Hacking Identity Theft and Information Essay - 1538 Words

Hacking the AIS By Helen Tewolde ACC 564 Thomas Wood Introduction This paper will discuss accounting information system attacks and failures: who to blame. I am also going to discuss the following related topics in the following order: Firstly, I will take a position on whether a company and its management team should or should not be held liable for losses sustained in a successful attack made on their AIS by outside source. Secondly, I will suggest who should pay for the losses, to whom, and state why. Thirdly, I will give my opinion regarding the role, if any; the federal government should have deciding and enforcing remedies and punishment. Finally, I will evaluate how AIS can contribute or not to contribute to the†¦show more content†¦Therefore, as the above analysis shows, a company and its management team should be held liable for losses sustained in a successful attack made on their AIS by outside sources. The Organization should Pay for the Losses As it was mentioned above, a company and its management team should be accountable for the losses sustained in a successful attack made on their AIS by outside sources. All employees and management team belong to the company they work for. Therefore any failure by the management team or employee is the failure the company or the organization as whole. Particularly, the breach of security and violation of privacy has always very serious consequences on organizations. The two major privacy related concerns are spam and identity theft. Spam is unsolicited e-mail that contains either advertizing or offensive content. Spam not only reduces the efficiency benefits of email but also is a source of many viruses, worms, spyware programs, and other types of malware. To deal with this problem, the US Congress passed the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act in 2003. According to Federal Trade Commission (FTC), each separate email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties of up to $16,000. Identity Theft is the unauthorized use of someone’s personalShow MoreRelatedCyber Crime: Preventing the Horrific Crimes on the Inernet1649 Words   |  7 PagesInternet Cyber Crime, including fraud, identity theft, stalking, and hacking is a growing problem which can be prevented by taking the proper precautions. I. Background II. Cyber fraud A. Fraud sites 1. Free trials sites 2. Craigslist B. Preventing fraud 1. Personal information 2. Credit cards III. Identity theft A. Identity theft sites 1. Stealing information 2. Craigslist B. Preventing Identity theft 1. Who to give information to IV. Cyber Stalking A. StalkingRead MoreHow ATM Hacking Affects Business in the U.S Essay878 Words   |  4 PagesATM hacking has become more and more prevalent in society today. The more technology improves the more fraud is done. The U.S alone, has fallen victim to ATM hacking over the last decade. There has been countless numbers of ATM hacking taking place, having billions of dollars loss and innocent people now in debt. ATM hacking has really proved to be effective and has become a major success for criminals. In the article, â€Å"Hackers Devise Wireless Methods for Stealing ATM Users PINs†, author JordanRead MoreCyber Criminals: Cyber-Crime and Cyberstalking Essay1422 Words   |  6 Pagesa different level, stalkers can leave long term effects on their targets and get away with it effortlessly. Additionally, identity theft is causing people millions of dollars and there are very few ways to track people down. All of these crimes can be done by any person in almost any location. Cyber-crimes negatively affect society due to hacking, stalking, and identity theft. Criminals develop along with technology. Once the Internet came out, people found ways to exploit it. For example, a manRead MoreThe Importance of Cyber Security1093 Words   |  4 PagesInternet is a growing source for communication. With so many people online, many have figured out ways to steal from others. Whether it be their Identity, money, or self a-steam, many are ripped of their belongings through the internet. Email and instant messaging are an easy way to not only communicate but send along important Information to one another. The newest and one of the most used, is social media websites, or a website that a profile is created and one can share pictures, thoughts, andRead MoreTechnology and Identity Theft1176 Words   |  5 Pagesinternet to allow for an accurate and safe resource for information. But to their dismay they are wrong the internet does not always allow for safe access to information. It can also be capable of harming society greatly. Everyday society ente rs personal data into the internet for example credit card information, Social Security information, and other personal information, which are all traveling through the entire internet. All this information is traveling through the internet capable of travelingRead MoreSecurity And Risks Of Information Systems Essay1268 Words   |  6 Pages Most significant IS security and risk issues Information systems have developed rapidly over time and are being relied by more people. With the increasing reliability of Information Systems, businesses have adopted them a lot. Companies or businesses using Information System have an advantage in competitiveness and efficiency (Hilton, 2013). AIC uses an IS in its activities to enhance communication and collaboration. Due to the wide use, Information Systems have become an important part of everydayRead MoreThe Assembly Bill 32 : Computer Crimes Introduced By Assembly Member Waldron1339 Words   |  6 Pagespenalties for any violation and those are subjected to fines and imprisonment. This bill has been created by the advanced number of high tech computer criminals that have increased their capabilities to attack large retail stores, steal people’s identity, hacked the White House website, and even the California Department of Motor Vehicles computer system. As technology continues to advance over the years, people, busi nesses, and even governmental agencies have been affected by computer criminalsRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society1234 Words   |  5 PagesIn today’s day, technology has literally evolved into everyone daily lives. The vast amount of information and capabilities now are endless in almost every aspect of life. More and more we are becoming dependent on it and it functioning for us. People now basically lose their minds if their internet connection goes down or they cannot access their Facebook account. Our daily errands from paying bills or going to the bank to depositing checks can now all be done by a snap of a picture or a click ofRead MorePotential Risk to an Organisation of Committing to an E-Commerce System.717 Words   |  3 Pagesorganisation of committing to an E-commerce system. E-commerce has many drawbacks. I will be going through these drawbacks that risk an organisation of committing to an E-commerce system. * Advertising and maintaining website * Hackers * Identity theft * Website not being recognised * Viruses * Profit * Delivery Advertising and maintaining website A drawback of an Ecommerce is the advertising. If no-one knows it exists it will not generate any revenue. Of course the mostRead MoreEthics in Technology Essay1555 Words   |  7 Pagesto invade people’s privacy, and steal people’s identity. We know that computers have no moral compass; they cannot make moral decisions for themselves. Essentially, people make moral decisions that affect others positively or negatively depending on how they use computer technology. Some of the biggest ethical issues facing people in the computing environment include privacy concerns on the web and identity theft. Privacy concerns and identity theft are two ethical issues that increase with the rapid

New Schools New Education New People

High school education system in the United States is considered inefficient by just about everybody – explanations why it is so may differ from person to person, but the idea is that our schools don’t do their job right. Yet despite doom and gloom in most predictions, there are patches of sunlight – primarily in the form of so-called charter schools. Charter schools come as a result of two-decade-long experiment aimed at further reformation of education system nationwide. So far their number is limited, but in some places, like Washington, D.C., they account for almost half of total number of students – quite enough to tell how this entire thing is doing. And it is doing extremely well. In Washington D.C. charter school students consistently show higher test scores than students in other city schools. They are more likely to successfully finish school, get admitted into college and graduate from it. So what’s so special about charter schools? What are they? Charter schools were created nationwide in 1991 as an alternative to the failing public education system, with a special emphasis on helping children coming from the poorest, especially Black and Hispanic, neighborhoods. The idea is to give low income parents opportunities, very similar to those, open to their more affluent counterparts who often move to a better neighborhood or send their children to a private school to ensure better education. Instead of being forced to go to a school in their own district, charter school students may attend a school of their choice, irrespectively of its location. The main difference a charter school has from a public one is that it doesn’t have an overarching authority looking over its shoulder and dictating its every move. They are still publicly funded, but in most respects are run independently from the local public school system. They make their own decisions concerning hiring and dismissing staff, greater freedom in organizing their curricula and, what’s probably most important – they are much more likely to be shut down completely if students fail to enroll in them or don’t show considerable results after studying there for a while. In other words, despite being publicly funded, they operate to a much greater extent on the free market basis. They have motivation to compete and succeed; they have a relatively free hand in choosing ways to do so and are not stifled by regulations. As a result, they show a great and diverse choice of specializations. Hands-on learning, language immersion learning, specializations in foster and juvenile care – if there is demand for it, you are likely to find a charter school catering for the needs of this particular group of students. It is, in other words, a direct opposite of the overarching unification we see in American educational system in general. It is hard to say if the rest of the system is going to follow suit, or if charter schools remain an interesting but localized experiment in schooling. However, if it is accepted on a larger scale, we will probably see something fascinating happening in our high school system in the years to come.

The Word Critical Comes From The Greek Word - 1490 Words

The word critical comes from the Greek word, krinein, which means to separate and to choose. Being critical requires a person to draw intelligent conclusions by being somewhat skeptical and employing conscious, deliberate questioning. Goign back to the words used in the definition, being critical requires a thinker to separate the ideas, assumptions, experiences, or facts that are presented, and to choose, or decide, what he/she believes. In order to think critically, a person must be able to be be skeptical of his/her own ideas, own assumptions (things assumed to be true or things not necessarily recognized as assumed but that form the basis for beliefs), and the evidence he/she can offer for their ideas. It is certainly easier for us to be skeptical of the ideas of others, to be skeptical of ideas that are different from our own or that are new to us; it is generally more difficult for us to look open-mindedly at our own long-held beliefs, particularly those we have accepted as tr ue. In order to think critically, you have to do two things: 1) analyze - find the parts of the problem, separate them, and then try to see how the things fit together, and 2) evaluate - judge the merit or value of the claims and assumptions and judge the strength of the evidence. These processes - analyzing and evaluating - require analytic, evaluative, and imaginative thinking. Whenever we learn or are presented with something new, we use these processes to some degree. Often, when we learnShow MoreRelatedThe Distinction Of Ethics And Morality1307 Words   |  6 PagesThe Distinction Of Ethics And Morality: The use of the words ethics and morality are often confused with each other especially these are commonly used in Philosophy and other related fields. This paper will discuss the distinction between these two concepts. According to Gammel (2007), the difference between the terms morality and ethics has a very thin line particularly in the daily language. Adding to this confusion is that other philosophical resources and materials use the terms interchangeablyRead MoreAccording To Aristotle : The Three Modes Of Persuasion1483 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the most critical skills required to be successful in life is the ability to persuade others. The art of persuasion is a talent that is often overlooked. However, if one is unable to persuade others effectively, they will never be taken seriously in a professional environment. In his book, Rhetoric, Aristotle spends quite a bit of time on the subject of persuasion. In fact, he defines rhetoric as, â€Å" the faculty of observing in a ny given case the available means of persuasion (Rhetoric). AccordingRead MoreEssay about Technology and Literacy1668 Words   |  7 PagesTechnology and Literacy According to Eric Havelock, â€Å"Greek literacy changed not only the means of communication, but also the shape of the Greek consciousness. The Greek story is self-contained, yet the crisis in the communication which it describes as taking place in antiquity acquires a larger dimension when measured against what appears to be a similar crisis in modernity† (17). In developing his conviction, Havelock focuses on the works of Homer and Hesiod: As written,Read MoreThe Iliad And The Odyssey1498 Words   |  6 Pagesboth the winners and losers† (Homer 222). In addition to its influence on Greek poetry, the Iliad is a great Homeric epic that has long helped shape critical schools of thought. It is not exactly clear who the originator of the Iliad is, or whether it was composed by more than one person. However, it is suggested that Homer wrote the poem down while motivated by a singular poetic vision. â€Å"Homer is the name that has come through the centuries as the author of the two earliest surviving poeticRead MoreAmazing Historical Knowledge And Facts1468 Words   |  6 Pagesthe period the Greeks and Roman lived in. Back in the Greco Roman World there was plenty of interesting facts to learn about them. Including the way they lived life. The economic system, shelter, and weapons they had created. The Greek and Romans were extremely creative and artistic. The Greeks made an enormous jump. It was the rebirth of Ancient learning, the Renaissance, which provided the base of today’s science and technology. It was the rediscovery of Hellenic thought, from Aquinas to theRead MoreSimilarities between Oral and Literary Traditions663 Words   |  3 Pagessimilarities. Oral tradition is information that is passed down from generations by words that is not written down. On the hand literary tradition would be a language that is written and well spoken. It also makes whatever is written down permanent. Both are similar but slightly different from another. Before the literary tradition of written texts, oral tradition passed tales of gods, heroes, and other memorable mortals and their lives from generation to generation. These tales were then transcribedRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Oedipus, A Play Written By Sophocles1553 Words   |  7 Pagescontains numerous accounts where the author uses words to convey a deeper truth about characte rs and their experiences. Sight, light, blindness, and darkness all have a literal meaning, but when placed into this play, with its intricate plot, they express the dramatic ironies that unfold between Oedipus and his past. Greek tragedies are known to use language that expresses the deeper truths about the to the audiences. Sight, the most common word used by play writers, brings about a whole new meaningRead MoreCritical Thinking Essay examples1293 Words   |  6 PagesThinking about Critical Thinking in Todays World Session 16 Assignment Name: Final Essay Questions Student Name: Michelle Kauffman Date you submit your work: May 4, 2012 The Assignment: In essay form, address the following questions: 1. What is critical thinking? First the word critical comes from two Greek roots, Kriticos which means discerning judgment and the other Greek root is kriterion which means standards. The text book from this classRead More Boundaries of Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King1282 Words   |  6 PagesBoundaries of Fate and Free Will in Oedipus the King    The ancient Greeks firmly believed that the universe was guided strictly by order and fate. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles has examined the relationship between free will and fate, suggesting that free will paradoxically exists inside the boundaries of fate. It may be concluded, however, that man has free will and is ultimately held responsible for his own actions.    Oedipus destruction was brought about by a combination of fateRead MoreStages of Spelling Development1564 Words   |  7 Pagesone letter represents an entire word or the most salient sound of a word. Some Emergent children confuse letters, numbers, and letter-like forms and substitute letters and sounds that feel and look alike (e.g., the sounds /v/ and /f/, the letters d and b) The child generally lacks knowledge of the alphabet, lacks left-to-right directionality in writing, and lacks concept of word (one-to-one matching of spoken and written words). Consistent spacing between words and consistent use of letter-sound

The Antic Disposition in Hamlet - 1645 Words

The character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name is one of the more complex and interesting characters in the western canon – in attempting to take revenge on his uncle Claudius for his alleged murder of Hamlet’s father, the young prince feigns insanity in order to get the man’s guard down and keep him off balance until finding the right time to strike. However, the question remains – by the end of the play, just how much is Hamlet pretending to be insane? Is it really an act, or has Hamlet really taken on an â€Å"antic disposition† as Hamlet vows to put on (I.v.172)? While it can be confirmed that Hamlet’s insanity is more or less a ruse, his own dedication to his task, as well as the uncertainty he has about following†¦show more content†¦The distracted and uncertain nature of Hamlet at this time seems to suggest at least a moment of madness immediately following the appearance of the ghost (Simon 714) . The insanity of Hamlet can be discerned partly in his indecisiveness; the constant worrying and waffling over whether or not to take his revenge and when is a clear sign of his mental instability. Hamlet makes many attempts to kill Claudius, but is always stopped by his own indecisiveness, finding all manner of excuses to not go through with it. In one instance, he finds Claudius praying and finds his perfect chance, but he does not go through with it. He refrains because, if Claudius is slain while praying, he will end up in heaven, and that is not what Hamlet wants. In the end, Hamlet’s own search for vengeance is his undoing, and also spells doom for many around him. He accidentally kills Polonius because he thinks he is a spy, while causes his love Ophelia to drown herself in grief. This perpetuates the cycle of revenge, as her suitor Laertes seeks a duel against Hamlet, which leads to the deaths of the both of them, in addition to Claudius and Gertrude. Laertes even seems to accept that his own actions led to his death - I am justly killd with mine own treachery (V.ii.12). To that end, Hamlet’s insanity andShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of The Film Hamlets Antic Disposition Essay1290 Words   |  6 PagesAn Analysis of Hamlet s antic disposition In the film†Hamlets antic disposition† the author Alexander W Crawford, describe hamlet as mad, but a close reveal of the play shows that Hamlet is straightforward and sane. His actions and thoughts are a logical response to the situation in which he finds himself. However, he assumes antic-disposition to undercover the truth of his father s death. After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps.Read MoreEssay on Hamlets Antic Disposition1487 Words   |  6 PagesHamlets Antic Disposition      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Shakespeares famous tragedy Hamlet, the main character of the story is one majestically elaborated, aside from being quite complex. There are infinite volumes written about this character because Shakespeare leaves no firm proof of many of his character traits. Yet on Hamlets antic disposition, meaning his obviously absurd temperament or madness, Shakespeare leaves plenty of reason to believe that it is feigned, meaning that it is simply a ployRead More The Flaw of Hamlets Antic Disposition Essay743 Words   |  3 PagesHamlets antic disposition of pretending to become crazy so that he can take revenge of his fathers death was a bad plan. The situations in the play that prove that Hamlets antic disposition was a bad plan are the death of his friend Ophelia, his fighting with his mother, trying to fool the King and Polonius, his own downfall and finally his death. All this situations illustrate why Hamlet?s antic disposition was a bad plan. Hamlet?s antic disposition was the main reason why Ophelia committedRead More Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay793 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeares Hamlet         Ã‚   Shakespeares Hamlet is a master of deception. Hamlet decides to make Claudius believe that he is insane, but the scheme backfires when everyone, except Claudius, falls for it. Ophelia is one of those who believes Hamlet lost his mind, and when he does not return her love, she is so brokenhearted that she commits suicide. Near the end of the tragedy, Hamlet plays the part so well, that he convinces himself he is insane. Clearly, Hamlets plan to put on an antic dispositionRead MoreHamlet And Antic Morality In William Shakespeares Hamlet1110 Words   |  5 Pages Hamlet was a book written in the in the 14th century of 1559 by a famous writer named William Shakespeare. In the story Prince Hamlet was chasing after a ghost that looked like his father and when he finally caught up with the ghost (King Hamlet), King Hamlet told Hamlet that his brother Claudius killed him with ear poison, while he was resting. So when King Hamlet told Hamlet this, Hamlet told his father that he would get revenge and avenge his father’s death. So Hamlet told himself thatRead MoreHonesty and Integrity Are Not Found in the Play Hamlet734 Words   |  3 PagesENG 3U Honesty and integrity are never found in Hamlet Honesty and integrity can both be described as good qualities, but they are interpreted in different ways, honesty is quality of truthfulness and sincerity. While integrity can be described as the possession of a strong moral principles, and the righteous acts committed by a character. William Shakespeare uses multiple forms of deception and immoral acts in almost every scene in the play Hamlet. Proving that there is neither honesty, nor integrityRead MoreThe Importance of Maintaining Moral Order as it Relates to Hamlet by William Shakespeares765 Words   |  4 PagesImportance of Maintaining Moral Order as it Relates to Hamlet by William Shakespeares Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (Hamlet. 1.4, l.90) In every society a distinctive hierarchy or organization of power exists. In the Shakespearean world, life is kept constant through the maintenance of the Great Chain of Being or moral order. Any disruption in this chain is believed to cause chaos in society. In William Shakespeares Hamlet, Denmark is thrown into chaos by the reckless actionsRead MoreHamlet, By Alexander W Crawford Essay1213 Words   |  5 Pages In the film†Hamlets antic disposition† the author Alexander W Crawford, describe hamlet as mad, but a close reveal of the play shows that Hamlet is straightforward and sane. His actions and thoughts are a logical response to the situation in which he finds himself. However, he assumes antic-disposition to undercover the truth of his father s death. After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps. After all, revenge is a dish best served coldRead MoreHamlet Character Analysis918 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play Hamlet, Shakespeare raises the question regarding deception and the differences between â€Å"seeming† and â€Å"being†. Each character is trying to decipher what each other are truly thinking, contrary to what they are pretending to think. Shakespeare sets Hamlet up to illustrate the complexity of how one must deceive others to reveal the truth.  ¬Ã‚ ¬The coexistence of appearances and reality develops as the Danish court gets engulfed in a web of corruption, lies and deception. Through how ShakespeareRead MoreThe Profound Impact Of Female Characters Of Shakespeare s Hamlet930 Words   |  4 PagesThe Profound Impact of Female Characters in Hamlet How much of an impact can the women in a man’s life have on his thoughts and actions? A mother is the first woman her son will come into contact with, and can skew her son’s image of women through her actions. A man’s significant other also has the ability to bring out the best in him, but can also become the target for his anger and stray emotions. In William Shakespeare s Hamlet, although there are only two main female characters, both women†¯possess

Falsafah Pendidikan Free Essays

Integration of ICT in Education: Pedagogical Issues Dr. Anjali Khirwadkar Center of Advanced Study in Education Faculty of Education The M. S. We will write a custom essay sample on Falsafah Pendidikan or any similar topic only for you Order Now University of Baroda India. Abstract The progress of any country depends upon the quality of education offered and its practices. Indian education was well known for its Gurukul system of education in the Vedic age. Education in India has undergone various phases and stages of development starting in the Vedic age to the post-independent period. At all stages of development there was a concern for bringing in quality education reflecting on the practical aspects in education. The great Indian thinkers had emphasized on developing the inner potential of individuals by reflecting on unique potential of individuals. Getting educated is solely dependent upon the individual teacher’s role to set conditions and generate environments for learning. The recent curriculum framework 2005 as proposed by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training), India focuses on the issues of; Connecting knowledge to life outside Shifting from rote learning to constructing knowledge Providing a wide range experiences for the overall development of a child Bringing flexibility in the examinations The recent developments in technology have changed the world outside the classroom; it is more eye-catching and interesting for a student then the classroom setting. As a result, students find classroom instructions as dull and devoid of life and do not interest them for learning. The information technology has made learner WWW-afflicted. This is because technological developments have brought developments in two ways: First, by enhancing human capabilities by helping people to participate actively in social, 85 economic, and political life in a society at large. Second, by giving advantage to technological innovation as a means for human development due to economic progress and increased productivity. The power of information is such that almost all decisions made in different sectors like science, technology, economics, and business development will be based on information that has been generated electronically. Information has become a key asset of the organization for its progress. Therefore, access to information is a key factor in the generation of wealth and there is a strong link between a nation’s level of development and its level of technological development. Educators and policymakers believe that information and communication technologies are of supreme importance to the future of education and, in turn, for the country at large. As ICT is becoming an integral element for educational reforms and innovations at secondary schools, this situation calls for an enhancement of pre-service education on ICT for prospective teachers. There is a growing importance for ICT within the school curriculum. Not only it is used to support teaching and learning within other curriculum subjects, but it is also a subject in its own right as a separate discipline. The major objective is that developing skills, knowledge, and understanding in the use of ICT prepares pupils to use such technologies in their everyday lives. ICT tools enable pupils to access, share, analyze, and present information gained from a variety of sources and in many different ways. The use of ICT provides opportunities for pupils to work both collaboratively and independently. As such, the role of ICT within the curriculum is not only to enhance the learning experiences of pupils but also to help them develop the skills essential to participate effectively in the world of affairs. It generates avenues for working in groups developing team spirit, cohesion, and social values. Here, a teacher plays a pivotal role in the process of teaching learning. Hence, knowledge of ICT and skills to use ICT in teaching/learning has gained enormous importance for today’s teachers. Teachers are expected to know to successfully integrate ICT into his/her subject areas to make learning more meaningful. This knowledge development during pre-service training has gained much importance with the notion that exposure to ICT during this time is helpful in increasing student teachers’ willingness to integrate 86 technology with classroom teaching. This paper focuses on issues relating to ICT in education as a core component in pre-service teacher education and the different models to be adopted for its integration. Review of studies conducted in the area of attitude, anxiety, and efficacy of teachers and development of computer skills Pre-service teachers need to plan to use computers in their classrooms. Vision is needed to motivate and direct their teaching and learning with the help of technology and using related instructional methods. There are various strategies used to make teachers understand and implement the integration of ICT in various curricula. They should serve as a basis for understanding computer operations and programming along with assisting pre- service teachers to learn computer concepts in developing a vision, value, and use of computers in learning. Many studies have been conducted on teachers’ attitude and their use of ICT skills. It has been found that teachers’ attitudes play an important role in the teaching learning process. It has generally been found that pre-service teachers have demonstrated their ability for integrating technology into their teaching, but do not have clarity about how far technology can be beneficial for students. They will probably avoid teaching with technology once the requirement for the demonstration lesson is over. Hence, a negative attitude about teaching with and about technology in a subject matter area could work against well-planned instruction in teacher preparation programs. While, on the other hand, those teacher candidates who believe in the potential and utility of technology in the classroom and continue facing many challenges become the models for student teachers to emulate. Many studies have been conducted with regard to the attitude of teachers towards use and interations of technology have revealed the importance of attitudes for learning to use technologies (Cox, Rhodes Hall, 1988; Davidson Ritchie, 1994; Hannaford, 1988; Kay, 1990). These findings were further supported by Bandalos Benson, 1990; Dupagne Krendl, 1992; Francis-Pelton Pelton, 1996; Loyd Gressard, 1984a; Mowrer-Popiel, Pollard, Pollard, 1994; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995. ) Several studies have found that individuals’ attitudes toward computers may improve as a result of well-planned instruction (Kluever, Lam, 87 Hoffman, Green Swearingen, 1994; Madsen Sebastiani, 1987; Woodrow, 1992). Like other individual characteristics that are hypothesized o play a role in the continued growth of technology proficiency, attitudes and beliefs can’t be easily taught and must be developed by an individual over a period of time. Another factor that is noted to have a profound effect on the student teacher’s learning technology and its integration is computer anxiety. Computer anxiety, as defined by Rohmer and Simonson (1981), is â€Å"the mixture of fear, apprehension, and hope that people feel while planning to interact or whi le actually interacting with a computer† (p. 151). Research has shown that there is often a negative relationship between the amount of prior computing experience and the level of computer anxiety exhibited by individuals. Reed and Overbought (1993) and Hackney (1994) found significantly reduced levels of computer anxiety following instruction whereas Chu and Spires (1991) observed a significant reduction in computer anxiety for only the most anxious quartile of subjects. McKiernan et al. (1994) reported that some students experienced reduced levels of computer anxiety at the end of a computer training class while other students experienced continuing anxiety. The level of anxiety could be reduced with increased experience in using and working with computers and thereby succeeding in reaching goals. Over and above the attitude of teachers, self-efficacy is also an important aspect to consider. Researchers have indicated that although teachers may have positive attitudes toward technology (Duane Kernel, 1992; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995), they may still not consider themselves qualified to teach with it or comfortable using it. If teachers are to integrate technology into their teaching, they must feel self-efficacious about using it (Decorum Kingie, 1993; Remer et. l. , 1993; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995). Bandera (1986) defined perceived self-efficacy as â€Å"people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances. It is concerned not with the skills one has but with the judgments of what one can do with whatever skills one possess es† (p. 391). According to Bandura (1982), people acquire information about efficacy from four sources: performance attainments, vicarious experiences of observing the performances of others, 88 erbal persuasion, and physiological states from which people partly judge their capability, strength, and vulnerability (p. 126). This information would help an individual assess his/her performance and then generate self-appraisals of his/her ability. When the concept of computer-efficacy is applied to the domain of learning to use computers in teaching, hands-on computer experience becomes an important component in effective instruction at the pre-service level. Research has shown a high correlation between efficacy judgments and subsequent performance (Bandura Adams, 1977; Bandura, Adams Beyer, 1977; Schunk, 1981). This particular link between self-efficacy and subsequent actions is significant in developing an idea for a teacher who continues to learn to teach with technology apart from instruction in teacher preparation (Ashton, 1985). Self-efficacy was originally conceived as having a high domain-specific component rather than one with high generalizability (Lennings, 1994), and this has led to recent research interest in the area of computer self-efficacy (Delcourt Kinzie, 1993; Ertmer, Evenbeck, Cennamo, Lehman, 1994). Computer self-efficacy represents the essential elements of self-efficacy as applied to the domain of computer learning. Several studies have found the positive effects of instruction on computer self-efficacy (Ertmer, Evenbeck, Cennamo Lehman, 1994; Gist, Schwoerer Rosen, 1989; Russon, Josefowitz Edmonds, 1994; Torkzdeh Koufteros, 1994). There is little doubt that today’s prospective teachers will be expected to teach with technology in the classrooms of tomorrow. However, the resources available to teachers in terms of hardware, software, networking, and professional development vary greatly at the school level. Hence, it is imperative that teachers become directors of their own learning with regard to using information technologies in the classroom. Through learning to teach with technology, teacher preparation programs have a unique place at the beginning of this challenging process. The development of a pedagogically-based framework of constructs that are related to learning to use computers and an approach for its application in teacher preparation shows promise for meeting these challenges as discussed above. 89 Another challenge for pre-service education is finding classrooms where pre-service teachers could observe teacher educators using technology appropriately and to understand where and how to include technology in their lessons. The computer has moved from an object to be studied to a teaching and learning tool for teachers and students. Hence, teacher preparation programs could no longer rely on an introductory course. We can’t just bolt on the technology in teacher education curriculum; we need to take proactive steps for its integration in teaching learning. Teacher education and technological competence should involve all aspects of the preparation of teachers, i. e. , introductory competencies, use of technology in methods classes, school placements, and student teaching. Pre-service teachers need to develop a vision from the very beginning of their careers for using computers in their classrooms. For this, student teachers must understand computer operations and programming–leading them to develop a vision of the value and use of computers in learning. Therefore, it is crucial that teacher preparation programs should develop the cognitive, social, and physical environments that will help teachers feel efficacious and in control of learning to teach with technology, a domain that is often overwhelming even for experienced teachers. Another challenge of preparing teachers to teach with technology is that as a result of knowledge generation, our knowledge about computer technology is constantly changing. In addition to this factor, there are various other dimensions like attitude, motivation, computer anxiety, and computer self-efficacy which play an important role in developing skills and competencies among prospective teachers. Pedagogy is primarily associated with formal school education. There are significant differences between the two concepts of pedagogy and â€Å"webogogy†, especially in terms of independence/dependence of the learners, resources for learning, motivation, and the role of the teacher. The context of learning is significant because learning is contextually and situationally specific. The teacher’s role in web-based teaching has already been identified as being very different from the teacher’s role in formal education, with terms like facilitator referring to the person who is on-line and interacting with students in various ways. It may be the same person who produces the course materials. Also, the on- 90 line teacher will need to arrange a range of activities in which he or she will engage students, and a range of roles that he or she will fulfill. In web-based teaching, the teacher would be engaged in preparation and organization of instructional materials based on the same kind of assumptions about learners that are held by textbook authors. The Internet provides a wide range of scope for integrating varied learning experiences and making learning holistic. All of the resources developed by an individual teacher could be shared in a web forum for further refining the lesson plans. The various skills and competencies to be developed on the part of student teachers would be: Surfing the Internet and locating useful information from the Internet for the development of lesson plans. Developing lessons plans incorporating student use of technology in the learning process. Evaluating and selecting appropriate software for a particular subject and per student needs. Generating printed documents like student assignments, newsletters, communication, etc. utilizing a variety of applications software like word processing and desktop publishing. Managing student data ; using data management tools for efficiently managing learning. Using technology to gather, organize, and report information about student performance like Excel and Access for database management. Developing tools to evaluate technology-based student projects including multi-media, word processing, database, spreadsheet, PowerPoint, desktop publishing, and Internet/telecommunications. 91 Using the Internet to support professional development including locating professional organizations, communicating with other teachers electronically, and participating in on-line professional development workshops nd seminars. Developing assignments and project work for students; giving them broader and deeper knowledge in a field of study; developing critical thinking and infusing creativity among students. Computer Education at The Secondary Level Recognizing the growing importance of ICT in the education area, policy makers in the school education sector have taken proper care to integrate computer education at the school level. The Curriculum Guide and Syllabus for Information Technology in Schools developed by NCERT, India, has the following objectives for the secondary school level: 1. Selecting appropriate IT devices for a given task; making his/her own informed choice of browser and search engines; trouble-shooting for peripherals. 2. Identifying specific strengths and weaknesses of technology resources; demonstrating legal and ethical behavior regarding the use of technology and information. 3. Communicating to a variety of audiences using IT tools; using a variety of technology tools for data collection and analysis; using tools to present and publish information with interactive multi media features; using tools to make models and simulations; manipulating images. . Using on-line information resources for collaboration and communication; collaborating with others to build content-related knowledge bases. 5. Developing strategies to find relevant and appropriate electronic information sources. 6. Investigating technology-based options for lifelong learning; using productivity tools, communication tools and research skills. 92 IT competency standards at the end of Class X to be developed in students are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Ability in and understanding of fundamental computer operations and concepts. Using a variety of programs to accomplish learning tasks. Exhibiting skills in the use of communication networks. Exhibiting skills in the selection and use of technology to gather, process, and analyze data and preparation of reports. The expectations from the school sector in terms of established student objectives and expected skills to be developed demonstrate the need to develop necessary knowledge and skills among teachers with positive attitudes and the right inclination. Techno-Pedagogy a Skill The aim of teacher education is to develop skills and appropriate knowledge among teacher trainees for using and integrating the correct technology in an appropriate manner. Every teacher should know how to use technology, pedagogy and subject area content effectively in their daily classroom teaching. It is clear that merely introducing technology to the educational process is not enough. One must ensure technological integration since technology by itself will not lead to change. Rather, it is the way in which teachers integrate technology that has the potential to bring change in the education process. Hence, attitude and self-efficacy towards technology play an important role. For teachers to become fluent in the usage of educational technology means going beyond mere competence with the latest tools to developing an understanding of the complex web of relationships among users, technologies, practices, and tools. Teachers must understand their role in technologically-oriented classrooms. Thus, knowledge about technology is important in itself, but not as a separate and unrelated body of knowledge divorced from the context of teaching–it is not only about what technology can do, but perhaps what technology can do for them as teachers. 3 In techno-pedagogy, there are three areas of knowledge, namely: content, pedagogy, and technology. Content (C) is the subject matter that is to be taught. Technology (T) encompasses modern technologies such as computer, Internet, digital video and commonplace technologies including overhead projectors, blackboards, and books. Pedagogy (P) describes the collected practices, processes, strategies, procedures, and metho ds of teaching and learning. It also includes knowledge about the aims of instruction, assessment, and student learning. Speaking truthfully, technology integration entails the understanding and negotiating of the relationships among the aforementioned three components. Good teaching is not simply adding technology to the existing teaching and content domain. Rather, the introduction of technology causes the representation of new concepts and requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, transactional relationship between all three components suggested by the TPCK framework. (Koehler, M. J. and Mishap, P. 2005) Technological Content Knowledge C P Pedagogical Content Technological, Pedagogical knowledge (TPCK) T Technological Pedagogical Knowledge Depending upon the nature of content, scope of content, and level of students, appropriate technology integration must be sought. Technology as an aid enhances the process of learning and helps in achieving higher level objectives. 94 Approaches to ICT integration in Teacher Education Use of ICT within teacher training programs around the world is being approached in a number of different ways with varying degrees of success. These approaches were subsequently described, refined and merged into following approaches: 1. ICT skills development approach: Here importance is given to providing training in use of ICT in general. Student teachers are expected to be skilled users of ICT for their daily activities. Knowledge about various software, hardware and their use in educational process is provided. 2. ICT pedagogy approach: Emphasis is on integrating ICT skills in a respective subject. Drawing on the principles of constructivism, pre-service teachers design lessons and activities that center on the use of ICT tools that will foster the attainment of learning outcomes. This approach is useful to the extent that the skills enhance ICT literacy skills and the underlying pedagogy allows students to further develop and maintain these skills in the context of designing classroombased resources. 3. Subject-specific approach: Here ICT is embedded into one’s own subject area. By this method, teachers/subject experts are not only exposing students to new and innovative ways of learning but are providing them with a practical understanding of what learning and teaching with ICT looks and feels like. In this way, ICT is not an ‘add on’ but an integral tool that is accessed by teachers and students across a wide range of the curricula. 4. Practice driven approach: Here emphasis is on providing exposure to the use of ICT in practical aspects of teacher training. Focus is on developing lessons and assignments. Using ICT and implementing it in their work experience at various levels provides students an opportunity to assess the facilities available at their school and effectively use their own skills. Thus, ICT in teacher training can take many forms. Teachers can be trained to learn how to use ICT tools. ICT can be used as a core or a complementary means to the teacher 95 training process (Collis Jung, 2003). The various ways in which ICT teacher training efforts could be classified into four categories are shown below in Figure 1. ICT AS PART OF CONTENT ICT AS A CORE COMPONENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION AND ITS APPLICATION ICT AS CORE CONTENT ICT AS FACILITATOR ICT AS CORE DELIVERY From the above suggested approaches, regarding ICT as a core component at the preservice level, integration of all approaches would help in developing proper attributes among prospective teachers. There should be joint efforts of educators and prospective teachers in implementing and sharpening ICT skills. Whatever approach is followed in educational institutions to develop knowledge about ICT, it has inherent limitations. Coupled with other reasons, we are not making student teachers fully confident in using ICT in their daily classroom activities. As reported by Larose F. in their study, the level of computer literacy of the teaching staff is satisfactory but there is little transfer of these competencies to teaching practices (Larose F. et al. 1999). Efforts are required on the part of teachers to make use of the available facilities for the best use in teaching /learning. ICT in Education Course Scenario at the Pre-Service Level The syllabi for ICT in education courses offered by some of the universities in India were analyzed in terms of the objective of the course, weight given to theory and practice, and other syllabus components. The Curriculum Guide and Syllabus for I nformation Technology in Schools developed by NCERT, India, has the following expectations 96 bout basic competencies of teachers to achieve the objectives of ICT education at the secondary level: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Understanding the role of technology in change and the implications of technology-mediated changes for education. Creating interest in learning among students through unique utilities like animation, simulation, the Internet, etc. Demonstrating a sound understanding of basic IT concepts and operations. Planning and designing effective learning environments with necessary technology support. Making the best use of technology-enhanced lessons to enrich student learning. Adopting assessment strategies to evaluate (a) student competencies in IT skills and (b) student learning in the new environment. Using technology to enhance our own creativity and professional practices. Demonstrating understanding of social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in schools. Fashioning a climate of values that encourage questioning, exploration, problemsolving, decision-making, and group co-operation. Striving for education to emerge from its disciplinary narrowness. Identifying useful learning material from various sources. The teacher has to take an active part in developing his own checklist for evaluation of learning materials and use it in the context of (a) the learner profile, (b) the learning environment, and (c) the technical strength of the computer laboratory of the school. Moreover, the tasks of the teacher are: 1. Design one’s own checklist. 2. Review software to be procured or on the World Wide Web 3. Report his/her assessment of courseware to the principal so a purchase decision can be made. 97 ICT is introduced in secondary teacher training courses at various levels as a compulsory subject or a special field subject. Sometimes, it is also introduced as one of the subjects to be studied under a course titled ‘Educational Technology’. Various objectives/rationales for introducing the course are as follows: 1. Understanding the scope and importance of ICT in contemporary society. 2. Developing effective perspectives and attitude towards emerging technologies. 3. Developing skills in handling, maintaining and protecting different types of hardware and equipment in the institutions of learning. 4. Acquiring a theoretical basis of ICT and to develop an awareness about recent developments in the area of ICT. 5. Acquiring adequate knowledge bout the fundamentals of computers and operating systems. 6. Acquiring the necessary skills of handling software packages for the purpose of education in the institutions of learning. 7. Acquiring knowledge about new Internet technologies and their place in the field of education. Regarding the weight given to the subject, different approaches are followe d. Overall the weight given to theory and practice is 60/40 (60% for theory and 40% for practice). Broadly the content areas regarding theory/practice include: a. Introduction to Computers b. Introduction to Operating Systems c. Application of Computers in Teaching d. Functions of Computers – Knowledge of M. S. Office and other related packages and Computer languages e. Application of computers in Education f. New Trends and Techniques in Computer education (EDUSAT etc. ) g. Knowledge of Internet, World Wide Web, etc. 98 In the majority of teacher education institutions, the syllabi exhibit less weight to practical than theoretical aspects. Since the nature of ICT subjects is more practical and application-oriented, there needs to be more practical than theoretical input. This aspect seems to be neglected in designing and framing curricular objectives. The present approach for ICT integration is dismal as an â€Å"add on† approach for ICT course is adopted : ICT basics are taught to teacher trainers focusing on technical issues, but little emphasis is given to the pedagogical aspects Educational technology courses are taught in a rather traditional way and show little evidence of using new technology to support instructional innovations Students don’t know how to use new technology in their classroom instruction when they go to schools Technology input is not integrated in the curriculum courses, especially method courses. These are certain basic problems associated with the integration aspects of technology. These are major hurdles in the integration of ICT in the teaching/learning process. This scenario shows that the objectives of introducing ICT at the pre-service level are developing technological know-how and awareness regarding various other technologies and software packages. Further, the time spent for practical sessions is less, as more time is spent for theory sessions. The total approach of introducing ICT at the pre-service level is not very serious. It is very clear that student teachers will not get much scope in order to integrate ICT in curriculum or the teaching/learning process. In teacher training programs at the secondary level, the ICT education scenario is struggling with the following problems: †¢ †¢ Only at the awareness development level are objectives being achieved, but higher order thinking skills regarding the use of ICT tend not to be occurring. Technology, pedagogy and content area integration is a rare feature. components are dealt with separately which creates confusion for students. All 99 †¢ There is a serious discrepancy among syllabi of teacher training institutions and secondary schools. Syllabi at various institutions are not on a par with school level curriculum. †¢ Time duration of the courses related to ICT education is too short to develop knowledge and necessary skills among students to achieve higher order thinking skills. †¢ †¢ †¢ There is a lack of availability of proper infrastructural facilities at most of the institutions. There is a mismatch between available hardware and software to develop required learning resources. Support from technical taff for maintenance is dismal. The objective at the pre-service level is not to prepare technocrats, but to develop technopedagogues. Teachers should be in a position to integrate technology into teaching / learning as well as develop the art and skill of â€Å"webogogy† (i. e. , to make use of Internet technology, exploring it, accessing information from it to use in teaching learning, et c. ). So, objectives must be set at the attainment of application and skill levels rather than just at the knowledge and understanding levels. The professional development of teachers needs to be given importance. There must be congruence between the school curriculum and teacher training curriculum at the secondary level. Otherwise, teachers are not ready to utilize their knowledge to effectively design teaching/learning processes, project work, and assignments. In addition to offering ICT as a compulsory and special course, integrated approaches need to be studied along with methods courses. This will help student teachers to develop the concept of ‘techno pedagogy’ to a greater extent. Thus, management of change in teacher education is a complex and demanding task involving comprehension, concern, caution, and contemplation. Planners and administrators of teacher education have to provide academic leadership to prepare reflective teachers who can manage the educational system efficiently at various stages of education at the pre-primary, primary, elementary, secondary, and higher secondary levels. Effective change in schools is possible only when there are corresponding changes in the management of teacher education programs. 100 References: Ashton, P. (1985). Motivation and the teacher’s sense of efficacy. In C. Ames, R. Ames (Eds. ), Research on motivation in education, 2 ,141-171. Orlando, FL: Academic Press Inc. Bandalos, D. and Benson, J. (1990). â€Å"Testing the factor structure invariance of a computer attitude scale over two grouping conditions†, Educational Psychology Measurement, 50,49-60. Bandura, A. (1982). â€Å"Self-efficacy mechanisms in human agency. American Psychologis†t, 37, 122-147. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social-cognitive view. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Bandura, A. and Adama, N. E. (1997). Analysis of self-efficacy theory of behavioural change. , Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1,287-308. Bandura, A. , Adams, N. E. , Beyer, J. (1977). Cognitive processes mediating behavioral change, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 125-139. Chu, P. C. , Spires, E. E. (1991). Validating the computer anxiety rating scale: Effects of cognitive style and computer courses on computer anxiety, Computers in Human Behavior, 7, 7-21. Collis, B. ,and Jung,I. S. (2003). Uses of information and communication technologies in teacher education. In B. Robinson C. Latchem (Eds. ), Teacher education through open and distance learning, London: RoutledgeFalmer, 171-192. Cox, M. J, Rhodes, V. Hall, J. (1988) The use of Computer Assisted Learning in primary schools: some factors affecting the uptake. Computers and Education, 12(1), 173-178. Davidson, G. V. and Ritchie, S. D. (1994). How do attitudes of parents, teachers, and students affect the integration of technology into schools? : A case study. Presented at the National Convention of the Association for the Educational Communications and 101 Technology 16th Nashville, TN,(Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED. 373 710) Delcourt, M. A. B Kinzie, M. B. (1993). Computer Technologies In Teacher Education: The Measurement Of Attitudes And Self-Efficacy. † Journal Of Research And Development In Education. 27 (1). 35-41. Dupange,M. and Krendl,K. A. (1992). Teachers’ attitude towards computers: A review of literature, Journal of Research On Computing in Education,24,3,420-429. Ertmer, P. A. and Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivim, constructivism: comparing critical features fr om an instructional design perspective, Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4),50-72. Ertmer, P. A. , Evenbeck, E. , Cennamo, K. S. , and Lehman, J. D. (1994). Enhancing selfefficacy for computer technologies through the use of positive classroom experiences. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42, 45-62. Francis-Pelton, L. , Pelton, T. W. (1996). Building attitudes: How a technology course affects preservice teachers’ attitudes about technology. [Online]: http://www. math. byu. edu/~lfrancis/tim’s-page/attitudesite. html Gist, M. E. , Schwoerer, C. , Rosen, B (1989). Effects of alternative training methods on self-efficacy and performance in computer software training. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74 (6), 884-891. Hakkinen, P. (1994). Changes in computer anxiety in a required computer course. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 27(2), 141-153. Hannaford, M. E. (1988, March 24 25). Teacher attitudes toward computer use in the classroom. Paper presented at the Annual Pacific Northwest Research and Evaluation Conference, Washington Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA. Key,R. H. (1990). Predicting student teacher commiment to the use of computers, Journal of Educational Computing Reasearch, 6, 299-309. 102 Kluever, R. C. , Lam, A. C. M. , Hoffman, E. R. , Green, K. E. Swearingen, D. L. (1994). The computer attitude scale: Assessing changes in teachers’ attitudes towards computers. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 11(3), 251-261. Koehler,M. J. , Mishra,P. (2005). What Happens When Teachers Design Educational Technology? The Development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, J. Educational Computing Research, 32(2) 131-152. Kohler M. J. and Mishra P. ( 2004). Teachers learning technology by design, Journal of computing in teacher education, 21,3. .Larose F. , David R. ,Dirand J ,. Karsenti T, Grenon V. ,. Lafrance S Cantin J. T 1999) Information and Communication Technologies in University Teaching and in Teacher Education:Journey in a Major Quebec University’s Reality, Electronic Journal of Sociology ISSN: 1198 3655 Lennings, C. J. (1994). An evaluation of a generalized self-efficacy scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 16 (5), 745-750. Loyd,B. H. and Gressard, C. (1984 a). Reliability and factorial validity of computer attitude scale, Educational and Psychological Measurement, 44, 501-506. Madsen, J. M. , Sebastiani, L. A. (1987). The effect of computer literacy instruction on teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward microcomputers. Journal of ComputerBased Instruction, 14(2), 68-72. McInerney, V. , McInerney, D. M. , Sinclair, K. E. (1994). Student teachers, computer anxiety and computer experience. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 11 (1), 27-50. Mowrer-Popiel, E. , Pollard, C. , Pollard, R. (1994). An analysis of the perceptions of preservice teachers toward technology and its use in the classroom. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 21 (2), 131-138. Office of Technology Assessment. (1995). Teachers and Technology: Making the connection. (OTA-EHR-616). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. 103 Reed, W. M. , Overbaugh, R. C. (1993). The effects of prior experience and instructional format on teacher education students’ computer anxiety and performance. Computers in the Schools, 9(2/3), 75-89. Rohner, D. J. , Simonson, M. R. (1981). Development of an index of computer anxiety. Paper presented at the annual convention of the Association of Educational Communications and Technology, Philadelphia, PA. Russon, A. E. , Josefowitz, N. , Edmonds, C. V. (1994). Making computer instruction accessible: Familiar analogies for female novices. Computers in Human Behavior, 10(2), 175-187. Schunk, D. H. (1981). Modeling and attributional effects on children’s achievement: A self-efficacy analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 93-105. Torkzadeh, G. and Koufteros, X. (1994). Factor validity of a computer self-eficacy scale and the impact of computer training. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54(3),813-821. Woodrow, J. (1990) Locus of Control and student teacher computer attitudes. Computers Education, 14, 4, 421-432 Woodrow, J. E. J. (1992). The influence of programming training on the computer literacy and attitudes of preservice teachers. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 25(2), 200-219. 104 How to cite Falsafah Pendidikan, Essay examples

Fake Products in Online Shopping †Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Describe about the Fake Products In Online Shopping? Answer: Introduction To fake something means to counterfeit or imitate something. Fake products are replicas of the original product. This is done so as to take the advantage of the real products superior value. The fake products also have a duplicate company logos and brands. The duplicate or fake products can be anything from toys, clothing shoes to pharmaceuticals and software. Of recently, fake products have infected the online market like viruses. It is found that people visiting sites offering illegal products are about 7 million (Wall, 2000). Fake products are being sold increasingly in the online market. These are either by virtual shops which looks impressive or by the social media sites which contains advertisements of discount priced products. The international anti counterfeiting coalition has reported that most of the fake products are from Asia, mainly China. Eastern Europe is also another source of the fake products. The countries with the cheaper labour force have little loyalty for the p roducts. The fake products deceive the customers into thinking that they are buying the original product. The fake products are often very tempting since they cost much less than the original price. Trading Standards e-commerce expert Paul Miloseski-Reid warned: Consumers are playing with fire purchasing electrical products from unknown sellers in an effort to bag a bargain. Thesis: Three Problems Undertaken The consumer goods that are being faked are rising due to globalization. As the companies tries to manufacture more, by using cheaper labours, the problem of counterfeiting is rising. The problem with the fake product is that they can sometimes be dangerous and unsafe. Often the fake products can damage the reputation of the legitimate manufacturers (Ong, 2013). The third problems with these fake products are that, the more people are using and buying these products its rewarding the crimes that are happening in the online market. Solutions Proposed To The Above Problems The problems of counterfeiting or faking products can be solved by seeking authorized retailers in the online market. The most important way is scrutinizing the labels the contents and the packaging. The goods must be researched properly in the manufacturers site before buying it from the online portals. Fake products are easily identified by seeing whether they are cheap or expensive. Excessively cheap products are mostly fake in nature. We should shop at retailers who are reputed and authorized in the market (Action Fraud, 2015). The customers should see that the VAT and sales tax is paid while purchasing and a authorized number should be generated. The laws regulating the counterfeiting must be made stronger. Problem 1: The problem with the fake product is that they can sometimes be dangerous and unsafe. Fake product as we have discussed earlier are generally cheaper than the original products. This is due to the fact that they are made of cheaper resources and materials. Poison in the clothes of children has been found. The investigation found that the product had high content of formaldehyde. The level was 500 times more than the safety levels. Such issues are common with cheaper products which some of the online retailer sells. Even some companies are selling fake cosmetics and make-ups which contain dangerous levels of arsenic and lead. The fake version of brands like MAC as well as Benefit contains lead which is 19 times more than the legal level. The cost of MAC lipstick on its official website is 15.50 but it was available on a website at just 2.05. The people have no way of finding whether a product is real. But it is to be noted that the products which are extremely cheap should not be bought from online. There are various physical retail stores that offer various products, which the customers can scrutinize properly while buying. The retailers give membership cards and even offer huge discounts to their regular customers. People should moreover buy from the authorized website of the manufacturer to avoid counterfeit products. Problem 2: Often the fake products can damage the reputation and the goodwill of the legitimate manufacturers. The appearances of the fake products are so close to the original products that they hard to detect. As it happened that an Indian government official ordered a pair of Nike Air Max shoes from the online shop Snapdeal for a price of Rs.9,445. When the good was delivered it was found that they were knockoffs. The shoes were from local vendor and instead of nikebetterworld.com, it was printed as nikebetterwold.com. the mistake or forgery was very small to detect. Often these issues make the customers loose hopes from the online shopping sites (Buswell, 2013). Certain companies are aware of these problems, so they try to take steps on their own. Like for example, the website FitFlop, does not allow its retailers to sell the footwear on eBay. Thus if eBay sells FitFlop shoes then it has to be understood that the product is a counterfeit. Breaking the counterfeit law may result in a offence under the Copyright Act, Trademark Act, Design and Patents Act and Consumer Protection Act. A lump amount of money is fined or the accused is subjected to a penalty of imprisonment, which can extend up to 6 months. To protect their image, the company Amazon has also taken some steps (Amazon.co.uk, 2015). They have certain policies like for example, they will never ask for information such as the bank account details or pin number by an email. The customers must be aware of these small details for which the companies must educate the customers. Problem 3: The third problems with these fake products are that, the more people are using and buying these products its rewarding the crimes at large. The problem with many fake products is that spotting them is becoming harder. More and more people are buying these fake products as they tend to be cheaper than the original product. This leads to a problem which is criminal in nature as trying to gain financially without the consent of the owner is punishable. Moreover while accessing certain websites the customer also leads him to danger as their personal details get exposed and may get affected by viruses. Many fraudsters may even sell fake goods so as to fund other organized crime. The companies should try to stop these actions by producing holograms which the faking company will not be able to duplicate (Ong, 2013). Those who violate these rules should be met with legal actions immediately. CSA Internationals initiated a program which can detect, punish and expose those who use unauthorized trademarks. Conclusion To conclude we can say that the fake products are often very tempting since they cost much less than the original price. The problem with the fake product is that they can sometimes be dangerous and unsafe. the fake products have most of the time they have led to injuries and health problems. Often the fake products can damage the reputation of the legitimate manufacturers. People could not understand the difference between a real and fake product. Often people end up buying a wrong product which eventually creates a negative impact on the minds of the customers. This can lead to lose of customers and also does damage to the goodwill of the company. The third problems with these fake products are that, the more people are using and buying these products its rewarding the crimes that are happening in the online market. With these money which they derive due to forgery, the fraudsters are engaging in other criminal activities. To stop these customers must be aware of it, then they must purchase from authenticate websites. The rules and regulations guiding these transactions must be made strict (Action Fraud, 2015). Even the companies must mention their policies on the websites which will make the customers aware of their extent and limitations. With all these actions stated, if some of them is applied then the fake products on the online shopping will somewhat reduce. But one thing is of concern is the customers wish to possess a product at cheaper rate will not reduce to a great extent. This can lead to counterfeiting the products which will persist the problem. References Action Fraud,. (2015).Online shopping fraud. Retrieved 14 February 2015, from https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/fraud-az-online-shopping-fraud Amazon.co.uk,. (2015).Amazon.co.uk Help. Retrieved 14 February 2015, from https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=15340571 Buswell, F. (2013).How to spot fake and counterfeit products online.Which? Conversation. Retrieved 14 February 2015, from https://conversation.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/buy-fake-products-counterfeit-goods-online/ Ong, T. (2013).Product reputation manipulation. Wall, M. (2000).Shopping online. London: HarperCollins.

Kuoni Marketing Strategy Essay Sample free essay sample

â€Å"With such an attractive state and such strong growing potency we are determined to guarantee that Kuoni retains its prima place in the Indian market. We intend to set a particular focal point here on outbound travel. where we will be advancing holiday travel merchandises for persons and special-interest tourer in peculiar. In concrete footings. we want to see the turnover of Kuoni Travel India addition by about 15 % a twelvemonth in the following few old ages. ’’ Andrea Hemmi. caput. corporate communications. Kuoni Travel Holdings Ltd A statement of purpose from Mr. Andrea Hemmi as Kuoni tried to reproduce its success in India. The Indian market was really attractive and Kuoni had a immense investing when it came to India in 1996. Today. in the twelvemonth 2001. Kuoni India has taken 2 major stairss to reenforce its place in the state. * The acquisition of SITA travels. India’s largest Inbound Tour Operators and * Diversification of its Business portfolio with the VFS ( Visa Facilitation Services ) The acquisition of SITA would beef up Kuoni India’s Inbound Travel Business and with the background of SITA travels. Kuoni India has taken a major measure to be India’s largest Travel and Tourism Company. The route in front for VFS is still comparatively unknown but the concern being wholly alone and apparently in demand. the hereafter does look more bright so dull. Kuoni GlobalThe Kuoni Group is one of Europe’s taking leisure travel companies. and generated amalgamate turnover of CHF 4 855 million in 2008 with a world-wide work force of 9 797 ( full-time-equivalent ) employees. The company’s activities are focused on its Leisure Travel and Destination Management concerns. Head Office is in Zurich. Switzerland. where Alfred Kuoni founded the company back in 1906. The Kuoni Group has steadily and consistently developed its place in the universe travel market over the old ages. and has branch operations today in more than 40 states in Europe. Asia. Africa. Australia and North America. Kuoni aims to be the world’s best and most successful tourer travel company in the premium and specializer section. The Kuoni Group was named â€Å"World’s Leading Tour Operator† at the World Travel Awards in 2008. the 11th clip in a row it has earned this differentiation. Indian Tourist IndustryIn the twelvemonth 1991. the Government of India headed by Narasimha Rao decided to show in several reforms that were jointly termed as liberalization of India. The reforms progressed furthest in the countries of opening up to foreign investing. reforming capital markets. deregulating domestic concern. and reforming the trade government. Liberalization had done off with the Licence Raj ( investing. industrial and import licensing ) and ended many public monopolies. leting automatic blessing of foreign direct investing in many sectors. One such sector was the Travel A ; Tourism Sector. This was the first measure led to Kuoni come ining the Indian Market. The Tourism and Travel Industry in India was really attractive and rich in chance for a figure of grounds: * There was changeless growing of 3-6 % * Diverse natural beauty: over 4000 kilometer of beach forepart. perennial glaciers. comeuppances. tropical oasiss. temperate grasslands. Rhizophora mangles. etc. * Over 15000 sites and constructions that are over 500 old ages old. with the oldest constructions being good over 2500 old ages old. * A gastronomical delectation with over 15 different culinary arts that are good entrenched within their several geographicss * Historical sites that cover all the major universe faiths. * A thaw pot of cultural diverseness within a generic commonalty Kuoni Enters India – Acquires SOTC In the mid 1890ss. Kuoni made its introduction in India by picking up a bulk interest in SOTC Holiday Tours. one of the top circuit operators for Indians going abroad. Kuoni acquired a interest of 51 % in SOTC on World Tourism Day in September 1996. FIPB and RBI blessings had been received by Kuoni Travel to get 100 % portions in SOTC for a entire consideration of Rs 50 crore. Kuoni Travel acquired a farther 23 % portion in SOTC in January 1997 and shortly received the FIPB and RBI permission to keep the balance of 26 % portions in SOTC. On May 22nd 1997. Kuoni picked up the balance equity in SOTC and renamed the company as Kuoni Travel. Kuoni Business ModelKuoni came to India with a big investing program. They did non desire to travel in for a Green Field Model which is signifier of foreign direct investing where a parent company starts a new venture in a foreign state by building new operational installations from the land up. In add-on to constructing new installations. most parent companies besides create new long-run occupations in the foreign state by engaging new employees. This is opposite to a brown field investing. This was in consistence with Kuoni’s Asset Light Model. The theoretical account was the primary distinguishing factor between Kuoni and some of its Major rivals like Thomas Cook. Kuoni felt that with such a theoretical account they could accomplish * Inorganic growing which is the rate of concern. gross revenues enlargement etc. by increasing end product and concern range by geting new concerns by manner of amalgamations. acquisitions and take-over’s. * Fiscal benefits ( e. g. . ers twhile hard currency extract. addition in ROA ) were contingent on the transportation of the assets off the buyer’s balance sheet. which required the alteration in ownership * Operational benefits ( e. g. . cost nest eggs from improved operations. benefits of extra graduated table ) required premise of the control over assets and propinquity to them * They could derive a competitory border in down market conditions. * They could hold good dealingss and acquire contracted rates and tie ups with their related industries like Hotels. Airlines etc. Thus it provides better supplier/buyer alliance. Mention to Exhibit – Porter’s 5 Force Analysis * A diminution in outsourcing grosss SOTC Fact FileSOTC opened its first office in 1949 at Cawasji Hormusji Street in Mumbai with five employees. Twenty old ages subsequently. the company up scaled and moved to a larger office at Mint Road. It was. by so. already rated amongst the top 10 travel agents in Mumbai and had achieved a turnover of Rs. 2. 5 crore ( US $ 625. 000 ) . A major turning point came in 1976. when SOTC handled its first circuit group sing the US during the bicentenary jubilations. Within three old ages SOTC had taken approximately 500 riders to Europe. the US. Singapore and Japan. By 1981 SOTC Package Tours began active advertisement. The 1983/95 stage was one of uninhibited growing. The company leap-frogged over severalrivals. Spurred by these successes. SOTC moved to new premises in Churchgate. Mumbai. It was here that SOTC installed its first computing machine to track gross revenues and operations ; it metamorphosed into a wholly restructured organisation with independent Strategic Business Units ( SBUs ) . Kuoni Travel Holding. Switzerland. acquired 100 % equity in SOTC on 22nd May 1997. SOTC has been a leader in all sections. viz. Escorted Tours. Free Individual Travel. Particular Interest Tours and Domestic Holidays amongst others and has emerged as Kuoni India’s cardinal outbound travel trade name. Kuoni’s move to purchase interest in SOTC has been a strategic one as the company wanted to be No. 1 travel operator in India every bit shortly as possible and geting a good established name like SOTC was decidedly an added advantage. Furthermore. being hard currency rich at that point of clip helped Kuoni to turn inorganically. Since SOTC’s amalgamation. the company has been on an geting fling ( non Greenfield investing ) to construct its concern strongly in Indian subcontinent. Besides. one of the grounds for SOTC’s acquisition was the outgrowth of India as the world’s 3rd fastest turning tourer market and one of the highest disbursement communities. With the economic system turning systematically at over 8 % . increasing disposable incomes. a alteration in disbursement wonts. liberalisation of exchange controls. increasing affordability. vacation bundles and cheaper air menus. outbound tourer traffic increased and has grown at an one-year norm of around 25 % . SOTC has been voted â€Å"Best Outbound Tour Operator† five times in a row by the Galileo Express Travel A ; Tourism Awards Committee. SOTC’s trade name doctrine is â€Å"Expect More† that exhibits its committedness to offer superior value and services to its clients. Some of the lesser known facts about SOTC are: * SOTC was the first travel group to make a circuit around the Seven New Wonders of the World. * It was SOTC which created the construct of a Holiday Bazaar. * In association with WorldCard. SOTC offers sole rank to honored clients. * In Switzerland. the town of Engelberg was renamed SOTC Indian Village in 1999. * In 2001. SOTC became the lone Indian circuit operator to be bestowed the esteemed Friends of Thailand award. * The addendum Wow! which appears in The Times of India in Mumbai and New Delhi is a first-of-its-kind enterprise undertaken by a travel company. It is a coordinated attempt of SOTC to make all Tourism Boards. * Cost Saver Tours were foremost introduced by SOTC. * Holiday Now Pay Later was an SOTC Initiative. Consolidation of place in IndiaBetween 1996 and 2000. Kuoni India registered fecund growing with an octuple addition in net income and consolidated its place as the uncontested leader in India’s outbound market. However. the ABC of Kuoni’s success in India has been to get early ( Kuoni arrived in India when foreign travel in India was non yet hot ; this ensured low entry cost ) . buying/acquiring bing concerns ( for illustration SOTC and SITA ) and continuously making value ( Kuoni now provides many travel services under one roof from visa direction to online reserves to forex direction ) . After SITA’s acquisition. the strategic acquisition of Tour Club in 2001. India’s chief finish director in the Middle East. further strengthened Kuoni India’s leading place in the Inbound travel section. Kuoni launched VFS. its visa services arm. in July 2001 as an outsource spouse of diplomatic missions. Acquisition of SITA World Travel ( India ) LtdStudents International Travel Association came into being in 1933 when John C. Dengler set up a bike circuit at New York. The company shortly became popularly known by its acronym – SITA and launched itself into the orbit of universe travel. After echoing success in the U. S. A. . SITA entered the travel market in Europe and Asia. In 1956 the Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Inder Sharma. put up SITA’s foremost office at New Delhi. Anticipating a policy of Indianisation. in 1963. SITA was converted into a private limited company under the guidelines of the Companies Act 1956 and came to be known as SITA World Travel ( India ) Pvt. Ltd. With the rapid growing of the entrance Tours concern. SITA started its first abroad office in Paris in 1972. followed by Milan. Frankfurt. London. New York. Stockholm. Barcelona and Lisbon. At the same clip SITA extended its operations and services to include adjacent states – Sri Lanka in 1982 a nd Nepal in 1984. In 1993. it became a to the full owned Indian populace limited company and came to be known as SITA World Travel ( India ) Ltd. Between 1970 and 1994 ; the company achieved a dramatic growing rate. The foreign exchange net incomes showed an impressive and unprecedented addition every bit good. In the twelvemonth 2000 Kuoni Travel Holding. acquired a 100 per centum interest in SITA World Travel ( India ) Ltd. . and this amalgamation resulted in the creative activity of India’s largest travel company known as Kuoni Travel India Ltd. It has since so being the taking trade name for Kuoni Destination Management ( Inbound Division ) of Kuoni Travel India Ltd. Kuoni’s aim to go the dominant participant in all the travel sections was one of the major grounds behind its acquisition of SITA World Travel ( India ) Ltd. At the clip of acquisition. SITA World Travel was India’s largest travel organisation with a turnover of Rs 2. 85 billion and pretax net income of Rs 133 million. It was active in all three travel sections: Inbound. Business Travel and Outbound with Inbound being the chief profitable concern. SITA enjoyed strong presence state broad every bit good as in Nepal A ; Sri Lanka? . Kuoni acquired SITA World Travel ( India ) Ltd for Rs 140 crores ( Rs 1. 4 billion ) ?. purchasing the company with higher fiscal figures than that of itself. It is was a strategic move to purchase SITA as SITA’s strong inbound concern complimented the Kuoni SOTC outbound travel section absolutely to do Kuoni the taking travel operator in all travel sections in India. Prior to this bigger-than-size acquisition. Kuoni was looking to get one other company but the negotiations failed. ( As told by Mr. Rustom ; company name non disclosed ) . This acquisition besides provided an chance for Kuoni to tap into the within state travel concern which was turning quickly. The Inbound travel concern was estimated to increase by 30 to 40 per centum. Besides. trade name edifice investings were low for Kuoni as SITA was already a well-known travel trade name in India. Challenges Faced after SITA’s acq uisition 1. Working Culture DifferencesOne of the outstanding differences was the on the job civilization of Kuoni Travels A ; SITA World Travel ( India ) Ltd and the differences in the signifier of leading that both the concerns had. Kuoni Travels Group India. located in Mumbai had executive leading in the signifier of CEO and executive council whereas SITA Travels India Ltd. . located in Delhi. was a household owned concern. headed by Mr. Inder Sharma at the clip of acquisition. Thus. ab initio Kuoni had to confront a batch of working civilization differences issues. These issues were resolved bit by bit through the procedure of integrating of direction of the two unifying spouses. ? As per the study published in rediff. com ( March 24. 2000 ) â€Å"Kuoni acquires Sita Travels. eyes more buy-outs† ? As per the study published in Business Line ( March 30. 2000 ) â€Å"Tata group. Kuoni mark MoU for e-com company† 2. Management Shuffling after the amalgamationKuoni had gone for a full acquisition ( 100 % interest ) of SITA Travels. However. they had to make an understanding with the proprietors of the merged company to supply them with leading functions in the new apparatus for two old ages. This was done to guarantee smooth passage A ; integrating of direction and work procedures under SITA government with the civilization of Kuoni Group. 3. Re-branding Kuoni Group is a strong international trade name. After geting SOTC and SITA World Travels. it used their trade name equity to its advantage by leting them to run under their trade name names as they were good known travel trade names in India. This was besides of import as there were strong regional every bit good as national participants in Indian travel industry. For illustration. Raj Travels in Gujarat. Kesari Travels in Maharashtra etc. However. Kuoni has late announced to add its premium Kuoni trade name to its merchandise and trade name portfolio in the Indian market. This has been to done to make same recall value as associated with SITA and SOTC to Kuoni as trade name in the heads of Indian customers/travelers. ? 4. Closing of concerns in struggle with SOTC Outbound Travel section As SITA travel was present in all travel sections of the travel industry. after its amalgamation with Kuoni. certain services were pruned down in order to avoid struggle of involvement with the matching trade names in Kuoni umbrella trade name. Harmonizing to one newspaper article. â€Å"Around the twelvemonth 2000. Kuoni did non desire SITA outbound to vie with SOTC which anyhow handled outbound travel. commented a top industry beginning. while adding that 12 offices of SITA outbound were closed and SOTC and SITA outbound were amalgamated. † ? ? As per the study published in The Financial express â€Å"Kuoni trade name enters India† retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. financialexpress. com/old/print. php? content_id=116537 Business Portfolio Diversification – VFS In July of 2001. Kuoni India started VFS as a specializer Business Process Outsourcing bureau. entirely dedicated and focused to function diplomatic missions and in-migration governments to ease the visa application processs across the universe. The organisation ab initio started as a messenger mediator between visa appliers and the embassy of the United States in Chennai. India. VFS – A breath of fresh air VFS focuses on functioning consular subdivisions of diplomatic missions by supplying administrative support. They manage non-judgmental undertakings related to the full lifecycle of a visa application procedure. thereby enabling the missions to concentrate on the cardinal undertakings of appraisal and determination devising. Their country of operation includes supplying services like dedicated visa application centres and web sites ; biometries installation. waiting sofas. on-line assignment scheduling installations. courier pickup and bringing services. This concern was wholly alone at the clip of its debut. There was no serious competition of note and Kuoni looked to construct from here. It was a Greenfield scheme adopted by Kuoni India which was a first for them. They felt that Visa facilitation is a moneymaking concern as diplomatic missions pay a important sum of money for treating visa petitions. The Indian authorities was ready to pay $ 10 for each visa application processed. The fee can travel up significantly for the rich diplomatic missions like UK. USA or France. On the other manus. it’s a win-win trade for diplomatic missions. With increasing international travel. their offices are unable to go to to the applications. For case. 1. 000 visa applications are filed every twenty-four hours in Paris and most of them remain unattended. as the Indian Embassy is unable to manage this immense demand for Indian visas in France. Apart from this Kuoni India felt that this helped them diversify their concern portfolio at a clip of market roar and helped heighten their nucleus competency. ( Refer to Exhibit ) It besides complimented their outbound and inbound concern good. Servicess Offered As a spouse. VFS handles a figure of services including accepting visa applications. guaranting that these paperss are in order. subjecting them to the appropriate Embassy and roll uping them. For illustration. VFS offers ‘a-track- your-passport’ service. Apart from these VFS programs to put up selling of its merchandise. Stakeholders Initial ProblemsThomas CookWith the debut of VFS. all travellers looking for Visa’s had to travel via VFS. This raised the inquiry of Data Confidentiality. Thomas Cook felt that VFS could derive entree of their clients and Kuoni India’s travel weaponries could profit from this. This bucked up Kuoni India and VFS to work every bit wholly separate organic structures with merely high degree corporate places being common. There are no staff transportations between Kuoni India and VFS. The company was besides renamed in an effort to travel planetary and non confront a similar job worldwide. â€Å"We have renamed the company as VFS Global Services and would utilize it as a vehicle to put up subordinates in other states worldwide. † says VFS COO Sanjay Bhaduri. Data Handling There was batch of private information of travellers which needed to be stored and the informations needed equal security and confidentiality. ( Refer to exhibit ) The operational efficiency of the house was tested and had to be the best. Hence the company decided to put a lost in engineering to come up with equal IT solutions to all concern jobs it face now and in the hereafter. Role of TechnologyVFS Global plans to do major investings in package development in order to manage big volumes of applications. The program is to develop proprietary package systems for passport trailing. database creative activity and informations upload. Apart from this. engineering support besides extends to website care and on-line assignment scheduling installations. In order to accomplish this VFS plans to come in into proficient and support understandings with taking IT hardware and package giants to guarantee conformity to security policies and besides adhere to run intoing the stringent norms of diplomatic missions on IT Security and Data Protection. VFS has contracted with one of the Top 5 planetary Audited account houses to carry on wellness cheques and internal reappraisals on our systems and processs so as to guarantee hardiness and uninterrupted monitoring of their committedness to hold client service degrees. â€Å"VFS Global’s continous committedness to inves ting in new engineerings. customisation of systems and progressive mechanization of procedure has seen acceptance by most diplomatic missions globally. † VFS Chief Operating Officer Sanjay Bhaduri The Road Ahead Exhibit – Kuoni India GroupKuoni Travel Group. India is a 100 % subordinate of the CHF 4. 1 billion Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd. – a one of the world’s taking premium circuit operators. Founded in 1906. and head-quartered in Zurich. Kuoni has operations in 30 states today and its nucleus concerns are Leisure Travel and Destination Management. It was named â€Å"World’s Leading Tour Operator† at the World Travel Awards in 2007 – the 9th clip it has earned this differentiation. With entire turnover of INR 18 billion ( USD 420 million ) . 347 offices and 2. 900 employees. Kuoni India is India’s largest travel company. Kuoni India has five nucleus activities: * Leisure Travel * Destination Management Services* Business Travel* Visa Servicess* Travel EducationLeisure TravelKuoni India is India’s No. 1 Outbound Travel Company. runing under its nucleus trade names: * SOTC: one of the oldest and most cherished trade names in the Indian travel industry * Kuoni Holidays: India’s merely travel trade name focused entirely on the premium section. It is a market leader in Group Travel. FIT Travel. MICE and Domestic leisure travel. Destination Management Services It is besides India’s No. 1 Destination Management Company under the umbrella trade name Kuoni Destination Management. Its grips all sections of the incoming market. runing under cardinal merchandise trade names. SITA. Tour Club. Distant Frontiers A ; e-Holidays. Business Travel Among the top two in India. Kuoni India’s Business Travel activity has been re-launched as HRG Sita India in January 2007. HRG is a planetary giant in the concern travel section. Visa Services Kuoni launched VFS. its visa services arm. in July 2001 as an outsource spouse of diplomatic missions with one client and three offices. Today. VFS Global is a world-wide leader in the visa services concern. with operations in 39 states. Travel Education Kuoni India launched its ain travel academy – Kuoni Academy of Travel ( KAT ) – in 2003. chiefly as a Corporate Social Responsibility enterprise. Today KAT has 7 Centres across India and has late launched its first Centre outside India – in Guangzhou. China. KAT besides offers classs in coaction with International School of Tourism Management. Zurich. Buliding the Vision Core IdeologyKuoni’s employees hold peculiar passion for travel. for alien civilizations and different ways of life. Keen to portion it with their invitees. they work dedicatedly to acquire people’s vacation experience merely right. That means prosecuting in a true duologue. suiting their demands exhaustively. understanding what each single individual wants. and seeking an optimum solution every clip. It besides means maintaining gait with the times. being advanced. and puting up paths with due attentiveness to current tendencies and alterations in the modern-day mood? . Core Valuess â€Å"Perfect Moments† is Kuoni’s nucleus value. The Kuoni trade name remainders on: Dependability – DependabilityAuthenticity – Innovation. creativeness. intense travel experiences Passion – Talking to clients. seeking optimum solutions to function them every clip ? As per â€Å"Kuoni Brand Report 2008† Core PurposeTo mirror the spectrum of societal development in new manners of travel. so eventhe most discerning demographic can go on to fulfill travel aspirations with Kuoni Envisioned Future* To rule all sections of the travel market* Constructing a strong planetary presence and range through strategic acquisitions Kuoni’s hereafter is all about variegation and congruent trade name extensions that allow for more single travel experiences. This will let Kuoni to distinguish itself from the rivals. Exhibit – Organization Structure Exhibit – Milestones Kuoni IndiaNovember 2001Kuoni India consolidates its leading place in the Destination Management concern section by geting Tour Club. India’s Number One Destination Manager for visitants from the Middle East. July 2001 Kuoni India sets up VFS. a 100 % subordinate. to supply visa processing services to foreign consulates in India. March 2000Kuoni Travel ( India ) Ltd. becomes India’s largest travel company with the acquisition of Sita World Travel. Sita becomes another esteemed trade name of Kuoni India. May 1997 Kuoni Travel Holding. Switzerland acquires 100 % equity in SOTC on May 22nd. 1997. The company is renamed Kuoni Travel ( India ) Ltd. SOTC World Famous Tours besides becomes a esteemed trade name of Kuoni India. May 1996 Kuoni enters India by geting a 51 % interest in SOTC. Exhibit – Kuoni India Growth VFS – Core Values1 ) Data SecurityVFS has adopted a combination of systems security and monitoring steps for minutess to make a secure environment. They have firewall systems. strong informations encoding. anti-virus protection and day-and-night security surveillance systems to observe and forestall any signifier of illicit activities on our web systems. They appreciate the importance of information security and have a plan to accomplish ISO 27001 ( a well-known internationally recognized criterion for Information Security ) conformity within their concern procedures. To guarantee that all their operations are ISO compliant. they have an on-going plan to turn to information security hazards within assorted concern procedures. Following wide activities are carried out as portion of ISO 27001 conformity at the visa application Centre ( VAC ) degree: * Risk Assessment A ; Risk intervention of concern procedure and associated assets * Mitigation of hazard based on hazard analysis* Training of end-users to do them aware about information security hazards* Physical security reappraisal* Implementation of ISO 27001 controls utilizing engineering* Management consciousness* Incident coverage A ; direction* Change control direction* Compliance audits 2 ) Data ConfidentialityData Confidentiality covers informations in storage. during processing. and in theodolite. VFS ensures that the information will non be made available or disclosed to unauthorised persons. entities. or procedures and will be protected from knowing or inadvertent efforts to execute unauthorised informations reads. To guarantee informations confidentiality and unity. all information transmitted over the Internet is encrypted utilizing the 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer ( SSL ) protocol from VeriSign Certificate Authority. SSL is a unafraid manner of reassigning information between two computing machines on the Internet utilizing encoding. Strong end-to-end encoding is besides adopted within the company’s computing machine webs and resources. 3 ) Integrity Integrity. in footings of informations and web security. is the confidence that information can merely be accessed or modified by those authorized to make so. VFS takes steps to guarantee unity. which include commanding the physical environment of networked terminuss and waiters. curtailing entree to informations. and keeping strict hallmark patterns. Practices followed to protect informations unity in the physical environment include: doing waiters accessible merely to web decision makers. maintaining transmission media ( such as overseas telegrams and connections ) covered and protected to guarantee that they can non be tapped. and protecting hardware and storage media from power rushs. electrostatic discharges and magnetic attraction. Their web disposal steps to guarantee informations unity include: maintaining current mandate degrees for all users. documenting system disposal processs. parametric quantities. and care activities. and making catastrophe recovery programs for happen ings such as power outages. server failure and virus onslaughts.