Federal Protective Service (FPS) Research Paper

Federal Protective Service (FPS) - Research Paper Example Today, the question that remains is whether the DHS has served its role by ensuring high security standards, or if it has failed to perform its role as a security body (Haulley, 2005). The Federal Protective Services (FPS) is under the DHS, and serves the purpose of providing security and services of law enforcement to the federal buildings, property, facilities, and other state assets. In order to serve this purpose, FPS has a mission statement that emphasizes their purpose and objectives, which are mainly concerned with security. FPS has therefore, employed close to 1,300 employees. These comprise of police officers, criminal investigators, support personnel, and law enforcement security officers. In addition, FPS has contracted approximately 15,000 security guards, who are in charge of the security of more than 9,000 buildings and their occupants (Haulley, 2005). In order to offer protection and security to federal facilities and personnel, FPS employs a variety of security measur es, found in its physical security program. These include installation of magnetometers, alarm systems, as well as entry control systems, which are operational in federal buildings every day. In addition, the FPS provides uniformed police response to security concerns, and provides follow-ups on such concerns through further investigations. Different seminars on crime prevention are offered to a variety of agencies by the FPS, depending on their organizational needs. FPS has hoped that all these will propel it to becoming a world-class security agency (Goldstein, 2009). In providing buildings security and protection of other critical infrastructure, the FPS uses strategies that enable detection, deterrence, disruption, and investigation of threats using authorities concerned with law enforcement. Additionally, FPS mainly relies on its risk management program, which is supposed to be set to the standards of Interagency Security Committee and the National Infrastructure Protection Pla n. Additionally, FPS ensures effective communication and coordination among its law enforcement personnel, by using the MegaCenter, its central communication point (Goldstein, 2009). Although the FPS works to ensure the security of federal buildings, it has not come up with comprehensive measures to address the security concerns in these buildings. For instance, the software FPS has adopted for security inspections is ineffective in achieving high security standards. The Modified Infrastructure Survey Tool (Mist) is a security software that FPS used to inspect federal buildings and expose any security threats. This included simplistic tests, which were then uploaded in a centralized database, after recommendations from the software. This software was unreliable, as it did not allow for comparison of security risks, between different federal buildings. Additionally, this software cannot address terrorism threats, since it lacks the capability to factor their potential consequences (G oldstein, 2009). Apart from Mist, the FPS developed another system called the Risk Assessment and Management Program (Ramp), which would be used to test federal buildings for security threats, but equally failed. In its initial use, this software caused the mysterious loss of recorded inspections from its database. In addition, ramp could not connect to its servers in remote areas. Therefore, the inspectors lacked a way of ensuring that the

Heritage Assesment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Heritage Assesment - Essay Example Father-? Mother _____ 7. How old were you when you came to the United States? 5 years old 8. How old were your parents when they came to the United States? Mother -35 Father -38 9. When you were growing up, who lived with you?- Mother 10. Have you maintained contact with? a. Aunts, uncles, cousins? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ b. Brothers and sisters? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ c. Parents? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ d. Your own children? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ 11. Did most of your aunts, uncles, cousins live near your home? (1) Yes _____ (2) No-? 12. Approximately how often did you visit your family members who lived outside your home? (1) Daily _____ (2) Weekly _____ (3) Monthly _____ (4) Once a year or less-? (5) Never _____ 13. Was your original family name changed? (1) Yes _____ (2) No-? 14. What is your religious preference? (1) Catholic-? (2) Jewish _____ (3) Protestant _____ (4) Denomination (5) Other _____ (6) None _____ 15. Is your spouse the same religion as you? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ 1 6. Is your spouse the same ethnic background as you? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ 17. What kind of school did you go to? (1) Public _____ (2) Private-? (3) Parochial _____ 18. As an adult, do you live in a neighborhood where the neighbors are the same religion and ethnic background as yourself? (1) Yes _____ (2) No _?____ 19. Do you belong to a religious institution? (1) Yes-? (2) No- 20. Would you describe yourself as an active member? (1) Yes-? (2) No- 21. How often do you attend your religious institution? (1) More than once a week _____ (2) Weekly-? (3) Monthly _____ (4) Special holidays only _____ (5) Never _____ 22. Do you practice your religion at home? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ (3) Praying-? (4) Bible reading _____ (5) Diet _____ (6) Celebrating religious holidays _____ 23. Do you prepare foods of your ethnic background? (1) Yes _____ (2) No _?____ 24. Do you participate in ethnic activities? (1) Yes _____ (2) No-? (If yes, please verify) (3) Singing _____ (4) Holiday celebrations __ ___ (5) Dancing _____ (6) Festivals _____ (7) Costumes _____ (8) Other _____ 25. Are your friends from the same religious background as you? (1) Yes _____ (2) No-? 26. Are your friends from the same ethnic background as you? (1) Yes _____ (2) No-? 27. What is your native language? American English 28. Do you speak this language? (1) Prefer-? (2) Occasionally _____ (3) Rarely _____ 29. Do you read your native language? (1) Yes-? (2) No _____ Source: (Spector, 2000). Usefulness of Applying a Heritage Assessment Heritage Assessment Tool is regarded as an instrument which specifically identifies variable characteristics of a person, his/her family background and individual needs along with preferences as well. It is often viewed to be a quite useful tool facilitating in identifying the living habits and the daily patterns of an individual by a considerable level. It also helps in determining the requirements of people or individuals by measuring their respective personal traits resultin g in developing their individual assessments at large (Alters & Schiff, 2009). From the particular Heritage Assessment tool which is taken into concern in this paper, it has been learned that I belong from a highly influential religious background and my topmost preferred language is American English. It has also been duly noticed that I am a pious person who devotes his time in performing all kinds of religious activities. It is also realized that I kept close contacts with my near and dear ones. I seemed to have friends

Forecasts of Demand Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forecasts of Demand - Assignment Example So, how do companies prepare for growth while still acknowledging that this forecast might not materialise? How do these estimates, which are a rough estimate of the actual demand or sometimes the mirror image of the market conditions, affect human resource, capacity, and the supply-chain management? How does this forecast influence the flexibility of these three important factors in manufacturing whether weekly, monthly or annually? The paper discusses the role of Operations Management, its framework and concepts while developing an appreciation for the operational processes, techniques, planning, and control systems. It also demonstrates the application of appropriate measures and the techniques for planning and production control. It is further classified under the three items for discussion for precision and clarity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the residential statistics for June 2013 showed that privately-owned housing units were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 911,000. This was 7.5% below the May rate of 985,000 but stood at 16.1% above the June 2012 estimate of 78500. The single-family authorisations were at 624,000, which was a 1.2 percent increase from the 620,000 in May. The industry is a replica of other organisations in terms of the forecasts from previous years to current times, and from current years to the future. In Ontario Canada, the houses were trending at 184,514 units in June compared to 184,087 in May. This is according to statistics from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). According to Mathieu Laberge, the Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC, they use this trend to measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more comple te picture of the state of the housing market. In some situations, however, Mathieu acknowledges that the data or projections

Significant event in your life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Significant event in your life - Assignment Example My liking for horses became stronger with every passing day. I repeatedly asked my parents to get me a horse, but they kept giving me the same answer: that a horse was expensive, and that I needed money that I would use to was and feed it. This information almost dashed my hopes of ever riding a horse, let alone owning one. I reverted to my television shows, every day seeing someone on horseback, galloping away. Somewhere deep down in my heart I knew that one day I would ride a horse across the plains and into the jungle. A few years later, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I was taking a walk in the country. The air was humid and the sky was clear. The strong wind blew dust into my eyes as I turned my eyes towards a group of people gathered in some field. I quickly rubbed my eyes to have a clearer view. On looking, I saw a group of people on horsebacks and in helmets, with a stick that appeared to be a hockey stick, chasing at a ball-like thing. I innocently inquired from a stranger what they were doing, and the stranger whispered the word ‘Polo’. I decided to go back home, excited at hearing a new word which I was sure was connected to the horses that I had just seen. I searched the dusty magazines that my father stacked in the library adjacent to his room. At first, I almost gave up because of the huge piles of books, some of which spread all over the floor. I took a deep sigh and embarked on my search. Almost an hour later, I found an old magazine, tattered at the borders. The magazine was in bad shape; the cover page, which had a woman in a helmet that resembled the ones I had seen the riders in earlier that day, had coffee spilt all over it, some pages were missing from the inside and some were folded at the edges. I dusted it off and looked inside. That was my first encounter with Polo. Since that day, I always talked about Polo with every chance I would get. I kept saying to my friends that I wanted to play Polo

Forecasts of Demand Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forecasts of Demand - Assignment Example So, how do companies prepare for growth while still acknowledging that this forecast might not materialise? How do these estimates, which are a rough estimate of the actual demand or sometimes the mirror image of the market conditions, affect human resource, capacity, and the supply-chain management? How does this forecast influence the flexibility of these three important factors in manufacturing whether weekly, monthly or annually? The paper discusses the role of Operations Management, its framework and concepts while developing an appreciation for the operational processes, techniques, planning, and control systems. It also demonstrates the application of appropriate measures and the techniques for planning and production control. It is further classified under the three items for discussion for precision and clarity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the residential statistics for June 2013 showed that privately-owned housing units were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 911,000. This was 7.5% below the May rate of 985,000 but stood at 16.1% above the June 2012 estimate of 78500. The single-family authorisations were at 624,000, which was a 1.2 percent increase from the 620,000 in May. The industry is a replica of other organisations in terms of the forecasts from previous years to current times, and from current years to the future. In Ontario Canada, the houses were trending at 184,514 units in June compared to 184,087 in May. This is according to statistics from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). According to Mathieu Laberge, the Deputy Chief Economist at CMHC, they use this trend to measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more comple te picture of the state of the housing market. In some situations, however, Mathieu acknowledges that the data or projections

High School Cliques Essay Example for Free

High School Cliques Essay The school environment causes natural polarization of peoples with similar backgrounds, attitudes, or any other factors that would form certain peer groups, or ‘cliques’. This is particularly observable in the High School setting, as the predominant social groups are composed of adolescents who are beginning their socialization process. This socialization forms various groupings or factions that are highly noticeable in High School. The modern media, who continually builds on and establish the perceived cliques and groups in movies, shows, and other media venues, is repeatedly echoing the reality. This has created stereotypes of High School cliques, such as: (1) the popular group, (2) athletes, (3) nerds, (4) racial segregation, (5) pop-culture groups like rockers and hip-hop, (6) outcasts, and (7) other groups. The converging elements of a particular faction can be varied and numerous. These cliques can be students who eat together, or hang out with each other after class. Racial profile can also be a strong factor, as with the social class and background. Even personal preference and culture can bring together different kinds of peoples. High school youth converge because of the reason that they find something in common with the group that they are with. The first clique in High School is the popular student. Usually they are the student leaders or even cheerleaders and well-known members of the student body. They can be socially advantaged as they are driving newer cars or organizing fancier parties. They can be part of the group on the merit that they are simply popular in the batch. These students are usually the first ones remembered and recalled in reunions or gatherings. They are seen as role models, or at the other extreme, a source of jealousy and hatred. The second group, the athletes, can overlap with this first group, because basketball and football players can be highly popular in High School. Another High School clique are the nerds, who are the most participative in class or gets the highest grades in any subject. They would congregate in the canteen and converse about math or politics or any other academic topic. They are stereotyped as being shy and wearing big glasses, and are very grade conscious and studious. Apart from this group, other cliques can be divided according to culture lines, like rockers or hip-hops. They are usually secluded and non-conventionalists, and would gather on their own parties and gatherings. Another notable group are outcasts, who are usually the but of jokes, and would have severe emotional and psychological problems. Some would also note that racial background would be a strong determinant in formation of cliques. Asians or African Americans or Caucasians would most likely hang-out with each other, which does not imply discrimination, but merely cultural identification. They also form different and very distinguishable cliques in High School. High School is the stage of life wherein social interaction is at its most dynamic, as young adolescents are placed in a social environment outside their homes, and forced to polarize into different groups. Although these High School cliques can be regarded as mere stereotypes that may not always necessary be apparent in a social context, there is a ring of truth in the observations. Since the school is a hodgepodge of different backgrounds and cultures, it is natural for the youth to find people they are familiar and comfortable with. This reality, coupled with media hype, reinforces the perception that different High School cliques do exist.

Intercultural Communication Advantages and Disadvantages

Intercultural Communication Advantages and Disadvantages Intercultural Communication Implication Intercultural communication is defined as situated communication between individuals or groups of different linguistic and cultural origins (Millar, n.d.). Communication is the active relationship established between people through language, and intercultural means that this communicative relationship is between people of different cultures, where culture is the structured manifestation of human behavior in social life within specific national and local contexts (Millar, n.d.). Hence, in this happens, if communication does not proceed smoothly or have some misunderstanding, people may tend to make implicit judgment that the other person does not know how to act appropriately or is not a good person (Matsumoto Juang, 2007). However, people from different society, cultures, and countries interact with each other in the exchange process (Yearwood, 2012). So, internationalization became an important for higher education in the new century (Yearwood, 2012). This is because people believe incorporating an intercultural into the teaching and other functions of the institution, then the entire environment of the institution shifts to that of an international one, whereby it is aligned with international protocols, and its national as well as international standards are strengthened (Yearwood, 2012). Besides that, people willing to open to the challenge, it can help to increasing interacting with those who may not share the same cultural and social norms (Mckeiver, 2013). Intercultural interactions provide benefits, but only if we are open to confronting the barriers that may hinder our success (Mckeiver, 2013). About this, some schools are more welcoming internationalization, because of the many benefits it of fers them such as they are able to build their reputation as a world-renowned institution and recruit international students (Yearwood, 2012). Advantages Effective intercultural communication is vital to not only the establishment, but also the maintenance of positive intergroup relations (Yearwood, 2012). Thus, people must see themselves as possibly engaged in communication and capable of giving and receiving feedback (Yearwood, 2012). For example Muslims strong sense of community, spirituality and hospitality are oft cited qualities of virtue (Payne, 2006). Similarly Muslims worldwide regularly praise the Wests technological achievements, respect for equality before the law and queuing (Payne, 2006). Apart from that, both sides also share similar principles, ideas, and other (Payne, 2006). Besides that, people are believed these factors to be critical to intercultural communication competence, it can increased cultural knowledge and awareness, communication skills, and tolerance for ambiguity (Yearwood, 2012). For example students who engage in intercultural interactions tend to experience gains in communication skills, the ability to empathize and openness to new ideas (Mckeiver, 2013). Moreover, intercultural interactions also increased individuals’ likelihood to challenge personal beliefs and embrace new perspectives and allows us opportunities to practice variations of our intercultural advising style in order to see what works is better for students (Mckeiver, 2013). Disadvantages However, intercultural communication may provide cons. Sometimes, international students experience feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about how to integrate into their host society (Yearwood, 2012). International students often question the deeds that prescribe social norms, in their host country and whether or not they are adhering to these norms (Yearwood, 2012). In regards to international students, all of these differences, between the host country and their country of origin, can result in incompatibility among students, intercultural conflicts, and social alienation (Yearwood, 2012). Furthermore, some findings suggest that some schools may express concerns about issues such as a student’s language ability, they tend to lack empathy for the life challenges students are experiencing, including their emotional and psychological well-being, but some schools did not consider their role in contributing to these behaviors, and instead blamed the students for lacking critical thinking skills and other negative things (Mckeiver, 2013). Besides that, if it is the culture of the host country or dominant society to marginalize minority groups, then the minority groups will have less successful relationships and more conflicts in their interactions (Yearwood, 2012). For example, in an experiment, some American students’ reaction to international students is willing befriend with internationals students, while others will not (Yearwood, 2012). Moreover, research also found the domestic staff and students exhibited greater prejudice against international students by thinking of them as â€Å"sad, lonely and other negative words† (Mckeiver, 2013). The level of prejudice varies depending on the student’s home country (Mckeiver, 2013). So, when students lack confidence in their communication skills, or intenational students facing the experience of negative interactions with the host culture, international students may be unwilling to seek guidance when they need it (Mckeiver, 2013). So, it will provide cons of intercultural communication in international students. Recommendation Intercultural Communication refers to communication between people of different cultural background (Matsumoto Juang, 2007). Its means people from another culture bring with own verbal language. Thus, if communication does not proceed smoothly or have some misunderstanding, people may tend to make implicit judgment that the other person does not know how to act appropriately or is not a good person (Matsumoto Juang, 2007). Moreover, Intercultural Communication may provide benefit in society. For example, if people who willing to confronting the barriers of intercultural communicaton, it can help to increasing interacting with those who may not share the same cultural and social norms (Mckeiver, 2013). Besides that, it can also increase cultural knowledge and awareness, communication skills, and tolerance for ambiguity (Yearwood, 2012). On the other hand, for international students, all of these differences, between the host country and their country of origin, can result in intercultural conflicts, and social alienation (Yearwood, 2012). Besides that, international students also more exhibited greater prejudice in the host country (Mckeiver, 2013).Therefore, improving the intercultural communication may be able to deal the cultural shock. Experience different cultures regularly can improve the intercultural communication. About this, traveling is the best way to inspire curiosity about other cultures (Mcmahon, 2011). People visiting different kinds of restaurants can also exposure to different cultures (Mcmahon, 2011). Furthermore, join the social groups for international professionals or even attend plays, or watch movies that are from another culture also will increase the variety of cultures that people encounter in the daily life (Mcmahon, 2011). Lastly, involvement of others also is one of the ways to improve the intercultural communication. People should be always ensuring that members from other cultural backgrounds are involved in daily communication in order to learn and understand each other’s cultures (Brown, 2013). For example, Working together with members of other cultures breeds an ease with them (Brown, 2013). This gives rise to a common ground to understanding each other, the way each person communicates and how they use non-verbal communication (Brown, 2013). Besides that, involvement of others helps the understanding of the context of usage of certain words and symbols and helps one to understand how different messages are interpreted by different communities (Brown, 2013).