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.