The Nature Versus Nurture Debate Essay Example for Free

The Nature Versus Nurture Debate Essay What makes you who you are? This question is the essence behind the nature versus nurture debate. It is also a question that has plagued scientists for centuries, and philosophers before that. Recently, the debate has raged over which of two major factors has the biggest impact on one’s development. With advancements in genetics, such as the mapping of the human genome, scientists have a better understanding of what traits are inherited. Obviously, certain physical characteristics, such as hair, eye, and skin color, are defined by genes passed on from one’s parents. However, the line is not so clear when it comes to psychological conditions, behavior, and intelligence. The environment in which a child is raised also includes a number of influences, such as their parents (or lack thereof), relatives, socioeconomic status, and resources. The debate had centered on how much of those characteristics are determined by genetics or from one’s environment. Advances in modern science suggest neither nature nor nurture is exclusively responsible in favor of an interactive relationship between our genes and environmental influences. While this proposed compromise would be immensely complex, where one helps to shape the other in ways scientists have yet to completely understand, it would essentially end the debate once and for all. The term â€Å"nature versus nurture† was coined by Sir Francis Galton in 1871, but the debate actually dates back to ancient Greek literature and philosophers who questioned the nature of fate versus free will (Lewis). Galton referred to the phrase as a â€Å"convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed† (M.  S. , M. B. ). The mindset of this phrasing stuck with the debate, carrying the notion of two separate and opposing scientific views, and extending his influence long after his controversial work had been published. Many of the theories Galton developed were heavily influenced by his cousin, Charles Darwin, whose works on evolution and natural selection were controversial in their own right. At the time, the most commonly held idea was that â€Å"a child was born into the world a blank slate, a ‘tabula rasa’ in the words of British Empiricist David Hume† (Lewis). This belief, also known as environmentalism, is synonymous with what became the nurture side of the debate. Galton’s Hereditary Genius became a source of controversy by resisting this notion and claiming that biodeterminism was responsible for the most eminent, or intelligent, men of his day. By applying Darwin’s theory of natural selection to human intelligence, Galton’s ideas gave birth to the debate as well as a number of other brands of science, such as genetics, psychology, and eugenics. With the scientific developments in genetics over the past century, the debate is cast in a much different light today. Although Galton and Darwin’s ideas were highly controversial and not well-received immediately, they grew in popularity towards the second half of the 19th century. Scientific understanding of genetics and inheritable traits grew over the next century with Abbot Gregor Mendel’s work establishing the principles of genetics (Lewis). Scientific development during this time laid the ground work for processes, such as genetic recombination and genetic mapping, which have become increasingly important in recent decades. The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003 by an international team of scientists, but there is still much to learn in the field of genetics. Scientists continue to study how genes interact with each other and influences from external stimuli and conditions. One such emerging, yet controversial, field in modern genetics is eugenics, or the ability to engineer a baby’s DNA to promote or suppress certain traits or inherited conditions. By the 1920’s, Galton’s ideas about eugenics had begun to gain considerable ground both here in the United States and in Europe. His claim about the inheritance of intelligence among the eminent men of society naturally led to plans to consolidate this genetic advantage in order to improve the human gene pool, falsely giving racism and discrimination some scientific backing. The culturally biased IQ testing of immigrants began to become more frequent. Essentially, the field could be divided into positive eugenics, which seeks to promote good genes, and negative eugenics, aiming to suppress less desirable genes. There were several horrific applications of negative eugenics during the early 20th century, most notably the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany sought to eliminate the entire Jewish people and pursue their version of a pure race. Today, negative eugenics has fallen out of favor, but genetic screening and engineering has given positive eugenics a new and growing application. In addition to the advent of genetics, psychology developed in order to study the behavioral and personality impacts from both genes and the environment. Perhaps the most controversial of Galton’s claims was that intelligence was an inheritable trait, and thus passed down from the elite of society. He conducted a number of surveys and studies to better understand human intellect and also coined the term mental test† (Lewis). This belief about intelligence, while not as prominent, still exists today in underlying notions about immigration policy and social discrimination. There are many who attribute up to 80 percent of an individual’s I. Q. o genetics, leading some to believe certain racial stereotypes about intelligence, while others attribute those trends to social inequalities (Glass). Today, scientists have made a great deal of progress in understanding how certain mental disorders and personality traits can be transmitted genetically or through environmental stimuli. However, there is still a great deal to learn about the causes of psychological disorders and conditions, including how to prevent them and wheth er nature or nurture is responsible. While developing from these relatively new scientific fields, the nature side of the debate has been promoted by those who believe heredity is ultimately responsible for an individual’s characteristics. Modern science has identified a number of physical characteristics which can be definitively tied to specific genetic phenotypes, or genetically-controlled trait, such as blood type and eye color. Those who adopt an extreme heredity position, or nativists, basically assume â€Å"that the characteristics of the human species as a whole are a product of evolution and those individual differences are due to each person’s unique genetic code† (McLeod). They believe that behavioral tendencies and personality traits that even emerge or mature later in life are merely the result of genetic expression tuned to a sort of biological clock, much like puberty in adolescents. This belief supports the notion that certain people are born not only susceptible to hereditary diseases but also behavioral or psychological conditions, such as alcoholism or violent tendencies. While this stance is controversial for many scientists and psychologists, it lends support for positive eugenics’ pursuit of identifying and eliminating these negative traits by genetic engineering means. In many ways, this view is the modern extension of ancient philosophers’ thinking about free will. It brings up a number of difficult questions about genetic fate with few or no clear answers. For example, how many of our everyday decisions are made of our own free will or just an expression of our innate genetic tendencies is a murky subject. Additionally, whether or not it is possible to overcome these influences is another gray area. If genes are solely responsible, then there exists a sort of genetic predetermination, in that who we become has already been determined before we exit the womb. Conversely, if the environment is solely responsible, then everyone starts essentially as the same blank slate and our unique experiences then make us who we are. At this other end of the spectrum is the nurture side, who believe that we are shaped by a number of environmental factors. Proponents of this approach are the environmentalists or empiricists â€Å"[whose] basic assumption is that at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa and that this is gradually ‘filled’ as a result of experience (e. g. behaviorism)† (McLeod). A person’s personality and any behavioral conditions are then acquired or learned from their surroundings. Perhaps the most important environmental factor in terms of influence on a child’s development is parenting. Many levels of infant development come from imitation of and response to its parent or guardian. For example, an infant forms an attachment in response to the love and attention it receives from its mother. Later on in life, broader cultural and social stimuli help shape children according to the norms of the society in which the child was reared. To learn more about the extent of these stimuli versus genetic influences, scientists have turned to a variety of studies and experiments. In order to learn more about the extent of genetic and environmental influences on one’s psyche, geneticists and psychologists alike have searched for a means to isolate one from the other. Identical twins provide a unique opportunity to study the effects of environment on a child’s development by serving as a control, in that their genes are constant. â€Å"When raised together, both identical and fraternal twins (who on average share only half their genes) come as close as any two people can to sharing the identical home environment† (Glass). However, when reared apart, they would share no environmental influences; therefore, any differences that develop between the genetically identical twins would be the result of the different postnatal environments in which they were raised. Theoretically, if there was a â€Å"well-authenticated case of identical twins reared apart between whom a dramatic difference appears should be enough to invalidate the hypothesis that ‘heredity is destiny’† (Gruber). However, finding such a definitive case has proven difficult for researchers, who have struggled to find significantly different environments and unbiased cases. Most separated twins come from low-income families and are often raised under similar socioeconomic conditions. There is also disagreement with what constitutes similarities in both qualitative and quantitative studies of the twins, such as personality and I. Q. tests. These difficulties have not stopped scientists from continuing to pursue research of identical twins in hope of finding conclusive evidence one way or the other. Some of the essential findings from the case studies on identical twins have revealed a number of expected tendencies, as well as a few surprising trends. Behavioral geneticist Nancy Sega has found that twins raised apart are just strikingly similar in personality to twins raised together, and that biological siblings reared apart are also more similar than adoptive siblings raised together (Glass). Julia Glass’s article references a famous long-term study of Minnesotan twins reared apart who shared almost bizarre similarities: Jim Springer and Jim Lewis, who met for the first time at age 39-and discovered they both drove the same type of Chevrolet, chain-smoked Salem cigarettes, and, as sports fans, liked stock-car racing and football. Both had married women named Linda and then, after divorcing, married women named Betty. One Jim had named a son James Alan; the other Jims son was James Allan. As kids, each of the twins had a dog theyd named Toy; as adults, each had vacationed at the same three-block strip of Florida beach, practiced woodworking in his basement, and put up a circular white bench around a tree in his front yard. Although this is a very unique and special case, some researchers would argue that some of their similarities are coincidental and overlook quite a few differences between the twins. Many critics point out that even identical twins raised together differ, sometimes significantly, especially in personality and temperament. Dr. Susan Farber believes this is a special process, known as twinning, which takes place in the unique environments that twins raised together create for one another. Often, twins deal with their unique identity problems by accentuating similarities and cultivating differences (Gruber). She also believes that twinning can occur between twins reared apart if they know of the others existence through letters or another means of communication. But even Dr. Farber has stated that the best case of twin studies leaves much to be desired in terms of conclusive evidence favoring either genetics or the environment. The studies likely have ruled out any complete responsibility from one side or the other in favor of a broader debate focused on how much each is responsible during development. While the debate has shifted from exclusive responsibility to degrees of influence, other scientists have been studying how genes and environmental factors may interact and influence each other. They have researched how the environment interacts with DNA, from drugs to psychotherapy, in order to determine whether someone will suffer from psychological disorders. This field, known as epigenetics, has finally begun to address gene interactions that were once against conventional biological wisdom. It was believed that such molecular changes occur in fetal cells but not in mature cells. Recent studies are starting to show evidence that certain environmental stimuli can lead to epigenetic changes that could trigger several psychiatric diseases (Steinberg). Understanding and measurement of these changes could eventually indicate how the environment influences the genetic chemistry that underlies many human behaviors and psychological conditions. The two major psychological disorders being studied in the field of epigenetics are schizophrenia and depression. These conditions have been known to run in families and typically arise in adults or adolescents after puberty, when a change takes place in how the responsible gene is expressed. What causes this change is still an unknown, early studies suggest a number of environmental influences may act as a trigger (Steinberg). Evidence has also shown physical changes in the brains of patients suffering from depression. Antidepressants have been developed to help counteract the chemical imbalances that result from these changes. However, there is still much about the treatment of psychological disorders using drugs that scientists do not fully understand. â€Å"Applying epigenetics to the brain is just beginning, but the field is ramping up as technologies to monitor molecular changes improve† (Steinberg). Ultimately, biology and genetics have proven that neither nature nor nurture is exclusively responsible for our development. While many physical traits have definitive genetic ties and growing up in a certain culture certainly has an impact on one’s personality, modern science has shown that the interactive relationship between these influences is extremely complex. Hans Kummer gave a great analogy of the debate by saying that â€Å"trying to determine how much of a trait is produced by nature/genes and how much by nurture/environment is as useless as asking whether the drumming we hear is made by percussionist or instrument† (M. S. , M. B. ). The majority of scientists have come to accept this notion of two intricate and inseparable influences that make us who we are. The historical nature versus nurture debate is over because science had proven the relationship to be far more complex than many scientists imagined and the phrase simply does not do that justice. The term itself has been outgrown by progress in genetics, and can no longer be simply separated into one versus the other. This lagging behind in the language of genetics has kept the futile debate alive for a long time, and often providing fuel for social agendas. Today, scientists hope that new language can better reflect modern science, and allow new questions to be presented in more productive ways.

Comparing America’s Economy in the 1920s and the Current Economic Situation Essay Example for Free

Comparing America’s Economy in the 1920s and the Current Economic Situation Essay Few periods in America have influenced the current government structure, size, and economy rather than the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† and the â€Å"Great Depression†. At the beginning of the 1920s, the United States was converting from wartime to peace time economy at the time weapons for World War I were no longer useful. In this decade, America became the richest nation in the world and a culture of consumerism was born. People spent money for better roads, tourism, and holiday resorts. Real estates booms sent land prices soaring (DeLong, 1997). Looking at technology, it played a vital role in delivering the economic and cultural good times that most of America enjoyed during the 1920s. The automobile’s popularity, construction of roads and highways, poured fresh public funds into the economy. This resulted to tremendous economic prosperity. Technology enhanced communication with the first public station being established, KDKA, the year 1922 introduced the first movie made with sound- The Jazz singer. It is in this time that the United States became a modern middle-class economy of radios, consumer appliances, automobiles and suburbs. Mass production had made the United States the richest society the world had ever seen (DeLong, 1997). The economy today seems to negate the glory it received in the 1920s. According to Leonhardt (2010), it produced $ 15 trillion worth of goods and services in 2008 in estimates, making it the largest in the world. The US economy however has shown a downward trend since in 2007, it began to slow significantly mainly because of a real-estate slump and other financial problems that has led the economy into a recession. The recession continued up to early 2009, making it the longest one in decades. August 2009 came with some hope with the Federal Reserve Bank’s policy-making committee saying that they believed the recession was ending. The bank cautioned that the recovery would be slow and there was a possibility that unemployment was to remain high for another year. The year 2010 is seen as the year of severe economic contraction. According to Whitney (2010), reports in the financial media believe that the effects of ongoing credit contraction and the massive injection of the central bank liquidity have prevented the collapse of financial markets. A lot is still to be done in order to leverage households and stimulate the general economic activity. The financial crisis has stripped the economy $ 13 trillion in equity and Americans have grown gloomier about the economy and the nation’s direction over the past few months, although it shows signs of moving to recovery. The country is persistent with high unemployment with ordinary working people continuing to fight to keep their jobs and maintain their standard of living. This is a contrast on what was happening in the 1920s. US had transformed in less than a decade to become the richest Nation in the world. High pay of $5 a day showed the low unemployment rate that existed. Industries were booming with high profits and numerous companies opened their doors to start operations. The US might be the world’s leading economy, but the current unemployment rates, the number of businesses closing their doors as a result of inability to pay their debts and the constraints the government face in order to fully fund the budget requirements are overwhelming. The government, the Fed and the whole economy need to work towards alleviating bottlenecks that cause the economy harm. They need to uphold policies that will see to it that economy does not run to the stagflation condition of the 1970s.

Impact of Slope Incline on Cart Roll

Impact of Slope Incline on Cart Roll Parth Mahajan Acceleration Cart The Aim of this practical report is to roll a car on a slope of 15 °, 30 °, 45 °. The Results then used to make a Ticker-tape graph, Displacement-time graphs, and Velocity-Time graphs with the results that have been obtained. This will show the effects on the cart and how the different aspects of the cart can be effected, (such as the Velocity of the cart, Displacement of the cart and the acceleration of the cart.) Ticker-timers will help analyze the carts motion as the dots on the ticker tape can tell various things which include: The displacement of the cart, the time taken for its total journey, the acceleration of the cart and the velocity of the cart. The Incline plane is a tilted surface which an object (in this case a cart) will slide down. The angle of the incline plane is measured from the horizontal surface to the plank used for the cart to roll down. The Greater the incline of the plank results to a greater acceleration while the smaller the incline of the plank will lead to a smaller acceleration. If friction is deduced then at least 2 forces are acted upon an object to move the object, the force of gravity and the normal force. The force of gravity The force of gravity is also known as the weight acts in a downward direction.The normal force The normal force acts in a direction perpendicular to the surface. Galileo had put this to the test and conducted appointment with the inclined planes. After he had completed the prac several times he had observed that the amount of time it took for the ball to roll down the entire length of the ramp equal to double the amount of time it took for the same ball to only roll a quarter of the distance. He had concluded with: If an object is released from rest and gains speed at a steady rate, then the total distance travelled by the object is proportional to the time squared needed for that travel. Ticker Timer, Power Pack, Wires (2), G clamp. Paper Tape, Sticky Tape Wooden Ramp Trolley Find a place to put the wooden ramp. Secure the Ticker timer with a G-clamp to the wooden ramp. Connect the ticker timer to the power pack. (Make sure you connect to the AC ports and have your volts set to 12V) Get some ticker tape, 60 cm should be enough, and attach it to your cart with some tape. Thread the tape through the ticker timer, making sure the tape goes under the carbon paper and not over. Turn the power bank on, which should turn the ticker timer on and let go of the cart. Make sure someone is there to catch the cart or it could damage the cart. Remove the tape from the cart and you should have a ticker tape with multiple blue dots. Do this for each group member Repeat the process for different angles You should do for angles 15 °, 30 ° and 45 °. 15 ° Incline The ticker tape for the cart going down a 15 ° incline has the least space between the dots out of the 3 inclines tested. This is because the acceleration on the 15 ° incline is the least. As the acceleration is the least this means that the velocity would be the smallest at a given time out of the 3 inclines. The shape of the displacement-time graph shows that the cart is accelerating, this can be seen as the graphs gradient is increasing. For the Ticker-Tape Graph, there is a constant increase in the gradient showing that the cart is accelerating at a constant acceleration. Lastly the Velocity-Time Graph the line is mostly the same gradient showing that there is a constant acceleration. 30 ° Incline The ticker tape for the cart going down 30 ° incline has averagely sized spaces between the dot out of the 3 different inclines tested. The shape of the displacement-time graph is like the 15 ° incline graph but this graph picks has a greater gradient in the end and reaches a higher velocity, this is because since the incline is greater than it means there will be more acceleration. For the Ticker-timer graph the spaces between the different parts of the tapes are similar meaning that the gradient is constant. This is the same for Velocity-Time graph, as the gradient varies a little bit but is mainly constant. 45 ° Incline The ticker tape for the cart going down a 45 ° has the most space meaning that this cart was travelling the fastest out of all the three carts. The shape of the Displacement-Time Graph for the 45 ° incline has the biggest gradient out of the three meaning that it had reached the highest velocity out of the three. The shape of the Ticker-Timer is having a steady increase in the velocity meaning it had constant acceleration. This can be seen in the Velocity-Time Graph. The Gradient of the Displacement-time graph shown the velocity of the cart, since the line is a curved line to find the gradient tangent would need to be calculated to find the instantaneous velocity. The gradient of a Velocity-Time graph shows the acceleration of the cart.       When all 9 graphs are compared, it can be seen that the greater the incline means the create the velocity reached and the greater the acceleration of the cart. The results for this prac can vary within the classroom as of human error, the angles measured werent 100% accurate meaning that there could be variations for the angles which leads to variations of the speed reached by the carts. This Prac had been completed successfully and without any major errors. It was learnt that in an Incline is plane is a tilted surface which an object will slide down, it was also learnt that the angle of the incline is measured from the horizontal surface to the planked used.   Galileo had put this to the test and conducted various experiments using the incline plane. Improvements that could be made are that the measuring of the angle could greatly be more accurate as the protractors used for the prac were just rough estimates for the angle.

Aztec Art and Culture :: essays papers

Aztec Art and Culture The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to ever exist on earth. Just about every part of the Aztec life was advance to such a state that at that time of the world the people were living better than many European nations. The Aztec nation is unique in its history, economy, environment, and way of life then any other nation at that time. The Aztec Indians, who are known for their domination of southern and central Mexico, ruled between the 14th and 16th centuries. They built a great empire and developed very modernized ways of doing things. The Aztecs had phenomenal architectural skills and waterway systems. The Indians also had very developed social class and government systems and practiced a form of religion. To begin with, the Aztecs were very skilled in the art of Architecture and waterway systems. â€Å"An example of the monumental architecture within the Aztec society is the great pyramid of Tenochtitlan. Montezuma I, who was the ruler of the Aztecs in 1466, created it. The pyramid was not finished until the rule of Montezuma II, around 1508. Aztec cities and towns also had working drinking water and waste treatment systems. An intricate plumbing system using clay pipes ran down from the mountains around Mexico valley to all of the towns and cities in the valley. As the water ran into each town or city it was dispersed to 10 or 12 places around town were it flowed into a pool for drinking water or was pumped into public baths and toilets. Only nobles had working drinking and bathing systems with running water in their homes. The sewage system worked much like today, having human wastes carried to a collection pool where solids were collected, and then having liquids run off into a series of terraces which filtered the water. Solid wastes were allowed to sit in a collection pool for about six months and then were brought to the lake gardens to be used as fertilizer†(Jennings, Aztec, Pg. 220). At the bottom of the heap were slaves and serfs, or the Tlacotli, who worked the private lands of the nobility. Next came the Macehualtin, ‘the fortunate,’ as they were called because they were equally free of the heavy responsibility of the nobility and of the slave’s liability to being basely used. They were the merchants, shopkeepers and artisans that made up the bulk of the population.

Watergate: Was The Nixon White House Involved? :: essays research papers

Watergate: Was The Nixon White House Involved? What was Watergate? "Watergate" is a term used to describe a complex web of political scandals occurring between 1972 and 1974. On January 20, 1969, Richard M. Nixon had become the thirty-seventh president of the United States. As Nixon entered the White House, he was â€Å"full of bitterness and anger about past defeats, and about years of perceived slights from others in the political establishment.† Nixon, a Republican, once stated that, â€Å"Washington is a city run primarily by Democrats and liberals, dominated by like-minded newspapers and other media.† Nixon's obligation to control his political destiny and to forestall the damaging of his agenda by incumbents urged him toward the development of what was, in effect, a â€Å"secret government† (Gettlin and Colodny 6). The word, â€Å"Watergate†, refers to the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. In addition to the hotel, the Watergate complex houses many business offices. It was here that the offices of the Democratic National Committee were burglarizedon June 17, 1972. Five individuals were arrested at the Watergate complex after the burglary. Charges were also pressed on G. George Liddy and E. Howard Hunt ; the â€Å"Watergate Seven† were sentenced by Judge John Sirica. Although Nixon was worried about the break-in, he advised the White House press secretary, Ron Ziegler, to dismiss the incident as â€Å"a third-rate burglary† (Cannon 107). In the years ensuing the invasion at the Watergate building, questions and controversy have surfaced consequent to whether or not the White House, under the control of President Nixon, was either directly or discursively involved in the planning and/or performing of any illegal deeds. As the Watergate scandal unfolded, the Nixon administration was quick to mitigate the responsibility for the occurrences, however, in actuality, numerous facts and particulars ascertain White House involvement and justify the repercussions. The arrests of the "Watergate Seven" eventually uncovered a â€Å"White House-sponsored plan of espionage against political opponents and a trail of complicity that led to many of the highest officials in the land† (Jacobs, â€Å" Watergate†). These high political executives included former United States Attorney General John Mitchell, White House Counsel John Dean, White House Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs John Ehrlichman, White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, and President Nixon himself. Evidence corroborating White House involvement was ample and immense. On April 30, 1973, close to a year after the burglary and subsequent to a grand jury investigation of the break-in, President Nixon affirmed the resignation of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman and announced the dismissal of John Dean; United States Attorney General Richard Kleindienst resigned as well. The resignations and dismissal were all results

Prime Time for Education :: essays research papers

Prime Time for Education It would be a wonderful world if we could give our children a better future. Why not start by filling their little minds with a handful of education at an early age? In Arizona it has been a controversial subject on whether to fund full day kindergarten. In my research on the subject and the experience I have had with my own children full day kindergarten is all around a wonderful idea. There are benefits for children, parents and teachers. Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.† First let us discuss the benefits for children. Students have the potential to experience their greatest academic growth in kindergarten. In full day kindergarten research shows greater progress in literacy, math, social skills, and general learning skills. It is the year to format their attitudes toward learning. Research analyzing 23 studies of full day kindergarten indicated that â€Å"overall, students who attend full day kindergartens manifest significantly greater achievement than students who attend half day kindergarten†. As stated here, academically it is an excellent idea. Another benefit is for the lower-income families to enroll children in a higher quality early education program that might otherwise be affordable in the private market. In 1997, the Minneapolis school district began testing kindergartners. Those studies found that many students from low-income families began school not knowing the names of letters, how to count from one to 20, and some could not even recognize colors and shapes. The testing showed a significant gap between students of color and their white classmates. Since the Minneapolis School district started offering full day kindergarten they have seen an overwhelming difference in the learning of the low-income, African-American, American Indians, and Latinos. For example, the number of letter sounds acquired by full day students was 30% higher than their half day peers (Pugmire, 2002). Looking at these studies and knowing we have many low-income and diverse races in the Mesa School District there is a wonderful benefit to su pport full day kindergarten. For those students that need more time and support, giving it to them in the front end, will save a great deal of remediation and less money in the back end. Finally some benefits for our teachers; include more time to spend with students individually and in small groups (Full Day Kindergarten, n.d.), more time to communicate with parents, and more time to assess students and individualize instruction to their needs and interests (Full Day Kindergarten, n.

E-Business and E-Commerce Web Apps Essay

Transforming a brick-and-mortar business to an e business is not an easy task. The first step in creating an e-business is to conduct a market research on the competition we need to gather information such as shipping costs, price points, web navigation shopping cart procedures, and alternate revenue streams. The next step would be to create a detailed business plan with sales projections, budgets, goals, and actions. The third step is creating a Domain name that reflects your business for example: UNFO.com/ UNFO.ORG. After this step we have clearly identified the target market in the different fishing towns in Michigan, then an advertising budgets for online strategies, we also need to establish different distribution channels of the merchandise if shipping is required. Then we UNFO need to determine if the company is going to sell goods or services or advertising. One of the most important aspect of the customer information that is going to be handle would be Data Management, since we are handling customer data, such as credit cards information, mailing addresses, it is essential to have a published policy detailing how the information would be gathered, stored, and secured. A well effective return policy would be clearly stated and acknowledged by the customers. The other important aspect is weather the data will be updated and maintained in-house or outsource support. At last we will need to implement a Customer Service department and determine the methods for online customer service. Analyzing the market and the recent emerging technologies it would be recommended to implement a fully integrated ERP, UNFO will have a distinct advantage an internal transaction engine in place to deliver on the promises of the company’s Web pages, and the ability to truly show â€Å"one face to the customer,† not only in front-end Web-page design, but also in the way Web-based functions integrate with  internal â€Å"back-office† functions. This integration means that Web-based entry flows directly into real-time available-to-promise and order fulfillment. For suppliers, it means that the company truly is able to manage the flow of materials into the production process to the advantage of both parties rather than merely to push inventory onto the supplier. Implementing an effective Internet marketing strategy UNFO will follow the 10 online marketing avenues that craft-based Web site. Participate in craft-related forums building relationships. These relationships come from the customer. Drive articles to the web site with article links, issue an online press releases for new fishing products or services, develop a link exchange program with related web sites, use click based advertising on related sites , and register the bookmarks of your business online with companies. The enhancing the customer service delivery also involves ensuring security for communications and protecting customer information, using VoIP provides less-expensive alternatives for the different hubs, implementing a secure access for remote employees secure remote communication channels would need to be implemented , UNFO would need to use a virtual private link between the employees and the remote network or a VPN. Also secure web protocols to provide a way to authenticate the clients and servers on the web to protect the integrity of the communication, (PPTP) Point to Point Tunneling Protocol creates a secure communication tunnel between the two points it also enables authenticated and encrypted transmissions between the clients and the servers, we can also implement (L2TP) Layer two tunneling protocol and it uses tunneling to deliver the data, also implementing (IPSecs) Internet Protocol Security to secure communications between systems on the network as well as outside to the different hubs or towns. UNFO needs to maintain a highly available and secure E-mail and web site hosting using the most advance methods in today’s industry for example: using redundant hardware configuration such as (RAID) for hard disks, multiple memory, and failover servers, hardening applications using the latest service pack and patches to prevent software failure, have all up to date antivirus, intrusion detection and protection systems, use secure protocols like the ones mentioned earlier, implement and use (UPS) for power outages to protect the web servers , and use a remote network location if the primary location be compromised the second location  can take over. One important part of E-Commerce is maintaining stringent site security, confidentiality for the customers, integrity, and availability, also a secure system must contain authentication verification of the user, Authorization, allowing manipulation of the resources in a specific way and Encryption for records and transactions.