Unilever Secures Its Mobile Devices Computer Science Essay

Unilever Secures Its Mobile Devices Computer Science Essay As a student of John Byrnes tutorials, I am doing the case study entitled Unilever secures its mobile devices. The primary objective of this assignment is to assess and analyze the impact wireless devices such as the BlackBerry mobile handsets are having on the company and how they are increasing productivity and performance. Another objective includes analyzing security features that Blackberry provides for its users, and what effect a security breach could have on this multi-national company. Last but not least, my objective is to make my own evaluations and make my own recommendations on what else could be done to improve this situation and also what else could be done to improve the performance of the company. Unilever is a multi-national company stretching across all the continents in the world such as Asia, Africa, The Americas and Oceania. They are well known for manufacturing brands such as Dove, Lux and Vaseline as personal hygiene products. They are also globally known for their food brands including Flora, Lipton and Streets. (Unilever, 2011).As a worldwide company, performance must be at their optimum levels to ensure operational excellence in the company. In March 2004, Unilevers senior management ordered the companys thousand top executives to be equipped with mobile handheld devices to increase their productivity. The company selected BlackBerry 7100, 7290, and 8700 handhelds from Research in Motion because they were the leader in their category and they worked with hetero- geneous e-mail servers and multiple wireless network standards, including CDMA and Wi-Fi. These handsets have allowed the executives to basically work on the move, and monitor the companys performance such as sales figures. It has allowed them to check their emails, and reply to them on time. This handset also allowed the executives to talk more with the customers. As a result of the introduction of Blackberry handsets to the company; it has increased productivity and performance. This can be shown through the companys 2005 annual report/review. The companys turnover was $49,352,000,000 USD. This was an increase from their 2004 turnover by 1,608,000,000 USD. Another interesting statistic which was found in the 2005 charts was that their net profit margins increased by 2.4 % to 10% in 2005. The companys net profit also slightly increased from $3,641,000,000 USD in 2004 to $ 4,945,000,000 USD in 2005. These figures can be used to show the affect that mobile handsets have had on the companys performance. I have attached the 2005 Unilever charts for a further understanding of the changes in the net profit margins and the net profit. For the net profit graph, the green line is the indicator for the US dollars and the light brown line in the profit margins graph is used to show the net profit margin changes. I have also included the turnover graph and the green line shows the turnover in USD. A security breach at Unilever could cause severe damage to the company in the short term and long term. A security breach can be caused through many things, including through the hacking of the BlackBerry handsets and their company computers, or it can be caused of a simple error such as misplacing your phone or leaving it vulnerable to be stolen. The BlackBerry handsets and Unilever computers and laptops have sensitive data stored in them such as customer information and confidential company information. The loss of customer information may lead to the company to be sued by the customers. It is Unilevers responsibility to ensure the protection of this data. Another danger is unauthorized users who are able to access corporate networks. This may lead to the introduction of computer viruses and worms. If this was to happen, all the information which was stored may be corrupted and destroyed. Such an event can severely cripple the companys ability to perform, and may even force them ou t of business if they dont have a backup system in place. The loss of confidential company information such as sales figures and sales forecasting data can result in a loss of revenue and allow competitors to use this information to a full extent to gain an upper advantage in the market. Finally, security breaches also have the capability to tarnish a companies reputation and put the business under scrutiny. So far, Unilever has not been affected by a security breach. In 2004, the Unilever executives were equipped with BlackBerry handsets in a bid to increase the companys performance. If the security measures are too harsh, then executives will not be able to use the device efficiently, which means that this will have a negative impact on the businesses ability to conduct business thoroughly. Using this example, a management factor that must be taken into consideration is that to make sure that the security policies and procedures dont interfere with the companys ability to do business. Both of these issues must be kept balanced. In this workplace, some executives know that they have a device which is linked with the companys information and database and know what the impacts can be if the device gets into some unauthorized persons hands. On the other hand, there are executives who are not aware of the consequences this can have. Therefore, an organization factor that must be considered is the lack of knowledge. Many steps can be taken to ensure t his doesnt happen. Some steps may include offering a training program to the executives regarding the proper use of the BlackBerry handset and so forth. A technological factor that needs to be addressed is determining the specifications of the wireless handheld device required. These specifications must strike a balance between its security features, how user friendly the device is as well as its cost. Unilever determined that couple of BlackBerry models best suited their needs. Each company will have different needs and priorities. Management, organization and technological factors that need to be taken into consideration will be based on those needs and priorities. BlackBerry Enterprise Solutions allows you to mobilize your workplace, your workers can make timely decisions based on the best information available, increasing their productivity and boosting your business performance. The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution allows mobile users to access communications and information wirelessly, including email and text messaging, corporate data and the organizer. It has provided Unilever with many benefits that include flexibility and lowest total cost of operation of mobile enterprise solutions. For flexibility, this solution supports all leading enterprise email platforms, back-end systems and applications from a wide range of vendors. It also allows you to manage multiple wireless network technologies, devices, messaging servers and enterprise systems with a single BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution allows organizations to keep their employees connected to the information and people that matter, while still benefiting from a low overall total cost of operation.This solution offers very good wireless data security and stored data security. For wireless data security, end to end encryption and rsa secur-id two factor authentications are used. In end to end encryption, the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution offers two transport encryption options, advanced encryption standard (aes) and triple data encryption standard (triple des), for all data transmitted between BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry smartphones. Private encryption keys are generated in a secure, two-way authenticated environment and are assigned to each BlackBerry smartphone user. Each secret key is stored only in the users secure enterprise account such as Microsoft Exchange and on their BlackBerry smartphone and can be regenerated wirelessly by the user. (Research In Motion, 2011), Data sent to the BlackBerry smartphone is encrypted by BlackBerry Enterprise Server using the private key retrieved from the users mailbox. The encrypted information travels securely across the network to the device where it is decrypted with the key stored there. Data remains encrypted in transit and is never decrypted outside of the corporate firewall. Rsa secur-id two factor authentications provides organizations with additional authorization when users access application data or corporate intranets on their BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry mds Services (mobile data system) utilize rsa ace/agent authorization api 5.0 to interface to rsa ace servers. Users are prompted for their username and token passcode when navigating to a site or application requiring authorization. Other security features include https secure data access and code signing and digital certificates. (Research In Motion, 2011) BlackBerry mds services act as a secure gateway between the wireless network and corporate intranets and the internet. They leverage the BlackBerry aes or Triple des encryption transport and also enable https connections to application servers. BlackBerry smartphones support https communication in one of two modes, depending on corporate security requirements: Proxy Mode: An ssl/tls connection is created between BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the application server on behalf of BlackBerry smartphones. Data from the application server is then aes or Triple des encrypted and sent over the wireless network to BlackBerry smartphones. End-to-End Mode: Data is encrypted over ssl/tls for the entire connection between BlackBerry smartphones and the application server, making end-to-end mode connections most appropriate for applications where only the transaction end-points are trusted. BlackBerry smartphones applications created using the BlackBerry java development environment (jde), whic h have certain functionality such as the ability to execute on startup or to access potentially sensitive BlackBerry smartphone application data, require developers to sign and register their applications with Research In Motion.This adds protection by providing a greater degree of control and predictability to the loading and behavior of applications on BlackBerry smartphones. Additionally, the BlackBerry signing authority tool can help protect access to the functionality and data of third party applications by enabling corporate developers or administrators to manage access to specific sensitive Application Programming Interfaces and data stores through the use of server-side software and public and private signature keys.  To help protect BlackBerry mds Studio applications from tampering, corporate developers can sign an application bundle with a digital certificate. (Research In Motion, 2011) They can use either a trusted certificate authority or a generated certificate. BlackBerry mds studio generates and signs applications with certificates that are in line with the public key infrastructure (X.509) standard. For stored data security, The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution extends corporate security to the wireless device and provides administrators with tools to manage this security. To secure information stored on BlackBerry smartphones, password authentication can be made mandatory through the customizable IT policies of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. By default, password authentication is limited to ten attempts after which the devices memory is erased. Local encryption of all data (messages, address book entries, calendar entries, memos and tasks) can also be enforced via IT policy. And with the Password Keeper, advanced encryption standard (aes) encryption technology allows password entries to be stored securely on the device. Additionally, system administrators can create and send wireless commands to remotely change BlackBerry smartphone passwords and lock or delete information from lost or stolen BlackBerry smartphones. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server Security also is a form of security. BlackBerry Enterprise Server does not store any email or data. To increase protection from unauthorized parties, there is no staging area between the server and the BlackBerry smartphone where data is decrypted. Security is further enhanced by allowing only authenticated, outbound-initiated connections through port 3101 of the firewall. No inbound traffic is permitted from sources other than the BlackBerry smartphone or the email server, meaning unauthorized commands cannot be executed on the system. Only communications that can be decrypted with a valid encryption key are permitted between the server and the wireless network. (Research In Motion, 2011) The three pictures I have attached give a further insight as to how the security works. ( BlackBerry security,2011) Flow diagram for end-to-end encryption (BlackBerry security,2011). http://uk.blackberry.com/ataglance/security/secure_data_access.gif (BlackBerry security,2011) http://us.blackberry.com/ataglance/security/bes-diag_large.jpg BlackBerry tools provide effective anti-virus protections for a BlackBerry deployment. They use containment methods that are designed to prevent malware that might gain access to the BlackBerry smartphone from causing damage to the BlackBerry smartphone, its applications and its data, and also to the corporate network. BlackBerry smartphone applications include inherent virus protection and spyware protection that is designed to contain and prevent the spread of viruses and spyware to other applications. Application controls are available on BlackBerry smartphones that are running on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server or on the BlackBerry Internet Service. BlackBerry smartphone users can use the application controls on their BlackBerry smartphones to prevent the installation of specific third-party applications and to limit the permissions of third-party applications. See the BlackBerry Internet Service Security Feature Overview for more information on using BlackBerry smartphone applica tion controls to protect a BlackBerry smartphone running on the BlackBerry Internet Service against malware. (Research In Motion, 2011) The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is designed to provide anti-virus protection through its malware protection. The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution includes tools that provide against all malware. Administrators can use IT policy and application control policies on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and BlackBerry smartphone users can use application controls on BlackBerry smartphones to contain malware by controlling third-party Java application access to BlackBerry smartphone resources and applications. (Research In Motion, 2011) Finally, Unilever uses various mobile services in their current business operations. In 2010, Vodafone was selected as Unilevers provider of all mobile communication needs. Various mobile services that are being used are mobile e-mail, sms texting (short message service) and mms (multi-media service), and also the basic phone call. Other mobile services include voicemail and just using integrated content such as calendars applications. All of these services are play crucial role in creating an agile and cost competitive organization that operates in a sustainable way. Unilever, using Vodafones information on trends in mobility, will slightly give them an upper edge and allow Unilever to develop innovative ways to stay closely connected with our consumers and customers. (Flash, 2011) I personally think that the mobile handsets have had an effect on the companys performance in a positive way. It has allowed more interaction with the customers and has allowed e-commerce to be done efficiently on the go. WORDS : 2,282.

Higher Education or Higher Priced Education? Essay

The Marriam-Webster online dictionary defines higher education as â€Å"education beyond the secondary level; especially : education provided by a college or university. â€Å" It’s no secret to modern students that a higher education is necessary to advance in their professional life. There is always a cost to advancement and that cost can sometimes create a glass ceiling that is difficult for people in certain social strata to break through. The rising cost of higher education and its requirement for jobs creates a conflict for people in lower economic brackets. While the social value of higher education is difficult to argue against, the problems associated with affording higher education are very real social problems that must be considered. In Western society we have goals we are expected to achieve. At a very early age we begin preparing our children for school. There is no law demanding that children attend a specific school, nor that upon entering adult life they pursue higher education. Children can be home schooled or attend any school of their parents’ choosing. However, having a degree of some kind gives one many advantages in America. One who possesses a degree has a better chance of finding a successful money-making career. This, of course, is a crucial step to meeting society’s general standards, and living a life that resembles the ideal. The fact that extensive knowledge like that has become so highly respected reflects well on the values of our culture. Higher education has become the key to social and economic advancement. A well educated person can better process the information in front of them, and this is good for society in general. Those who possess higher-level educations are considered qualified for certain jobs and tasks that others lacking such would not be. Education levels that were once considered necessary only for advancement to the highest levels of society are now necessary for becoming gainfully employed in professions that used to require far fewer years of education. This creates a more savvy employee, but also forces people into classifications that may not reflect their true skills or abilities. Many human resources department demand minimum educational requirements, usually completion of a college degree, even to be considered for jobs that in many cases do not even utilize the skills gained during the education they are requiring. This creates a problem for people who can’t afford a higher education but could enter the skilled labor force on the basis of their skills alone: they are often restricted from becoming gainfully employed in professions they might otherwise be ideal for. As a response to this, many larger organizations have created higher education reimbursement programs where the organizations pay for the employee to become educated. Due to the cost, there are only so many people who can join these programs on any given year and the employee must prove to human resources that they are worth hiring without a degree in the first place. This may be a problematic situation for many people. The price we pay for education is steadily increasing, and it will continue to do so. Those coming from a low income families have less of an opportunity to get into college, particularly the colleges they may wish to attend. There is greater competition for placement at leading schools. With larger percentages of the student body seeking educations from leading institutions, fewer people are accepted into colleges that are their primary choices. Those who do get into the schools they wish to attend, then have to consider paying for their education. Scholarships are an option available to many, but it is very rare for a scholarship to pay for the student’s entire educational career, or even the bulk of it. As a result, many students take out loans to become educated. The vast majority of the members of my generation that choose to attend college and gain a higher education will ultimately enter the workforce in considerable debt. This is done in the hopes that they will find a job immediately out of college in their chosen career, and they expect to be able to begin paying off their debt immediately. For many this does not happen and the debt generated becomes a considerable burden on them. For families haunted by poor economic conditions, financing a higher education using student loans is a gamble. When investing in something so important to shape my future career I want something I know will work, but not every one with a degree is guaranteed a good steady career. Devoting myself to such a considerable expense like that involves risks. While it’s true that risk is necessary to get ahead in life, this risk has caused problems for people and it may leave you feeling cheated out of your money if you can’t get a good job in the field of your choice. The quality of education is also a consideration for someone entering college. If you wind up getting a bad teacher, it may cause bitterness if the experience had a negative effect on your education. We all have had our share of bad teachers, but for some this causes more strife than others.. One time I had a teacher who didn’t teach but gave out materials and work assignments demanding improvement without consideration to student understanding, so if we did well or improved then good, if not too bad its our own fault. The increased need for more educators as a result of increased student population may be causing colleges and universities to hire teachers who may not be the quality of educator that they would otherwise higher. So while the cost of education is increasing, the quality of education is regarded by many to be decreasing. While higher education is far from perfect, it is still necessary for people to advance, both from a career and a personal perspective. The cost of higher education may prohibit people in lower social classes from partaking in career paths they may otherwise have enjoyed. The quality of education relative to the cost is also considered to be a modern problem. Those who get beyond these issues will still gain considerable debt as a result of their educational career. Even given these problems, the value of getting a higher education is still unquestionable.

ESL learners feel anxious when doing reading comprehension tests Essay

This paper will explore in depth all the implications of the claim that ESL learners feel anxious when doing reading comprehension tests. First of all, the psychological and social causes of anxiety in ESL speakers during reading comprehension assignments will be explored and analyzed. Secondly, the level of anxiety will be assessed. Finally, the paper will suggest several ways to reduce negative feeling associated with performing reading comprehension tests by ESL speakers. Psychological causes of anxiety in ESL students partially mirror the experience of any other school related anxiety. Students are unsure of their abilities under the conditions of internal (i. e. a desire for self-affirmation) and external (i. e. a desire to please parents) pressure. Presently, students feel an incredible pressure to achieve and be at the top of their class, since the realization that school grades determine their future comes very early. Therefore, the joy of learning is often transformed into a struggle to excel (DeNoon, 2007). High expectations and competitive environment contribute greatly to the experience of anxiety and even panic. As concerns the severity of anxiety experienced by ESL speakers, it might range from slight psychological discomfort to serious physical symptoms. For example, short-term memory loss might be the result of extreme anxiety (the feeling of suddenly ‘remembering’ the correct answer immediately after turning in the test). Physical expressions of anxiety may include rapid pulse, a feeling of breathlessness, trembling, sweaty palms, dry mouth, chest pains, digestive problems such as nausea or diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, sleeplessness, and stomach ache (BUPA’s Health Information Team, 2004). Anxiety may also result in undesirable social consequences, such as loss of trust between parents and students, since the latter sometimes tend to conceal the difficulties they encounter, as well as test results. Such behavior eventually results in unfavorable family atmosphere. The practical values of this research lies in the field of practices and methods aimed at eliminating the causes of anxiety and helping students benefit fully from the learning process. Negative thoughts about possible failure discourage active learning and, taken to extreme, can produce a generally devastating effect on personality development. Furthermore, anxiety during the testing process can distort result, since students who are able to control their emotions better will tend to get higher score, despite the fact that their knowledge might be less complete as compared to students who suffer from extreme anxiety. Together with exercises aimed at increasing students’ self-confidence, relaxation exercises might be very helpful for those who suffer from anxiety. It is also of paramount importance to teach students to plan their time for taking the test so that they would not feel lost and experience a state of panic. The methods of research will be qualitative and will include questionnaires and interviews. At one hand, questionnaires will help to gather statistically significant data and understand the pervasiveness of the problem. From another perspective, interviews will help to research the problem in depth by analyzing students’ perceptions, emotions, and experiences. Therefore, the combination of these research methods will provide the most accurate picture of anxiety in ESL speakers during reading comprehension tests.

The Negative Impacts Of Smoking - 1547 Words

The most common problems that are destroying the health of young generations and killing thousands and thousands adults every day is smoking cigarette. The issue of smoking has become one of the most significant and controversial debates in Australia, due its health problem and the effect of the environment atmosphere. Researches and medics worldwide were studying the main causes that makes people smoke and why? (Backes, 2016). According to Dr Jewell‘s article, reveals that there are lots of factors that influencing young children to smoke. Factors such as social influence or peer pressure, curiosity, advertising, media as well as family (Jewell, 2015). This literature review will describe, summarise, evaluate and clarify the negative†¦show more content†¦However, parents and family are more responsible for the children as they’re growing. This will help the young kids to grow with respect and good appearance that will bring respectable value in the family. †¢ FAMILY The importance of parents in life is the essential thing that every child need. Father and mother serve as the role models not only through direct relations with their kids but through the example they present their attitude and behaviour inside the family and in the external world. Family play a big part in influential the behaviour and beliefs of an individual – through parent expectations and social media. When it comes to life influence, parents holds a major role in shaping the attitudes of the young people, which means that the negative and positive impact of teenagers who might develop a view independent of their close relative or parents. Parents play the main role in child is growth. They play a significant role in a lifestyle, mental health, and physical, social, financial as well as career development. This shows that they control and prepare the pathway or the footprint for them to follow. This insinuate that adolescences are more likely to smoke if they close rel ative or parents were smokers, even if they quit smoking long time ago. Teenagers with an older brother or sister who smoke s are also more likely to start smoking cigarettes. †¢ ADVERTISING Social media have become very powerful and important partsShow MoreRelatedOutcome of Banning Smoking in Public Areas663 Words   |  3 Pagesasthma problems has dropped by after smoking was banned in public places. Researchers from the University of Maastricht and the University of Edinburgh studied 250,000 hospital visits and more than 2.5 million births for asthma attacks in children. It was discovered that â€Å"preterm births and hospital attendance for asthma has fallen by 10% â€Å" especially in areas where smoking is banned. 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