The Effects Of Pedophilia On The Modern World - 1578 Words

Pedophilia / paedophilia is a very emotionally and ethically-charged issue in the modern world. At least 7% of females and 3% of males have been victim to sexual abuse as children (Finkelhor, 1994). It is difficult to obtain firm numbers for prevalence of adults with pedophilic tendencies, but the highest estimates put it at around 3% - 5% of male adults and a fraction of that for female adults (APA, 2013). Furthermore, pedophilia is heavily socially stigmatized, and those affected are among the most poorly-regarded members of society. Definitions Pedophilia is one of the many paraphilias, or feelings of sexual arousal in response to atypical objects or circumstances. Pedophilia comes from the Greek roots â€Å"paà ®s, paidà ³s† (child) and â€Å"philia† (brotherly love). Pedophilia is defined in the ICD-10 as â€Å"a persistent or a predominant preference for sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children†, with the caveat that â€Å"the person is at least 16 years old and at least five years older than the child or children† (World Health Organization, 1992). Though the average age of the onset of puberty ranges (typically, 10 to 11 for girls and 11 to 12 for boys), the line that most pedophilia researchers draw is typically at age 13. According to the DSM-5, an adult can have a â€Å"pedophilic sexual orientation† (p. 698) without being formally diagnosed with Pedophilic Disorder if they are not functionally impaired by their attraction to prepubescent children, have never acted on theirShow MoreRelatedPedophilia and Deviant Behavior1695 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Pedophilia and Deviant Behavior Sonja Johnson Sociology of Deviant Behavior Professor Grant Pikes Peak Community College August 3, 2014 There exists a group of people possessing what some refer to as a mental disorder, while others refer to it as a personality or behavioral disorder characterized by the urge to have sexual relations with those of a non-consenting age. Initially this paper will examine why exactly this is a deviant behavior. We will then go on to analyzeRead MoreEssay on Can Pedophiles Be Cured?2642 Words   |  11 Pagesjust like the rest of the world. Pedophilia is a true illness, and not just in my opinion it also in the DSMIV 302.2. We may never truly be comfortable with the thought that researchers say Pedophiles can not be cured, but they can be rehabilitated in time with and they have test to prove it, Pedophilia is a medical diagnosis, which is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or older adolescents, ranging from ages 16 and older. Pedophilia is characterized by a primaryRead MoreBrechtian Alienation in Theater Performance Essay1201 Words   |  5 Pages Brechtian Alienation in Community Performance Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht, (b.1898-d.1956), known commonly as Bertolt Brecht, was a German poet and playwright. One of his major contributions to theatre history was the â€Å"alienation effect† (From the German, â€Å"Verfremdungseffekt†). Brechtian alienation requires the removal of the â€Å"fourth wall.† This is a term that describes the â€Å"suspension of disbelief† by the audience that takes place during a performance. It is often thought that the audienceRead More The Effect of Language in Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita Essay2045 Words   |  9 PagesThe Effect of Language in Lolita      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What really is reality? How can we define reality? The very nature of such a subjective subject means that there are as many answers as there are questioning minds on the planet. Therefore, reality can only be defined as what it means to each of us. We learn particular ways of looking at life from our experiences, which we gain from our interactions with others. This is the basis of an elaborate theory called the social construction of realityRead MoreAnswers on Questions Regarding the Relationship between Violence and Child Development1338 Words   |  5 Pagesand can constitute as a threat to children in a way that it may expose them to explicit material because of which they may fall prey to pornography or pedophilia. As we can see, all of the mentioned aspects play a key role in the socialization of children, however in todays world they are not the only factors that take part. Aspects of the modern community, politics, religion, social class, competitive existence etc. all play a role in the socialization of children. 3) Laub and Sampsons Life-courseRead MoreThe On Willy Wonk Confectioner Or Pedophile1882 Words   |  8 Pageswith something. A void, cultivated in the aftermath of misfortune, begins to attract the wrong kind of attention.† Rahma Krambo, Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria It can be inferred from modern technology and studies that maltreatment during childhood can lead to detrimental effects such as depression as well as impaired cognitive and socio-emotional skills. This is true with distinguished individuals like Ludwig van Beethoven and Eleanor Roosevelt. Ludwig van Beethoven suffered throughRead MoreEvolution Of The Witch From Early American Literature1609 Words   |  7 PagesColonial America, the villagers experienced accusations in 1645. From 1645 to 1663, roughly eighty people were accused of practicing witchcraft and about fifteen people died because of execution. Nearly thirty years later, the Salem witch trials were in effect and lasted for a year, during this span twenty people were executed. The Salem witch trials led to the many stories and many versions of the witch that symbolize certain aspects we have today. The Crucible is a famous play that was written by ArthurRead MoreCambodia: A Place of Countless Struggles1545 Words   |  6 Pages1975-1979, and it is estimated that the Khmer Rouge killed 1.7 million people. They specifically targeted Buddhists, ethnic groups and those who were educated in society (Chigas and Mosyakov). The genocide was short lived but it had long-lasting effects, leaving Cambodia in a frenzy of poverty and disease. In 2014, Cambodia can still feel aftershocks of this terrible occurrence, and it contributes to the rising sexual trafficking and exploitation seen across the country. Because of the poverty andRead MoreSociology of Advertising and The Stereotyping of Women in the Media: Gender Roles, Personal Dissatisfaction and Issues of Patriarchy- Who Is Really to Blame?2525 Words   |  9 PagesThe Stereotyping of Women in the Media: Gender Roles, Personal Dissatisfaction and Issues of Patriarchy- Who Is Really to Blame? We live in a consumer world. Everything we do and perhaps everything we are is based on consumption and commodity. Daily life has become a constant juggle of products and services - needs verses wants. People and objects become interchangeable. People become identified and classified with material goods. While advertising and the consequential high levels of consumptionRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal Essay2606 Words   |  11 Pagesof others, just as religion should not have any impact on the issue of gay marriage. i, and legalizing gay marriage will not have any negative effect on any religion and its religious views on others, just as religion shouldn’t have any issues on gay marriages. It’s also a matter of equality, in the 50 s, interracial marriage was illegal, but now in modern society understands that it is an unjust law that denied the equal rights of the couples who loved one another and the issues of gay marriage

Essay on AP Point of View - 656 Words

Point of view is a very important element of literature. In the book Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing point of view is described as, â€Å"the vantage point from which events are presented† (Kirszner and Mandell 300). The point of view of a story is simply the view of whoever’s telling it. Kirszner and Mandell inform readers that if the narrator can enter all the characters’ minds and always knows what is going on, then he is omniscient (303). Kirszner and Mandell also tell readers that if a narrator can only enter one character’s mind, then he is a limited omniscient narrator (304). Point of view plays an important role in the effectiveness of a story. By analyzing John Updike’s â€Å"AP† one can observe how point of view is used to develop†¦show more content†¦He rants, â€Å"We want you decently dressed when you come in here† (Updike 227). However, the definition of decency changes overtime. Sammy cannot tell readers w hat it is, but he could give readers his opinion of how the girls were treated. He feels they were treated unjustly. The theme of the story is pretty simple, nothing is set in stone. Readers get to see this theme outlined when the girls walk in the store dressed against the norm. Additionally, neither the reader nor the manager expected Sammy to quit his job. His job was important considering the time era. However, times do change. Everyone has a point in which they get fed up. These girls appear to be reminiscent of the hippie subculture. All the sexual overtone in Sammy’s thoughts are also reminiscent of the hippie culture. Overall, the story was better told by Sammy because he offered us the perspective of someone in the middle. Sammy’s perspective, while subjective in thought, was generally examining instead of asserting. John Updike’s â€Å"AP† was heavily affected by the element of point of view. Sammy’s view not only helped define other characters, but it helped define the theme as well. The fact that the narrator was not third person helped maintain the focus of the story. The story greatly benefitted from having a first person narrator. This is because the character of Sammy offered readers some middle ground. Readers weren’t able to take sides immediately. Instead, they were kind ofShow MoreRelatedDivergent by Veronica Roth Essay721 Words   |  3 Pagesthat develops the main idea. Meaning â€Å"ascending cement stairs† (p 39) connotative- stairs leading upward denotative- they are getting higher â€Å"concentric circles† (p 39) connotative- circles sharing the same center denotative-connected circles â€Å"diffuse the tension† (p 115) connotative- spread the tension denotative- the tension will be more wide spread â€Å"patronizing look† (p 154) connotative- look at with apparent kindness that betrays theRead MoreEducating Multicultural Curriculum Reform : School Curriculums Are Largely Biased Towards The Views Of Americans With European Heritage Essay1135 Words   |  5 Pagestowards the views of Americans with European heritage, which is distorting the worldviews of American students and severely under representing minorities. A multi-cultural approach to instruction is needed to help decrease, and eliminate the justification of, the feeling of superiority felt among many white Americans. First, Banks supports his opinion by discussing the negative impact a mainstream-centric curriculum has on multicultural students, as well as white students. (p. 242). He points out thatRead MoreAnalysis of Sidgwicks Third Axiom Essay1073 Words   |  5 PagesThis paper will object to Sidgwick’s axiom that from the point of view of the universe, the good of one is no more important than t he good of another on the ground that it is analytic. I present the purpose and content of the axiom with a further explanation of what I take ‘the point of view of the universe’ to mean. I then consider the response of the Egoist to the axiom and Sidgwick’s counter-response to illustrate the tautology of the argument. The tautology of the argument brings it in line withRead MoreThe Sixth Decade : The New Shape Of Nuclear Danger Essay1457 Words   |  6 Pagesweapons and those who do not. He states that â€Å"a highly volatile and violent contest is no longer bi-polar but global between some of the existing possessors of the bomb and new entrants or petitioners to the club who hope to deter the great ones† (Schell, p.6, 2007). His argument here is clear. Why should the smaller countries trust the current nuclear powers for protection, and if they can use nuclear weapons for deterrence to ensure their safety why cannot they? Schell argues that the five pow erful countriesRead MoreThe Values Of The Textbook1158 Words   |  5 Pagesswappers illegally downloading songs (p.72) Sales decrease for recording labels (p.72) Use internet to post music/videos to gain larger audience at less of a cost (p.72) 2 Homogenized radio industry (p.108) Saves money (p.108) Let there be interaction between Deejays and the audience. Live vs. voice tracking (p.108) 3 Introduced VOD-DVRs, iPods, Netflix (p.155) Enables customers to choose what they want to watch and whenever they want, without commercials (p.155) Less commercialization and keep cableRead MoreA Reflective Paper On Integration852 Words   |  4 Pages The Spirit of Truth must be central in that decision and thus the use of Christian Psychology is my current integrative position. Historic Foundation Understanding human beings according to historic Christianity is a foundation of this view (Johnson, 2010 p. 155). There is evidence of psychology embedded in the wisdom of Scripture, as in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and throughout the New Testament for Jesus’ dealing with sin and restoration. The woman at the well, the woman caught in the act ofRead MoreThose Kind Of Discriminations Are What Taylor Callsstrong Evaluation1727 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"the objects in the light of our desires, but also the desires themselves† (Ibid, p.66). The strong evaluation as well as the subject-referring imports as a basis of such evaluation are strongly affective on human beings and their respective lives. To evaluate and classify into good/bad, higher/lower, or any other categories means to identify â€Å"what it is we really are about, what is really important to us† (Ibid, p.68). In sum, Taylor (Ibid) argues that human beings are self-interpreting animalsRead MoreCase Study: Arcadian Microarray Technologies, Inc.1305 Words   |  6 PagesInc., a biotechnology firm. The bid is currently at $40 million. The Arcadian’s managers have optimistic projections for their firms’ performance over the next 11 years. However, based on Sierra’s calculations, come up a much more conservative view. With the request of Mr. Chu, a fair bid price could be calculated along with any appropriate counterproposals. Appropriate steady state growth rates and terminal values would be included and explained. I. Objective The main objective of thisRead MoreThe Values Of Social Medias And National Rating Organisations1551 Words   |  7 Pages2 National rating schemes advantages 2 2.1 From a hotel point of view 2 2.2 From a consumer point of view 2 3 National rating schemes disadvantages 3 3.1 From a hotel point of view 3 3.2 From a consumer point of view 3 4 Social media rating systems advantages 3 4.1 From a hotel point of view 3 4.2 From a consumer point of view 3 5 Social media rating systems disadvantages 4 5.1 From a hotel point of view 4 5.2 From a consumer point of view 4 6 Conclusion 4 REFERENCES 5 1 Introduction 1.1 AuthorisationRead MoreThe Problem Of Separation And Dualism1399 Words   |  6 PagesPhysicalism â€Å"‘And that’, he argued, ‘means that somewhere in them is intelligence. It can’t be seated in a brain because dissection shows nothing like a brain –but that doesn’t prove there isn’t something that does a brain’s job† (Wyndham, 1951/2008, p. 47) Suppose it is a nice sunny day, and you decide to linger in the sun; after a few minutes you may feel thirsty and you look for some refreshment. It can be said that this situation triggers two ‘situations’; on the one hand there is a physical

Net Banking Fraud and Scams in Australia-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Net bankig Fraud and Scams in Australia. Answer: Problem Statement Net banking fraud is a fraud or robbery which is done with the help of technological advancement for stealing money illegally from anyones account. The most important technologies that are used for this purpose are Trojans, Viruses and Spyware. Net banking frauds are mainly of four types namely Mobile Banking, Shimming, Phishing and Mule Recruitment(HHSB, 2018). According to the figures derives from Australian Payment Clearing Association, Australians suffered from the loss of $521 million in financial year 2016dus to net banking frauds. Increasing online frauds represents the advancement in e-commerce and a universal trend in virtual scam and cybercrime in broad(Ong, 2016). In present scenario, security and safety of net banking communications is one of the most essential tasks. A number of financial data activities and transactions are conducted every day by using net banking facilities. Similarly banking frauds increase day by day by hacking experts through influencing online banking systems of the banks. This study will consist the issues related with fraud, attacks and security of net banking. It will also include the importance and motives of defending for safety, the general kinds of attacks that can be encountered, detected and prevented(Shanab Matalqa, 2015). Aims and Objectives This study aims at finding out the loopholes that assist in increasing of net banking frauds and suggesting best possible ways to prevent them. The study will also focus on the effectiveness of refund arrangement system. The objectives to support the aims of the study are: To study the percentage of banking frauds in Australia along with finding out the major types of net banking frauds. To analyses the effect of online banking frauds on the economy as well as socially. To recommend best possible way to minimise the rate of frauds and creating awareness in the society to be careful from online frauds. To recommend the enhancement of online banking trust and improving security against online frauds. Research Methodology Literature Synopsis Data Source- The list of banks and their official websites will be used for gathering accurate information. The appropriate data for the research and analysis will be copied from websites of major banks. Along with this some studies conducted earlier by institutions and individuals will be reviewed to gain the depth knowledge of the problem(Booth, Sutton, Papaioannou, 2016). Data Series and Surveys For ascertaining the impact of net banking frauds, data will be collected on the basis of online and offline surveys. Survey will majorly target those areas of societies which are either victims of the fraudulent activities or they are unknown about the online frauds. Since it is a crucial part in the research to know the social view about the target problem. Beside this to know the economic impact of net banking frauds, a survey of government organisations will also be arranged on the basis of questionnaire approach(Sabi, 2014). Quantitative Approach- By using quantitative approach, collected data will be analysed and compared through using charts and graphs. By using charts, understanding the information will be easy to the user of this study Qualitative Approach- A set of questions based on activities and impact of online frauds will be distributed among the target people. Discussion will be also held with the people of banking sector. For more knowledge and information about the problem a separate discussion will be done with the authorities working towards the prevention of online and net banking frauds(Silverman, 2016) References Booth, A., Sutton, A., Papaioannou, D. (2016). Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review (2nd ed.). Sage Publications Ltd. Retrieved April 3, 2018 HHSB. (2018). Types of Online Frauds. Retrieved April 4, 2018, from HHSB Hoosier Heartland State Bank: https://www.myhhsb.com/types-online-fraud.htm Ong, T. (2016, December 16). Australians lost $521m to card fraud in 2016 financial year. Retrieved April 4, 2018, from News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-16/australians-lost-521m-to-fraud-in-past-financial-year/8126816 Sabi, H. M. (2014, August). Research Trends in the Diffusion of Internet Banking in Developing Countries. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 19(2), 1-31. Retrieved April 4, 2018 Shanab, E. A., Matalqa, S. (2015). Security and Fraud Issues of E-banking. International Journal of Computer Networks and Applications (IJCNA), 2(4), 179-187. Retrieved April 3, 2018 Silverman, D. (2016). Qualitative Research (4th ed.). Sage Publications l. Retrieved April 3, 20

Shakespeare, William The Taming Of The Shrew Battle Of The Sexes Essa

Shakespeare, William: The Taming of the Shrew Battle of the Sexes In the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, Petrucio recognizes, respects and desires Katherine's strength of character. Petrucio is a clever man who sees beyond facades because he uses them in addition to a lot of irony himself. (II, i 46) (II, I 283 - 89) He is stimualted by Katherines sharp tongue and harsh actions. He proves this in many ways throughout the play. Petrucio is not in desperate need of money, but comes to Padua to find a rich wife. He says ?To wive and thrive as best I may,? when he is telling Hortensio why he came to Padua. He means that he has come to find a wife and get richer. From Petrucios response to his friend Hortensio (I,ii 64 - 75), it might be said that Petrucio came to Padua to make himself richer by marriage no matter how wretched the woman. I don't believe this is true. He also tells Hortensio that his father has died and that he is out in the world to gain experiences he cannot at home, and to find a wife secondary. (I,ii 49 - 57) Petrucio enjoys verbal sport and a non-conventional sense of humor. Petrucio surrounds himself with neither tame nor conforming people. You can even see this in his servants. His servants like him very much and enjoy his entertainments. An example of this is when Petrucio and his servant man Grumio get into a disagreement about knocking on the gate. Reflective of this is Petrucio's methods to ?woo? Katherine. His methods are game like and outrageous. Such as when he beats up Grumio because Kate's horse stumbles, or showing up late to the wedding. While showing Katherine how ridiculous she is about things, he is also making her feel special, which is something she never felt in life. He also says that ?This is the way to kill a wife with kindness.? (IV,i 211) This is his courting method of when he makes the wife feel to good for everything surrounding her. When they eat dinner once he complains ?Endanger choler planteth anger?. since of ourselves are choleric?. (IV, I 177) While Petrucio may not agree with what society has determined to be proper, he is aware of the importance to conform. He knows the ways of society and that he must demonstrate this to Katherine, who has no regard for public presentation. Petrucio is totally taken by Katherine's personality as Bianca's beauty and coyness takes the other suitors. It is in Hortensio's description of Katherine that Petrucio is captured. He describes her as wealthy, young, beautiful, properly brought up, intolerably curst, shrewd and forward. (I, ii 85 - 89) Though Hortensio finds his description of Katherine repulsive, Lucentio finds it intriguing and is he himself possess some of these qualities and is proud of it. The fact that these qualities are considered negative in Kate, but not in Petrucio is a reflection of the societal standards of the 1500's. Petrucio claims that she could be ?As foul as Florentious love? (I, ii 69) It seems that he is turned on by the challenge. Although no one believed that Petrucio would be able to stand Katherine, he says that he must have her as a wife, and that he was born to tame her. Gremio asks ?Who will undertake to woo curst Katherine?have you told them of her faults (I,ii 184 - 187) When Katherine is told of the wedding arrangements she says ?I'll see thee hang'd on Sunday first.? (II, I 301) This, or the slap he reaches later does not seem to discourage the strong willed Petrucio at all. It does not appear that Petrucio does not want to conquer or truly tame Kate. He is a man who is very confident in himself and does not need someone to boost his ego. He also seems like he would be disappointed if she were tamed to easily, because he seems to enjoy the challenge. Petrucio seems to love challenges and constantly surrounds himself with challenging people. It seems his perfect match would be a woman who could produce a challenge and sharpen

K100 Clutch Adjustment Essays

K100 Clutch Adjustment Essays K100 Clutch Adjustment Essay K100 Clutch Adjustment Essay * * Posts: 2997 * Name: frankenduck * * K bike clutches  « on: May 15, 2011, 12:52:35 PM  » This thread includes three sections on K bike clutches: 1 How they work 2 How to adjust them 3 How to replace the clutch plate and/or O-ring 1 How A K Bike Clutch Works The following is a general description of how K75, K100 and K1100 clutches work. The basic design is the same although some of the individual parts vary between the models. The clutch assembly is attached to the engine output shaft via the clutch housing. Yellow) In addition, the clutch housing provides some rotational inertia to the clutch assembly. The clutch has two pressure plates. (Blue) The rear pressure plate is fixed to the clutch housing and does not move. The front pressure plate â€Å"floats† on three flat arced springs around it’s perimeter. (Red) The diaphragm spring (Purple) pushes the front pressure against the clutch plate (Green) and the rear pressure plate to engag e the clutch. When you pull in the clutch lever, the clutch lever arm on the back of the ransmission pushes the clutch push rod (which goes through the transmission input shaft) into diaphragm spring and compresses it. The front pressure plate can then â€Å"float† away from clutch plate and the clutch is disengaged. 2 How To Adjust A K Bike Clutch The following is a page from a BMW service manual that describes how to adjust the clutch: This page is also attached to this thread as a PDF file at the bottom of this post if you want to print it out separately. 3 Replacing The Clutch Plate or Clutch Nut O-ring My procedure for doing this is attached as a PDF file at the bottom of this post.

The History of the Hygrometer

The History of the Hygrometer A hygrometer is an instrument used to measure the moisture content – that is, the humidity –  of air or any other gas. The hygrometer is a device that has had many incarnations. Leonardo da Vinci built the first crude hygrometer in the 1400s. Francesco Folli invented a more practical hygrometer in 1664.In 1783, Swiss physicist and geologist, Horace Bà ©nà ©dict de Saussure built the first hygrometer using a human hair to measure humidity. These are called mechanical hygrometers, based on the principle that organic substances (human hair) contract and expand in response to the relative humidity. The contraction and expansion move a needle gauge. Dry and Wet-Bulb Psychrometer The best-known type of hygrometer is the dry and wet-bulb psychrometer, best described as two mercury thermometers, one with a wetted base, one with a dry base. The water from the wet base evaporates and absorbs heat, causing the thermometer reading to drop. Using a calculation table, the reading from the dry thermometer and the reading drop from the wet thermometer are used to determine the relative humidity. While the term â€Å"psychrometer† was coined by a German Ernst Ferdinand August, 19th-century physicist Sir John Leslie (1776-1832) is often credited with actually inventing the device.   Some hygrometers use the measurements of changes in electrical resistance, using a thin piece of lithium chloride or other semiconductive material and measuring the resistance, which is affected by humidity. Other Hygrometer Inventors Robert Hooke: A 17th century contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton invented or improved a number of meteorological instruments such as the barometer and the anemometer. His hygrometer, regarded as the first mechanical hygrometer, used the husk of oat grain, which he noted curled and uncurled depending on the humidity of the air. Hooke’s other inventions include the universal joint, an early prototype of the respirator, the anchor escapement and the balance spring, which made more accurate clocks possible. Most famously, however, he was the first to discover cells.   John Frederic Daniell:  In 1820, British chemist and meteorologist, John Frederic invented a dew-point hygrometer, which came into widespread use to measure the temperature at which moist air reaches a saturation point. Daniel is best known for inventing the Daniell cell, an improvement over the voltaic cell used in the early history of battery development.

Phonemic Awareness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phonemic Awareness - Essay Example Since early times, children understanding in reading have gone through diverse changes. These changes are the basic factors that guarantee either the malfunction or success of children in learning how to read. Long ago, people suggested that children learned how to read by understanding letters. This old methodology was used in teaching learning skills to children. There are challenges that are accompanied by the use of letters in teaching reading skills. A German researcher suggested the use of words in teaching reading skills instead of using letters. This is because words provide meaning and make sense while letters provide parts of the idea. It is because of this reason that both parents and teachers are debating whether to use the letter approach in teaching reading skills or use of word approach in teaching reading skills. Some researchers conducted experiments that proved the Whole Word Approach to be advantageous to the Letter Approach. It was proven that identifying a five-l etter word is easier than identifying five random letters. He also suggested that it takes a long time to identify random words than it takes to identify a sentence. (Moustafa, 2008). It is unfortunate that even after it was proven that Whole Word Approach is better than Phonemic Approach; people still use Letter Word Approach. Teachers who taught children using letter approach recommended children to read text that was manipulated with letters while those who utilized Whole Word Approach recommended children to read text that is controlled by words. At the start of the twenty first century educationist recommended the combination of both Whole Word Approach and Letter Approach. It was after these encounter that educationist in America emphasized on the use of Whole Word Approach and discouraging the use of Phonic Approach. Children were given storybooks to read, and this was supposed to improve their reading skills. The books contained pictures that were used for understanding of t he story, the words did not contain the story line but the pictures did. Researchers argued that phonic contributed to illiteracy because it does not give instruction. It is because of this reason that teachers are advised to teach children on the different sounds of letters. This enables learners to read and understand effortlessly (Moustafa, 2008). Even though there is great difference in letter approach and whole word process approach, the two have the same principle. The two processes assume that teaching to read is part of the whole process, in that as children study to read letters and words they are able to learn the

Lesson Planning in teaching English - skills and activities Essay

Lesson Planning in teaching English - skills and activities - Essay Example This essay analyzes that It is against this background that this discussion seeks to develop a detailed lesson plan for teaching English listening and speaking skills to ESL Adult learners, with a view to justifying the necessity of all aspects of the lesson planning on the achievement of English communication skills objective, for ESL adult learners. The rationale/justification for the application of the methods of teaching above is the combination of both the requirements of both the Natural and the Communicative approaches to teaching language, which offers that the application of more communicative and less grammatical and structural instructions, coupled with the application of real-life activities can help ESL learners to understand a language better (Brown, 2000:27). The football and grocery shopping are real-life activities through which the adult ESL can be able to learn English language application, through practicing speaking (Larsen-Freeman, 1986:56). On the other hand, t he listening of the song and the story being read out loud are activities that can enhance the listening skills of the adult ESL learners, while also enabling them to contextualize the wording and phrases from the listening section into the speaking contexts (Stevick, 1980:112). Thus, the application of the method sought to foster both the listening and speaking skills of the adult ESL learners in practical and real-life ways, which do not entail applying strict grammar rules and structural correction of the student errors.

Health care Lecture Essay Example for Free

Health care Lecture Essay Summary Dr. Curtis lecture was one of healthcare and how it relates to his profession, chiropractic medicine. He also hit on health in general and medications. Dr. Curtis started rather quite abruptly with his self helping theories as to what he does as a profession and also what other medical fields are doing to help him become rich, yet keep the healthcare level of the United States down to the lower levels it has been hovering at for years. This may be in direct contradiction to the fact that even though the United States only has three percent of the worlds population, it still consumes more than half of the drugs produced in the world. What does this tell the reader? Dr. Curtis explained that a lot of these drugs are not needed, and in fact have actually hurt the patients. As proof, he stated some startling facts from the American Journal of Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine, perhaps the two top most medical specific journals in the world. Some of these facts included that one hundred and sox thousand people die every year from properly proscribed drugs. Per year, there are seven thousand medical errors resulting in someone dying. One point five million people have Introgenic diseases, or physician caused diseases. It is estimated that the United States as a whole is spending seventy seven billion dollars a year fixing these problems. These indeed are very troublesome statistics. Dr. Curtis also goes on to explain that the reason why the United States continues to spend excess amounts of money for drugs and procedures they do not need is because of mainly one thing, advertising. Billions of dollars are spent on advertising for drugs every year. Over one hundred and thirty  two dollars were spent last years on advertising alone. Often companies give kickbacks like trips or bonuses to doctors that proscribe a certain number prescriptions of a specific drug. This practice, which should be illegal, is what is known as Off Label Promoting. The United States populace continues to believe advertising of drugs. The advertisements dont tell the truth most of the time. For example, twenty percent of antibiotic prescriptions are useless. What is bad is that when people take unneeded antibiotics, they raise their immunity to them, and they will not work next time, or people will have to up the dosage to get it to work. This is extremely bad for health reasons, considering that if patients were to mix two or more drugs, there is an eighty eight percent change of adverse side effects, even more illness and injury. The Food and Drug Administration Agency is not helping matters either. The practice of rushing promising drugs like Fen-Fen to the market without proper timed tests has added to the health problems of the United States. Dr. Curtis is not saying do not go to the doctor, he is just saying to make sure you are doing the correct thing, which included getting second opinions, and doing your own research on drugs and what they can and cannot really do. Sometimes Doctors can not be trusted because of the one hundred and sixty drugs labeled by the FDA as do not use, people still proscribe them. With only a selection of twenty three out of those one hundred and sixty drugs, there are still one hundred million prescriptions being filled. These are drugs known to do harm, and they are still being prescribed. One must be vigilant in his own healthcare is the message of the day. Reflections At first I didnt even know what Dr. Curtis was a doctor in, however due to time constraints I understand that the normal introduction and background speech has to be cut. I have listened to many doctors speak and lecture, not nearly enough as professors and other professionals of course, but enough to know that normally there is at least five minutes of talking about oneself before the actual lecture begins. Also, he being young did not add to me actually listening to his opinions that well. However, Dr. Curtis did not  give many opinions and his statements were backed up quite well and documented quite nicely as well. He obviously put in the needed time to prepare the lecture. Time constraints not only cut up his lecture, but also his speech pattern as well. Normally lectures should be flowing, his statements were extremely choppy. He states many things that were actually surprising to me. Not the fact of advertising, I already knew that, but I didnt realize the actual statistics of these healthcare problems, and that a lot were caused by those in the healthcare field. His explanations as to how his field fitted into his lecture were actually quite easy to understand. The fact that stress messes up your nervous system, which in turns messes up the rest of you, is basically what he was saying without stating his words verbatim. He explains that even though the United States is third best in the world in what we eat, we still have one of the lowest life expectancies. I enjoyed his explanation as to how posture really controls a lot of health problems. He explains that proper diet, mental attitude, exercise, a non-stressed nervous system, and plenty of rest and relaxation are the keys to keeping the body as self healing as it is designed to do. Overall I enjoyed the lecture and learned quite a lot out of it.

The Pros and Cons of Tracking Devices Essay examples -- Exploratory Es

The Pros and Cons of Tracking Devices What is this world coming to? When most of us think of tracking devices they think of primarily negative issues. But that has all changed now. A tracking device the size of a tic tack that can be surgically implanted to provide a tamper proof means of identification, enhanced e-business security, locating lost or missing individuals, monitoring heart rate, vital signs, tracking of the elderly, the location of valuable property, and monitoring the medical conditions of at risk patients, all at the convenience of a button or a phone call (www.allnet). It is called the GPM or as we know it the Global Positioning Microchip. Today I will discuss the ideals of the implanted microchip and some of the technical, social, economic, ethical and practical implications of its technology. Furthermore exploring some of the benefits and dangers of such a device. Invented entirely for animals man has expanded its uses to stolen cars tracking devices, criminal rehabilitations, and experimen tal animal observations. The chip has come a long way but where will it go from here. California inventor Mike Biegal first introduced the basic prototype for the microchip used in the biochip transponder in 1979. The chips are tiny, passive electronic devices ranging in size from12 to 18mm in length and 2.0 to 3.5mm in diameter. All chips are individually inscribed and programmed to store a unique, permanent, 10-15-digit alphanumeric identification code. The GPM is coupled with an antenna and is sealed in an inert glass capsule. It is implanted into a living being using the same procedure as a routine vaccination. Immediately following implementation the tiny device remains inside the bein... ...nted. They will claim it will reduce crime, provide more convenience etc. and if you do not get the chip you will not be able to buy, sell, or trade goods and items. But in the end as in the bible it is only the beginning of the destruction of our world and all will come to pass. He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand or in the forehead (Revelation13: 16-18). Is this just some coincidence? I do not think so. Works Cited InGraham-Borten-L; Smith-Gerald-W, Issues in Criminology-Berkeley-Calif, 7, (2), pp35-53, copyright 1972 Toombs-Thomas-G; Criminal-Justice-Policy-Review, 7, (3-4), pp. 341-346 copyright 1995 www.nando.net/technology/story/271366p-2488143c.html www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/09/07/chips/ www.allnetdevices.com/wireless/news/2000/07/27/wireless-asset.html

A Comparative Study: Quality of Life in Rural and Urban Communities Essay

Happiness, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being are closely connected to quality of life. Accordingly, quality of life is defined based on different approaches. It can depend if the approach is objective or subjective or if the approach is negative or positive. It can also be defined according to its use, either in academic writing or everyday life. Thus, quality of life has no exact or universal definition (Susniene & Jurkauskas, 2009). Quality of Life (QoL) is usually referred to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO) (1997) as the â€Å"individuals’ perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns† and â€Å"a broad ranging concept extended in a complex way by the person’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs, and the relationship to salient features of their environment. † The Dictionary of Human Geography 5th Edition (2009) defines that quality of life has the following dimensions: income, wealth and employment, built environment, physical and mental health, education, social disorganization, social belonging, and recreation and leisure. Quality of life is a broad multidimensional concept that also includes subjective evaluation and perception. It is defined in different ways in varying disciplines by individuals or groups. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2013), the quality of life in the Philippines ranked 114th out of the 187 countries in year 2012. It is unchanged for two consecutive years from year 2011. The Philippines’ HDI was lower than Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore but higher than Indonesia and Vietnam. UNDP uses the Human Development Index (HDI) to measure quality of life with three dimensions specifically health, education, and income. Looking at where the Philippines ranked in comparison with the quality of life of other countries, it seems that the country is falling behind. It is quite interesting then to determine the QoL in the local perspective specifically in Batangas City. Unexpectedly, Batangas City, which is where the study was conducted, commits itself in improving quality of life of its citizen, and it is stated in their mission: â€Å"To improve the quality of life of the citizen through sustained efforts to attain a balance agro-industrial development; to generate more employment opportunities and adequately provide the basic infrastructure utilities, facilities and social services necessary for a robust community. † Thus, the mission reflects how the local government of Batangas City values the quality of life of their contemporaries. This study can provide assessment of QoL in terms of the four indicators of the study and can project the effect of the government’s effort in uplifting the life of the people. In the researchers’ search for related literatures and studies, they have found out that this inquiry about Batanguenos’ quality of life is the first of its kind in the locality. The government does not have any available research studies in the past tackling about QoL or any direct means of measuring it. Hence, this undertaking is a stepping stone in closely monitoring improvement in the people’s way of life. This study will benefit the local government, future researchers, academic institutions, and, above all, the residents of Batangas City. The researchers embarked in this study to provide a comparative assessment on the quality of life between rural and urban communities in Batangas City as well as to look at the perception of residents about satisfaction in life with regard to certain indicators. Since each individual innately pursue happiness and life satisfaction that constituted in obtaining QoL, the interest of the researchers were aroused. The researchers aimed to provide a thorough examination on people’s QoL for both rural and urban communities on the basis of the four indicators of the study. Moreover, they also wanted to compare and contrast the QoL of respondents in terms of their profile to find association in it. Being the first study about quality of life in the province of Batangas and the latest assessment of living condition in the country for years, this study wished to contribute in enhancing the Filipino lives and to serve its purpose as an instrument in promoting good life for each and every citizen of the Philippines. Statement of the Problem This study aimed to know the quality of life in rural and urban barangays of Batangas City to provide a comparative examination of life among people living in two different communities. More specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of respondents in terms of: 1. 1 sex; 1. 2 age; 1. 3 civil status; 1. 4 educational attainment; and 1. 5 type of community? 2. How can quality of life of respondents be assessed in terms of: 2. 1 built environment; 2. 2 physical and mental health; 2. 3 social belonging; and 2. 4 recreation and leisure? 3. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of respondents and their quality of life? 4. Is there a significant difference in the quality of life between rural and urban communities? 5. What activity can be proposed to promote the quality of life of Batangas City residents? Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study This study focused on the comparative assessment of rural and urban quality of life in Batangas City. Specifically, the study was designed to measure QoL in terms of the four indicators of the study namely built environment, physical and mental health, social belonging, and recreation and leisure. The study identified the association between the profile of respondents and their QoL. The profile variables included sex, age, civil status, educational attainment, and type of community. Moreover, this study would provide a comparative examination of QoL in rural and urban communities in Batangas City. Respondents of the study came from the first five locations in Batangas City determined in terms of population. The first five barangays with the highest population in rural and urban communities served as the research environment of the study. Rural communities comprised of Balete, Tingga Labac, Tabangao Ambulong, San Jose Sico, and Sampaga while urban communities included Sta. Rita Karsada, Poblacion, Alangilan, Bolbok, and Cuta. The study was conducted from April 2013 to October 2013. This study did not seek to include other locations in Batangas City which were not mentioned above. This study did not cover the whole situation of the province of Batangas or other cities and municipalities therein in terms of quality of life. Factors such as income, wealth and employment, education, and social disorganization were not measured in this study. Significance of the Study This comparative study on the quality of life of rural and urban communities aims to provide awareness on the QoL between rural and urban barangays in Batangas City. It also seeks to provide awareness on the present condition of the life of the people of Batangas to better understand the things that need to be improved and developed. This study will benefit researchers, students, the academe, and the community. This study would pave the way for the possibility of determining and closely investigating certain indicators of quality of life in both rural and urban communities. It would also generate information on how the profile of respondents relates to QoL. More specifically, this study would be of significant use to the following: To the people of Batangas, this undertaking is a reflection of the most recent real life situation of the people of Batangas City that exposes the life they have today. This would help them better understand the living conditions they have and how to improve or enhance it. To local government officials and offices, this study would serve as a framework for their future projects and activities related to improving or enhancing quality of life. To the City of Batangas, this study would provide a written reflection of the present condition of the city of Batangas and the mirrored situation of the past and present. It would benefit Batangas because this study would serve as the shadow of the life the people has today. Batangas State University, this study would be a proof that Borbonians have the capability of producing quality, relevant, and scientific research study. To the College of Arts and Sciences, this study would be another accomplishment of academic excellence and would serve as an evidence of the quality education that this university can offer. This thesis would be an addition to the pool of knowledge generated in this institution. To Psychology students, this would serve as a basis for future researchers focused in the examination and analysis of life and ways to improve or enhance it. To future researchers, this study would serve as a reference for future studies about quality of life concerned with the following domains: built environment, physical and mental health, social belonging, and recreation and leisure.

Business Research Part

The fitness bands make is fairly ass for anyone with a weight loss or health goal to measure and track their exercise to include steps taken daily, and amount of energy and calories burned. N.B. has formed a team to research the accuracy and impact of wearing the fuel band. The primary benefit of the fuel band is intended to be to assist in helping consumers track their activity in order to lose weight. To ensure this is benefit is being achieved N.B. needs to show that as a person's activity level increases so does the number of calories they are burning. Hypothesis Statements 1 .The use of a fitness band to track activity will lead to increased activity (steps taken and distance covered) resulting in weight loss. 2. The accuracy of the fitness band will allow individuals a way to know the level of their daily output and input in order for them to reach their fitness goals. Research In preparing for this study there was a particular questions that guided the overall thinking. What i mpact does a fitness band have on a users overall general health? By displaying data concerning daily activity such as steps taken, distance covered, calories burned and hours slept can a user gain an wariness of their overall activity?With this is mind it is important to look back on the information that is currently available to us. There have been extensive studies conducted in this realm since the fitness band has emerged into the health and fitness industry. The team independently went out and reviewed this research to find what would be relevant to establishing this research plan. These range in review of the accuracy of the band on activity, the motivating factor it has on calorie counting, and the overall performance of the various bands on the market.In several of the articles it was evident that when aging walking activity fitness bands perform as desired. The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports (2014) published a study where a sample of adults used fitness bands whi le walking on the treadmill at various speeds. Upon completion of the study it was deemed the no â€Å"significant differences were noted† between the fitness bands count and that of the observer counts, therefore a high level of inter-device reliability was present (Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports, 2014).Establishing that a fitness and has high reliability it accurately displaying activity solidified the choice of our dependent variable. Next we need establish that our independent variable were what we wanted to be based on the various other research out there. Mossier put forth a study in 2014 about the emerging importance technology would play in tracking activity (Mossier, 2014). The study discussed when a user accurately tracks activity and calorie intake it is an effective strategy for improved goal setting and overall health. This helped lead us in the direction of with increased awareness of activity does weight loss result?An article by Richards would say i t does but with modest results in short term use (Annals of Family Medicine, 2008). This article discussed the Cross- sectional studies show that individuals who walk more tend to be thinner than those who walk less. This does not mean, however, that the association between higher step counts and lower weight is causal or that encouraging sedentary individuals to increase step counts helps them lose weight. The study showed that 5 or more adult participants and at least 1 cohort enrolled in a pedometer-based walking intervention lasting at least 4 weeks.

Free Essays on Primary Cause Of The Civil War

The statement, â€Å"The issue of states’ rights was the primary cause of the Civil War†, can be backed up by many facts, but can be linked back to a much a larger cause of the Civil War that begun in 1861. Other causes of the Civil War were sectionalism; which consisted of sectional interests and cultures; each region’s perceptions of the other’s intentions and the expansion of slavery. All these causes can also be linked back and are directly related to the peculiar institution of slavery. Thus, leading me to believe that slavery was the main overall cause of the Civil War, but looking more into slavery itself, the expansion of slavery was the primary cause, for the Southern states seceded as soon as Abraham Lincoln was elected President. Lincoln wanted to strip the right of new territories and states to decide on their own on the issue of slavery. A quote from the passage â€Å"Where Historians Disagree† in the textbook by James Ford Rhodes state s, â€Å"if the Negro had not been brought to America, the Civil war could not have occurred† (p. 377 American History: A Survey), rings true in my ears. There could have been differences between the North and the South without the existence and argument of expansion of slavery, but not problems large enough to lead the country to a crisis as large as the Civil War. Therefore, slavery and the argument over the expansion of slavery, which led to secession, was the primary cause of the bloody Civil War, which cost America mores lives than any other war on record. First, the roots of the issue of states’ rights versus the authority of the national government can be associated with slavery. Southern states believed that new territories should decide for themselves if they wanted to legalize slavery. Of course, this feeling was a precedent because the South wanted slavery to expand. The national government, which had a Northern majority, was mostly against the idea of giving new territories... Free Essays on Primary Cause Of The Civil War Free Essays on Primary Cause Of The Civil War The statement, â€Å"The issue of states’ rights was the primary cause of the Civil War†, can be backed up by many facts, but can be linked back to a much a larger cause of the Civil War that begun in 1861. Other causes of the Civil War were sectionalism; which consisted of sectional interests and cultures; each region’s perceptions of the other’s intentions and the expansion of slavery. All these causes can also be linked back and are directly related to the peculiar institution of slavery. Thus, leading me to believe that slavery was the main overall cause of the Civil War, but looking more into slavery itself, the expansion of slavery was the primary cause, for the Southern states seceded as soon as Abraham Lincoln was elected President. Lincoln wanted to strip the right of new territories and states to decide on their own on the issue of slavery. A quote from the passage â€Å"Where Historians Disagree† in the textbook by James Ford Rhodes state s, â€Å"if the Negro had not been brought to America, the Civil war could not have occurred† (p. 377 American History: A Survey), rings true in my ears. There could have been differences between the North and the South without the existence and argument of expansion of slavery, but not problems large enough to lead the country to a crisis as large as the Civil War. Therefore, slavery and the argument over the expansion of slavery, which led to secession, was the primary cause of the bloody Civil War, which cost America mores lives than any other war on record. First, the roots of the issue of states’ rights versus the authority of the national government can be associated with slavery. Southern states believed that new territories should decide for themselves if they wanted to legalize slavery. Of course, this feeling was a precedent because the South wanted slavery to expand. The national government, which had a Northern majority, was mostly against the idea of giving new territories...

How to Avoid a Computer Disaster (4 Tips on Backing Up Data)

How to Avoid a Computer Disaster (4 Tips on Backing Up Data) How to Avoid a Computer Disaster (4 Tips on Backing Up Data) Most college work is now written on computers, not by hand. There are many advantages to this, since you can edit work more easily on screen, and a printed paper is usually much easier to read. However, one benefit of pens is that they rarely break and delete several hours of your work. Computers, meanwhile, can crash without warning (especially if you’re prone to spilling your coffee on your laptop). As such, we’ve got a few tips on backing up data to share. 1. Save Regularly The first and most basic tip we can offer is to save your work regularly. One way to do this is to configure the auto-save options in your word processor to create a recovery file every few minutes. If your computer does crash, this should stop you from losing too much work. You can’t rely on auto-save completely, though, so make sure to save manually as well. Just hit Ctrl and S. Its that easy. 2. Using Multiple Saves In fact, while you’re saving manually, make sure you have at least two copies of any file you’re currently working on. That way you’ll have a backup in case you accidentally overwrite one. If you’re working on a longer document, like a thesis or dissertation, you might even want to save each new draft separately. This protects you against losing information, but also lets you compare different versions of a document during the editing process. 3. Backing Up Important Files Most important of all is not putting all of your (electronic) eggs in one (computer) basket. In other words, create a backup of all the important information on your computer. This applies to personal stuff (photos, music, etc.) as well as your college work. This could be on an external hard drive, via a cloud service, or on other storage media (e.g. CDs or DVDs). That way, if your computer does break, you have a way of quickly restoring lost data. Probably not a floppy disk, though, unless your computer is very, very old.(Photo: George Chernilevsky/wikimedia) How often you back up data is up to you, but we’d suggest doing it at least once a month. 4. Data Recovery Maybe you’ve found this blogpost because your computer has already crashed and won’t start again, so now you’re googling desperately for a solution. If so, we might have the answer. Data recovery is the process of retrieving data from a hard drive. If it’s just a case of having deleted something by accident, there’s a good chance you can retrieve it with the right software. But if the hard drive is damaged, recovering data is more difficult. Your college’s IT department might be able to help with this. If not, there are professional services that can. Data recovery can be expensive, though, so backing up your work before it comes to this is wise!

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 22

Report - Essay Example According to many experts, permeable and porous reservoir rocks are normally the primary basis for the presence of petroleum gas or oil as well as the extent to which these important resources can be effectively produced. In its simplest form, analysis of reservoirs normally involves a critical assessment of their porosity to help calculate the potential volume of hydrocarbons as well as the permeability to help calculate how easily the hydrocarbons are likely to flow out of the rocks (Rousel-Houston, 2008). This paper critically describes the reservoir geology with particular focus to its significance in the mining of naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as natural gas and crude oil that are usually trapped below the overlying rock formations with lower permeability or porosity. There are a diverse number of reasons why the understanding of reservoir geology is critically important particularly for oil and gads engineers. For example, engineers require developing a 3- D conceptual model of the reservoirs to facilitate efficient extraction of the hydrocarbons. Additionally, the conceptual model helps in the decision-making process in selecting perforations and forecasting production. On the other hand, many of the engineering measurements currently being used on reservoirs have little spatial information. For instance, core measurements do not usually have any dimensional information and continuous core measurements and wireline logs are only 1 dimensional. However, geologic information contains critically valuable spatial data that helps in visualizing the reservoir in 3-D. In this regard, knowledge of reservoir geology is critically important because to oil and gas engineers because it enables them to understand important geological data that not only improves their conceptualization of the reservoir but also their engineering

Critically evaluate the statement that the objective of portfolio Essay - 1

Critically evaluate the statement that the objective of portfolio investment is to minimise risk with examples, and discuss the differences between systematic and unsystematic risk - Essay Example Unsystematic risk on the other hand is specific to a particular industry and can only b controlled through proper diversification or portfolio management strategy. The following pages describes the two types of risks and critically analyzes the statement that objective of portfolio diversification is to minimize risk. Systematic risks are the macro risk and affect all sectors and all industries in a market (Back, 2010). This risk cannot be minimized by an investor through portfolio diversification. From the company’s view point this risk cannot be controlled by the company. This type of risk is both unavoidable and impossible to predict (An, 2007). Such type of risk is impossible for the company to control. Another type of risk is the unsystematic risk. Systematic risks are the risks that arise due to the influence of external factors that are beyond the control of an organization (Chance and Brooks, 2015). Since these types of risks are beyond the control of an organization so these risks do not affect a particular organization but affects all types of organization that are present in the market. The organization cannot plan in advance for such type of risks. Such types of risks are macro in nature and have its impact across the market spectrum irrespective of the industry or sector types (Fouque and Langsam, 2013). The systematic risks can be of various types and can be further subdivided into Interest rate risks, Purchasing power risk and Market risk. Interest rate risk: Interest rate risk is mainly associated with debt instruments and refers to the variability of interest rates from time to time. Interest rate risks can be further subdivided into price risk and reinvestment rate risk (Gai, 2013). Price risk as the name suggests is the risk that is associated with the probable fall in the price of shares or any other commodity in the future. Reinvestment risk is the risk that is

Team Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Development - Research Paper Example After a few practices, I was beginning to question whether I was right to take on the role of the leader of a dance group. The initial few meetings with the group can best be described by Woodcock’s analysis of team development. During this time, the objectives of the group were unclear and feelings were not expressed among group members. This stage of team development is otherwise known as the â€Å"Undeveloped Team† (Woodcock 1979). The group members were more interested in checking their cell phones or simply chatting with each other. Because of this, everything that I said had to be repeated more than once so that everyone could follow along with the lesson plan. This inevitably led to two, three, or four-hour classes instead of just the usual hour. I was the one responsible for making the decisions of the group, and I felt like I wasn’t getting through as I would have liked. The experience that I had with this group was in direct contrast to the work of Wheelan et al. (2003), who state that the first stage of group development is dependency and inclusion (p. 224). In this theor y, group members are unsure of where they are heading and rely on the leader to provide direction. The first part of this statement is true except that the group that I was working with had no interest in performing at any great level; if they had the motivation to achieve highly, then I am sure that they would have warmed to me at the beginning. As time progressed, I began to grow weary at my attempts to try and get the group to take hold of what I was teaching them. Before the lessons began, many of them seemed interested in taking the class; there weren’t any other youth activities in the church for them to participate in. Perhaps it was simply that they took dance lessons for granted because there was nothing else to interest them. However, for me personally it felt as though I was banging my head against a brick wall. I knew that I had to do something to

Oceanic Bank International PLC Training Methods and Practice

Oceanic Bank International PLC Training Methods and Practice INTRODUCTION The importance of training in the human resource management efforts of any organisation cannot be overemphasised. That is why training is key to the survival of every human resource strategy of any given organisation. Employee training is becoming a necessity to every organization nowadays as training enables them to carryout roles and responsibilities efficiently and also learn new things, which will prepare them to take up higher responsibilities in the future (Karthikeyan, Karthi Graf 2010). Human relations management training, broadly conceived, is a popular means by which numerous public organizations seek to enhance productivity. Public managers consume prodigious quantities of management training and should be seriously concerned with the effectiveness and success of such intake (Gerald, 1989). Traditionally, training and development was not seen as actively that could help, organizations create value and successfully deal with competitive challenges (Oludairo, 2006). According to Cascio (2003), many organizations both small and large shy away from training their employed because they think that by improving the skills of their workforce, their employees will be more marketable to competitors. And where there are well training programmes, there are poorly implemented, like too much fine wine, may actually impede rather than invigorate a robust organizational health (Gerald, 1989). Operational definitions of key concepts The Concept of Training Trainings focus has broadened in the past few years (Bernadin, 2003). Training used to focus mostly on teaching technical skills, such as training assemblers to solder wires or teachers to device lesson plans. However, technical training like that is no longer sufficient (Oludairo, 2006). In recent time, organization has had to adapt to rapid technological changes, provide quality goods and services, and increase revenue to stay competitive. Improving quality required remedial education training. Similarly, employees today need skills in team building, decision making, and communication as well as technological and computer skills (Oludairo, 2006). According to Fajana (2002), training is the process that involves developing skills and learning concepts, rules or attitudes in order to increase effectiveness on a particular job. Casco (2003) sees training consisting of planned programme designed to improve performance at the individual, group and/or organizational level. Ubeku (1975) in his own contribution, defines management training as the process of developing managers knowledge, skills and attitude through instruction, demonstration, practice, and planned experience to meet the present and future needs of the business. This management training is the same as development or management development. Development refers to the process of teaching managers and professional employees that knowledge, skills needed for present and future task accomplishment. Considering the above definitions, one can conclude that training and development involve the systematic and continuous developing skills, learning concepts, attitudes and knowledge needed by employees to perform effectively and efficiently at work. Oceanic Bank International PLC Oceanic Bank International Plc is regarded as one of banks that brought new revolution in the banking sector to Africa. Incorporated in on March 26, 1990, the bank commenced business on June 12, 1990. The bank has been growing from strength to strength since then. Its shares were listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on June 25, 2004, having achieved a public liability company status. The bank is second to none in excellent deliveries and world class banking technologies in Africa. According to the banks website, the bank has a strong presence in asset management, commercial banking, health management, insurance, investment banking, pensions, registrar services, savings loans and trustee services, as well as over 370 business offices spread across Nigeria, Cameroun, the Gambia and Sà £o Tomà © Prà ­ncipe, Oceanic Bank is one of the most recognized financial services brands in West Africa. The rational for choosing Oceanic Bank for this essay is hinged on the fact that the author is an insider who has been working with the bank for years and have undergone series of training within the bank. Currently on the banks study leave, the author has unfettered access to the training methods and practices of the organisation and is able to specifically assess and examined the banks training methods and practices as demanded by the question at hand. Brief review of literature Various scholars and researchers have contributed to training especially in the banking sector. Among them is Richards (1997) who posits that during a management trainee programme, the real objective is to focus on the individual manager and not the position in the company. Richard contributed to training needs analysis, vis-a-vis; about core competencies, job profiling and identification of competencies gaps-either against core competencies for individuals or against job profiles for generic roles. Another important work that focuses on training in the banking industry is that of Niki Glaveli and Stella Kufidu (2005). The authors jointly analyzed the changes that took place in the Greek banking industry in three good years. The author also looks at the impact of the changes on the role of employees training and development for strategic implementation and success, using four case studies to investigate the effect of the environmental changes on these particular banks and the role of their training and development strategies in adjusting themselves to the changing industry environment (Glaveli Kufidu 2005). In a more related work to this study, Rainaye (2004) empirically examined the training policy in two commercial banks. The banks are the State Bank of India and Jammu Kashmir Bank Limited. The aim was to study some kind of training styles including Managements attitude towards training, training inputs, quality of training programmes and transfer of training to the job. The study found out that the training scenario is to a large extent satisfactory. The study also evaluates the opinions of the employees of two cadres of both banks and in particular that it can be made fully effective only when the training needs assessment and transfer of training to the job are considerably improved, besides bringing in finer improvements in other dimensions (Rainaye 2004). Badhu and Saxena (1999), in their work titled Role of Training in Developing Human Resources proved that an organization should have well-defined training policy as well as training manual and training should be made an ongoing process. The duo also proved that the executive development programmes have been found to be useful in improving the productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of managers. In their research, Karthikeyan, Karthi Graf evaluated the effectiveness of training in six banks and how training contributes for growth of the banks. The study which carefully focussed on three public sector banks and three private sector banks has core objectives of analyzing the effectiveness of Training in selected banks in Tiruchirappalli District, South India and also to find the association between effectiveness of training and growth and result of banks. Assessing Training Needs Organisations spend over $200 billion annually on employee training and development (Wexley and Latham, 1991). They rely upon this training to help develop employee skills that are critical for success in todays fast-changing, competitive environment (Guthrie and Schwoerer, 1994). There training programs are a dubious investment, however, unless they are based upon a sound training needs assessment TNA (Goldstein, 1993). According to Burton and Thakur (2003), a good training program should identify: (i) the specific skill areas that are to be strengthened as a result of the training; and (ii) the resources that is available to support the training. They posit that an effective training process must begin with a thorough need analysis to clearly identify the learning to be achieved, and it must end with an objective training program evaluation. A comprehensive training needs assessment provides information on organization needs- the organizational units in need of training; task needs- the knowledge and skills trainees must acquire for effective job performance; and person needs-the individuals in need of specific types of training (Wexley and Latham, 1991 Guthrie and Schwoerer, 1994). As shown in the figure below, the first step of training process is the assessing of training needs and providing answers to the following questions: (i)Who needs the training?(ii) Exactly what do they need to know or be able to do? (iii)What do they already know or are now able to do? (Burton and Thakur,2003). The other steps deal with identification of training objective which should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound, implementation of training program, evaluation, and adjustment if necessary. Assess training needs Who need to be trained? What do they need to know? What do they already know? Set training objectives (specific, measurable etc.) Plan training evaluation Did trainees like the training? Can they meet the training objectives? Do they perform better on the job? Develop training program: content, location, methods, trainers, duration Conduct Training Evaluate Training Modify training program based on evaluation Training methods and practices at Oceanic Bank International PLC Oceanic bank places great importance on its training and thats why the bank is known as a workplace where staff can really learn and work at the same time. Training at oceanic bank intl plc has been an important task or function to be completed by the human resources department. Whichever level an employee enters the organization; it is mandatory for such new employee to go through series of training both on- the- job and off- the- job. The Oceanic Leadership Academy The oceanic Leadership Academy is the training school for the bank. It is the first port of call for every new staff of the bank. The new staff members resume rigorous academic studies in the Academy for five weeks where their success is chiefly determined by written and oral examinations. The Academy goes a long way to determine whether a new staff will be retained in the bank or sent packing as staff who failed the short course will be asked to leave the employment of the bank. The Academy has very reach curriculum and work modules, most of which are packaged to deliver the peculiar nature and businesses of the bank. The Oceanic Academy, being the learning arm of the bank is run by the Human Resource department. According to the Banks websites, the department is responsible for all capacity building and training interventions aimed at developing the skills and capabilities of employees, thus improving their competencies on the job, their overall productivity and the competitiveness of Oceanic Bank Group. Induction courses After the graduating from the Academy, the induction processes of the bank follows. Induction training is conducted to newly employed staffs of oceanic bank within the branches of the bank. The programme is intended to improve the financial literacy of participants whilst strengthening their knowledge and competencies. This is carried out both on-the -job and off- the-job which enables the new entry level officers to understand the business and development of skills needed to carry out their job functions required by the organisations standard and practise. A one-week induction course for experienced new hires and a three-day induction course are available to certain grade levels. In addition, desk-to-desk induction is structured specifically for senior management staff. Off-the-job training in Oceanic Bank This is a training programme outside the organization which is encouraged by the bank. The bank usually sponsors and support their staffs for specialised training in various fields especially in the area of the modern day technology, credit and mortgage. Staffs are been sent on training in different training programmes such as (core banking application) finacle training in Indian and other European countries. Such staffs have come back more enlighten and are able to pass done such knowledge to subordinate and co- workers. On-the-job training in Oceanic bank Oceanic bank make most use of on-the-job training by assigning a trainer to the newly employee to put such employee through by learning the practical aspect of the job on-the-job. Job rotation is also an important training method employed by the bank where staff members are been moved from different department to gain more experience and familiarise themselves with all areas of banking, from marketing, credit, operations and application of core banking software. Oceanic bank staff members gain a lot through job rotation as given employees opportunity to work in different department of the bank is helpful. This initiative also helps staff members to move round different department which enable them bring in new ideas to other departments to enhance employee performance. Job rotation of staff also reduces boredom on the job because of diverse task to be carried out by employees. This also enables the staff to understand all the core aspect of banking as well as working with different people and senior managers across the business. Knowledge sharing section: This is a training programme designed by oceanic bank to be conducted by each branch on weekly basis. It is anchored by designated staff of the bank on a rotation basis. The aim is to bridge learning gaps on the operations of the bank. This is done specifically to update each staff of the bank on operations of the bank, the position of the bank, introduction of new products as well as knowledge outside the banking operations Short courses in Oceanic bank The bank periodically organizes Open Courses which cover diverse areas of development including Leadership, Communication, Health and Wellness, Credit Skills, Marketing Skills and Soft Skills. Mostly the bank sends mails to staffs to indicate there interest whenever the organisation organises open courses for staff The bank encourages the staff to register and monitors their progress for professional courses. In line with this the Oceanic Academy partners with various organisations like the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) in the area of Continuous Professional Development Programmes. They also encourage personal development of each staffs by allowing staffs to go on study leave for further studies, and opportunity the writer of this essay is currently enjoying. E- learning: This is the bank internet training facilities provided to the employees of the bank for training purpose. There are various materials on this site which employees can read and download to enable them broaden their knowledge on the core banking subjects as well as non-banking related areas of study. Effectiveness of Oceanic Bank Training programmes The oceanic bank training scheme is by far one of the best in the banking sector as attested to by staff of other banks. The programme is well structured in such a way that it makes it easy for every member of staff to undergo it without any stress. This is desirable as it makes the staff to love and appreciate their work. This in turn encourages efficiency and increased productivity. Because staff had gone through certain training processes, they are confident in doing their job and they build up work ego and pride in delivering stated task. Shortcomings of the Oceanic Bank Training programmes While it is good to have a formal training school for staff training like the Oceanic bank leadership academy, it is somewhat unfair to based performance of new staff on classroom examinations, worstill, that those who failed the examination are shown the way out of the employment. This is hinged on the commonly known assertion that examination is never the best way of testing human knowledge. A very good staff that has sound practical knowledge of the banking system might be unable to successfully pass written examination for one reason or the other. For this reason, the mode of determining whoever successfully passed through the academy is put to question. Another shortcoming observed from the Oceanic Bank Training programmes is the management of the delivery of the on-the-job training. More often than not in the department where this author work, the pressure of work and overwhelming customer demands and queries do not allow room for teaching someone else on the job. The implication is that most new staff spend longer than usual in learning new skills while working. Often, those doing the training may have no experience in training, no time to do it, and no desire to participate in it. Under such conditions, learners essentially are on their own, and training likely will not be effective. Another problem is that on-the-job training can disrupt the flow of regular work. Unfortunately, on-the-job training can amount to no training at all in some circumstances, especially if trainers simply abandon the trainees to learn the job alone. Also bad habits or incorrect information from supervisor or manager can be transferred to the trainees. Conclusions and Recommendations for Improvement Owing to the complex nature of jobs in the banking sector, the importance of employee training has increased. In a rapidly changing society, employee training is not only an activity that is desirable but also an activity that an organization must commit resources to, if it is to maintain a viable and knowledgeable workforce Karthikeyan ,Karthi Graf (2010) Because of the enormous advantages of training to an organisation, the amount spent should be seen as an investment rather as a cost to the organisation. Training has been a very formidable part of every organisation. In fact it is a prerequisite for effective employees performance and growth on their jobs. Logically speaking, the higher the quality of training an employee receives, the higher the quality of productivity and vice versa. It must be stressed therefore, that training and development improve quality, customer satisfaction, morale, profitability, business expansion and development i.e. overall organizational productivity. Hence, it gives organizations competitive advantage. This essay recommends an informal approach to accessing staff performance in the training school, vis-avis, the Oceanic Bank Leadership Academy. In this way, emphasis should be laid on assessing the delivery of practical tasks assigned to the new staff rather than just asking them to write written examinations. Also, new staff should not be laid off for failing the written examinations in the academy. It is also recommended that on-the-job training should be more formalise such that pressure and workload would be reduced from the shoulder of the trainer. Such trainer, as a matter of fact, should be allowed concentrate more on the trainee rather than the customers during the period of the induction. It is also advisory that Oceanic bank introduces a kind of personality development programmes such as role play, group discussion and business games. By this, the senior, management and other lower staff can build synergy and the superior and subordinate relationship can be strengthened for the overall productivity of the bank. In General, the Human Resources department should enhance their training programmes in line with latest demands in the banking sector, especially in this age of online bank and sophisticated fraud. This is because every organization that want to survive in this very dynamic world of banking needs to have well-trained and experienced people to perform the activities that have to be done.

1984 and Brave New World Essay -- 1984 Brave New World

1984 and Brave New World Undoubtedly, the thought of living in, or forming a utopian society has flashed through nearly every person’s mind. A few people have even tried to make this ideal dream society a reality. Unfortunately, within the pursuit of these societies the leaders become corrupt and begin to become paranoid with the fear of rebellion. Hundreds of people were murdered during the reigns of Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin in what they considered measures to maintain peace and stability within their respective â€Å"perfect† society. One must also consider the hardships that the citizens were forced to endure while living under these oppressive governments. This dream of forming and maintaining a utopian society was immortalized in two novels dealing with the same basic ideas, 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Both of these novels deal with the lives of main characters that inadvertently become subversives in a totalitarian government. These two books differ greatly however with the manner in which the government controls the population and the strictness of the measures taken to maintain this stability. This essay with compare and contrast the message and tone of each novel as well as consider whether the utopia is a positive or negative one. In 1984, George Orwell explores the many facets of a negative utopia. Orwell seems to focus on the measures that the government takes to maintain a public of plebeians who have no personality or identity and believe that they are not unique individuals, but instead are part of a greater senseless mob of people who constantly work for a hostile and oppressive government which is involved in incessant wars. These people are taught to love. They then learn to fear their government because they believe all of the propaganda that is constantly instilled into their minds. They willing follow their government without contest for the duration of their meaningless lives. The government controls all forms of the media (thus denying the people the basic right of free speech) and use it to personify the government (known as â€Å"big brother†) .The government therefore seems omnipotent, or all knowing and always correct. Forecasts are changed from one week to the next always proving the g overnment was correct. As was mentioned before, many of the rights that present day Westerners take for gran... ...nly contemplate living as an alpha or beta because we cannot contemplate living without being able to formulate ideas or basically think. No one considers living as one of the lower castes and only working throughout life until death. Thus, it seems that Huxley intended to portray an acceptable society on the surface with undesirable traits hidden deeper. In conclusion, both of these novels portray an attractive life in a utopian society, if one can conform to the rules. When people cannot conform to the societies in which they dwell (as the main characters of both novels cannot) they are branded as subversives and punished as traitors. Life in 1984 would be almost too unbearable to live. Life in Brave New World is only acceptable if one is willing to live a life of the caste one is in, that is to produce (as a lower caste) or consume (as a higher caste). This essay has compared the differences between the societies in these two novels. There is one great similarity however that both make me thankful for having been born into a freethinking society where a person can be truly free. Our present society may not be truly perfect, but as these two novels show, it could be worse.

Increasing Productivity in SMEs Essay

Introduction The literature indicates that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) contribute a significantly to a country’s GDP. In addition, they employ large numbers of people. According to the Bank of England Quarterly Report on Small Business Statistics (2001), almost 99.8% of businesses in the UK, one for every 10 workers, are SMEs, employing less than 250 people. This means that one out of eight workers is self-employed. Similarly, according to Cole (n.d.), the World Bank believes that one significant difference between high and low income countries is the percentage of SMEs in each. In a typical high-income country about 57% of employment comes from the SME sector, while in a typical low-income country only 18% of employment comes from the same sector. An example of a high-income country is the US, with 85% of companies designated at SMEs, contributing 50% of the GDP and employing 50% of the labor force (Cabello, 2010). Another example of a high-income country is Japan with 99.5% of bu sinesses designated as SMEs employing fully two-thirds of the entire labor force (Cabello, 2010). Given the sizeable contributions SMEs make in terms of employment and adding to a country’s GDP, it is tremendously important they increase their competitiveness in a globalized economic environment. Unfortunately, there is significant evidence that SMEs lag in productivity—the reasons vary based on what line of business the SME is in. For example, in a small factory, low worker output may be due to problems with the machines or low morale because of bad worker-manager relations (Calzado, 2003). However, another reason that SMEs are unproductive is their inability to effectively utilize Information and Communication Technology (ICT), sometimes simply referred to as Information Technology (IT) (Calzado, 2003). According to Qureshi and York (2008), Ho, Kauffman, and Liang (2008), and Bharadwaj (2000), there is a large consensus among scholars and policymakers that the adequate use of ICT increases the competitiveness of employees and strengthens the position of companies in the global economy (as cited in Millis, 2008). This literature clearly shows that companies who integrate ICT in a proper way score significantly better than their competitors in the field of cost control and profit. In fact, a high level of computerization and networking is perceived as a crucial factor to enhance the efficiency of employees and thus to remain competitive, which is one reason that governments around the world have responded to these finding by launching initiatives to encourage companies to adapt ICT more aggressively (Millis, 2008). However, while there is agreement that SME productivity must be increased and that this can be achieved by the successful integration and use of ICT, the literature also indicates that SMEs are not successful at acquiring, utilizing or integrating ICT. Therefore, while large corporations have successfully integrated ICT so as to generate more output with fewer resources, SMEs have been left behind (Wielicki & Arendt, 2007). Therefore, this paper seeks to investigate the reasons why SMEs do not utilize technology effectively and possibly provide some recommendations for dealing with this situation. The Problem with Technology Integration and Utilization in SMEs Why Government Initiatives Fail In an analysis of policy measures designed to advance the computerization levels of SMEs, Millis (2008) indicates that governments around the world have launched initiatives to encourage companies to adapt ICT more aggressively. However, while this has met with success in larger companies, adaptation of ICT in SMEs has not yielded the same return on investment. He found the following reasons for this lack of success: Inadequate standards. Generally, hardware expenses are used as a benchmark standard to measure level of computerization in companies. However, this does not work well in SMEs because some companies rent rather than own hardware, and ownership does not equate with effective usage. This has resulted in a lack of empirical data by which to assess the effectiveness of government initiatives (Millis, 2008). Oversimplified assumptions and underestimation of SME diversity. All initiatives to encourage the adaptation of ICT are based on a model that assumes a structured sequential process for optimal use of new technology. The model oversimplifies the complexity of the process and overlooks the individual differences between SMEs. For example, some SMEs with an export component are better positioned to computerize faster than companies that do not have an export component. As a result of the diversity of SMEs, government initiatives are too bureaucratic to be effective. Moreover, they lack in SME engagement. This results in many initiatives missing their goals (Millis, 2008). Mismatched expectations. It is ultimately the SME manager’s decision to adapt ICT. This means that each manager must be well informed about the opportunities and threats of the market that they are operating in. In addition, they need to have some knowledge of how to integrate the technology effectively. Oftentimes SME management is suspicious of government initiatives. That, coupled with the lack of engagement between government agencies and SMEs, results in mismatched expectations between managers and government bodies (Millis, 2008). Integration of IT Alone does not Guarantee Increased Performance Francalanci and Morabito (2008) took an in-depth look at the literature regarding the relationship between Information Technology (IT) and business performance. They concluded that integrating IT does not automatically guarantee increased business performance, unless the organization completes the learning curve associated with the integration of data and applications, also known as Information Systems (IS). The authors, labeled this integration of IS as the organization’s â€Å"absorptive capacity† and claimed that it plays an intermediary role between IS integration and business performance, where IS integration is the degree to which data and applications have become routine in the day to day activities of an organization. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that â€Å"IS integration leads to greater business performance through absorptive capacity, that is, that absorptive capacity has a mediation role [in how a business performs]† (Francalanci & Morabito, 2008, p. 298). The hypothesis was tested on 466 Italian SMEs who lacked economies of scale in the business setting; exhibited a general lack of IT literacy; and were led by management that was rarely IT-oriented. Absorptive capacity defined. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) and Zahra and George (2002a) defined â€Å"absorptive capacity† as an SME’s ability to first identify/recognize knowledge from external sources, then to assimilate this knowledge in relation to its needs, and finally to exploit this knowledge to its advantage (as cited in Francalanci & Morabito, 2008). This might include the ability to imitate competitors’ products or processes, or to exploit less commercially focused knowledge (e.g., scientific research or IT solutions). Integrating anything external requires a learning curve on the part of the entity attempting its integration. Since IT is a complex technology, it too requires a learning curve so that data and applications may be effectively integrated with the company’s day to day functioning. If this is achieved, IT will have a positive impact on business performance. However, if this is not achieved, then the company not only does not perform better, but also fails to achieve a return on its investment in the IT. Francalanci and Morabito (2008) found that in order for IT to be successfully absorbed, the company first needed to align its processes with the new IT in order for it to result in the desired increase in efficiency. Next, the company needed to make sure that all IT users were sufficiently trained in its uses and applications. In addition, management must ensure that the organization is ready to embrace the change that IT integration and use will bring. And finally, the organization needs to display flexibility in adapting to the new IT integration so that there is little loss of time and cost. However, if a company has management that is not IT oriented or that is unwilling to train its employees in IT use, then the absorptive capacity of the company is low resulting in little or no increase in business performance even after an investment in IT. The Digital Divide Wielicki and Arendt (2007), agree with Francalanci and Morabito (2008) in their findings as to what barriers prevent the successful integration of IT. According to Wielicki and Arendt (2007), these barriers include a lack of elementary digital experience caused by lack of interest; computer anxiety and unattractiveness of the new technology; lack of computers and network connections; lack of digital skills caused by insufficient user friendliness and inadequate education or social support; lack of significant usage opportunities. These barriers are not dissimilar from the characteristics of the 466 SMEs chosen by Francalanci and Morabito (2008)—lack of economies of scale in the business setting; lack of IT literacy and management that was not IT-oriented. It is these barriers that, according to Wielicki and Arendt (2007), constitute the â€Å"digital divide† between SMEs and larger companies that have successfully and willingly adopted and absorbed IT to increase their competitive advantages. According to Wielicki and Arendt (2007), it is the failure to understand the digital divide which may have a profound impact on operations of business in this information-driven century. In other words, far from being a luxury, IT has become a necessity in this globalized economic environment. Without successful integration of IT, that is, moving beyond the basic use of the Internet and e-mail for basic communication purposes, a company might find itself unable to take advantage of e-commerce ventures due to the limited level of computer literacy of both employees and broad market participants. In particular, in developed and emerging markets, a company may find that the presence of the digital divide may prevent it from appreciating the benefits of technology-driven opportunities. As a result, the dynamic growth of the e-commerce economy could turn out to be somewhat deceiving unless we can move more businesses and more of society onto the right side of the divide. Implications and Recommendations Across the literature there is no doubt that integration of ICT has become a necessity for business success for SMEs. However, the literature also agrees that there are many barriers in the way of successful absorption and implementation of ICT in SMEs. In addition to the widespread agreement on these two points, the literature also provides proposals and recommendations for overcoming the barriers. One important factor in creating solutions is government involvement due to the lack of financial resources on the part of individual SMEs. However, one size does not fit all, and Millis (2008) provides the following suggestions about how government should proceed: * Creation of a proper standard for measuring the progression of ICT and e-technology adaptation * Taking into account the complexity of the reality and circumstances in SMEs that prevent computerization proceeding as a structured, sequential process. * Taking into account that a holistic approach to IT integration cannot work because of the large diversity between SMEs * Avoidance of high-level approaches and over-bureaucratized project structures * Avoidance of overestimating the impact of government initiatives on the behavior of participating SMEs * Provision of direct and specific support to SMEs designed to elicit concrete results * Creation of realistic and measurable goals and models that support the choices of the company rather than something generic that is imposed on the company be the government Another recommendation comes from Wielicki and Arendt (2007). Since the US is the most advanced country with regard to IT use and integration, they suggest that it be used as a model of study to determine how the barriers to successful IT integration be overcome in other countries. In addition, they counsel continued research to track the progress of SMEs in crossing the business digital divide, tracking the level of implementation of ICT-based solutions at the business process level and the role of ICT training in SMEs or of ICT in integrating business processes of SMEs. In an effort to successfully define these research objectives, Thurasamy, Mohamad, Omar, and Marimuthu (2009), have proposed an empirical study across 1500 Malaysian SMEs in order to determine the following: 1. To profile the type of technologies adopted by SMEs. 2. To profile the extent of usage of each of those technologies. 3. To develop an index for performance and technological adoption tracking of SMEs. 4. To investigate factors that encourage, as well as those that remain barriers to technology adoption. 5. To establish the extent of technology adoption and performance (financial and non-financial) plus Internationalization. As we can see, the objectives of this study mirror the suggestions of Wielicki and Arendt (2007) as to the nature of further research into IT integration in SMEs. Another reason cited for the unsuccessful adaptation of IT was lack of employee training. Therefore, government initiatives like the ones featured in a report released by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture in Belgium (2003), could be utilized towards increasing the effectiveness of employees in relation to the use and adaptation of IT. The report profiles 10 European employee training programs ranging from Worldwide web-based information and communication technologies training for manufacturing SMEs to a CD-Rom based program to help SMEs define their training needs. Conclusion As can be seen from the above discussion, there is a definite need to foster the integration of IT/ICT in SMEs in both developed and developing economies. While this need has been documented by the literature, it is also clear that there are many obstacles that stand in the way of the successful implementation of the technology. It would seem, therefore, that the stage is set for further investigation into the technological and educational needs of SMEs around the world. It would also seem that there are employment and business opportunities for those with the necessary know-how and skills to offer their services as consultants and trainers to SMEs desiring to integrate IT/ICT into their day to day activities. References Bank of England Quarterly Report on Small Business Statistics. (2001, January). 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Critical analysis of policy measures for the advancement of the level of computerization of SMEs. Information Technology for Development, 14(3), 253-258. Retrieved April 23, 2010 from Academic Search Premier EBSCO database. Thurasamy, R., Mohamad, O., Omar, A., & Marimuthu, M. (2009). Technology adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s): A research agenda. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 53. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier EBSCO database. Wielicki, T. & Arendt, L. (2007). ICT Training—Key to closing digital divide among businesses: Case of SMEs in central California. International Journal of Learning,organizational absorptive capacity in SMEs. Journal of Information Technology, 14(6), 181-186. Retrieved from EBSCO Host database.