The Beginning of the Modern World

Essay Sample on Business and Companies Their Relationships

Essay Sample on Business and Companies Their Relationships The businesses and companies at this higher level are the ones that buy and collect information from the smaller businesses that we deal with directly to do our business. To better understand the difference between the levels of these businesses, we have included the diagram below to help illustrate these relationships. We do not directly give these higher level businesses our personal identifying information. Our information is generally gathered by the lower level businesses we interact with on a regular basis. Lets talk in more detail about the businesses and companies we deal with on a daily business that share, sell, and release our personal information. Businesses and companies need our personal information to provide us, the customer, with the specific service they offer. We give the business our information in good faith believing the information we provide them is meant only so they can provide us a service. We do not realize that these businesses, in a majority of cases, turn around and share, sell, or release our information to higher level businesses, usually to make a profit. To assist us with understanding this concept, as we progress through the chapters, we need to take a look at what we do on a daily basis in our personal lives and identify what companies and businesses we have a relationship with. Each persons life style is different so there will not be one model that fits each and every person that reads this book. You will need to take a look at your life to identify the specific businesses you have contact with on a daily, weekly, monthly and\or annual basis. You will need to determine what personal information they have on you, become familiar with their privacy policy, and exercise any and all opt-out options they provide. We can not stress to you enough that these businesses and companies are making more money selling our personal information than they are just having us as customers. Throughout this book, we will discuss numerous examples of the types of businesses you may deal with that are releasing your information. The main idea we want to stress in this section is getting you to understand that when we, as consumers, give a company or business our personal identifying information that business will probably share, sell, or release it to a higher level business that in turn compiles and re-sells it to publicly available information sources. Some examples of the types of business we deal with on a regular basis that are sharing our personally identifiable information are: Newspapers Movie rentals stores Grocery store discount cards Department stores Gas Stations Restaurants For your convenience, we have included a form that will assist you with creating your list of the businesses and companies you deal with on a regular basis. You should be most interested in those businesses that have any item of your personally identifiable information, such as your name, date of birth, social security number, home address and home phone number. Keep a journal with you and start compiling this information. This task may take you awhile, because you may not realize initially how many business relationships you actually have. Be patient and diligent and have the confidence that it will all come together at the end of the protection process.

Tort Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tort Assignment - Essay Example Dickman. In Donoghue, Lord Atkin spoke in his judgment: â€Å"You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour. Who, then, in law is my neighbour? The answer seems to be – persons who are so closely and directly affected by my act that I ought reasonably to have them in my contemplation as being so affected when I am directing my mind to the acts or omissions which are called into questions.† ([1932] AC 562 at p 580). This is known as the Neighbour Principle. In Anns, Lord Wilberforce identified the loss suffered by the complainants as material physical damage. Two (2) stages were laid down to establish the obligation: (1) whether or not, in a reasonable foresight of the defendant, lack of care may cause damage, injury or loss to the defendant. If in the positive, then there is a prima facie duty to care; and (2) in case of an affirmative answer, is there a necessity to limit the extent of said obligation. An example of the first test is the digging up of a big hole large enough to accommodate an adult. By leaving the hole open, it can be reasonably foreseen that any blind man without any companion may fall on said hole. Undoubtedly, there is an obligation on the part of the one who dug up the whole. On the other hand, an example of the second test is the injury suffered by a suspect of a robbery in the hands of a policeman who caught him in the act but attempted to fight back. Despite the injury suffered by the suspect, the policeman cannot be held liable because the injury was caused by his performance of duty. In Caparo, the two tests laid down in Anns were expanded, adding the following: is it fair to impose upon the defendant the obligation to care towards the complainant? Applying the above principles in the instant case, the liabilities of the parties are as follows: Arsane is liable for his tortious act. As mentioned earlier, every person is liable for the co nsequences of his acts. Here, Arsane knew as a carpenter that the wooden floor may have inflammable materials. He is supposed to understand that cigarette is not allowed in the workplace because it can become a source of fire. Presumably, Arsane knows his obligation to take good care of the premises as well as the materials therein. A duty to care exists on the part of Arsane, not just as a worker but also as a co-worker. However, since Arsane was very much taken away by the music, he allowed himself to light a cigarette and much worse, threw the same while still lighted, indoors! Such an act of gross negligence is definitely a clear breach of obligation to care. Arsane has absolutely no defence to justify his tortious act. Such an act of negligence caused severe damage. First, to Sir Dino, who suffered loss of properties and potential income. Second, to Benger, who suffered material physical damage due to loss of his right foot. However, Arsane cannot be made liable for the nervous shock suffered by Benger’s wife, twin sister, and mother due to lack of proximity. Although the nervous shock suffered by the three was directly related to the injury suffer

Chinas Stocks Head for Weekly Gain on Policy Outlook, Europe Article

Chinas Stocks Head for Weekly Gain on Policy Outlook, Europe - Article Example According to the article, the stocks experience the biggest gain during the week in question influenced by signs that the Greek debt problem will be resolved and speculation and rumors about expected policy changes by the government. The European Union has been reeling under a string of debt crisis in several of its members the most notable being Greece, Portugal, Ireland and recently Italy. This crisis has had an effect on stocks across the globe. Although Europe’s problems may seem less of a concern to China, the truth is that what happens in Europe affects China in a big way. This is because the EU is the largest export market for China’s goods. The EU accounts for 25% of China’s exports. In the first nine months of 2011, trade between China and Europe rose 21.8% year-on-year to stand at $372.12 billion according to statistics from Chinese authorities. The EU debt crisis has a direct bearing on China’s economy because a reduction in demand here means a reduction in China’s export. Since China’s economy is export-based, any reductions in the number of exports have the net effect of slowing down the country’s economic growth. This is exactly what the crisis in Greece, Spain, Portugal and most recent Italy has done. This paper is going to evaluate the relationship between the EU debt crisis and the performance of China’s stock exchanges. The paper will find that when there is a crisis in Europe, the demand for China’s goods in these region goes down which affects the performance of the exporting companies leading to lower export earnings. The lower earnings drive the prices of the stocks involved down. On the contrary, positive indicators on the EU economic performance drive up the value of the stock in the market as people become more optimistic.

Attitude, Emotions, Personality, and Values Essay

Attitude, Emotions, Personality, and Values - Essay Example In this kind of situation, individuals act confidently towards the subject. People’s behaviors are also influenced by attitudes and emotion when a similar attitude is repeatedly expressed. Additionally, people may opt to alter their attitude in order to align with their behaviors in the workplace and other social places (Hockenbury and Hockenbury, 2007). An individual’s behavior is to a greater extent influenced by his/her personality and values. A person’s personality influences his/her extraversion, which is an extremely crucial aspect in human behavior. It entails the level in which an individual is sociable, outgoing, and talkative. Extraversion helps in demonstrating some individual traits such as the behavior of an inspirational leader. Personality and value also influence individuals’ agreeable behaviors. Agreeable behavior demonstrates the extent to which an individual is tolerant, kindness, warm, and sensitivity. These traits are to a great extent influenced by a person’s values and personality. Personality and value also determines one’s neuroticism traits. Neuroticism entails the level in which an individual is moody, temperamental or anxious. Individuals’ mood plays a significant role in determining behavior both in social setup and in the workplace (Hockenbury and Hockenbury, 20 07). Employee performance is considerably influenced by the level of satisfaction and motivation in an organization. Employees are always motivated toward improving their performance through five main plans. These include recognition, appreciation, satisfaction, inspiration, recognition, and compensation. To improve employee performance in workplace, motivation is very relevant and essential. Motivation increases employees’ performance and commitment in all excellence levels. There is always a very strong linkage between motivated and satisfied employee and employee performance. To satisfy and motivate employees for effective performance, managers need to

Approaches for Organisational Management

Approaches for Organisational Management Introduction: Human resource management is a strategic and rational approach towards the management of the organisations most esteemed assets, the people who normally work inside the organisation independently and collectively contribute to the accomplishment of its goals organisational success progressively depends on the abilities, knowledge and skills of the employees mainly as the help to establish a set of core competencies that distinguish an organisation from its competitors. In modern market place human resource management plays an important role for the existence of modern business organisation. However, the role of HRM strategies is massive for development of the business through organisational success. Different approaches to HRM to aid the development of business strategy: The meaning and nature of HRM has aggravated much debate (for an overview see Legge, 1995).Sisson (1990) Distinguished HRM by explaining four distinguishing features, that is the assimilation of personnel policies with business planning; responsibility From specialists to line managers responsibility has to be shifted; uniqueness in the management of employee relations and an emphasis on securing employee dedication and initiative. Guest (1992, p.42) argues that HRM is designed to produce, Strategic integration, high commitment, high quality and flexibility and that, Strategic integration refers to the ability of the organisation to integrate HRM issues into its strategic plans, to ensure that the various aspects of HRM cohere and for line managers to fit in an HRM perspective into their decision-making. Hendry and Pettigrew (1986) contrast that strategic HRM is featured by four fundamentals: the use of planning; the design by a coherent approach and management of workforce systems underpinned by some philosophy; business approach is coordinated with the HRM actions and policy; and considering the people of the organisation as strategic resources in the accomplishment of competitive strategy. Human resource requires in an organisation will vary at different stages in the business life cycle and so HR policy choices need to be personalized to the appropriate stage (Kochan and Barocci,1985; Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall, 1988). Sisson (1994) suggests that it was the pursuit of competitive advantage in the.There is a number of different approaches in HRM to aid the development of business strategy. It can be professed as social ethics, reminding the senior management about their social responsibilities.HRM department spent most of time functioning on personal welfare problems. The main concern of HRM is the control of personnel as well as reduces the absent rate of employee, work force budgeting and headcount. In other way of HRM helps to develop the business, likewise, to adapt the company with the change and strives to have positive influences by using social science applications to man agreement problems by via job redesign, job satisfaction scheme and techniques of communication. Sometimes HRM deals with job recruitment, transfer and termination by the request from manager. Moreover, human resource management concerned strategic business planning, developing long-term human resources plan and industrial relation strategy. HR planning and acquisition Organisation design structure Organisations strategy Training development Compensation Management Organisation Performance Management Management of employee relations HR mobility management HR toolbox management Figure: Human Resource Management system The key success of any business organisation is human resource. So HRM use these human resources effectively to meet the strategic business objectives of the organisation. Necessity of alignment between organisations corporate strategy and objectives and its human resource strategy: In perfect world, the business and strategic organisational plan are the translated form of organisational mission and goals. According to the principle of alignment, to achieve corporate goals in every aspects of an organisations activities have to be incorporated and pull together. The performance of the people within the organisation depends on the achievement of strategy and vision which in turn calls for high level of motivation and dedication among employees. The organisational mission, goals and values is reflected by the performance of the employees and their excellent performance relies on the opportunities how much they are getting from the business. In an organisation different functional area like: marketing, manufacturing and human resource, after formulating corporate and business level strategy managers need to translate strategic precedence into these areas. This contains all the different aspects of business but predominantly have to be comprehensible between the requirements of organisations strategy and HR policy. There are two types of fit that HR policy and practices require to attain: a) Internal alignment b) External alignment Internal Alignment: In internal alignment managers must have to make sure that their HR practices are all associated with one another within the organisations to set up a formation that is reinforced mutually. From organisations point of view the whole variety of HR practices-job design, training, staffing, performance appraisal and compensation must have to be focused on the same personnel objectives. External Alignment: The link between business strategies and key initiatives in human resource are mainly focused by external alignment. The processes required in order to assess the effectiveness of human resource strategy and its impact on overall corporate strategy: Diagram: Typical strategic recruitment process Dynamic Environment Recruitment requisition Position analysis Vision Position description Strategic business plan Human resource strategy Human resource plans and policy Recruitment process Position evaluation Key stakeholders Budget check sourcing Dynamic Environment Pool of applicants Selection process Source: Nankervis A, Compton, R, Braid, M, 2005, Strategic Human Resource Management (6th edition), Cengage, South Melbourne. Recruitment: A major concern is a recruitment and retention of staff; especially where the pool of availability of workforce is limited. However, due to the requirement of high skill personnel, a shortage of prospective recruits exists in an organisation. The decision of staffing has been formalised by the HRM department at head office. Organisations provide work for people in different position to achieve their own goals. Most of the organisations have vacancy at different time around the year and they need to be filled them on time to continue their work effectively. For recruit and select the best person for the vacancy organisations have to follow certain processes. The personnel decision process helps the organisation to make a decision about the person to who is going to appoint. It makes sure that it will be fairly treated with all the individuals who are going to apply for the post. All the candidates are evaluated on the basis of related skills and behaviours. The outputs of every decision affect the working lives of employees, whose requirements must be met. The organisational productivity increasingly depends on these employees because of hiring right person for the job. The human resources decisions based on the following seven steps: 1. Getting job oriented information through job analysis. The process of identifying tasks, duties and responsibilities is job analysis. Once it has been completed, job analysis leads to identify the knowledge, abilities and skills required to do the job that is job description. After that, organisations will continue through job specification. 2. Identify the measures of job success: There is way of measuring job success called criteria and that is measured through organisational psychologist. 3. Identify predictors and measures 4. Determining the relationship between and predictors job success 5. Developing a recruitment strategy 6. Implementing the selection process 7. Determining the worth of selection system An organisation basically follows two strategies for recruiting suitable qualified individuals. These are- Internal recruitment An Organisation first tries to fill an open position internally through current employees inside the organisation by advertising. External recruitment There are wide range of strategies for recruiting people from outside the organisation like-giving advertisement at newspaper by providing information about job requirements, job duties and responsibilities. The other way of recruiting is through internet. It will create problems for them who dont have the access the internet. Large organisations visit campuses of universities of technologies to recruit their candidates is known as campus recruitment. Sometimes organisations employ human resources recruitment agencies and their services are to provide the whole recruitment process. These are not on low-cost. The least costly external recruitment technique is employee referrals technique. This is a technique by which ask to someone in current employees about they have someone who is interested for this open position. The main advantages of external recruitment are that helps to get new ideas and skills into the organisation. Sometimes it does create problems for them because they dont have knowledge about the new environment and culture. Employees need to spend more time on that. Selection: The process of choosing appropriate candidates for the organisation when it has received applications for open jobs is known as selection. This is the final steps of recruitment process. It is the combinations of eight basic steps. Recruiting candidates Carrying out application form Screening test Checking of reference Arrangement of psychological test Arrange interview for selection Medical check up Making an offer to successful candidates There are some additional terms which used by the organisational psychologist during the process of selection. These are-job selection ratios, realistic preview of job and cut-off. Retention: It is very important and ongoing issue. Its a serious problem when an organisation will have to face continuously for the estimated future. An organisation always wants to retain employees in short of supply and they want to have alternatives. Organisations always keep going on developing their own plan to retain employees by conveying responsibility. The main base of retention job description, recruitment, selection and orientation. Mainly retention focus on job satisfaction and fit with the organisational culture and the strategies based on this should focus on maximising three types of satisfaction. These are personal, professional and social. If organisation fails to recruit right person for the right track then organisations has to suffer and employees has to suffer as well. For example; hidden cost incurred by the management to fix that problems. For that reason organisation has to loss their productivity. From the employees point of view-they have to face problems due to not h aving proper skills in specified job. They have to spent more time and energy on finding new position. Overall they become frustrated. Communication, recognition and future orientation are the key attributes for successful strategies for retention. There are different types of retention strategies based on organisational situations-strategies based on compensation, strategies based on work environment and strategies based on career orientation. Strategy based on compensation: There are some organisation focuses on compensation such as IT firms. Strategies based on work environment: Most of the organisations focus on internal environment of the organisation or the culture of the organisation. Strategies based on career development: some companies focus on retention strategies through career development. Training, Learning and Development: Training plays an important role for the development of all employees which responds to individuals and helps to achieve organisational requirements by improving performance and understanding (Armstrong, 1992).Considering with the strategic direction, how the organisations core competencies of employees can be identified and advantages taken from environmental factors. From the training and development terms, this can implement the classical training cycle and business planning come close to determining training needs (Mayo and Pickard, 1998). Organisation objective Planning Evaluating Delivering Figure: Business objectives within the training life cycle (winter, 1995). The training strategy is a system that determines the competencies required for the organization in the future and how it can be achieved. Organisations need these training strategies for different perspectives like- -To increase the productivity through expenditure on capital improvements -To increase the productivity through spending on developing human capital Different methods of training for people: Generally there are two types of training methods. a) On-site training methods 1) On the job training: In this training method, trainees get training under the direction of someone and encouraging them to gain knowledge and observe more and more from the existing experienced employees. Though its formal training so every employee get some initial knowledge from it. 2) Job rotation: This training method allows people to move in different department of the organisations. Through this job rotation employees develop skills in different section more than they would get from staying in one department. 3) Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship is a particular form on the job training though which a particular level employees used to get information about skilled trade (Goldstein Ford, 2002).For example; different company like:-electrician,plumber,carpenter,pipefitter,sheet metal worker etc. Is used this approach. b) Off-site training methods 1) Classroom lectures: Its one of the common methods of job training. It can provide large number of information at a time and easy to deliver it to the large no of trainees at a time. 2) Instruction in the form written material or forms based on computer. 3) Computer based training (CBT): Its a way training by which trainees can communicate and transfer and get information from instructor through computer, television etc. (Goldstein Ford, 2002).Its distance learning. Development of HR: Human Resource is the framework for employees can develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, abilities. Human resource development include; employee training, employee career, development, performance management and development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification. Understand the organizational needs and future demand as well as future capability, and know what talent it has available to it. And prove, as far possible, a career challenge to individuals that helps them to meet their aspirations. In developing the organization, personal development also important for the organizational improvement, because a individual persons are the set of organizational power mean resources. In bellow there the method of development: Individual Support- Organizational Interest- Dialogue Accreditation Organizational Mapping Performance Management Career-counselling Succession planning Appraisal discussion Career-planning Secondments Career discussion Personal plans Manpower/skills planning Development centres Mentoring Training prioritisation Vacancy management Learning resource centres Retention Strategies Self-managed learning 360 degree feedback Potential assessment Managerial coaching External coaching High-flyer development Flexible working Training facilities getting to grips with the needs of a job quickly, and by improving the knowledge and skill of worker it allows the employee improved quality, and enhance of skill based on the employee could lead to their job enrichment with benefits to both the person and the organization. Motivational impact of training in a manifest when staff feel a sense of reorganization when sent on training course, and after been trained they are motivated to acquire new skills, particularly when rewards follow the acquisition and use of skills. Identification with organization could be fostered when a better understanding of mission statements and corporate objectives is achieved through training. Strategies for positive employee relation: Employees are the stake holder of the organisation and cant be compared with task, functions, process or products. Emotional support and personal considerations are required for them to understand them. Its very complicated to draw up employees inventory and arrange them in warehouse in a systematic way. Any decisions regarding this will attempt a negative impact on them and may cause a break down in operations. So it is very important for the organisation to identify and value those differences and always give importance on the achieving positive and fruitful employee relations. The main concern of employee relations strategy: How to minimise the conflict by maintaining employee relations through building stable and cooperative relationships. How to achieve employee commitment though involvement of employee involvement and communication processes. -How to develop interest in employees towards the achievement of organisational goals. Strategic direction. The approaches of human resource management towards employee relations: To drive them for commitment: To get all the employees with the organisations by winning their heart and minds and make sure a fruitful return on training and development. A emphasizing on mutuality: getting the letter across that we are all together in this. A shifting of collective bargaining in the organisation to individual. By using of employee involvement techniques. Through applying total quality management (TQM) To use human resources more effectively sometimes increase flexibility in working environment, including multi skilling By giving more importance on team work Once organisation has established it is very difficult to change the organisations culture, this means to change the employee relationships culture is also difficult. The organisation will become more successful when senior management think employee relationship strategically in employee perception rather than rival organisations. It can be achieved simply by aiming to recruit and retain more effectively and by developing employee relationship strategies to increase the overall satisfaction of employees though chances (like feeling interest in job, job security, positive completion, and influence them performance) and decrease the dissatisfaction Performance management: Performance in an organisation cannot be defined but it can be measured. Its measurement of muti-dimentional construct depending on variety of factors (Bates and Holton, 1995). Bernadin el al (1995) concerned that Outcomes of work should be defined as performance because it creates a strong linkage with organisational goals, customer satisfactions and economic contributions. It is about managing of the organisation in the perspective of internal and external environment. There are different stages of performance management showed in figure 2.1: High performance Improved performance Low performance Start year Agreement of performance During year Monitoring and review against agreement End year Review of main performance Figure 2.1: Different stages of performance management Performance management involves continuous review of performance against organisational objectives, requirements and plans and the performance agreement, enhancement by implementation and developments line-up for the next. Business strategy, employee development and total quality management (TQM) are main processes in the business that should be linked with the performance management for achieving business performance (Hartle, 1995). Basically the force for vertical and horizontal integration is performance management.Vertical integration: Vertically It can be achieved in two ways. Firstly, it facilitates the coalition of strategies and plans of the business with individuals and teams. There targeted aims are those that support the success of corporate goals.secondly, the organisational core values and capabilities should take place through vertical integration as well as values adopted and the level of potential achieved by individuals. Valuing peopleHorizontal integration: It is the association of performance management and human resource strategies that deals with valuing, paying, relating and developing people. Organisations effectiveness can be increased through the impact of performance management. The effectiveness of the organisations can be improved by adopting with various processes of managing, motivating and developing people through successful integration with performance management. It shows in figure 1.3: Developing people Performance management Paying people People involvement Figure 1.3: Performance management as a central point for integrated HR activities Reward: The main purpose of reward is to increase job performance, productivity, meet the customer expectation and to hold recognition. In other way- To achieve the goal To accomplish the task on time To take out boring from work place To promote the employee to work To meet the higher and lower order needs Strategies for reward: All employees are in the reward strategy for example: line managers, stake holders. All the employees work hard with skills and effort in return they get salary and other performance bonus from employers. Its also good relationships developed between employees and employers through good working environment and excellent communication. In broader sense strategic aims include: To introduce a more incorporated approach to reward management and encouraging the employees through continuous personal development. To develop flexible approach. To reward people according to employees contribution. To make a clear specification about what behaviour will be rewarded and why. Reward management: According to Contingency theory applied to reward: Different reward strategies are required for organisational diversity and cultures. Different reward strategies and its usefulness vary according the organisations policies and practices. Business strategies may take forward the business strategy inside the organisation. The interrelationship between the employees and managers will influence the strategies at different levels in the organisations. Performance related pay should depends on the way motivation of employees Initiatives for specific rewards: It depends on the examination of present circumstances in the organisation and need of evaluation of the business and its employees. Examples of some possible initiatives: The establishment of contribution pay scheme through replacing of present methods of contingent pay The initialisation of new grades and pay structure The substitution job evaluation scheme with more clarified scheme that shows values and needs of the organisation. The improvement of flexible benefit system The arrangement of announcement and training programmes to tell all the employees about the reward policies and practices. Development of Reward strategy: Development of strategy: In todays organisation is facing fast changing economic environment, technological advancement and globalisation. Organisations have to cope up with these changes. The close fit between business strategy and HR strategy actually help to reach their desired target. From the business point of view, it has to take account on trend such as concentration on core business, market segments, get maximum values from reward system, and give more importance on flexibility. They have to change the old system with the best practices to meet these requirements. The design of reward system must need to be fair and need to operate consistently to recognize individuals needs. There are many steps for developing strategies: Determine the main issues for business strategy that affects the reward and policy To find out crucial success factors for the business and need to think implications for human resource and reward strategies. Need to keep in eye on old reward strategies and identify any change require for that to adapt that with new changes of the organisations. To identify the implications for HR plans to establish future needs. Discuss with the consultant about how to develop reward strategies Consider external factors like policies of government, income tax regulations, peoples pay and pressure from local or international. Conclusion: At the end we can conclude the importance of human resource management strategies in an organisational context by summarising the needs that for effective running of the business HRM is essential. It is not possible to run the organisation without engaging human resource management. Human resource management need to be active in order to maintain all the section within a short time. Moreover, human resource management helps to enhance the productivity of an organisations people through hiring right person at right place at time by making good strategies. HRM also motivate their employees through various ways like pay and reward. This is way how human resource management helps in achieving the overall performance of the organisation through developing strategies and implementing them effectively towards the organisational success.

Blocking & Filtering Essay -- essays research papers

"Any content-based regulation of the Internet, no matter how benign the purpose, could burn the global village to roast the pig." U.S. Supreme Court majority decision, Reno v. ACLU (June 26, 1997) Blocking and filtering software for the Internet is one of the most hotly debated topics regarding free speech and the Internet. Many have criticized blocking software for being both under and over inclusive, and others have argued that blocking software should not be used at all in public institutions such as libraries and schools. On the other side, supporters of blocking software claim that is a legitimate method to regulate access to "inappropriate" material on the Internet, especially access for minors. But, before we begin to look at these debates directly, we have to examine how the different types of blocking software available work. Nearly all blocking software contains several features that enable the user to customize it for their particular preferences. Users can set the particular levels and/or categories they want the software to screen. So, for example, a user could instruct his browser to block all nudity and sex acts, but still allow sex education and intolerance, while another users could do the opposite. Another common feature is the ability to unblock particular web sites when they are blocked. So, if a user was attempting to access the CNN web site, and it was blocked because it contained, for example, the Starr report, the user could unblock it. A final common feature of most blocking software is that it can be turned on and off for particular users on a particular machine, so that parents can turn the software on when their children are using the computer, but allow themselves unlimited access. Blocking software works in several major ways: blocking by word, blocking particular sites, blocking all sites except those on a "white list," and blocking by preset ratings. Most of the first blocking software worked by blocking words; the software would scan web sites for certain, unacceptable words such as "breast" or "sex." This type of software was often ridiculed, because it is ridiculously over broad, for example blocking sites on breast cancer or news sites about the President. In addition, this type of blocking has the disadvantage of not being able to scan pictures for unacceptable m... ...ts computers. Representative Bob Franks of New Jersey introduced a similar bill in the House, dubbed the "Safe Schools Internet Act of 1999". In addition, the constitutionality of library filters has been, and continues to be, litigated in several cases. All cases decided to this point have declared mandatory filters on all library computers to be unconstitutional. Many argue that the PICS system is the best way to provide for parental empowerment in order to manage their children's internet use. These people point out that, at least for now, the PICS system is voluntary and that third parties can rate sites. The rating systems used in conjunction with PICS establish a uniform standard that parents can rely on, instead of the opinions of software companies' list makers. The purpose behind Internet filters is to provide parents, educators and other with an effective tool to protect minors from harmful material through their computers. At first blush they appear to be a simple technological fix to the problem of indecency on the Internet. However, this simple solution has touched off a firestorm of controversy, which show no signs of cooling off in the near future.