...Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/sec.299 SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER Attack Countermeasure Trees (ACT): towards unifying the constructs of attack and defense trees Arpan Roy* , Dong Seong Kim and Kishor S. Trivedi Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, U.S.A. ABSTRACT Attack tree (AT) is one of the widely used non-state-space models for security analysis. The basic formalism of AT does not take into account defense mechanisms. Defense trees (DTs) have been developed to investigate the effect of defense mechanisms using measures such as attack cost, security investment cost, return on attack (ROA), and return on investment (ROI). DT, however, places defense mechanisms only at the leaf nodes and the corresponding ROI/ROA analysis does not incorporate the probabilities of attack. In attack response tree (ART), attack and response are both captured but ART suffers from the problem of state-space explosion, since solution of ART is obtained by means of a state-space model. In this paper, we present a novel attack tree paradigm called attack countermeasure tree (ACT) which avoids the generation and solution of a state-space model and takes into account attacks as well as countermeasures (in the form of detection and mitigation events). In ACT, detection and mitigation are allowed not just at the leaf node but also at the intermediate nodes while at the same time the state-space explosion problem is avoided...
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...Introduction In the earlier years, Materials Management was treated as a Cost Centre, since Purchasing Department was spending money on materials while Stores was holding huge inventory of materials, blocking money and space. However, with the process of liberalization and opening up of global economy, there has been a drastic change in the business environment, resulting in manufacturing organizations exposed to intense competition in the market place. Indian manufacturers have been working out various strategies to face the above challenges and to cut down manufacturing costs to remain competitive. Progressive Management have since recognized that Materials Management can provide opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs and can be treated as a Profit Centre. On an average, half the Sales income is spent on Materials. Suppose a firm is spending 50% of its volume on materials and the profits are 10% of sales volume. A 2% reduction in materials cost will boost the profits to 11% of sales or the profits will be increased by 10%. To achieve the same increase in profit through sales efforts, a 10% increase in sales volume will be necessary. In other words, compared to sales volume, material cost has five times the average on profits. Organizations earn or loose large sums depending on how effective are their Materials Management. The cost savings which are possible in Purchasing are as follows: a) By obtaining materials at lower prices through: • Development of new...
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...Examine the reasons how Porcini’s has maintained high product and service quality? What are Porcini’s plan for maintain this quality for its Pronto concept? Porcini strived hard to maintain its product and services quality. Porcini has created its high quality as a differentiating factor. Porcini set out a unique ambiance of family-owned restaurant, differentiating itself from others. Addition to that, they put experienced managers as in charge at individual restaurants. They hired services of award winning chef, Mariana Molise, and she was in charge and responsible for training chefs in each of the outlets to make sure that quality is not deteriorating. It is made sure that all the ingredients used in cooking are fresh and meet high quality standards. Furthermore, special attention was paid to artful presentation of dishes, no matter if they cost more. Employees were kept motivated thorough various initiatives, as a result, they had a stable workforce in high turnover industry. In order to maintain its product and services quality, the chef, Mariana Molise will be developing new recipes, keeping in mind, the speed for preparation and serving. Addition to that Porcini has developed proper plans to hire and recruit employees that will be dedicated and will ensure consumer satisfaction and services quality. They planned for compensating employees with different techniques and training. To ensure quality congruency, Porcini will be connecting these branches to the central branch...
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...through the creation of profit and investment centers. 10-3 A cost center is any responsibility center whose manager has control over cost, but not revenue or investment funds. A profit center manager, by contrast, has control over both cost and revenue. An investment center manager has control over cost and revenue and investment funds. 10-4 A segment is any part or activity of an organization about which management seeks cost or revenue data. Examples of segments include departments, operations, sales territories, divisions, and product lines. 10-5 Margin refers to the ratio of net operating income to total sales. Turnover refers to the ratio of total sales to average operating assets. The product of the two numbers is the ROI. 10-6 ROI can be improved (1) by increasing sales, (2) by reducing expenses, or (3) by reducing assets. 10-7 Residual income is the net operating income an investment center earns above the company’s minimum required rate of return on operating assets. 10-8 Investment center managers may reject...
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...as simple as a locked door or as elaborate as multiple layers of barriers, armed security guards and guardhouse placement.[2] Modern security involves a variety of systems, such as CCTV, Access Control systems, security fences, building management, fire detectors and more. These systems are operated separately, providing security personnel with a partial and isolated perspective that is very much dependant on the capabilities of the security operator. When securing a single small-scale facility, using these separate systems may be sufficient. However, securing mid-to-large scale facilities, such as airports, or multiple facilities, such as a network of train stations – requires a unified perspective. 2.2 Drawbacks of existing system The importance of physical security cannot be understated because it ranges from issues of outright theft of a system or key storage component to intervention with the boot drive during startup. Let's consider several common physical security threat scenarios. Backups and Restoration Security An organization's philosophy of network security can vary greatly. Data integrity is not commonly viewed as a security issue, but maintaining system and data backup is fundamental. Securing valuable information through regular backups is the best defense against a natural disaster, a runaway virus, or a hack job. When implementing a backup policy, don't forget to also secure the backup media. For example, if you regularly back up critical data files and then tuck...
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...Project Management – Case Study 2 Film Prioritisation The purpose of this case is to give you experience in using a project priority sys-tem that ranks proposed projects by their contribution to the organization’s objectives and strategic plan. COMPANY PROFILE The company is the film division for a large entertainment conglomerate. The main office is located in Anaheim, California. In addition to the feature film division, the conglomerate includes theme parks, home videos, a television channel, interactive games, and theatrical productions. The company has been enjoying steady growth over the past 10 years. Last year total revenues increased by 12% to $21.2 billion. The company is engaged in negotiations to expand its theme park empire to mainland China and Poland. The film division generated $274 million in revenues, which was an increase of 7% over the past year. Profit margin was down 3 to 16% because of the poor response to three of the five major film releases for the year. COMPANY MISSION The mission for the firm: Our overriding objective is to create shareholder value by continuing to be the world’s premier entertainment company from a creative, strategic, and financial stand point. The film division supports this mission by producing four to six high-quality, family entertainment films for mass distribution each year. In recent years, the CEO of the company has advocated that the firm take a leadership position in championing environmental concerns. COMPANY...
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...Paradox Review of Basic Finance The Time Value of Money ROI, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Payback Period Calculating ROI for an E-business Project Base Case Incorporating the E-business Project Incremental Cash Flows and IRR Uncertainty, Risk, and ROI Uncertainty Sensitivity Analysis 1 2 4 4 6 6 7 8 10 11 11 11 Project and Technology Risks Monte Carlo Analysis Applied to ROI Executive Insights The Important Questions to Ask When Reviewing an ROI Analysis A Framework for Synchronizing e-Business Investments With Corporate Strategy Beyond ROI: Trends for the Future Acknowledgments Glossary Cross References References 12 13 14 14 14 16 17 17 17 17 INTRODUCTION As the late 1990s came to a close, many companies had invested heavily in Internet, e-business, and information technology. As the technology bubble burst in 2000 many executives were asking “Where is the return on investment?” When capital to invest is scarce new e-business and information technology (IT) projects must show a good return on investment (ROI) in order to be funded. This chapter will give the reader the key concepts necessary to understand and calculate ROI for e-business and IT projects. In addition, the limitations of calculating ROI, best practices for incorporating uncertainty and risk into ROI analysis, and the role ROI plays in synchronizing IT investments with corporate strategy will be discussed. What is ROI? One conceptual definition is that ROI is a project’s net output (cost savings and/or new...
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...A. Executive Summary: The Zhong-Lian Knitting Company Chinese Joint Venture (JV) is facing trouble among its two owners that have different objectives. American based Heartland Spindle is looking for higher profits and a move to higher quality clothing markets in the USA while Suzhou First Textile Company, the Chinese partner, is looking to enter the domestic Chinese market and expand its manufacturing capacity through job growth, in line with local government pressures. My recommendation is to first focus on what is best for the JV given its situation and opportunities – which is to grow through acquisition and focus on expanding its current clothing products into the Chinese Domestic market. From that analysis with the implied 4% ROI, Heartland should to exit the JV and invest in entities that better meet its needs and expectations in countries that are more attractive to its needs. Finally in the future Heartland should be more careful when entering into JV agreements so that all parties have an appreciation for cultural differences, a common understanding of objectives and directions that are embedded in the JV agreement. Note – the Executive Summary is one area that is repetitive of other sections given its nature. B. Industry Dynamics: The Zhong-Lian Joint Venture (JV) is currently manufacturing clothing for the US mass market, a strategic group within the overall apparel industry (versus high end fashion brands). Their clothing is sold through retailers such as Walmart...
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...and Shanghai Fabric, LTD. Ten years ago, Rocky River launched Shui Fabrics as a 50-50 joint venture between a U.S. Textile manufacturer and a Chinese company to produce and dye coat fabric that would be sold to both Chinese and international sportswear manufacturers. Even though Betzell was beginning to feel like he was caught in the middle because his boss Paul Danvers, the president of Rocky River, was starting to grow frustrated with the 5% ROI Shui Fabrics was receiving and felt that they should be receiving at least a 20% ROI, Chiu Wai, Betzell’s Deputy General Manager, was pleased with the way things were going and felt that the joint venture was fulfilling his expectations, those of the local government, and party officials who were keeping careful tabs on the enterprise. Describe the differences between Ray Betzell's and Chiu Wai's perspectives on Shui Fabrics' Return on Interest (ROI) in terms of the GLOBE Project value dimensions. The differences between Ray Betzell's and Chiu Wai's perspectives on Shui Fabrics' ROI in terms of the GLOBE Project value dimensions are economic, legal-political, and sociocultural influences. Economic factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates, and inflation rate. Economic development differs widely among countries and regions of the world because some countries are considered to be developing whereas some countries are already developed. Developing countries are referred to as less-developed, have low per...
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...many such reorganizations, the position of chief marketing officer, remains ill-defined. * Measurable outcomes are now expected for marketing programs — 66 percent of executives say true ROI analytics are marketing’s greatest need. But most companies are still using surrogate metrics, such as awareness, instead of ROI measurements. 2. How has marketing’s primary focus shifted over the years? * 1950/60s—centralized conformity * 1980s- fragmentation of media, markets, and consumer attention * Today- continual, discontinous change, globalization, internet, rising info transparency * In the era of mass marketing, the primary source of value for most companies was their products or brands; today, value is moving to the customer interface. * Marketing’s focus, formerly on advertising-based brand development, has shifted to “below the line” operations capable of driving short-term, measurable financial returns. * Companies’ sales efforts, once characterized as “one size fits all,” are transforming to meet customer demands for unique solutions and value-added services. 3. Why has marketing grown in importance? * Ferocity of competition in their industry as one of the top two factors underlying the growth in marketing’s importance. * believe the function’s most important contributions lie in zones...
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...Social Enterprise Description & Mission: Musoni Services is a microfinance software company that supports MFIs, SACCOs (credit cooperatives), and asset-financers in Africa with its cloud-based microfinance platform, the Musoni System. The System provides clients with the infrastructure they need to reduce costs, improve efficiency and drive financial inclusion into rural areas where the majority of the unbanked live. The company aims to fulfill its social mission of expanding financial inclusion to the 75% of individuals in Africa without any form of financial services, reducing poverty and improving the lives the unbanked. Trade-offs inherent in Musoni between social mission and financial returns: (1) Technology efficiency= lower quality/investment in distinctive client services and needs. * Since MF is an inherently expensive service to deliver, Musoni leverages innovative IT solutions by using technology to lower costs, reduce risk, and improve efficiency. Aside from core-banking functionality, their System is integrated with mobile money transfer providers (M-PESA etc.) enabling clients to send/receive funds over mobile phones. Musoni is the first cashless MFI in the world and uses mobile payments for all transactions. They’ve completely digitized loan officers field operations by using computer tablets to collect data. Musoni outsources fundraising services, initial advisory and management services, and IT Services (hosting, development). These efficiencies...
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...Grading Rubric and Example of Case Analysis for MGMT 430 Decision Making Assignment Grading & Feedback (helpful hints in italics) Student: ____________________________Assignment: ______________________________ Area Additional Comments – also see submitted analysis: Executive Summary – clear and concise on key issues and recommendations 5 Executive summary should make the key issues and the recommendations clear for the reader. No need to discuss processes or extraneous items. Industry Dynamics – identifies key issues about how the industry and key competitors operate to provide customer value and profitability 5 Identify how the industry actually operates – are there strategic groups within the industry, how do key competitors provide value to the customers, how do firms generate profits and are there any resources, capabilities or collaborators that are key to success. Performs an insightful Situation Analysis using at least 3 frameworks appropriately (appendix)– IDs key issue(s) 20 Frameworks include such tools/concepts as: Stakeholders Analysis, SWOT, Root Cause, 5 Forces, 5 C’s, Market Expansion grid, etc. The actual frameworks should be placed in the Appendix. Use numbers! Specifies Opportunities Available or Penalties if problem continues 5 Impact of situation or opportunities are clear& specific – magnitude is identified (answers “so what” Appreciation) use numbers whenever possible! Logical...
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...on The association between activity-based costing and improvement in financial performance Douglass Cagwin* and Marinus J. Bouwman† This study investigates the improvement in financial performance that is associated with the use of activity-based costing (ABC), and the conditions under which such improvement is achieved. Internal auditors furnish information regarding company financial performance, extent of ABC usage, and enabling conditions that have been identified in the literature as affecting ABC efficacy. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling are used to investigate the relationship between ABC and financial performance. Results show that there indeed is a positive association between ABC and improvement in ROI when ABC is used concurrently with other strategic initiatives, when implemented in complex and diverse firms, when used in environments where costs are relatively important, and when there are limited numbers of intra-company transactions. In addition, measures of success of ABC used in prior research appear to be predictors of improvement in financial performance. c 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Key words: activity-based costing; new business initiatives; ABC success; structural equation models. 1. Introduction Activity-based costing1 (ABC) has been promoted and adopted as a basis for making strategic decisions and for improving profit performance for over a decade *Assistant Professor of Accounting, School of Business...
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...and consist of. This report will display proposal modifications in the sales division at the Kudler’s Fine Foods organization. The purpose of this report is to obtain the authorization to perform a change management program in the sales division from upper management. Step one will display why a change is important and how change management will benefit the organization. Step two will detail the four dimensions of change management and how the dimensions purpose relates to the problem. Step three emphases on a summary of how management will use the project management method in describing the way to control change within the work environment, and the final step will support the change proposals position with expected return on investment (ROI). Need for Change Implementing a change management program within the Kudler Fine Foods will help management in properly implementing and controlling change within the organization (Leban & Stone, 2008). The purpose of the change management program is to ensure upper management employees on every level accept and understand change and the types of changes needed within the organization. To make the change a smooth transition for employees and staff, the change management proposal requires the approval of upper management. Because the Kudler Fine Foods operational sales division is not efficiently working, certain alterations within the division are put in place and some need up to date modification. In regard to the current activities...
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...Large project: Takes a long time to complete; Involves a large investment;Has a big project team;Produces a large number of deliverables. Size : Dimensions: Time;Resources (financial, number of organizations/functions);Scope (number of deliverables);Importance/Impact;Issues (number and severity);Use of new technology Characteristics: More subprojects and team leaders; Project administration infrastructure; Formal reporting process; Greater use of formal software tools Tightly controlled and coordinated project plans; More formal interface meetings between groups;Full-time project managers; Multiple locations involved in the project; Multiple organizations involved in the project; More complex tasks and work to be done; More complex and difficult-to-use tools in the project; Increased integration effort between work results ofsubprojects Challenges: Changes in the business environment: Economy; Goals and objectives; Partnerships; Dependencies; Competition;Laws, regulations, regulatory bodies( Change with time; International; Impact on communities, environment); Complexity: Technology; Schedule/Project Management Large number of deliverables = Large number of activities; Simultaneous activities; Difficult to identify and manage project dependencies. Financial challenges: Large investments; Long payback periods; Unbalanced budgets; Significant costs at the beginning of the project; Difficult to reliably estimate costs and benefits; Amount and timing. Technology:...
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