crime. What technologies have been implemented and the effects/benefits drawn from these approaches. Objective 3 Expanding from objective two also discussed would be whether or not since the introduction of Chip and PIN technology in the UK, has there been a cascading effect of this new technology across countries. Analysing the increasing number of fraudulent activities reported from statistics, which compelled the global banking industry to find a seamless solution for the protection of cardholders data. Objective 4 An assessment on the introduction of Chip and PIN technology by Republic Bank Limited, which would include sourcing information on its implementation and the benefits derived. Further research would be on the acceptance (or non-acceptance) of the technology by customers. Objective 5 Lastly, from the feedback received from the interview conducted and by analysing the incidents of attack on Republic Bank credit cardholders, what was the determining factor in the bank aligning themselves with the UK standards set by EMV? CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK In identifying the framework to be adopted that can be referenced to the literature in this research, the author considered the Delone and Mc Lean IS Success Model. Using this model, the author would explain the net benefits of adopting Chip and PIN technology, relating it to Republic Banks implementation of this technology. DeLeone and McLean IS Success Model In evaluating the success of Information Systems, the DM IS Success Model, systems quality measures the technical success, information quality measures semantic success and organisational impacts and user satisfaction measures the effectiveness of the system. The processes in the model are inter-connected by links, across the dimensions of the system. Figure 3: Depiction of the Updated Information Systems Success Model (DeLeone McLean 2002, 2003) The updated DM Model interprets the evaluation of a system in terms of the information, system, and service qualities and how these characteristics attribute to user satisfaction. As a result of using the system, certain benefits will be achieved and the net benefits will in turn (positively or negatively) influence user satisfaction and the further use of the information system. So, therefore three basic components make up this model, the creation of a system, its use and the consequences of its use. Case study as it relates to the ISS model. Republic Bank has been providing banking and financial solutions to individuals and businesses for over 160 years. Their mission is not only to provide efficient and competitively priced services but also to implement sound policies which will be beneficial to their customers. These factors presented provide clarity and influences the net benefits of the implemented Chip and PIN system at Republic Bank thus far. By use of the ISS model to map the research done in this project, the author would complete a step by step relay of the framework discussing the implementation of Chip and PIN by Republic Bank. Information Quality-Information quality refers to the accuracy/protection of the content of the data in transacting. How secure is the personalized data being transmitted across networks. When a customer presents their card to make a purchase, are they confident that their card information is protected because of the added security enabled on this card. System Quality-The system quality refers to the reliability of the network and the response time in transacting, notwithstanding the approved devices that accept personal identification numbers for all PIN based entries (the ease of use of the system functionalities). Therefore in rolling out this new technology the bank along with their partner merchants would train staff so that they are familiar with the best practice guidelines when using Chip and PIN. Service Quality-This refers to the back-end support systems that assist in usage of the technology. How reliable are Republic Banks servers and IP networks? User Satisfaction- This encompasses measuring the users entire experience-the purchase payment, receipt and service (the ease of purchasing without the fear of being a victim of fraudulent activity). Net Benefits -This is the most important success measure and it encapsulates the cost savings and the decrease in the value of fraudulent transactions arising from stolen credit card data. Was the implementation of this technology beneficial in reducing the incidents of card fraud? Are Republic Bank cardholders satisfied that their bank is on par with global industry changes? The focus of this success model lies in determining the impact the features of technology (information, system, and service quality) have on the variables user satisfaction, use, and net benefits. The main objective for using this ISS model is to establish the ultimate benefits derived from the use of information system both in individual and organizational terms. FINDINGS This chapter will illustrate the findings from the questionnaires submitted to a sample of the Republic Banks credit card customers as well as a formal interview conducted with an employee of Republic Bank Credit Card Centre. The aim of the chapter is to source an awareness of the topic area Chip and PIN by cardholders and the personnel interviewed. Primary Data Collection For the basis of the findings of this research the author conducted a formal interview with a middle management employee at Republic Bank and also distributed questionnaires to a sample of the banks credit card customers. A summarized version of the responses from the interview is represented in this chapter, based on the interviewees knowledge. The questionnaires distributed were mostly closed questions so as to deliberately avoid open-ended respondent answers. Approximately 120 questionnaires were distributed to Republic Bank Customers. Only the answers to the key questions are represented in this chapter. Summarized responses from the interview This interview was conducted with the Supervisor, Card Services, which prove to be very insightful. The Supervisor spoke about the banks vision for their credit card market, and how they plan to continuously innovate so as to maintain their customer base and attract new profitable customers. Since the credit card industry is a highly competitive one, the bank is constantly reviewing their interest rates and looking for new ways to give customer returns from the use of their credit card. Due to his long tenure at the bank and having the customer service background, the supervisor was able to give insight on what infuriates a credit card customer. He explained that customers become frustrated when they see added charges and puffed up late fees placed by the bank on their card statements. In view of the fact that most customers do not read the fine print when completing a credit card application, they are not totally aware of all the charges that can arise from delinquent payments. He f urther added that although queries like this can be explained by representatives at the bank who can provide valued solutions to the cardholders problem, the most infuriating of all queries from customers are unexplainable purchases on their account. At Republic Bank, fraudulent activity on a card can be detected from the use of their state-of-the-art security systems and their experienced fraud expert team that are in place to monitor and detect any unusual activity on a customers credit cards, but even with these measures in place, fraud can occur. The supervisor expressed that by implementing Chip and PIN technology for credit cards, the bank was able to be a step ahead of the competition and most importantly the card criminals. He also stated that although credit card fraud is not as prevalent in Trinidad and Tobago as in the developed countries, continuous education in counteracting fraudulent activities for their customer base is an effective method of addressing credit card fraud. He explained that Republic Bank has not had many eye-opening occurrences of notified credit card fraud but they believe that Chip and PIN technology is an innovative solution to the likelihood of this problem. He was also truthful in expressing that this technology is still new to the industry and all merchants have yet to convert to Chip and PIN enabled machines, therefore there is a window of opportunity for fraud until merchants are mandated to have these Chip and PIN enabled machines. He used the term mandate, because eventually all Republic Bank debit cards would also be chip enabled. In summing up the interview the author probed the supervisor on the banks position on the studies done by the University of Cambridge team on Chip and PIN technology and the tested flaws of the system. His response was quite interesting, because it ventured into a thought-provoking discussion on research. He lamented that the sphere of research done on any topic would result in the researcher seeking out the positive and negative aspects of it. How the data is interpreted, reflects the real value of the research done. Questionnaire Findings Question 5: How often and where do you frequently use your credit card to make purchases? Aim: To assess how often the average Republic Bank cardholder uses their credit card. Findings: Most Republic Cardholders in this study used their credit card regularly, at least five times per month. Credit Cards are used for purchases at the supermarket, restaurant and retail clothing stores. Question 6: Has your credit card information ever been compromised? If yes provide details. Aim: To determine the number of incidents of attack on Republic Bank credit card holders. Findings: Less than 50% of the respondents have never had their credit card data compromised. Question 7: Do you understand the workings of Chip and PIN technology introduced to Republic Bank credit cardholders and the value to be derived from using this technology? Aim: To determine the extent of the customers perception of this technologys value and how the card is used. Findings: Although some customers are guarded about the use of their credit cards, most of the respondents are confident in the service that Republic Bank provides and believes that implementing Chip and PIN gives them that added security against fraudulent activities, especially those customers that frequently travel abroad. Question 8: How do you think by using Chip and PIN cards for making payments will make it easier in transacting? Aim: To establish the efficiencies in the use of Chip and PIN cards, on the time taken to complete a transaction. Findings: Many customers applaud this technology as it reduces the time taken at the cash register when making purchases. It is simple, easy and convenient and most customers are truly happy as there is no need to write their signature. For this reason they find the system most efficient as it prevents their signature from the likelihood of being forged. ANALYSIS The main objective for the research completed on this topic, was to show how and to what extent the adoption of Chip and PIN technology has improved credit card security for Republic Bank cardholders. At a glance, before Chip and PIN technology was introduced in the UK, there was nation-wide educational literature on the benefits of the technology for banks, merchants and most importantly, the customers. However, it seems that this programme led by EMV, created more enthusiasm in the build-up to its implementation rather than the actual usage of the system. From the research, the mounting negative features of the technology and use of the system is outweighed the decreasing positive ones. It seems that the card theft criminals were focused on a solution to obstruct the successful use of the technology before the intention to use. The question remains, which facet of credit card fraud has Chip and PIN really reduced? The research show that for point of sale transactions Chip and PIN has been useful in the prevention of skimming ones card information, however the fraudsters have found alternative ways to improve on that tactic. Chip and PIN technology can only be used à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“successfullyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? for point of sale transactions and not online transactions, so fraudsters have modified their techniques as with the modifications of the technology. Based on the research framework adopted, Republic Bank has measured their net benefits of adopting the Chip and PIN technology by encircling the information, service and system qualities to deliver user satisfaction and usage of the system with this technology. The success of any information system is multi-dimensional and the relationships among the constructs relate to the comprehensive evaluation of the system. The variable dependent on these constructs are the net benefits of this system, and for whom? This local company has app Card Security For Republic Bank Customers Card Security For Republic Bank Customers There is no doubt that most organisations today are becoming essentially dependant on the use of credit cards, arguably its most strategic asset, is to support existing business operations. However, credit card fraud and identity theft has continued to plague the banking and retail industries as there seems to be no feasible solution to these crimes. Advances in technology have opened a gateway for hackers to restructure their position of attack, intruding on ones personal life. The basis of this project is on the new Chip and PIN technology introduced on credit cards. Ive considered this to be an interesting topic because of the publicity this technology has been receiving across the world and it has even reached to our shores, here in Trinidad and Tobago. Hence, Republic Bank Limited one of the local banks would be the case studied in this research. Chapter two would encompass the existing literature on credit card history and Chip and PIN. This chapter would outline how credit cards have become smart cards and how the Chip and PIN cards are used. Chapter three gives the entire design of the project and the objectives to be obtained for the research. Moving to chapter four, the research framework adopted for this study on Chip and PIN and how it relates to the model undertaken in the research. The findings from this research would be summarized version of the data collected, with the analysis of the theory and research framework the author undertook in this study. In concluding, the author would report on the learning aspects of the research and provide an assessment of achievements, giving a position on the research question. Literature REVIEW This section is intended to place the scope of the project with literature surrounding the components of the research question. The Credit Card Transaction Process Discussed This payment mechanism was formally introduced in 1958, when the BankAmericard card, now known as Visa was franchised across the global community. By introducing an electronic authorization system, the BankAmericard was able to be used globally. Now by partnering with banks across the globe, Visa has been able to provide an international processing system for the exchange of money. The workings of a credit card transaction are such that it comprises of four main steps. These are: Authorization Batching Clearing Funding The cardholder requests a purchase from the merchant, which is then submitted to the acquirer by the merchant. The acquirer then sends a request to the issuer to authorize the transaction. Once the authorization code is sent to the acquirer verifying that credit is available, the transaction is authorized and the cardholder receives the product. (This is further explained in detail on page 9 of this document) This simple process of electronic transacting has opened up a world of e-commerce opportunities. From an information system perspective the processing workflow of an online credit card transaction is shown below: Figure 1: Online Credit Card Processing Workflow Diagram (Hubbard, 2003) Because of the vulnerabilities that lay in a transaction, more so the networks across which the information is exchanged, various security breaches can occur. Types of Credit Card Fraud There are many different types of credit card fraud. Fraudsters are very innovative in finding new ways of committing credit card crime and as technology changes so does their crime tactics. Security issues surrounding the card fraud has moved from the traditional ways of committing credit card crime (Application Fraud, Intercept Fraud and Lost/Stolen Card Fraud) to the modern techniques namely, Skimming, Site Cloning and most recently Triangulation. Skimming is the fastest growing type of credit card fraud around because of its simplicity. Pocket Skimming devices can be easily carried around and the cardholders data can be obtained by merely swiping the card through the battery-operated magnetic card reader. This technology has also evolved so as to read the data of Chip and PIN cards, with the use of a scanner. These scanners, which can write or even re-write the data on the Chip cards, are fully portable and have high storage capacities. Because some of these devices are not illegal, they are easily accessible to hackers and can be bought over the internet. Site Cloning involves cloning an entire site or just the pages where customers make purchases. Since the web pages are identical customers are not aware that their personal information is being compromised. Also, confirmation details are sent to the customer just as the official companys website would, so the crime goes undetected. The details entered on the cloned site are then used by the fraudster to commit credit card fraud. Another method of credit card fraud is Triangulation. Goods are presented on websites at discounted prices, which can be shipped to the customer before payment. Again, just as with site cloning, the site appears to be legitimate then the customer proceeds to enter their personal data. With this captured information the fraudster can then order goods from legitimate retail websites using the credit card number obtained. Due to these security issues surrounding credit card information security, there has been global industry-wide concern for the protection of cardholders data. Since security management is a systematic issue, a serious look at what can be done to prevent security breaches is necessary-whether it may be legislation, the use of fraud detection system monitors or the application of data encryption/ authentication techniques. Chip and PIN Technology Credit cards have been a feasible solution for making payment processing simple and efficient. The history of the credit card dates back to the 1900s when oil companies and proprietors created their own credit card as a means of obtaining customer loyalty and improving customer service. However, as with advances in technology, the credit cards have evolved from having just encoded magnetic stripes to modern day Chip and PIN cards, with embedded microchips, which can store and transmit data. These Chip and PIN cards were developed to provide an inter-operative system that would combat card fraud (counterfeit and plastic cards). This transaction processing infrastructure has enabled the cash-less revolution, whereby consumers, governments and businesses benefit from the electronic payment network, which has shifted payments by cash and cheques to an efficient electronic payment system. The mechanics of a credit card transaction is such that the merchant acquirer, usually the bank processes transactions on behalf of the merchant. This payment by credit card represents an offer for issuance of payment in exchange for the goods or services provided by the merchant, (Transaction Processing). There are two parts to this type of transaction processing: the first is front end processing which involves the capture of data messages across communication channels to the point of sale devices; and secondly the back end processing which involves the balancing of accounting information by acquirers and issuers and the submission of the payment to the acquiring merchants bank. As a result of the rapid advances in technology, data security continues to be a major concern as every transaction that involves the transmission data across networks is open to external attacks. Attacks on a consumers card information can come from any angle, whether it may be data thieves or network intruders. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), which comprises of major payment brands namely VISA, MasterCard, Discover and a few others, have created global compliance standards to protect cardholders data. These set of standards help govern and educate all merchants and organisations that process, store and transmit data, as well as the manufactures of the devices used in transaction processing. The PCI SSC (2010), Data Security Standard Quick Reference Guide, as summarized below, outlines the best practices for protecting cardholder data: Develop and Maintain a Secure Network Install and maintain firewall configuration to protect cardholders data. Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords or other security parameters. Protect cardholders data Protect stored data Encrypt transmission of cardholders data across open public networks Maintain a vulnerability management program Use and regularly update anti-virus software or programs Develop and maintain secure systems and applications Implement strong access control measures Restrict access to cardholder data by business need to know Assign a unique ID to persons with computer access Restrict physical access to cardholder data Regularly monitor and test networks Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data Regularly test security systems and resources Maintain an information security policy Maintain a policy that address information security for all personnel Nevertheless, despite these procedures in place, there has been amplified instances of the various types of credit card fraud, namely Intercept Fraud, Skimming, Site Cloning as well as Triangulation. This propelled an industry and governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"led initiative in the UK to embark on the introduction of Chip and PIN card technology. Based on the EMV standard (Euro pay, MasterCard, Visa) Chip and PIN technology was launched in the UK on February 14th 2006. This programme was introduced to combat credit and debit card fraud, and to provide an ideal way of validating the cardholders identity. By utilizing smart card technology a microchip is embedded with the customers information which includes their unique four digit PIN. For transactions to be accepted, the customer PIN entered must match the one encoded on the microchip. These steps are further explained below: The card is inserted by the customer into the card reader. The card reader would then prompt the user to insert their PIN. A four-digit PIN is then entered by the customer. Once the reader accepts the PIN entered the transaction would be approved. Note the PIN entered is not displayed on the reader but rather represented by asterisks. The customer is issued a receipt as confirmation of the transaction process. This process removes the responsibility and accountability from the merchant to the customer for point of sale transactions. The card never leaves the customers hand and as such prevents skimming of ones card information. One of the benefits of the Chip and PIN cards is that the Chip itself is encrypted with a range of security features, which the transaction processing system uses to identify the cardholder. These security features are said to be virtually impossible to replicate. The terminals used for Chip and PIN transactions, use secure transmission technology to ensure the privacy of the cardholders data and can operate over a range of connectivity environments, such as wired, wireless and cellular networks. The PCI Security Standards Council also developed a framework of standards which is legally enforced through a merchant/service provider/card brand agreement. These include requirements that support the encryption of the cardholders account data and the point of sale terminal integration. Figure 2: Outline of the process of a Chip and PIN transaction The PIN entered replaces the request for signature as verification of the transaction. This is why the banking industry in the UK has campaigned for this technology, because signatures can be forged, however the PIN is unique to that person. Although the United States is yet to convert to this technology, countries such as Japan, China, Canada, Mexico as well as the majority of the European Countries have all introduced Chip and PIN technology and it is gaining momentum in various other countries including Trinidad and Tobago. Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago Limited is the first local bank in Trinidad and Tobago to introduce Chip and PIN technology to make the concept of paying by credit card safer for cardholders. The bank adopted this type of technology because this is now an industry-wide conversion from the magnetic-stripe cards and it is also in keeping with the EMV standard. Conversely, a potential security issue with Chip and PIN card terminals is its capability of processing cards with the magnetic stripe as well. Because of this the request to enter the customers PIN can be bypassed by the merchant, with a receipt generated to be signed by the customer. Now because this option is still available it poses an added security threat to card transactions. So, unfortunately skimming still remains a huge problem for cardholders and sadly enough this includes Chip and PIN cardholders as well. Although this practice is slowly migrating from EMV compliant countries, once a card has been skimmed it can still be used in countries where the magnetic stripe is still prevalent, for example some Asian Countries and the United States. This is why many fraudsters can still create a fake card with stolen magnetic stripe information which can be used in for example the United States. The United States believes that although Chip and PIN has reduced fraud for face to face card transactions, there are a still a number of issues surrounding the security of the system used for this these transactions. Now as with any new system introduced, there have been a number of studies on whether Chip and PIN cards are really secure. So the question is has Chip and PIN technology impacted on the activities of overall card fraud or has the activities of fraudsters shifted from retail crime. In a study by Emily Finch (2010) The Impact of Chip and Pin Technology and The Activities of Fraudsters, it was recognised that since the implementation of Chip and PIN technology participants involved in card fraud made varying decisions when it came to their crime of choice. The Decision to Desist The Decision to Continue To work with others Shift to Distance Transactions Diversification of Theft into Identity The study also shows that there is a shift in the attack strategy of fraudsters from point of sale card fraud to Internet and Card Identity Fraud. In an analysis of Internet and Card Identity Fraud, we can note that Chip and PIN technology was not designed for preventing these types of card fraud. So, the question remains, was Chip and PIN successful at what it was set out to achievereduce card fraud? This too can be argued further as there are other limitations. How can one link a particular card to a specific owner? Once the PIN is known by the individual a transaction can be completed with ease. Other studies have shown that the card readers used for Chip and PIN transactions can be modified. In a study by a team of University of Cambridge Computer Scientists, they have uncovered a series of fatal flaws in the Chip and PIN system. One example is where the internal hardware can be replaced without external evidence of this. This new terminal could then be programmed and modified so that it performs just as a typical terminal, where the card details can be collected and allow criminals to make cards with a fake magnetic stripe, which along with the PIN would enable a fraudster to make valid purchases. Another example is that fraudsters can insert an electronic wedge between the stolen card and the terminal, which tricks the terminal into believing that the PIN was correctly verified. Further, with this wedge inserted, any PIN can be entered and the transaction would be verified. This type of fraud makes it difficult for the victims of the attack to be refunded by the bank as the receipt given is authentic and would state verified by PIN. The bank in turn would be accurate in stating that no refund is required as their records show verified by PIN. This type of complaint appears as an act of negligence by the cardholder as he/she allowed their PIN to be compromised. So based on this study the point of sale attacks are much more prevalent, since before the introduction of Chip and PIN cards, consumers only entered their PIN at ATMs. Now with the introduction of Chip and PIN, consumers are using their cards at various other public areas. To combat the compromising of the consumers PIN a shield over the keypad has been used as added security but in many public areas there are video cameras and a persons PIN can still be captured on footage. So, although the UK banking industry has claimed to have rolled out this new technology successfully in 2006, there seems to be some negative aspects of this technology. The architecture surrounding Chip and PIN technology is questionable and the onus is on the banking industry to ensure that cardholders information is protected. Additionally, it also seems that Chip and PIN terminals offer no difference to what the magnetic stripe terminals offered. These terminals can be tampered with, which is a clear indication that there needs to be accurate configuration of these terminals so as to secure the cardholders data when transmitting transactions and that is not vulnerable to incident of attack. So the intent of Chip and PIN technology has more so opened a new marketplace for fraudsters than prevent/reduce fraudulent activity. PROJECT DESIGN, OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH METHODS The scope of this project is to outline the features of Chip and PIN technology and whether its implementation thus far has been beneficial. This section of the project would provide the methods involved in achieving the data for the project as well as the results based on the data collected. The chosen approach to this design is online research (journals/scholarly articles) along with a case study on the implementation of Chip and PIN technology in Trinidad and Tobago, with the case being Republic Bank Limited. Objective 1 A good foundation for this objective would be the interpretation of the credit cards history. How has this cash-less mechanism moved from a local innovation to a global payment mechanism by use of digital communication across networks? In gaining a clear understanding on the reason for the implementation of this technology, a wealth of research would be conducted on credit card technology and digital security. Objective 2 A holistic understanding on the basis of credit card fraud and the types of fraudulent activities and the steps taken to prevent credit card crime. What technologies have been implemented and the effects/benefits drawn from these approaches. Objective 3 Expanding from objective two also discussed would be whether or not since the introduction of Chip and PIN technology in the UK, has there been a cascading effect of this new technology across countries. Analysing the increasing number of fraudulent activities reported from statistics, which compelled the global banking industry to find a seamless solution for the protection of cardholders data. Objective 4 An assessment on the introduction of Chip and PIN technology by Republic Bank Limited, which would include sourcing information on its implementation and the benefits derived. Further research would be on the acceptance (or non-acceptance) of the technology by customers. Objective 5 Lastly, from the feedback received from the interview conducted and by analysing the incidents of attack on Republic Bank credit cardholders, what was the determining factor in the bank aligning themselves with the UK standards set by EMV? CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK In identifying the framework to be adopted that can be referenced to the literature in this research, the author considered the Delone and Mc Lean IS Success Model. Using this model, the author would explain the net benefits of adopting Chip and PIN technology, relating it to Republic Banks implementation of this technology. DeLeone and McLean IS Success Model In evaluating the success of Information Systems, the DM IS Success Model, systems quality measures the technical success, information quality measures semantic success and organisational impacts and user satisfaction measures the effectiveness of the system. The processes in the model are inter-connected by links, across the dimensions of the system. Figure 3: Depiction of the Updated Information Systems Success Model (DeLeone McLean 2002, 2003) The updated DM Model interprets the evaluation of a system in terms of the information, system, and service qualities and how these characteristics attribute to user satisfaction. As a result of using the system, certain benefits will be achieved and the net benefits will in turn (positively or negatively) influence user satisfaction and the further use of the information system. So, therefore three basic components make up this model, the creation of a system, its use and the consequences of its use. Case study as it relates to the ISS model. Republic Bank has been providing banking and financial solutions to individuals and businesses for over 160 years. Their mission is not only to provide efficient and competitively priced services but also to implement sound policies which will be beneficial to their customers. These factors presented provide clarity and influences the net benefits of the implemented Chip and PIN system at Republic Bank thus far. By use of the ISS model to map the research done in this project, the author would complete a step by step relay of the framework discussing the implementation of Chip and PIN by Republic Bank. Information Quality-Information quality refers to the accuracy/protection of the content of the data in transacting. How secure is the personalized data being transmitted across networks. When a customer presents their card to make a purchase, are they confident that their card information is protected because of the added security enabled on this card. System Quality-The system quality refers to the reliability of the network and the response time in transacting, notwithstanding the approved devices that accept personal identification numbers for all PIN based entries (the ease of use of the system functionalities). Therefore in rolling out this new technology the bank along with their partner merchants would train staff so that they are familiar with the best practice guidelines when using Chip and PIN. Service Quality-This refers to the back-end support systems that assist in usage of the technology. How reliable are Republic Banks servers and IP networks? User Satisfaction- This encompasses measuring the users entire experience-the purchase payment, receipt and service (the ease of purchasing without the fear of being a victim of fraudulent activity). Net Benefits -This is the most important success measure and it encapsulates the cost savings and the decrease in the value of fraudulent transactions arising from stolen credit card data. Was the implementation of this technology beneficial in reducing the incidents of card fraud? Are Republic Bank cardholders satisfied that their bank is on par with global industry changes? The focus of this success model lies in determining the impact the features of technology (information, system, and service quality) have on the variables user satisfaction, use, and net benefits. The main objective for using this ISS model is to establish the ultimate benefits derived from the use of information system both in individual and organizational terms. FINDINGS This chapter will illustrate the findings from the questionnaires submitted to a sample of the Republic Banks credit card customers as well as a formal interview conducted with an employee of Republic Bank Credit Card Centre. The aim of the chapter is to source an awareness of the topic area Chip and PIN by cardholders and the personnel interviewed. Primary Data Collection For the basis of the findings of this research the author conducted a formal interview with a middle management employee at Republic Bank and also distributed questionnaires to a sample of the banks credit card customers. A summarized version of the responses from the interview is represented in this chapter, based on the interviewees knowledge. The questionnaires distributed were mostly closed questions so as to deliberately avoid open-ended respondent answers. Approximately 120 questionnaires were distributed to Republic Bank Customers. Only the answers to the key questions are represented in this chapter. Summarized responses from the interview This interview was conducted with the Supervisor, Card Services, which prove to be very insightful. The Supervisor spoke about the banks vision for their credit card market, and how they plan to continuously innovate so as to maintain their customer base and attract new profitable customers. Since the credit card industry is a highly competitive one, the bank is constantly reviewing their interest rates and looking for new ways to give customer returns from the use of their credit card. Due to his long tenure at the bank and having the customer service background, the supervisor was able to give insight on what infuriates a credit card customer. He explained that customers become frustrated when they see added charges and puffed up late fees placed by the bank on their card statements. In view of the fact that most customers do not read the fine print when completing a credit card application, they are not totally aware of all the charges that can arise from delinquent payments. He f urther added that although queries like this can be explained by representatives at the bank who can provide valued solutions to the cardholders problem, the most infuriating of all queries from customers are unexplainable purchases on their account. At Republic Bank, fraudulent activity on a card can be detected from the use of their state-of-the-art security systems and their experienced fraud expert team that are in place to monitor and detect any unusual activity on a customers credit cards, but even with these measures in place, fraud can occur. The supervisor expressed that by implementing Chip and PIN technology for credit cards, the bank was able to be a step ahead of the competition and most importantly the card criminals. He also stated that although credit card fraud is not as prevalent in Trinidad and Tobago as in the developed countries, continuous education in counteracting fraudulent activities for their customer base is an effective method of addressing credit card fraud. He explained that Republic Bank has not had many eye-opening occurrences of notified credit card fraud but they believe that Chip and PIN technology is an innovative solution to the likelihood of this problem. He was also truthful in expressing that this technology is still new to the industry and all merchants have yet to convert to Chip and PIN enabled machines, therefore there is a window of opportunity for fraud until merchants are mandated to have these Chip and PIN enabled machines. He used the term mandate, because eventually all Republic Bank debit cards would also be chip enabled. In summing up the interview the author probed the supervisor on the banks position on the studies done by the University of Cambridge team on Chip and PIN technology and the tested flaws of the system. His response was quite interesting, because it ventured into a thought-provoking discussion on research. He lamented that the sphere of research done on any topic would result in the researcher seeking out the positive and negative aspects of it. How the data is interpreted, reflects the real value of the research done. Questionnaire Findings Question 5: How often and where do you frequently use your credit card to make purchases? Aim: To assess how often the average Republic Bank cardholder uses their credit card. Findings: Most Republic Cardholders in this study used their credit card regularly, at least five times per month. Credit Cards are used for purchases at the supermarket, restaurant and retail clothing stores. Question 6: Has your credit card information ever been compromised? If yes provide details. Aim: To determine the number of incidents of attack on Republic Bank credit card holders. Findings: Less than 50% of the respondents have never had their credit card data compromised. Question 7: Do you understand the workings of Chip and PIN technology introduced to Republic Bank credit cardholders and the value to be derived from using this technology? Aim: To determine the extent of the customers perception of this technologys value and how the card is used. Findings: Although some customers are guarded about the use of their credit cards, most of the respondents are confident in the service that Republic Bank provides and believes that implementing Chip and PIN gives them that added security against fraudulent activities, especially those customers that frequently travel abroad. Question 8: How do you think by using Chip and PIN cards for making payments will make it easier in transacting? Aim: To establish the efficiencies in the use of Chip and PIN cards, on the time taken to complete a transaction. Findings: Many customers applaud this technology as it reduces the time taken at the cash register when making purchases. It is simple, easy and convenient and most customers are truly happy as there is no need to write their signature. For this reason they find the system most efficient as it prevents their signature from the likelihood of being forged. ANALYSIS The main objective for the research completed on this topic, was to show how and to what extent the adoption of Chip and PIN technology has improved credit card security for Republic Bank cardholders. At a glance, before Chip and PIN technology was introduced in the UK, there was nation-wide educational literature on the benefits of the technology for banks, merchants and most importantly, the customers. However, it seems that this programme led by EMV, created more enthusiasm in the build-up to its implementation rather than the actual usage of the system. From the research, the mounting negative features of the technology and use of the system is outweighed the decreasing positive ones. It seems that the card theft criminals were focused on a solution to obstruct the successful use of the technology before the intention to use. The question remains, which facet of credit card fraud has Chip and PIN really reduced? The research show that for point of sale transactions Chip and PIN has been useful in the prevention of skimming ones card information, however the fraudsters have found alternative ways to improve on that tactic. Chip and PIN technology can only be used à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“successfullyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? for point of sale transactions and not online transactions, so fraudsters have modified their techniques as with the modifications of the technology. Based on the research framework adopted, Republic Bank has measured their net benefits of adopting the Chip and PIN technology by encircling the information, service and system qualities to deliver user satisfaction and usage of the system with this technology. The success of any information system is multi-dimensional and the relationships among the constructs relate to the comprehensive evaluation of the system. The variable dependent on these constructs are the net benefits of this system, and for whom? This local company has app