Rapid growth of technology

Rapid growth of technology EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the current season, the rapid growth of technology, communication and especially the large volume of information have led many companies and organizations to use IT systems for the management and the safety of information. The main objective of this project is to implement a complete security assessment of the private hospital  «Elpis ». The firms which effectively allocate their resources for the better understanding of the risks they face, can more easily avoid unexpected situations and release resources in other directions and profitable activities (i.e. new investments), that otherwise would have potentially rejected as very dangerous. Therefore, the adoption of procedures that focus on Risk Analysis and Management can substantially help firms to prevent or control risky situations. Once, firms have identified an efficient way to measure the relationship between their risk and rewards they could significantly improve their current operations or find new profitable activities. This project investigates the risks related to the security of the hospital  «Elpis ». Specifically, it focuses on the hospital organization, the sources of operational risks and provides detail description of available technologies that can ensure the management and control of these risks. The hospital is located in Athens having two other subsidiaries called  «Mitera » in Chalkida. We know that the private hospitals interchange important medical information concerning their patients. The central IT department is established in Athens dealing with various services such as the patient registration data, patient diagnoses, management of medical information, other data saving, etc. On the other hand, the IT department in  «Mitera » hospital is obsolete with limited ability to send and receive large volume of data. Therefore, this project aims to investigate all the required procedures that can ensure the integrity and confidentiality of medical information transmission betw een the hospitals and the incessant operation of the IT services.  «Elpis » hospital is constituted by five departments: the Administrative Department, the Human Recourses Department, and Finance Department, the Secretariat-motion of Patient Department and the IT Department, while  «Mitera » hospital is organized into two departments, the Secretariat-motion of Patient Department and the IT Department. We analyse the IT department of  «Elpis » hospital which employs the head of the IT department, a network administrator, a medical software administrator, a database administrator and an information security administrator. Our analysis reveals some rules and practices that can ensure the information safety in the private hospital. Also, we have recognized significant sources of risk come from the outside environment and individuals that work in the hospital. The results of this report can be used in the improvement of medical information safety and the minimization of the possible risks. Next, we present the potential technological solutions that the hospital can adopt at a total financial cost of EURO 5000. They include the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Antivirus, Spyware, Adware and firewall, Implementation of RAID 5, automatic fire detection mechanisms, emergency generator UPS, automatic Air conditioning control, User policy and Password policy. DETAILED ANALYSIS Description of the companys IT infrastructure In this section, we present organizational structure of  «Elpis » and  «Mitera » hospitals as well as their software part of their network. We continuous our analysis using the CRAMM methodology in order to uncover the threats and weaknesses of the IT departments. Finally, we present possible solutions that can face all these risks relevant with the operation of the IT department. The private hospital  «Elpis » is located in Athens at a building consist of 3 floors. In the first floor we find the hospitals administration and a computer room with the IT equipment. In the second floor is the pathological and chirurgical clinic, the secretariat of the clinics and the medical library. The third floor accommodates the cardiologic clinic, the secretariat of the clinic and the room of telemedicine. All the offices for each roof are connected to the same LAN. The organisational structure of private hospital  «Elpis » is constituted by five departments: The Administrative Department: has the total administrative responsibility of hospital. It applies the strategic decisions and rules which are taken through the administrative council. It aims in the appropriate allocation of responsibilities to employees and to provide the maximum good working environment. It has the responsibility for complaints and the implementation of regulation. The Human Recourses Department: Arrange for any matter relating to the official status of the hospital staff, as well as for the monitoring, organizing and control the personnel of all services of the hospital. The Finance Department: the care for the study of the economic needs of the hospital, and its contribution to preparing the budget of the hospital, making the expenditure, the liquidation of personnel acceptances and remaining compensations, procurement, management and storage of supplies and materials that needed to operate the hospital, the training of balance-sheet and assessment, the responsibility for the safeguarding of hospital fortune and the observation of economic statistical elements. The Secretariat-motion of Patient Department: arrange for any matter relating to the organization of secretarial support according with the decisions of management and other services at the hospital. It arranges the publication of tickets for admission of the sick, and compliance with waiting list admission. Also, it keeps detailed statistics of nursing movement and it grants certificates in the patients, afterwards the submission of relative application. The IT Department: has the responsibility for the organisation and operation of computerisation, processing and maintenance of computerized statistical data, providing and distribution of information in the services of hospital, in the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Social Welfare and in other relevant bodies and each other relevant work. It is responsible to research new technologies with aim to save money and increase productivity of the hospital. It provide technical support and training in the employees of hospital for each technology program that using. Also it is responsible for the security of IT programs and IT hardware. The IT infrastructure of hospital  «Elpis » consists of servers which running the medical application or others services and the ability to store all data, the network equipment (switches-Ethernet) which is used for connecting the computer room-servers and the personal computers of hospital staff and the firewall that is configured from the network administrator and monitor data traffic from the hospital on the Internet with specific criteria. In figure 1 presents the topology of the system. Hardware of Hospital Elpis: A Router (1 piece): The Router is a device which connects the workstation on the network of the hospital. The Router connects the local network of the hospital with the internet, using a leased line of 4 Mbps. Firewall (1 piece): The Firewall is a device or software that prevents access to or from a private network for which it was authorized. The Firewalls can also be applied to hardware and software, or a combination of both. It used to deter unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks. Also firewall controls the movement of data for the region that is responsible. Switch (4 pieces): a hardware device and used to connect different components in the same network. The switches cutting useless Internet traffic and allow you an affordable high-performance network. The switch is can be used for splitting the physical LAN in two small LANs. In network of hospital this switch splits the physical LAN in two small LANs. A central switch is connected with three other switches which connect the workstations. While another switch connects the servers. Database Server (1 peace): Database Server is a device that used by one or more machines as their database. By using a database server users of the hospital have the ability to manage and organize medical data Web Server (1 peace): O web server is a computer, allowing other computers to access files that manage, using the HTTP protocol (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). Please note that the basic web server administrator has the ultimate control of the server, unlike a simple user The Hospital uses Apache Server. Mail Server (1 peace): mail agent receives the e-mail from local users (incoming), and offered to surrender on outbound users. A computer dedicated to running such applications is also called a mail server. The transfer of medical results from the Mitera hospital to the hospital Elpis made via e-mails. Backup Server (1 peace): A Backup Server is a way to save your important medical files into one single compressed file. The best part of Backup Server is its affordable and you can transfer the compressed file onto another computer or hard drive. In addition, backup server has the possibility to administrate the tape backup machine. Tape Backup Machine (1 peace): Backup Machine provides the easiest way to backup your critical folders and files allowing access to local and network directories. The disk should be replaced at regular intervals and stored in a sheltered place. Workstastion PC (50): Each office holds, one or more desktop pc only for internal services access and development. Software of Hospital Elpis: Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Windows XP Professional ORACLE 8 The  «Mitera » hospital has a Secretariat-motion of Patient Department, the Pathological clinic and the IT department. The medical information (patients data, patient diagnoses, etc.) is exchanged between hospitals with web-hosting or email. The communication as achieved with an ADSL 4 Mbps. The technical characteristics (see figure 2) of  «Mitera » hospital are the same with  «Elpis » hospital. Hardware of  «Mitera » Hospital: A Router (1 piece), Firewall (1 piece) Switch (4 pieces) Mail Server (1 peace) Web Server (1 peace) Storage Devices (1): are used to store the medical data. The storage devices are one of the most important components of the computer system. Workstation Pc (5) Staff Members of the group will undertake to conduct the risk analysis in Chalkis hospital. They should be trained in project risk analysis in order to fulfill their goal. Specifically, the team has the following members: Director Management: He has the overall responsibility for the project in order to succeed. He is responsible for proper organization of the team and ultimately responsible for assessing the risk analysis. Chief: He is responsible for organizing team members. Has the responsibility to evaluate the job each team member. He is responsible for implementing the risk management program. Manager system and informations: they have the responsible for the integrity and availability of systems and information Security Department: they have the responsible for security programs and to identify risks and their eliminate with using the risk analysis Security Practitioners: they have the responsible for the evaluation of security requirements for each IT systems. Risk Analysis In the previous section we described the organizational and informational structure of  «Elpis » and  «Mitera » hospitals. Now, we are describing the assets that are classified into three categories: a) software assets, b) hardware assets and c) data assets. A system can be characterized as reliable and safe when it is: a) confidential: provide access only to authorized persons. They have access to important information (medical information, personal patient data), b) availability: the service that the IT facilities provide should be incessant, c) integrity: the system should be ready at any time to provide reliably any information. Also, the information should not change by unauthorized persons. Data assets The hospital manages important medical information. Thus, the access to the internal network should not be free and the communication between the hospitals should be characterized by safety and reliability. The data assets of private hospital  «Elpis » can contain the following: Patient Records: patient personal data (patient medical history) Personnel Records: staff personal data Financial Records: financial data concerning both hospitals Statistics records: statistical data related to the number of surgeries, patient entrances, deaths, etc. In this project, we perform a risk analysis and management for two data assets, the patient files and the statistical data. Hardware assets In this category, it is classified the physical assets like the equipment facilities, buildings. We focus our analysis on hardware assets. Specifically, the hardware assets of  «Elpis » hospital can be the followings: Application server: It is the most important part of the system. The medical application is installed on the application server where the medical data processing is implemented. Moreover, other staff and financial application are installed on the application server. Database server: It makes possible to the different software to ask for information, update and delete data. Backup server: It provide access to different saved data in the system relevant to medical data, patient personal data, staff data, and other general hospital data Mail server: It facilitates the interchange of mails between the  «Elpis » hospital and the hospital in Chalkida. Also, we perform a risk analysis and management for the most important hardware assets: application server and database server. Software assets This category of applications contains software that the staff of hospital uses for data processing. The software assets of private hospital  «Elpis » can be divided into: Staff Software: They are applications that manage data of hospital staff. They permit new records, delete of records and modifications. Patient folders Software: These applications manage data relevant to the patients (personal data patient medical history). Data Statistical analysis Software: They are applications that process statistical data and help in the creation of annual reports DETERMINATION OF COUNTERMEASURES In the above section was realised the analysis for the threats and the vulnerabilities for each assets (figure 3) . In this section we analyze the countermeasures which should be taken for each threat. In addition, we proposed solutions and technical relatively with the physical and hardware section as well as the architectures and security policies. The countermeasures will be supposed in such degree in order that the hospital working in an error-tolerant. Each employee will have the appropriate privileges in system, in relation to the work which he performs. The password policy should be changed. Users must renew the password once a month and use string passwords. For devices that contain important medical information that password should be changed once a week and the rights of the user accounts to be examined by managers every two weeks. As a reference the user policy should describe the rules that will prevent the user from illegal operations (even if accidental) aiming at the confidentiality of data. The company should implement a backup policy in order to store important medical information (patient file) and data which associated with the company (any company, personal information). The backups are major because theres a danger of losing important data from the disaster of equipment or external threats or by human error (deliberate or accidental). The backup will be made every day and in time that the workload of the hospital is small. Also it should be created a monthly backup that will be stored in a separate location, in case where the initial copies have been destroyed by a natural disaster or damage of equipment or human error. The storage of data will be realised with technical of Raid 5 because the price of the disc is significantly reduced and the costs of implementation Raid 5 is now within most organisms budgets. A measure that must be taken is the installation of an emergency generator UPS which will ensure continuous operation of IT equipment even if creates problems at the central UPS. Also an emergency generator UPS should be connected with the cooling system of the computer room. In the computer room there is a simple cooling system which may not ensure the proper operation of IT systems. The most effective measure is the installation of an completed cooling system which will have automatic air conditioning control with aim to minimize the risk of a sudden increase in temperature. The confidentiality and the data integrity is an important part of the hospital. The installation of IDS device provides control of the network and intrusion detection that can come from either inside or outside of hospital and detect violations of security policies. An IDS has the ability to produce reports on the above events. In addition, a measure that must be taken is the installation of completed fire protection equipment in all spaces of the hospital (patient rooms, offices, computer room). The fire system will have the ability to detect smoke or fire and more generally the change in the temperature also in case of emergency the possibility of telephone connection with the local fire station and the police. The education and training of hospital members in safety, confidentiality and organisation issues should are realised each 2 months. Thus, hospital members acquire feeling of personal responsibility and dexterities. Finally, it should be installed Software applications which will protect the network of hospital from malicious programs. The installation of Antivirus Spyware program will take place in server with a view to automatically install and update the antivirus programs on each workstation. CONCLUSION The main objective of this report was to evaluate safety in private hospital Elpis with the method of risk analysis. The hospital has implemented some measures for the correct and safe operation of hardware and software but these measures do not cover many of the threats. The most important areas that should provide the hospital are the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. These areas should be applied to a greater degree in the user policy and the security policy. Also, it should be implemented specific technologies which ensure in the hospital proper functioning. Access to sensitive patient information and medical research should be protected specifically by unauthorized persons. Finally, it suggested equipment to help in case of emergency.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 21

â€Å"It actually makes a horrible kind of sense,† Meredith said. They were in Isobel's family room, waiting for Dr. Alpert. Meredith was at a beautiful desk made of some black wood ornamented with designs in gilt, working at a computer that had been left on. â€Å"The Salem girls accused people of hurting them – witches, of course. They said they were pinching them and  ¡Ã‚ ®pricking them with pins.'† â€Å"Like Isobel blaming us,† Bonnie said, nodding. â€Å"And they had seizures and contorted their bodies into  ¡Ã‚ ®impossible positions.'† â€Å"Caroline looked as if she were having seizures in Stefan's room,† said Bonnie. â€Å"And if crawling like a lizard isn't contorting your body into an impossible position†¦here, I'll try it.† She got down on the Saitous' floor and tried to stick her elbows and knees out the way Caroline had. She couldn't do it. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Oh, my God!† It was Jim at the doorway of the kitchen, holding – almost dropping – a tray of food. The smell of miso soup was sharp in the air, and Bonnie wasn't sure if it made her feel hungry or if she was too sick to ever be hungry again. â€Å"It's okay,† she told him hastily, standing up. â€Å"I was just†¦trying something out.† Meredith stood up too. â€Å"Is that for Isobel?† â€Å"No, it's for Obaasan – I mean Isa-chan's grandma – Grandma Saitou – â€Å" â€Å"I told you to call everybody whatever comes out naturally. Obaasan is fine, just like Isa-chan,† Meredith said softly and firmly to him. Jim relaxed a hair. â€Å"I tried to get Isa-chan to eat, but she just throws the trays at the wall. She says that she can't eat; that somebody's choking her.† Meredith glanced significantly at Bonnie. Then she turned back to Jim. â€Å"Why don't you let me take it? You've been through a lot. Where is she?† â€Å"Upstairs, second door on the left. If – if she says anything weird, just ignore it.† â€Å"All right. Stay near Bonnie.† â€Å"Oh, no,† Bonnie said hastily. â€Å"Bonnie is going with.† She didn't know if it was for her own protection or Meredith's, but she was going to stick like glue. Upstairs, Meredith turned the hall light on carefully with her elbow. Then they found the second door on the left, which turned out to have a doll-like old lady in it. She was in the exact center of the room, lying on the exact center of a futon. She sat up and smiled when they came in. The smile turned a wrinkled face almost into the face of a happy child. â€Å"Megumi-chan, Beniko-chan, you came to see me!† she exclaimed, bowing where she sat. â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said carefully. She put the tray down beside the old lady. â€Å"We came to see you – Ms. Saitou.† â€Å"Don't play games with me! It's Inari-chan! Or are you mad at me?† â€Å"All thesechans . I thought ;;Chan' was a Chinese name. Isn't Isobel Japanese?† whispered Bonnie from behind Meredith. One thing, the doll-like old woman was not, was deaf. She burst into laughter, bringing up both hands to cover her mouth girlishly. â€Å"Oh, don't tease me before I eat.Itadakimasu! † She picked up the bowl of miso soup and began to drink it. â€Å"I thinkchan is something you put at the end of someone's name when you're friends, the way Jimmy was sayingIsa-chan ,† Meredith said aloud. â€Å"AndEeta-daki-mass-u is something you say when you start eating. And that'sall I know.† Part of Bonnie's mind noted that the â€Å"friends† Grandma Saitou had just happened to have names starting withM andB . Another part was calculating where this room was with relation to the rooms below it, Isobel's room in particular. It was directly above it. The tiny old woman had stopped eating and was watching her intently. â€Å"No, no, you're not Beniko-chan and Megumi-chan. I know it. But they do visit me sometimes, and so does my dear Nobuhiro. Other things do, too, unpleasant things, but I was raised a shrine maiden – I know how to take care ofthem .† A brief look of knowing satisfaction passed over the innocent old face. â€Å"This house is possessed, you know.† She added,†Kore ni wa kitsune ga karande isou da ne.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Ms. Saitou – what was that?† Meredith asked. â€Å"I said, there's a kitsune involved in this somehow.† â€Å"A kit-su-nay?† Meredith repeated, quiz-zically. â€Å"A fox, silly girl,† the old woman said cheerfully. â€Å"They can turn into anything they like, don't you know? Even humans. Why, one could turn intoyou and your best friend wouldn't know the difference.† â€Å"So – a sort of were-fox, then?† Meredith asked, but Grandma Saitou was rocking back and forth now, her gaze on the wall behind Bonnie. â€Å"We used to play a circle game,† she said. â€Å"All of us in a circle and one in the middle, blindfolded. And we would sing a song.Ushiro no shounen daare? Who is standing behind you? I taught it to my children, but I made up a little song in English to go with it.† And she sang, in the voice of the very old or the very young, with her eyes fixed innocently on Bonnie all the while. â€Å"Fox and turtle Had a race. Who's that far behind you? Whoever came in Second place Who's that near behind you? Would make a nice meal For the winner. Who's that close behind you? Lovely turtle soup For dinner! Who's that right behind you?† Bonnie felt hot breath on her neck. Gasping, she whirled around – and screamed. Andscreamed . Isobel was there, dripping blood onto the mats that covered the floor. She had somehow managed to get past Jim and to sneak into the dim upstairs room without anyone seeing or hearing her. Now she stood there like some distorted goddess of piercing, or the hideous embodiment of every piercer's nightmare. She was wearing only a pair of very brief bikini bottoms. Otherwise she was naked except for the blood and the different kinds of hoops and studs and needles she had put through the holes. She had pierced every area Bonnie had ever heard that youcould pierce, and a few that Bonnie hadn't dreamed of. And every hole was crooked and bleeding. Her breath was warm and fetid and nauseating – like rotten eggs. Isobel flicked her pink tongue. It wasn't pierced. It was worse. With some kind of instrument she had cut the long muscle in two so that it was forked like a snake's. The forked, pink thing licked Bonnie's forehead. Bonnie fainted. Matt drove slowly down the almost invisible lane. There was no street sign to identify it, he noticed. They went up a little hill and then down sharply into a small clearing. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®Keep away from faerie circles,'† Elena said softly, as if she were quoting. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®And old oaks†¦'† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Stop the car.† When he did, Elena stood in the center of the clearing. â€Å"Don't you think it has a faerie sort of feeling?† â€Å"I don't know. Where'd the red thing go?† â€Å"In here somewhere. I saw it!† â€Å"Me, too – and did you see how it was bigger than a fox?† â€Å"Yes, but not as big as a wolf.† Matt let out a sigh of relief. â€Å"Bonnie just won't believe me. And you saw how quickly it moved – â€Å" â€Å"Too quickly to be something natural.† â€Å"You're saying we didn't really see anything?† Matt said almost fiercely. â€Å"I'm saying we saw somethingsuper natural. Like the bug that attacked you. Like the trees, for that matter. Something that doesn't follow the laws of this world.† But search as they would, they couldn't find the animal. The bushes and shrubs between the trees reached from the ground up in a dense circle. But there was no evidence of a hole or a hide or a break in the dense thicket. And the sun was sliding down in the sky. The clearing was beautiful, but there was nothing of interest to them. Matt had just turned to say so to Elena when he saw her stand up quickly, in alarm. â€Å"What's – ?† He followed her gaze and stopped. A yellow Ferrari blocked the way back to the road. They hadn't passed a yellow Ferrari on their way in. There was only room for one car on the one-lane road. Yet there the Ferrari stood. Branches broke behind Matt. He whirled. â€Å"Damon!† â€Å"Whom were you expecting?† The wraparound Ray-Bans concealed Damon's eyes completely. â€Å"We weren't expectinganyone ,† Matt said aggressively. â€Å"We just turned in here.† The last time he'd seen Damon, when Damon had been banished like a whipped dog from Stefan's room, he'd wanted to punch Damon in the mouth very much, Elena knew. She could feel that he wanted it again now. But Damon wasn't the same as he'd been when he'd left that room. Elena could see danger rising off him like heat waves. â€Å"Oh, Isee . This is – yourprivate area for – privateexplorations,† Damon translated, and there was a note of complicity in his voice that Elena disliked. â€Å"No!† Matt snarled. Elena realized she was going to have to keep him under control. It was dangerous to antagonize Damon in this mood. â€Å"How can you even say that?† Matt went on. â€Å"Elena belongs to Stefan.† â€Å"Well – we belong to each other,† Elena temporized. â€Å"Of course you do,† said Damon. â€Å"One body, one heart, one soul.† For a moment there was something there – an expression inside the Ray-Bans, she thought, that was murderous. Instantly, though, Damon's tone changed to an expressionless murmur. â€Å"But then, why areyou two here?† His head, turning to follow Matt's movement, moved like a predator tracking prey. There was something more disquieting than usual about his attitude. â€Å"We saw something red,† Matt said before Elena could stop him. â€Å"Something like what I saw when I had that accident.† Prickles were now running up and down Elena's arms. Somehow she wished Matt hadn't said that. In this dim, quiet clearing in the evergreen grove, she was suddenly very much afraid. Stretching her new senses to their utmost – until she could feel them distending like a gossamer garment pushed thin all around her, she felt the wrongness there, too, and felt it pass out of the reach of her mind. At the same time she felt birds go quiet all that long distance away. What was most disturbing was to turn just then, just as the birdsong stopped, and find Damon turning at the same instant to look at her. The sunglasses kept her from knowing what he was thinking. The rest of his face was a mask. Stefan, she thought helplessly, longingly. How could he have left her – with this? With no warning, no idea of his destination, no way of ever contacting him again†¦It might have made sense to him, with his desperate desire not to make her into something he loathed in himself. But to leave her with Damon in this mood, and all of her previous powers gone – Your own fault, she thought, cutting short the flood of self-pity. You were the one who harped on brotherhood. You were the one who convinced him Damon was to be trusted. Now you deal with the consequences. â€Å"Damon,† she said, â€Å"I've been looking foryou . I wanted to ask you – about Stefan. You do know that he's left me.† â€Å"Of course. I believe the saying goes, for your own good. He left me to be your bodyguard.† â€Å"Then you saw him two nights ago?† â€Å"Of course.† And – of course – you didn't try to stop him. Things couldn't have turned out better for you, Elena thought. She had never wished more for the abilities she'd had as a spirit, not even when she'd realized Stefan was really gone and beyond her all-too-human reach. â€Å"Well, I'm not just letting him leave me,† she said flatly, â€Å"for my own good or for any other reason. I'm going to follow him – but first I need to know where he might have gone.† â€Å"You're askingme ?† â€Å"Yes. Please. Damon, I have to find him. I need him. I – † She was starting to choke up, and she had to be stern with herself. But just then she realized that Matt was whispering very softly to her. â€Å"Elena, stop. I think we're just making him mad. Look at the sky.† Elena felt it herself. The circle of trees seemed to be leaning in all around them, darker than before, menacing. Elena tilted her chin slowly, looking up. Directly above them, gray clouds were pooling, piling in on themselves, cirrus overwhelmed by cumulus, turning to thunderheads – centered exactly over the spot where they stood. On the ground, small whirlwinds began to form, lifting handfuls of pine needles and fresh green summer leaves off saplings. She had never seen anything like it before, and it filled the clearing with a sweet but sensuous smell, redolent of exotic oils and long, dark winter nights. Looking at Damon, then, as the whirlwinds lifted higher and the sweet scent encircled her, resinous and aromatic, closing in until she knew it was soaking into her clothes and being impressed into her very flesh, she knew she had overstepped herself. She couldn't protect Matt. Stefan told me to trust Damon in his note in my diary. Stefan knows more about him than I do, she thought desperately. But we both know what Damon wants, ultimately. What he's always wanted. Me. My blood†¦ â€Å"Damon,† she began softly – and broke off. Without looking at her, he held out a hand with the palm toward her. Wait. â€Å"There's something I have to do,† he murmured. He bent down, every movement as unconsciously and economically graceful as a panther's, and picked up a small broken branch of what looked like ordinary Virginia pine. He waved it slightly, appraisingly, hefting it in his hand as if to feel weight and balance. It looked more like a fan than a branch. Elena was now looking at Matt, trying with her eyes to tell him all the things she was feeling, foremost of which was that she was sorry: sorry that she had gotten him into this; sorry that she'd ever cared for him; sorry that she'd kept him bound into a group of friends who were so intimately intertwined with the supernatural. Now I know a little bit of what Bonnie must have felt this last year, she thought, being able to see and predict things without having the slightest power to stop them. Matt, jerking his head, was already moving stealthily toward the trees. No, Matt.No .No! He didn't understand. Neither did she, except to feel that the trees were only keeping their distance because of Damon's presence here. If she and Matt were to venture into the forest; if they left the clearing or even stayed in it too long†¦Matt could see the fear on her face, and his own face reflected grim understanding. They were trapped. Unless – â€Å"Too late,† Damon said sharply. â€Å"I told you, there's something I have to do.† He had apparently found the stick he was looking for. Now he raised it, shook it slightly, and brought it down in a single motion; slashing sideways as he did. And Matt convulsed in agony. It was a kind of pain he had never dreamed of before: pain that seemed to come frominside himself, but from everywhere, every organ in his body, every muscle, every nerve, every bone, releasing a different type of pain. His muscles ached and cramped as if they were strained to their ultimate flexion, but were being forced to flex farther still. Inside, his organs were on fire. Knives were at work in his belly. His bones felt the way his arm had when he had shattered it once, when he was nine years old and a car had broadsided his dad's. And his nerves – if there was a switch on nerves that could be set from â€Å"pleasure† to â€Å"pain† – his had been set to â€Å"anguish.† The touch of clothes on his skin was unbearable. The currents of air passing were agony. He endured fifteen seconds of it and passed out. â€Å"Matt!† For her part, Elena had been frozen, her muscles locked, unable to move for what seemed like forever. Suddenly released, she ran to Matt, pulled him up into her lap, stared into his face. Then she looked up. â€Å"Damon,why ? Why?† Suddenly she realized that although Matt wasn't conscious, he was still writhing in pain. She had to keep herself from screaming the words, to only speak forcefully. â€Å"Why are youdoing this? Damon!Stop it .† She stared up at the young man dressed all in black: black jeans with a black belt, black boots, black leather jacket, black hair, and those damned Ray-Bans. â€Å"I told you,† Damon said casually. â€Å"It's something I need to do. To watch. Painful death.† â€Å"Death!†Elena stared at Damon in disbelief. And then she began gathering all her Power, in a way that had been so easy and instinctual just days ago while she had been mute and not subject to gravity, and that was so difficult and so foreign right now. With determination, she said, â€Å"If you don't let him go – now – I'll hit you with everything I've got.† He laughed. She'd never seen Damon really laugh before, not like this. â€Å"And you expect that I'll even notice your tiny Power?† â€Å"Notthat tiny.† Elena weighed it grimly. It was no more than the intrinsic Power of any human being – the Power that vampires took from humans along with the blood they drank – but since becoming a spirit, she knew how to use it. How to attack with it. â€Å"I think you'll feel it, Damon. Let him go – NOW!† â€Å"Why do people always assume that volume will succeed when logic won't?† Damon murmured. Elena let him have it. Or at least she prepared to. She took the deep breath necessary, held her inner self still, and imagined herself holding a ball of white fire, and then – Matt was on his feet. He looked as if he'd beendragged to his feet and was being held there like a puppet, and his eyes were involuntarily watering, but it was better than Matt writhing on the ground. â€Å"You owe me,† Damon said to Elena casually. â€Å"I'll collect later.† To Matt he said, in the tones of a fond uncle, with one of those instantaneous smiles that you could never be quite sure you saw, â€Å"Lucky for me that you're a hardy specimen, isn't it?† â€Å"Damon.† Elena had seen Damon in hislet's-play-with-weaker-creatures mood, and it was the one she liked least. But there was something off today; something she couldn't understand. â€Å"Let's get down to it,† she said, while the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck rose again. â€Å"What do youreally want?† But he didn't give the answer she expected. â€Å"I was officially appointed as your caretaker. I'm officially taking care of you. And for one thing, I don't think you should be without my protection and companionship while my little brother is gone.† â€Å"I can handle myself,† Elena said flatly, waving a hand so they could get down to the real issue. â€Å"You're a very pretty girl. Dangerous and† – flash smile – â€Å"unsavory elements could be after you. I insist you have a bodyguard.† â€Å"Damon, right now the thing I need most is to be protected fromyou . You know that. What is this really about?† The clearing was†¦pulsing. Almost as if it were something organic, breathing. Elena had the feeling that beneath her feet – beneath Meredith's old, rugged hiking boots – the ground was moving slightly, like a great sleeping animal, and the trees were like a beating heart. For what? The forest? There was more dead wood than live here. And she could swear that she knew Damon well enough to know that he didn't like trees or woods. It was at times like this that Elena wished she still had wings. Wings and the knowledge – the hand motions, the Words of White Power, the white fire inside her that would allow her to know the truth without trying to figure it out, or to simply blast annoyances back to Stonehenge. It seemed that all she'd been left with was being a greater temptation to vampires than ever, and her wits. Wits had worked up until now. Maybe if she didn't let Damon know how afraid she was, she could win a stay of execution for them. â€Å"Damon, I thank you for being concerned about me. Now would you mind leaving Matt and me for a moment so that I can tell if he's still breathing?† From inside the Ray-Bans, she thought she could discern a single flash of red. â€Å"Somehow I thought you might say that,† Damon said. â€Å"And, of course, it's your right to have consolation after being so treacherously abandoned. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, for example.† Elena wanted to swear. Carefully, she answered, â€Å"Damon, if Stefan appointed you as my bodyguard, then he hardly  ¡Ã‚ ®treacherously abandoned' me, did he? You can't have it both – â€Å" â€Å"Just indulge me in one thing, all right?† Damon said in the voice of one whose next words are going to beBe careful orDon't do anything I wouldn't do . There was silence. The dust devils had stopped whirling. The smell of sun-warmed pine needles and pine resin in this dim place was making her languid, dizzy. The ground was warm, too, and the pine needles were all aligned, as if the slumbering animal had pine needles for fur. Elena watched dust motes turn and sparkle like opals in the golden sunlight. She knew she wasn't at her best right now; not her sharpest. Finally, when she was sure her voice would be steady, she asked, â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"A kiss.†

P3 Unit 3

P3 Describe how Tesco uses market research to contribute to the development of its marketing plans. Market research: Is a big part of marketing, market research is when the company asks their customers or new customers to find out more about in the market in which they currently operate in or a market they wish to operate in. Companies may do this so they can reduce risk when bringing out new products. There are two types of research and two types of data. The first type is primary research.Primary Research is when the business or the worker conducts the research their self, therefore it is fresh data and it is current and applicable to their current market. Market research is conducted to gain a better knowledge of the market in which they operate in and to find out the wants and needs of the customers. Examples of this could be surveys, observations and interviews. Advantages of primary research are that it is brand new data in this current market and with current customers therefo re it is applicable to your business.The disadvantages of primary research is that it may take a long time Internal research could be when Tesco use past sales figures from with in the company and project them to find out cash forecasts or to analyse buying habits. This is internal as it about the business they work for not any other business. External primary can be used to this can be when Tesco can people who do not currently shop in Tesco or work in Tesco questions, they could also use Mystery shoppers as external primary as someone who isn't a stake holder in the business evaluates the business, this counts as research as they will find out about the branch they work in.Another of research type is Secondary research this is also known as desk research this is when the company uses published data which already exists, they do not need to go out and ask customers wants and needs, they can just use internet or books to find whatever they need to find out. This is the cheaper optio n. This will give the company a better view of the market however will not be exactly applicable to the business, secondary research can also be used when viewing a competitor, they can see their profits if they're a PLC company.External research can be sued in Tesco such as when they look at competitors (Sainsbury’s/ asda) sales figures or buying trends or growth figures. They may do this to see how their competitors are doing and see how much they're growing. Internal could be looking at past annual reports, this is internal secondary research as its has already been published and it is from Tesco’s. There are two types of Data type. Qualitative data is one type this is when the company uses questions which are open therefore they will gain true views and opinions of the customer. Examples of this could be interviews or observations.Qualitative data isn't easy to analyse or to put into graphs as it is someone’s opinion they may not be similar. Tesco can use th is by holding observations or interviews for customers, Tesco can use primary or secondary types as they can conduct the research by their self or they can use the internet to find out the answers which they require. In terms of Tesco they could have pressure groups, or observations to collect qualitative data. The other type of data is Quantitative data, these are figures and statistics which can be easily analyse and also be interpreted easily.If a large sample of people takes the questionnaire or survey then the more effective as there will be a better perception of the wants and needs of the customer. This can be easily put into graphs and be analysed. In terms of Tesco they can use this when their customers log into their club card account online, Tesco can track sales of a certain item, buying habits and they can target the customer directly by doing this. From this Tesco can do a sales forecast and help Tesco making decisions when buying stock.Reducing risk: Market research h elps company to reduce the risk when creating new products or buying more quantity’s of another product. Such as if they use the quantitative data e. g. buying habits. If Tesco see that one product is very popular they might choose to invest in a larger quantity. Limitations: When using market research there are some limitations such as money, time and validity. Money can play a big part when using market research as it could prove costly depending on the amount of research the business conducts.So if Tesco has 4-5 focus groups a long with interviews, then it would take a long time to do and it may prove expensive as one site has quoted ? 90 per person when using focus groups, if Tesco are going to do this mulitple times then it could prove costly. Marketing research: qualitative; x quantitative; x primary internal x/external research; x secondary internal x/ external research;uses x (reduce risk in decision making, measure progress over time); limitations (cost effectiveness , validity of data collected)

Small Business Management and Accounting Software 2019

There are different levels of small business management and accounting software. There are relatively inexpensive packages designed for truly small businesses with home-based endeavors or businesses with twenty five or fewer employees. Two of the leading brands in this category are Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting and Quickbooks, which is an Intuit product. This level of accounting and management software provides invoicing and purchase order systems as well as receipts, bank deposits and bill payments. These systems will provide financial statements, generate reports based on your design, and they also include the graphics capability to develop flowcharts and similar visual analytical tools. In the case of the Microsoft Office product, the accounting software will integrate your contact management tool into a chart of accounts and provide for data transfer among the various Office software products utilized for business management Word, Excel and Outlook. .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1:active, .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .uaa9acf1ac52daccabeb0f1087115eef1:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Human Resources and Skills Development CanadaThese products and others like them are relatively inexpensive. They are primarily finance tools, used for accounting and, if the business is small enough, for payroll management. Moving into the realm of business management combined with business accounting, you will find a new range of software products with more features and a higher price tag. Many of these software packages are sold in modular fashion; you can customize your business management software to meet your needs. If you want to add an additional feature at a later time you can purchase it and bolt it on, so to speak. These systems are also scaleable, a term which refers to the modular design and the fact that they can be designed to handle businesses of many different sizes. Business management and accounting software (as differentiated from simply accounting software, like Quickbooks) provide an assortment of additional functions. Features may include inventory control software, CRM software, point of sale and invoicing software, billing software, email software, contact manager, task scheduler, time and attendance, payroll, document management system and so on. .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a:active, .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u93a7aa6e8e6ce9e52a809fe516b9f95a:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising Two Potential Tracks for the Fashion-Minded StudentCRM (Customer Relations Management) software has become an important management tool for many larger businesses that operate out of multiple sites. This type of database provides a wealth of information on each customer and manages the contact with that customer who may also have multiple business sites. Information on sales, preferences, contacts, ancillary information on the customers capacity and growth potential, a program for near-term future contacts CRM software is a database on your business contacts that can be as detailed as you wish. The CRM approach is also scaleable and can provide valuable support to business operations for mid-sized businesses as well. With the right information in your customer database, you can customize your marketing efforts and make many of your sales pitches through electronic means, rather than direct mail or standard advertising. This is one example of the integration of business and accounting functions into a single software package. Software as comprehensive as this requires training for your staff and cooperation in keeping it updated and functioning properly. Utilized properly, CRM and analytic accounting software can replace a lot of business meetings and strategy sessions that fill many an executives day. .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c:active, .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u4d40c0c3143b793fd6504328a705461c:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Your Future with an Online Business Administration DegreeRelated ArticlesSmall Business Accounting Software from MicrosoftGeneral Engineering Degree Make Use of Technical and People Skills as a Sales EngineerThe Highest Ranked Small Business Accounting SoftwareComputer Science Related CareersEarning an Education in Business AccountingNever Ending Career Opportunities In IT