Fin621 Online Quiz No. 3 Announcement

Quiz # 3

Dated: Dec 30, 10

On-Line Quiz (No.03) Announcement Quiz will cover video lecture no. 01 to 28

Schedule
Opening Date and Time:       January 04, 2011 At 12:01 AM (Mid-Night)
Closing Date and Time:         January 06, 2011 At 11:59 PM (Mid-Night)

The Quiz will remain open for "72 Hours" 24 hours extra time is not available

IT430 Assignment No. 2 Solution

Assignment # 2

All the students of IT430 are directed to download the 2nd assignment. Due date for submission is Monday 03 January, 2011. No assignment after due date will be accepted.

Note: Send email at it430@vu.edu.pk for any assignment related problem

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Question: (10)

What are the steps involved in symmetric cryptography? Also explain key management in conventional cryptography using some example.

Note: Submit .doc files only. Send email at it430@vu.edu.pk for any assignment related query. 

Your work must be original. If you have to search the topic from internet then write it in your own words. No marks will be given in case of cheating or copying from the internet or from any other student.

Deadline:
Your assignment must be uploaded/submitted on or before 3rd January 2011.

SOLUTION:

Symmetric Cryptography 

With symmetric cryptography, both the sender and recipient share a key that is used to perform both encryption and decryption. Symmetric cryptography is commonly used to perform encryption. It also provides data integrity when symmetric keys are used in conjunction with other algorithms to create Message Authentication Codes (MACs). For more information about MACs, see Data Origin Authentication in Chapter 2, "Message Protection Patterns." 

Figure 1 illustrates the process of encrypting and decrypting data with a shared secret key.

Figure 1. The process of symmetric encryption 

As illustrated in Figure 1, symmetric encryption involves the following steps: 
The sender creates a ciphertext message by encrypting the plaintext message with a symmetric encryption algorithm and a shared key. 
The sender sends the ciphertext message to the recipient. 

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Key Management and Conventional Encryption

Conventional encryption has benefits. It is very fast. It is especially useful for encrypting data that is not going anywhere. However, conventional encryption alone as a means for transmitting secure data can be quite expensive simply due to the difficulty of secure key distribution. The expense of secure channels and key distribution relegated its use only to those who could afford it, such as governments and large banks (or small children with secret decoder rings). 

Recall a character from your favorite spy movie: the person with a locked briefcase handcuffed to his or her wrist. What is in the briefcase, anyway? It's probably not the missile launch code/ biotoxin formula/ invasion plan itself. It's the key that will decrypt the secret data. 

For a sender and recipient to communicate securely using conventional encryption, they must agree upon a key and keep it secret between themselves. If they are in different physical locations, they must trust a courier, the Bat Phone, or some other secure communication medium to prevent the disclosure of the secret key during transmission. Anyone who overhears or intercepts the key in transit can later read, modify, and forge all information encrypted or authenticated with that key. The persistent problem with conventional encryption is key distribution: how do you get the key to the recipient without someone intercepting it? 

And the minor problem with it is the storage of keys: when you want to communicate with a lot of people and you have one key for each partner, how do you manage so many keys?

Some Examples of Conventional Cryptosystems

Captain Midnight's Secret Decoder Ring (which you may have owned when you were a kid)

Julius Caesar's cipher

DES, Data Encryption Standard

The recipient decrypts the ciphertext message back into plaintext with a shared key. 

Numerous symmetric algorithms are currently in use. Some of the more common algorithms include Rijndael (AES) and Triple DES (3DES). These algorithms are designed to perform efficiently on common hardware architectures. 

Symmetric cryptography is comparatively simple in nature, because the secret key that is used for both encryption and decryption is shared between the sender and the recipient. However, before communication can occur, the sender and the recipient must exchange a shared secret key. In some cases (such as SSL), asymmetric cryptography can be used to ensure that the initial key exchange occurs over a secure channel.

MKT501 Online Quiz # 3

Quiz # 03 Announcement Dated: 

Dec 28, 10 

On-Line Quiz no.03

Marketing Management (MKT501)

Quiz will cover video lecture no. 1 to 27

Schedule

Opening Date and Time

December 29, 2010 At 12:01 AM (Mid-Night)

Closing Date and Time December 31, 2010 At 11:59 PM (Mid-Night)

24 hours extra time is not available

Question # 1 of 15 ( Start time: 05:09:43 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Idea-reducing stage of new product development process is called: 

Select correct option: 

Concept development

Product concept

Idea screening

Idea generation

Question # 2 of 15 ( Start time: 05:09:58 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

A brand which is created and owned by a reseller of a product or service is known as: 

Select correct option: 

Co-brand 

Private brand

Manufacturer's brand

Licensed brand

Question # 3 of 15 ( Start time: 05:10:16 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

In BCG matrix, products with low market share and low market growth are referred to as: 

Select correct option: 

Dogs 

Question marks

Cash cows 

Stars 

Question # 4 of 15 ( Start time: 05:11:20 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Which stage in the PLC normally lasts longer and poses strong challenges to the marketing managers? 

Select correct option: 

Introduction

Growth

Maturity

Decline

Question # 5 of 15 ( Start time: 05:11:36 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Which of the following is used to test the customer preference about the new product design? 

Select correct option: 

Concept testing

Conjoint analysis

Beta testing

Business Analysis

Question # 6 of 15 ( Start time: 05:11:51 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Identify which of the following is an aggressive strategy. 

Select correct option: 

Intensification 

Diversification 

Harvesting 

Vertical integration 

Question # 7 of 15 ( Start time: 05:12:07 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Which of the following are the costs that do not vary with production or sales level? 

Select correct option: 

Fixed cost 

Variable cost 

Target cost 

Total cost 

Question # 8 of 15 ( Start time: 05:13:07 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

All of the following are reasons, people will buy a premium priced product, EXCEPT: 

Select correct option: 

Self-interest

Flawless performance

Sign of self-worth

Indication of good quality

Question # 9 of 15 ( Start time: 05:13:24 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Which of the following can be used to improve the customer's viewpoint about firm's products and services? 

Select correct option: 

Experiential innovation

Customer interface

Experiential world of customers

Building experiential platform

Question # 10 of 15 ( Start time: 05:13:39 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

What will be the average cost per unit if a firm produces 600 units at cost of Rs.120, 000? 

Select correct option: 

50 

100 

150 

200 

Question # 11 of 15 ( Start time: 05:14:20 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

For which of the following price wars are good in the short run? 

Select correct option: 

Retailers 

Competitors

Customers

Companies

Question # 12 of 15 ( Start time: 05:15:27 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Which of the following is the first step in the new product development process? 

Select correct option: 

Idea generation

Idea development

Idea screening

Idea testing

Question # 13 of 15 ( Start time: 05:15:42 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Warehousing facility to channel members is an example of: 

Select correct option: 

Seasonal discount

Trade discount

Quantity discount

Cash discount

Question # 14 of 15 ( Start time: 05:16:57 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Tight cost control is associated with which of the following strategy? 

Select correct option: 

Market segmentation strategy

Market dominance strategy

Differentiation strategy

Cost leadership strategy

Question # 15 of 15 ( Start time: 05:17:13 AM ) Total Marks: 1 

Which of the following gives the exact position of a company's product with respect to market? 

Select correct option: 

Market analysis

Consumer analysis

Macro analysis

Micro analysis

Mgt201 GDB Announcement

Semester "Fall 2010"

"Financial Management (MGT201)"

This is to inform that Graded Discussion Board (GDB) has opened according to the following schedule

Schedule

Opening Date and Time 

January 03, 2011 At 12:01 A.M. (Mid-Night)

Closing Date and Time

January 05, 2011 At 11:59 P.M. (Mid-Night)

Note: No extra or bonus/grace period is available for attempting GBD.

Topic/Area for Discussion

"Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)"

Note: The discussion question will be from the area/topic mentioned above. So start learning about the topic now.

Guidelines for Preparation:

For acquiring the relevant knowledge, do not rely only on handouts but watch the course video lectures, which can be downloaded free from Online VU Lectures, and also use other reference books.

Important Instructions:

1. The GDB will remain open for 72 hours

2. The GDB will open and close at above specified date and time. Please note that no grace day and extra time will be given for posting comments on GDB.

3. Use the font style "Times New Roman" and font size "12".

4. Your answer should not exceed 3-4 lines

5. Instructions will be given with the question. You are advised to follow those instructions strictly otherwise your marks can be deducted.

6. Do not copy or exchange your answer with other students. Two identical / copied comments will be marked Zero (0) and may damage your grade in the course.

7. Books, websites and other reading material may be consulted before posting your comments but copying or reproducing the text from books, websites and other reading materials is strictly prohibited. Such comments will be marked as Zero (0).

8. You should post your answer on the Graded Discussion Board (GDB), not on the Moderated Discussion Board (MDB). Both will run parallel to each other during the time specified above. Therefore, due care will be needed.

9. Obnoxious or ignoble answer should be strictly avoided.

10. You cannot participate in the discussion after the due date.

11. Questions / queries related to the content of the GDB, which may be posted by the students on MDB or via e-mail, will not be replied till the due date of the GDB.

12. For planning your semester activities in an organized manner, you are advised to view schedule of upcoming Assignments, Quizzes and GDBs in the overview tab of the course website on VU-LMS.