Introduction to Biometric Identification Database Essay

Introduction to Biometric Identification Database - Essay Example But the evolution of biometrics in the form of automated identification of finger prints, geometry of hand, iris construction, facial structure, genetic makeup etc. is a relatively new phenomenon. Portuguese explorer Joao de Barros also points out1 the existence of Biometrics in China in the 14th century. Barros narrates that Chinese merchants used to stamp their children's palm prints and footprints on a piece of paper with ink. This way the Chinese merchants used to distinguish the young children from one another. This can be termed as the beginning of the modern biometrics. The recent advances in Information Technology and computing have provided newer dimension to this emerging field. During the last couple of decades biometrics has established itself as a comprehensive tool for establishing Identities and Verification. In 1890, Alphonse Bertillon, a Parisian police desk, studied body length to identify criminals. Subsequently the method came to be known as Bertillonage method, which relied heavily on measuring the body length. But the method did not last long as there were many false alarms as a result of false identifications. Thereafter, finger printing became the reliable method of identifying the criminals. There are human rights groups and civil liberties advocates argue that increasing use of biometrics has resulted in trespassing into the privacy of all human beings, but the rise in terrorist activities in recent years has forced the defense and security experts to rely heavily on the biometrics for identifying the mischief makers. Types of Biometrics and their usage A biometric system is designed to test one out of the two possible hypotheses (Wayman et al., 2005): (1) That the submitted samples are from an individual known to the system; or (2) That the submitted samples are from an individual not known to the system. Applications to test the first hypothesis are called "positive identification" systems (verifying a positive claim of enrollment), while applications testing the latter are "negative identification" systems (verifying a claim of no enrollment). Biometrics, in general can be divided into two main groups, physiological and behavioral i. Physiological factors: These factors depend upon the physical structure and appearance of the individual. Iris Scan: The Iris of an individual is scanned to match it with the stored image. Quite often the iris scan may not come out with actual on if the person is putting on dark glasses, or is suffering from some eye disease. Fingerprint: This is one of the oldest tried and tested methods of biometrics. In fact the nail is also included for identification in fingerprinting. Hand: This includes the structure of knuckles, palm and the vascular networking of hand. Face, Earlobe, Lips: The camera scans the facial structure or the fleshy pendulous part of the external ear or lips of the individual. Voice: The voice is also one of the most distinguishing features to identify an individual. Therefore the voice patterns form one of the most dependable biometric measures. Retina: like iris, the retinal structure too provides an insight into the nature and character of the person. DNA: This method too is quite frequently used in a number of cases to establish the identity of the individual. Body Odor and Sweat Pores: There are biometric techniques which can sense the

Essay, Consumer Psychology (Beer Industry Chosen) Essay

, Consumer Psychology (Beer Industry Chosen) - Essay Example One fact has remained steady and that is the beer consumer. In recent years, however, there has been a decline in beer consumption due to a variety of reasons, most obvious of which is the evolving consumer behaviour. This essay will identify some important and noteworthy behaviours of beer consumers that have been observed or found through literature reviews. The second section of the paper will attempt to interpret the behaviours into known consumer behaviour concepts for better understanding. The final part will convert the interpretations for the use of marketers in the development and planning of campaigns to satisfy these needs of the customers. Picture a roomful of men, sitting in front of the Sony Bravia TV to watch the latest English Premier League game, after a long, tiring day. Their wives and children are supping or sleeping peacefully at home but tonight is the boys’ night out. Somebody has just ordered Dominos pizza and the men are all sitting with camaraderie, joking and laughing loudly together. To complete this scene there is only one thing needed: beer. If we take the definition of Consumer Behaviour to be, â€Å"the decision process and physical activity individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services† (Loudon, p5), then the above, a typical scenario involving loyal beer consumers, can be broken down into distinct steps, each signifying one aspect of the consumer’s behaviour with regards to beer usage and consumption: 1. Evaluating: As the boys will get together and there will be carefree banter and fun, there has to be an activity (watching sports on a big screen TV like the Bravia), a venue (the living room), participants (all the five or six men), food (pizza by Dominos as all the ‘boys’ like it) and drink (which has to be beer). What can be derived from this is that when adults are relaxing and in the mood to have fun, they will likely want beer. 2. Acquiring: Getting

Himalayan Tourism in Nepal Essay Example for Free

Himalayan Tourism in Nepal Essay

Depository System In India Security System For Investors Economics Essay

Depository System In India Security System For Investors Economics Essay Close to sixty three years of Independence, India has emerged to be one of the driving forces of the World Economy. However, with the recent setback of the Global Recession of 2007, a need had been felt to look into the existing structures of the Financial Institutions present. Consequently, a Committee was established by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), under the chairmanship of Bimal Jalan, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor, in February 2010. It was setup with the view to underscore an important distinction between regulation and control, and to ensure that the former does not degenerate into the latter. The committee has also instituted an interesting term called the Market Infrastructure Institutions. The term marker infrastructure denotes such fundamental facilities and systems serving the market. As per the Report  [1]  , Stock exchanges, depositories and clearing corporations are collectively referred to as securities Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs). They can be defined to be institutions providing basic, underlying framework or features for the market. Well functioning MIIs are the backbone of any economy, which in turn is directly proportional to the well-being of the economy. Infrastructure Institutions can be characterized by provision of essential services, offering networking services, exhibiting economies of scale, presenting sunk costs and operating natural monopolies.  [2]   Introduction Depositories form an important part of the securities Market Infrastructure Institutions in India. As per section 2(e) of the Depositories Act, 1996, a depository means a company formed and registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and which has been granted a Certificate of Registration under sub-section (1A) of section 12 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992). In simple words, a Depository is an organization which is similar to a bank. It holds the securities of investors in an electronic book entry form at their request and provides services related to transactions in securities with speed, accuracy and safety. It interacts with its clients through a `Depository Participant with whom the client is required to open a Demat Account. A depository participant is defined in section 2(g) of the Depositories Act, 1996 as participant means a person registered as such under sub-section (1A) of section 12 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992). An application for the grant of certificate of registration as Depository Participant is made to the Board Form E along with application fee as specified in Part A of the second schedule of the Depository Participant Regulations. Public financial  institutions, scheduled commercial banks,  foreign banks operating in India with the approval of the Reserve Bank of India, state financial corporations,  custodians, stock-brokers, clearing corporations /clearing houses, NBFCs and Registrar to an Issue or Share Transfer Agent complying with the requirements prescribed by SEBI can be registered as Depository Participants. Evolution of Depository System in India The growth in the Indian capital market both in number of transactions and the value of trade and resultant settlement of securities exposed the limitation of handling securities in the paper mode. Physical (paper) mode of holding securities was not only cumbersome and inefficient but also held numerous risks for the participant and led to dissatisfaction of issuers and investors alike. Due to limitations and problems associated it necessitated the setting up of depositories to move away from paper based holding of securities. Thus, Depository system was established to eliminate the inconvenience and confusion caused by the paper based trading and a scripless trading system came to be recognized. The enactment of Depositories Act in August 1996 paved the way for introduction of Depository system in India. Following the notification of the SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations, 1996, National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), a company sponsored by the NSE, IDBI and UTI was granted a certificate of registration as a depository on June 7,1996. Some of the other shareholders are State Bank of India, HDFC Bank Limited, Deutsche Bank A.G., Axis Bank Limited, Citibank N.A.Standard Chartered Bank, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Oriental Bank of Commerce etc. The higher shareholding (of at least 51%) by sponsors, including stock exchanges in depositories was permitted in the initial stages for facilitating the setting up of depositories. Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL), the second depository, was promoted by Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) in association with Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India and HDFC Bank. BSE has been involved with this venture right from the inception and has contributed overwhelmingly to the fruition of the project. The initial capital of the company is Rs.104.50 crores. The list of major shareholders with effect from 5th July, 2010 is  [3]  : Name of shareholders Value of holding (in Rupees Lacs) % Terms to total equity Bombay Stock Exchange Limited 5,663.46 54.20 Bank of India 582.00 5.57 Bank of Baroda 530.00 5.07 State Bank of India 1,000.00 9.57 HDFC Bank Limited 750.00 7.18 Standard Chartered Bank 750.00 7.18 Canara Bank 674.46 6.45 Inter-depository transfer through on-line connectivity between CDSL and NSDL was established in 1999.  [4]   Benefits of the Depository System The main objective of the depository system is to maintain and safeguard the ownership and transfer records of securities in an electronic form. Depository system eliminates the inconvenience and confusion caused by the paper based trading. It is a safe and convenient way of holding securities and reduces the risks associated with certificates. In a depository system, the investors have the advantages like efficient settlements, lower costs and lower risks of theft. It also facilitates immediate transfer of securities and no stamp duty is required on transfer of shares. Change in address recorded with Depository Participant gets registered with all companies in which investor holds securities electronically eliminating the need to correspond with each of them separately. Also there is automatic credit into demat account of shares, arising out of bonus/split/consolidation/merger etc.A natural guardian is not required to take court approval for selling Demat securities on behalf of a minor. Ease in portfolio monitoring  since statement of account gives a consolidated position of investments in all instruments. Holding investments in equity and debt instruments in a single  account is also another advantage of the depository system. Features of Indian Depository System: Dematerialization: There are two models for depository system across the world-dematerialization and immobilization. India has adopted the dematerialization model. India provides for a competitive multi-depository system. There can be various entities providing depository services.eg (NSDL and CDSL).The model adopted in India provides only for Dematerialization of securities. Dematerialization is the process of converting the physical form of shares into an electronic form and in short called Demat. Dematerialization of securities occurs when securities issued in physical form is destroyed and an equivalent number of securities are credited into the beneficiary owners account. The depositories can provide their services to investors through their agents called Depository Participants. These agents are appointed subject to the conditions prescribed under Securities and Exchange Board of India (Depositories and Participants) Regulations,1996 and other applicable conditions. The participants and investors get their respective IDs which has a unique identification in the depository system. Any number of depository accounts can be opened. After opening an account with the Depository Participant the investor should surrender the physical certificates held in his name to a depository participant. These certificates will be sent to the respective companies where they will be cancelled after dematerialization and will credit the investors account with the Depository Participant. The securities on dematerialization will appear as balances in the depository account. These balances can be transferred like the shares held in physical form. The securities in the Demat can again be converted into physical form which is called as dematerialization. Dematerialization of shares is optional and the investor can hold shares in the physical form, however the investor will have to demat the shares if he wishes to sell or purchase the shares through stock exchanges. Immobilization of securities is done by storing or lodging the physical security certificates with an organization that acts as a custodian a securities depository. All subsequent transactions in such immobilized securities take place through book entries. The actual owners have the right to withdraw the physical securities from the custodial agent whenever required by them. In the case of IPO, a jumbo certificate is issued in the name of the beneficiary owners based on which the depository gives credit to the account of beneficiary owners. Fungibility: Section 9 of the Depositories Act, 1996 states that securities in depositories should be in fungible form. In the depository system, the securities dematerialized are not identified by distinctive numbers or certificate numbers as in the physical environment. Thus all securities in the same class are identical and interchangeable. For example, all equity shares in the class of fully paid up shares are interchangeable. Registered Owner/ Beneficial Owner: In the depository system, the ownership of securities dematerialized is bifurcated between Registered Owner and Beneficial Owner. For the securities dematerialized, NSDL is the Registered Owner in the books of the issuer, but ownership rights and liabilities rest with Beneficial Owner. All the rights, duties and liabilities underlying the security are on the beneficial owner of the security. Free Transferability of shares: Transfer of shares held in dematerialized form takes place freely through electronic book-entry system. Legal Framework The depository business in India is regulated by: a. The Depositories Act, 1996 It was enacted to provide for regulation of depositories  in securities and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It came into force from 20th September, 1995. It provides for the establishment of single and multiple depositories. Anybody to be eligible needs to be formed and registered as a company under the Companies Act, 1956 and seek registration with SEBI and obtain a Certificate of Commencement of Business from SEBI on fulfillment of the prescribed conditions. b. The SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations, 1996 SEBI on 6th May, 1996 issued SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations, 1996 which apply to depositories and its participants. The Depositories Act requires that the registration of the depository, depository participant and custodian, is mandatory with SEBI.  [5]  These regulations also contain provisions for operations and functioning of depositories, for application and certificates used and schedule of fees for participants etc. c. Bye-Laws of Depository Depository is required to frame its bye-laws  [6]  with the prior approval of SEBI, consistent with the provisions of the Act and the regulations made by SEBI thereunder. However on non-compliance SEBI has the power to amend or revoke the bye-laws on its own. d. Other Laws Apart from the above, Depositories are also governed by certain provisions of Companies Act, 1956, The Indian Stamp Act, 1899, SEBI Act,1956, SCRA,1956, Benami Transaction Prohibition Act,1988, Income Tax Act,1961, Bankers Book Evidence Act,1891. Ownership Norms Setting up of a Depository: An application for the grant of a certificate of registration as a depository shall be made to the Board by the sponsor in Form A. A Sponsor (anchor investor), as per section 2 (g), SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations, 1996, means any person or persons who, acting alone or in combination with another proposes to establish a depository and undertakes to perform the obligations of a sponsor under these regulations. It is to be accompanied by the fee  [7]  and be paid in the manner specified thereof.  [8]   The application should be accompanied by draft bye-laws of the depository that is proposed to be set up. The sponsor is to be from one of the mentioned categories: (i) A public financial institution as defined in section 4A of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956); (ii) A bank included for the time being in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934); (iii) A foreign bank operating in India with the approval of the Reserve Bank of India; (iv) A recognized stock exchange within the meaning of clause (j) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956); (v) A body corporate engaged in providing financial services where not less than seventy-five per cent of the equity capital is held by any of Securities and Exchange Board of India the institutions mentioned in sub-clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) jointly or severally; (vi) A body corporate constituted or recognized under any law for the time being in force in a foreign country for providing custodial, clearing or settlement services in the securities market and approved by the Central Government; (vii) An institution engaged in providing financial services established outside India and approved by the Central Government; The applicant is supposed to be a fit and proper person.  [9]   Presently, sponsors are required to hold at least 51% of the equity share capital in the depository, either alone or together.  [10]  Also, no participant shall at any time, hold more than 5% of the equity capital of the depository  [11]   No person other than a sponsor, whether resident in India, or not, shall at any time, either individually or together with persons acting in concert, hold more than 5% of the equity share capital in the depository.  [12]   The expression person resident in India shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (v) of section 2 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999). The expression Persons acting in concert shall have the meaning derived from clause (e) of sub-regulation (1) of Regulation 2 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 1997. The combined holding of all persons resident outside India in the equity share capital of the depository shall not exceed, at any time, 49% of its total equity share capital, subject further to the following: the sponsor shall, at all times, hold at least 51% of the equity capital of the depository and the balance of the equity capital of the depository shall be held by its participants.  [13]   At present, the combined holding of all persons residing outside India in the equity share capital of an MII is capped at 49% subject to the following: The combined holding through FDI  [14]  and FII  [15]  routes are capped at 26% and 23%, respectively. FIIs can acquire the equity shares of an MII only through the secondary market.  [16]   An FII cannot have representation on the board of an MII.  [17]   After considering the application, if the Board is satisfied that the company established by the sponsor is eligible to act as a depository it may grant a certificate of registration in Form B to the depository subject to the prescribed conditions like registration fee, redressing of grievances etc. A depository is required to make an application to the Board for commencement of business in Form C within one year from the date of issue of certificate of registration. The SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations, 1996, provides that: the depository shall not carry on any activity other than that of a depository unless the activity is incidental to the activity of the depository  [18]   It is provided that a depository may carry out such activity not incidental to its activities as a depository, as may be assigned to the depository, by the Central Government or by a regulator in the financial sector, through the establishment of Strategic Business Unit(s), and by complying with other conditions specified by the Board.  [19]   A Strategic Business Unit shall be an organizational unit of a company with its own mission, objectives and business strategy that is given the responsibility to serve the particular demands of one business area with appropriate technological, financial and other segregations. It is provided that for the purposes of clause (d) and (e) no foreign entity,  [20]  individually and collectively either as a sponsor or as a participant or as a sponsor and participant together shall hold more than 20% of the equity capital of a depository. Board Composition The Board composition for the two main depositories in India can be summarized as follows: a. National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) Independent Directors: 5 Shareholder Directors: 5 MD/CEO: 1 b. Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL) Independent Directors: 2 Shareholder Directors: 5 Whole time Directors: 1 The board structure for depositories is not subject to stringent norms. Only financial institutions/banks/stock exchanges, etc. can be sponsors of a depository and these are mostly nominated as shareholder directors. Further there have been no requirements for appointment of MD/CEO that have been prescribed for depositories. Net Worth of Depositories The net worth requirement for Depositories is 100 crores. Disadvantages: Prior to dematerialization there was almost a gap of three months between application date and listing of shares. Dematerialization has reduced this gap to a great extent. Current regulations prohibit multiple bids or applications by a single person. But the investors open multiple demat accounts and make multiple applications to subscribe to IPOs in the hope of getting allotment. The recent IPO allotment scam proves that even a highly automated system is not the solution to prevent malpractices, if there is laxity. The scam of Yes bank and IDFC reveal the defect that investor banker fail to weed out multiple applications either direct or benami.eg. In the Yes Bank scandal thirteen investors had manipulated the allotment of shares by opening 7500 benami accounts and made profit in 1.7crores. Eventually all the thirteen investors were banned from trading in bank shares immediately. Lack of coordination between banks, DPs, brokers depositories, registrars and investment bankers and clarity of their roles has given rise to such problems. The depository system is complex and in need of greater supervision and control. Thus is the working of the Depository system in India. The advantages of the depository system outweigh the disadvantages. Few changes in the complex system and specifications regarding the appointment of Board of directors need to be specified.

Web Design Essay -- Internet Graphics Designing Essays

Web Design Introduction When the Internet and World Wide Web were first created, they were designed a research tools and for the distribution of information through information systems networks. But as the use of the Web has become increasingly more complex, the focus on Web pages and their design has initiated a number of major changes. Initially, static Web pages were common, but the focus in recent years has been on the development of dynamic Web pages which are linked to databases and allow for the integration of information on a number of different levels. Web sites have progressed to a new level of sophistication, especially in terms of their capacity to track and store usage patterns and allow for the utilization of this information in the development of target advertising and focusing for both the Web page and subsequent connected databases (Tebbe N23). The development of dynamic Web sites requires strong tools and correlated databases that can retain the information that is gathered through this tracking process, and in order to become truly dynamic, Web sites must also be able to provide a company with the most up-to-date information or data that is both clear and graphically appealing (Tebbe N23). It is not surprising that many of the major industry developers have focused on ways to develop better and more interactive Web pages, and Microsoft and Netscape, for example, have focused on the development of enhanced version of HTML as a means of supporting the development of dynamic Web sites without requiring that developers have significant expertise in composing ActiveX and Java applets (Dobson 23). These forms of dynamic HTML, also known as DHTML, have been recognized as a means of maintaining standard uniformity through out the development process (Dobson 23). Over the past 3 years, the World Wide Web Consortium has been working on the preliminary specifications for critical aspects of the Document Object Model that would provide a standard for how scripts and programs are dynamically updated and how access to documents can be achieved (Dobson 23). These underpinnings of the development of dynamic Web pages underscore some of the industry issues, but do not reflect the impetus from which these Web pages came into focus. In order to understand the foundations for their development and their current significance, it is ne... ...on that is beneficial for the person accessing the site, but should also provide a structural element from which evaluations can be made by companies providing these sites. Though the structural elements of the Web site itself is imperative to attracting hits to the site, this is clearly not only element that has changed in Web site development in recent years. The focus on databases as a component of Web site interactivity is also a major element that has transformed the focus of Web site developers. It is evident that the continued changes in the industry will focus on increasing the interactivity in Web sites and improving the progression of dynamic Web sites in general. Works Cited Dobson, Rick. â€Å"Developers like DHTML, but many wait.† Byte, (2011): September, pp. 23(2). Heck, Mike. â€Å"iHTML builds database-driven, dynamic Web sites effortlessly.† InfoWorld, (2010): January, pp. 58F(1). Lam, John. â€Å"Visual InterDev and ASP.† PC Magazine, (2011): December, pp. 265(4). Mendelson, Edward. â€Å"Grand designs.† PC Magazine, (2009): March 4, pp. 100(13). Tebbe, Mark. â€Å"Surf’s over: here comes the big wave.† PC Week, (2009): November 18, pp. N23(1).

The Great Gatsby : The American Dream :: essays research papers

The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream' In Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the concept of the 'American Dream' appears in two ways. On the one hand Fitzgerald's view and imagination of the American Dream and on the other and, within the plot, Gatsby as the 'possible' personified American Dream come true.

Symantec – network security software company

Symantec, one of the world’s leading network security software company is facing many managerial obstacles In today’s global market place, where customer expectation and continuously emerging global competitors have drastically shorted the product lifecycle. Symantec is facing over 20,000 virus samples each month, not all of which are unique, stand-alone viruses. On top of that, dealing with this critical and time sensitive challenges, requires exceptional talented employee’s that is Symantec’s divers response team spread out in outsourced groups all over the world.Managers for a company such as Symantec needs to keep the professionals excited about work, even though it is a routine, standardized and chaotic environment they work within. To manage this, they need to use their technical, human and conceptual skills. Conceptual skill is the availability to visualize the organization as a whole. Symantec is spread out throughout the whole world, so the manage rs need to keep track of different time zones so that they have people working 24/7 in case unpredictable viruses would show up.Symantec, as said before, is one of the world’s leading network security company and it is hard for the managers to motivate each employee, and make them feel special. That is where the human relation skills is necessary from the managers within the company. Since new viruses are popping up randomly without preparation, the managers should let the professional employee’s try to work as self-independent as possible, so that they don’t have any guide lines to keep track of since all virus cases are different.In addition, the managers need technical skills. They need to be educated with the equipment that is being used within the company, so when distractions or problems show up, they are prepared and experienced with it, and can deal with it fast so not valuable time goes to waste. The operation manager Patrick Fitzgerald needs to play di fferent kind of management roles in different kind of cases. When Mr. Fitzgerald has weekly security briefing conference calls with coworkers around the globe, he needs to play a so called Liaison Role.This means that he will be a manager that serves as a connecting link between his coworkers and take in information he gets from coworkers on other location throughout the world. When he is assessed the feasibility of adding a new network security consulting service, He needs to be informed by the different possible outcomes, he needs to be prepared for what can go wrong. He needs to have information and be sure that it the intended effect of the new investment is profitable and not something wasteful. A management role such as leader is necessary when he needs to keep his employees focused on the company’s’ commitments to customer.The leader is responsible for deligating tasks and making sure that each task is done properly and reported to the next person in the chain o f management. The information of the Company Symantec we can find on their website, about its emphasis on customer service and innovation is that they are very determined to provide high security for the customers and their computers. They empower their employees by educating them so they can take more decisions on their own without having to go to a higher instance.Conclusion Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help the customers. It is a global company with employees outsourced all over the world which makes the manager’s work even harder. In addition to that, it is a chaotic business with issues and problems popping up such as viruses without be able to prepare for it. Their main focus is to empower their professional employees to think on their own and work independent without take the issue to higher instances.