The influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society Essay Example

The influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society Paper In this piece of work the ideology of gender identity in western society will be discussed, the piece will draw on the theories of multiple sociologist and examine the role of gender inequality in society. The Work will briefly examine Gender Identity Disorder and its relevance to western society today. The concept of identity is defined as â€Å"A sense of self that develops as a child differentiates from parents and family and takes place in society† (Jary Jary,1991). A person’s identity is what makes them whom they are and what groups they belong too. A person’s identity includes their ethnicity, nationality, sexuality class and gender. Our social identity is whom we are, whom we see other people are and respectively how other people see themselves and others. To sociologist the concept of identity is paramount, a person’s identity can take many facets that are ever changing, and with these changes there can be many contradictions. Many sociologists believe that identities are not simply formed because of the social groups we belong too. Some theorists believe our identities to be fractured and fragmented. Our identities can be and often are extremely stereotypical, one such stereotype is that of gender. We will write a custom essay sample on The influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The influence of gender on identity in contemporary Western Society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer â€Å"Gender is a term that has psychological and cultural connotations; if the proper terms for sex are ‘male’ and ‘female’, the corresponding terms for gender are ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’; these latter might be entirely independent of (biological) sex. (Stoller, 1968, p.9) To elaborate, it is not necessarily right to say that being female means they will be feminine and aversely being male does not make them masculine, girls are not necessarily compassionate or caring; boys are not necessarily competitive and aggressive. There are many differences between men and women; many contrasting approaches have been developed for the understanding of gender identity and the social roles based on such diverse identities. A difference between sex and gender must be understood. To clarify the difference between males and female sociologists use sex to show anatomical and physiological differentiation, by contrast gender concerns the social, cultural and psychological differences between men and women. Gender is socially constructed; a man is seen as masculine and women seen as feminine; these assumptions are not a direct link to a person’s reproductive biology. Many theorists argue that many aspects of human biology ranging from hormones and chromosomes and even genetics; the size of the brain is in some way responsible for the innate differences in the behaviour of males and females in the development of identity. If the definition of gender identity is to be either male or female, include inherited sex chromosomes at conception and the release of hormones during the foetal process can be used to determine the factors of gender identity. This is clearly simplistic and can be flawed. Genetics does not answer the question of how a person’s gender identity can change over time. â€Å"Two of the leading theories to explain the formation of gender identities are concerned with the emotional dynamics between children and their caretakers, according to such views gender differences are formulated ‘unconsciously’ during the early years of life, rather than resulting from a biological disposition.†(Haralambos p.110) Freud’s(1905) theory perhaps the most influential yet controversial suggests that gender is learnt and is the result of the absence or present of a penis; Freud is cautious when suggesting this and insists this is not just an anatomical distinction that matters; the penis is symbolic and divers to the persons gender. Masculinity –v- Femininity. Chodorows (1978, 1988) concepts of gender development adopted the strategy of Freud although argued that learning to be female or male derives from childhood and the development of attachment to the parents at an early age. It does not recognize the emphasis on the penis as the mother is the principal attachment in he early years this must be broken for the child to achieve a sense of a separate self. Chodorows has suggested that this breaking process is different for both boys and girls, girls remain closer to their mother and able to show emotion, love, hugging and kissing and imitating her mothers actions. Because there is no definite break the girl and later in life, women, develops a sense of self that continues with other people, and her identity is more dependent on others. Boys, on the other hand, have to develop their sense of self by a more drastic and radicle break, he must reject his mother in order to gain a sense of masculinity. As a result of this break, boys are less skilled in relating closely to others, this produce the man to have a more analytic view of the world and repress their own feelings and those of the world. Gender inequality and the patriarchy system stand hand in hand, Walby (1990) said â€Å"patriarchy is indispensable for analysis of gender inequality â€Å"(Haralambos. P112) In defining patriarchy, we can understand the treatment of women throughout ages and how it has moulded their success and future in life. Patriarchy not only explains how our society functions in the world as a whole and our modern western society but how it controls women. Patriarchy is a control by men. The opposite of patriarchy is matriarchy this means women are dominant and the head of families. Obviously, the culture of Great Britain and most other countries is patriarchal. Men are dominant and have the power and control the women. Consider the basics of how our society functions ! Most women in western society have to fight for their rights and sometimes can be seen to struggle just to survive without the domination of men threatening them. Whether an individual woman wants to overcome patriarchy will come from her strong inherent desire to be independent. Pollert (1996) commented that those sociologist who have rejected the concept of patriarchy have turned to postmodernism. Pollet does not agree with postmodernism. It has, in recent years become an influential approach to gender identity and sex. Barret and Phillips (1992) suggest that because of dissatisfaction of general characteristics of traditional male dominated social science new feminisms have developed; i.e. Women have developed a range of new female identities. Feminists have always been doubtful of theories developed by men, although in the past socialist and liberal feminists have embraced aspects of male theories. The certainties of the Marxist, liberal and radical feminists developed in earlier decades are no longer uncritically accepted. Harriot Bradley (1997) disagrees that neither postmodern or modern conceptions of identity are sufficient on their own. She comments â€Å"A key objective is to pull together classical or modernist approaches to understanding inequalities with he newer perspectives inspired by postmodernism and poststructuralism†. (Haralambos, p702). Bradley believes that in contemporary western society stratification systems and identities are becoming fragmented and polarised. Stuart Hall (1992) theorised on three stages of identity, one of these stages was that of Enlightenment. The enlightenment theory recognises that each person’s identity is unique and that a person’s identity could not be broken down or made into something bigger. Halls ideology can be linked with that of Descartes (1596-1650). He believed that humans were divided into two parts; mind and body or a dualistic conception, everyone has a separate mind. Descartes said â€Å"Cogito ergu sum† I think therefore I am. This meant that a person was free to be as he felt without the boundaries of society or tradition. Both postmodernists and feminists question Enlightenment thinking as they do not believe that male rationality is inadequate for understanding the western social world. Ann Oakley (2002) has developed a global perspective on the impact of global gender inequalities. She suggests that patriarchy has an impact on the social world as a whole and not just in gender inequality, she draws her ideas from several types of feminism, she is decidedly dismissive of postmodernism. She believes that postmodernism wraps intellectuals in cotton wool and isolates them from critical social debates. Oakley denies that men are biologically born aggressive, and many men opposed to violence. She does not believe that one gender should be dominant but does suggest that the system of patriarchy should change within western society. Oakley has a structural view of society, and that believes that both men and women collude to maintain the gender/sex system, however the position of men and women in the system is not equal; men do have more power than women. Oakley agrees that significant steps have been taken in regards to womens rights and that some forms of gender inequali ty are in decline in, western society, women are not restricted in education, property ownership or whom they can marry. Gender socialisation assists in the understanding of studies of gender roles and how agencies such as family and the media play an inherent role in such socialization. This approach suggests a distinction between biological sex and social gender; a child is born with the first and develops the second by contact and interaction of social agencies. Children will internalise gradually to the expectations and social norms dependent on its biological sex. Gender inequality is the result of males and females being socialized into certain roles. Campbell (1993) suggested a link in the changing role of men in western society. In the past, a young man was expected to be the bread winner, have a clear set of goals for life such as a legitimate job, a wife and a family. The role of bread winner is now under stress particularly for men in more under privileged areas, in these areas only long term unemployment is an option and the means to support a family are less likely. Women have become more independent and do not require the support of a man to reach a status in a wider society in the social western world. In 1997, it was requested that the diagnosis of gender identity disorder was removed from the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health) because it â€Å"implicitly labels homosexual boys as mentally disordered† (Isay.1997) Isays opinion was that the constructs of sexual orientation and gender identity are isomorphic. Many people with gender identity disorder became socially isolated, whether by choice or by ostracization, thus bringing on low self-esteem, depression and suicide. Peer ostracism and teasing are remarkably common for boys with the disorder in the education system. The requirements for Gender Identity Disorder (GID) to be diagnosed are exceedingly complex; the person must repeatedly state the insistence of wishing to be the opposite sex; refusal to wear stereotypical clothing; constant fantasies about being the opposite sex; the list is endless and no way exhaustible. The diagnosis of GID can take a minimum of two years. The generation in which we live today accepts boys whom openly dress up in clothes normally associated with girls. In an interview by fox news (2011) Dr Keith Ablow cautioned parents on allowing their children to watch transgender Chaz Bono on ‘Dancing with the stars’ for fear that their children would be influenced to swap gender. If the word of such people was adhered to the subject of gender identity would make it a flimsy susceptible construct, the choice between a rare steak and a fairy cake. This shows that, in some cases gender identity is not understood or accepted in western society by all. In conclusion, the gender identity of a person is a direct result of gender role socialisation, unlike a person’s sex which is biological. There are many differences between men and women; many contrasting approaches have been developed for the understanding of gender identity and the social roles based on such diverse identities. The enlightenment theory recognises that each person’s identity is unique and that a person’s identity could not be broken down or made into something bigger. Most women in western society have to fight for their rights and sometimes can be seen to struggle just to survive without the domination of men threatening them. Whether an individual woman wants to overcome patriarchy will come from her strong inherent desire to be independent. Patriarchy not only explains how our society functions in the world as a whole and our modern western society but how it controls women. Walby (1990) said â€Å"patriarchy is indispensable for analysis of gender inequality.†

With advancements in technology increasing

With advancements in technology increasing every day a new breed of crimes have surfaced. Computer crimes, which are crimes that are committed by expert use of a computer, have escalated since the introduction of modems in the 1960s. In todays computer world computer crimes are even more abundant because of the growing use and capability of computers software. The growing knowledge and understanding of computers has also contributed to the growing numbers of computer crimes. In this paper I will explain the nature and extent of computer crimes and offer a feasible solution. I will begin with this paper by defining computer crimes and giving examples of different types of crimes and ways of committing them. A computer crime is any crime that is committed by means of the special knowledge or expert use of computer technology. Computer crime became a serious problem in the 1960s.(Britannica 157) There are quiet a few different types of computer crimes and there are very extensive ways of committing them. One example is breaking into a computer system without the authorization, this is the most popular of all of the computer crimes. One way of doing this is by going through a separate phone line, or using a modem to break into the system. Once the perpetrator is into the system they can do a number of things such as steal vital material or change or alter certain information. Often the information that is stolen is top secret and if it is put in the wrong it could be dangerous. Another type of crime is when a person takes a virus and spreads it throughout a large system in a short period of time. This is usually done by sending it through the E-Mail, under a false title and when it is opened it spreads through the system. This infects any number of programs and files stored in the computer. The infection can then transfer on other computer networks.(Andersen 24) These ar...

Families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Families - Essay Example More and more people are now open to having an equal footing in gender relationships, with the man not being â€Å"in charge† of the family. Admittedly there is some rancor due to these changes as well, but there are positive effects of these changing gender relationships on our values. Firstly, due to the fact that women are now also contributing to the economic well being of the family by earning, men have less pressure and stress on them. Men no longer have to cope with being sole bread earners for their families, nor do the families look up to them for their financial well being. This relieves a lot of stress from men, and women are now able to understand what working outside entails. Moreover, due to these changes, men and women are expected to be more open to each other emotionally, as both of them get a better understanding of each other when they share roles and responsibilities on an equal footing. This openness in communication also positively affects child rearing. This ensures, to quite an extent, the emotional and psychological wellbeing of the members of the family, as problems can be discussed more openly and understood much better. Due to these changing gender relationships, children are not told to mold themselves to a pattern, which is preset for them by society. Children have the freedom to decide what role they will adapt once they grow up. Girls are not limited to only household chores, and boys are not told to â€Å"man up† and hide their emotional and psychological trauma. This promotes equality in the household, resulting in better well-adjusted future adults. What is more, as children are not expected to follow a strict gender role, they are freer to express their desires and fears with their parents. Finally, this enables women to see themselves as more than just extensions of the males in their households. They have the freedom to become persons within themselves, and are not bound to anyone due to economic reasons, but

Is Entrepreneurship merely a special case of leadership Research Paper

Is Entrepreneurship merely a special case of leadership - Research Paper Example Not every entrepreneur is a leader and not every leader is necessarily an entrepreneur; as globalization draws together resources and business capabilities and turns innovation into the major source of competitive advantage in business, entrepreneurs and leaders must assume a new, different vision of business reality which brings both concepts together and creates a new entrepreneurial leadership paradigm. What is entrepreneurship? Who is an entrepreneur? These are the questions that stir the hearts and minds of researchers and business professionals. Different researchers provide different conceptualizations of entrepreneurship; the latter has already become a buzzword in present day organization studies. The meaning of entrepreneurship can be traced back to the beginning of the 19th century, when the French economist Jean-Baptist Say created the first feasible definition of entrepreneurship (Miller & Collier 81). According to Say, entrepreneur is the one who â€Å"shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into an area of higher productivity and greater yield† (Miller & Collier 81). More specifically, entrepreneur is believed to be the one who manages resources in ways that create value and profit in conditions of risk and uncertainty (Miller & Collier 81). The nature of entrepreneurship is too elusive to have a single, universal definition. Nonetheless, entreprene urs can be described in terms of the so-called â€Å"big five† traits. These are â€Å"risk-taking propensity, need for achievement, need for autonomy, self-efficacy, and locus of control† (Vecchio 307-9).... The nature of entrepreneurship is too elusive to have a single, universal definition. Nonetheless, entrepreneurs can be described in terms of the so-called â€Å"big five† traits. These are â€Å"risk-taking propensity, need for achievement, need for autonomy, self-efficacy, and locus of control† (Vecchio 307-9). Entrepreneurs exhibit an unprecedented striving and willingness to take up risks (Vecchio 307). This risk-taking propensity is a distinctive feature of entrepreneurship. Unlike managers, entrepreneurs are inclined to identify and access business scenarios that offer greater incentives and opportunities for profitability and growth (Vecchio 307). They are more achievement-motivated than business owners and managers (Vecchio 308). Simultaneously, entrepreneurs naturally seek greater autonomy in their decisions; it is through autonomy that entrepreneurs exercise freedom of self-expression in business environments and enjoy better adaptability to changeable conditi ons of doing business (Vecchio 308). Entrepreneurs have the self-efficacy needed to exercise full control over business situations (Vecchio 308). They always possess locus of control which is integrally linked to self-efficacy (Vecchio 308). These and other features position entrepreneurship as a distinct and separate field of research and performance; yet, both in research and business activity entrepreneurship and leadership still go hand in hand. Yang defines leadership as the art of influencing others. Leadership is crucial to the future of business (1). Effective leaders exemplify a foundational predictor of profitability and growth in changeable business environments (Yang 1). An effective leader is a person who influences other

Write a two or three page review of one of the following films Essay

Write a two or three page review of one of the following films - Essay Example This is because in Ecuador, it would be easy to get away from losing the case by lobbying the government into applying loose regulations. The first phase of the trials consists of field inspections. Attorneys Adolfo Callejas and Diego Larrea represent the defendants while attorney Pablo Fajardo represents the plaintiffs. Fajardo wons Goldman Environmental prize in 2008. Steven Donziger is another lawyer and Fajardo’s advisor/the plaintiffs’ consulting attorney. Fajardo accuses Chevron-Texaco of drilling  pits in its operations and later covering them with hazardous waste. Petroleum is one of the toxic wastes in the pits. As evidence, he digs the ground and exposes crude oil-mixed soil two inches below the surface. He claims that Chevron-Texaco dumped more than one billon gallons of poisonous and toxic water into rivers, which contaminated drinking water making people fall sick – they suffered from and died of cancer and leukemia. Since the actors are living in that reality, their dialogs and actions are vivid and natural. In addition, to confront this huge and powerful international corporate co mpany, the plaintiffs try to use sources such as magazines, media and celebrities as much as possible. Among the witnesses in the film is a mother who claims that her 18-year-old daughter is sick. She says that since she needed money for her daughter’s medical treatment, she bought chicken, which she intended to raise and then sell. However, they died because of drinking contaminated water. The mother starts crying. The defendants blame PetroEcuador claiming that they handed over to them in 1992. They claim that this case is not purely for clean up but that it is for money. Arguing that the cause of Ecuadoreans’ health problem has nothing to do with oil, Sara McMillen, Chevron-Texaco’s chief environmental scientist, claims that living in a poor region is the cause. He adds that since they lack sewage treatment, they drink water with great amount of

A Business Value Of Service Transition Information Technology Essay

A Business Value Of Service Transition Information Technology Essay Plan and manage the capacity and resources required to package, build, test and deploy a release into production and establish the service specified in the customer and stakeholder requirements Provide a consistent and rigorous framework for evaluating the service capability and risk profile before a new or changed service is released or deployed Establish and maintain the integrity of all identified service assets and configurations as they evolve through the Service Transition stage Provide good-quality knowledge and information so that change, Release and Deployment Management can expedite effective decisions about promoting a release through the test environments and into production Provide efficient repeatable build and installation mechanisms that can be used to deploy releases to the test and production environments and be rebuilt if required to restore service Ensure that the service can be managed, operated and supported in accordance with the requirements and constraints specified within the Service Design. (Service Transition 2.4.1) Objectives Of Service Transition Manage resources to enable the transition of a service into production within the predicted cost, quality and time estimates Ensure that there is minimal unpredicted impact on the production services, operations, and support organization Increase the customer, user and service management staff satisfaction with the service transition practices, including deployment of the new or changed service, communications, release documentation, training and knowledge transfer Increase proper use of the services and underlying applications and technology solutions Provide clear and comprehensive plans that enable the customer and business change projects to align their activities with the service transition plans (Service Transition 2.4.1) Business Value Of Service Transition Service Transition also adds value to the business by improving: The ability to adapt quickly to new requirements and market developments (competitive edge) Transition management of mergers, de-mergers, acquisitions and transfer of services The success rate of Changes and Releases for the business The predictions of service levels and warranties for new and changed services Confidence in the degree of compliance with business and governance requirements during change The variation of actual against estimated and approved resource plans / budgets The productivity of business and Customer staff because of better planning and use of new and changed services Timely cancellation or changes to maintenance contracts for both hardware and software when components are disposed of or de-commissioned Understanding the level of risk during and after change; for example, service outage, disruption or re-work (Service Transition 2.4.3) Basic SACM Concepts Configuration Item (CI) A Configuration Item (CI) is an asset, service component or other item that is, or will be, under the control of Configuration Management. CI Types include: Service Lifecycle CIs (e.g.: Business cases; service management plans; service lifecycle plans; Service Design Packages (SDPs); release and change plans; test plans) Service CIs (e.g.: Service capability assets: management, organization, processes, knowledge, people; service resource assets: financial capital, systems, applications, information, data, infrastructure and facilities, people; service models; service packages; release packages; service acceptance criteria) Organization CIs (e.g.: Business strategy; policies; regulatory or statutory requirements; products shared by more than one group; internal CIs: tangible and intangible assets that are required to deliver and maintain the service and infrastructure) External CIs (e.g.: External customer requirements and agreements; releases from suppliers or sub-contractors and external services) Configuration Model Configuration Management delivers a required logical model of the services, assets and the infrastructure by recording the relationships between CIs. Relationships A relationship is a link between two CIs that identifies a dependency or connection between them. For example, applications may be linked to the servers they run on; IT services have many links to all the CIs that contribute to them. Configuration Management Database (CMDB) A database used to manage configuration records throughout their lifecycle. The CMDB records the attributes of each CI, and relationships with other CIs. A CMDB may also contain other information linked to CIs, for example incident, problem or change records. The CMDB is maintained by Configuration Management and is used by all IT Service Management processes. Configuration Management System (CMS) The CMS holds all of the information for CIs within the designated scope. The CMS maintains the relationships between all service components and any related service management records / documentation. Typically, the CMS will also hold data about employees, suppliers, locations and business units, customers and users. (Service Transition 4.3.4.2) Definitive Media Library (DML) The exact configuration of the DML is defined during the planning activities. The definition includes: Medium, physical location, hardware and software to be used, if kept online. Some Configuration Management support tools incorporate software libraries, which can be regarded as a logical part of a DML Naming conventions for file store areas and physical media Environments supported (e.g.: Test and live environments) Security arrangements for submitting Changes and issuing software, plus backup and recovery procedures The scope of the DML (e.g.: Source code, object code from controlled builds and associated documentation) Retention period Capacity plans for the DML and procedures for monitoring growth in size Audit procedures Procedures to ensure that the DML is protected from erroneous or unauthorized Change (e.g.: Entry and exit criteria for items) (Service Transition 4.3.4.3) The Configuration Management System (CMS) holds all the information for CIs within the designated scope. Some of these items will have related specifications or files that contain the contents of the item (e.g.: software, document). For example, a service CI will include the details such as supplier, cost, purchase date and renewal date for licenses and maintenance contracts and the related documentation such as SLAs and underpinning contracts. The CMS is also used for a wide range of purposes, for example asset data held in a CMS (CMDB data) may be made available to external financial asset management systems to perform specific asset management process reporting outside of Configuration Management. The CMS maintains the relationships between all service components and any related incidents, problems, Known Errors, change and release documentation and may also contain corporate data about employees, suppliers, locations and business units, customers and users. (Service Transition 4.3.4.3) SACM Activities Management Planning There is no standard template for determining the optimum approach for SACM. The management team and configuration management should decide what level of Configuration Management is required for the selected service or project that is delivering changes and how this level will be achieved. This is documented in a configuration management plan. Configuration Identification Define and document criteria for selecting Configuration Items (CIs)and the components that compose them Select the CIs and the components that compose them based on documented criteria Assign unique identifiers to CIs Specify the relevant attributes of each CI Specify when each CI is placed under Configuration Management Identify the owner responsible for each CI Configuration Control Configuration control ensures that there are adequate control mechanisms over CIs while maintaining a record of changes to status, approvals, location and custodianship/ ownership. Without control of the physical or electronic assets and components, the configuration data and information there will be a mismatch with the physical world. Status Accounting Reporting Each asset or CI will have one or more discrete states through which it can progress. The significance of each state should be defined in terms of what use can be made of the asset or CI. There will typically be a range of states relevant to the individual asset or CIs. Verification Audit The activities include a series of reviews or audits to ensure: There is conformity between the documented baselines (e.g.: agreements, interface control documents) and the actual business environment to which they refer To verify the physical existence of CIs in the organization or in the DML and spares stores, the functional and operational characteristics of CIs and to check that the records in the Configuration Management System (CMS) match the physical infrastructure Checking that release and configuration documentation is present before making a release (Service Transition 4.3.5) Updates to asset and configuration information are triggered by change requests, purchase orders, acquisitions and service requests. Some of the more noteworthy interfaces are: Change Management identifying the impact of proposed changes Financial management capturing key financial information such as cost, depreciation methods, owner and user (for budgeting and cost allocation), maintenance and repair costs ITSCM awareness of assets the business services depend on, control of key spares and software Incident/problem/error providing and maintaining key diagnostic information; maintenance and provision of data to the Service Desk Availability management detection of points of failure Service Asset Configuration Management Practical Application Audit your PCs to see if what you actually have is what has been recorded. Is there more than one PC per person? Can this be justified? Are there any extras which could be disposed of? Define those service components which are truly critical these are most likely your CIs and start tracking them and their relationships. Discover where configuration information is already being maintained, and leverage any information of value in creating a single virtual repository. Are there relationships between components in one repository and those in another? These should be tracked. place text Basic Change Management Concepts Service Change A Service Change is a change to an existing service or the introduction of a new service. It is the addition, modification or removal of authorized, planned or supported service or service component and its associated documentation. Normal Change Any change that follows the normal change process is considered a normal change. Normal changes can include changes to services, the service portfolio, service improvement projects, etc. Standard Change A pre-approved change that is low risk is relatively common and follows a procedure or work instruction; for example, provision of standard equipment to a new employee. They are logged and tracked using a different mechanism, such as a Service Request. Emergency Change An emergency change is a change that must be introduced as soon as possible; for example, to resolve a major incident or implement a security patch. The Change Management process will normally have a specific procedure for handling Emergency Changes. Remediation planning No change should be approved without having explicitly addressed the question of what to do if it is not successful. Ideally, there will be a back-out plan, which will restore the organization to its initial situation, often through the reloading of a baselined set of CIs, especially software and data. However, not all changes are reversible, in which case an alternative approach to remediation is required. Change Advisory Board The Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a body that exists to support the authorization of changes and to assist Change Management in the assessment and prioritization of changes. Emergency Change Advisory Board Emergency changes are sometimes required and should be designed carefully and tested before use or the impact of the emergency change may be greater than the original incident. Emergency changes may document some details retrospectively. The number of emergency changes proposed should be kept to an absolute minimum, because they are generally more disruptive and prone to failure. Emergency change authorization Defined authorization levels will exist for an emergency change, and the levels of delegated authority must be clearly documented and understood. In an emergency it may not be possible to convene a full CAB meeting. Where CAB approval is required, this will be provided by the Emergency CAB (ECAB). Change Management Practical Application Create a CAB and begin holding meetings to assess changes. Develop a change model that provides an authority model for assessing and authorizing changes based upon the change type. Determine if there are any changes made without being assessed by the CAB. Did any of these result in degradation or loss of service? Consider changing the categorization of these in the future to be included with those the CAB assesses. Ensure timelines for change assessment are documented and agreed in SLAs, OLAs, and UCs. Change model A repeatable way of dealing with a particular category of change. A change model defines specific pre-defined steps that will be followed for a change of this category. Change models may be very simple, with no requirement for approval, or may be very complex with many steps that require approval (e.g.: major software release). Change process models and workflows Organizations will find it helpful to predefine change process models and apply them to appropriate changes when they occur. A process model is a way of predefining the steps that should be taken to handle a process (in this case a process for dealing with a particular type of change) in an agreed way. Support tools can then be used to manage the required process. This will ensure that such changes are handled in a predefined path and to predefined timescales. Changes that require specialized handling could be treated in this way, such as emergency changes that may have different authorization and may be documented retrospectively. The change process model includes: The steps that should be taken to handle the change including handling issues and unexpected events The chronological order these steps should be taken in, with any dependences or co-processing defined Responsibilities: who should do what Timescales and thresholds for completion of the actions Escalation procedures; who should be contacted and when These models are usually input to the Change Management support tools in use and the tools then automate the handling, management, reporting and escalation of the process. Example of types of request by service lifecycle stage Type of change with examples Documented work procedures SS SD ST SO CSI Request for change to service portfolios New portfolio line item To predicted scope, Business Case, baseline Service pipeline Service change management Æ’Â ¼ Request for Change to Service or service Definition To existing or planned service attributes Project change that impacts Service Design, e.g. forecasted warranties Service improvement Service change management Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Project change proposal Business change No impact on service or design baseline Project change management procedure Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ User access request User access procedure Æ’Â ¼ Operational activity Tuning (within specification/constraints) Re-boot hardware on failure if no impact on other services Planned maintenance Local procedure (often pre-authorized) Æ’Â ¼ Seven Rs Of Change Management Who RAISED the change? It is important to have the information on who is representing the Change in case further clarification about the Change is needed. There are also instances where the priority of a Change can be affected by the position or department where the Change originated. What is the REASON for the change? It is important to know why the change is being requested. Some examples could include: Quality Performance Compliance Maintenance Defects What is the RETURN required from the change? What benefit can the organization, department, support personnel or customer expect from the change? What are the RISKS involved in the change? All changes have a risk which could range anywhere from processing being delayed to the entire organization not being able to provide service to its customers. It is important to understand what the risk is so that appropriate precautions can be taken in the timing and execution of the change. What RESOURCES are required to deliver the change? In every change there are a number of resources that need to be considered such as: Human Financial External Internal Who is RESPONSIBLE for the build, test and implementation of the change? It is important to identify all the parties involved in bringing a change to realization and that the managers are informed as to the role their people will play in implementing the change. What is the RELATIONSHIP between this change and other changes? The complication of the interaction, dependencies and relationships of changes cannot be overemphasized. It is not uncommon to have parallel multiple changes that can affect each other at any point in their critical paths. It is essential to understand this and to accommodate for it in order to avoid an increase in unplanned outages and failure in your change process. (Service Transition 4.2.6.4) Change Management Activities Record RFC The change is raised by a request from the initiator an individual or a group. Review RFC Change Management should briefly consider each request and filter based on: Reasons To Accept Reasons To Reject Practical Impractical New RFC Repeats of earlier RFCs: Information complete Already accepted Information accurate Rejected Has the necessary budgetary approval Still under consideration Incomplete submissions: Inadequate description Without necessary budgetary approval Assess Evaluate Change The issue of risk to the business of any change must be considered prior to the authorization of any change. Many organizations use a simple matrix to categorize risk. Authorize Change Formal authorization is obtained for each change from a change authority that may be a role, person or a group of people. Plan Updates Careful planning of changes will ensure that there is no ambiguity about what tasks are included in the Change Management process, what tasks are included in other processes and how processes interface to any suppliers or projects that are providing a change or release. Coordinate Change Implementation Authorized RFCs should be passed to the relevant technical groups for building of the changes. It is best practice to do this in a formal way that can be tracked. Review Close Record On completion of the change: Results are reported Evaluation takes place If successful, the record is closed If failed, the record is closed (Service Transition 4.2.6) Change Management Relationships Business Change Management Changes to any business or project deliverables that do not impact IT services or components may be subject to business or project change management procedures rather than the IT service Change Management procedures. However, care must be taken to ensure that changes to service configuration baselines and releases do follow the Change Management process. The Change Management team will, however, be expected to liaise closely with projects to ensure smooth implementation and consistency within the changing management environments. Project Management Project management must work in partnership to align all the processes and people involved in service change initiatives. The closer they are aligned, the higher the probability that the change effort will be moved forward for as long as it takes to complete. Change Management representatives may attend relevant Project Board meetings. Supplier Management Effective Change Management practices and principles must be put into place, in conjunction with Supplier Management, to manage supplier relationships effectively to ensure smooth delivery of service. Effort also should be put into finding out how well the partners themselves manage change and choose partner and sourcing relationships accordingly. Service Asset Configuration Management The Configuration Management System provides reliable, quick and easy access to accurate configuration information to enable stakeholders and staff to assess the impact of proposed changes and to track changes work flow. This information enables the correct asset and service component versions to be released to the appropriate party or into the correct environment. As changes are implemented, the Configuration Management information is updated. Problem Management Problem Management is another key process as changes are often required to implement workarounds and to fix known errors. Problem Management is one of the major sources of RFCs and also often a major contributor to CAB discussion. IT Service Continuity IT Service Continuity has many procedures and plans that should be updated via Change Management to ensure that they are accurate, up to date and that stakeholders are aware of changes. Security Management Security Management interfaces with Change Management since changes required by security will go via the Change Management process and security will be a key contributor to CAB discussion on many services. Every significant change will be assessed for its potential impact on the security plan. Capacity Demand Management Capacity and Demand Management are critical aspects of Change Management. Poorly managed demand is a source of costs and risk for service providers because there is always a level of uncertainty associated with the demand for services. Capacity Management has an important role in assessing proposed changes not only the individual changes but the total impact of changes on service capacity. Changes arising from Capacity Management, including those set out in the capacity plan, will be initiated as RFCs through the change process. (Service Transition 4.2.7.3 and 4.2.7.4) NOTES: The goal of Release and Deployment Management is to deploy releases into production and establish effective use of the service in order to deliver value to the customer and be able to handover to service operations. Release and Deployment Management aims to build, test and deliver the capability to provide the services specified by Service Design and that will accomplish the stakeholders requirements and deliver the intended objectives. The following objectives are also important for the Release and Deployment Management process: Ensure knowledge transfer to enable the customers and users to optimize their use of the service to support their business activities Ensure that skills and knowledge are transferred to operations and support staff Ensure minimal unpredicted impact on the production services, operations and support organization Ensure that customers, users and service management staff are satisfied with the service transition practices and outputs (Service Transition 4.4.1) Basic RDM Concepts Release Policy Includes the unique identification, numbering and naming conventions, roles, responsibilities, time tables, frequency and other requirements pertaining to how releases will be handled. Release Unit Identifies the portion of the service or infrastructure that is normally released together in accordance with an organizations release policy. The unit may vary, depending on the type or item of software and hardware. Release Package The package may contain multiple release units such as hardware, software, applications and documentation. Release Design Options Service Design will define the approach to transitioning from the current service to the new or changed service or service offering. Common options are: Big bang vs. phased Big bang option the new or changed service is deployed to all user areas in one operation. Phased approach the service is deployed to a part of the user base initially, and then this operation is repeated for subsequent parts of the user base via a scheduled rollout plan. Push and pull A push approach is used where the service component is deployed from the centre and pushed out to the target locations. A pull approach is used for software releases where the software is made available in a central location but users are free to pull the software down to their own location at a time of their choosing or when a user workstation restarts. Automation vs. manual Automation will help to ensure repeatability and consistency. If a manual mechanism is used it is important to monitor and measure the impact of many repeated manual activities as they are likely to be inefficient and error-prone. Release and Deployment Models Models enable consistency and repeatability when preparing releases for deployment and will incorporate a variety of criteria and guidelines. DIKW represents the hierarchical progression from data to wisdom. Data is a set of discrete facts about events Information comes from providing context to data Knowledge is composed of the tacit experiences, ideas, insights, values and judgments of individuals Wisdom gives the ultimate discernment of the material and having the application and contextual awareness to provide a strong common sense judgment Service Analytics Instrumentation Service Analytics is useful to model existing infrastructure components and support services to the higher-level business services. This model is built on dependencies rather than topology causality rather than correlation. Infrastructure events are then tied to corresponding business processes. This is as far along the DIKW hierarchy as modern technologies allow. It is well understood that no computer-based technology can provide wisdom. It requires people to provide evaluated understanding, to answer and appreciate the Why? questions. (Service Transition 4.7.4) Specifically within ITSM, Knowledge Management will be focused within the Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) concerned, as its name implies, with knowledge. Underpinning this knowledge will be a considerable quantity of data, held in a central logical repository or Configuration Management System (CMS) and Configuration Management Database (CMDB). However, clearly the SKMS is a broader concept that covers a much wider base of knowledge, for example: The experience of staff Records of peripheral matters (e.g.: Weather, user numbers and behavior, organizations performance figures Suppliers and partners requirements, abilities and expectations Typical and anticipated user skill levels

karate Essay -- essays research papers

Fighting Fighting, or kumite, is the freestyle use of moves one has learned. During this freestyle match, the students may use any technique they have learned in their training for either defensive or offensive purposes. Fighting is involved with probably only 30 % of skill the student has. However, this is a very important part of the whole. As mention earlier, katas help in perfecting the moves and the focus of executing them. On the other hand, fighting employs these moves. Practicing in fighting will assist in the timing and rhythm of the execution of the move. In a kata you have as long as you want to throw each kick, each block, each punch, and as much time to move into the next stance. During a fight, you must use these moves but timing must be involved as well. If the opponent throws a kick, you must make a decision and quick. You can block the kick, dodge the kick to the left, right, or step back, or you can decide to get hit. Now no one wants to get hit but if a decision isn’t made that will be the result. You must also be able to react fast enough to the oncoming kick with your decision. If you hesitate on your decision to step to the side, it will be to late and you could be on the ground trying to catch your breath. I know from experience. Well, let’s say you have successfully reacted to the kick and blocked it and your done right, wrong! Usually a skilled fighter won’t throw one punch or kick without following it up with 2 or 3 more attacks,... karate Essay -- essays research papers Fighting Fighting, or kumite, is the freestyle use of moves one has learned. During this freestyle match, the students may use any technique they have learned in their training for either defensive or offensive purposes. Fighting is involved with probably only 30 % of skill the student has. However, this is a very important part of the whole. As mention earlier, katas help in perfecting the moves and the focus of executing them. On the other hand, fighting employs these moves. Practicing in fighting will assist in the timing and rhythm of the execution of the move. In a kata you have as long as you want to throw each kick, each block, each punch, and as much time to move into the next stance. During a fight, you must use these moves but timing must be involved as well. If the opponent throws a kick, you must make a decision and quick. You can block the kick, dodge the kick to the left, right, or step back, or you can decide to get hit. Now no one wants to get hit but if a decision isn’t made that will be the result. You must also be able to react fast enough to the oncoming kick with your decision. If you hesitate on your decision to step to the side, it will be to late and you could be on the ground trying to catch your breath. I know from experience. Well, let’s say you have successfully reacted to the kick and blocked it and your done right, wrong! Usually a skilled fighter won’t throw one punch or kick without following it up with 2 or 3 more attacks,...