Counter-Terrorism in Cyberspace - Article Example

The Economist: Target Demographic = professionals/executives/policy makers – typical age range of 30-55. Stress in the Workplace Human resources departments around the globe have come to realize that working conditions, specifically those conditions involving safety, have a direct correlation to the overall expense that a given organization/firm might face in terms of insurance, as well as the overall levels of productivity and dedication that they might expect from their stakeholders. As a function of this renewed interest and focus upon the manner through which the human resources department can act as something of a shield and buffer against loss and potential harm/injury to the workforce, entirely new division of human resources analysis and awareness has been created. Recent medical research has indicated that stress can ultimately be just as harmful as smoking a pack of cigarettes each and every day. With such a high level of impact with regards to human health and the increasing level to which systemic and/or self engaged stress motivates and defines the workplace, the following analysis will engage the reader with an understanding of how stress can create an ultimate hazard with regards to a toxic workplace alongside the medical ramifications and human resources repercussions that this necessarily entails. Firstly, it must be understood that stress impacts directly upon workplace efficiency and productivity. A number of different studies have indicated a statistical correlation between a high stress workplace and a precipitous drop in efficiency and/or productivity that is exhibited as a byproduct of this. Moreover, unlike the counterpart, direct physical injury, stress in the workplace is something of a silent killer (Spruill, 2013). Ultimately, many human resources divisions have come to realize that a high level of unnecessary stress, exhibited within the culture of a specific firm or organization, engenders a greatly increased risk of a litany of different health concerns. For entities and businesses that operate within the United Kingdom and Ireland, a culture that exhibit a high degree of unnecessary stress necessarily will cause a tangential loss in productivity and time out of work as a result of health concerns brought on and facilitated by such a high level of stress. For those entities and organizations that operate outside United Kingdom, the employer might be required to provide medical insurance for the stakeholders; thereby not only decreasing the efficiency and productivity that the firm is able to exhibit but also losing further money as a result of the stress that is exhibited as part of the company culture. In effect, the reader should come away with the fundamental understanding that stress within an organization can drain the organization of potential, efficiency, and resources. As such, with a high level of unique cultural stress ingrained within the culture, the human resources Department of any given organization or firm has no alternative but to seek a manner through which to redefine and reengaged the stakeholders as a means of slowly seeking to affect a gradual change within the culture (Stress and Coping, 2013). Whereas there are litanies of different studies that help to engage the reader with an understanding of the negative repercussions that stress within an organization necessarily entails, there are relatively few analyses and discussions with regards to the manner through which a human resources department might seek to change the culture that surrounds a high stress workplace. Although several of the determinants of stress within a given workspace cannot be reduced, i.e. the nature of the job, the types of customers, and/or certain time constraints or workflow issues, there are a variety of stressors that are outside the control of the individual manager or human resource personnel. Yet, the most salient factors that impact upon stress in the workplace, as a function of how the practitioner can seek to ameliorate this, have to do with providing an environment that is defined and constrained by a level of recognition and respect. Regardless of the level of stress that can be exhibited within any particular job, providing and promoting a culture that encourages recognition and respect is perhaps the most paramount action that can be taken. Far too many firms and organizations attempt to change their culture as a means of reducing stress to the individual stakeholder without considering the impact that a culture of recognition and respect can effect. Due to the fact that stress within the workplace has a detrimental impact upon profitability and efficiency, as well as the overall health of the individual and the health of the culture, seeking to address this salient issue and working to reduce it wherever possible can have massive tangential benefits to all individuals involved (Nicholson, 2013). Rather than taking a defeatist point of view with regards to the reduction of stress within an organization, a far better approach would be to engage with the understanding that the reduction of stress, even though impossible to fully realize, can have long lasting positive benefits with regards to the way in which business is performed. Bibliography n.a. Stress, and drinking alcohol to cope, on the rise in Britain 2013, Occupational Health, 65, 2, p. 7, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 December 2013. Nicholson, P 2013, All NHS staff deserve OH provision, Occupational Health, 65, 5, p. 15, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 December 2013. Richards, C 2013. Basic work improvements can tackle stress, WET News: Water & Effluent Treatment News, 19, 7, p. 19, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 December 2013. Spruill, M 2013 Majority of employers contributing to Burn-out Britain., Management Services, 48, 11, p. 3, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 December 2013. The New York Times: politically minded, liberal/progressive readership that typically spans the age demographic of 35-65. Counter Terrorism in Cyberspace: Issues of Legitimacy and Personal Privacy The United States finds itself in something of a unique position with regards to forming cyber warfare and other actions against potential radical websites and/or Web users. This unique situation is concentric upon the fact the United States purports to stand upon freedom of expression and freedom of information. However, there is a very thin line between an acceptance of general freedom of expression and the degree and extent to which the United States, and other democratic powers like it, will be allowed to tolerate radical calls to violent action on the part of jihadist elements around the globe. As such, a further understanding of circumstances, safeguards, and oversights, intelligence/military asset should conduct a denial of service attacks towards adversary websites. Before delving directly into the analysis, it must be understood that a public discourse with regards to cyber security and the required hoops that the government should be asked to step through prior to engaging in such a level of eavesdropping and/or destructive intent would not be possible if it were not for the revelations of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. As a direct result of the actions of Edward Snowden, public discourse and focus upon the range and extent of powers that the government has with regards to intercepting, and boiling, terrorism around the globe has received a new focus. As such, the analysis that has been conducted has specifically targeted such an understanding with regards to the level or extent to which personal freedom and/or the potential for harm and terrorist actions weight against one another. Firstly, the most important determinant that should be measured is whether or not the website itself is advocating a form of violent jihad. If violence is advocated, in any form, or indeed against any group, a denial of service attack for the website is not only in order but should be encouraged. Furthermore, the procedural process with regards to creating a DDOS must be gathered through a painstaking and rigid process by a group of analysts. Once this information has been gathered and codified, it can then be presented to the oversight board and/or committee that are then responsible for determining whether a distributed denial of service attack should indeed proceed. In this way, and attack upon a website must necessarily not be in the hands of a single individual. As has been made painfully obvious with regards to the leaks of Edward Snowden, the degree and extent to which oversight must exist for any action and/or the degree and extent to which any single individual has ultimate freedom to process information and/or to make target decisions with regards to which websites will be taken down must severely be restricted. Only through a collaboration of stakeholders and subject matter experts can such decisions the made in a fair and equitable manner. It must also be understood that even though a litany of different websites to have discussions or articles relating to violent jihad, only specific threat and discussions of a desire to commit a form of violence on a group should be considered as a possible target for a distributed denial of service attack. The reason that this author has chosen to restrain and constrain the extent to which such cyber warfare can take place is due to the fact that if this practice is expanded it will only likely spur a litany of further websites that promote the same ideology. As has been proven so many times throughout the past, oppression and persecution of a given idea, when taken to an extreme, will only likely to further that idea or religious interpretation to a greater and more full extent. In such a manner, the United States and its allies are uniquely interested in not only stifling this type of information from getting out to potentially at risk and disenfranchised members of the Muslim world, they are uniquely interested in stopping the spread of radical Islam and jihadist interpretations throughout the globe. As such, stamping out each and every of these websites and ensuring that they immediately go off-line as soon as they are posted will only serve to encourage alternative methods of jihadist discussion and planning. Conversely, there is a certain tacit benefit to intelligence members to allow for many of these sites to continue to operate; due to the valuable intelligence that they provide and the listing of members, IP addresses, and networks that they necessarily denote. Bibliography Schwartz, Mathew J. 2013. "Threat Intelligence Cant Rebuff DDoS Attacks." Informationweek no. 1363: 12. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 24, 2013). Read More