Gender Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Studies - Essay Example In modern society, media is the most powerful instrument; the advertisement is quickest and easiest method to reach a large number of targeted audience. People engaged in this industry are expert in manipulating the situation in their favor, be it political or commercial. The media constructs ideologies about gender consciousness and pinpoint specific features as masculinity and femininity, all for the sake of increasing consumerism or some other vested interest. The basic problem with these ideologies is that once internalized, individuals are forced to self-regulate and discipline oneself to maintain that abnormality, in spite of psychological disturbances. People become submissive to consumer capitalism, thus gradually creating an army of unsatiated individuals. Media people create 'normal' and 'abnormal' gender frames of reference. Advertisement is not just display of information; instead they are targeted towards potential consumers. They construct meanings for specific services or products and then link them to some cultural messages, which people can easily decipher. The Ads are injected with social values and roles. If we dissect the advertisement, we will find that they are separated in different sections - first is the 'surface meaning', it is usually listing of items. Next, is the 'intended meaning', it is about the service or product, but full of societal messages. Last step of the Ad contains 'ideological or cultural meanings', this implicitly tries to socialize the viewer. For example, if an advertisement is of home food product, it displays who is cooking and serving. This indirectly conveys the message to viewers about our social roles and beliefs. In fact, media do not create any social message but their orientation is 'persua sion-based'. They repeat them constantly, till it become true. According to Bordo, media experts construct unrealistic concepts about masculinity and femininity to widen consumer capitalism. The same is interpreted by Berger, they control our ways of knowledge. Bordo elaborates that these frame of references restricts our way of understanding for gender, thus making men and women objects of the gaze, thus people perceive skewed ideologies about masculinity and femininity. Further, Foucault's argument makes it more evident. According to him, as a result of these, people start self-regulating and disciplining their own normality, based on superficial judgments and so called people's standards. They self-impose so much of restrictions, as if some crime has been committed; more or less it is physical, like bulimia. Rightly, Bordo explains when she says, "Illusions set the standard for real women, and they spawn special disorders and addictions [she created] a mask so thorough, so successful in its illusionary reality that her own naked face now look ed grotesque to her, mottled, pasty, featureless. (169)" Foucault contends that this self-regulating, like the disorders, restrains social agencies by suppressing them to abide by an unrealistic criterion of beauty. In order to regain happiness and have a natural life, people should change their frames of reference or shun such ideologies. The moment such thing happens people would realize nonsensical nature of these ideologies of masculinity and f

IT Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

IT Industry - Essay Example In business context, Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) has referred to IT as that industry that deals with the software application and their use in enabling the consumers’ needs be satisfied in what would be otherwise tedious through management of information systems (Crookes, 2012). This informs that IT is a very essential option for businesses today where technology has taken over in almost every operation. IT industry is thus involved in a number of activities which includes, software development and installation, network administration, planning and management of the life cycle of organization’s technology as well as maintaining, upgrading, and replacing the IT system of the organization where applicable. Transformation in the IT sector mobile computing, the cloud, and consumerism Because of the increasing demand on the service of IT, IT experts have responded by researching and coming up with those options that will satisfy the interest of those in need of the IT services. It is surprising that at times the pace at which IT is changing is faster the even the IT managers of business organizations have been left with no option but to discard their current options to embrace the new technology even if they have not fully exploited their previous option. In this reference, IT gurus have been advised to make consideration to standardized systems that will be embraced by all finally (Renkema, 2000). In this agitation, the IT experts have been advised to look into four cardinal areas when building a system standardization, simplification, integration, and modularity. Some of the changes that have been realized in IT includes, mobile computing, the cloud, and consumerism. Mobile computing Mobile computing has made it possible to use the small portable computing devises to connect to network systems, in some case, the wireless option enables these devices to access network and do all what they want be done through the internet, thi s is the consumerism trend that has been established of late (Kamal, 2007). The devices used in this case includes, laptops, notebook, palmtop, and tablet PCs Cloud computing Cloud computing involves the use of computing resources such as the hardware and the software in the delivery of services through a network system. Software as a Service and Software Oriented Architecture are option that are considered by cloud computing, they have become alternative option for the Enterprise Resource Planning which are all systems that are used by firms. Because of the complex system in the ERP, SaaS and SOA from cloud computing have brought a simpler system that is easier to maintain, cheaper and do not require much training to operate (Crookes, 2012). Cloud computing unlike the ERP can be customized as per the customers need without extra licensing fee and maintenance cost. This is because all applications in are supported by a single server operated by the designer. Cloud computing has then made it possible for SME (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) to adopt such IT systems because they are cheaper to operate and maintain (Crookes, 2012). Consumerism Is a transformation in IT industry that allows employees to use their personal devises to connecting with the corporate networks, in this sense, the employees use their smart phones and tablets to connect with the corporate system. This is contrary to the traditional system where the company

The Financial Markets: Direct And Indirect Transfers

The Financial Markets: Direct And Indirect Transfers In economics, a financial market refers to a media that allows people to buy, sell, create and exchange financial securities such as share and bonds, commodities such as basic agricultural goods and precious metals, and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect the efficient-market. Both general markets where many commodities are traded and specialized markets where only one commodity is traded exist in financial market. Markets work by placing many interested buyers and sellers in one media, thus making it easier for them to find each other. The financial markets can be divided into different types such as capital markets commodity markets, money markets, insurance market and foreign exchange market. A saver refers to the one who deposit their money in bank, invest in company share and pays premium to an insurance company with objective to earn interest, dividend and profit. They aim also to accumulate their fund for future investment and expenses. However, a borrower just the reverse to saver. A borrower borrowed the money from saver by financial market to fulfill their need and need to effort the interest charge or give the dividend to saver. In a well-functioning economy, capital will flow efficiency from saver to borrower. The transfer of fund can make by three different ways such as direct transfer, indirect transfer through investment bankers and indirect transfer through financial intermediary. 2.0 Body 2.1 Direct transfer The first way is through direct transfer. It refers to a transfer of assets from one type of tax-deferred retirement plan or account to borrower. Direct transfers are not considered to be distributions and not taxable as income or subject to any penalties for early distribution. Most transfers take several days to complete, although this process is now generally faster in the electronic than in the past. Direct rollovers from qualified plans are a form of direct transfer. It occurs when firms direct sell their stock or bond to saver without going through any financial institution The advantages of direct transfer are direct transfers convenience and simple to trade between borrower and saver. The reason is when both borrower and saver agree with the term and condition, the transaction will be in process. Besides, it will be save time and cost. The reason is the transaction can complete online, just taking few days to complete and there is no high commission to pay for intermediate. Even though it is a lot of advantages using this method, there also bring some disadvantages to both parties. The savers will face lack of professional consultation from expertise. This will lead to the saver making wrong investment, facing loss the money and cheat by the business. Beside, the business will also facing less efficiency when direct transfer the securities. The reason is there is no expertise to help them promote the securities and it may not planning well when issuance of securities. 2.2 Indirect transfer through investment bankers The second way is indirect transfer through investment bankers. Investment bank refers to a financial institution that helps individuals and corporations to raising their capital by underwriting. They also act as the clients agent when issuance of securities such as stock and bond. An investment bank may also help organization involved in mergers and acquisitions and provides ancillary services. In investment banking there are two main which are trading securities for cash or other securities and promotion of the securities. In this way, the investment banker assumes the risk of selling a new security issue at a satisfactory price. This is called underwriting. An underwrite serve as a middleman and facilitates the issuance of securities. The companys securities and savers money will pass through the investment banking house. The investment banker will buy the entire issue of securities from the company that needs of financial capital. Then investment bank will turn sells these same securities to savers at a higher price. However, the investment bank taking the risk when they buy and hold the companys a security for certain time and it may not resell to savers for as much as they paid after a period of time. The reason is new securities are involved and company receives the proceed of the sale, this is called a primary market transaction. Besides, the investment banker also advises firms on the details of selling securities. The advantages for this method are the business will get professional suggestion from expertise about the details of selling securities. The business can raise the capital more efficient, the reason is the investment banker will buy over the securities and hold to sell for savers. This will help to business dispense with the pending time to wait saver transfer the money. The disadvantages for this method are the business may face depress in price of securities. The reason is when the business need capital emergency, the investment banker will depress the price of securities in order to make more money. The savers may also face receive inaccuracy information from investment banker. The reason is the investment banker wants to resell the hold securities, they may give inaccuracy information to the saver. 2.3 Indirect transfer through financial intermediary The third way is indirect transfer through financial intermediary. Financial intermediary consists of channeling funds between surplus and deficit agents. A financial intermediary is a financial institution that connects surplus and deficit agents. The classic example of a financial intermediary is a bank that transforms bank deposits into bank loans. Insurance companies, credit unions, pension fund and mutual funds also include as financial intermediary. Insurance defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. Credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at reasonable rates, and providing other financial services to its members. Pension fund is any plan, fund, or scheme which provides retirement income. Mutual fund is a professionally-managed type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many investors to buy securities Through the process of financial intermediation, certain assets or liabilities are transformed into different assets or liabilities. As such, financial intermediaries channel funds from savers to those borrowers. As example, saver will save the surplus money in bank and get the deposit certificate, the bank will use the money to borrow to borrower by term of mortgage. Financial intermediaries provide important advantages to savers. Lending through an intermediary is usually less risky than lending directly. The major reason for reduced risk is that a financial intermediary can diversify. Financial intermediary will give many loans to different borrower. When mistake happen, the financial intermediary can cover by others loan interest. But if savers borrow direct to business, the risk will face by individual. Another reason is financial intermediary specialize in lending and better predict which of the people able to repay compare to individual savers. Second advantage financial intermediaries give savers is liquidity. Liquidity is the ability to convert assets into form money quickly. A house is an illiquid asset; selling one can take a great deal of time. If an individual saver has lent money directly to another person, the loan can also be an illiquid asset. Third advantage financial intermediaries give savers is cost advantage. Using financial intermediaries can reduce the costs of borrowing. The reason is there are a lot of borrowings complete in financial intermediaries, it can lead to economic of scale and save cost for savers. 3.0 Conclusion

The Government Should Respect Property Rights Essay -- Expository Exem

The Government Should Respect Property Rights Imagine you’ve been enjoying your backyard picnic table and chairs for the past 10 years when suddenly, for no apparent reason, you are served notice from a government agency that you will be fined $6,000 a day unless you remove them. Or, imagine you would like to add a stone walkway to your garden. You begin to research the procedure and costs, only to learn that a lengthy application will be required, with multiple hearings before a state commission. You find yourself embroiled in a Kafkaesque legal battle costing tens of thousands of dollars. Finally, after years of struggle the government demands, as a condition for approving your little walkway, that you â€Å"donate† a portion of your land to the state. Do these sound like nightmarish stories out of some totalitarian regime? Shockingly, they are normal, everyday incidents for property owners across the nation. In California, for example, a state agency called the California Coastal Commission routinely tramples the property rights of coastal landowners. People residing within five miles inland of California’s 1,100 miles of coastline are subject to the commission’s power to approve or deny improvements involving â€Å"any solid structure† on their property. This can include adding a room to a home, planting trees, adding a fence or garden walkway and, yes, in one current Orange County case, a picnic table and chairs. Established in 1976, the California Coastal Commission’s mandate is to â€Å"preserve, protect . . . and restore the resources of the coastal zone for the enjoyment of the current and succeeding generations.† The Commission operates on the premise that the roughly 1.5 million acres under its jurisdiction are a... ...erty without permission from his tenant. Near San Francisco certain homes designated as â€Å"affordable† can be sold for no more than a government-controlled price. In Portland there are wide swaths of the city in which one cannot build a single-family home on one’s own land, even if it is adjacent to other suburban homes. In hundreds of U.S. cities, various laws establishing â€Å"historical districts,† â€Å"landmarks,† or â€Å"improvement zones† straightjacket owners who are consequently unable to remove trees, erect fences, add rooms, or even change rain gutters. Government boards, agencies and commissions with this kind of authority should be opposed not on a case-by-case basis, but on principle. The only proper state policy with respect to private property is: hands off! In America, no governmental agency should have the power to deprive an individual of his property rights.

A view from a bridge by Arthur miller Essay

At the beginning of act 2 in â€Å"a view from a bridge† Arthur Miller creates tension in a number of ways. The first way Arthur miller creates a sense of drama by using body language eg) Eddie’s arm â€Å"jerks slightly in shock† the body language of Eddie is Eddie showing his feelings of disapproval of Katherine and Rodolpho going out together to add to Eddys anger the fact that they both come out of the bedroom together. This shows Eddies love for Katharine but he is becoming far too over protective over Katherine. Arthur Miller also creates tension through the use of short sharp sentences through the scene as well as the repetition of key phrases during the scene, eg) when Katherine says â€Å"I think I can’t stay here no more† when Eddie says â€Å"You aint goin’ nowheres† after that Katherine says: â€Å"Eddie I’m not gonna be a baby anymore† these are all extremely short sentences used within quick succession. The use of short sentences like this is to heighten the drama by showing the views that the characters are in an angry and aggressive as mood well as showing Katherine’s new fear of Eddie and that something is inevitably going to happen. Certain unexpected key events occur in this scene, which shock the audience and create a heightened dramatic impact. This is when Eddie â€Å"reaches out suddenly, draws her to him, as she strives to free herself he kisses her on the mouth† then Rodolpho tells Eddie â€Å"have respect for her† after that: â€Å"Rodolpho flies at him in attack. Eddie pins his arms, laughing and suddenly kisses him. This shows that Eddie’s feelings for Katherine are so powerful that they are uncontrollable; this causes the audience to be shocked and lose respect for Eddie. As well as these happenings, emotions are revealed in this scene, which heightens the tension. This is shown best by Katherine’s fear of Eddie because she usually shows such admiration for Eddie. Eddie crying is also eddy showing emotion â€Å"Eddie strands of tears rolling down his face as h laughs mockingly at Rodolpho. † While Katherine â€Å"is staring at him in horror† Katherine and Rodolpho are also behaving â€Å"out of character† by showing disrespect towards Eddie. Katherine usually acts childish towards him as if Eddie really is her father; and Rodolpho is usually trying to avoid conflict with Eddie as well as trying to win Eddies approval over Katherine Craig young 11vk The mix of violence, humiliation and control in this scene all help to create dramatic impact. This is shown when Rodolpho is violent towards Eddie â€Å"Rodolpho flies at him in attack. † This shows the audience how Rodolpho has changed his attitude towards Eddie. Eddie shows control by forcibly kissing Katherine and then Rodolpho. Eddie does this to show his authority over Katherine and Rodolpho, and to degrade Rodolpho by showing that he has control over him. Further more proving that, Eddie is stronger than Rodolpho. In conclusion the contrast between the events with Eddie and Katherine and the mood of Alferi’s speech at the end of the scene, also creates a sense of tension; due to the contrast between the short sharp aggressive sentences earlier on in the scene then when Alferi speaks there becomes longer calmer sentences, this contrast creates a sense of tension by making the audience think that something more is going to happen. As well as this a part of Alferi’s speech makes the audience realise that something terrible was inevitably going to happen â€Å"but I will never forget how dark the room came when he looked at me; his eyes were tunnels. I kept wanting to call the police, but nothing had happened. Nothing at all had really happened. † This shows that Alferi had the feeling that something had already happened so it seems almost certain that something would happen. A View from a Bridge by Arthur Miller Essay There are several factors which lead to Eddie’s eventual decline. The main ones were things like the influence of the society, influence of the people around him and ultimately himself highlighting his unwillingness to negotiate and his excessively close relationship with Catherine. Nearly all the characters in the story were responsible for Eddie’s eventual downfall. In page 39, Catherine says: â€Å"You wanna dance Rodolfo? † At this point Eddie freezes in obvious disapproval. Rodolfo senses that Eddie is unhappy about her dancing with him so Rodolfo replies: â€Å"No, I-I’m tired† in defense to Eddie. Beatrice makes things worse by saying: â€Å"Go ahead, dance, Rodolfo†. Eddie particularly didn’t like the fact the Catherine had put on high heels in the house, just to make a good impression on a young man (Rodolfo) before the dancing incident. Eddie says: â€Å"What’s the high heels for Garbo? † Alfieri is also to blame for the death of Eddie. In page 58-59, Alfieri and Marco have a lengthy conversation. Alfieri tries to get Marco to promise that he wouldn’t take matters in his own hands but Alfieri didn’t succeed. Alfieri says: â€Å"I’m waiting, Marco, what do you say? † then further onwards Rodolfo says: â€Å"Marco, tell the man† Marco replies: â€Å"He knows such a promise is dishonorable† Marco clearly has pride for himself which he feels that he could lose. Alfieri then promises that Marco will not harm Eddie on behalf of him but this promise was outwardly unsecure. Eddie’s attempt to always be the man of the house was a factor leading to his breakdown. Eddie’s Sicilian background inter links with his 1950’s notions of manhood because it meant that he had to be very manly and be the one who goes off to work. Eddie shows his manliness when he starts to be competitive with Marco and Rodolfo for instance when he starts to teach him Boxing. Eddie says: †well come on , I’ll teach you† and then when Marco showed Eddie that he could pick up a chair with one hand, Eddie looked grumpy because he couldn’t do it, he felt like he was beaten. Many people look up to Eddie and he knows it which is a cause to his downfall. In page 25 Louis says: â€Å"Believe me, Eddie; you got a lotta credit comin’ to you†. Eddies neighborhood motivates him a lot because he is so concerned about his respect in the neighborhood he forgets about what he is doing to the people close to him. This is shown when at the final scene he kept on demanding respect. Eddie says: †wipin the neighborhood with my name like dirty rag ; I want my name back Marco , now gimme my name and we go together to the wedding†. As a result of this Eddie died.

Human Factors and Cyber Policy Essay

Introduction Human factors can influence policy choices for both domestic and international cybersecurity issues. What will be discussed in this paper is how human factors can affect four selected cybersecurity issues. The four-cybersecurity issues selected are zero-day exploits, meta-data collected and used by private and public sectors, vulnerability assessments for mobile devices in the BYOD environment, and threats to copy right and ownership of intellectual property. This paper will go into details on important security issues, recommended policy controls, and how or why human factors can influence each of the recommended policy controls for each of the four selected topics mentioned. Copyright, threats and ownership of  intellectual property Important Security Issues With the proliferation of 3-D Printers and the availability of copyrighted materials posted online, there is an additional facet to the current debate surrounding copyright and ownership of intellectual property. Piracy of digital media such as music and videos has been a long-standing issue since the 1990’s with Napster and similar peer-to-peer file sharing programs. There are six ways that intellectual property theft harms U.S. and global consumers and economies. Online piracy harms content as well as the trademark owners through lost sales and brand recognition through increased costs to protect intellectual property instead of investing in research and development (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). Secondly, the consumers are harmed when they receive lower quality, inauthentic products that may cause physical harm in the case of downloading and creating a 3-D printed model (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). Arguably the most prominent case against piracy, copyright infringement harms economies through lost tax revenues, higher costs of law enforcements and additional harm caused by the government’s usage of counterfeit products (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). This leads to the fourth issue, global economies lose their ability to partner with countries that have weaker intellectual property enforcement (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). Online copyright infringement reduces innovation due to the decrease of incentives to create and disseminate ideas – harming the First Amendment (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). Finally, supporting online piracy has been linked to supporting international crime syndicates posing a risk to U.S. national security (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). Recommended Policy Controls There is no set of policy controls that would be a one-size fits all when it comes to ownership of intellectual property concerning digital media or 3-D printing. The issue with copyright infringement concerning home 3-D printing boils down to the law. If a personal user directly prints a copyrighted 3-D model from a file-sharing site, then that user has committed a crime. The copyright owner should be compensated; a simple analogy is paying iTunes to be able to play a song from an artist. However, if the user is inspired to  create a very similar model than the copyright owner is not subject to compensation because a style cannot be copyrighted (Thompson, 2013). The first 3-D DMCA’s language is indicative of that; user Artur83 was hit with the first-ever DMCA surrounding 3-D printing after creating a Penrose triangle after being inspired by Dr. Ulrich Schwantz (Rideout, 2011). The argument was that Artur83 created an independent file after viewing a photo of the completed product – he did not modify an existing file – and that the complaint was unclear if Dr. Schwantz was trying to say the Penrose triangle, a concept published in 1958, was his intellectual property (Rideout, 2011). Ultimately, Dr. Schwantz dropped the DMCA, but it still serves as a precedence for the debate between original and similarity. If corporations are to crack down on copyright infringements, be it blatantly copying direct design or limiting creativity and inhibiting innovation, then they will need to lobby Congress to change laws. With respect to 3-D printing, however, the current laws are good enough. While the 3-D files are CAD files, categorized as pictorial, graphic, and scultptural works that can be protected by copyright, they are excluded from copyright if the file has an intrinsic utilitarian function other than portraying either appearance or conveying infor mation (Rideout, 2011). While each file can be independently reviewed to assess if an original file is copyrighted, it would be an arduous task that would not be fiscally responsible for a company to pursue every similar design. Additionally, current patent laws are applicable to complete and assembled products; creating replacement parts is currently legal and allowable (Thompson, 2012). If any of this is to change, then corporations will need to lobby. As for combating software piracy, a decent alternative to the growing use of software piracy is the use of open source software (OSS). Open source software completely eliminates the issue of software piracy by giving the end user free access to the software source code and the ability to install unlimited copies of the application without fear of copyright infringement. The reasons for using open source software as an alternative to piracy are numerous. Arguably the most important reason, OSS benefits the economy by reducing the rising costs of software development, global competition, and technological diffusion (OSS-Piracy, 2009, p. 168). By using OSS, end users can access larger and community supported market shares across a wide diversity of product ranges and  services. Due to lower levels of intellectual property laws in developing countries they tend to result in higher prices and limited availability (OSS-Piracy, 2009, p. 168). As it stands, the current weak laws will ultimately result in encouraging piracy. By using OSS, countries can access a rich ecosystem of different products that have growing market share and a diverse set of service and support. How/Why Human Factors Influence Policy The Internet has become a central actor in the world economy by delivering products and eliminating inefficient middlemen. In 2011, as much as 6 per-cent of the U.S. gross national product was generated by industries supported by intellectual property laws; nearly 24 per-cent of all Internet traffic is infringing on these intellectual properties (History of the Internet Piracy Debate, 2011). Software piracy is more rampant outside of the U.S. In countries with developing economies – third-world countries to be exact – demand for software is supplied by piracy instead of publishers due to legitimate publishers being unable to compete with counterfeit operations at cut-throat prices (Traphagan & Griffith, 1998). The issue with piracy is that it inhibits and prevents local developers from being paid for their property, stymieing growth and additional job opportunities (Traphagan & Griffith, 1998). Human factors that affect piracy include: Knowledge and fear of consequences; access; attitude towards piracy; and social norms (Nill, Schibrowsky & Peltier, 2010). With more negative attitudes, general knowledge and fear of consequences of piracy tend to reduce piracy, with greater access to content leads to increased piracy (Nill, Schibrowsky & Peltier, 2010). While a more economically developed nation will lose more money to piracy, strong legal protection for intellectual property as well as enforcement of the laws will reduce piracy (Traphagan & Griffith, 1998). As for developed nations who cannot enforce laws as well, the culture must see that software piracy is the same as stealing a car (Traphagan & Griffith, 1998). Ultimately, regardless of socio-economic status, all people must view piracy and copyright infringement in the same light: it is stealing and harmful to the global economy. Introduction Today, the world’s economy along with international security greatly depends on a secured Internet. Our society greatly depends on computer networks. Computer networks can be seen as the nerve system to critical infrastructures and also enterprise information systems in which our society has become increasingly dependent upon. Hackers are discovering new types of vulnerabilities in computer systems almost everyday, which could affect a nations critical infrastructure, military satellites, and more. One of the biggest threats seen today is known as the zero-day attack or exploit. Zero-Day Attack A zero-day attack according to Seltzer is â€Å"a virus or other exploit that takes advantage of a newly discovered hole in a program or operating system before the software developer has made a fix available or before they’re even aware the hole exists.† This is a very dangerous type of attack because the attack occurs first before it is even detected. In a sense, the zero-day attack is unpreventable since the virus or exploit occurs when there is no existing patch around to correct the attack. A zero-day attack takes a significant amount of time and money from well-trained cyber-criminals in order for the attack to be successful because it is a targeted attack that finds security vulnerabilities. One of the greatest zero-day exploit computer worms is known as Stuxnet. Stuxnet Stuxnet is a computer worm that was able to disrupt Iranian nuclear enrichment in 2010. Stuxnet was the first instance of a cyber attack that was able to cause physical damages across international boundaries and was considered to be a new type of warfare with the capabilities of threatening even the strongest of military powers. According to Symantec, which is an American security corporation, Stuxnet is one of the most complex threats that were analyzed. The purpose of Stuxnet was to target industrial control systems or similar systems that is used in gas pipelines and power plants and to reprogram the industrial control systems. This zero-day exploit was discovered in July of 2010 but did exist at least one year prior to its discovery. Stuxnet was ultimately sabotage Iran’s nuclear systems. Policy Controls One of the most effective ways to prevent a zero-day attack is to try and find any vulnerability before someone else does. Government agencies and public organizations are willing to hire and post rewards to individuals that are capable of finding exploits within a program or operating system. It takes skilled hackers to perform a zero-day exploit. They must have the time and resources to find a vulnerability that has no existing patch or fix for it. As mentioned before, one way to prevent a zero-day exploit is to find the vulnerability before the cybercriminals do. Organizations will hire ethical hackers to find vulnerabilities within their systems. One example is Google. Google has a reward system if somebody could find a exploit within Google Chrome. The company Google sponsors up to $1 million worth of rewards to those that can find exploits in Google Chrome. The United States government is willing to pay up to six figures for exclusive use of attacks to those who can create atta cks in vulnerable systems. Other countries such as China and Russia are willing to pay rewards to gain exclusive use of system attacks to people who come up with these attacks. A second policy to put in place to help prevent a zero-day exploit is to have both the private sector and public sector work together with limited restrictions when it comes to communication and information sharing. One of the main concerns about a zero-day exploit is an attack on a nations critical infrastructure. A critical infrastructure can be defined as â€Å"systems and assets, physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, nation public health and safety, or any combination of those matters† (Moteff, 2014, p. 2). Critical infrastructures are important for a nation’s health, wealth, and security. One of the problems between private and public sectors is communication. The public sector at times is unwilling to share information with the private sector in fear of handing out classified information and the private sector is unwilling to share information with the public sector in fear that the public sector competitions can gain information that can be used against them. A proposed strategy for this action by the Commission was to have the private sector and the appropriate government agencies have greater cooperation and communication by â€Å"Setting a top level policy-making office in the White House† establishing a council what would include  corporate executives, state and local government officials (Moteff, 2014, p. 3). A third method which can also be seen as one of the top methods is the greatly expand research and development in technologies. This can be achieved by expanding education so that new technologies can be developed that would allow for greater detection of intrusions thus limiting the amount of zero-day exploits. Military and Economic Advantages of Zero-day Exploit A zero-day exploit is considered a very dangerous cyber attack since the attack targets holes in programs or operating systems before a software fix is available or even when developers are even aware a hole even exists in that program or operating system. Since the world today is heavily reliant on the Internet along with computer networks, a zero-day exploit on the military can be very devastating. If a zero-day attack occurred on a nations critical infrastructure such as water systems, transportation, and communications, it could leave that nation defenseless and vulnerable to attacks that can destroy a nation along with its citizens. The zero-day attack known as Stuxnet was able to disrupt Iran’s nuclear enrichment and was the first ever recorded cyber attack to cause physical damages. Zero-day exploits can be seen as a new type of cyber attack that could ultimately be used for cyber warfare. Any zero-day attack on a nation’s critical infrastructure will cause mass havoc, which could even lead to human casualties. Meta-Data collected and used by the Private sector and Public sector Important Security Issues Met-Data collection is a major issue to all private and public sectors. The methods and approaches that are used to collection information is not 100% secure. There are always leaks and breakage points among any transmission of data that is traveling from one location to another. The way these vulnerability issue take place is by hackers being able to gain access to sensitive information and with this information their able to monitor and analyze the data that appears to be data that really in the consumer eyes is not a major concern nor precaution that needs any further action to take place. There are tools that can be used to successfully complete an attack of Meta-Data, and this tool works by gathering the data and by using a  document that has been created. According to Vulnerabilities/Threats (2009) â€Å"For example, Word Document metadata can be viewed within the Properties menu option in Microsoft Word, or by enabling the viewing of previous edits with the â€Å"Track Cha nges† option.† It has been reported that Adobe Acrobat can detect and display the metadata attack in PDF form. Some methods that are executed to collect data at a high level pace is called CeWL and MetaGooFil, which were designed to retrieved metadata information that may be available through the internet. The way these tools operate for instance CeWL works by developing a word list that uses brute-forcing for passwords involving websites. This tool can also extract any author, or email addresses that can be discovered from Microsoft Office files. CeWL is a file that can process files that may already be generated. MetaGooFil functions by using Google search engine to randomly lookup certain types of files. Once the downloading process has been conducted the metadata has already been place in HTML report the reveals the information that was retrieved. Another issue that involves metadata is that a great deal of organizations overlook this matter and it poses a lack of security and their defenses are vulnerable to serious attacks. Since organizations fail to take the seriousness of metadata attacks, and how their connected with Spear-phishing and Social Engineering and the relationship between one another. Spear-phishing can focus and target email addresses of individuals who works on certain documents. Having a vulnerable version of the Microsoft Office suites can be targeted for an attacker to create a file and send it to a client with the intent to steal information. Social Engineering is already having knowledge of individual names and using them to conduct phone call schemes and appear to be more believable than what they really are. Recommended Policy Controls Policies that could be administered as far as how the information is obtain by public or private sectors. Having policies in place that are firm and strict that involves need to know bases. Access to certain information needs to be minimize if a particular individual has no purpose or reason for obtaining or viewing certain information. Also policies can be changed in the way information is handle to better ensure the safety of sensitive data. On the job training and security awareness session that can educate people  of the severity of being victims to metadata attacks. Having Mechanisms in place would be a great approach to handling policy controls. There are mechanism that convey Metadata into Diffserv DSCP. According to Atarashi, R., Miyake, S., Baker, F., (2002) â€Å"The data and application need to be identified to the network, in order to gain service from the network appropriate to it.† The application gains access to the information that becomes available in its te rms, including owner, format, and etc. In this situation the network is worried about the type of service the applications are looking for. In this situation having a translator already in place with API. QoS is highly desirable in the controlling metadata and internet applications. According to metadata is going to important for not only structuring and discovery digital resource but also communication interaction. The lingo that is used in the industry of security is (threat, vulnerability, risk, control). Policy controls are implemented to reduce the possibilities of risk and one exactly happen. Having multiple security layers will be an ideal action to have in place for policy controls. According to Harris (1976) â€Å"The rule of thumb is the more sensitive the asset, the more layers of protection that must be put into place.† These layers should be merge and unifies as one but can be view as if you’re making a cake to put thing into perspective of how the multiple layers compensate one another. In this cake your have 1. Physical security 2. Virus scanners and Patch management 3. Rule-based access control and Account management 4. Secure architecture, Demilitarized zones (DMZ), Firewalls, 5. Virtual private networks (VPN) 6. Policies and proce dures. These six functions will definitely help control, minimize, and monitor any potential threats that metadata may pose. How/Why Human Factors Influence Policy The way human factors can influence the effectiveness of the recommended policy controls is by enforcing them on a daily bases. Understanding the threat and its capabilities and how an attack can cripple an organization. These policy controls can be successful as long as the people who are standing behind them believe in them and also having a strong foundation just in case one layer of security collapse another one is in place as support. Routinely awareness training is another way to ensure the effectiveness of policy controls that are in place for unexpected  occurrences. There’s an old saying (account for variable changes) meaning that there should always be plans for the unknown. A good human factors that will play a major role is a person with good morals and organizations. Not having these traits pose a lack of effectiveness when it comes to handling policy control. Individuals who value integrity will be a great asset to have in regards to honoring the standards and policies that are in place. Vulnerability assessments for Mobile Devices in the BYOD environment Important Security Issues In the 21st century cyber security is currently number one threat that will affect individuals all the way to corporate companies. Understanding the critical security issues dealing with vulnerability assessment of mobile devices in a BYOD environment. By bring BYOD into the work environment with increase access to web application cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) offering, means the employees, business partners and customers are increasingly accessing information using web browsers on devices that are not managed by an organization opens the door to critical security and HIPPA violations if security issues aren’t addressed correctly. In an article from a network security magazine stated the â€Å" Harris survey determined the 47% of employees use personal desktop computers to access or store company information, while 41% do this with personal laptops, 24% with smart phones and 10% with tablets. However, with less than half of these devices being protected by basic security measures, some organizations may begin to worry that the security challenges associated with BYOD far outweigh the benefits.† (1) The challenges that come along with BYOD are the corporate Data being delivered to the devices not managed by the IT department, that have security applications for data leakage, Data theft and regulatory compliance which leaves the enterprise with fewer controls and visibility. Knowing that â€Å"key-loggers, malware and cyber–attacks have greatly increased the potential of unauthorized access to, and information theft from endpoints† the D in BYOD doesn’t stop at smart phones. The SANS institute has explained that handheld devices combined with laptops and removable storage (e.g. USB keys) introduce specific threats to corporate or an organization’s assets and that a security policy can establish rules for the proper use of handheld devices w ithin intranets (2) Employees can access  information from home from their personal computers and tablets which can be infected with malware or key-loggers which gives people access to your companies at work for future cyber-attacks. Corporate companies can start losing visibility into data access when â€Å"BYOD re bypassing inbound filters normally applied to standard corporate devices. They’re vulnerable to malware-a fast growing risk, particularly in regards to android devices†.(3) The security issues with bringing android devices into the BYOD other than Apple device is the Google Play store and fragmentation of devices an OS version. Google Play (formerly called the Android Market) has a higher percentage of apps that contain malware, or social engineering to connect to malware, than any other app store by another magnitude. (4) The store is not policed well leaving these factors continually creating friction or resistances towards greater adoption of Android devices in the enterpr ise environment. Recommended Policy Controls Understanding the changing environment with BYOD entering into the enterprise area, there should be some checks and balances with recommended policy controls. To protect users in the enterprise some good policies are needed to be implemented would be requiring all devices to be encrypted to protect intellectual property, and to â€Å"restrict the downloading of specific applications known to contain malware, and insufficient security protocols or other vulnerabilities. Combining some of these with a robust VPN solution, that any enterprises and their employees can enjoy the convenience, productivity and cost–savings of BYOD without placing critical data at risk†(5). Standing on the organization security policy should be categorized as followed starting with general policies– that and for security policies for enterprise-level use on mobile devices that restrict access to the hardware software, and management wireless network interfaces to text policy violations when they occur. Data communication and storage are highly recommended to be encrypted data communication and data storage be properly wiping the device before reissuing. Another policy control is dealing with user and devices, authentication before allowing access to the organizations resources. Applications need restriction from installing and updating application that is used to synchronization services, then verifying the digital signature on applications. In order for a BYOD program  to work in an enterprises environment is to start off with a mobile device management (MDM) to the intent I to fully optimize functionally and security of mobile equipment in the enterprises environment to simultaneously securing the corporate network. How/Why Human Factors Influence Policy In order for BYOD programs to work correctly the human factors need to be taken into perspective. When an enterprise owns their devices they can dictate the use and configuration. Having employees bring their own BYOD into the enterprise their device is configured to their own needs and priorities that are wildly different from the enterprise standard configuration. As a network grows and technology enhances individuals rely on the BYOD the network access policy will be at odds with their employees at accessing information, that they’ll look for ways to get around the system which in turns makes bad productivity. If we keep in mind that with growing consumerization of IT and rapid pace of new and developing technologies, many employees of companies are nearly as technically savvy as their IT department. The lowly employee of finding tools that enhances their job better than what the company issues, but uses the alternative programs under the radar. A big look at the human resource (HR) is having the concern of having proper legal framework in place and constructed to take into concentration on occasions when staff leave the company and take their own devices with them could have confidential information that holds the companies intellectual property that another company can use or a hacker take advantage of for future cyber attack. Conclusion As time goes on the human factors does have a great influences in policies that are created by organizations to deal with international cyber-security issues. The four cyber security issues that were presented in the paper from zero-day exploits, meta-data collected and used by private and public escorts, vulnerability assessments for mobile devices in the BYOD environment, and threats to copy right and ownership of intellectual property was identify that each topic was influence by human factors that developed rules and policies to decrease the rises of cyber security incidents that accuser around the world. As we consume more electronic devices their will be more adjustment to topics that were presented, with  new security issues which will bring new recommended control policies to balance the international cyber security threat at hand. Work Cited 1. Bill Morrow, BYOD security challenges: control and protect your most sensitive data, Network Security, Volume 2012, Issue 12, December 2012, Pages 5-8, ISSN 1353-4858, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1353-4858(12)70111-3. 2. SANS Institute (2008) Security Policy for the use of handheld devices in corporate environments. Retrieved from http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/pda/security-policy-handheld-devices-corporate-environments-32823?show=security-policy-handheld-devices-corporate-environments-32823&cat=pda 3. Pacific, Lisa. â€Å".† BYOD security strategies: Balancing BYOD risks and rewards. N.p., 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . 4. †A clear-eyed guide to Android’s actual security risks.† InfoWorld. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. . 5. Graf, O. P. (2013, April 12). The Physical Security of Cyber Security. Retrieved from http://vpnhaus.ncp-e.com/2013/04/12/vpns-and-common-sense-policies-make-byod-safer/ 6. Growth of Internet Piracy. Congressional Dig est, 90(9), 258-288. 7. History of the Internet Piracy Debate. (2011). Congressional Digest, 90(9), 258-288. 8. NILL, A., SCHIBROWSKY, J., & PELTIER, J. W. (2010). Factors That Influence Software Piracy: A View from Germany.Communications Of The ACM, 53(6), 131-134. doi:10.1145/1743546.1743581 8. OSS-Piracy. (2009). Alleviating piracy through open source strategy: An exploratory study of business software ï ¬ rms in China. Retrieved 4/18/2014 from http://infojustice.org/download/gcongress/open_business_models/yang%20article.pdf. 9. Rideout, B. (2011). Printing the Impossible Triangle: The Copyright Implications of Three-Dimensional Printing, Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & Law. available at http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/jbel/vol5/iss1/610. Thompson, C (2012) 3-D printing’s forthcoming legal morass. Wired.co.uk. Obtained from: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/31/3-D-printing-copyright11. Traphagan, M., & Griffith, A. (1998). Software Piracy and Global Competitiveness: Report on Global Software Piracy. International Review Of Law, Computers & Technology,12(3), 431-451. doi:10.1080/13600869855298 12. Vulnerabilities/Threats (2009). Tech Insight: How Attackers Use Your Metadata Against You. Retrieved from: http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities—threats/tech-insight-how-attackers-use-your-metadata-against-you/d/d-id/1130395? 13. Atarashi, R., Miyake, S., Baker, F., (2002). Policy Control Nework Architecture using Metadata. Pro. Int. Conf. on Dublin Core and Metadata for e-Communities. Retreived from: http://www.bncf.net/dc2002/program/ft/poster1.pdf14. Harris, S., (1976). CISSP exam guide. ISBN 978-0-07-178174-9

Assessment of Students in Schools

Assessment of Students in Schools Introduction Assessment of students is a vital exercise aimed at evaluating their knowledge, talents, thoughts, or beliefs (Harlen, 2007). It involves testing a part of the content taught in class to ascertain the students’ learning progress. Assessment should put into consideration students’ class work and outside class work. For younger kids, the teacher should focus on language development.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Assessment of Students in Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This will enhance the kids’ confidence when expressing their ideas whenever asked. As in organizations, checks on the performance of students’ progress should be undertaken regularly. Notably, organizations have a high probability of investing in futility because they lack opportunity for correction. However, in schools there are more chances of correcting mistakes. Similarly, teachers and parents shoul d have a basis of nurturing and correcting the students. This is only possible through assessment of students at certain intervals during their learning progress. Equally, parents or teachers can use tests as they teach as a means of offering quick solutions to challenges experienced by students while learning. All trainers should work together with their students with the aim of achieving some goals. To evaluate if the goals are met, trainers use various assessment methods depending on the profession. This is exactly true when it comes to assessment in schools. Assessment should focus on the student learning progress. It should be employed from the kindergarten to the highest levels of learning institutions such as the university. The most essential fact about assessment is that it has to be specific. This implies that each test should try to evaluate if a student is able to demonstrate the understanding of certain concepts taught in class. Contrary to what most examiners believe, assessment should never be used as a means of ranking students. I this case the key aims of assessment will be lost. Ranking is not bad, but to some extent it might create a negative impression and demoralize the students who are not ranked at top in class. They feel that they are foolish, which is not the case. In general, assessment should be used for evaluation of results and thus creating and formulation of strategies for improving the students’ learning and performance. Importance of assessment in school Assessment forms an important part of learning that determines whether the objectives of education have been attained or not (Salvia, 2001). For important decision making concerning the student’s performance, assessment is inevitable. It is very crucial since it determines what course or career can the student partake depending on class performance.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is not possible without an exam assessment. It engages instructors with a number of questions, which include whether they are teaching the students what they are supposed to be taught or not, and whether their teaching approach is suitable for students. Students should be subjected to assessment beyond class work, because the world is changing and they are supposed to adapt to dynamics they encounter in their everyday lives. Assessment is important for parents, students, and teachers. Teachers should be able to identify the students’ level of knowledge and their special needs. They should be able to identify skills, design lesson plans, and come up with the goals of learning. Similarly, instructors should be able to create new learning arrangements and select appropriate learning materials to meet individual student’s needs. Teachers have to inform parents about the student’s progress in class. This is only possible with the assess ment of the students through either exam or group assessment. The assessment will make teachers improve learning mechanisms to meet the needs and abilities of all students. It provides teachers with a way of informing the public about the student’s progress in school. Whenever parents are informed about the results of their children, they have to contribute to decision making concerning the student’s education needs (Harlen, 2007). Parents are able to select and pay for the relevant curriculum for their students. They can hire personal tutors or pay tuition to promote the learning of the student. Students should be able to evaluate their performance and learning in school with the use of assessment results. It forms the basis of self-motivation as through it students are able to put extra efforts in order improve their exam performance. Without results, a student might be tempted to assume that he or she has mastered everything taught in class. Methods of assessment Va rious mechanisms can be used to assess the students in school. These include both group assessment and various examinations issued during the learning session. The exam could be done on a weekly, monthly, or terminal basis. Through this, a student is required to submit a written paper or oral presentation. Assignments are normally given with a fixed date of submission.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Assessment of Students in Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The teacher determines the amount of time required depending on the complexity of the assignment. It can take a day, a week, or even a month and this ensures that the student does not only rely on class work. It promotes research work and instills the self-driven virtue to the student. In addition, short time exam gives a quick feedback to the teacher about the student performance. Exam methods of assessment Before looking at the various methods of exam assessment, it is important to understand the major role that the assessment plays in the learning of the student. Carrying out an assessment at regular intervals allows the teachers to know how their students are progressing over time with respect to their previous assessments (Harlen, 2007). Actually, testing of students helps in their learning and creates motivation to learn more and improve their performance in the future examination. It also guides the teacher on ways of passing on the knowledge to the students. There are three purposes of assessment and these include assessment for learning, assessment to learning, and assessment of learning. All these help the teacher in planning of his lessons and means of getting feedback from students. Moreover, these three factors of learning join the efforts of parents, student, and teachers in the process of learning. There are several repercussions realized when parents do not monitor closely the performance of their kids. Education ex perts assert that parents who fail to monitor their children’s learning progress are like farmers who sow seeds during planting season and wait to reap during the harvesting season yet they did nothing about it. The success of the student is easily achieved when there is harmony among the parents, teachers, and the students. Methods of assessment can be categorized into three steps: baseline, formative and summative (Stefanakis, 2010). The baseline is considered as the basic and marks the beginning of learning. The summative one carries the bigger weight than the formative in the overall performance of the student. It carries more marks and it is usually done at the end of the teaching period in the term paper. The aim is to check for the overall understanding of the unit or topic by the student. As the formative assessment is a continuous process during the learning session in the classroom, the instructor should use the general feedback and observations while teaching. It c an provide an immediate solution to the teacher because the area that troubles the student is easily identified and the teacher takes appropriate action.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Teachers should never ignore the formative or wait for the summative at the end of the learning term. Even if the teacher discovers weakness of the student, it might be less useful since there will be no room for improvement. Actually, it is more of a reactive measure rather than proactive summative assessment. Various mechanisms can be used to realize the formative assessment. These include surveys, which involve collecting of students’ opinions, attitudes, and behaviors during class (Nitko, 2001). They help the instructor to interact with the student more closely, creating a supportive learning environment for the student. The teacher is able to clear any existing misconception from the students due to prior knowledge. It can also involve reflections of the student. Here, the student is required to take some time and reflect on what was taught. It necessitates the student to ask several questions regarding what was taught, for instance, questions about the hottest topic, ne w concepts, or questions left unanswered. It also involves the teacher asking questions during a teaching session. This makes the teacher to point out the areas the students have not understood. By doing so, the teacher is able to focus and put more effort on some topics as compared to others. The teacher can also decide to issue homework or assignments to students. This gives students an opportunity to build confidence on the knowledge acquired during class work (Stefanakis, 2010). Most importantly, the teacher could include the objectives and expectations of each lesson and this can be in form of questions. These questions create awareness and curiosity of students about the topic. For the above methods of assessment, various formats have been adopted. First is the baseline assessment, which aims at examining individual’s experience as well as the prior knowledge. There are pencil and paper easement method, which is a written test. It can be a short essay or multiple choice questions. It checks for the student’s understanding of certain concepts. The third is the embedded assessment. It deals with testing the students in contextual learning and it is done in the formative stage. The fourth involves oral reports that aim at capturing the student’s communication and scientific skills. They are carried out in the formative stage. Interviews evaluate the group and individual performance during the formative stage. There is also a performance task, which requires the student to work on an action related to the problem while explaining a scientific idea. Usually, it is assessed both in the summative and formative stages. All these formats ensure the objective of the assessment is achieved (Harlen, 2007). The above exam method promotes learning and acquiring of knowledge among the students. Group methods of assessment Assessment is a flexible activity as what is done to an individual during assessment can also be done in a group and still achie ve the objectives of the assessment. Group work aims to ensure that students work together. The method is not as smooth as that of an individual’s assessment since awarding of grades is a bit tricky and not straightforward. The instructors will not know which student has contributed a lot in the group work, unless the same grade is given to group members to create fairness in the process of assessment (Paquette, 2010). It is advisable to consider both the process and finished product when assessing group work. By just looking at the final work of the group, no one can tell who did what and did not. Individual contributions are implicit in the final project. The teacher should employ some other measures to be able to distribute grades fairly. The solutions of assessing group include consideration of the process and the final work. The instructor should assess the process involved in the development of the final work. The aspect of the project includes punctuality, cooperation and contribution of the individual student to the group work (Stefanakis, 2010). The participation of each student and teamwork should be assessed. Fair grading requires looking at the achievement of the objectives of the project. In addition, the instructors can let the students assess and evaluate themselves through group participation. This enhances group teamwork and yields a fair distribution of grades. This is realized because the members of the group know how to research and present written analysis of their work. Self-assessment aims at realizing respect, promptness, and listening to minority views within the group. Another effective way of ensuring that group work becomes successful is by holding group members accountable. This actually curbs the issue of joy riding among the group members. Individuals are allocated with a certain portion of the entire job. This involves asking members to demonstrate what they have learned and how they have contributed into the group. In ad dition, the products and processes are assessed. Another interesting scenario is realized when the instructor gives students the opportunity to evaluate the work of other team members. The gauging of individuals involves the investigating of various aspects of the projects. These include communication skills, efforts, cooperation, and participation of individual members. It is facilitated by the use of forms, which are completed by the students. Group work aims at improving both accountability of individuals and vital information due to dynamics experienced in the group. To some extent, an instructor can involve the external feedbacks. These feedbacks are finally incorporated into the final score of the student’s group grade. There are various mechanisms for assessing and grading the group. First, there is shared grading. Through this, the submitted work of the group is assessed and same grade to all members is awarded without considering the individual’s contribution. Secondly, there is averaging of the group grade. Through this, each member is required to submit the portion allocated. After assessing the individual’s work, an average of all the members is evaluated and this grade is awarded to group members. This average group grade promotes members to focus on group and individual work. There is also individual grading, where the student’s allocated work is assessed and grades given to individuals. This enhances efforts during working with all the members. In fact, this method is the fairest way of grading group work. There is also an individual report grading in which each member is required to write individual report. After submitting, assessment is done and a grade is given to the student. Finally, there is an individual examination grading where questions are examined based on the project. This encourages students to participate fully during the project. It is hard to answer the questions if you have not participated in the g roup work. How assessment prepares students for higher education/ workforce/ student character It is a fact that in any institution exam is an inevitable criterion of assessing students. Whichever the system adopted by the governments of various countries worldwide, exam is an important event as teachers are able to allow those students who perform well to progress in their learning (Stefanakis, 2010). Those who have not met the minimum grading will require extra tuition before they are promoted. This will involve the initiatives of parents to hire tutors for the student. Exam assessment prepares the student for higher levels of learning, because the higher institutions of learning have exam assessment too. Therefore, it is important for the students to get used to exam as well as research, which will boost the student understanding during lectures in the university or in college. Similarly, at the end of a university degree course the students are required to carry out a project ei ther as individual or group work. The knowledge and experience of teamwork gained during the lower study levels will play a great role in successful completion of tasks in the university. Another important factor of assessment is that it helps a student to develop his or her character from childhood to adulthood. For the first time a student joins the school the test should be initiated. From small things the student is asked by the teacher or by other colleagues, he or she learns how to associate with other students especially during the group work tasks. The student learns and embraces teamwork, cooperation, and accountability. These virtues are a foundation for character. In addition, the student acquires communication skills especially during the presentation of project work or during class sessions. These small facts about life accumulate and contribute to life outside the school. The student is able to work in any environment. The exam credentials are vital requirements in the job market. All firms base their employment qualification on exams. More often, employers choose best workers based on their exam papers. This approach has been vital since employers might not have time to assess ability to demonstrate their skills (Stefanakis, 2010). Therefore, the underlying basis is both exam and group assessment. Group assessment helps to build teamwork, which is a vital virtue in the workplace. Most projects in an organization are done in groups. Hence, teamwork aspects are very crucial during implementation. The student utilizes the knowledge and experience of group work during school. The working environment is not so much different from socialization in school. In any organization, the success of a company is determined by the teamwork and unity of the workers. These vital virtues are learnt and developed in school and are enhanced by assessment. References Harlen, W. (2007). Assessment of learning. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications. Nitko, A. J. (2001). E ducational assessment of students (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River,N.J.: Merrill. Paquette, K. R. (2010). Striving for the perfect classroom instructional and assessment strategies to meet the needs of todays diverse learners. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Salvia, J. (2001). Assessment (8th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Stefanakis, E. H. (2010). Differentiated assessment how to assess the learning potential of every student. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

How to Write a Perfect Sales Associate Resume (Examples Included)

How to Write a Perfect Sales Associate Resume (Examples Included) always. be. selling. that’s a common motto for anyone in a sales or retail position, but don’t forget a very important point of the job hunt: it applies to you as well. when you’re putting together your resume, never forget that if you want to prove how well you can sell, make sure you’re marketing yourself as well as you possibly can. let’s look at three different kinds of sales professionals: one newbie, one seeking seasonal retail employment, and an experienced sales associate looking to become a manager. first up: laura, who’s seeking her first job in retail sales.download this resume in ms wordlike many job hunters with more enthusiasm than experience (so far), laura wants a resume format that showcases what she already has. this means changing things up a little from the traditional experience + skills + education format, and putting her most relevant skills first.laura has some traditional work experience as a food server, but she want s to showcase her dog walking business, which has skills that could be very transferrable to a sales role. she starts by using the word â€Å"entrepreneur†/†entrepreneurial† up front, to emphasize her business skills. it’s important that she uses her bullet points to back that up, and she doess)How to Write a Perfect Occupational Therapist ResumeHow to Write a Perfect Physician Assistant Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Receptionist Resume (Examples Included)How to Create a Perfect Retail ResumeHow to Write a Perfect Sales Associate Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Social Worker Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Truck Driver Resume (With Examples)

Salary Negotiation Tactics for College Students

Salary Negotiation Tactics for College Students Your education was a valuable investment. You need to walk the walk in order to leverage it and get the salary you deserve. If you have never had a career before, it can be intimidating to negotiate your pay with potential employers. Do your homework, then go for the gold with these negotiation tactics that are sure to help you establish a pay rate you are comfortable with. Research Salaries Within the Company If it is at all possible to find out how much other people within the organization are making, do so. Find out as much as you can about any positions similar to yours and the experience, if you can, of the workers doing the job. Sometimes this part can be tricky since financial information can be considered a personal confidential matter. Sometimes you can find tax information about the organization and nothing more. If this is the case, just use it as food for thought as you find out more about what you’re worth. You can potentially compare this to other similar companies and make educated guesses about what’s reasonable. Look Up Salary Averages in Your Local and Regional Area Within your job description, you should be able to find salary averages, both in your city and in your region. This is where comparing company profits might come in handy. For example, if you are applying for a position at a company that is on the lower end of the profit scale, you shouldn’t ask for the same salary as the highest average in your area. In that case, you should ask for less. Make Sure You’ve Come Across as an Exceptional Candidate If you’re at this point in the game, you already know this company likes you, but have you completely wowed them? Do something that will set the stage for your negotiation, making you stand out from all other candidates, and show your employer that they do not want you slipping through their fingers. This is the key to leverage showing up as your best self and making sure that has been recognized. You don’t achieve this by being arrogant, but you don’t get it by being mousy either. Try to find a problem the organization is facing, knows they are facing, and solve it for them. Service is the best way to add value to any situation. Expand the Proposal Beyond Monetary Compensation Do not forget to consider benefits such as a healthcare package, vacation time, window office, new phone, work from home days, expense accounts for travel, etc. You can’t be too creative with this, but do stay reasonable. For whatever you are asking, you should include reasons, in your proposal, why the items would help you do your job. Use Facts in Your Negotiation Once you have all the facts, write them down in a way that is clear, conceptual, and never demanding. Employers will want to see exactly how you came up with your proposed rate, especially since you have no prior experience. Answer any questions they might have before they ask, especially why you might want the amount you’re asking for. Then, continue revising your proposal as many times as you need to feel great about it. Once you’ve got the right proposal, the one you feel good about (Don’t spend weeks on this, since you want it done in time to start working asap.), present it to the company in a way that you think they will feel good about. Send it to the appropriate person for review in a format that is appropriate for the company’s size and how busy the hiring staff seems. The best case scenario is to ask how they would prefer you present your proposal, whether this be in person or via email, etc. The bottom line is that you shouldn’t let the idea of negotiation intimidate you to the point of missing out on what you deserve. By doing thorough research and planning, you should find the confidence to find the salary you want and need without much stress.

The World in which You Live Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The World in which You Live - Essay Example When Orwell called for international control over nuclear activities back in 1945 and how this had been addressed since then, nothing much had ever really changed. This is why I am admittedly among those who have a pessimistic view of the future. We are as dumbfounded today as we are before of the reality that nuclear warfare may bring. Of course, gone are the days of the Cold War with Russia and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or USSR had been torn to pieces. The world is still divided according to economic prowess coupled by military sophistication between the rich and the poor. Day by day this divide is only growing and growing but the growth of China will bring forth a very exciting development. This is something that had been unwittingly mentioned by Orwell, â€Å"The haggling as to where the frontiers are to be drawn is still going on, and will continue for some years, and the third of the three super-states--East Asia, dominated by China--is still potential rat her than actual† (par. 7). Aside from aspects within the control of man, there is also the natural that proves to be a more pressing problem. Preparation is the key as there are various threats that proliferate in man’s everyday existence. The incessant disasters that have struck recently are only the beginning of what is in store in the coming years.

Deception Detection in the Courtroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Deception Detection in the Courtroom - Essay Example For instance, the use of the polygraph can give misleading information about a person. The simple principle applied by polygraphs is that it is stressful to lie, and stress brings up certain changes to normal functions of the body. The deviations from the norm can be measured, and the levels of stress determined to give conclusions. Another technology that is applied is fMRI. This is a type of technology that gives the direct behavior of the brain. Studies have been conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of this technology through experiments. There are differences in the brain’s activities when a person is engaging in lies and when the person is telling the truth. This simple principle is applied in the use of fMRI. There are debates that revolve around the application of this technology in getting justice in court rooms, but they have not been agreed upon. In this technology, there are procedures applied to detect deception. First there is the Control Question Test (CQT), this uses simple yes/no answers to get the culprits’ data captured and the second is Guilt Knowledge Test (GKT). The test is used to unveil any hidden information from the person being tested. Another technique that can be used is brain fingerprinting, this technology applies the use of electroencephalography. This technique is used to detect any hidden information in the brain through measurement of electric brain waves. This technique is also being tested for the determination of whether individuals are engaging in lies or not.

Organizing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizing Paper - Essay Example Human resources An organisation’s success is greatly dependent on the human resources employed in that particular organisation. The talent and professional abilities inherent in the human resource is demonstrated by tact in duty performance. Starbucks has invested in ensuring that it has the right talent and ability in place perfected by professionalism. The company also banks on the motivation of employees to realize its profitability. It has greatly relied on its baristas and other frontline staff to getting the best customer. The recruitment process at Starbucks outlines the need for hiring the right people to the organisation, where right people are placed in the selection and training of new employees (Dess, Lumpkin, & Eisner 20). According to Barney (18), the diversity of the management team and the organisational commitment to training of its staff makes the company to be a market leader in innovation in market differentiation. The company competitively remunerates its employees to maintain them and avoid staff turnover. The company has continuously strived to give an unrivalled work environment by means of offering strong management and benefit packages that are above the industry set standards (Dess, Lumpkin, & Eisner 16). ... the employees get time to meet and exchange their experiences they are able to learn between themselves new skills and tact on ways of meddling through the daily business activities. Knowledge The company’s knowledge about what strategy to put in action is instrumental to the success of the company. The various strategies to be applied at particular times are a key antidote to the progress of the company. Horizontal integration used by the company to gain market dominance and presence, this has been achieved through acquisitions of Seattle’s best, Torrefazione Italia and Coffee People all these have been major coffee shops. The knowledge of the significance of acquiring these shops was important in making the decision. Market penetration is crucial to a company presence; the company has established this through differentiation and product placement. Outside the retail stores is also a unique strategy not adapted by other shops. The company’s knowledge of consumer s shopping and consumption habits is important in designing and packaging its products in a manner that consumers find appealing. The company has greatly utilised this information in ensuring that it concentrically diversifies its bottled drinks, ice creams and liqueur (Barney 22). A market has to be developed continuously in order to ensure continued growth of the company. This has been facilitated by the knowledge of the firm to diversify its market by educating its consumers of the value of its products and the speciality of the coffee the company sells to its consumers (Dess, Lumpkin & Eisner 27). The shops are also well versed with the various tastes of consumers as pertaining to music and movies such that the company stands a good ground in offering these to its consumers as they visit their shops,

Haiti Earthquake Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Haiti Earthquake - Research Paper Example Except, this latest earthquake has brought to surface the fragility of the Haitian government and institutions because of their inability to provide survivors basic care and necessary safety nets (Amnesty International, 2011). There has been a considerable amount of evidence and proof that shows the poor functioning of the government in bringing the life back to normal in the earthquake hit zones. Haitian citizens are left homeless, displaced, living in makeshift tents, and now are fighting daily against Cholera which has been introduced into environment by United Nations. In this paper, let us analyze the outcome of the quake which has paved way for the development of internal conflicts and the steps that needs to be taken to prevent the internal conflict. Haiti will have to learn from other such earthquake prone zones as to how to face the consequences. Variable Natural Disaster Internal Conflict (Direct Variable) (Independent Variable) Owing to the imbalance and proper organizatio n of powers there tend to be a lot of problem in a country in case of a natural disaster like that of an earthquake. There are several conflicts that will arise out of a situation like earthquake that will drain out human resource, economy and also life balance in a region. Many political, economic, and social conflicts bound to happen. Hypothesis There is definite relationship between the 2010 Haitian earthquake and internal conflict. Theory The 2010 Haitian earthquake will stimulate internal conflict if the vulnerabilities of the people aren’t handled quickly and efficiently. Currently, earthquake survivors are going hungry, dying from the lack of sanitation, and women are being sexually abuse. These are some of the many vulnerabilities being exacerbated by the earthquake. Haitians were poor and lacked resources before the earthquake but the atrocities left behind have intensified those vulnerabilities. The country will be on the brink of an internal conflict you must defin e/operationalize internal conflict! if proper precautions aren’t taken now. There are various studies that demonstrate that an earthquake and a natural disaster can bring a population closer. Just as there many studies showing that sudden disasters, change on the environment can bring pressure to states with the inability to properly handle a natural disaster. This paper deals with the natural disaster and the potential consequences that may arise out of such tough situation. The output will be compared with that of the Haitian situation in order to get the derivative. Yes, there is obvious unrest, lack of housing, and scarcity of other resources. However, in this research paper I would like to examine how natural disasters that occur in underdeveloped countries can lead to internal conflict by looking at other underdeveloped countries which has experienced natural disasters. Literature Review Natural disasters occur suddenly and thus the reason that these create the most ana rchy within a region. The people are the worst sufferers because their homes have been dismantled and the property that remained within their fore is affected nonetheless (Topkaya, 2011). The United Nations defines natural disaster as â€Å"the consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region.†

Personal Moral Compass & Vision Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Moral Compass & Vision Statement - Essay Example Back in the late 1990’s Nike, a corporation that was built on image and marketing to obtain tremendous brand value, lost a lot of customers due a sweetshop scandal. In this paper I will provide an assessment of my capabilities for ethical leadership and vision five years from now. Since a very young age I have always had very high moral standards. I believe it is important to do things the right way. In the marketing profession there are many challenges that a professional may face. There are ethical dilemmas such as choosing whether to target other competitors and aggressively discredit their practices in campaigns even when the claims may be half truths or irrelevant information. I believe do not believe that adverting people should use the competition as a point of basis of a campaign. Advertising should focus on highlighting the strengths of the firm or product. I think advertising campaigns such as the Dunking Donuts campaign that tells people that real friends donâ€℠¢t let their friends drink at Starbucks are unethical. I consider that my capabilities to make decisions using ethical leadership are outstanding. I have always considered the ethical implications my decisions in life and in business. I can improve my ethical understanding by taking structured seminars and continued education courses on the subject. In the past when I have been faced with tough ethical decisions I sometimes communicate the dilemma to friend or colleague in order to gain their opinion and input on the matter. Active listening skills are useful to evaluate the feedback from other people in order to make better informed decisions. Five years from now I plan to be working in a marketing department. At that time I will face ethical challenges on a recurrent basis. I potential challenge that I may face could involved deciding whether to expand the operations of the company into developing countries to raise profits with the consequence being lowering the jobs the firm cre ates in the United States. The options in this scenario are to expand into one or many foreign countries or to target growth exclusively in the domestic market. My ethical point of view on these types of business international matters is that it is the ethical responsibility of the company is to choose the alternative that maximizes shareholder’s wealth. Patriotism is a nice notion, but in business being close minded doesn’t lookout for the best interest of the firm. A good option to create balance would be to invest in the international option if is more profitable, to then in the future use those profits to diversify your operation and help the US economy by investing in new ventures in the United States. There are other important ethical decisions that I might face in 2016 as a professional in the workplace. A topic that is going to gain greater popularity in marketing circles in 2016 is corporate social responsibility. I have seen companies that are using innovativ e marketing programs to help out social causes. A few years ago Starbuck Cafe introduced a program that donated 5 cents out of every sale of certain beverages towards supporting AIDS programs in Africa. These types of programs at first glance might be seeing with hesitation by upper management because their perception might be that such a mandatory donation is an added cost that lowers the profitability of a product. Ethical leadership can have tremendous benefits. As a marketing professional it would be my duty to educate management over the value of such a

Leaving Canada - What tax issues should a Canadian leaving Canada Article

Leaving Canada - What tax issues should a Canadian leaving Canada consider so that they become non-resident for Canadian tax pur - Article Example Therefore, once a person moves out of Canada, they would want to break all ties with the country, thus making them non-residents. Being a Canadian non-resident means that one is allowed to pay less (or no) taxes to Canadian Revenue Agency. In order to achieve this non-payment of taxes, one must ensure that he establishes new residence in the country he migrates to, and sever all residence ties with Canada. This is because, as â€Å"Tax for Canadian Expats† provides, the Canadian tax agency can only consider someone as a non-resident after they have been living out of Canada for 24 months. According to â€Å"Emigrants and Income Tax 2011†, one can sever residential ties with Canada by selling or leasing out his Canadian homes on a long-term basis and establishing permanent homes in his new country (4). Secondly, one can have his spouses and dependants, if any, leave Canada and join him in his destination countries. A Canadian expatriate can also dispose of any property h e has in Canada, surrender his driving license, credit cards, and health insurance (ibid). If one does not sever his residential ties with Canada, then he is liable for the taxation of his overseas income. Tax obligations to Canada After a person leaves Canada and severs all residential ties with the tax agency, there are a number of source incomes that are liable for taxation under the Canadian law. According to â€Å"Leaving Canada Checklist† the payers in Canada are allowed to a withholding tax rate of 25 per cent (5) on some income sources. Some of the income sources liable to this taxation include rental payments, annuity payments, retiring allowances, and dividends. An emigrant is obligated to pay tax on these types of income sources and can, therefore, not file any return claims. However, as â€Å"Tax for Canadian Expats† provides, an expatriate who receives income from such sources as real estate and timber operations may decide to pay taxes using a different t axing method then ask for a refund on some of the withheld tax. In addition, an emigrant has tax obligations to Canada if they owed the country any taxes prior to their departure. A person can also file for a refund if they paid excess taxes to the Canadian tax agency. According to the provisions of â€Å"Emigrants and Income Tax 2011† such returns should be filed on or before the 30th day of April, the year after the expatriate moved out of Canada (7). Tax obligations to the new country of residence Most countries have a system of taxing the incomes of their residents. This means that a person migrating from Canada to another country will most probably have to pay taxes on their income in the destination country. Accordingly, â€Å"Tax for Canadian Expats† advices that such a person should ensure that these taxes are paid for by their employer, by insisting on a written contract specifying that the company is responsible for the payment of such taxes. The employee sho uld keep records to show that they have paid those taxes, by obtaining copies of tax returns filed on their behalf by the recruiting company (ibid). Proof of payment of taxes in a foreign country enables an emigrant to request for the deduction of Canadian tax

Personal Moral Compass & Vision Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Moral Compass & Vision Statement - Essay Example Back in the late 1990’s Nike, a corporation that was built on image and marketing to obtain tremendous brand value, lost a lot of customers due a sweetshop scandal. In this paper I will provide an assessment of my capabilities for ethical leadership and vision five years from now. Since a very young age I have always had very high moral standards. I believe it is important to do things the right way. In the marketing profession there are many challenges that a professional may face. There are ethical dilemmas such as choosing whether to target other competitors and aggressively discredit their practices in campaigns even when the claims may be half truths or irrelevant information. I believe do not believe that adverting people should use the competition as a point of basis of a campaign. Advertising should focus on highlighting the strengths of the firm or product. I think advertising campaigns such as the Dunking Donuts campaign that tells people that real friends donâ€℠¢t let their friends drink at Starbucks are unethical. I consider that my capabilities to make decisions using ethical leadership are outstanding. I have always considered the ethical implications my decisions in life and in business. I can improve my ethical understanding by taking structured seminars and continued education courses on the subject. In the past when I have been faced with tough ethical decisions I sometimes communicate the dilemma to friend or colleague in order to gain their opinion and input on the matter. Active listening skills are useful to evaluate the feedback from other people in order to make better informed decisions. Five years from now I plan to be working in a marketing department. At that time I will face ethical challenges on a recurrent basis. I potential challenge that I may face could involved deciding whether to expand the operations of the company into developing countries to raise profits with the consequence being lowering the jobs the firm cre ates in the United States. The options in this scenario are to expand into one or many foreign countries or to target growth exclusively in the domestic market. My ethical point of view on these types of business international matters is that it is the ethical responsibility of the company is to choose the alternative that maximizes shareholder’s wealth. Patriotism is a nice notion, but in business being close minded doesn’t lookout for the best interest of the firm. A good option to create balance would be to invest in the international option if is more profitable, to then in the future use those profits to diversify your operation and help the US economy by investing in new ventures in the United States. There are other important ethical decisions that I might face in 2016 as a professional in the workplace. A topic that is going to gain greater popularity in marketing circles in 2016 is corporate social responsibility. I have seen companies that are using innovativ e marketing programs to help out social causes. A few years ago Starbuck Cafe introduced a program that donated 5 cents out of every sale of certain beverages towards supporting AIDS programs in Africa. These types of programs at first glance might be seeing with hesitation by upper management because their perception might be that such a mandatory donation is an added cost that lowers the profitability of a product. Ethical leadership can have tremendous benefits. As a marketing professional it would be my duty to educate management over the value of such a

The Presence of Love and Self-Sacrifice Essay Example for Free

The Presence of Love and Self-Sacrifice Essay Love is most likely the one motif that can be present in everything. History is full of fallen empires and wars waged all caused by love—or what the people themselves believe as something called love. Literature is another branch of knowledge that does not only record all the feelings that the great and famous convey for their loved ones, but it is also the proof of how people think when they are in love. Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets all serve as an extensive testament to how intense love can make a person feel and be. From the dramatic to the comic and from the ridiculous illusions to the harsh realities, love, no matter how cliche it may sound, really makes the world go around. This cliche may be applied to the two books that will be compared in this paper: de Chretien Troyes’ â€Å"Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart† and George MacDonald’s â€Å"Phantastes. † De Troyes’ book can only be the type that fantasy and adventures can be made of in its true chivalric glory. Lancelot has always been a familiar and a favourite knight, most especially since he won Lady Guinevere’s love and admiration considering she is already the Queen Guinevere of the King Arthur. Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart is really a rather absurd account of how a knight would go into great lengths of trying to rescue his damsel in distress. In the modern context that we have today, such narration, plot, setting, and language would have been considered as romantic by the women and preposterous by the men. However, there is really something so endearing about a story wherein love and self-sacrifice play with the characters at their purest sense. De Troyes’ book begins in Queen Guinevere’s abduction by a mysterious knight. The knights of King Arthur, Lancelot and Gawain, soon chase after the abductor to rescue Queen Guinevere. The book gives a detailed account of how Lancelot and Gawain rescue the Queen, but more than that, it is a narration of how Lancelot will endure everything just to win back the Queen. Lancelot, at the start of his journey, is identified as the Knight of the Cart (de Troyes vv. 539-982). He has somehow managed to get himself in a complicated situation that makes him lose his mount (horse) that he is forced to walk whilst wearing his armour and his sword. It is in this state that he meets a Dwarf who tells him that he will see the Queen if he will ride the cart that the Dwarf is driving. It would not have been a problem if Lancelot is in the modern times, but back then, riding a cart is such a disgrace since it is only the criminals who have the privilege to do so. Only criminals are rendered low enough to ride such a disgraceful thing. This scene is very important as this will make Lancelot be known as â€Å"The Knight of the Cart. † Moreover, this will cause the Queen’s cold attitude that she will show Lancelot when he finally rescues her. Considering the great lengths that Lancelot had to go through just to get to the Queen, she still treated him coldly. This scene is also one of the early glimpses that the reader will be able to see concerning Lancelot and his great love for the Queen Guinevere: The knight hesitated only for a couple of steps before getting in. Yet, it was unlucky for him that he shrank from the disgrace, and did not jump in at once; for he will later rue his delay. But common sense, which is inconsistent with loves dictates, bids him refrain from getting in, warning him and counseling him to do and undertake nothing for which he may reap shame and disgrace. Reason, which dares thus speak to him, reaches only his lips, but not his heart; but love is enclosed within his heart, bidding him and urging him to mount at once upon the cart. So he jumps in, since love will have it so, feeling no concern about the shame, since he is prompted by loves commands. (de Troyes Vv. 247-398. ) There is an endless narration of Lancelot’s obstacles. The first that is of importance is the temptation he successfully surpasses as a beautiful lady seduces him, asking that he makes love to her in exchange for a night’s rest and lodging. The Knight of the Cart encounters similar situations wherein he is tested and tempted, but he always emerges victorious in the end. Adventures that soon followed allow him to display and show his skills as a Knight and more importantly, as an honourable and strong Knight. He frees the people of Logres from the imprisonment of the Kingdom of Gorre where the Queen Guinevere is held captive. Nevertheless, even if Lancelot has always emerged victorious after every obstacle, it is the crossing of the Sword Bridge which proves his determination and encompassing love to Queen Guinevere: He is going to support himself with his bare hands and feet upon the sword, which was sharper than a scythe, for he had not kept on his feet either sole or upper or hose. But he felt no fear of wounds upon his hands or feet; he preferred to maim himself rather than to fall from the bridge and be plunged in the water from which he could never escape. In accordance with this determination, he passes over with great pain and agony, being wounded in the hands, knees, and feet. But even this suffering is sweet to him: for Love, who conducts and leads him on, assuages and relieves the pain. (De Troyes Vv. 3021-3194) Lancelot safely crosses the bridge and is greeted warmly by the kind-hearted King of Gorre and the cold-blooded Maleagant (the King’s son) who is responsible for imprisoning Queen Guinevere. Maleagant challenges Lancelot into a duel, and as all noble knights should, he wins the fight. Maleagant is always plotting and plotting, trying to get through the Knight of the Cart as he accumulates such a hatred for the Knight. The Queen and Lancelot finally unite (literally and figuratively speaking) when a situation both puts them into thinking that the other person is dead. The adventure that Lancelot undertakes is so rigorous, challenging, and battle-laden that it is even befitting to make it into a dramatic and action-filled movie. The Knight of the Cart does not only have to endure numerous temptations from very beautiful ladies and magical beings, but he is also faced with other knights who want to steal those beautiful ladies or knights who just want to engage in a battle or a swordfight just for the sake of bathing in pure masculine glory. The Great Knight is also tested in terms of intellect and emotions as he goes on his adventures—deciding the fates of people, plotting military schemes, and making the most of battle situations—and most especially, as his reputation is tarnished as he is ridiculed and mocked as The Knight of the Cart. Indeed, love plays such a significant part in the novel as it is solely the reason why Lancelot would go to such great extent to rescue his lady (even if technically, she is not his lady). Love has always been such a great driving force of humans that it is subjected to great debates and studies and such. Teenagers commit suicide because of love, and single mothers become single mothers also because of love. Even big companies have made it a profitable excuse to market love. Love in all its beauty has been defined by a lot of people, from the downright romantic to the utterly realistic and pessimistic. In De Troyes’ book, the author refrained from making Lancelot’s love into such an enormous situation that it would dangerously border on being ridiculous. Instead, De Troyes narrated the whole plot into a magical and fantastical adventure of how a man would endlessly search for his woman. The knight selflessly sacrificed literally everything in his power just to assure the safety and well-being of his lady. Coupled with the love that Lancelot has been showing Queen Guinevere is the sacrifice that he has been generously giving the Queen. At the fourth part of the book, Lancelot was imprisoned by Meleagant in a tower for a year. The fact that he was imprisoned in a windowless and doorless tower in the first place suggests that he offended Meleagant by winning Queen Guinevere’s freedom by a duel. However, the people of King Arthur were unable to locate Lancelot’s whereabouts that when he was finally released, he was ‘so feeble that he staggered from his weakness and disability’ (De Troyes Vv. 6657). The first book analyzed above shows a strong and immense love that transcended time that even the younger generations of the fast-paced modern times today are somehow enthralled and drawn to how enormous love can be and how great are the sacrifices that a person can render if he or she is in love. The next book, Phantastes, a novel by George MacDonald is a fusion of what two worlds can offer—the reality and the fantasy. MacDonald’s protagonist, Anodos, wakes up one day into a different world and discovers that he has fairy blood in his veins: ‘I awoke one morning with the usual perplexity of mind which accompanies the return of consciousness’ (MacDonald 5). He goes into an adventure in the Fairy Land or the Kingdom of ‘Phantasy’ as he sees the White Lady/Lady of the Marble and falls in love with her (Macdonald 104). He goes on a long journey, searching for her every time as he gets lost time and time again. Anodos uses his voice and starts to sing as to inject life and breathe into the Lady’s stone-figure. Anodos, like the Knight of the Cart, goes into rigorous obstacles as he desperately tries to free the Lady from the curse: How I got through this dreary part of my travels, I do not know. I do not think I was upheld by the hope that any moment the light might break in upon me; for I scarcely thought about that. I went on with a dull endurance, varied by moments of uncontrollable sadness; for more and more the conviction grew upon me that I should never see the white lady again. (MacDonald 117) I could bear it no longer. ‘I will not be tortured to death, I cried; I will meet it half-way. The life within me is yet enough to bear me up to the face of Death, and then I die unconquered. ’ (MacDonald 119) The book is narrated in a very simple manner and in the first-person point of view as Anodos himself is the story teller. The song of Anodos is the only reason why the Lady wakes up, and yet, there are also many moments when Anodos is lost and grappling with words and melody that no song would come out (MacDonald 104-105). However, as always, his love surpasses all and he sings the most lovely of the songs, ‘DUMB ART THOU? O Love immortal/ More than words thy speech must be/ Childless yet the tender portal/ Of the home of melody’ (MacDonald 107). The lines were somehow describing how love, in all its immortality and beauty, is mute and cannot speak. Rather, love is so sacred and intense that to give it meaning, words or even a voice is to lose the magnanimity of that emotion. The novel ends in a bittersweet memory as Anodos wakes up from his Fairy Land dream: ‘I found myself lying in the open air, in the early morning, before sunrise’ (MacDonald 174). Anodos has changed because of his adventures from the Fairy Land. He has learned to live with the exemplary teachings and values that he acquired and experienced during his dream. Most importantly, he has learned what love is and how great is its power, even if it was never meant to be his. Anodos, like the Knight of the Cart, has selflessly searched for his love just to deliver her from the curse of being a Lady of Marble. He was ridiculed by the dwarves countless of times, was frightened to death by the Ash Tree, and even went to long and strenuous journeys just to locate the White Lady’s whereabouts. However, the most cruel of part is the fact that he knew that the White Lady is already betrothed to someone else and is meant to love someone else, The Red Knight: Crowding about me like bees, they shouted an insect-swarm of exasperating speeches up into my face, among which the most frequently recurring were—‘You shant have her; you shant have her; he! he! he! Shes for a better man; how hell kiss her! how hell kiss her! ’ (MacDonald 114) What is remarkable about Anodos is the way he answers the goblins nobly: ‘Well, if he is a better man, let him have her’ (MacDonald 114). The two books contain both the motifs of love and self-sacrifice. Did the heroes sacrifice themselves selflessly because they love the person, or did they love the person, that is why they can sacrifice themselves fully? Love, more often than not, is too complicated and ambiguous; yet, it seems to be a universal language and emotion that can be understood by all. The obvious resignation of the men of both books (Andonos and Lancelot) for their ladies’ affection and life justifies the fact that the men love their ladies, and no matter what happens, they will make it a point to save them. The endless obstacles of the two men with various aspects (supernatural, psychological, emotional etc. ) prove that they will indeed go to great lengths not just to have a glimpse of the ladies’ magnificent beauty (as to the case of Anodos) but more importantly, to save their lives. Saving the lives could both pertain to the heroes and the damsels in distress. While the Queen Guinevere and the White Lady are both in danger because of external forces beyond their control, Andonos and Lancelot also put their lives on the line for the sake of rescuing them. Why would the two men go so far to such extremes when they could have any lady? Is it because they love the women that make them face such dangerous adventures? In some sense, the men are tremendously in love with their women that to live without them is death itself. Love is almost connected with a feeling of wanting to possess and belonging. The two men wanted none of that perverted definition of the emotion. The men would be willing to give up their lives because they have to protect the women. It has become a rather automatic action, or in simplistic terms, it is instinct that makes them want and need to protect the women. Anodos and the Knight of the Cart do not necessarily want the women to belong to them, and they do not necessarily want or need to possess the women. At the end of both books, the both men knew that the ladies would not and would never belong to them, and yet they did not have any anger or resentment with that decision. Lancelot knew that his Lady Guinevere belongs and will always belong to King Arthur’s side as Queen Guinevere and the ruler of Camelot. Even if he knew this fact, he still loved her unconditionally and without any reservations. Certainly, as the King’s Knight and as person, he should not have done that, but that is not the case in this paper, and that is entirely another matter. Anodos’ love and Lancelot’s love are the same in a sense that both would go to exceptional extent just to prove their love to their respective ladies. Moreover, their love is enduring and non-complaining that it is very endearing to whoever would read the books. The difference in their love lies in the judgment that Anodos’ love is more whimsical and mystical that it contains an attribute of being sweetly melodic and at the same time melancholic. Anodos’ love is self sacrificial in a sense that it is hopeless, compared to Lancelot and the Queen, wherein they have a more reciprocated love for each other than that of the White Lady and Anodos. In addition, even if Lancelot’s love is forbidden (since the Queen is already married), the love is still reciprocated by his loved one and that makes his love more powerful, stronger, and more ardent than that of Adonos’ love for the White Lady. Nevertheless, both men loved, and that is what matters the most. The ultimate test and evidence that they hold genuine love for their respective loved ones is the fact that they let go of the ladies in the end. The Queen Guinevere has her King Arthur, and the White Lady has her Red Knight. The self sacrifice was not really the adventure that they experienced and the gruelling obstacles they faced. It is the moment when they went ahead with the adventure even if the lady was not theirs in the first place. It is the moment when at the end of their long and arduous adventure, they still let the lady choose her happiness, and then they let go. Works Cited De Troyes, Chretien. Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart. Trans. Burton Raffel. Yale University: Yale University Press, 1997. MacDonald, George. Phantastes: A Faerie Romance For Men and Women. London: Smith, Elder and Co. , 1858.