Disney’s Expedition Everest Essay

Walt Disney World wanted to celebrate its 50th anniversary in a big way. So in 2006 Walt Disney Company introduced Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This is more than your average roller coaster. The roller coaster not only has the unexpected twist and turns we all love, but also an incredible attention to detail. This roller coaster really took some impressive management skills. This roller is based off of Mount Everest in Nepal. The ride contains 18 mountains with the tallest one (Everest) peaking at just under 200 feet. The rollers coaster contains nearly a mile of track and also has a robotic 10 foot tall Yeti. Surrounding this roller coaster in 900 bamboo plants, 10 species of trees, and 110 species of shrubs was planted to give the feel of the lowlands in the Himalayas. The Disney Imaginers actually went to the Himalayas in Nepal to study the lands, architecture, colors, ecology, and culture. They actually got more than 2000 handcrafted item for Asia to use as props and ornamentation. This is actually the most expensive roller coaster in the world. Disney’s approach to the management of project such as Expedition Everest is to combine careful planning, including schedule and budgeting preparation, with the imagination and vision for which the company is so well known. Prioritizing the needs for project success took discipline and creativity. Disney seemed to spare no expense when creating their new ride. The budget must have been astronomical. Wanting the new ride open for their 50th anniversary, each step of the project had to be met with strict deadlines taking over 2 years to develop. The approach to the management of the project displays the embodiment of the Disney spirit: a ride that combines Disney’s trademark thrills, and impressive project management.

Ap European History Reading Questions-Chapter 15

1. The upmost important reason for economic and social problems that troubled Europe from 1560 to 1650 was an incredible inflation among other things. The Spanish empire brought tons of gold back to Europe and caused the value of gold to plummet. Since this was a situation that Europe had never experienced, they didn't understand it. More gold was supposed to be good, right? Suddenly prices started to rise for no reason. Also in Spain, unlike gold, there was very little silver being produced at the time and therefore pirate attacks began to take place.Other problems facing Europe during this time include, population decline, plague, economic warfare, and famine. As a result of all these problems, social tension was greatly increased, all involved with a â€Å"crisis† at hand. 2. Although initially caused by religious issues, by the mid 1630s the Thirty Years War had become a dynastic conflict between two Catholic powers; France and the Hapsburgs. As the Battle of the Boyne and the Jacobite risings the '15 and the '45 in Scotland were directly linked to religious ideas that the TYW was the last religious war in Europe are therefore mistaken.Really, a more accurate name for the Thirty Years’ War would be, ‘The first modern war' would be more accurate. New tactics, deployments, equipment and methods were introduced in European armies which were widely adopted within a decade by almost all armies and all further developed over the next few decades. 3. The Military Revolution refers to a radical change in military strategy and tactics with resulting major changes in government. The concept was introduced by Michael Roberts in the 1950s as he focused on Sweden 1560–1660 searching for major changes in the European way of war caused by introduction of portable firearms.Roberts linked military technology with larger historical consequences, arguing that innovations in tactics, drill and doctrine by the Dutch and Swedes 1560–1660, which maximized the utility of firearms, led to a need for more trained troops and thus for permanent forces. These changes in turn had major political consequences in the level of administrative support and the supply of money, men and provisions, producing new financial demands and the creation of new governmental institutions. Thus, argued Roberts, the modern art of war made possible — and necessary — the creation of the modern state. † 4. Women were viewed as being spiritually weaker than men, and more susceptible to demonic influence, and this meant that women tended to be suspected of being witches much more often than men. However, this was not a consistent pattern found throughout Europe. In some regions, there were more men convicted of witchcraft than women, in the Lorraine region of France for example, and in Iceland, where the overwhelming majority of convictions were of men.Overall though, about 75% of those executed for witchcraft were women. So ultimatel y what this suggests about women in the 16th and 17th centuries is that women were not nearly as important as men in society during this time. 5. Absolutism pertains to an absolutist state, where all power, or sovereignty is made in the ruler. These rulers claimed to have divine right, meaning they ruled by the grace of God and were responsible only to God. However, these absolute monarchs respected the basic laws of the land.They controlled interest groups within their territories and created bureaucracies as well, in which the offices held public/state positions, directing the economy to the benefit of the king. Absolute monarchs also kept permanent standing armies and created new methods of compulsion. Louis XIV of France was an aggressive expansionist. He followed in the footsteps of Cardinal Richelieu in that aspect. His foreign policies were mainly against the Habsburg dynasty's power and the ownership of French-speaking territories by nations other than France.Hence, his fore ign policies included many wars. He took over the Spanish Netherlands and some of the United Provinces of Holland, and Franche-Comte. However, his aggressive advances caused alliances to be formed against him which included the Habsburg domains of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, England, and Holland in all of their incarnations. Eventually, Louis XIV could not defeat the alliances, and some acquired territories were lost again in treaties, even French colonies. 6.The reign of Peter the Great marked the emergence of a decisive Russian influence in European affairs, an influence that would last into the twenty-first century. It was Peter who inaugurated modern Russia's vigorous and aggressive foreign policy against its three neighboring states, Sweden, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire. Through the Great Northern War (1700-1721), he decisively broke Sweden's supremacy in the Baltic, while his wars against the Ottoman Turks and his interference in the internal affairs of Poland set prece dents that later Russian rulers would follow in subsequent decades.These great strides made by Russia in Eastern Europe were to a considerable extent the result of Peter's extensive program of reforms, which touched all facets of Russian life. 7. Although it may sound strange, it was Napoleon who was majorly responsible for the transformation of Brandenburg-Prussia. Napoleon invaded half of Europe and also the most German states. Only East Prussia remained free and became the leader in the â€Å"Befreiungskrieg† (Freedom war) against France. It was this war against Napoleon 1812-1815 that created a common German national feeling.This transformation is still evident in modern society of Germany today. 8. In the later fifteenth century- the period of the ‘refoundation of the Crown’, in Sir John’s Fortescue’s phrase- there was a marked change in the structure of politics and hence in the nature and role of faction also; a politics of many centres becam e a politics of one. To begin with, in the feebly strange grasp of Henry IV the monarchy had descended into being one noble faction among many- and not necessarily the strongest.The fact became manifest from 1456 when the King abandoned the government of the kingdom: the court withdrew from London to Coventry in the heart of the Lancastrian lands, and the national revenues were diverted from the Exchequer and used directly- like the income of any other lord- to pay for the royal household and the royal retainers. Henry was now only effectively Duke of Lancaster and he was soon to loose that. 9. The main issue was a disagreement between the king and Parliament about who had ultimate political power.King Charles believed in Divine Right, the idea that he was king because God wanted him to be. Further, as the king's power was God given, no earthly power or person could justly remove it from him. Parliament saw themselves as the elected representatives of the People and therefore believ ed they should have ultimate political authority, even over the king. Thus, when Charles needed money, Parliament would refuse to cooperate unless Charles addressed alleged abuses of his power first. This always led to political deadlock, and eventually to civil war.Puritans took control of Parliament's war effort during the First English Civil War, and by 1646 and the end of the war extreme Puritans known as Independents had taken control of the military, The NMA. Using the NMA as his power base, Oliver Cromwell was able to intimidate Parliament into the execution of Charles I, The abolition of the Monarchy, and the establishment of the Commonwealth. The main change was that, on the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, Parliament ensured that the King had a guaranteed annual income that was enough both to live off his own, and pay for the ordinary expenses of state and expenses. 10.The Dutch Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and ultimately the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands. Alternative names include the United Provinces Federated Dutch Provinces and Dutch Federation. 11. Art reflected the political and social life of the second half of the seventeenth century primarily through mannerism, which reflected environment attempt to break down renaissance principles.Baroque however, reflected search for power and just the will to control all people during that time. Then, literature reflected political and social life during this time through writing research on a new type of stage, known as the â€Å"golden stage of literature. † Literature was a major component of this time period also in that in was an era of many great dramas and playwrights such as the still-praised today, William Shakespeare. 12. Form s of monarchy differ widely based on the level of legal autonomy the monarch holds in governance, the method of selection of the monarch, and any predetermined limits on the length of their tenure.When the monarch has no or few legal restraints in state and political matters, it is called an absolute monarchy and is a form of autocracy. Cases in which the monarch's discretion is formally limited (most common today) are called constitutional monarchies. In hereditary monarchies, the office is passed through inheritance within a family group, whereas elective monarchies are selected by some system of voting. Historically these systems are most commonly combined, either formally or informally, in some manner. For instance, in some elected monarchies only those of certain pedigrees are considered eligible, whereas many hereditary monarchies have legal requirements regarding the religion, age, gender, mental capacity, and other factors that act both as de facto elections and to create si tuations of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject to effective election. ) Finally, there are situations in which the expiration of a monarch’s reign is set based either on the calendar or on the achievement of certain goals (repulse of invasion, for instance. )

Vpn with Ipsec

1. Abstract The goal of VPNs is to provide a cost-effective and secure way to connect business to one another and remote workers to office networks. Network Security Protocols encompasses the basis for safe & reliable data transfer. These security devices should be able to provide accountability, access control, confidentiality, integrity, while all the time being cost effective. This provides us with different security protocols related to the transfer of data through a network.With a prevalent system of networks the frontier for world data communication, it is absolutely critical to be able to have these protocols provide the most secure service possible. In this report technical review IPSec protocol involved with Network Security. Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) It is a suite of protocol for securing IP communications by authentication and encryption of each IP packet of a communication session. IPSec also includes protocols for establishing mutual authentication between agent s at the beginning of the session and negotiating cryptography keys which is to be used during the session.IPSec is an end to end security scheme operating in the Layer of Internet of the IP suite. It can be used in protecting data flows between a pair of hosts, between a pair of security gateways, or between a security gateway and a host. 2. Introduction to VPN A VPN is a virtual private network, which is built on top of existing physical network that can provide a secure communication mechanism for data and other information transmitted between networks. Because VPN can be used over existing networks, such as the Internet, it can facilitate the secure transfer of sensitive data across public networks.This is often less expensive than alternatives such as dedicated private telecommunications lines between organizations or branch offices. VPNs can also provide flexible solutions, such as securing communications between remote telecommuters and the organization’s servers, rega rdless of where the telecommuters are located. A VPN can even be established within a single network to protect particularly sensitive communications from other parties on the same network. It is important to understand that VPNs do not remove all risk from networking.While VPNs can greatly reduce risk, particularly for communications that occur over public networks, they cannot remove all risk for such communications. One problem is the strength of the implementation. For example, flaws in an encryption algorithm or the software implementing the algorithm could allow attackers to decrypt intercepted traffic; random number generators that do not produce sufficiently random values could provide additional attack possibilities. Another issue is encryption key disclosure; an attacker who discovers a key could not only decrypt traffic but potentially also poses as a legitimate user.Another area of risk involves availability. A common model for information assurance is based on the conce pts of confidential, integrity, and availability. Although VPNs are designed to support confidentiality and integrity, they generally do not improve availability, the ability for authorized users to access systems as needed. In fact, many VPN implementations actually tend to decrease availability somewhat, because they add more components and services to the existing network infrastructure. This is highly dependent upon the chosen VPN architecture model and the details of the implementation. 3. 1 VPN TechnologiesThe Internet is a shared public network of networks with open transmission protocols. Therefore, VPNs must include measures for packet encapsulation (tunneling), encryption, and authentication to ensure that sensitive data reaches its destination without modifying by unauthorized parties. Fig: IP Packet 2. 2 Tunnels The thing that makes a Virtual Private Network â€Å"virtually private† is known as tunnel. Even though you access your network via Internet, you’r e not really â€Å"on† the Internet, you are actually â€Å"on† your company network. Although the term â€Å"tunnel† feels like it’s describing a fixed path through the Internet, this is not the case.As with any Internet traffic, VPN tunnel packets may take different paths between the two endpoints. 2. 3 Encryption Encryption is a technique for scrambling and unscrambling information. The information which is unscrambled is called clear-text, and the information which is scrambled is called cipher-text. At either end of your VPN tunnel sits a VPN gateway in hardware of software form. The gateway at sending location encrypts the information into cipher text before sending the encrypted information through the tunnel over the Internet. The VPN gateway at receiving location decrypts the information back into clear-text. . 4 Keys A key is the secret code that the encryption algorithm uses to create a unique version of cipher-text. To put it in simpler terms, two people might go to the hardware store and buy the same lock off the shelf, but their combinations are different. In VPN encryption, the method may be the same (like the lock), but our keys are different (like the combination). Of course, VPN locks have a lot more than three numbers on the dial combination. As a matter of fact, transmission security strength depends on the length of the keys which you use. Here’s the formula: 8-bit keys = 256 combinations or two to the eighth power (28) †¢ 16-bit keys = 65,536 combinations or two to the 16th power (216) †¢ 56-bit keys = 72,057,594,037,927,900 or two to the 56th power (256) †¢ And so on†¦ In other words, if you used a 16-bit key, a fake attacker might have to make 65,536 attempts at cracking your combination. Obviously, this would be a quick and simple task for computers. That’s why a lot of VPN products on the market today are using 168-bit keys, creating 374,144, 419,156,711,000,000,000,000,000 ,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Possible combinations.There are some enterprises out there going even higher. Even the fastest computers today would need extended time to crack a code that is complex. You might be tempted to make a policy of always using the highest-bit encryption method available, but keep in mind that processing such complicated cipher-text will require significant, dedicated CPU processing power. There are other ways to use keys to the outmost security to fit your needs. For example, it does, indeed, take time to crack the higher-bit keys. If you establish a policy of periodically changing your keys, the trespassers won’t be able to keep up. . 4. 1 Symmetrical Keys Symmetrical keys means the same key is used at each end of the tunnel to encrypt and decrypt information. Because a symmetrical key is being shared by both parties, there must be an understanding between the two to take appropriate steps to keep the key secret, which is why symmetrical keys are oft en referred to as â€Å"shared secrets. † These keys become more difficult to distribute, since they must be kept confidential. A technique called â€Å"key splitting† may be employed to reduce the potential of key disclosure during transit.This allows participants to use public channels such as the Internet. More commonly, however, distribution of symmetrical keys is more of a manual operation using paper, removable media, or hardware docking. 2. 4. 2 Asymmetrical Keys Asymmetrical keys are slightly more complicated, but, logistically, much easier to manage. Asymmetrical keys allow information to be encrypted with one key and decrypted with a different key. The two keys used in this scenario are referred to as private and public keys, or the ones you keep to yourself and the ones you distribute to your remote users.Consider this example: Let’s call our business FQT and HIQT. FQT has a set of two keys, a public key and a private key. His public key has been prog rammed to encrypt data so that only his own private key can decipher it. In order to communicate securely, FQT hands his public key to HIQT and tells him to encrypt anything he sends with that code. Using this asymmetrical keying method, both are assured that only FQT will be able to read those transmissions because he retains the private decoder key. If the communication is to be bi-directional, HIQT would share his public key with FQT in the same manner. . 5 Key Management Configuring pre-shared secrets in smaller VPNs does not necessarily require software automation or large infrastructure investments. However, larger networks might benefit from deploying a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to create, distribute, and track digital certificates on individual-user basis. You can use pre-shared keys or digital signatures if your equipment supports these authentication alternatives. However, if you decide to use certificates, there are options. For example, you may use third-party Cert ificate Authority services.Or, you may build your own Certificate Authority using software from Entrust, Xcert, or Baltimore Technologies. Either option will help you establish a comprehensive PKI, which is especially useful in large organizations needed to extend secure, limited network access beyond their own internal users to business partners and customers. 2. 6 Authentication The last bit of housekeeping involved in VPN transmission is authentication. At this step, recipients of data can determine if the sender is really who he says he is (User/System Authentication) and if the data was redirected or corrupted enroute (Data Authentication). . 6. 1 User/System Authentication Consider, again, our two business named FQT and HIQT. When FQT receives a message signed from HIQT, FQT picks a random number and encrypts it using a key which only HIQT should be able to decode. HIQT then decrypts the random number and re-encrypts it using a key only QT should be able to decode. When FQT ge ts his number back, he can be assured it is really IQT on the other end. 2. 6. 2 Data Authentication In order to verify that data packets have arrived unaltered, VPN systems often use a technique involving â€Å"hash functions. A hash function creates a sort of fingerprint of the original data. It calculates a unique number, called a hash, based on fixed or variable length values of unique bit strings. The sender attaches the number to the data packet before the encryption step. When the recipient receives the data and decrypts it, he can calculate his own hash independently. The output of his calculation is compared to the stored value appended by the sender. If the two hashes do not match, the recipient can be able to assume the data has been altered. 3.VPN Protocols used for tunneling 3. 1 IPSec IPSec is a standard for secure encrypted communication that provides two security methods: Authenticated Headers (AH) and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP). AH is used to authenticate packets, whereas ESP encrypts the data portion of packets. It can work in two different modes: transport mode and tunnel mode. IPSec is commonly combined with IKE as a means of using public key cryptography to encrypt data between LANs or between a client and a LAN. IKE provides for the exchange of public and private keys. 3. 2 PPPIn networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes. It can provide connection authentication, transmission encryption, and compression. 3. 3 L2TP Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is an extension of the long protocol used to establish dial-up connections on the Internet, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). L2TP uses IPSec rather than MPPE to encrypt data sent over PPP. 3. 4 PPTP Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is commonly used by remote users who need to connect to a network using a dial-in connection of modem.PPTP uses Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) to encrypt data that passes between the remote computer and the remote access server. 3 Technical Review of IPSec over VPN 4. 1 IPSec IPSec is the Internet standard protocol for tunneling, encryption, and authentication. It was designed to protect network traffic by addressing basic usage issues including:- †¢ Access control †¢ Connection integrity †¢ Authentication of data origin †¢ Protection against replays †¢ Traffic flow confidentiality The IPSec protocol allows two operational modes.In Transport mode, everything behind the packet and not including the IP header is protected. In Tunnel mode, everything behind and including the header is protected, requiring a new pseudo IP header. While the IPSec protocol was under development, two other protocols — L2TP and PPTP used as temporary solutions. L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) encloses non-Internet protocols such as IPX, SNA, and AppleTalk inside an IP envelope. However, L2TP has to rely on other protocols f or encryption functions. PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) is a proprietary Microsoft encryption and authentication protocol.Although originally developed as a temporary solution, Microsoft continues to deploy L2TP as its tunneling protocol instead of IPSec tunneling. When comparing the three, IPSec is, the most widely used protocol, and the only one that addresses future VPN environments (such as new IP protocols). 4. 1. 2 IPSec Architecture The architecture of the IPSec implementation refers to the selection of device and software to provide IPSec services and the placement of IPSec endpoints within the existing network infrastructure.These two considerations are often closely tied together; For example, a decision could be made to use the existing Internet firewall as the IPSec gateway. This section will explore three particular aspects of IPSec architecture:- gateway placement, IPSec client software for hosts, and host address space management. Fig: Gateway-to-Gateway VPN for Remote Office Connectivity 4. 1. 3 IPSec Functions Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) has emerged as the most commonly used network layer security control for protecting communications. IPSec is a framework of open standards for ensuring private communications over IP networks.Depending on how IPSec is implemented and configured, it can provide any combination of the following types of protection: Confidentiality. IPSec can ensure that data cannot be read by unknown parties. This is accomplished by encrypting data using a cryptographic algorithm and a secret key. A value known only to the two parties exchanging data. The data can only be decrypted by someone who has the secret key. Integrity. IPSec can determine if data has been changed (intentionally or unintentionally) during transit. The integrity of data can be assured by enerating a message authentication code (MAC) value, which is a cryptographic checking sum of the data. If the data is altered and the MAC is recalculated , the old and new MACs will be different. Peer Authentication. Each IPSec endpoint confirms the identity of the other IPSec endpoint with which it wishes to communicate, ensuring that the network traffic and data is being sent from the expected host. Replay Protection. The same data is not delivered multiple times, and data is not delivered grossly out of order. However, IPSec does not ensure that data is delivered in the exact order in which it is sent.Traffic Analysis and Protection. A person monitoring network traffic does not know which parties are communicating, how often communications are occurring, or how much data is being exchanged. However, the number of packets being exchanged can be counted. Access Control. IPSec endpoints can perform filtering to ensure that only authorized IPSec users can access particular network resources. IPSec endpoints can also allow or block certain types of network traffic, such as allowing Web server access but denying file sharing. 4. 1. 4 IP Sec FundamentalsIPSec is a collection of protocols that assist in protecting communications over IP networks. IPSec protocols work together in various combinations to provide protection for communications. The three primary components of the IPSec protocol that provides the protections for the communication are ESP, AH and IKE. Encapsulating security Payload (ESP) ESP is the second core IPSec security protocol. In the initial version of IPSec, ESP provided only encryption for packet payload data. It can perform authentication to provide integrity protection, although not for the outermost IP header.Also, ESP. s encryption can be disabled through the Null ESP Encryption Algorithm. Therefore, in all but the oldest IPSec implementations, ESP can be used to provide only encryption; encryption and integrity protection; or only integrity protection Authentication Header (AH) AH, one of the IPSec security protocols provides integrity protection for packet headers and data, as well as user authentication. It can optionally provide replay protection and access protection. AH cannot encrypt any portion of packets.In the initial version of IPSec, the ESP protocol could provide only encryption, not authentication, so AH and ESP were often used together to provide both confidentiality and integrity protection for communications. Because authentication capabilities were added to ESP in the second version of IPSec AH has become less significant; in fact, some IPSec software no longer supports AH. However, AH is still valuable because AH can authenticate portions of packets that ESP cannot. Internet Key Exchange (IKE) The purpose of the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol is to negotiate, create, and manage security associations.Security association is a generic term for a set of values that define the IPSec features and protections applied to a connection. It can also be manually created, using values agreed upon in advance by both parties, but these security associations c annot be updated; this method does not scale for a real-life large-scale VPNs. In IPSec, IKE is used to provide a secure mechanism for establishing IPSec-protected connections. 4. 1. 5 IPSec Protocol Basics Transport mode is used to provide secure communications between hosts over any range of IP addresses.Tunnel mode is used to create secure links between two private networks. Tunnel mode is the obvious choice for VPNs; however, there are some concerns about using tunnel mode in a client-to-site VPN because the IPSec protocol by itself does not provide for user authentication. However, when combined with an authentication system like Kerberos, IPSec can authenticate users. 4. 1. 6 Cryptography Used in IPSec Sessions Cryptography policy involves choosing encryption and integrity protection algorithms and key lengths. Most IPSec implementations offer the HMAC-MD5 and HMAC-SHA-1 hashing algorithms.Neither of these algorithms is computationally intensive. Although both plain MD5 and pl ain SHA-1 have known weaknesses, both are still considered sufficiently secure in their HMAC versions. In some implementations of IPSec, the cryptography policy settings are not immediately apparent to admin. The default settings for encryption and integrity protection, as well as the details of each setting, are often located down several levels of menus or are split among multiple locations. It is also challenging with some implementations to alter the settings once they have been located. . 1. 7 Authentication Used for Identifying IPSec IPSec implementations typically support two authentication methods: pre-shared keys and digital signatures. To use pre-shared keys, the IPSec admin creates a key or password string, which is then configured in each IPSec device. Pre-shared keys are the simplest authentication method to implement, but key management is challenging. Because of scalability and security concerns, pre-shared key authentication is generally an acceptable solution only f or small-scale implementations with known IP addresses or small IP address ranges.In the digital signature method, a certificate identifies each device, and each device is configured to use certificates. Two IPSec endpoints will trust each other if a Certification Authority (CA) that they both trust has signed their certificates. Many organizations are currently implementing public key infrastructures (PKI) for managing certificates for IPSec VPNs and other applications such as secure e-mail and Web access. 5. Conclusion VPNs allow users or corporations to connect to remote servers, branch offices, or to other companies over internetwork of public, while maintaining secure communications.In all of these cases, the secure connection appears to the user as a private network communication—despite the fact that this communication occurs over internetwork of public. VPN technology is designed to address issues surrounding the current business trend toward increased telecommuting a nd widely distributed global operations, where workers must be able to connect to central resources and communicate with each other. This paper provides an overview of VPN, VPN over IPSec and describes the basic requirements of useful VPN technologies: user authentication, address management, data encryption, key management, nd multiprotocol support. 6. Reference 1. S. Farnkel, K. Kent, R. Lewkowski. (December 2005). Guide to IPSec VPN. Available: http://csrc. nist. gov/publications/nistpubs/800-77/sp800-77. pdf. Last accessed January 20 2011. 2. Tom Olzak. (Jan22, 2007). SSTP: Microsoft VPN. Available: http://www. techrepublic. com/blog/security/sstp-microsofts-vpn/149. Last accessed 25 January 2011. 3. Open VPN. (2011). Open VPN cryptographic layer. Available: http://openvpn. net/index. php/open-source/documentation/security-overview. html. Last accessed 28 January 2011. 4. Erik Rodrigues-Types of VPN [online]. Resources as well as Images) Available from: http://www. skullbox. net /vpn. php[Accessed on: Feb 12 2011] 5. Internet Protocol Security [online]. Available from: http://www. interpeak. com/files/ipsec. pdf[Accessed on: Feb 4 2011] 6. SSL VPN VS. IPSec VPN [online]. Available from: http://www. arraynetworks. net/ufiles/File/SSLVPNvsIPSecWhitePaper021006. pdf[Accessed on: January 29 2011] 7. Available from: http://www. windowsecurity. com/articles/VPN-Options. html[Accessed on: Feb 14 2011 ] 8. Download the Green Bow IPSec VPN client [online]. Available from: www. thegreenbow. com/vpn/vpn_down. html [Accessed on: Feb 2012] . YouTube video of using the Green Bow software Available from: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=m6fu6saaNhQ [Accessed on: Jan 29 2008] 7. Appendix The step by step setup of â€Å"The Green Bow IPSec VPN client† is described below. Running the setup file. Language screen appears and click OK. Fig: Choose language screen. Welcome screen appears and click next. Fig: Setup Welcome screen. License and information regarding license s then click I Agree. Fig: License and information screen. Install location screen appears and click next. Fig: Installation location screen. Choosing start menu folder screen appears and click Install.Fig: start menu folder screen. Installing screen appears. Fig: Installing setup screen. Windows Security screen appears and click install. Fig: Windows Security screen. Setup Complete screen appears and click finish Fig: Completing Setup screen. How to use This Software System Tray Icon VPN Configuration Three step Configuration Wizard Step 1 of 3: Choice of remote equipment You must specify the type of the equipment at the end of the tunnel: VPN gateway. Step 2 of 3: VPN tunnel parameters You must specify the following information: the public (network side) address of the remote gateway he preshared key you will use for this tunnel (this preshared key must be the same as key in the Gateway) the IP address of your company LAN (e. g. specify 192. 168. 1. 0) Step 3 of 3: Summary The thi rd step summaries your new VPN configuration. Other parameters may be further configured directly via the ‘Configuration Panel' (e. g. Certificates, virtual IP address, etc). VPN Tunnel Configuration How to create a VPN Tunnel? To create a VPN tunnel from the Configuration Panel (without using the Configuration Wizard), you must follow the following steps: 1. Right-click on ‘Configuration' in the list window and select ‘New Phase 1' 2.Configure Authentication Phase (Phase 1) 3. Right-click on the ‘new Phase 1' in the tree control and select ‘Add Phase 2' 4. Configure IPSec Phase (Phase 2) 5. Once the parameters are set, click on ‘Save ; Apply' to take into account the new configuration. That way the IKE service will run with the new parameters 6. Click on ‘Open Tunnel' for establishing the IPSec VPN tunnel (only in â€Å"IPSec Configuration† window) VPN Configuration Please refer to Phase 1 and Phase 2 for settings descriptions. Authe ntication or Phase 1 What is Phase 1? ‘Authentication' or ‘Phase 1' window will concern settings for Authentication Phase or Phase 1.It is also called IKE Negotiation Phase. Phase 1's purpose is to negotiate IKE policy sets, authenticate the peers, and set up a secure channel between the peers. As part of Phase 1, each end system must identify and authenticate itself to the other. Interface Network interface IP address of the computer, through which VPN connection is established. Remote Gateway IP address or DNS address of the remote gateway (in our example: gateway. domain. com). This field is necessary. Pre-shared key Password or shared key with the remote gateway. IKE Encryption algorithm used during Authentication phase (DES, 3DES, AES, AES128, AES192, AES256).Authentication algorithm used during Authentication phase (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256). Key group is key length. Phase1 Advanced Settings Description Config-Mode If it is checked, the VPN Client will activate Config-M ode for this tunnel. Config- Mode allows VPN Client to fetch some VPN Configuration information from the VPN gateway. If Config-Mode is enabled, and provided that the remote Gateway supports, the following Parameters will be negotiated between the VPN Client and the remote Gateway during the IKE exchanges (Phase 1): Virtual IP address of the VPN Client DNS server address (optional)WINS server address (optional) Aggressive Mode If checked, the VPN Client will used aggressive mode as negotiation mode with the remote gateway. IPSec Configuration or Phase 2 What is Phase 2? ‘IPSec Configuration' or ‘Phase 2' window will concern settings for Phase 2. The purpose of Phase 2 is to negotiate the IPSec security parameters that are applied to the traffic going through tunnels negotiate during Phase 1. Phase 2 Settings Description VPN Client address Virtual IP address used by the VPN Client inside the remote LAN: The computer will appear in the LAN with this IP address.It is import ant this IP address should not belong to the remote LAN (e. g. , in the example, you should avoid an IP address like 192. 168. 1. 10). Address type The remote endpoint may be a LAN or a single computer, In case the remote endpoint is a LAN, choose â€Å"Subnet address† or â€Å"IP Range†. When choosing â€Å"Subnet address†, the two fields â€Å"Remote LAN address† and â€Å"Subnet mask† become available. When choosing â€Å"IP Range†, the two fields â€Å"Start address† and â€Å"End address† become available, enabling TheGreenBow IPSec VPN Client to establish a tunnel only within a range of a predefined IP addresses.The range of IP addresses can be one IP address. Incase the remote end point is a single computer, choose â€Å"Single Address†. When choosing â€Å"Single address†, only â€Å"Remote host address† is available. Remote address This field is â€Å"Remote LAN address† depending of the add ress type. It is the remote IP address or LAN network address of the gateway that opens the VPN tunnel. Phase2 Advanced Settings Script configuration Scripts or applications can be enabled for each step of a VPN tunnel opening and closing process: Before tunnel is opened Right after the tunnel is opened Before tunnel closes Right after tunnel is closedRemote Sharing Global Parameters Lifetime (sec. ) Default lifetime for IKE rekeying. Minimal lifetime for IKE rekeying. Maximal lifetime for IKE rekeying. Default lifetime for IPSec rekeying. Maximal lifetime for IPSec rekeying. Minimal lifetime for IPSec rekeying. Dead Peer Detection (DPD) Check interval (sec. ) Interval between DPD messages. Max number of retries Number of DPD messages sent. Delay between retries (sec. ) Interval between DPD messages when no reply from remote gateway. Miscellaneous Retransmissions How many times a message should be retransmitted before giving up. USB Mode Step 1 Step2 Step3 Step4

Compare and contrast the political views and public policies of Essay

Compare and contrast the political views and public policies of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson - Essay Example By the time certain economic decisions and policies were deliberated upon, taking foreign affairs to account, these revolutionary U.S. leaders further acquired opposing perspectives on addressing how the national debt should be managed. According to Hamilton, national debt ought to be kept permanent for the sake of a healthy economy for the nation and that such debt must be paid off by the government to the party in current possession of the certificate at the time. On the other hand, Jefferson contradicted the permanence to national debt and asserted that it should be the original bearer of the certificate who must get paid off, knowing that this would be advantageous to the common citizens. However, the following enactment approved the proposition made by Hamilton instead and the affluent became even wealthier, having purchased the certificate from their common counterparts.

Sexualization of Young Girls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sexualization of Young Girls - Essay Example Without question the society that we live in is one that is highly affected by marketing, media, and the representation of culture that we the individual is bombarded within on a daily level. Countless scores of research projects have been performed on the way in which individual integrate with these marketing ploys, the degree to which they allow marketing to affect their lives, and the percentage of income that such efforts are able to siphon off the viewer. Although this is a fascinating topic and doubtless deserves an even greater degree of analysis due to the fact that it segments many interrelated sectors of psychology, sociology, culture, gender, representation of self image, insecurities, and a litany of others. As a function of understanding this threat, the following analysis will seek to draw a level of inference with regards to the hyper-sexualization of children via marketing, the internet, advertising, and parenting. Ultimately, as these different factors will be analyz ed and discussed, it is the hope of this author that a level of understanding and analysis can be drawn to the ways in which the sexualization that is taking place might ultimately be reduced. Although the advertising media is nothing new with regards to its ability to sway human judgment and define culture, as the documentary which has been viewed as a means of informing this response has indicated, the renewed focus that marketologists have placed upon the niche market of â€Å"tweens† has been a powerful determinant in exemplifying the means by which products are engaged to some of the at-risk teenage girls within our society. One of the sources that has been read as a means of informing this particular piece is that of Taylor Wolleck’s piece entitled, â€Å"Of 'The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization Of Young Girls And Five Keys To Fixing It†. As such, this particular journal entry details the way in which media, advertising, and marketing all work single handedly to mold and establish a culture that has and would not otherwise exist before (Wolleck 124). This is a seminal and important inclusion in the field of the literature on the topic due to the fact that it is one of the few journal entries that seeks to deal with the full range and scope of the issue rather than dealing merely with ways to curb its effect. Although it is the author’s belief that this text is important as well as influential in helping to expound nuances of the situation, it has however unfortunately missed the point with regards to providing any help at all with regards to reversing the trend. Ultimately, the source is useful as it provides a broad and overarching framework from which the reader can seek to approach the issue of media interpolation into fashion, culture, and attitudes towards sexualization of the youth of the nation (Egan 293). As the documentary illustrates, the identification of a distinct group that can be identified as â€Å"tweens † was ultimately a figment of advertisers and marketologists as a means to create a distinct group that they could target with product lies that would ultimately translate into a higher level of sales. Although it is not the intention of this brief paper to belabor the point of the â€Å"tween† market, seeking to understand it is integral in understanding the hyper-sexualization of culture that has been experienced over the past several years. In much the same way, marketologists have focused upon development sleek and highly sexualized means of integrating with this new â€Å"

Business Marketing Communication Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Marketing Communication - Article Example Instead, both academics and practitioners are embracing models which acknowledge the autonomy and unpredictability of customers. Initially building communication was not identified and recognized as a task of strategic importance in an organisation, but now with cut throat competition and a deluge of marketing tools, building relations and spreading information has increasingly become more important. One reason for seeing marketing communications as tactical rather than strategic is that much of its development and execution has been outsourced to marketing services agencies offering a range of specialisms (such as design, creative consultancy or sales promotion). This casts some doubt on its position as a core competence. Furthermore, much advertising and promotion thinking risks being short to medium term because the people and organisations involved are constantly changing. Butterfield suggests that, because of the increased importance of company-wide brand values in providing competitive advantage, marketing is becoming a way of delivering a communications strategy, rather than the other way round. The traditional hierarchy of strategy has been challenged by the increasing importance of brands as

How to Be a Better Learner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Be a Better Learner - Essay Example The researcher states that every one of us has his own unique good or bad style of learning new things. Learning preferences change depending upon past experience more than the cognitive differences. â€Å"Style changes over time†, says Dr. Sarah Church. While it is possible to recognize different essential features of a learning style, it must be known that the learning process modifies with the passage of time at the individual level. Robotham also asserts that once students develop a learning style, they tend to refine that style based on three factors: unconscious modifications made by the learner himself, conscious modifications made by the learner, and modifications made by some outside element. The researcher’s past experience tells him that he has adapted quite a few learning styles over time. When the author was a child, he used to enjoy the audio learning style because he enjoyed listening to poems over the cassette player when he had to learn them. But today, the author categorizes himself as a visual independent learner and an assimilator of Kolb’s learning styles. Independent learning is the type of learning in which the learner takes charge of his learning process, according to Holec. This learning style makes the learner responsible as he knows that he is accountable to himself of the consequences. Independent learners are able to make a decision and make informed choices without relying on their teachers and colleagues. Dependent learning style is one in which the learner only does what is required and shows little curiosity in knowing more. Dependent learners are always looking up to their peers, teachers and authority figures for support and guidance.

Proposal- how alcohol and drugs affect drosophila mutation Essay

Proposal- how alcohol and drugs affect drosophila mutation - Essay Example In this research, the researcher will show how tolerance effects last in Drosophila, an incidence that can be related to human beings. Sometimes alcohol and drug use may extend to the withdrawal stage and the researcher will show whether stress affects the return to a tolerant state after this no drug usage stage of withdrawal. Lastly, the research will show the different behaviors of Drosophila mutants that lack donamine receptors to determine whether they behave differently or not. Alcohol use can lead to addiction that is simply the compulsory use of drugs for survival. Human beings and animals are all subject to drug abuse with recent studies using animals in their studies to explain both behaviors witnessed by humans. The two are proved of having the same body genes that behave the same under alcohol or drug use. In studying the effect of alcohol and drug use in Drosophila mutation, the research will examine the fruit fly Drosophila. Drosophila gets in touch to alcohol and ethanol almost daily from the fermented fruits they eat, but they are resistant to them, unlike ethanol and alcohol in labs that they show some level of sensitivity when exposed to them. When exposed to alcohol, the fruit flies become hyperactive and show somebody imbalance. Just like humans, fruit flies have genes like alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetylaidelyde dehydrogenase (ACDH). Then when exposed to alcohol fumes, ADH changes alcohol into an aldehyde that is then changed to citri c acid by ACDH. The citric acid generates the energy responsible for the hyperactivity realized when humans and the fruit flies are exposed to alcohol. The first alcohol exposure results in the hyperactivity but with continuous exposures, the behavior changes and the fruit flies become tolerant to the ethanol and alcohol effects (Speicher, Motulsky and Antonarakis, 2010). At the tolerance stage, flies have to take more alcohol than earlier for them to start feeling the effects.

Discuss Hurricane Katrina Impact on Bermuda and International Essay

Discuss Hurricane Katrina Impact on Bermuda and International Insurance Markets, and Explain How Storm Affected Our Attitudes Towards Insurance - Essay Example Though mired in legal tangles, insurers have paid up a large section of the affected thus mitigating their hardships to some extent. Some of the arguments looks very brazen such as damages caused by breaching of the levees does not come under the category of tornadoes though it is a well known fact that breaching happened due to water surges caused by hurricane Katrina. Under the circumstances the state has to interfere to ameliorate the sufferers of levees breach since they cannot wash their hands off for the breaching. Insurance is described as a precautionary hedging instrument against likely future losses. It is used for managing the possible risks of the future, which may or may not take place. Thus, through insurance, a person buys future happiness and smooth living. According to Oxford Dictionary Insurance is a contract undertaking to provide financial compensation for loss or damage or injury etc., in return for a payment made in advance once or regularly. Though loss of life or injuries cannot be measured in financial terms, still, in this materialistic world it is quantifiable and tries to compensate the potential future loss financially. Today insurance industry is one of the largest industry sectors in the world and is three times the size of the oil industry in terms of revenue generated. The roots of insurance might be traced to Babylonia, where traders were encouraged to assume the risks of the caravan trade through loans that were repaid only after the goods had arrived safely (Hammarabi, 1795 – 50 BC) 1, a practice resembling bottomry, the ancient maritime law where money is lent to a trader at lenders risk. The concept of insurance evolved through the centuries in Europe and later in the United States. Insurance developed rapidly with the growth of British imperialism in the 17th and 18th century 2. The New York fire of 1835 highlighted the need for adequate reserves to meet unexpected large

Should Early Education Have Forgien Language Taught Essay

Should Early Education Have Forgien Language Taught - Essay Example These views were also turned upside down later by Peal and Lambert that showed how superior it is learning two languages in the early age than one (Peal & Lambert,1962) . They conducted various experiments for children who started learning a second language in their early childhood and compared it to their achievements and academic skills in their later life. It was prevalent in the research that they were no less efficient, skilled and knowledgeable than those who did not learn a second language. Â  It is very essential for children to fully acquire their first language as researches show that if they do not, they may have problems in becoming an academic professional and fully cultured in their second language. This is because of the interrelationship of language and cognitive growth. When parents use their first language that they know the best with their children there are less chances of the interruption of the cognitive growth of the children. The research further argues that whatever learnt in the first language either knowledge, organization, development, skills, academic literacy etc will be transferred to second language when learnt. Children expand their language learning depending on how often they use and practice it. Parents who communicate more often in their first language develop better linguistic skills ability to express their needs, ideas and feelings. If children do not acquire their first language, it may become a problem for them in the future to express their thoughts efficiently (Collier, 1992). However, other argues that when children learn all new information and knowledge in their second language in later life,... According to the paper some researchers argue that cognitive skills must be completely acquired before the brain is fully matured. Learning a second language at any age is an amazing experience in different ways but children have the most to gain from a wonderful quest. Children involuntarily believe that learning a second language is fun to explore and play around. Children who are bilingual have a bigger perspective of the world and see the bigger picture from different contexts. This paper approves that global village has affected children in a way that they are exposed to multicultural and multinational society. Children whether immigrants or non-immigrant get a chance to express their selves to an outer world which has learning a second language other than their mother tongue as the most important determinant for cross-cultural relationships. Also, people tend to learn a second language for better opportunities and exploration of the world. The whole discussion showed that it is better to learn the language earlier in children life which comes up with lot of ease, benefits and opportunities that cannot be attained if the second language is learnt at adolescent or adulthood. Moreover, researches also showed that learning a second language helps in exercising the brain which helps in better understanding of things, perspectives and memory storage. Thus, people who are bilingual or multilingual found to have better opportunities, academic skills and knowledge .

The Graduate scenario Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Graduate scenario - Movie Review Example He went ahead to claim that he will not even travel to East Africa as the region was infested with AIDS. He said the people of Kenya are infected with AIDS even he would contract the disease from hotel towels in Kenya. The remarks ensued to a heated argued in his handle via twitter that attracted numerous responses not only from Kenyans but also from other people across Africa s they viewed the comments to be careless, derogatory and discriminatory. AIDS is a global disaster that is a problem across the world and thus it should not be used as a weapon of discrimination against African countries by viewing its inhabitants as affected by AIDS. However, despite the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS case in African nations it is imprudent to make a blanket conclusion that the entire continent is infected with AIDS. Moreover, Pat Robertson had not conducted prior research before making such comments since from a scientific perspective AIDS can only be transmitted through body fluids, transfusion of contaminated blood, engaging in unprotected sex, deep kissing or sharing of sharp objects e.g. razors and needles with an infected person. Therefore, I think it was prudent for Pat Robertson to make an apology via his twitter handle, claiming it was just an outburst, because his argument was not founded on any scientific facts. Moreover, even though it is true there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS cases in African it is discriminative and reckless making such statements on a televised

Year of Wonders Essay Example for Free

Year of Wonders Essay Geraldine Brooks work of historical fiction, Year of Wonders, concentrates on emotional and physical conflict and the innate response of the villagers of Eyam at a time of crisis. The novel reflects on Anna Frith, an ordinary resident of the village, highlighting her profound mental and emotional development as the events unfold. With the guidance of Elinor Mompellion, Anna endeavoured to support her community throughout the plague, establishing the archetype of hero. Although the central female characters of the novel, Anna and Elinor, were conveyed as heroic, the majority of women struggled to have any notable positive impact, largely due to the oppression of their dominant husbands. Furthermore, there were a number of male characters who strived to do good, contrary to their generalisation of being characterised as negative and destructive. However, the focus of heroism is drawn towards the female characters. Annas efforts throughout the plague were transcendent, surpassing that of any other villager. The novel encompassed Annas journey throughout the course of events, having significantly more importance to the plot than the plague itself. However, it was Elinor that begun Anna on her journey, helping her see that the good she could do, no matter how trivial, could help others profoundly. It was through Elinor that Anna discovered hope, which fuelled her desire to step up as the compassionate hero of Eyam. She was able to accomplish this by detaching herself from religious ideology, which was the cause of humanity seeing the world in dark and light [which] was how [she] was taught to view the world. Anna was able to fully embrace life, which enabled her to develop a passion for midwifing, fulfilling her characterisation as a hero. Elinors endeavours concerning the crisis, too, was of a benevolent nature. When juxtaposing the two heroines, it is made clear they are extraordinarily similar in personality; they both had an intimate relationship with nature. Although both Anna and Elinor carried incredible emotional burdens, neither relinquished their duties as carers of the village. There had been so much futile effort expended since the coming of the Plague, and yet they continued to support thers, displaying the characteristics of a true hero. There were a number of male characters in the novel who were committed to relieving the burden the plague had put on the villagers, but none more so than Michael Mompellion, the Anglican rector of Eyam. He was a man distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility and strength the ideal hero. This was evident in his efforts as the intrinsic leader of the village, reassuring them that the plague was an act of God, and that [they] must trust in God to perform His wonders. Michaels actions throughout the novel was continually justified as being a part of Gods will maintaining his namesake as being a soldier of God; he was able to embrace what God had given them. With his persuasive aural techniques, Michael was able to convince the community to quarantine themselves for the sake of humanity: Let us carry [the burden] in Gods Holy Name! There was no malevolent intention with this sacrifice; the sole purpose was to help save the souls of the people, directing them on a path of salvation. Tending to those who lay dying from the ill-effects of the plague, Michael sought to help those atone from their sins, helping them escape from the world cruelly desecrated by the plague. Although his pledge that none should die alone had become a heavy burden upon him, Michael continued to do so, proving that, beyond doubt, his communal deeds were protagonistic. The overwhelming majority of women were unable to develop an independent understanding of the plague, due to being fettered by their male kin; they did not make any positive contribution to plague efforts. However, this was not uncommon in the seventeenth century; women were made to be a mans chattel. Anna and Elinor are two female characters who were able to involve themselves in plague affairs: As a widow, Anna is truly independent; Elinor is not constrained by her husband, Michael, when there is potential for a positive outcome to her actions. On the other hand, every other female character in the novel (omitting Anys and Mem Gowdie) is shackled by their husbands or fathers, being unable to claim independence. Women were forced to follow the master of the house in their ideas and values. A notable example is Colonel Bradfords treatment of Mrs. Bradford, who seemed to take a perverse amusement in belittling his wife. Oppressed women were unable to establish their own methods of supporting others through the plague; they were forced to do what they are told. It appears Brooks intended to omit any account of any other woman in the village stepping up as a hero, possibly to further highlight Anys independence and Annas journey to become self-sufficient. In a general sense, it is blatant that the female characters cannot claim to be more heroic than the male characters. Year of Wonders focuses on human response to pandemonium. In particular, the novel highlights how certain characters have the potential to take charge during a crisis, becoming heroes. Anna, Elinor and Michael are among those who were able to accomplish this. Neither gender could be generalised as being more heroic than the other when the plague encapsulated Eyam, though. However, other female characters had the potential to fill the shoes of a hero; their role in society made this impossible. It was only the women who claimed independence who were able to demonstrate a sound attempt in supporting plague efforts.

The Macro Environment Analysis | Australia

The Macro Environment Analysis | Australia The purpose of this report is to identify social-cultural and ecological environment which access to the major trends and forces can relate to develop tourism industry in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. This report suppose to use the result of macro-environment scanning on social-culture and ecological category to analysis the impact on customers, competition and suppliers. Moreover, the opportunities and threats identified from the impact that affects the tourism industry in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. Macro-environment analysis divides into two categories which are social-culture and ecological. Each category investigated from five variables. As reported by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2010), Australias population growth in the result of two factors: natural increase and net overseas migration. In 2009, Out of the total population growth, 40% was contributed by natural increase and 60% was contributed by net overseas. It is estimated that the resident population will reach 22.33 million at 30 June 2010, an increase of 377,100 people since 30 June 2009. The population growth of Queensland was the second fastest of all states and territories, with an averagely growth rate of 2.5% each year since 2005 and the population reached 4.51 million in 2010 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2009). According to the latest published data from Australia Bureau of Statistics(ABS)(2009) report ¼Ã…’resulting in the population of Brisbane had a steady averaging growth rate of 2.3% per annum over the past five years, resident population increasing from 973,931 to 1,067,279 since 2005 to 2010. 2.1.2 Multiculturalism Australia is a vast melting pot of different races and nationalities. As stated by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2008), in the past forty years immigration was a significant contributor to the Australias population growth. Approximately 6.6 million (25% of Australias total population) from around 200 countries have immigrated to Australia since the Second World War which ended in 1945 to 2006-2007. The largest group of overseas-born residents was born in United Kingdom, accounting for 5.4% of Australias total population, followed by New Zealand (2.4%), China (1.6%), India (1.4%) and Italy (1.0%) (ABS, 2008). According to the data of Multicultural Affairs of Queensland report (2010), in 2006, there were 699,438 Queensland residents born overseas, accounting for 17.9% of Queenslands total population. Brisbane is also a city with diverse cultures. As reported by the Brisbane City Council (2006), the proportion of the Brisbane population born overseas was 23% (198.630 people). 2.1.3 Disability According to the data, there are four million (18.5%) people who had a disability in 2009 and more than a million people had service core activity limitation (ABS, 2009) in Australia. From 2003 to 2009, the disability number decreased from 22.1% to 17.9% (ABS, 2009). In Queensland, the physical disability dropped from 18.3% to 14.7% during 2003 to 2009(ABS, 2005). In addition, the mental and behavioral disability dropped from 3.8% to 3.1 %(ABS, 2005). In Australia, about 55% people aged over 65 had a disability in 1998 as well as in 2003(ABS, 2005). Approximately 42% males and 39% female between aged 65 and 69 had a disability in 2003.Between age 70 and 74, the rate of male with disability and female with disability increased to 45% and 46 % respectively ( ABS, 2005). 2.1.4 Age Age is normally structure divided into three parts: Children (under 15 years of age), working age population (aged between 15 to 64 years) and older people (aged 65 years and over). From the 30 June 2009 to 30 June 2010, the population of Children rose by 44,600 and it was 22.0% of total population. The Australias largest age group was taken up by working age population, the proportion of this group increased from 66.9% in 1990 to 67.6% in 2010. The population of older people and over increased by 94,800, with a proportion of 13.5%. (ABS, 2010) In 2010, the 67.5% (2,676,767) of the Queenslands total population was taken up by working age population, followed by Children 20.4% (807,065) and older people 12.5% ( 480,136) (ABS, 2010). In Brisbane, in 2009, the 68.9% of Brisbanes population was accounted for working age population, followed by children (19.9%) and older people (11.1%) (ABS, 2010). 2.1.5 Education During the 1980s, the rate of participation in education was increasing steadily and the educational level became higher by 1990s (ABS, 2005). In 1976 ¼Ã…’there were 12% in their 20s were people attending educational institution, however this rate increased to 23% in 2001(ABS, 2005). In addition, according to the data, the number of people between the age of 20 and 29 who had achieved higher education was increasing from 1976 to 2010. In 1976, there were 13% people with a bachelor degree compared with 36% in 2001(ABS, 2005). In 2010, 20% people were enrolled a course and about 39% of these attended higher education (ABS, 2010). In Queensland, the rate of high-level education participation increased from 22% to 55% during the period of 1981 to 2003 in age group 20 to 29. Furthermore, there were 57% people had school qualification in 2001 compared 38% in 1991 in Brisbane (ABS, 2005). 2.2 Ecological 2.2.1 Waste and recycling According to paper presented by the then Department of Environment and Heritage to the Productivity Commissions inquiry into waste generation and resource efficiency in Australia, during 2002-03, Australians generated 32.4 million tones of solid waste (domestic, commercial and industrial), with QLD generating 2.86 million tones of that waste. Of the 2.86 million tones generated, 347,100 tones (12.14%) were recovered (Queensland EPA, 2006). The estimation of waste generation and division in Australia from 2006 to 2007; total disposed was 21,069 tonnes; recycled was 22,707 tonnes; total generated was 43,777 tonnes and the division rates was 52%. According to the data which estimated per capita waste generation and diversion rates for Australia from 2006 to 2007, there were 4,181,000 people in Queensland. The average disposal was 1,030 kilograms per capita; and recycled 900 kilograms for a division rate of 47%. It is lower than NSW (52%) and VIC (62%), but it is higher than WA (33%) (Davis, G. Herat, S. 2007). 2.2.2 Temperature Change According to the recent climate and geophysical trends in Australia, Australias continental average temperature has increased by approximately o.8 degree since 1910. Most of this rise occurred after 1950, with 1998 being the warmest year, and the 1990s and 1980s being the warmest and second warmest decades, respectively (Collins 2000). These trends are consistent with those measured globally. Since 1951, mean temperatures have increased 0.1-0.2 degree per decade over most of Australia, with the greatest warming inland, particularly in Queensland and the southern half of Western Australia (WA), although some cooling has occurred in southern Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) (Suppiahet al . 2001).Night-time temperatures have increased more than daytime temperatures (0.96 degree per century for minima 0.56 degree per century for maxima; Suppiah et al. 2001). Average temperatures in Queensland have risen in both summer (0.07) and winter (0.08) over 20 years. 2.2.3 Water Consumption According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics (2006) that farming industry had accounted for 65% of total water consumed in Australia in the year 2004-2005. And, 90% of total water was used by farm in the year 2007-2008. 22% of total water in Australia was used by Queensland in 2006, 24.5% in 2007 and 29.2% in 2008. In Brisbane, according to Brisbane City Council, Environment Waste (2010) consumption falling from 300 litres per day to as low as 127 litres per person per day. 2.2.4 Biodiversity Across Australia, the number of animal species that were threatened every year was increase from 312 in 2001 to 427 in 2009, and within those 427 species, 46% of them were just injured, 41% were accounted as serious injured and 13% of them were listed as extinct. According to Biodiversity (2010), Queensland holds 85% of Australias native mammals (239 species), 72% of native birds (562 species), over 50% of native reptiles (473 species) and 12888 species of native plants in the year 2010. According to the Threatened (2010), approximately 40% of Brisbanes vertebrate animals and 10% of vascular plants in 1500 plants species and 523 vertebrate animals were threatened. And, according to Protecting (2010), under a rise in temperature of more than 2 degrees and increasing CO2, 21% 52% of animal species could be extinct, this affect Brisbane, Queensland and across Australia. 2.2.5 Land use Approximately 55.3% of Australian land was used by agriculture industry in 2006 and Queensland had the highest proportion among all other states (83.1%) and in 2009, 54% of Australian land was managed by agriculture business and Queensland was still the highest among all other states (82%) in the same year. 3.0 Trends 3.1 Social- Culture Trends Based on the research data, it is easy to see an increasing trend because of the high fertility and birth rates with the total population increasing stably and quickly in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. According to this current trend, the numbers of population in the future 10 years will also stably increase because of the overseas immigration and natural increase. (Population variable). As well number of the old people over age 64 increasing significantly during the last 20 years which has resulted in the population in Australia becomes older. In addition, the number of old people with a disability has increased and accounts for half of the old population. It means Australia has an issue with an aging population and in few years, it will become more and more salient factor in government issues (Age variable). Furthermore, because of the increasing number of migrants, Australia becomes a multicultural country. It can be expected that not migration from different countries will keep increasing during the next decade from different countries (Multiculturalism variable). In education, as the data showed above, the number of people participating in education increased quickly and stably during the last 30 years. In addition, the data indicates the number of people achieving high-level education was increasing a lot in Australia, as well as in Queensland and Brisbane. (Education variable). 3.2 Ecological trends In Australia waste generation kept increasing from 2002 to 2007, but recycling is also increase during that period. In Queensland, the per capita waste generation is lower than other states. The temperature has kept increasing since 1910, because of the global warming, particularly in southern Queensland. It has risen in both summer and winter. Every year, more and more species of animals and plants are in danger because of land development or climate change 4.0 Forces 4.1 Social-culture forces Along with the increasing of the ageing population, the ageing tourists become potential tourism market segmentation. The growth of the older with disability forces the tourism industry to develop more humanized infrastructures to meet the needs of the disability market. The increasing number of participants in higher education forces the firm to become more productive and competitive in the marketplace. 4.2 Ecological forces The waste and recycling management is not only to affect the local people living, but also it affects the tourism industry development. The global temperatures growth is not only happening in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane, but the temperature increase will impact on the natural environment resource. Hence, it will impact the tourism development in the long-term. 5.0 Impacts on customers, competitors and suppliers First, on the impact of customer, the trend of the increase aging group suggests that the old and retired people will be a big potential market of the tourism industry in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. Furthermore, from the suppliers aspect, they should focus on how to create an interesting tourism product and design the destination to attract the senior group and retired people in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. Lastly, about the impact on competitors, for Australia and Queensland, the competitors will be the other countries and other states. In Brisbane, the competition among the tourism organizations will be to special travel products to catch the attention of old tourists. Second, the growth of disability among old or people affect customers in three levels: there will be many tourists with a disability. Also, build more humanized infrastructures are good for the disability tourists. Suppliers need to create healthy tourism for these people with a disability and provide appropriate service. Competitors for this market will be more at the Australia and Queensland level, but in Brisbane, there should be little competition in this target market, because not too many firms focus on disability tourists. Third, the increase of people achieving high level education improves the rate of customers satisfaction in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. In addition, the competition among the firms shows on the recruitment, because all the firms want to employ highly competent people in Australia, as well as in Queensland and Brisbane. Moreover, high level educational staffs that have good skills and provide good service to customers have positive impacts on suppliers In Australia and Queensland. Fourth, the impacts of loss of biodiversity means loss of tourism potential and reduction in the demand from customers, as there is not too much to see which will be the same for each of Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. The firms in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane will suffer from the lack of product; also, the firms might face the problem of close down. In addition, there will be fewer products to sell. Fifth, as a result of global warming resulting in rising sea levels there will be less and less land to use which will reduce the opportunity for customer to travel in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. For firms, the competition among firms will be intense in three levels because lack of the land will reduce the amount of tourism destination. For the suppliers it will be difficult to provide a good land for tourism. Last, waste and recycle management to advance customers protect environment and reduce wasting. In addition, encourage green tourism participation of customers in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. Suppliers provide more products of eco-tourism in the tourism industries. For firms, sustainable tourism will be a mainstream tourism product in the marketplace, so it is necessary to create green product in tourism industry of Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. 6.0 Opportunities (in general) that arise from this impact Australia is a travel destination country which has wonderful natural environment and heritage resources and the speed of development of tourism industries is growing fast in Australia. Although there are some negative impacts of the macro environmental issues on customers, competition and suppliers, there are still opportunities for tourism development. The increasing number of old and disability tourists will bring Australia, Queensland and Brisbane more tourism opportunity which can help the local stakeholders to be more clear about the target market. From the target market analysis, the local infrastructure and facilities will be built more concern about the older and disability people to provide them higher quality service to satisfy their travel expectation. For example, the destination can provide the nursing facilities for the older and disability people which would provide an advantage over other travel destinations. Targeting the market of old and disability tourists with appropriate infrastructure will decrease the effectiveness of the competition from international tourism market. The increasing employees with a higher level of the education and training can promote the quality of the tourism service and cater for the technological tourist. It should be an advantage for Australia, Queensland and Brisbane in the marketing share in the tourism industry. Also, it can increasingly attract employees who have hospitality talent to work here. The Australia waste and recycling management which is a long term environmental protection can provide the travelers a natural protected travel destination. Also, the local waste and recycling management can influence the travelers concern the environmental issues and choose the green tourism product and services. The suppliers will invent more green tourism products and services not only to concern the environment, but also promote more travelers enjoy the eco-tourism in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane. 7.0 Threats that emanate from this impact Firstly, in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane, the threats from the aging market and disability market classified into the same category, as they are both potential consumers with special needs. However, there is a significant difference between the spending on the ordinary consumers and consumers with special needs. For instance, in order to make the tourism market accessible, the requirement to build approachable facilities, recruit nursing staff and design tourism packages for these special markets significantly increase the organizations budget and the market prices. Thus, for the disabilities and aging customers, they are faced with the high travelling prices and the need of special assistance which may result their dissatisfaction. For suppliers, these market lines may be a threat to them in reaching the organizations substantial long-term goals. Furthermore, the increasing costs of integrated reconstruction, recruitment and innovation also threat the competitors in tourism in dustry, which make it more difficult to become competitive in the marketplace. Secondly, the high level of customer satisfaction has no negative impact on tourism organizations in Australia, as well as Queensland and Brisbane. Moreover, it brings the high customer retention and excellent reputation for the organizations. In addition, from the competitors perspective in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane, the increasing demand for higher education employees is a threat to organizations to retain the outstanding employees and maintain low turnover rate. In addition, the good performances of workers lead to an underlying threat that is the workers will demand pay rise in the future and affect the profit of the suppliers in Australia and Queensland. Thirdly, in Australia, Queensland and Brisbane, as tourism industry is a big contributor to economy, the loss of customer demand will lead to the decline in organizations profit. Moreover, the lack of product will bring a threat to tourism organizations, which will influence the width of product line. Fourthly, as lacking of opportunities for customers to travel to Australia, Queensland and Brisbane, tourism organizations need to face threats from other travel destinations in international, domestic and local dimensions. For competitors, the reduce amount of tourism destinations will intensify the difficulty of Australia to be competitive in international tourism marketplace. However, for both Queensland and Brisbane, the reducing number of destinations may create barriers for new entrants, thus avoid competitions. From the suppliers perspective, the lack of attractive landscape creates a potential earning loss threat. 8.0 Conclusion The

Role of Institutions in Policy Making

Role of Institutions in Policy Making INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of institutions in influencing policy outcomes. First part of the paper provides a brief introduction to the study of institutions in political science. This is followed by description of factors influencing policy outcomes. Final part of the paper looks at the limitations of institutions, which pose additional constraints on policy outcomes. INSTITUTIONS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE The study of institutions is central to the subject matter of political science and, to an even greater extent, public administration. According to Lowndes (1996:181), â€Å"focus upon institutional arrangements for the delivery of public services is generally held to be defining of the sub-discipline of public administration†. March and Olsen (1984) argue that social, political, and economic institutions have recently become larger, more complex and resourceful, and therefore more important to collective life. According to them, attention to political institutions has increased in the literature on legislatures, budgets, public policymaking, local government and political elites. According to Scharpf (1989), much of comparative political science research may be characterised as an attempt to explain and predict the influence of political institutions on the choice of public policy. INFLUENCING POLICY OUTCOMES SETTING NORMS IN DECISION MAKING March and Olsen (1984,1989) see institutions as providing order in political life. Institutions increase capability by reducing comprehensiveness. Institutions express norms of decision-making and behaviour, providing a logic of appropriateness. Rules produce variation and deviation as well as conformity and standardisation. Institutions generally change in an incremental way through responding to environmental signals. AFFECTING POLICY OUTCOMES Institutions are often seen as â€Å"set of factors affecting the interactions between policy actors and hence the greater or lesser capacity of policy-making systems to adopt and implement effective responses to policy problems (Scharpf 2000:764)†. According to Gorges (2001), the European Commission and other EC institutions played a significant role in social policy-making. The European Commission sought to increase both its policy domain and its legitimacy, continually insisting that it would not abdicate its power to initiate policy. Although it is actors that are the proximate causes of policy responses, institutional conditions, to the extent that they are able to influence actor choices, are seen as remote causes. Actors are strongly influenced by the institutional rules to which they owe their existence and by institutional and cultural norms that define the criteria of their success or failure (Scharpf 2000). According to Scharpf (2000:770), â€Å"in sociological ins titutionalism, institutions are defined very broadly so as to include not only externally imposed and sanctioned rules but also unquestioned routines and standard operating procedures and, more important, socially constructed and culturally taken-for-granted worldviews and shared normative notions of appropriateness. In that view, therefore, institutions will define not only what actors can do but also their perceptions and preferences—and thus what they will want to do. Institutions constrain, but do not completely determine, policy choices (Scharpf 1989). Certain policy options are unlikely to be chosen under certain institutional conditions. According to Scharpf (1989), policy choices are simultaneously influenced by at least four sets of factors, institutional, situational, preferential and perceptional. Institutional rules will affect policy by restricting options, constituting actor constellations, regulating their modes of interaction and by structuring the incentives of the participating actors (Scharpf 2000). Institutions are imposing substantive prohibitions to policy outcomes. Countries differ in the range of institutionally permissible policy options and there is an increasing tightness of international legal constraints. For example, the power of governments to determine wages and working time was routinely exercised by most countries but is ruled out in Germany. Moreover, the tight control of capital transfers and the highly discriminatory regulation of credit markets that facilitated the success of macroeconomic full-employment strategies in Sweden until the mid-1980s would now be ruled out by EU directives liberalising capital markets and financial services. The rules of negative integration, in particular European competition law, have become a major constraint on all ec onomic policy options that could be construed as inhibiting or distorting free competition in the markets of EU member states. Institutional rules also define the constellations of actors that may participate in the adoption and implementation of policy responses and their permissible modes of interaction, which could be classified as mutual adjustment, negotiated agreement, voting, or hierarchical direction. Although most policy choices result from multi-actor interactions, some countries whose political institutions approximate the ideal Westminster model have the option of treating any major policy problem in a single- actor constellation. Here, all relevant policy choices are potentially determined by the preferences and perceptions prevailing in a unified action center. Hierarchical direction becomes an institutionally available mode of interaction, as exemplified in Britain, New Zealand, and possibly France. In rational-choice institutionalism, incentives are defined by refere nce to the self-interest of the corporate and collective actors involved in the policy process, for example, governments, political parties, central banks, labor unions, their subunits, or the individuals acting for them. In single-actor systems, the incentives that have the most direct effect on policy choices are constituted by the mechanisms of political accountability. In multi-actor systems, accountability is weakened and policy outcomes are more affected by incentives favoring cooperation or conflict between the veto actors. CRITICAL JUNCTURES AND DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS Ikenberry (1994) characterises political development as involving critical junctures and developmental pathways. According to the first principle, different founding moments of institutional formation send countries along broadly different developmental paths. The second principle suggests that institutions continue to evolve in response to changing environmental conditions and ongoing political maneuvering but in ways that are constrained by past trajectories. According to Thelen (1999), where state-builders faced geopolitical competition early, they were forced into greater concessions to the financiers, merchants, and administrators who financed and staffed the bureaucracy, resulting in patrimonial systems. Where rulers confronted geopolitical pressures later, they found themselves in a quite different world, where developments in education and finance made these side payments unnecessary, resulting in greater bureaucratic autonomy. Over time, some avenues of policy become increas ingly blocked, if not entirely cut off, as decisions at one point in time can restrict future possibilities by sending policy off onto particular tracks (Thelen 1999). DIFFERENT THEORETICAL APPROACHES Although it is generally accepted that challenges to which policy actors may have to respond are influenced by the institutional setting, the dominant strands of current institutionalist theorising, rational-choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism, differ in their conceptualisation of these influences (Scharpf 2000). LIMITATIONS Institutions have limitations which have a significant effect on policy outcomes. These limitations are focus on structures and efficiency, focus on stability, political manipulation and policy networking. FOCUS ON STRUCTURES AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY It has been argued that compliance with structures and practices often becomes more important than its actual efficacy (Lowndes 1996). According to DiMaggio and Powell (1991), it is the demand for similarity of structure and functioning, rather than for increased efficiency, that drives organisational change. According to Thelen (1999), the institutional approach begins with the observation that markets, embedded in political and social institutions, are the creation of governments and politics. The main purpose and effect of institutions are often seen as economising on fraction costs. Lowndes (1996:186) describes institutions as â€Å"efficient organisational frameworks, which arise to solve problems of complex economic exchange†. The critics of the new institutional economics, however, object to the proposal that a universal economic logic determines the choice of institutional systems, regardless of culture and circumstance or power and politics (Lowndes 1996). FOCUS ON STABILITY North (1990) stresses stability rather than efficiency as the economic rationale for institutions, arguing that technically inefficient institutions persist because they contribute to stability and harmony in interaction and because they are deeply embedded in culture and tradition. According to historical institutionalism, institutions do more than channel policy and structure political conflict. Thelen (1999) claims that institutions are socially constructed in the sense that they embody shared cultural understandings of the way the world works. This means that even when policy makers set out to redesign institutions, they are constrained in what they can conceive of by these embedded, cultural constraints. For example, the evolution of Japanese security policy shows how collectively held norms define appropriate conduct, shape actor identities, and influence actor interests, and in doing so, inform how political actors define what they want to accomplish (Thelen 1999). Pearson (20 00) claims that path dependence can be used to explain the analysis of European party systems, labor incorporation in Latin America, the outcome of state-building processes in Europe, and the comparative development of health care systems. According to Thelen (1999), the problem with this approach is that dominant cultural norms emerge out of concrete political conflicts, in which different groups fight over which norms will prevail. Dominant policy paradigms can and do shift at times and organisational fields are often imposed by powerful actors. According to Stinchcombe (1997), it is legitimacy and not automaticity that explains why people follow scripts in the first place. Furthermore, the entrenchments of certain institutional arrangements obstruct an easy reversal of the initial choice (Pearson 2000). The conception of path dependence, in which preceding steps in a particular direction induce further movement in the same direction, is well captured by the idea of increasing returns. In an increasing returns process, the probability of further steps along the same path increases with each move down that path because of the costs associated with exit or change. According to North (1990), institutions induce self-rei nforcing processes that make reversals of course increasingly unattractive over time. This, according to Arthur (1994) leads to unpredictability, inflexibility, nonergodicity and potential path inefficiency. POLITICAL MANIPULATION In politics, institutional constraints are ubiquitous (Pierson 2000). Politics involves struggles over the authority to establish, enforce and change the rules governing social action in a particular territory. According to Gorges (2001), the institutional change could be influenced by material and ideal incentives the policy entrepreneurs provide. Furthermore, change is most likely when there is an increase in the effectiveness of individuals seeking change and a decrease in the blocking power of individuals whose interests are served by the current institutional arrangements. Institutions are not neutral coordinating mechanisms but in fact reflect, and also reproduce and magnify, particular patterns of power distribution in politics (Thelen 1999). Thus, political arrangements and policy feedbacks actively facilitate the organisation and empowerment of certain groups while actively disarticulating and marginalising others. â€Å"Manipulated by utility-maximising politicians and bur eaucrats, institutions degenerate over time. They come to serve the individual, private interests of officials and any conception of the public interest is lost (Lowndes 1996:188)†. Public officials seek to augment their status and material through increases to budgets under their control, and utility-seeking politicians attempt to maximise votes by promising benefits and service enhancements, which results in waste and over-supply of government goods and services (Niskanen 1973). An alternative to the budget-maximising thesis is provided by bureau-shaping theory which accepts that bureaucrats are self-serving, but denies that they pursue a single course of utility-maximising action (Lowndes 1996). In rational-choice institutionalism, institutional rules are understood as external constraints and incentives structuring the purposeful choices of self-interested rational actors (Scharpf 2000). Thus, when certain actors are in a position to impose rules on others, the employment of power may be self-reinforcing (Pierson 2000). Actors may use political authority to generate changes in both formal institutions and various public policies designed to enhance their power. Skocpol (1992) argues that institutional arrangements affect the capabilities of various groups to achieve self-consciousness, organise, and make alliances. For example, the fragmentation of the state, as well as the organisation of party competition along patronage lines, actively mediated against the development of a unified working class that could then spearhead the movement for comprehensive social policies in the United States. Scharpf (2000) does not agree with this notion, arguing that actor preferences have at least two dimensions individual and organisational self-interest on one hand and normative obligations and aspirations on the other. INSTITUTIONS AND THE â€Å"POLICY NETWORKING† The policy network approach is concerned with the institutionalisation of relations between governmental and non-governmental actors (Lowndes 1996). The concern is with actual institutional practices rather than with formal organisational arrangements. Jordan (1990) refers to an institution as an extra-constitutional policy-making arrangement between industries and clientelistic groups. Lowndes (1996) points to the traditionally fragmented structure of British government and the influential role played by interest groups in policy-making. In such environment, â€Å"policy is made not by a unified government machine but by an assortment of actors, governmental and nongovernmental, linked together in more or less formal and coherent networks (Lowndes 1996:190)†. Furthermore, institutions are embedded in networks of other institutions, and it is difficult to change one institution in a matrix because of this embeddedness. According to Lowndes (1996), policy networks routinise rel ationships, promoting continuity and stability. One example is the EU, where the European Commission has often granted access to, and attempted to institutionalise the participation of interest groups as a way of securing legitimacy for its proposals before presenting them to the Council of Ministers (Gorges 2001). The Commission has attempted to sustain and expand the Community political system by providing information to the social partners, forcing them to re-evaluate their interests and priorities, and supporting the development of a Community/Union system of interest intermediation by providing a forum for conflict resolution. The capacity for effective policy responses is affected not only by the quantity and quality but also by the diversity of policy-relevant information and analysis provided by an institutionalised information infrastructure (Scharpf 2000). Policy coordination in Austria, for example, was greatly facilitated by the fact that the government, the political parties, and the social partners relied on the analyses provided by a single economic research institute. In Germany, by contrast, unions and employers maintain separate research institutes, the federal government supports altogether six such institutes, the federal labor administration and the Bundesbank maintain large in-house research capacities, the independent Council of Economic Advisors relies on its own research staff, and the big commercial banks have their own macroeconomic research departments. The downside of the monopoly model is the risks of groupthink, or the failure to pay attention to observations, interpretations, and recommendations that do not conform to the dominant worldview (Scharpf 2000). This was arguably the case in Britain in the early 1970s, when policy makers in the treasury continued to rely on the Keynesian recommendations derived from the single macroeconomic simulation model, even when the economy had ceased to respond as predicted (Scharpf 2000). However, when the analyses of institutionalised information monopolists do fit the problem, they will facilitate effective problem solving in single-actor systems and effective coordination in multiactor systems. The pluralistic model, by contrast, will provide protection against the institutionalisation of error. CONCLUSION The paper has explored the role of institutions in influencing policy outcomes. Institutional conditions, to the extent that they are able to influence actor choices, are seen as remote causes. Institutions influence policy outcomes by setting norms in decision making. Furthermore, institutional rules affect policy by restricting options, constituting actor constellations, regulating their modes of interaction and by structuring the incentives of the participating actors. Although it is generally accepted that challenges to which policy actors may have to respond are influenced by the institutional setting, the dominant strands of current institutionalist theorising, rational-choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism, differ in their conceptualisation of these influences. Limitations of institutions, such as the focus on structures and economic efficiency, the focus on stability, political manipulation and policy networking, further influence policy outcomes. BIBLIOGRAPHY Arthur W.B. (1989). â€Å"Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and lock-in by Historical Events†. Economy Journal, Vol. 99. Ashford, D. E. (1977). â€Å"Political Science and Policy Studies: towards a structural solution†. 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