Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 103

Case Study Example Manufacturing must be closely intertwined with the current enlightened philosophy of marketing where products are expected to meet customer wants, needs, preferences and marketed in a socially responsible manner that is pleasing and beneficial. Manufacturers, such as Mattel Corporation, who manufacture products for children have the responsibility of ensuring that the products are safe in both intended and non-intended uses so as to protect children from harm since, ordinarily, children lack the literacy to comprehend the complete functioning of a product. Moreover, the manufacturers must ensure that the society’s apprehensions on children’s privacy and rights are upheld as this will somewhat guarantee business perpetuity. What’s more, the manufacturers have the responsibility of ensuring that the components used in manufacturing the product are meet the health and safety standards and accurate information indicated on the products label. For instance, the age th at is supposed to use the product and the chemical components should be clearly indicated. Environmental matters must also be taken into consideration by ensuring that any substandard products are safely confiscated so that the public does not gain access

The relationship between atherosclerosis and stress Essay

The relationship between atherosclerosis and stress - Essay Example This fatty build-up would later thicken and then harden or form calcium deposits in the arteries, consequently blocking the arteries. Because of the build-up, the hardened deposits may block the flow of blood along the arteries (Dugdale, 2009). In instances when the coronary artery becomes narrowed by plaque deposits, then blood flow to the heart itself can either slow down or be stopped. The patient can experience chest pain, shortness of breath, and other symptoms when this happens (Dugdale, 2009). These fatty deposits may also break off (as embolus) and flow with the blood in the arteries and veins; they may eventually get lodged in the smaller blood vessels causing heart attacks or strokes (Dugdale, 2009). The causes for atherosclerosis have not been fully determined; however there are traits and conditions which have been considered as risk factors for this disease. It is a condition which slowly and gradually develops over time and may be worsened by factors which induce plaque formation or blood coagulation. These factors may include the following factors or causes: inflammation or infection, hypertension, smoking, and elevated LDL and VLDL (DeBruyne, 2003, p. 603). Other factors like high-fat diet, obesity, high-sodium diet, cigarette smoking, family history, and lack of exercise may also cause atherosclerosis (McConnell, 2007, p. 278). Stress is also being considered as a possible cause of atherosclerosis; however, no firm support has been set forth for this theory as yet. Nevertheless, Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association cites a study which correlates the â€Å"degree of carotid arterial atherosclerosis with exaggerated response to mental stress in men under the age of 55† (as cited by Diagnose Me, 2009). Their study further established that strong blood pressure responses to stressful situations were seen in those with more advanced atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries as compared to

Businese Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Businese Law - Essay Example By this time Karter had not parted with the money to purchase the paintings. Therefore Karter purchases the paintings knowing very well that Jimmy had repudiated his offer and was not going to make any good payment of them. 1 In Dickinson Vs Dodds, 1876, the defendant gave the plaintiff a written offer to sell him his house for 800 on Wednesday. The offer was to be left open until next Friday 9 a.m. On Thursday the defendant sold the house to someone else. On that very evening, the plaintiff was told of the sale by a third party, but before 9 a.m. on Friday the plaintiff delivered his acceptance to the defendant which the defendant refused to receive. It was held by the court that there was a proper revocation of the offer and the plaintiff could not accept it. 2 Even though Karter had revoked his offer of purchasing the paintings, the revocation / refusal was not procedurally done legally. Under the rules governing any revocation of an offer, that withdrawal must be committed to the person to whom it was made. It means that had Karter not taken the initiative of calling Jimmy would have continued to be silent of his withdrawn intention to purchase the paintings. 3 On the other hand, Karter would be to blame because he had acted outside the agreed terms of their agreement with Karter. According to their agreement Jimmy had expressly told Karter not to spend more than $ 1,000 USD. These terms were very certain but Karter ignored them and purchase paintings worth $5,000 USD. The expression by Jimmy to Karter to only spend $1,000 USD was in fact a term that was too "heavy" to be overlooked. This is because: - (a) Jimmy would not have entered into the contract if the statement was not made. The statement was important because it showed the maximum amount of money that he had and which he was willing to spend on paintings. (b) The statement was made immediately alongside the other agreements meaning that the representer highly regarded its importance. But Karter can still argue that he had thought that the statement was not a term of the contract since it was not followed by a written agreement. Jimmy could have reduced his oral expression into writing. Though he did not expressly state that he could not purchase the paintings if they cost over $1,000 USD, it was implied that he was not going to spend over $1,000 USD in paintings. These are implied terms that parties probably had in mind but did not bother to express. They have to be implied by the courts. Additionally, the parties would have expresses this agreement in writing if they had foreseen the difficulty occurring. Such terms the parties could have expressed in writing had they seen the difficulties are implied by the courts because of the court's view of fairness or public policy. Vincent acted in good faith in selling his painting and cannot be held responsible. He was made to believe in statements that were not true. He was in fact misrepresented by Karter who told him that he had been authorized to purchase the painting on behalf of Jimmy. Misrepresentation renders the contract voidable at the option of the innocent party. The statement was made are the time the contract was made and it induced Vincent into the contract. 4 Vincent could not have entered into the contract if: - (i) He knew that Karter's statement was false. (ii) He would have made the contract despite the misrepresentation. (iii) He did not know that there had been a misrepresentation i.e. after entering into the

Atlantic Slave Trade Essay Example for Free

Atlantic Slave Trade Essay A slave can be defined as a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another, a bond servant or a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person. Slavery was well recognized in many early civilizations. Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, the Akkad Ian Empire, Assyria, Ancient India, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Islamic Caliphate, the Hebrews in Palestine, and the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas all had either a form of debt-slavery, punishment for crime, enslavement of prisoners of war, child abandonment or birth of slave children to slaves. However, as the sixteenth century approached, so did the change in the way slavery would be looked at, for years to come. The Atlantic slave trade became the name of the three part economic cycle that involved four continents for four centuries and millions of people. The Atlantic slave trade or the middle passage, triangular trade and slavery affected the economy of Europe, Africa and the Americas in both negative and positive aspects. Starting in the 1430’s Portuguese were the first to sail down the coast of Africa to search for gold and jewels. The Portuguese had to extend their power across the co+ast because Sub-Saharan Africa’s trade routes were controlled by the Islamic Empire. By 1445, The Portuguese conquered three African countries and created trading posts. This allowed them access to Europe across the Sahara. Initially, the Portuguese traded copperware, cloth, tools, wine and horses for pepper, ivory and most importantly gold. The first slave purchase is said to have taken place in 1441 when the Portuguese caught two African males while they were along the coast. The Africans in the nearby village paid them in gold for their return. Eventually, they developed the idea that they could get more gold by transporting slaves along Africa’s coast. The Muslims were enticed by the idea of slavery as they used them as porters and for profit. Portugal had a monopoly on the export of slaves in Africa for more than two hundred years. This encounter is the beginning of one of the most tragic events in history, the Atlantic triangular trade (Thomas 1997). A triangular trade evolves when a region has export commodities that aren’t required in the region which its major imports come and provides a method for trade imbalances. The triangular trade is named for the rough shape it makes on a map. It worked like a triangle between all the colonies that were involved. For centuries the world was took part in its most successful trading system. There where nearly fifteen million Africans were shipped to both North and South America for more than three-hundred. Slaves, cash crops and manufactured goods were the most traded between the Americas, Europe and Africa. The Europeans controlled the first stage of the trade by carrying supplies for sale and trade such as, cloth, spirit, tobacco, beads, shells, metal goods and guns. This was their method of which were used to help expand empires and capture more slaves. These goods were exchanged for purchased and kidnapped African slaves (www. nmm. ac. uk/freedom/viewTheme. cfm/theme/triangular). African kings and merchants would capture the slaves or organize campaigns ran by the Europeans. The motives of the Europeans were based on one thing; they lacked a major source, a work force. It was stated that the Indigenes people were unreliable and Europeans were unsuited to the climate. However, Africans had experience in agriculture, keeping cattle, content with the climate. Africa soon became reliant on the slavery of their people and the profits that came along with it. The next stage involved the slaves being transported by voyage to the Americas and Caribbean, the middle passage (PBS. â€Å"The African Slave Trade and the Middle Passage. † http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr4. html). The middle passage was a perilous, horrendous journey slaves made across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The final stage of the Atlantic slave trade was the return to Europe from the Americas with the produce from the slave-labor plantations. Most regions of North and South America were used to provide these raw materials to Europe for manufacturing. This wasn’t the first or only slave trade, but it was the cruelest. What began as a quest for gold ended as a quest for slaves, leaving a major stamp on African and American history (Thomas 1997). Before undergoing the middle passage, slaves faced human misery and suffering. Kidnapped slaves were forced to walk shackled in slave caravans to European coastal forts. Due to the lack of food and energy, half of the slaves became sick and were killed or left to die. Some had the strength to make it so they were left in underground dungeons. For years, Africans were stranded in these dungeons across the coast of Africa.. There, they wait on the embarked horrid encounter of the entire slave trade, the middle passage. None of the previous passengers returned to their homeland so none of the Africans knew what they were about to endure. The voyages were generally organized by companies and investors because they were a huge financial burden(â€Å"The African Slave Trade and the Middle Passage). Two theories show the packing of slaves in the European ships; loose and tight packing. Loose packing carried less slaves with the hopes of more room and more slaves making it to the Americas alive and in fair condition. This was exchanged for tight packing. Captains believed despite more casualties, this would yield a greater profit. On occasion, veterinarians inspected the slaves before the voyage to determine which slaves could make it across the Atlantic Ocean. The enslaved Africans were chained together by hand and foot, not even being able to lie on one’s side. They ate, slept, urinated, defecated, gave birth and died all in that one spot. There was overcrowding, inadequate ventilation and little to no sanitation. Twenty percent of every hundred died along the way from either suffocation, starvation, amoebic dysentery, scurvy or a disease such as small pox. The slaves that died were thrown overboard as well as the slaves that showed illness. Some threw their self-overboard risking their life rather than deal with these horrific measures. Approximately fifteen million captured Africans were sent to the Americas. The middle passage was the longest, most dangerous part of the Atlantic slave trade (â€Å"The Middle Passage Experience†). From the seventeenth century on, slaves became the focus of trade between Europe and Africa. Europe had already colonized North and South America as well as the Caribbean islands from the fifteenth century onward. This created an insatiable demand for African laborers, who were deemed â€Å"more fit† to work in the tropical conditions of the New World. The numbers of slaves imported across the Atlantic Ocean steadily increased, from approximately 5,000 slaves a year in the sixteenth century to over 100,000 slaves a year by the end of the eighteenth century (www. mariner. org/captivepassage). Upon their arrival to the Americas, the slaves were washed, greased and placed inside dungeons. The grease added a more appealing look making the slaves appear healthier so the profit would be much higher. European slave traders made sure all of their potential properties were in well condition before bidding. They were branded with a hot iron to keep their identity as a slave. There were two main types of slave auctions; highest bidder or grab and go auctions. Highest bidder was a bidding process which the buyer with the highest bid would get the slave. Grab and go auctions was the process in which the buyer would give the trader an agreed amount of money in exchange for a ticket. This process was where the slaves were released from their dungeon and the buyers would rush and grab the slave they wanted, Each slave would be sold to an owner who owned a great deal of land and worked on either a plantation or mine and there, the living conditions were still only barely better (Curtin 1969) A prominent African, author and a major influence on the enactment of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, Olaudah Equiano was well aware and very familiar with the Atlantic slave trade. At the age of eleven, Equiano and his sister were kidnapped from his village in Nigeria. He survived the middle passage, and taken to the West Indies. He tells how he was bought by Captain Pascal, a British naval Officer as a â€Å"present† for a cousin. He tells how was enslaved in North America for ten years, working as a seaman. In 1766, he bought his freedom and wrote an autobiography, â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,† Equiano gave a firsthand look of the conditions enslaved Africans were forced to live. This document was one of the first documents that explained, thoroughly, the terrible human cruelty of the Atlantic slave trade (Wright et al. 001). Although many lives were taken or at risk, The Atlantic slave trade fulfilled its major goal, profit and change the three continents. Europe, America and Africa’s economy were all affected by the slave trade. Europe’s economy was suffering before the slave trade. The Atlantic slave trade was during the time of recovery for Europe and completely recovered their economy. Because of the success of the trade, they needed more people to manufacture raw materials and export them to Africa. The great supply of jobs created many exports and the income to buy imports. By the end of the slave trade, Europe’s economy was in well standings as one of the wealthiest continents in the world. The America’s economies rose too. They were honored with a free workforce that provided many resources from sugar to cotton. The free labor allotted for them to received one hundred percent of the profit. They were importing more slaves and exporting the goods made by them to gaining wealth. America’s economy became agriculturally stable and soon industrialized. Europe and the Americas economies were affected in a positive way. However, Africa’s economy received a negative effect. Many, for years lived in fear due to slavery. African villages became small and poor. All of the kingdoms that were strong at one time, collapsed and were conquered. They received raw material goods from the slave trade but with nothing shown. The African kings prospered only because they were heavily involved in the slave trade. As the kings’ wealth grew, their economy was at a standstill and eventually failed. The Atlantic slave trade, human cruelty and evil at its finest, had a substantial effect on Europe, the Americas and Africa (www. understandingslavery. com).

Children With Behavioral Disorders in Single Parent Homes Essays

Unfortunately, we live in a world were economic times are tough. It can be a struggle for parents to adequately support children - especially if there is only one parent. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development about 15.9 percent of children world wide live in single-parent households. In the United states alone there are approximately 13.7 million single parents today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today). The question we must ask is, What struggles and psychological effect does separation and divorce have on the parents as well as the children? Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties. In most countries divorce requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process. The legal process for divorce may also involve issues of spousal support, child custody, child support, distribution of property and division of debt. Shared custody is awarded in approximately twenty percent of all divorce child custody cases. When shared custody is not awarded, the court will award one parent sole custody of the child. A court may also award a parent joint custody. Joint custody is a court order whereby custody of a child is awarded to both parties. In joint custody both parents are "custodial parents" and neither parent is a non-custodial parent; or, in other words, the child has two custodial parents. Seventy percent of all child custody cases name the mother as the custodial parent. A â€Å"b roken family† will effect the mother, father and child in different ways; with mothers usua... ...1%) as likely to have one or more total problems than those from two-parent families, twice as likely to have an emotional disorder, etc(National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth ). Works Cited See e.g., Cal. Fam. Code sect. 3004 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=fam&group=02001-03000&file=3000-3007 1988 Census "Child Support and Alimony: 1989 Series" P-60, No. 173 p.6-7, and "U.S. General Accounting Office Report" GAO/HRD-92-39FS January 1992 Center for Disease Control National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools Fulton County Georgia Jail Populations and Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992 GROWING UP IN CANADA, National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 89-550-MPE, no.1, November 1996, p. 91) Available from StatCan.

Colloid Cysts, Physical and Personal Impacts on Patient and Spouse :: Medical Medicine Papers

Colloid Cysts, Physical and Personal Impacts on Patient and Spouse Introduction: The patient is a 45 year old male who was in a car accident that involved alcohol on July 29, 2004. I have known the patient for three years and will be referring to aspects of the patient that I know to be true, but am unable to cite all details due to learning them via the dynamics of the relationship. The patient and the patients’ spouse have requested complete anonymity for the purpose of this paper. The car accident resulted in a series of injuries for the patient which were a fractured pelvis, a lacerated bladder, internal organ bruising, a moderate concussion, and sciatic nerve palsy (nerve damage). The moderate concussion was determined by a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan which also showed the colloid cyst. The patient believes he was made aware of the cyst; however his memories are not absolute and the spouse was not made aware at the same time. The cyst was mentioned (again) at the end of September and the brain surgery happened on February 13, 2005, six and a half months later. This series of interviews has occurred during the two months after the surgery. (Patient, Patient Spouse, personal communication, April, 27, 2005) Symptoms: The patient was suffering from intense dizzy spells for a year prior to the car accident. The patient is a licensed chiropractor and as he put it, â€Å"Doctors make the worst patients†, so he rationalized the dizziness and never expressed a need or desire to medically investigate it. The patient had not been experiencing the most common symptom, a headache. (Patient, Patient Spouse, personal communication, April 28, 2005) In the literature about colloid cysts there is a high prevalence of symptomatic headaches in the patients, often it is the headaches the patients are trying to resolve when the colloid cyst is discovered. (www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia) The car accident fractured the patient’s pelvis so the treating physicians rebuilt his pelvis and began physical therapy before they scheduled the colloid cyst surgery. It was at this time the patients spouse learned about the cyst; it had been two months since its discovery. After becoming aware of the cyst, the patient presented with mild headaches. (Patient Spouse, personal communication, April 28, 2005) Surgery: The surgery occurred six and a half months after the CAT scan.

Database Implementation Plan for Riordan Manufacturing

Database Implementation Plan for Riordan Manufacturing Riordan Manufacturing has asked our firm, LTB and Associates, to develop a web-based plan to be used as a Business-to-Business web site in order to purchase materials from their vendors. We have examined Riordan’s products and business systems, interviewed Riordan’s employees, and have determined the best course of action to implement the plan. Riordan Manufacturing is a plastics manufacturer based in several locations across the world. With three plants based in the continental US, which are located in Albany, Georgia; Pontiac Michigan; and in San Jose, California, which is the company headquarters. A fourth plant is located in Hangzhou, China will not be part of the plan as they purchase materials locally. This where we explain how the database will be set up. Refer to the ERD, Sequence diagram, Use Case diagram, and Class Diagram that follow [pic] [pic] The following paragraphs will describe the considerations that Riordan Manufacturing will need to make in implementing the database plan.Database Management System and Data Where ever it is possible to for our firm to do so, LTB and Associates will make a recommendation on the choice to make. In order to implement the database properly, these recommendations should be implemented in order to offer the tightest amount of security that will be possible. Type of Online Processing Riordan Manufacturing will need to decide between real-time asynchronous processing and batch processing. Real-time asynchronous processing is applicable when the processing must be performed immediately or when the results must eventually be communicated back to an on-line user. One of the problems with real-time processing is that real-time timers and events are required; they are expensive as the computer resources that are used to raise, maintain and check events. Another problem with timer or even processes is that they create locking problems as they may contend with on-line processes for resources and for access the same data. Batch solutions are ideal for processing that is not real-time event based. Batch processes are data-centric and can efficiently process large volumes of data off-line without affecting the company’s on-line system. Batch processing will allow business function to execute on a periodic or recurring basis; or it can operate over data that matches a given criteria. After studying Riordan Manufacturing’s Inventory and Supply Chain processes, the recommendation is for the company to go with batch processing for replenishment of raw materials for the operations. With daily reporting of the materials used at the end of each manufacturing run as the current method of inventory control, batch processing will work well. While real-time processing works well for online shopping, it is not the best approach to take for this application. Access Privileges Normally it is not considered a good security risk to grant access to individuals/companies who are located outside of the normal company network and/or firewall. But in order to provide a better integration of the database between Riordan Manufacturing and vendors/suppliers it is necessary to allow limited access. Riordan shall determine the types of privileges to grant to vendors. These privileges include (a) view, (b) insert, (c) update, and (d) delete (logical deletion only). Riordan shall also determine the type of data vendor should be able to access. The data should only relate to the materials that have been used in the daily manufacturing run; materials that have been previously placed on order; and the estimated projections of materials needed for the upcoming week. This will allow both Riordan Manufacturing and the suppliers to determine the present and short-term inventory needs. Bandwidth High speed access of the Internet has decreased in cost in recent years and the increased utility and the increased ease of use versus the cost of acquiring and maintaining the access has become more financially feasible. LTB and Associates recommend that Riordan acquire the appropriate bandwidth that will allow for the effective flow of information and which will support concurrent access of the company database. Security With the ever-growing threats that are present in the web-based global economy, there is an increased awareness of security. This includes both corporate and political terrorism as well as the knowledgeable lone user bent on mischief. LTB and Associates recommend that the administration plan should ensure that there are methods of data security implemented as information travels over the internet. An effective firewall should be implemented to deny access to unauthorized people. Data should be encrypted. Whenever possible, a Virtual Private Network be established between Riordan Manufacturing and the larger and more critical suppliers Database Administration Plan To ensure the productivity, continuity, and performance of the database for Riordan, proper maintenance, database backup, and change management procedures must be developed and implemented. The database must be backed up regularly in case the system needs to be restored due to data corruption or the loss of the data center due to natural or man-made disasters. Database backups are also critical for testing upgrades, fixes, and enhancements that will need to be migrated into production. Periodic maintenance is also a key to database performance and continuity. Applying operating system patches and security updates to the servers that house the databases help keep the software updated and the servers performing efficiently. Consistent re-indexing of the database can help keep performance high as the database grows in size. Another very important part of administering a database is change management. Database upgrades, fixes, and enhancements must be tested and implemented in a manner that minimizes potential errors, disruption to users, and preserves an audit trail for troubleshooting and compliance issues. Database Backup Plan In order to minimize potential data loss and downtime, the database will be backed up each night and stored in a secure location on the network. Storing the backups on the network will help facilitate transferring the backup to the disaster recovery site. Once the backup is created and stored on the network, a copy will be encrypted and transmitted to the disaster recovery ite. The backup can then be easily restored at the disaster recovery site as needed, or used in a development environment for testing upgrades, fixes, and enhancements. Database administrators will also have the ability to create backups as needed for testing or emergency purposes. Database backups will be restored to the disaster recovery database at least bi-monthly to verify that the backups are generating correctly and that the disaster recovery-restore process is working as it should. Maintenance Plan Once a month, the database servers will undergo scheduled maintenance. Operating system patches, security updates, and database application patches will be applied to the hardware housing the database in order to ensure the system is kept up to date. Database hardware will also undergo diagnostic checks to ensure everything is working properly. At this time the database will also be re-indexed to preserve performance as the database grows. The patches, security updates, and database application patches will be applied to the development servers one week prior to implementation on the production server. Applying the maintenance related patches to the development system a week prior to implementation in the production system will allow time to monitor the development systems for any issues resulting from the patches and ensure the patches are safe to install into production. For emergency maintenance issues such as hardware failures or power outages, the disaster recovery database will be restored from the latest production backup and work should be closely coordinated with the server team to ensure proper procedures are followed. Change Management The backbone to any administration plan is change management. Maintenance, database backups, upgrades, and other events must be carefully tested, planned, and executed to minimize potential consequences including data corruption and downtime, and changes must be closely tracked to preserve the integrity of the database, maintain a log of changes for troubleshooting potential issues, and ensure proper testing and compliance controls are met. The database team will use Microsoft’s Visual Source Safe (VSS) as the main tool for version control. Patches, fix scripts, and any other code that applies to the databases will be stored in VSS and roper code check in and check out procedures will be followed to ensure the proper code changes are migrated to the database. Only database administrators will have the ability to migrate changes to the databases. Developers can check out and modify code, but cannot implement any changes in the databases. All changes will be properly tested in a development database and signed off on by the appropriate par ties. A network of IT and business â€Å"approvers† will be established for each business area (for example: accounting, procurement, sales, etc. ) and will be responsible for signing off on changes that affect their particular areas. There will be at least one main approver and one backup approver that are subject matter experts for their respective business areas so that all areas utilizing the database will have a representative. Approvers will be the preferred testers, but other users may test changes as long as the approvers review the test results prior to signing off on the test. Signoff for changes will be obtained via email using a template that details the change to be made, a tracking number for the change, and the location in VSS where the change is stored, so that the database administrators will be able to pull the change directly from VSS for implementation. Database administrators will not proceed with migration of a change until all appropriate approvers have responded in the affirmative. Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) While preparing a disaster recovery plan (DRP), it is essential to think about the hardware, software and data that will be used to allow for an organization to continue operations in the event of a natural disaster or a disaster caused by human hands. In considering the idea of protection of the database, this plan will not only help preserve the company’s investment but also secure the customers faith in Riordan. Some companies spend some 25% of their information technology budget on disaster recovery plans. LTB and Associates recommends the implementation of a DRP. The cost of implantation and the subsequent maintenance versus the cost of a data loss is negligible in the impact it would have. The first step in drafting a disaster recovery plan is conducting a thorough risk analysis of the database systems. Make a list all the possible threats to system operation and evaluate the likelihood of their occurrence. The threats can include electronic-based; such as virus attacks or data deletions, deliberate or accidental; and natural disasters, such as fire, flood, storm or earthquake. Once the threats have been identified and ranked in likelihood of occurrence; what can be done to minimize or limit the impact from these disasters. The more preventative actions we can establish in the beginning the better. It is better to take a proactive rather than a reactive approach in determining and documenting the DRP. The recovery procedure will be written in a detailed plan defining the roles and responsibilities of the IT staff. Defining how to compensate for the loss of various aspects of the network (databases, servers, communications links, etc. ) and specify who will arrange for these repairs and how the data recovery process will occur. Communication Plan During a disaster situation, all parts of the communication plan should be cleared with a central location. All information should be reviewed by management before being released. LTB and Associates recommend that the following steps be implemented. 1. Communication methods need to be established in advance. (Wireless or satellite telephone systems, email address, etc†¦) 2. Develop templates for press releases, and include the skill sets of key employees, customer information, supplier information. Include maps of locations that may be difficult to communicate in. Develop logs that can be used to track incoming and outgoing communications. 3. Make sure that these processes are easy to understand. 4. Develop a contingency plan should the computer network where data is stored is damaged. Use text files and several copies in different storage devices and store this information in a remote server or on removable media which is then stored offsite. 5. Determine what is to be considered as privileged/proprietary information; establish which levels of management and the key personnel to have access to the information; and the approvals for accessing the information 6. Develop a set of detailed documents and instructions that can be shared with employees. . Establish a set of technology based tools. 8. Develop a detailed training plan; be sure to include all key personnel, top management and support personnel that can interface with customer and/or suppliers. 9. Develop relationships with News Service agencies. 10. Establish and train employees as observers to watch for individuals with microphones and notepads; make sure they are aware of the proper channels of communications. 11. D o plan periodic mock scenarios and drills of disasters in order to review the DRP. LTB and Associates recommends that the follow items be purchased, maintained, implemented, and stringently adhered to at every Riordan Manufacturing plant in the continental USA. †¢ Prevention Plan †¢ An electronic manual. †¢ A printed hardcopy manual. †¢ Data and Software Backups †¢ Daily backups, local to each plant and stored offsite. †¢ Weekly backup, to be performed system-wide by the Atlanta, Georgia plant and stored offsite. †¢ Storage area networks. †¢ Surge Protectors and Power Supply Fault Switches. †¢ Anti Virus, Firewall and Security Software. †¢ Fire Prevention and Detection Smoke detectors and fire alarm systems. †¢ Fire extinguishers. †¢ Review and update insurance policies for all facilities and equipment. Disaster Recovery Process. In the event of a disaster occurring at any Riordan Manufacturing plant the following steps should be taken to restore the operation of the system to normal operation. The steps c an apply to any and all sites. 1. Contact the proper level of management and notify pertinent personnel a. Determine if the equipment is functional and has suffered no damage. b. Repair or replace the equipment as needed per the situation. 2. Retrieve the latest weekly backup from the Atlanta, Georgia server and/or facility. (Note – if the Atlanta plant is the affected plant, retrieve the last weekly back up from the offsite storage facility) 3. Restore the database to the server. Perform a system check for proper operation. 4. Retrieve the latest daily backup from the offsite storage facility. 5. Restore the database to the server. Perform a system check for proper operation. 6. Retrieve and key in any pertinent data that was recorded on hardcopy sources from the affected plant and double check accuracy with personnel if possible.