Teaching pronounciation

Teaching Pronunciation Pronunciation involves far more than individual sounds. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking all influence the sound of spoken English, not to mention the way we often slur words and phrases together in casual speech. What are you going to do? ‘ becomes Whaddaya gonna do? English pronunciation involves too many complexities for learners to strive for a complete elimination of accent, but improving pronunciation will boost self esteem, facilitate communication, and possibly lead to a better Job or a least more respect in the workplace.Effective communication is of greatest importance, so choose first to work on problems that significantly hinder communication and let the rest go. Remember that your students also need to learn strategies for dealing with misunderstandings, since native pronunciation is for most an unrealistic goal. A student's first language often interferes with English pronunciation. For example, [p/ is aspirated in English but not in Spanish, so when a Spanish speaker pronounces ‘pig' without a puff of air on the / p', an American may hear ‘big' instead.Sometimes the students will be able to dentify specific problem sounds and sometimes they won't. You can ask them for suggestions, but you will also need to observe them over time and make note of problem sounds. Another challenge resulting from differences in the first language is the inability to hear certain English sounds that the native language does not contain. Often these are vowels, as in ‘ship' and ‘sheep,' which many learners cannot distinguish. The Japanese are known for confusing [r/ and Ill, as their language contains neither of these but instead has one sound somewhere between the two.For problems such as these, listening is crucial because students cant produce a sound they can't hear. Descriptions of the sound and mouth position can help students increase their awareness of subtle sound differences. Here are some ideas for focusing on specific pronunciation features. Voicing Voiced sounds will make the throat vibrate. For example, [g/ is a voiced sound while / k/ is not, even though the mouth is in the same position for both sounds. Have your students touch their throats while pronouncing voiced and voiceless sounds. They hould feel vibration with the voiced sounds only.Aspiration Aspiration refers to a puff of air when a sound is produced. Many languages have far fewer aspirated sounds than English, and students may have trouble hearing the aspiration. The English /p/, m, /k/, and /ch/ are some of the more commonly aspirated sounds. Although these are not always aspirated, at the beginning of a word they usually are. To illustrate aspiration, have your students hold up a piece of facial tissue a few inches away from their mouths and push it with a puff of air while ronouncing a word containing the target sound.Mouth Position Draw simple diagrams of tongue and lip positions. Make s ure all students can clearly see your mouth while you model sounds. Have students use a mirror to see their mouth, lips, and tongue while they imitate you. Intonation Word or sentence intonation can be mimicked with a kazoo, or alternatively by humming. This will take the students' attention off of the meaning of a word or sentence and help them tocus on the intonation. Linking We pronounce phrases and even whole sentences as one smooth sound instead of a eries of separate words. ‘Will Amy go away,' is rendered ‘Willaymeegowaway. To help learners link words, try starting at the end of a sentence and have them repeat a phrase, adding more of the sentence as they can master it. For example, ‘gowaway,' then ‘aymeegowaway,' and finally ‘Willaymeegowaway' without any pauses between words. Vowel Length You can demonstrate varying vowel lengths within a word by stretching rubber bands on the longer vowels and letting them contract on shorter ones. Then let the students try it. For example, the word ‘fifteen' would have the rubber band stretched or the lee' vowel, but the word ‘fifty' would not have the band stretched because both of its vowels are spoken quickly.Syllables Have students count syllables in a word and hold up the correct number of fingers, or place objects on table to represent each syllable. Illustrate syllable stress by clapping softly and loudly corresponding to the syllables of a word. For example, the word ‘beautiful' would be loud-soft-soft. Practice with short lists of words with the same syllabic stress pattern (‘beautiful,' ‘telephone,' ‘Florida') and then see if your learners an list other words with that pattern.

Buckland Review

Abstract Information Is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of sources. In â€Å"Information as Thing†, Backhand attempts to define Information by breaking It down into information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing. As he went on into tangibility versus intangibility, I saw a mere glimpse of the complexity behind it all but what really got me thinking was the discussion of what is usually thought of to be informative.The field of information sciences restricts information to consist strictly of data, documents and text, when in reality, like Backhand said, objects and events quite possibly could provide more Information. Luckily, there are changes being made In order to see that artifacts and objects can be seen as documents. Another viewpoint introduced was the fact that anything could have the capacity to be informational, as long as someone wanted it to be. Furthermore, not all things seen as informative are going to be utilized.Backhan d has opened my eyes to a new world where information is not Just a term that is uncomplicated but is elaborate. An uncommon Approach Information is a broad but loaded term. With that said, it is awfully hard to pinpoint its exact meaning. Many uncommon but noteworthy viewpoints were discussed in Michael Backhand's â€Å"Information as Thing†. This enlightening article presents a refreshing new twist on the way the word â€Å"information† is defined. For me, personally, Information has always been a term that has been Incredibly simple and straightforward.It was something self explanatory?no further explanation required. Because Backhand's perspective is so drastically different to what I'm familiar with, I had to read this piece several times before I could even begin to empowered it. Before I could even grasp all the material covered in this article, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. It quickly became clear to me that information was exceedingly more complicated than I perceived It to be. As I was skimming through the article for the first time, I wondered what approach Backhand would take to define this term. Laming the word â€Å"Information† to be ambiguous, Backhand decided to break it down into three distinguishable parts: information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing. Moreover, he then separated them into tangible versus intangible, where information-as-process and information-as-knowledge are categorized as intangible, as opposed to Information-as-thing, which falls under the category of tangible. Since this was all still very foreign to me, my brain was feeling a little overwhelmed.I would have never have expected there to be so much gray area within information and information sciences. When I think of sources of information, the typical few immediately come to mind ?TV, books, and websites. As Backhand begins to introduce the various types of information, data, texts, and documents are among the fir st elements to be touched upon. While reading this, I was completely satisfied with those three resources. Topic. To my utter surprise, this was certainly not the case. Instead, my eyes settled on another italicized word that appeared at the break of the paragraph. Objects†, the paper stated. I was puzzled by this label and questioned Backhand's ideas but soon came to the realization that he was spot on. Objects are definitely a great source of information?some may even argue that they are more informative than ATA, texts, or documents?but are frequently overlooked in the world of information studies. As I mulled over the thought some more, a certain object made its way into my mind. My charm bracelet, something I wear everyday, undeniably allows others to peer into the life of Chelsea Chin. Each charm is highly symbolic and reveals a little snippet about me.In my opinion, if a poll was taken about types of information, I'm sure the majority of people would have responded with at least one, if not all, of the big three, but if they were given the time to actually think about it and then given n follow-up assignment, I am confident that most people would have a list with the word â€Å"object† nested somewhere in there. With regards to the way the field of information science has fixated their time on data, text, and documents while ignoring objects, it is definitely difficult to hear but pleasant to see Outlet and the documentation movement giving it more attention.As I think the section is starting to wrap up, I am shocked yet again as I come across another italicized word: Events. Backhand brings up an excellent point when he refers to events as â€Å"informative henchmen†. There is no doubt that events are informative?they are Just harder to represent because they are fleeting. Backhand has come to the conclusion that â€Å"we are unable to say confidently of anything that it could not be information† (Backhand, 1991). The stateme nt is valid but something Vive never really thought about. As we dive deeper into the article, it becomes apparent that there is really no solution to this problem.Take a desk for example. It is something that is often seen simply Just as a piece of furniture? nothing more, nothing less. If one really wanted to though, this desk could provide all sorts of information. It has the ability to imply that one was a student or held a job. Furthermore, the quality of the desk could also be something to look out for when examining the item if one is writing a review for the company that made it. From this example, it is easy to see that anything can be qualified as informational if placed into the correct situation, which is exactly the point Backhand is trying to get at.Sometimes people believe things are informational even when it is not assured hat people will utilize that thing. Just like the telephone book mentioned by Backhand, the terms of agreement is plenty informational, but no on e really takes the time to read through that novel. Information has always been very black and white to me. Reading this article, however, has allowed me to see information in a different light. Backhand made an exceptional attempt to define the word â€Å"information† by dividing it further into three separate sections.Comparing his definition to mine, it is easy to see that my view was elementary and extremely transparent while his was well thought out and intricate. His arguments have really provoked a considerable amount thought in me: documents, data, and text are not the only resources that provide information. Objects and events are equally as informational, if not more so. Everything has to the Backhand made some really great points that have given me a newfound appreciation for the field of information studies. References Backhand, M. (1991). Information as Thing. Journal of the American Society for Information science, 42(5), 351-360.

Designing a Reward System Essay

A good manager or superior will implement a reward system. Employee reward systems are used to assist and help motivate the employees, with the goal not to just meet expectations, but to surpass them performing at their best capabilities. The reward system that goes into place should include all benefits monetary and non-monetary that proves to be worth something valuable to the employee. Implementing a reward system for a human service organization will make sure that basic needs are met, benefits are equally distributed, competitive benefits are offered, and employees are treated as individuals. I will include intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in my system. When you have a suitable reward system in place it will ensure that an organizations investment in its employees is managed effectively. Organizations that do not match or are not as productive as their competitors will have problems attracting and keeping the most valuable workers. I will do everything I can within my organization to keep my employees happy to uphold a respectable working environment to reach our goals. Obviously, taking care of our clients by providing them the greatest possible service is our number one goal. Acknowledgment and gratitude are very important constituents of a successful reward system. Reward systems have a significant result on the quality of life of the employees working within the organization. Recognition means to identify and show appreciation for someone’s detailed accomplishment. Having gratitude and displaying appreciation to an employee for their work goes a long way when concerning the performance of an employee. Several employees need to know that they are appreciated and their hard work will not go ignored. I believe several employees would work even harder for their employer if they know that their hard work will be appreciated, and they get rewarded for it. The procedures of determining what aspects of the work should be monitored and rewarded are monitoring, planning, developing, rewarding, and rating. To have an operative organization, the essential work should be planned out in advance. Setting goals and expectations to meet the organization’s goals, is a part of the planning technique. I will include the employees in the planning process so they can comprehend what will to be expected from them within the organization. I will screen projects and assignments so I will recognize what areas will require improvement. I will give regular feedback on the employees’ progress as well as their performance. I have confidence that by providing feedback will assist employees in predetermined standards while directing them away from problematic standards. Observing and staying on top of employees’ performance will help keep unacceptable performance limited. I will increase employees’ skills within the organization by providing them with workshops and seminars to enhance their knowledge. I will ensure basic needs are met by determining the cost of living for my employees. I will make sure that the salary my employees make can meet these basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothes. Having job security is also a need; the employee should feel a sense of security within the workplace, knowing that their presence is a vital asset to the organization. Competitive benefits will be offered such as vacation packages, bonuses, sick leave, holiday pay, insurance packages, and even retirement. Having these benefits will push the employees to work at their fullest potential, and work even harder to show their manager or superior that they are a valuable asset to the organization, and that they have the capability to advance. The nine factors would should implement are respect for me as a person, large amount of freedom on the job, being told by the boss when I do a good job, opportunity for self-development and improvement, opportunity to do interesting work, feeling my job is important, chance for promotion, good pay, and chance to turn out quality work. All the factors mentioned are necessary to be implemented into the reward system. In order to get respect you must give it, as a manager if you give respect to your employees it will make them give it in return making them see how valuable they are, and making them work even harder. Having a large amount of freedom will ensure the employee opportunity for self-development and improvement. Pay attention and listen to the ideas of the employees, and this is because they are those that usually work the closet with the client one on one. When the boss expresses that an employee is doing a good job, it will boost the employee to be more confident and allow them to excel in their position, this will also happen when good pay is involved. In order to accomplish good pay, raises should be considered during certain times of the year based on the employee’s performance, and a review should be in place as well. It is important to give employees the chance to produce quality work. Give the employee a chance instead of setting them up for disappointment. It would not be such a good idea to elect a mission for an employee that you know would be beyond possible for them to complete successfully. This could make the employee feel inadequate. Contemplate advancements; everyone should have a chance to prove their capabilities allowing them to move up the ladder at some point. The bottom line is that implemented these factors into the reward system it will enhance your employees to work harder and maintain a happy, healthy working environment. Ultimately, designing a reward system will give everyone in the organization benefits. The manager and superior will be happy and less stressed. The employees will be happy and grateful that they have incentives, benefit packages, and manager who value them as an employee. In the end, the clients who are the most important in the human service organization will also be content knowing that their case worker is dedicated to their job. After all that is why we have this career in the first place.

Differences between the qualitative and the quantitative data 2111 Essay

Differences between the qualitative and the quantitative data 2111 - Essay Example Qualitative data on the other hand, is the information that relates to qualities that is information that cannot be measured (Taylor, 2005). In this essay, the differences between qualitative and quantitative data will be examined, as well as, their pros and cons. Data that is gathered using quantitative methods yields more accurate and objective information because the information is collected using standardized methods. This data can be replicated and analysed using sophisticated statistical techniques (Creswell, 2014). Data gathered using qualitative methods, on the other hand, does not require the use of statistical methods to analyse the data because it is more suitable for formative evaluations. Summative evaluations requires the use of quantitative measures in order to judge the ultimate value of the project. Qualitative data deals with descriptions where the data that is collected can be observed, but not measured. While quantitative data deals with numbers where the data can be measured (Goertz & Mahoney, 2012). This means that analysing qualitative data is easier because the data is expressed in words and does not require any statistical formula to ensure that the data collected is accurate like in quantitative data. Therefore, it is easier to collected data using qualitative research for people doing social sciences as they analyse the perceptions and views of the people unlike in quantitative data where there is statistical formulas that requires the researcher to have a clear understanding of what they are doing. Data quality and complexity affects the time needed for data collection and analysis (Hartas, 2010). Although technological innovations have played, a major role in shortening the time required to process quantitative data. The time needed to gather quantitative data is considerable in order to pre-test and create questions, as well as,

Trends in Cybercrime IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Trends in Cybercrime IT - Essay Example Cyber crime is a serious issue that has caused many people to suffer. Until the year 2000 it was not considered as a crime punishable by law until it intensified and companies and individuals also including many government organizations became victims of cyber criminals and lost millions of dollars and data. Until now steps are being implemented to control cyber crimes and awareness is being spread by government to refrain people from becoming cyber criminals intentionally or unintentionally. Cyber crimes are the easiest to commit as this requires no physical skills and you can easily hide your identity without anyone knowing it might be your best friend. During the years cyber crimes kept changing it forms. First there were little viruses sent by emails that would infect a person’s computer and cause them to lose data and when antivirus programs came to their aid people began to develop ways to hack into other peoples and organizations computers to steal or manipulate their data. After playing such small games these cyber criminals became organized and started to think big and they developed ways to actually harm people in far serious ways. Cyber criminals devised ways to extort money from people posing as law enforcers to their aid. A cyber criminal ‘s profile in most of the crimes are still unknown as people make multiple accounts using fake identities or stealing other people’s accounts or their identities to carry on their unlawful activities. As the internet facilitates by connecting people through many ways where there is no physical interaction between the people involved, a man can easily pose as a woman and create a fake identity without the other person knowing who is actually behind the scene. Cyber criminals usually operate from places where they are not easily traceable and with the development of new software that enable to hide your IP it has become easier. The cyber criminals who were managed to get caught turned out to be mostly people of advanced computer knowledge. Internet scams or cyber crime has now taken many different forms. â€Å"A company managed to rob people totaling more than $53,000 by asking them to pay for shipping of their free samples that they never received (IC3, Internet

Understanding Karma and Western Viewpoints Essay

Understanding Karma and Western Viewpoints - Essay Example It has been believed in the Eastern Europe that karma is strongly associated with human lives. It can be noted and experienced through daily routine experiences. It is due to this reason that the explanation in the western culture have been done greatly. In addition, the affirmation of the western culture regarding karma is so strong that its impact and influence is greatly visible from different artifacts and written pieces of western culture and art (Smith). Karma which is more considered as a law in Buddhism is interpreted differently in western hemisphere. The deed is rather interchanges with the concept of performance. Another condition which is clarified in the western viewpoint of karma is that in real sense, it is merely the pace of action which will take place because it beholds one’s approach at life. Buddhism on the other hand, considers karma as a very critical implication of life. Thus, it is ordained to the Buddhism followers to understand karma and stick to the teachings which have been given to make sure that karma takes place in a corrective way (Smith). As a matter of fact, Hinduism explains karma in such a manner that it relates to the religious practices. However, in terms of western beliefs regarding karma, it is not the religious notion but rather a state in which a person may always be. Some believed that karma is an overrated concept because in real terms it is just the hard work and input of a person in something good or recklessness of someone in undertaking a bad deed.

What is knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What is knowledge - Essay Example The paper examines the practice of knowledge management and how it has helped Japanese companies to gain a competitive edge. Porter (1998) gave the structure of the Five Forces Analysis that gives companies a sustainable competitive edge in a market. While the structure allows analysts to form a grouping of manifestations and market forces such as threats of suppliers and substitutes, power of buyers and barriers for new entrants, the framing is not a mantra that yields solutions. Kadapa (2006) argues that after employing tools such as PEST and SWOT, analysts still have to find a way to solve problems and the industry is interested in solutions. At such junctures, when easy solutions are not obvious, it is knowledge management practices that help to provide the means to achieve competitive advantage. Again Drucker (1981) tried to provide answers to the phenomenal success that Japanese industries have achieved since the Second World War when the country was reduced to rubble. The author argues that just by using oriental philosophy, it is not possible to explain how the country went ahead in all fields of industries such as automobiles and electronics. The author suggests that the main secret lay in sharing knowledge and information among the workers and diffusing it to the people who need it, that helped Japan to achieve its success. A rigorous mindset, good knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering that existed from the pre war days and the insight to apply it effectively helped the country to go forward. By extensively reading the works of the author, it is obvious that he is explaining a culture where knowledge is continuously being recycled and redistributed. Drucker (1999) speaks of the management challenges for the future and speaks of how organizations need to ap ply and reapply their learning and knowledge if they want their competitive advantage to be sustained. Meyer

International Business - COACH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Business - COACH - Essay Example These include indirect and direct-to-consumer. In its global operations, these segments can be regarded as channels of distribution. Through direct-to-consumer segment facilitates Coach with instant access to consumers, thus providing it with an opportunity to understand the tastes and preferences of its wide consumer bases especially in regions such as mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, North America and Singapore among others. This segment facilitated Coach with around 89% of the entire net sales in the year 2012. With regard to any future expansion strategy in a new market segment as well, direct-to-consumer strategy can be fruitful for Coach. In terms of its indirect segment of operations, royalties obtained from licensing of products is a major component. Moreover, wholesale channel is a critical aspect which also includes sales through online websites. One of the major prospects for Coach can arrive from emerging markets as it has already started to sell its offerings through au thorized retailers and distributors in a number of new markets. Shop-in-shops option created by the company can also facilitate the growth of the company in its global business operations. The company’s e-commerce strategy is also a major beneficial aspect in its global operations. In nations such as Japan, Canada and the US, a large number of visitors prefer to use online mode to purchase the products of Coach. Coach rules the global market for its fashionable handbags as well as attractive accessories. Coach focuses on merchandising and designing through team work and through having a close collaboration its licensed business partners to ensure quality offerings. Coach uses new technologies such as social networking sites like Facebook as well as Twitter to create awareness and to enhance its customer base. Coach also ensures its compliance with its Global Business Integrity Program which can enable it to maintain its legal and ethical responsibilities thus facilitating wit h significant opportunities in its business operations globally (EDGAR Online, Inc, 2013). B. Analyzing International Competitors Majority of organizations are changing their operating functions to global scale. This is likely to create a fiercely competitive global fashion retail industry. The competition against the operating firms in the global market can be analyzed by the intensity of the competition and by determining the growing competition between the fashion brands globally. Coach has significant number of major competitors in the luxury fashion products industry. Coach competes in global market with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Hermes. The competition in the fashion industry is densely intense, for having very less market-entry barriers. One of the world’s reputed fashionable luxury manufacturing product companies is Louis Vuitton. As of the year 2008, Louis Vuitton had a brand value of about â‚ ¬16.718 billion. One of the most competitive advantages of Hermes International S.A. is that it provides its consumer hand-made products, which ensures their uniqueness as well as quality. Gucci, an Italian luxury product designer brand, is a leading name in the global market, consequently having revenue of around â‚ ¬4.2 billion as of 2008 (Dickinson State University, 2011). Thus, it can be ascertained

Weeks 6 to 10 journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Weeks 6 to 10 journal - Essay Example From the appraisals, I learnt that, I was amongst the most efficient members of the organization. I managed to acquire a high percentage of scores. The management was confident of my skills and abilities, while the customers that we serve were impressed by my courtesy and zeal to serve their interests. I managed to learn that I am an efficient communicator, with the ability to solve problems in the most efficient manner. This was a boost to my morale, and the managers of the organization encouraged me to work hard, and improve further on my capabilities and skills. It is during this week that the management offered to train me on technological aspects of managing a court house, and the importance of innovation in the work place. This was an opportunity to advance my skills, and could earn me a promotion at the court house, despite being an intern. During this week, the lesson learnt is that working hard in our duties, would result to better performance. This in turn earns the respect of the management to an employee. During the seventh week of my internship, I was amongst the employees selected for training on information technology, and the importance of innovation in an organization. This selection was on merit, and it is because of the better results concerning my work during the appraisals. The trainings gave me an opportunity to learn new aspects of information technology and their importance in the administration of justice. For instance, I managed to learn that power point presentations in a court room help in explaining a point to the jury and the trial judge in a more effective way, than the use of oral presentation. Legal battles are always won on the manner in which an attorney presents the fact of the case in question. I also leant on the negative impacts of information technology in the administration of justice, and key amongst the impacts is the

The Effect Of China As A Power House On U.S. Economy Essay Example for Free

The Effect Of China As A Power House On U.S. Economy Essay Analysts have described the rise of China as a poor, stagnant country to an economic powerhouse as the greatest economic growth of this modern time. Studies show that, from 1979 when the first economic reform was made to 2006, China’s economy has increased by over 11 folds. Its gross domestic products grew at an annual rate (GDP) of 9. 6 percent and its real per capita GDP grew to over eight folds. Its world trade ranking rose from 27th to 3rd and its is projected to be the first in the next decade. Because of this rise, the business relationship between the U. S and China has grown over the recent decades. The U. S. -China economic relationship rose from $4. 3 billion in 1983 to $343 billion in 2006. For the United States, China has become their second largest trade partner, most imports done in the United States come from China and these imports amounts to billions yearly. China is also the fourth largest export market for the U. S. economy and the second largest for its imports. The purchasing power of the U. S. citizens is increased due to the inexpensive imports from China. In addition, many U. S manufacturing firms also have most of their manufacturing done in China. This is to take advantage of the huge Chinese market and the cheap labor force that is available to them. China’s purchases of U. S. Treasury securities have funded federal deficits and helped keep interest rates relatively low. Though despite the perceived threat of China’s economic growth, unites states economy has maintained a full employment rate and robust economic growth. Nevertheless, the rise of China as an economic powerhouse has raised concern among many U. S. policy makers. Their fears include the taking over of China as the world’s largest trade economy in the next few years and the world’s largest economy in the next two decades. Going by this view, it is believed that the rise of China begins the relative fall of U. S. another point of concern is the large business relationship between U. S. and China which is value at about $343 billion. The view projected is that China use unfair trade practices. One of those practices are the supply of low priced products, thereby not encouraging exports from the U. S. the practices put threats to U. S. jobs, wages and living standards. The situation tends to worsen when China moves towards improving the quality of products done by them like autos and computers. Some of the recent development is the efforts put forward by China state owned firms to acquire U. S companies and the accumulation of U. S. Treasury securities. Policy makers have expressed concern over chin’s large holdings of U. S. securities and Treasury securities. They believe that China could use it as a political tool against the United States. This I agree with because with such holdings, China can have the power to make dollar collapse if they want. They can do this by liquidating their large portion of their large portion of U. S. Treasury securities holdings if the Unites States impose sanction on the revaluation of Yuan and the threat to do so could be used as a bargaining chip. Looking at all this, one would ask a question; what will the trade with China do to America’s economy? He trade deficit with China has grown to a significantly over the recent years. This is due to the large imports f China’s product into United States and the large exports of America’s products to China. This trade deficit with China has grown larger than any other trade deficit that America has with any other country. The fears are still growing over policies done by the Chinese to boost their exports into U. S and restricting American products into China. EFFECT ON TRADES AND JOBS The effect of the rising status of China on the U. S economy carries a mixed effect. On some sectors of employments and jobs, it carries a positive and negative effect. The imports done from China can destroy most of America’s jobs and manufacturing firms that produces same products. Analysis shows that the current inflow of imports is likely to increase the rate of job loss. The closing down of companies could reduce the economic standard of the country. The relative steadiness of full employment and output are two complementary reasons in the face of steady imports and disruptive markets. The use of monetary policy by the Federal Reserve to control the rate of spending in the country to the level generally consistent with full employment. A well run monetary policy can minimize the deviations that can occur in full employment sector and reduce the duration of such episodes. It helps keep the level of employment high in most years despite trades in general. Giving a better example and expositions to job losses and its relationship to total employment, considering that in any quarter of 2000, the peak of the last economic expansion, the total American jobs of about 137 million, the total job losses was about 9 million and most them was as a result of the foreign trade done. Another similar case was the total job loss of about 7. 4 million in 2004. Apart from the job loss due o foreign trade, the industries are the ones that are hit hard. Secondly, looking at purchasing imports. The increase in the price of imports would also increase the prices of exports. This outcome flows from the fundamental economic requirements hat imports must be paid for and exports are the only means of making those payments. The exports that are sold could be already finished goods and services. It can also be the sale of assets to foreigners such as savings in the bank, shares and stocks, bonds and real properties. This is to say that, when tallied across transactions in assets or goods, a nations trade is always in balance and in any in balance in the trading of goods must be compensated with in balance in the trading of assets. Therefore, most types of exports have positive effect on employments. There is a positive effect of exportation of goods from U. S. on employment is high. When foreigners increase their purchase of exported goods, the total output and employment increases. This counters the level of job lost that is caused by the rate of importation. Therefore, this is to say that the large Chinese market has a positive effect on the employment rate of the United States. Looking at it from another point of view, because the sale of assets is equal to the level of savings in the United States, it exerts a downward push on the domestic interest rates. This stimulates the interest sensitive activities such as spending on consumer durables, residential constructions, raising output, and employments in this sector. Therefore, this is to say that the negative effect of imports on the economy and the rate of employment are offset by the increased rate of exports from other parts of the economy. Another common concern of the rising status of China is that is puts downward pressure on the wages of domestic workers. Foreign trade is seen by American companies as the search fro a low-cost labor environments. This is turn will place American workers in a competition of low wage working environment. This is what is termed as race to the bottom between domestic and foreign workers. In a general summary, China’s economic growth has increased substantial commercial business activities with the U. S economy. It is now the third largest U. S. trade partner, the second largest source of import and the fourth largest source of exports. Status showing for over the past five years, China is fast becoming the rising source of exports for U. S. goods and is likely to me a good market for U. S. products provided that trades barriers continues to fall. It is projected that within two decades, China will surpass the United States and become the world’s largest economy. It is believed that any fall in the living standard of U. S. will lead to the rise in China’s status. The high level of low-cost imports from China has benefited the U. S. in many ways. First, the low imports have helped to keep the rate of inflation down. It has increased the overall consumer welfare, enabling them to be able to purchase other goods and services. Finally, the low-cost imports have benefited many U. S. firms that use these imports for the production of their goods. This is of course making the U. S. firms very competitive. Although this rise is often seen as a threat, economists see it as mutually beneficial to both parties. This is to say that both economies need each other to keep up. Looking at low-cost imports from other points of view, the imports from China has negative effect on some firms and jobs such as the textile industries. The import causes diminishing effects on their level of output, wages, and employments. Nevertheless, it is believed that the imbalances in trade between these countries are not the cause for the job loss and low output. Most economists contend that, the rise the value of Chinese currency would not have any effect on the manufacturing industries. They maintain that the appreciation would largely shift manufacturing to low-wage countries not to the United States. China maintains a number of inefficient and distortionary policies such as Government Financial Support for CEOs, industrial polices tend to assist investors. Economists note that although subsidies on exports can negatively affect import-competing domestic firms and workers, they also benefit consumers and users of imported inputs who can obtain such goods at lower prices than under the conditions of free trade. In effect, this improves the U. S. terms of trade because it means a given level of U. S. exports can obtain more imports. On the other hand, the use of subsidies by China lowers its terms of trade and promotes inefficiencies in the economy. Even if Chinese subsidies produce net benefits to the U. S. economy, many U. S. policymakers oppose their use because they do cause some U. S. firms and workers to suffer. Public perceptions that some countries are not playing by the rules of trade may impact their support (and that of their government representatives) for further trade liberalization on a bilateral on multilateral basis. Some trade practices, such a failure to protect IPR, hurt both the U. S. and Chinese economies. China traditionally has focused on low-end, labor-intensive manufacturing, much of which did not compete directly with U. S. firms. However, China is attempting to move into more advanced production and hopes to become globally competitive in a number of industries, such as autos and information technology. This has raised concerns that China may pose the kind of competitive challenge to major U. S. industries that Japan posed during the 1980s. Although it is difficult to accurately predict how advanced China’s economy will become, it currently lags significantly behind the United States. The divergent experience of the U. S. and Japanese economies since the 1990s suggests that the competitive threat from China is questionable, especially considering the extensive economic challenges China faces in the years ahead. Chinese purchases of U. S. Treasury securities have helped the federal government fund its budget deficits and therefore have helped keep U. S. interest rates down. At the same time, China has become the second-largest foreign holder of these securities, and some analysts contend that this status gives China economic leverage over the United States. But any attempt to harm the U. S. economy by unloading these holdings would likely cause comparable harm to the Chinese economy. Similar arguments are made regarding China’s attempts to purchase U. S. companies. However, analysts contend that it would not be in China’s economic interest to purchase U. S. companies if it did not intend to operate them profitably. In general, given the growing importance of the U. S. economy to China’s economic growth, policies to destabilize the U. S. economy would destabilize China’s economy as well.

History of antivirus software

History of antivirus software Antivirus Software History of Antivirus Software There are competing claims for the innovator of the first antivirus product. Possibly the first publicly documented removal of a computer virus in the wild was performed by Brent Fix in 1987. An antivirus program to counter the Polish MKS virus was released in 1987. Dr. Solomons Anti-Virus Toolkit, AIDSTEST and AntiVir were released by in 1988. Dr. Ahn Chul Soo (Charles Ahn, founder of AhnLab Inc) in South Korea also released the Anti-Virus software called V1 in June 10, 1988. By late 1990, nineteen separate antivirus products were available including Norton AntiVirus and McAfee VirusScan. Early contributors to work on computer viruses and countermeasures included Fred Cohen, Peter Tippett, and John McAfee. Before Internet connectivity was widespread, viruses were typically spread by infected floppy disks. Antivirus software came into use, but was updated relatively infrequently. During this time, virus checkers essentially had to check executable files and the boot sectors of floppy and hard disks. However, as internet usage became common, initially through the use of modems, viruses spread throughout the Internet. Powerful macros used in word processor applications, such as Microsoft Word, presented a further risk. Virus writers started using the macros to write viruses embedded within documents. This meant that computers could now also be at risk from infection by documents with hidden attached macros as programs. Later email programs, in particular Microsoft Outlook Express and Outlook, were vulnerable to viruses embedded in the email body itself. Now, a users computer could be infected by just opening or previewing a message. This meant that virus checkers had to check many more types of files. As always-on broadband connections became the norm and more and more viruses were released, it became essential to update virus checkers more and more frequently. Even then, a new zero-day virus could become widespread before antivirus companies released an update to protect against it. What is an Antivirus program? An antivirus program is used as a security measure and protection tool against computer viruses. The job of an antivirus program is to scan, detect and prevent viruses. Not all antivirus programs can perform these basic tasks, but this will be discussed later on in this report. Antivirus programs are an essential tool you must have installed on your computer or network. Antivirus programs offer real-time, on-access and on-demand protection for your computer. The way the programs works is based on the version of the antivirus program you have. Antivirus programs can be a standalone or can be included in a protection suite and are distributed in 32 and 64-bit versions on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux and Mac, allowing all different types of computers to be protected from malicious software. Why is Antivirus Software Necessary? Security is a major concern when it comes to the safety of your personal information. If someone were to access your information and use it, the consequence would be drastic. Information security is concerned with three main areas; Confidentiality peoples information should only be available to someone who has the right to view it. Availability information should only be accessible when someone needs it. Integrity information should only be modified by people who are authorized to edit it. These concepts apply to home Internet users just as much as they would to any corporate or government network. You probably wouldnt let a stranger look through your important documents. In the same way, you may want to keep the tasks you perform on your computer confidential, whether its tracking your investments or sending email messages to family and friends. Also, you should have some assurance that the information you enter into your computer remains intact and is available when you need it. Some security risks arise from the possibility of intentional misuse of your computer by intruders via the Internet. Others are risks that you would face even if you werent connected to the Internet (e.g. hard disk failures, theft, power outages). The bad news is that you probably cannot plan for every possible risk. The good news is that you can take some simple steps to reduce the chance that youll be affected by the most common threats and some of those steps help with both the intentional and accidental risks youre likely to face. Virus? What is a Virus? Before we go on and tell you how an antivirus program scans, detects and prevents viruses and malware, lets discuss what exactly a virus is. Like its genetic equivalent, a computer virus is a program that spreads unwanted and unexpected actions through the insides of your PC. Not all viruses are malicious, but many are written to damage particular types of files, applications or even operating systems. Some examples of viruses are; Trojan horse viruses, worms, spyware, adware, rootkits, and many other types of malware. Viruses have been around since the early 1970s. Even though they never had an internet connection back in the 70s viruses still infected computers by floppy disks. Yes, FLOPPY DISKS, the old 5 14 disks. The first recorded virus was in 1971 and it was called the Creeper Virus, which was written by Bob Thomas. What the Creeper virus did was it infected a remote computer by the ARPNET and copied itself displaying the message â€Å"IM THE CREEPER: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!. Ironically the Reaper was created to delete the Creeper. The Reaper program was not like the anti-virus programs we know today, but in fact was a virus itself in that it was self replicating and spread through a network. How an Antivirus Program Works The first and most important task of an antivirus program is to protect, prevent, or block any malicious activity in your computer or home and office network in real-time. The real-time protection should trigger an alert or provide automatic action whenever a suspected or positively identified malware activity is detected. Most antivirus programs will only monitor some critical areas in your computer. When an antivirus program is installed, it will start monitoring the activity of the system by searching files that are being accessed, transferred, or stored to or from the hard disks and external/removable drives. Files that are being downloaded from the Internet are scanned. If a suspicious activity is detected, the antivirus program will automatically remove the file or stop the processes that are posing risk to your system, your contacts, or other computers or devices in on your network, unless you trust the file that you are receiving. Antivirus programs offer several types of detection methods to identify malware, but the most common detection methods is heuristic analysis and by using traditional virus detection (signature-based). 1. Characteristics of a program This is called heuristics scanning. Heuristic scanning engines work on the principle that viruses will usually use certain tricks or methods of infecting, and therefore if a program looks like it might be using those tricks, there is a possibility that the program is a virus. Sound simple? No, not really, its actually incredibly hard to write a foolproof 100% effective heuristics engine. (Engine, simply put, is just a word we use to describe the bit that drives the virus detector and compares files to the database of known infection agents) The more aggressive heuristic scanner may well detect large numbers of so called False Positives i.e. files that are really totally innocent but look like they might alter other files, the less aggressive ones might miss files that really are viruses. A method of heuristic analysis is for the anti-virus program to decompile the suspicious program, and then analyze the source code contained within. In reality heuris tics work quite well for some types of viruses, such as Macro Viruses, but not so well for other types. However, they are a reasonable attempt at providing protection against currently unknown viruses. The advantage to this method is the fact that there is no time period when the computer is not protected after specific viruses are released. The disadvantages include the fact that false positives may occur and some viruses may not be identified during the length of a scan. The first heuristic engines were introduced to detect DOS viruses in 1989. However, there are now heuristic engines for nearly all classes of viruses. 2. Footprint or Signature-based detection of virus program A virus signature is a particular pattern of bits or information contained in a virus that appears in no other file or program in the world, except for that virus. This method is the most common method used to identify viruses and false positives are very rare. It compares the virus footprint against a library of known footprints which match viruses. A footprint is a pattern in the data included in a file. Using this method, viruses must be identified as viruses, and then added to the library of footprints. The advantage to this method lies in the fact that false positives are very rare. The disadvantage to this method is the fact that there is a time period between when the virus is released to when the library of known footprints is updated. During this time period, the virus will not be recognized and could infect a computer. How do antivirus programs rate possible risk? Antivirus programs use a threat level index to determine what type of action to take. If the program is adware only, most antivirus programs will display a dialog box to inform the user why a program or related file of an adware program was detected. If the detected object is posing security and privacy risks, the threat level is medium, high, or severe. The threat level ratings by antivirus programs are not all the same. Some antivirus programs may not detect or even scan for tracking cookies. Some of these are installed when legitimate software downloaded from third-party websites is bundled with another installer from a company that is known to have a spyware or adware business. Quarantine and False Positives in Antivirus Programs Antivirus programs work also by quarantining suspect and malware files. This process is to prevent the offending objects from doing any damage in the system and to allow the end-user to restore back a quarantined object to its original location if it is found to be a false positive. A false positive detection is when a malware signature detected an uninfected file or process. In some cases, a false positive can cause a system to not to boot or run properly. If another program is affected by the false detection, the system will run normally, but not the program that the Antivirus have falsely identified and removed. Types of Antivirus Programs That Are Available On the following page there is a list, in alphabetical order, of some the companies who provide Antivirus programs and the platforms on which they are supported. Company Windows Apple Linux Mobile Free? AntiVir Yes No Yes No Yes AVG Yes No No No Yes Avira Yes No Yes Yes Yes BitDefender Yes No Yes Yes No ClamWin Yes No No No Yes ESET NOD32 Yes No Yes Yes No F-Prot Yes No Yes No No Kaspersky Yes Yes Yes Yes No McAfee Yes Yes Yes Yes No MSE Yes No No No Yes Network Associates Yes Yes Yes Yes No Panda Software Yes No Yes No No RAV Yes Yes Yes No No Sophos Yes Yes Yes No No Symantec (Norton) Yes Yes Yes Yes No Trend Micro Yes No No Yes No Vipre Yes No No No No Webroot Yes No No No No Antivirus Software Now that you have a basic understanding of how an antivirus program works and why you need one, here are some examples of three of the main antivirus programs available today. The main three that this report is going to discuss is Norton, Bitdefender, and Kaspersky. There are different types of antivirus programs available for each manufacturer and the following information is going to discuss these types of programs. Norton by Symantec Norton offers 3 antivirus programs; Norton Antivirus Norton Internet Security Norton 360 Here is a full list of what Norton by Symantec offers for their product line. (Symantec) Core Protection Blocks viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, worms, bots, and rootkits Defends against hackers with quiet two-way firewall Pulse updates every 5 15 minutes for up-to-the minute protection Advanced Protection Norton Bootable Recovery Tool repairs, restores and boots severely infected, unbootable PCs Leverages cloud-based online intelligence for real-time detection of threats Download Insight proactively warns of potential dangers in newly downloaded files and applications before you install or run them Guards against Web attacks that exploit software vulnerabilities Stops threats unrecognized by traditional antivirus techniques Filters unwanted email with professional-strength antispam Helps keep your kids safe online with parental controls (Microsoft Windows only) Networking Helps secure and monitor your home network Automatically secures your PC when connecting to public wireless networks Identity Protection Block hackers from accessing your computer Blocks phishing websites and authenticates trusted sites Secures, stores, and manages login and personal information Prevents hackers from eavesdropping and stealing information as you type Identifies unsafe Web sites in your search results Backup and Restore Automatically saves important files locally or to secured online storage Restores lost files and folders PC Tuning Optimizes the hard drive to free up disk space Optimizes PC performance with disk cleanup Provides clear insight into recent PC activities to help prevent slowdowns Optimizes application performance with one-click Support Free email, chat, or phone support Automatically finds and fixes common PC problems The following is a table of what exactly the three antivirus programs from Norton offer. Norton Internet Security Norton 360 Norton Antivirus Blocks viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, worms, bots, and rootkits Yes Yes Yes Defends against hackers with a quiet two-way firewall Yes Yes No Pulse updates every 5-15 minutes for up-to-the minute protection Yes Yes Yes Intelligence-driven technology for faster, fewer, shorter scans Yes Yes Yes Norton Bootable Recovery Tool repairs, restores and boots severely infected, unbootable PCs Yes Yes Yes Leverages cloud-based online intelligence for real-time detection of threats Yes Yes Yes Download Insight proactively warns of potential dangers in newly downloaded files and applications before you install or run them Yes Yes Yes Guards against Web attacks that exploit software vulnerabilities Yes Yes Yes Stops threats unrecognized by traditional antivirus techniques Yes Yes Yes Filters unwanted email with professional-strength antispam Yes No No Helps keep your kids safe online with parental controls (Microsoft Windows only) Yes Yes No Helps secure and monitor your home network Yes Yes No Automatically secures your PC when connecting to public wireless networks Yes Yes No Block hackers from accessing your computer Yes Yes No Blocks phishing websites and authenticates trusted sites Yes Yes No Secures, stores, and manages login and personal information Yes Yes No Prevents hackers from eavesdropping and stealing information as you type Yes Yes No Identifies unsafe Web sites in your search results Yes Yes No Automatically saves important files locally or to secured online storage No Yes No Restores lost files and folders No Yes No Optimizes the hard drive to free up disk space No Yes No Optimizes PC performance with disk cleanup No Yes No Provides clear insight into recent PC activities to help prevent slowdowns Yes Yes Yes Optimizes application performance with one-click Yes Yes Yes Free email, chat, or phone support Yes Yes Yes Automatically finds and fixes common PC problems Yes Yes Yes Bitdefender Bitdefenders product line for antivirus software is; Bitdefender Antivirus Bitdefender Internet Security Bitdefender Total Security Here is a list of what Bitdefender offers for there product line. (Bitdefender) Protection Antivirus Protects against viruses and other malware with industry-leading technology Multi-layered proactive protection against new and unknown threats Antispyware Blocks concealed programs that track your online activities Antiphishing Blocks web pages that attempt to steal your credit card data Antispam Stops unwanted e-mails from reaching your Inbox Firewall Automatically secures your Internet connection wherever you are Helps prevent outsiders form accessing your Wi-Fi network Performance Special Operating Modes Game Mode reduces system load postpones scans Laptop Mode prolongs battery life Tune-up Removes unnecessary files registry entries, for optimized performance Privacy IM Encryption Keeps your conversations private on Yahoo! And MSN Messenger File Vault Locks up confidential files in an encrypted vault File Shredder Ensures that no traces of deleted sensitive files remain on your PC Control Parental Control Blocks access to inappropriate websites and e-mail Limits kids access to the Internet, games, etc†¦ to specific times Home Network Manages the security of your entire network from a single location Data Backup Automatically backs up files and folders The following is a table of what exactly the three antivirus programs from Bitdefender offer. Bitdefender Antivirus Bitdefender Internet Security Bitdefender Total Security Antivirus Yes Yes Yes Antispyware Yes Yes Yes Antiphishing Yes Yes Yes Antispam No Yes Yes Firewall No Yes Yes Special Operating Modes Yes Yes Yes Tune-up No Yes Yes IM Encryption No Yes Yes File Vault No Yes Yes File Shredder No No Yes Parental Controls No Yes Yes Home Network Yes Yes Yes Data Backup No No Yes Kaspersky Kasperskys product line for antivirus software is; Kaspersky Antivirus Kaspersky Internet Security Here is a list of what Kaspersky offers for there product line. (Kaspersky) Protection from†¦ Viruses and spyware Infected websites Hacker attacks Spam and phishing Identity theft Features Comparison Virus and vulnerability scanner Proactive protection against programs based on their behaviour Restriction of access to private data by suspicious programs Application control Safe run mode (sandbox) to test questionable programs Network Protection Two-way personal firewall Secure wireless connections in public areas Email Protection Real-time scanning of email Anti-spam, Anti-phishing Web Protection Virtual keyboard to safely enter sensitive data Removal of Internet activity (history, cookies, etc) Parental Control Kaspersky Antivirus Kaspersky Internet Security Viruses and spyware Yes Yes Infected Websites Yes Yes Hacker attacks No Yes Spam and phishing No Yes Identity theft No Yes Virus and vulnerability scanner Yes Yes Proactive protection against programs based on their behavior Yes Yes Restriction of access to private data by suspicious programs No Yes Application control No Yes Safe run mode (sandbox) to test questionable programs No Yes Two-way personal firewall No Yes Secure wireless connections in public areas No Yes Real-time scanning of email Yes Yes Anti-spam, Anti-phishing No Yes Virtual keyboard to safely enter sensitive data Yes Yes Removal of Internet activity (history, cookies, etc) Yes Yes Parental Control Yes Yes As you can see from the previous lists, there is a difference in what the manufacturers of these programs offer. They all offer virus and spyware on their basic applications. If you want more features/protection you are going to have to spend the extra money to obtain those features/protection. All of these versions of Antivirus software offer real-time protection and do regular scans. Kind of a behind the scenes scan. Which is a good feature to have, knowing that most users just want it there to do its own thing, kind of like knowing it is protecting you but dont want to have to deal with it. Norton and Kaspersky offer protection for one year. At the end of that year you have to spend more money before you can obtain more updates from them. The good thing about Bitdefender is that when you purchase a subscription from them you get it for 2 years. S

The Gender Pay Gaps

The Gender Pay Gaps The U.K gender pay gap is nowadays one of the highest of Europe. Men earn 21, 1% more than woman, based on the average difference between gross hourly earnings (figure 1, statistics.gov.uk, 2009). Even if the pay gap between men and women has fallen quite dramatically over the past 30 years, the headline masks some less positive developments in recent years. UK is used to each generation of women making progress relative to the one before. But this process has slowed with the current generation doing only slightly better than the previous one. After several researches, the complexity of the topic arises; many factors and proofs demonstrate this inequality, thus leading to a high diversity of opinions. This gap varies according to the kind of work; in April 2009 hourly rates for men were  £12.97 for full-timers,  £7.71 for part-timers. For women, hourly rates were  £11.39 for full-timers,  £7.86 for part-timers (R. Barnett, Sky News, 2010). Between the private sector and the public sector, the gap is considerably changing. In 2008, in the private sector the pay gap was 21.7 % while in the public sector it was 13.8 % (The Times, 2008). Paradoxically, as point the Office of National Statistics in 2009, full-times 16-17 years-old females earned 12.6% more than males, on the other hand, part-times females earned 1.3% less than males. Thus, surveys underline real contradictions existing in the English system of payment. The goal of this essay is first to review the possible causes and origins of this inequality by analysing the political and socio-cultural values of United Kingdom relating the pay gap, and secondly show the measures that should and could be taken to fight it. The first part treats of the major discrimination facing females, the stereotyping of womens careers, perception of womens work, and how social roots act on todays women life. In the second part we talk first about the precedent government actions, then the actual actions and state of mind of UK, and the European precautions to fight the pay gap. 1- The reasons of this pay gap. Many causes can explain the pay gap existing in United Kingdom; recent researchers have pursued a number of hypotheses, sometimes exploiting unique features of specific data sets, in attempts to answer this question. The trade Union Congress (TUC) in its report of 2008 explained the UK actual pay gap in terms of 4 explanations. 36% of the pay gap could be explained by differences in lifetimes working patterns, 18 % is caused by labour market rigidities, 38% is caused by direct discrimination and individuals careers preferences, and 8% is caused by the fact that older women had power educational attainment. Discrimination is the most current argument used to explain the gender pay gap. Evidences from a range of sources indicate that recruitment and selection processes, and a substantial degree of job stereotyping, perpetuate an industry profile in which the men dominate the high-earning jobs and women the low-earning jobs. As point the Telegraph magazine the 5 September 2007, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) published a survey founding that mal managers were paid 12.2% more than females in 2007. It shows that with the same job, females are still pay much less than males. Another study published by the UK government called National Equality Panel, states that Women under the age of 44 are better qualified than their male counterparts but receive 21% lower wages. Another idea largely sustained by the professor J. Shackleton of the University of East London. He argue that the differences came down to individual lifestyle preferences (dailymail.co.uk, 2008)  « female graduates tend to choose subjects such as psychology or education, which lead to lower-earning careers, while few opt for maths or engineering, which are more likely to result in lucrative jobs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ » . This idea is supported by a survey of 2007 stating the womens top ten occupations (Table 1) Table 1: Womens top ten occupations, second quarter 200741 Standard Occupational Classification Total in employment (000s) 1 Sales Assistants and Retail Cashiers 1,094 2 Teaching Professionals 873 3 Healthcare Related Personal Services 801 4 Secretarial and Related Occupations 793 5 Childcare Related Personal Services 721 6 Administrative Occupations: Finance 600 7 Health Associate Professionals 586 8 Elementary Personal Service Occupations 567 9 Administrative Occupations: General 556 10 Elementary Cleaning Occupations 483 Total of these 10 occupations 7,074 Total women in employment 13,196 Source: TUC report 2008 The report points the fact that females are more likely to work in service occupations and males to management and skilled trades. Moreover this job segregation is accentuated by the fact that girls are steel stereotyped into careers they should pursue. The neoclassic way of thinking of the 1960s says that there are womens jobs and mans jobs and promotes the disproportionate success of patriarchy and male dominance. Women are only 22% of computing students and 15% of engineering students, and when it comes to the first employment therefore the choice is different, on the womens top 25 preferring graduate jobs, 12 are in the public and voluntary sectors, and in this case high pay is unusual. Moreover, women look for lower first salary than men expect, less likely to attempt to negotiate over pay, less likely to seek promotion and do not look for other jobs in pursuit of higher pay (The Sunday times, 2008). In an international comparison this high UK pay gap exists because a lot of women work. For example, Italy has a gender pay gap half the UKs one, but its overtaxed and overregulated create few opportunities for women to work. But its tending to change, as point C. Hakim in her book Work-lifestyle choices in the 21st century: preference theory (2000) The equal opportunities revolution means that the full range of occupations and activities become accessible to all women For several reasons, the womens work is under-valued. This undervaluation have two facets: females tend to be paid less than males for the same work, and the jobs that they do tend to attract lower wages then mens jobs. D. Grimshaw and J. Rubery of the Machester Business School have identified fives Vs involving to create lower pay. The Visibility, Large and undifferentiated pay and grading bands do not recognise womens skills that conceal different skills and experiences. The Valuation, it means that there is a tradition in the British culture for not giving a high value to womens skills. The Vocation, it determines that the skills of women are natural, which accentuate there low valuation. The Value added, tends to say that jobs of men are more likely to imply a higher value to a process. The Variance, for both employers and women themselves, part times work is often seen as synonymous with unskilled work Another cause of this gender pay gap is that it has been seen that women are more likely to work in part-time jobs. This is quite a big problem for womens pay, as point a survey done by the ONS in 2009, the average hourly wage for a full-time job was  £11.39 and  £7.86 for part-timers. In addition to a lower wage for the part-timers, women have more interruptions to their careers. A research for the Equalities Review found that three kinds of people have disadvantages in getting jobs, the disable people, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women and mothers (R. Berthoud, M. Blekesaune, 2007). A study of 2007 of seven industrial countries found that there were considerable negative effects on mothers wages. United Kingdom had the highest penalty, 8% for one child, 24% for two children and 31% for three children. As point previously, 53.6% of women worked in the top ten occupations in 2007, moreover the influences of gender-stereotyped early environment limited choices for girls at school. Whats more whatever industry or occupations women work for; men were earning more than women with graduations in the same subject. Some studies justify this pay gap because of the better productivity of men over women. First women would be more concern with childbearing, second there is the argument that women are less competitive and more-risk averse than men. As a result they select lower-paid occupations. (fazeer.wordpress.com, 2009) Politically talking, David Laws the Liberal Democrats families spokesman, said that the TUC reports proved the damage done by the Britains society in the 1980s by the Conservative Government Finally, gender pay gap is caused by many little factors contributing on their way to this inequality. While good progress had been made in several areas like childcare and the right to request flexible working, the women and work commission remained disappointed in the deficiency of progress. Mentalities are changing but the persistence of a significant gender pay gap (21.1%) in UK state not only impacts on womens life but also womens continuing experience of discrimination. To fight this phenomenon, national as international organizations such as the European commission or the Government Equality Office of England, plan to use a series of measures aiming to reduce significantly the pay gap. 2- How to fight the gender pay gap? Since the equal pay act of 1970 which aim to prohibit in terms of pay and conditions of employment, any less favorable treatment between men and women, criticized as it fails to address the gap between ethnic minorities, a lot of things have changed. In 1997, the Single Status was intended in order to establish whether jobs were of equal value, and to delete the need for equal pay claims bring in a pay model. Another regulation was bringing to the equal pay amendment in 2003. Nowadays several actions are implemented at the national level as European to deliver real results. The making up 40 years later is not positive; it lacks a requirement for transparent reporting. Several institutions start making pressure on the English government. The Women and Work Commission accuses the government for not having encouraged girls to choose non-traditional jobs and look for the promotion of qualifies flexible and part-time work. (Dailymail reporter, 2009). Several progresses have been done on the public sector, in 2007, in the form of the public sector duties, England welcomed a new generation of equality legislation. The duty tiled the way for greater transparency across the sector, and moved the onus onto public sector employers to address and identify pay inequalities within its workforce. (R. Lewis, S. Smee, 2009). In 2008, the public sector had a pay gap of 13.8 %, the private sector 21.7 % (The Times, 2008). The Equal Opportunities Commission has developed a five step model to be used by company to avoid inequalities. A full pay audits provide a measurement of pay but also they ensure that employer takes action to remove any injustice. The first step decides the scope of equal pay review and identify data required, the second step identify where males and females do the equal work. The step three to identify any pay gaps consists in collecting pay data. In case of gap found the step four establish the causes of pay gaps. The step five consists in developing an equal action plan, reviews and monitors. Today this action plan is already performed by several employers. (R. |Lewis 2009). The government now have to work with the private sector in particular to develop guidance for managers on how to use flexible working in order to bring benefit to their business and employees. The UK government now knows the imperative for raised transparency around pay system, the GEO (Government Equalities Office) in its business plan 2009/10 outlines several reforms and objectives promoting transparency and equality. Among those, develop the cooperation with organisms such as the EHRC (European Human Right Commission) and the TUC (Trades Union Congress) is a priority to better palliate to the pay gap problem. Introduce a new power in the Equality bill to request large private sector employers to report on their gender pay gap if there is no progress made on voluntary reporting by 2013. However, overture within the bill contain a power to require private sector employers with at least 250 employees to report the gender pay gap. That is to say that over 4, 7 millions businesses in UK, approximately 6,000 organisations have over 250 employees, which is quite unlikely to have a significant impact. Looking abroad, France and Sweden inspire good pay equity framework. They have adopted in 2001 compulsory pay legislation. Organisations with 50 or more employees are required to negotiate agreement son equality at work and submit an annual report including information on pay range, number of women in highest paid position, and average monthly pay (R. Lewis, S. Smee, 2009). In order to force European governments to tackle the gender pay gap, the European parliament takes resolutions. In its report of the 10 February 2010, by managing the governments initiative, the social partner initiatives and good practices initiatives, the gender pay gap would progressively disappear. Thus the European commission will put forward a new EU strategy for gender equality for 2010-2015, augmenting sanctions, furnish pay transparency and regular reporting on the pay gap. The commission will also elevate the awareness among employee and employers, encourage the equality at the workplace with equality label awards and charters. In France, in 2004 the label à ©galità © professionel has been created, thus companies can obtain it if they follow a special procedure. Whats more the commission assists the development of tools to help employers understand gender pay gap within their organisation. Germany developed software calculating the wage gap helping employers become aware of the situation. The last objective is to improve the supply and quality of the statistics on the pay gap (europa.eu, 2010) Finally, solutions are multiples to tackle the UK pay gap, organisations and administrations just have to apply the actual and future reforms, the European commission is conducting a study on initiatives, the result will be presented on 5 may 2010. Conclusion This pay gap raises the debate above the nature versus nurture. That is to say, should the UK society take of the individuals innate qualities to fix a wage? The answer is probably much more complex than the previous essay. As seen previously, the causes are multiple and controversy, as old is the debate, mentalities first have to change to completely remove this inequality. As point the surveys and studies of the TUC organisation and the WWC, this discrimination is far to be over. Local and international organizations are mobilizing to close it. United Kingdom will have to take example of others countries experience for remove the pay gap. Finally, only a few initiatives have been done to target female choice of profession, career ad sector. Raising awareness and promoting sectors and professions could help to undertake the root of this problem; UK does not need to reside in a vicious circle.

Behavior Disorders in Children: A Look at ADD & ADHD Essay -- Disease

In today’s society children can be super ramped up especially with all the sugar and junk food lying around. Most parents may start to wonder if sugar or a short temper is all that is affecting their child. A child can exhibit multiple signs of anything when observed closely enough. Many parents do not want to acknowledge that their child may have an issue far beyond their control. According to the article, "Children Who Have Attentional Disorders: Diagnosis and Evaluation.† which can be found in Pediatrics in Review, children who have Attention Deficit demonstrate basic signs of inattention, impulsivity, and over activity. The majorities of these behaviors are not appropriate for the child’s age and does not let them reach their full potential. Some diagnosis that a child can receive may require medication, therapy, or both to get a child on track depending on severity of the disorder. Children suffering from concentration issues embody a very assorted population that may display a very large range of symptom severity and a wide scale of diagnoses that can go along with each symptom. Attention disorders are around six times more likely to affect males versus females. Around half of the children that have symptoms of hyperactivity and attention issues carry those symptoms into adulthood. Approximately 3-5 % of children that are of school age and are affected and these disorders are some of the least understood. â€Å"Labels for these problems have included minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), hyperkinesis, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH), and presently, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this review, AD often will be used as a generic t... ...out on their own. As the child matures these symptoms may disappear completely but if not the symptoms can be manageable and the child can lead a relatively normal life. Paying attention to your child is the best way to catch and help maintain these disorders. Works Cited Reiff, Micheal I., Gerard A. Banez, and Timothy P. Culbert. "Children Who Have Attention Disorders: Diagnosis and Evaluation.† Pediatrics in Review 14.121 Dec. (1993): 455- 464.Web. 18 Mar. 2012. Katz, Marina. "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: symptoms of adhd.† Webmd. Com. 21 Feb. 2012. , Web. 16 Mar. 2012. http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd symptoms. Lindsey, Jimmy D., and Greg A. Frith. "Hyperkinesis, Nutrition, and the Feingold Diet: Implications for Rehabilitation Specialists.† Journal of Rehabilitation 48.3 July (1982). EBSCOhost. Web. 16 Mar. 2012.

Kent State :: essays research papers

Thirty Years Later- Kent State Thirty years later, just after noon, the Victory Bell again rings through the green grass of Kent State University's Commons. The bell rings twenty-seven times; one toll for each of the four students killed and nine wounded by the Ohio National Guard May 4, 1970, and 14 times in solidarity for the two students murdered and twelve wounded by Mississippi Highway Patrol at Jackson State University May 15, 1970 Kent State University officials stopped holding Commemoration ceremonies in 1975, but dedicated students have kept the ideals represented by the Kent State shootings alive. For the past twenty-five years, the students of the May 4th Task Force have organized the annual May 4th Commemoration ceremonies, bringing such speakers as Jane Fonda, William Kuntzler, Dr. Hellen Caldicot and performers including Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Co-chair of the May 4th Task Force from 1995-98, and still considered the backbone of the organization by many students, Kent State senior Wendy Semon believes that continued student activism is the true remembrance of May 4, 1970. "The living legacy of those four students is activism," Semon states. "The only appropriate way students of today can keep that legacy alive is to promote activism and educate others." This year, the Task Force brought some of America s most prominent leaders of social and political change to embody all facets of the current movement. These speakers include; the American Indian Movement's Vernon Bellecourt, environmental and social justice advocate Julia Butterfly Hill, Phi ladelphia's MOVE member Ramona Africa, Global Exchange's Julliette Beck, political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal and world-renowned political theorist Noam Chomsky. Kent State junior Jeff Ritter, and current co-chair of the May 4th Task Force feels that this year's Commemoration reflects the unification of the current national movement. "So many movements are represented here today, the American Indian Movement, the environmental movement, anti-globalization, the MOVE organization. It's a real symbol of solidarity, of all the things that are going on today." Kent graduate student Kabir Syed, a ten-year member of the May 4th Task Force sees the Commemoration as a place for political activists to gather and connect with one another. "The wide variety of issues speaks to the growth of the social-political movement which exists in the U.S. We see a range, and yet, an integration of ideology here today. Though there are differences between us, we are growing aware that these differences need not separate us from accomplishing our tasks.

Coperate Gorvernance Essay

Executive summary: Cadbury Report (1992) stated that â€Å"corporate governance is the process by which companies and directed and controlled† (cited in Tricker, 2009). In other words, it helps the corporate entities increase the value provided to the organisation’s various stakeholders. Therefore, appropriate corporate governance plays a very important role in development of organisations. This  review will define corporate governance and some of its concepts (through the paper). Following, the review will give a Memorandum or a general introduction about Nufarm, which is a publicly listed company and then consider the structure, process and effectiveness of its governance. Besides, the paper will mention about areas such as the composition and responsibilities of the Nufarm Board of Directors, and disclose policies, codes of conduct adopted by the company, which are relevant to the company’s governance scopes. Finally, from information and analyses, there are some recommendations for the Nufarm to achieve appropriate improvements. For example, the company’s governance should recognise and adhere to all relevant laws and regulations and meets high standards with respect to honesty and integrity. In addition, the company should have open and effective communications with its shareholders and the general investment community. Furthermore, the company should have effective methods to review drivers of governance, etc. Table of contents Contents I.Introduction3 II.What is corporate governance?3 III.General introduction about Nufarm, information of the company (Memorandum)3 IV.The Structure, process and effectiveness of the Nufarm’s governance4 The Scope of the company’s Corporate Governance influences the company’s codes:7 V.Recommendations8 VI.References10 I. Introduction Recently, the appearance of high-profile corporate failures, scandals and executive corruption arises the requirement for organisations to follow appropriate corporate governance structures, processes standards and practices. The aim of this paper is to investigate the structure, process and  effectiveness of the governance of Nufarm, a publicly listed company and give recommendations for it to achieve appropriate improvements. II. What is corporate governance? Cadbury report (1992) and OECD (1999) defined that ‘corporate governance is the process by which company are directed and controlled’.  Monks & Minow (2001) suggested that ‘corporate governance is the relationship among various participants in determining the direction and performance of corporations. The primary participants are the shareholders, the management and the board of directors’. OECD (2001) supposed that ‘corporate governance refers to the private and public institutions, including laws, regulations and accepted business practices, which together govern the relationship, in a market economy, between corporate managers and entrepreneurs, on the one hand, and those who invest resources in corporations, on the other III. General introduction about Nufarm, information of the company (Memorandum) Nufarm Limited is a publicly listed company, one of the world’s leading crop protection companies (Nufarm’s website, 2012). The company manufactures products to help farmers protect their crops against damage caused by weeds, pests and disease. Its manufacturing and marketing spread throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, The Americas and Europe and sells products in more than 100 countries around the world. According to the Nufarm’s website (2012), the company employs more than 2,600 people around the places having its manufacturing and marketing operations, all of whom make a vital contribution to the company’s reputation for quality products, innovation and first class marketing and technical support. Proudly based in Australia, Nufarm is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (with symbol NUF). Its head office is located at Laverton in Melbourne, Australia. Table1: the information contained in the company details table (ASX website, 2012) IV. The Structure, process and effectiveness of the Nufarm’s governance The company’s board structure contains Chairman (Donald Gordon McGauchie), Managing Director/CEO (Doug Rathbone), and five Non Executive Directors who are Anne Bernadette Brennan, Gordon Richard Davis, Bruce Goodfellow, Gary Hounsell, Peter Margin (Nufarm’s website, 2012). According to the company’s website (2012), the Board is the governing body of the Company. The Board is responsible for the oversight of the Company. It is responsible to ensure that the business of the Company is carried out in the best interests of all shareholders and with proper regard to the interests of all other stakeholders. Specifically, the Board has responsibility to protect and enhance the value of the assets of the Company, set strategies and directions and monitor and review those strategic objectives, review and ratify internal controls, codes of conduct and legal compliance, review the Company’s accounts, approve and review the one year operating budget and five year strategic plan for the Company, appoint the Managing Director, evaluate performance and determine the remuneration of the Managing Director and senior executives, ensure the significant risks facing the Company have been identified and adequate control monitoring and reporting mechanisms are in place, approve transactions relating to acquisitions, divestments and capital expenditure above authority limits delegated to management, approve financial and dividend policy, appoint the Company Secretary, ratify the appointment of the Chief Financial Officer (Nufarm’s website, 2012). The managing Director is delegated to be responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the Company. To assist the Board to discharge its responsibilities and duties, the Board has delegated to the Managing Director specific authorities which are subject to appropriate reporting and monitoring procedures. For example: * Shareholder values / corporate strategy: the Managing Director formulates and brings to the Board for review and approval, an appropriate long term strategy for the Nufarm Group  and appropriate financial standards and policies. The strategy is reviewed by the Board at its annual strategic planning review and any changes in financial standards are reviewed by the Audit Committee. * Organisation Planning: the Managing Director formulates an appropriate human resources policy which is reviewed by the Board annually. * Capital Allocation: The Managing Director approves capital expenditure within limits set by the Board. All approvals made by the Managing Director are reported and reviewed at every Board Meeting. * Company Financial Performance: the Managing Director reports to the Board at each Board Meeting on the financial results of the Company. * Compliance: The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation. In brief, the Board has delegated to the Managing Director all powers required to manage the business of the Company and the Managing Director reports on a monthly basis on all material matters affecting the Nufarm Group to the Board. Besides, The Board has three committees: the Audit Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Remuneration Committee. These Board Committees review and analyse policies and strategies within their specific terms of reference. The Board Committees examine proposals and, where appropriate, make recommendations to the Board. The Board Committees do not take direct action or make decisions on behalf of the Board unless specifically mandated by prior Board authority (Nufarm’s website). The Nomination Committee consists of three non-executive Directors and is comprised of a majority of independent Directors. The Committee’s purpose is to develop criteria for Board membership and identify specific individuals for nomination; and establish processes for the review of the performance of individual Directors and the Board as a whole. The duties of this committee is facilitating a Board performance assessment, develop criteria for Board membership, identify suitably skilled, qualified and experienced individuals for nomination and to establish processes for the review of the performance of Directors. According to Tricker (2012, p.283), ‘the essential and original role of the audit committee is to act as a bridge between the independent external auditors and the board, avoiding the possibility of powerful executive directors’ and over the years the role and responsibilities of the committee have expanded. Nufarm company’s Audit Committee’s primary function is to assist the Board in fulfilling its corporate governance responsibilities in regard to financial reporting, audit and risk management, including: oversight of the preparation of Nufarm Limited’s (the Group) financial reporting; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; oversight of the effectiveness of the Group’s enterprise-wide risk management and internal control framework; and oversight of the relationship with the external and internal auditors. The specific duties and responsibilities of the company’s audit committee in meeting will be: report Committee actions to the Board with such recommendations as the Committee may deem appropriate (e.g. The Committee will report to the Board immediately if it becomes aware of any material misstatement in financial information provided by management to the Board or of any material breakdown in internal controls), continuously monitor a framework and processes for compliance with laws, regulations, standards, best practice guidelines and the Group’s code of conduct, maintain suitable interaction with the Health Safety & Environment Committee and the Nomination & Governance Committee, perform such other functions assigned by law, the Company’s Constitution, or the Board. The Remuneration Committee’s purpose is to recommend to the Board policies and practices which enable Nufarm to attract, develop, retain and motivate high caliber Directors and executives. The Committee will review and make recommendations on policies for remuneration, development, retention and termination of Directors and Key Management Personnel (KMP). The Committee’s duties are to review and make recommendations to the Board in relation to Nufarm’s Board and executive remuneration strategy, structure and practice with regard to: Nufarm strategic objectives; corporate governance principles; and competitive practice. The specific matters the Committee may consider include the review of: executive management and Directors’  remuneration, including the link between Company and individual performance; current industry best practice; the outcome of the annual vote on the adoption of the Remuneration Report; different methods for remunerating senior management and Directors including superannuation arrangements; 2/4 existing or proposed incentive schemes; retirement and termination benefits and payments for senior management; professional indemnity and liability insurance policies. The Committee is responsible for seeking and approving remuneration advisers that will provide independent remuneration advice, as appropriate, on Board, CEO and other KMP remuneration strategy, structure practice and disclosure. However, according to the company website (2012), the Committee does not have executive powers to commit the Board or management to its recommendations except where authorised by a resolution of the Board nor become involved in day to day management activities or decision making. The Scope of the company’s Corporate Governance influences the company’s codes: According to Tricker (2012), the structure, the membership and the process of the governing body are central to corporate governance. However, the relations with shareholders, contractual stakeholders, legal institutions, etc also influence the structure and operation of Nufarm’s corporate governance. Therefore, the company’s corporate governance refers to the private and public institutions, including laws, regulations and public institutions, which together govern the relationship between corporate managers and entrepreneurs, on the one hand, and those who invest resources in corporations on the other (Tricker, 2012). For example, the company’s code of conduct is governed by and contrasted in accordance with the laws in the State of Victoria, Australia. Besides, Nufarm has ensured to be compliance with the ASX Listing Rules, and ensured that Key Management Personnel and their associates are aware of the legal restrictions in dealing in Nufarm’s shares, options or other securities while such a person is in possession of unpublished price sensitive information concerning Nufarm. V. Recommendations There are some recommendations in order for Nufarm to make appropriate  improvements for its corporate governance are: Firstly, Nufarm should conduct its business in a manner which recognises and adheres to all relevant laws and regulations and meets high standards with respect to honesty and integrity. In order to meet this commitment, we require all Nufarm directors, employees, contractors and consultants to be familiar with and uphold the company’s code of conduct in all business dealings. Besides, according to Tricker (2012), the Board, which determines whether the company’s governance is good, is the major driving force in a company. However, there are other drivers of good governance in the company such as shareholders. Therefore, the company should have open and effective communications with its shareholders and the general investment community. For example, with shareholders, the company should adopt a shareholder communications policy in order to: * Ensure that shareholders and the financial markets are provided with full and timely information about its activities; * Comply with continuous disclosure obligations contained in applicable Listing Rules and the Corporations Act in Australia as well as industry guidelines such as the Australasian Investor Relations Associations’, Best Practice Guidelines for Communication between Listed Entities and the Investment Community; and Ensure equality of access to briefings, presentations and meetings for shareholders, analysts and media. * Encourage attendance and voting at shareholder meetings; The company’s Remuneration Committee should review induction and development arrangements for the Board to ensure Board members gain and maintain a suitable level of knowledge about Nufarm. Audit Committee should usually review and make recommendations to the Board on the Nufarm Diversity Policy ensuring the Policy is in line with applicable legislation and governance principles. Self-assess whether the Committees comply with its membership requirements at least once every year. Critically review the Remuneration Committee Charter at least once per year to ensure its relevance and compliance with overall governance legislative requirements and best practice. VI. References Monks, B., Nell, M. 2007, Corporate Governance, 4th edn, Chichester, UK:Wiley. Tricker, B. 2009, Corporate Governance: Principles, Policies, and Practices, Oxford University Press. Nufarm website 2012, , viewed 15 July, 2012. ASX website 2012, Nufarm Limited (NUF), , viewed 15 July, 2012.