The existence of botnets is the most serious threat to the information Essay

The existence of botnets is the most serious threat to the information security today - Essay Example In other words, when one downloads bot software embedded in an email using a computer, the computer gets infected with the bot software and becomes part of the botnet. For a botnet to qualify as a botnet, it must always take action on a client machine through IRC channels, without the intervention of a bot herder. This means that the hacker (or group of hackers) need not personally log onto the client’s computer. Botnets usually are host to several threats as one package. Typically, the botnet is made up of the bot server and at least one botclients. History of Botnets The origin of bots is associated with positive objectives, mainly to automate activities, the first real botnet being established in 1993. Botnets for example were used to run activities such as internet games, protect channels and perform conversions (Hudak, nd). Over time, the positive attributes evolved and started to be exploited for malicious purposes. Today, the negative activities carried out by botnets i nclude sending of spam, controlling of client PCs against their wishes and to propagate viruses and worms. Botnets first existed with DoS and DDoS with hackers creating better ways of managing the bots over time. From the traditional Command and Control (C&C) mechanism, botnets became transmitted signals based on P2P, IRC and HTTP according to Hudak (nd). The potential of botnets today cannot be understated. It is not uncommon for example for one botnet to consist of over 10,000 computers. It is also not rare to find a botnet consisting of over 400000 computers.The potential of having so many bots interconnected makes the potential of any botnet go beyond common imagination. In fact, it is this potential that is normally harnessed by botmasters (whether with positive or negative intentions) to achieve their goals or accomplish goals fast and efficiently. How Botnets Work and What they are used for The establishment of a botnet depends on the existence of a hacker, a server and clien t computers. The hacker creates and transmits commands to a computer through a server. The server performs this function repeatedly thereby creating an army of bots that lie in the control of the botmaster. Botnets having been created may be used for a myriad of activities including spamming, phishing, executing click fraud, transmitting Ad-ware as well as for Distributed Denial of Service (DDos) among pother purposes. In 1988 for example, a person by the name of Morris infected over 6,000 computers with Worm worm which represented about 10 percent of Fi (Schiller, 2007). The loss associated with this infection was approximated at between 10 and 100 million USD. Impact of Botnets on Information Security Those in favor of the establishment of botnets argue that botnets make work easier and is a creative way of making cash just like any other job (Schiller, 2007). In consideration of the fact stated above, botnets have been used before to make mega kills by persons with malicious inte ntions as they seek financial motivation or publicity. It has, for example, been reported that Jeanson James in 2006 earned over 60,000 US dollars using a botnet of 400,000 computers that transmitted ad-ware. The amount of publicity that botnets draw to their creators is usually amazing when they are discovered. Apart from the economic benefits of botnets to their creators, a lot of harm is associated with their existence especially considering that a lot of important information is stored by individuals and

Media Racism, Sexism, and Stereotyping Essay Example for Free

Media Racism, Sexism, and Stereotyping Essay His wife constantly has to tell him how to take care of the kids. His children outsmart him and are shown to be out of control at times. On the other hand, the middle class family has a calm, brilliant child. He constantly has to give the working class dad guidance in his day to day decision making. The working class dad is represented as a failure at life, at supporting his family, and the main element highlighted in his role is how stupid he is. The middle class dad is always the calmer one, he takes care of everything whenever a crisis arises, he teaches his kids manners, and is shown as a loving husband. I cannot find any examples of middle class men that are portrayed in the same demeaning way as working class men. Butsch’s piece discusses how inferior statuses are represented by using negative stereotypes of minorities, women, old, and young. These stereotypes are placed into character roles. The problem with this is that viewers are not consciously thinking about the negative images they are watching and the ways in which it affects their view of the depicted group. Think of children and teens watching shows with such inaccurate representations. They start believing and connecting these made up characters with how the real world works. If blondes or black people are portrayed on television as dumb then teens will assume that all people belonging to this category are of inferior intelligence. Butsch also mentions that television can devalue higher status characters by making them have opposite characteristics. He gives example like men acting feminine and adults acting childish. They often will use this strategy when showing a person with contradicting status positions and the lower status characteristic will overshadow the high status characteristic. This is greatly degrading to both sides. For instance, a man in real life that is very feminine will be thought of as a less than for demonstrating characteristics associated with femininity. This sends the message that acting like a woman is a horrible thing to do because women are the lesser gender. The reading was extremely interesting because you can think of numerous examples in our day to day life of stereotyping and character roles. It is frightening how racist and prejudice these shows can be. With the documented impact that advertising has on our culture, we realize how significant the portrayals of different minority groups in advertising can be. In the case of Native Americans, American advertising has a long tradition of exploiting their image and names in order to sell goods. This commodification and corruption of their names and images leads to distorted views of Native Americans by not only other populations, but by Native Americans themselves. Native Americans â€Å"must† act or look a certain way in order to be â€Å"true† Native Americans. Merskin stated, â€Å"Racial and ethnic images, part of American advertising for more than a century, were created in â€Å"less enlightened times† but have become part of American popular culture and thought and persist to this day† (Merskin, 2001, p. 480). The image that has emerged of Native Americans is â€Å"always alien to white† and, thus, seen as not fully human (Merskin, 2001). As Merskin (2001) wrote in her article, we have, to a great extent, become desensitized to the use of Native American imagery and names in advertising. So much so, that we often do not realize how prevalent this practice still is. I know that I am guilty of this as well. When I first read Merskin’s article I thought she was referencing advertising of the past. Then I opened an old issue of Glamour magazine and found a full color, two-page advertisement for American Spirit cigarettes with its use of an American Indian in headdress in its branding. As I looked at the advertisement with disbelief, I glanced at the bottled water I was drinking from; the bottled water company was Arrowhead. There is certainly something to this notion of Native American imagery playing a negative role in advertising today. Reference Section Butsch, R. (2005). Five Decades and Three Hundred Sitcoms about Class and Gender. The Social Construction of Difference amp; Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. Merskin, D. (2001). Winnebagos, Cherokees, Apaches, and Dakotas: The persistence of stereotyping of American Indians in American advertising brands. The Social Construction of Difference amp; Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality.

Soft skills using in public universities in Malaysia

Soft skills using in public universities in Malaysia Malaysians, especially the institutes of higher learning, begin to realize the importance of soft skills after the Higher Education Ministry introduced the Soft Skills Module to all public universities in August 2006. With the emphasis on soft skills, it has then become a necessity to integrate soft skills into the undergraduate programmes. Such remedial action is taken due to the increased of graduates unemployment rate in Malaysia, as well as the rapid expand of job market through the globalization. The graduates in education play a great role in the human capital development one of the utmost crucial aspects in developing our country. The power of our human capital is highly connected with the graduates mentality and intellectual capacity. Producing graduates in education with the essential elements of soft skills would heighten the countrys capability to compete with the rest of the world. This is a must if Malaysia aims to realize the vision of the New Economic Model, the Government Transformation Programme, and the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011 2015). Indeed, institutes of higher learning around the world indisputably are working their best to mould graduates with skills that are highly regarded by employers and able to contribute to the countrys prosperity and social capital. Even more important is, the society would generally expected that besides the solid theoretical knowledge (hard skills), a quality education graduate should acquire additional soft skills. This balance is what gives one graduate competitive edge over another. The term soft skills, which can also be referred as process skills, generic attributes or transferable skills, has no single definition on a particular set of skills. The general common descriptions of these skills include communication skills, life-long learning, team work, leadership, creative and critical thinking skills. All these qualities can be obtained beyond the classroom and of course, the textbooks. Thus, book education alone will no longer suffice in building successful educators. Besides equipping themselves with knowledge, it is also important that the graduates must acquire practical skills and good values. According to Chapman (2006), Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives comes with three learning domains: Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor Domains. The Cognitive Domain involves intellectual capability such as knowledge, whilst the Affective Domain involves feelings, emotions and behaviour just like attitude, and Psychomotor Domain involves manual and physical skills. Hence, the measurement of TESL undergraduates knowledge, skills, and attitude require appropriate tools, which are certainly more than just the traditional pen and paper. In Malaysian context, institutes of higher education are perceived as having a very important role in instilling soft skills to students. No doubt, it would be challenging in the attempts to offer an optimum learning environment. Still, it is crucial to get our students ready to compete with the rest in todays rapidly changing world. Students should be well-rounded academically and personally. In other words, besides knowing-what, students must know-how. Statement of the Problem The system and focus of education in Malaysia has witnessed immense changes over the past two decades. The nature of universities is changing in seeking to meet the new demands and needs of the industry from time to time. Furthermore, through the reinterpretation of the universitys purpose and role in the face of societys changing aspirations, universities have attempted to clarify the nature of the education which they offer to their students. This is crucial in order to extend their graduates potential of contribution to the society (Barnett 1990). The most evident attempt in which universities have sought to articulate their role and purpose is through the description of their graduates qualities, in another word, soft skills. The acquirement of soft skills is pivotal in terms of improving the nations development and curbing the latest issues in society, such as the increased rate of unemployment and complaints about graduates performances which are way below expectations. In 2005, the Malaysian government declared that there were 67,000 unemployed graduates, where most of them had graduated between 2000 and 2004. About 92.6% of these unemployed graduates were from public universities; in contrary, only 5.3% from private institutions. Even before the nation received this alarming news, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER 2004) had announced the results of a survey on the employability and marketability of university graduates, showing that 46.2% of public university graduates were unemployed in 2003. The reasons cited for the low unemployment prospects of public university graduates are that they are inadequately prepared for the job market, lack linguistic (English proficiency, both oral and written) (Lim and Normizan 2004; Chiam 2005; Norizan et al. 2006; EPU 2007; Marina 2007) and technical skills, plus cognitive abilities (analytical thinking, problem-solving, reasoning). Many other countries have also recognized that higher education has not met the expectations of employers (Leckey and McGuigan 1997; Bennett et al. 1999; Kember et al. 2006). The issue of graduate employability seems to be associated with the quality and relevance of programmes offered by public universities (World Bank 2007). Apparently, the formal syllabus structure of public universities has inadequate focus on the integration of soft skills in the curriculum (see also Quek 2005; Quah et al. 2009). Not only that, the teaching approaches has also been mainly didactic, where the students are so used to receive inputs rather than discovering themselves. Studies, researches and employers have suggested it is important for the public universities to incorporate additional soft skills into their curriculum (communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving). By bridging the gaps between universities and the demands of current industry, it creates opportunity for students to be exposed with workplace experience in different sectors (World Bank 2007). Purpose of the Study The main objective of this research is to examine the perspective of TESL undergraduates on the most important soft skills for professional development. Secondly, the study also aimed to investigate the TESL undergraduates perception on the soft skills developed by University of Malaya. The last purpose is to identify if difference exists in the level of importance and competency in soft skills. Significance of the Study It is crucial for the government and public universities to improve the quality and employability of graduates. This study reviews the infusion-acquisition of the soft skills in the curriculum of TESL the undergraduates perspective. Hence, it provides the society a clearer picture on the current achievement of the university in bridging the gaps between soft skills and the formal curriculum. The study would show whether the graduates that the university produced possess a right balance of diverse abilities. Besides that, this study helps to gain wider attention on the importance of soft skills among the undergraduates. They would obtain greater realization that students are now both inputs and outputs (see also Newman et al. 2004), under the broad dimension of quality in higher education. Furthermore, it also increases recognition where student learning must be enhanced beyond the mastery of content. This is important as it ensures the graduates to succeed in the local labour market. Therefore, this paper aims to shed light on the importance of soft skills as perceived by TESL undergraduates on the role and values of these skills in educating the future educators, in an attempt to understand what value they attribute to this set of skills. Research Questions The research questions for this study are as follows: 1. What are the most important soft skills as perceived by TESL undergraduates? 2. How do TESL undergraduates perceive the soft skills development by University of Malaya? 3. What is the relationship between the importance of soft skills and the levels of soft skills developed? Background Literature Review What are soft skills? There are no specific skills that are listed as soft skills; it is being defined differently around the world. In the context of Malaysia, the Malaysian Institute of Higher Learning interprets soft skills as incorporating aspects of generic skills. It includes non-academic skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and lifelong learning. The seven traits of soft skills that are introduced for the institutes of higher learning in Malaysia are communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, lifelong learning and information management skills, leadership, entrepreneurship skill, team work, ethnics and morals. First, from the aspect of communication, students are required to achieve fluency while conversing in Bahasa Malaysia and English language. As graduates, they should be able to express their ideas with clarity and confidence both in written and oral forms. Aside from that, they are expected to be active listeners where while providing the necessary response. Graduates should also be capable of using technology during presentations confidently (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). The following trait, critical thinking and problem solving skills, allows graduates to reflect in a critical, creative, innovative, and analytical way. Not only that we want the graduates to obtain higher level of knowledge, we also want them to be capable in applying the knowledge. Elements that graduates must possess under this aspect are the ability to identify and analyze complex situation as well as making evaluations that are reasonable. In addition, they should have the ability to expand and improve thinking skills, to provide ideas, and alternative solutions (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). Apart from that, the skills of team work are also being integrated to the curriculum. Such skills involve the ability to work and cooperate with people from various social and cultural backgrounds in order to accomplish a shared goal. Forming a good working relationship with the peers is essential. Graduates are inculcated with sense of respect towards others attitude, behaviour, and belief. From time to time, graduates are also expected to undertake the role of a leader and a group member interchangeably (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). In addition to that, from the aspect of lifelong learning and information management, graduates are nurtured to acquire skills and knowledge in practicing self-directed learning independently. They should have the skills to look for relevant information from diverse sources and able to organize them efficiently. Moreover, they should be responsive to new ideas and able to develop an inquiry mind (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). Entrepreneurship skill, also one the traits of soft skills, involves the ability to venture into business and work-related opportunities while creating risk awareness. This skill includes the ability to identify business opportunities and be able to prepare, build, and explore business plans which eventually leads to self-employment (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). Aside from that, ethics and professional moral is significant in moulding quality graduates as well. With the above skill, graduates are able to practice high moral standards in their respective professional fields. Graduates should own the capability to understand the effects of economy, environment, and socio-cultural factors of their professional practice. In relation to ethical issues, graduates should have the capacity to analyze and make decisions in matters concerning ethics. Beyond the working environment, graduates should be able to practice good ethics while being responsible towards the society (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). Last but not least, the Malaysian Institute of Higher Learning also seeks to develop leadership skill Leadership skill entails the ability to lead in various activities. Graduates should have the knowledge on basic leadership theories which will enable the graduates to lead a project. It is also essential that graduates are able to understand the role of a leader and a group member and be able to carry out those roles interchangeably (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia 2006). The Pre-Employment Programme of the University Malaya Soon after the Malaysian Institute of Higher Learning has launched the Soft Skills Module for Malaysian Public Universities, in 2007, University of Malaya has introduced Pre-Employment Programme for graduates who scored below CGPA 3.0. The objective of this programme is to encourage the use of English in and beyond the classrooms setting. It is also strive to develop communication skills in English but also to motivate cooperative learning. The aims of the curriculum and activities designed for this programme are to assist students to write effective letters of application, to conduct themselves favourably at interviews, and to improve their fluency and accuracy in English. Furthermore, it aims to prepare the students to be more confident and train them as active communicators at the workplace. In the pre-employment programme, communication skills are being improved by the reading of advertisements as well as to learn and using social greetings. The graduates would practice telephone conversations, role playing, make speeches, and express their opinions and suggestions. Plus, they would learn the use of discourse markers and persuasive skills in interpersonal communication, grammar and vocabulary as well as writing cover letters and resumes. The graduates would also have to participate in public speaking and stage presentation. Apart from that, this programme promotes cooperative learning among the graduates. They are divided into small groups with different gender, ethnics and backgrounds. Being in smaller groups enables the graduates realize that each group members efforts are required and indispensable for group success; they should know everyone has a unique contribution to make. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are also learnt through the group activities. Friendly competitions are created between groups to identify the group with the best solution. Groups with the best solution and with the most critical ideas would be announced as winners. Such competition between the groups helped to develop not only the communication and negotiation skills in English, but also the inter-personal and small group skills, where social skills such as leadership skills, decision making, trust building, communication, and conflict management skills are learnt and developed as well. Teaching Practicum Teacher training or teaching practicum can assist in bridging the gap that exists between education and employment. It has become a recognized method for developing the carrier potential of students and making education more relevant (Hymon-Parker Smith, 1998). Teaching practicum presents the student with an opportunity to gain invaluable experience. Classroom learning alone is no longer sufficient to adequately prepare students for the demands of our education field. The right training can be the key to a great job success because it gives the student a change to take on real responsibilities while working side-by-side with professionals. According to Dennis (1996, as cited in Verney, Holoviak, Winter, 2009), internships can help expand upon immediate skills that can improve course performance, such as better time management and communication skills, better self-discipline, heightened initiative and an overall better self-concept. These skills cannot be properly developed if it is just from classroom learning. In University of Malaya, TESL undergraduates will have the opportunity to personally experience the real working culture during the final year for 12 weeks. Mihail (2006) asserted that job training can instill the real work values, gain direct access to job sources, impress potential employers and assist in making wise career choices, all of which can help to improve future job opportunities. Hence, in order to compete and survive in the challenging and competitive working environment, students must develop their work skills, both hard and soft through real work experience. This real work experience has been employed by the education system in developing soft skills in students. The real job setting is expected to enhance students soft skills effectively. Research also suggested that the development of any skill is best facilitated by giving students practice and not by simply talking about it or demonstrating how to do it (D.R. Woods, et al., 1997 as cited in Kamsah, 2006). A study by Cook, Parker and Pettijohn (2004) has shown that job training has improved the general ability to get along with people in work situations, increased confidence level and influenced the future career of the graduates. Furthermore, collective feedback obtained from the evaluations can also be used to revise the curriculum in order to improve student performance and meet employers needs and expectations in the future. Issues such as the lack of practical application as commented by the employers can be minimized and the students can develop various applied workplace skills for transition from the classroom to the world of work. Therefore, with the teaching practicum, development of soft skills among TESL graduates is projected to be more effective. Perception of graduates towards soft skills According to the study of Devadason, Subramaniam, and Daniel (2010), the general perspectives of final undergraduates in University of Malaya shows that the skills embedded in both coursework and training has not met the needs of the students, with the exception for a few skills. This implies that these skills are not adequately infused or acquired either by coursework or training. Plus, their perception also shows that there is insufficient of infusion and acquisition on lifelong learning and information management skills. This reveals a lack of dynamism in the existing programmes of public universities. Courses should be structured to cultivate lifelong learning through active reading and research beyond textbook learning. The result also shows that there is insufficient of integration of leadership skills in the formal curriculum. In fact, this skill is perceived as a critical weakness of local graduates (Quah et al. 2009). In total, the perceived low and selective appreciation of skills by students implies that graduates are still ill-equipped with the necessary competencies. It reflects that there is indeed a need to readdress the existing strategies within the teaching-learning process to ensure a better integration of soft skills. The findings of selective acquisition of certain soft skills in Malaysian universities correspond to the study by Aida et al. (2006). The current situation that happens to Malaysia is many students are equipped with the latest technical certifications and solid work experience; yet lacking the non-technical skills (Kamsah, 2006). While graduating, students may enhance their employability by obtaining an extra degree or certificates, they may not realize on the payoff in acquiring soft skills until after graduating (Brown, Hesketh, Williams, 2003). Another research by Kamsah (2007) indicates that the graduates of University Technology Malaysia believe that each of the soft skills is developed moderately. Therefore, more effort should be put in to empower soft skills among the students through co curricular activities or even during the teaching and learning processes. The university graduates happen to realize that critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as the team working skills are essential to survive the working field. Both domains are viewed as equally important for professional development. Aside from that, from a graduate perspective, soft skills are seen as being deficient in graduates relative to hard skills (Arnold Davey, 1994; Mullen, 1997) although Strebler (1997) notes that technical or hard skill are perceived by graduates as being relatively more critical for getting a job. Similarly, soft skills are generally viewed as less important by academics in comparison with workplace professionals (Page, Wilson, Kolb, 1993). Whereas, Arnold and Davey (1994) note that as graduates spend longer in industry, they rate themselves as more competent in their hard skills but not soft skills. Methodology The main objective of this research is to examine the perspective of TESL undergraduates on the most important soft skills for professional development. Secondly, the study also aimed to investigate the TESL undergraduates perception on the soft skills developed by University of Malaya. The last purpose is to identify if difference exists in the level of importance and competency in soft skills. These objectives led to the following research questions: 1. What are the most important soft skills as perceived by TESL undergraduates? 2. How do TESL undergraduates perceive the soft skills development by University of Malaya? 3. What is the relationship between the importance of soft skills and the levels of soft skills developed? Population and Sampling The population for this research is defined as the TESL undergraduates in University of Malaya. The undergraduates participation in the study would be of voluntary. Selecting TESL undergraduates as the participants creates rich authenticity data for this research. The future teachers of English play significant role in nation building; therefore, their perspectives on soft skills are very much appreciated and valuable. The selected site for this research is University of Malaya. Choosing the oldest and one of the most established universities in Malaysia enhances the research data by reflecting the perspectives of the undergraduates from the university. At the same time, the suitable location and comfortable setting of University of Malaya greatly allows the research to progress smoothly.

Multiple Sclerosis :: essays research papers

The name itself is revealing: multiple, more than one, and sclerosis, which refers to areas of sclerotic (scarred) tissue. Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the white matter of the central nervous system.These areas of sclerosis, also referred to as lesions or plaques, occur in the white matter of the central nervous system. Gray matter consists primarily of nerve cells. Axons (nerve fibers) are the connections between the cell body and the muscles, sensory organs, and primary organs such as the heart. These nerve cells are the communication system both within the central nervous system and between it and the rest of the body. Axons are sheathed in myelin, a white substance (hence the term "white matter") that insulates them and speeds transmission of impulses along the cell fibers. Electrical impulses move along the nerve fiber to the synapse (the connection point between cells) to the next nerve cell.The lesions or plaques of multiple sclerosis are areas of tissue damage arising from inflammation, which occurs when white blood cells and fluid accumulate around blood vessels. This inflammation causes destruction of myelin. After the fragments are cleared away, a scar is formed--the lesion--in the area of demyelinization. The cause-and-effect process of inflammation and demyelinization is unclear. These lesions impede conduction of signals by blocking or slowing communication, either completely or partially and from time to time. The process can be thought of as similar to an electrical short circuit. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis result from that loss or diminution of signal conduction.MS is the most common demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. In the United States alone, there are at least 250,000 cases. For reasons that remain unclear, it is more prevalent in northern temperate zones and affects noticeably more women than men. The average age of onset is thirty years.Research into the underlying causes and processes of MS is ongoing, and in recent years, advances in virology and immunology have rapidly increased knowledge and understanding of the disease. However, its etiology remains unclear. Epidemiological studies indicate that an environmental factor, perhaps exposure to a virus, when combined with a genetic predisposition to the disease, may well control occurrence of the disease. MS is not a genetically transmitted disease. MS may also be or involve a defect of some kind in the body's autoimmune system--some part of the body may, in effect, attack itself.Diagnosis of MS is difficult.

Different Things That Can Affect the Rights of an Individual

UNIT 10 Task 2. 1 List 4 different things that can affect the rights of an individual (2. 1) Explain how the things you have listed could affect the rights of an individual (2. 1) 1. Murder- murder is really a serious factor that really affects all the rights of an individual, because taking one’s life is taking also all of his rights. As what it is written by the Law, every individual has the right to live. 2. Slavery and Forced Labour- slavery still exists nowadays, particularly this forced labour where an individual is working without any payment and in an unlimited hour.Individuals are working to have a source of income, to subsidize everyday’s needs like foods and money. Blood and sweats of individuals are the greatest sacrifice of an individual in order to live and to face the hardships of living. 3. Respect and Privacy- invasion of privacy is taking away one’s freedom. Disrespecting an individual is degrading one’s rights. Privacy is very important thing owned by an individual, it is like a treasure that should be kept carefully and must be respected by the others.Others should respect others’ privacy as they respect their own because having each own privacy is having a smuch secured freedom. 4. Discrimination- discriminating makes an individual thinks unworthy of himself. It sometimes forces an individual to commit suicide that caused him to death. Death is the end of life, the end of an individual’s rights. Task 2. 2 Produce a booklet that explains how we should respect the rights of others in the workplace. We can demonstrate respect with simple, yet powerful actions. These ideas will help us avoid needless, insensitive, unmeant disrespect, too. Treat people with courtesy, politeness, and kindness. * Encourage coworkers to express opinions and ideas. * Listen to what others have to say before expressing your viewpoint. Never speak over, but in, or cut off another person. * Don’t think of yourself only, we should think of others too. * Use people’s ideas to change or improve work. Let employees know you used their idea, or, better yet, encourage the person with the idea to implement the idea. * Never insult people, name call, disparage or put down people or their ideas. Do not nit-pick, constantly criticize over little things, belittle, judge, demeanor patronize. A series of seemingly trivial actions, added up over time, constitutes bullying. * Never ever covet your co-workers’ belongings; it is also a way of respecting them. * Treat people the same no matter their race, religion, gender, size, age, or country of origin. Implement policies and procedures consistently so people feel that they are treated fairly and equally. Treating people differently can constitute harassment or a hostile work environment. * Include all coworkers in meetings, discussions, training, and events.While not every person can participate in every activity, do not marginalize, exclude or leav e any one person out. Provide an equal opportunity for employees to participate in committees, task forces, or continuous improvement teams. Solicit volunteers and try to involve every volunteer. * Praise much more frequently than you criticize. Encourage praise and recognition from employee to employee as well as from the supervisor. * Be always a humble co-worker for others. * Don’t show poker acts towards your co-workers. Respecting others is respecting you too. We should respect others for them to respect us too.

Biopsychosocial Models for Schizophrenia

This paper will explore one of the most severe mental disorders, schizophrenia, with the goal of providing an actualized understanding of this disorder, including its etiology, course, epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment. Schizophrenia is characterized by an unadaptive pattern of general though and emotions, including delusions, auditory hallucinations, paranoia, disorganized thinking and disorganized speech. These symptoms cause a significant impairment in personal and social life.There are a wide range of symptoms that can be present in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, for which some researchers have questioned the validity of the concept of schizophrenia as a single disorder (Baier, 2010). Despite of the fact that the symptoms of schizophrenia continue to be considered as representing a unitary disorder, diagnostic manuals do classify schizophrenia into different subtypes: paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated and residual. Diagnosis is usually made on cr iteria established by the DSM-IV-TR or ICD-10.This criteria make use of self-reported experiences and clinical judgments of mental health professionals. The etiology of schizophrenia, while not completely understood, is thought to be complex, as multiple factors seem to contribute to the development and the course of the disorder. While psychology-including abnormal psychology-has experience a significant increase of empirical knowledge in the last few decades, no other area of psychology research has developed as much as psychobiology (Baier, 2010).The technology available today allows researchers to scan brains-both topographical and functional; hence, ‘’schizophrenic brains’’ have been studied in order to seek out for structural or functional differences in contrast to ‘’normal brains’. Scientists have found several differences of brain structures in 40 to 50% of cases, as well as in brain chemistry during psychotic states (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009). Brain imaging technologies-such as PET and fMRI-showed functional differences in frontal lobes, temporal lobes and the hippocampus.Reduction in brain volume has also been observed in many cases, usually in the frontal cortex and the temporal lobes (Baier, 2010). Since neuronal circuits are altered, some scientists have proposed that schizophrenia is actually a manifestation of a constellation of neurodevelopmental disorders (Baier, 2010). The neurotransmitter which seems to play the most important role in the development in the manifestation of schizophrenia is dopamine, in the mesolimbic pathway (Baier, 2010).The dopamine hypothesis proposes that the excessive activation of D2 receptors cause the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009). The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia is supported by data which proves the effectiveness of antipsychotics that block D2 receptors, but also on PET and SPET imaging. Nevertheless, as new medication with a different mechanism of action seem to have similar effects (Baier, 2010), the dopamine hypothesis seems to be reductionist. Glutamate also seems to play a role in schizophrenia, as schizophrenic individuals tend to show a reduced function of the NMDA glutamate receptor.Reduced function of glutamate is linked to lower performance on taks that require the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. Genetic data suggests that schizophrenia is highly heritable; apparently genetic vulnerability in interaction with certain environmental factors are a common cause of the disorder. Twin studies’ results estimate an 80% of heritability of the disorders. Concordance rates between twins are around 50% for monozygotic twins and around 17% for dizygotic twins (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009).On the other hand, molecular genetic studies attempt to identify specific genes which may contribute to the etiology of schizophrenia. Until now, allelic variation of two genes show a stronger correlation with schizo phrenia: dysbindin (DTNBP2) and neuregulin (NRG1) (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009). Several environmental factors can contribute to the development and course of schizophrenia. Prenatal factors, such as obstetric complications, maternal malnutrition, maternal stress or even been born in winter or spring or are common risk factors for schizophrenia,though they do not represent factors of high-risk (Baier, 2010). Less-common factors for schizophrenia are increased paternal age and gluten intolerance. Studies with small samples have identified certain psychosocial factors that are likely to be risk factors for schizophrenia: living in urban areas, poor family environment, low socio-economic level, disrupt school behavior, low social competence and immaturity (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009).Schizophrenia affects about 0. 7% of world population. It is slightly more common in males (1.4 times) and the usually ages of onset are 20-28 years for men and 26-32 years for women. Different countries have s lightly different rates of schizophrenia, which reflect the importance of environmental effects in the development of the disorder (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009).Schizophrenia is a societal concern, as it cause considerable costs. Life expectancy is 15 years lower in schizophrenic individuals, in great part due to the comorbidities of the disorder, such as depression and substance abuse. Three-fourth of schizophrenics have disability with relapses (Baier, 2010).Most people with schizophrenia have an independent life, though sometimes they make use of community support. There is a high suicide rate in schizophrenic population, around 4. 9%, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that many schizophrenic also suffer from different forms of clinical depression (Baier, 2010). Modern treatment of schizophrenia corresponds to the bio-psycho-social paradigm. About all schizophrenics receive antipsychotics, many times in combination with psychological and social intervention.Antip sychotics are efficient at reducing positive symptoms, but fail to do the same with negative symptoms and with cognitive functions. There is evidence that a continue use of antipsychotics prevents relapse, but not longer than 2-3 years.Antipsychotics are classified into typical and atypical, and little evidence suggest that any of them is better than the other (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009). Typical antipsychotics tend to provoke a higher rate of extrapyramidal side effects, while atypical antipsychotics are associated with weight gain, metabolic syndrome and diabetes (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009).Psychosocial intervention for those with schizophrenia include family therapy, cognitive remediation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, assertive community treatment, skills training, supported employment, token economic intervention and interventions for weight management or substance abuse. Currently new medication and psychotherapies for treating schizophrenia are been investigated. Minocyclineâ⠂¬â„¢s effects in schizophrenia, a bacteriostatic antibiotic, is currently under study, giving its great penetration into the central nervous system (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009).On the other hand, nidotherapy is been applied by some clinicians; this therapy aims at changing the environment of schizophrenic individuals, in order to improve their capacity to adapt (Kneisl & Trigoboff, 2009).It is to be seen whether this new treatments will prove effective or not. As it has been showed throughout this paper, schizophrenia is a complex disorder, and it cannot be explained or treated from a reductionist perspective. Hence, most researchers and clinicians adopt a bio-psycho-social perspective, which reflects in theories of schizophrenia as well as in its management.

Importances of Effective Communication Essay Example

Importances of Effective Communication Essay Example Importances of Effective Communication Essay Importances of Effective Communication Essay pTHE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE COMMINUCATION DEFINATION:- 1)Communication is a Process by which some thoughts, fleeings ideas (i. e. information) are Conveyed by One Individual to another Individual or by One Individual to a Group or by One group to another group In such a manner that there is Reception, Understanding, and Feedback. Petter Little 2)â€Å"Human Communication is sending Meaningful Messages from one Person to Another† Denis Mc Quail Introduction to Communication:- Communication is an essential part of Human Interaction. The benefits of effective communication are many and obvious as they enhance all aspects of our personal and professional lives. Ineffective or misunderstood communications in our personal lives may give rise to problems. IMP OF COMMUNICATION IN OUR TO DAY PERSONAL/SOCIAL LIFE:- A)Communication is a personal Asset. B)It is very usefull and essential in every walk of life. C)In spite of computers and other modern machine of communication. The ability to communicate effectively is a valueable skill. If we use communication properly. D)It will be a blessing. E)Communication will make our life happy and meaningful. However, if we don’t use communication carefully then A)It will become a curse, and B)Make our life Miserable. IMPORTANT TERMS USED IN THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION:- Although used in a slightly different context, a phrase from some British propaganda during WWII neatly sums up the dangers of ineffective communications: ‘Careless talk costs lives’. That may be over-dramatic in most cases where communications between seafarers or between ship and shore go awry but it does illustrate the importance of effective communications and the real dangers if they go badly wrong. A)There are 2 stages and 5 factors of communication. B)Communication Cycle, C)Communication Situation, and D)Communication Gap. Stages are of types i. e. Sender and Receiver. The Factors for Sender are proper channel, Message Encoding. And The Factors for Receiver are Decoding Feedback. Conclusion Effective communications are an essential ingredient to safe and efficient ship operations. Communication can be achieved in many ways but the prime method for operational communications is through speech.

Three Words Improvisations

Three Words Improvisations Student actors love improvs. This one generates a lot of original thinking in a short amount of time. If you focus the thinking of student actors on three words or phrases chosen at random to guide their creation of an improvised scene, you will free them to think far more creatively than if you told them to create a scene about anything at all. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, setting limits actually frees up creativity. This exercise gives student practice in quick collaboration, decision-making, and improvising based on a small amount of pre-planning. Detailed Instructions for facilitating this Improvisation 1. Prepare a number of words on individual slips of paper. You may prepare your own, or visit this page for lists  of words that you can download,  photocopy, cut, and use with your students. 2. Place the slips of paper containing the words into a hat, which, of course may actually be a box or a bowl or any other kind of bin. 3. Tell student actors that they will work in groups of two or three people. Each group will pick three words at random and meet together to quickly decide on the characters and context of a scene that will somehow employ their three chosen words. The individual words may be spoken within the dialogue of their improv or may merely be suggested by the setting or the action. For example, a group that gets the word villain may create a scene that features a character who is a villain without actually ever including that word in their dialogue. A group that gets the word laboratory may set their scene in a science lab, but never use the word in their scene. 4. Tell students that their goal is to plan and then present a short scene that has a beginning, middle, and an end. Every member of the group must play a role in the improvised scene. 5. Remind students that some kind of conflict within a scene generally makes it more interesting to watch. Recommend that they think about a problem that the three words suggest and then plan how their characters might work to solve the problem. Whether or not the characters succeed is what keeps audiences watching. 6. Divide students into groups of two or three and let them choose three words at random. 7. Give them approximately five minutes to plan their improvisation. 8. Gather the whole group together and present each improvised scene. 9. You may choose to have each group share their words before their improvisation or you may wait until after the improv and ask the audience to guess the groups words. 10. After each presentation, ask the audience to compliment the strong aspects of the improvisation. What worked? What effective choices did the student actors make? Who demonstrated a strong use of body, voice, or concentration in the performance of the scene? 11. Then ask the student actors to critique their own work. What went well? What would you change if you were to present the improv again? What aspects of your acting tools (body, voice, Imagination) or skills (concentration, cooperation, commitment, energy) do you feel that you need to work on and improve? 12. Ask the whole groupactors and audienceto share ideas for ways to improve the improvised scene. 13. If you have the time, its great to send the same groups of student actors back to rehearse the same improvised scene and incorporate the recommendations that they agree with. Additional Resources If you havent already, you may want to review the  article  Classroom Improvisation Guildelines and share it with your students. These guidelines are also available in poster form for older and younger students.

Consumer Making Decision & Behavior Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer Making Decision & Behavior - Term Paper Example When two friends were passing by and saw the stage and the burnt up wall, one of the passersby turned to her friend, asking her if she could see that the Maxima was so hot that it had burned through the wall. Responding to this comment, the prop master, Daryll Merchant, said that that was the whole concept of the advertisement. According to the executive creative director of True, Christopher Davis, people nowadays don’t say ‘cool’ anymore as it is almost uncool to say it, whereas ‘Hot’ is the new vernacular. The Maxima campaign was aimed at selling the idea of hotness. The pieces of the ‘Hot’ campaign were striking. At each site, the fences of parking lots were temporarily removed to make way for the car-ravaged wall that had a built-in steam engine. The wall was watched by two security guards. The advertisement was deconstructed every four days at 5:30 am and was put in its new location. The holes that were left from bolting the props d own were filled with concrete (Yuan 2005). The response from the street campaign was strong. An example of this strong response was when one bus driver pulled over the bus with people in it and took a picture of the ‘Hot’ Maxima, while someone else called 911. The best compliment that the Maxima street campaign got was that from a passerby who without any prompting, remarked saying ‘Wow, that is hot!’The director of Nissan Marketing, Fred Suckow, was hoping that their unique integrated campaign would reach beyond traditional marketing. The intention of the Maxima street scenes was to engage all the senses of the consumers. The street scenes were intended to grab the attention of the onlookers in the busy metro areas as well as bring to life the ‘Hotness’ campaign and the essence of the Maxima. The customers who had a Maxima would be perceived as ‘hot’ and a little different from everybody else. Nissan targeted people who had a desi re to fit in.  Ã‚  

Organisational Learning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisational Learning and Development - Essay Example These new practices rely upon the idea that performance depends not only on hard and attenuating work of the personnel, but also on such essential characteristics as competence and ability to learn and develop. Despite seeming simplicity, the problem of effective learning and development of employees is exceptionally complex, and if a company fails to properly, effectively and continuously train and educate its human resources in the right areas of the business, at the right time and at the right cost, serious inefficiencies are likely to arise. This will inevitably result in considerable operational difficulties and sometimes may even lead to failure of the organisation (Buckle & Caple, 2004). Information, knowledge, and skills have already become the key aspects of new economic environment (Guest, 1987). As a result, modern organizational studies place increasingly distinct emphasis on issues associated with learning and development of personnel. An effective HRD programme should be built around three basic theoretical concepts: organizational development change, leadership development, and individual, group and organizational learning (Reid, Barrington & Brown, 2004). ... In the past, learning focused primarily on individuals: people worked in large bureaucracies or assembly lines and, consequently, the goal of learning under such circumstances was training of the skills required for their functioning. However, since approximately three decades ago the focus of learning in organisations started to shift from individuals to groups and, what was even more important, the meaning underlying the concepts of 'learning', 'training' and 'development' transformed dramatically. Scholars began to perceive these constructs as continuous rather than occasional while the purpose and the process of learning were also reformulated and recognised as vital for effective organizational performance (Harrison, 2005). The existing research in organizational learning available up to date demonstrates that there are at least three major things adult learners need to know: - What will be learned; - How the learning will be conducted; - Why the new knowledge will be of any value (Knowles, 1984). The need to know about these three aspects strongly affects employees' motivation to learn, outcomes of learning, and motivation to use new knowledge. Normally, five phases of organizational learning are identified in the literature: 1. Analysis The first phase involves full analysis of the organizational needs, identification of the goals which, when reached, will equip employees with knowledge and skills to meet the organization's needs (Buckley & Caple, 2004). The first questions to be asked in the analysis phase are "Is there a need for training" and "If something is wrong, is it caused by a performance problem that training will fix" In the analysis phase the responsibilities/duties required at a certain position are identified and

Bible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bible - Essay Example De Duve (2005) proposed that "Science is based on the postulate that the universe obeys natural laws and is intelligible within the framework of those laws," and this belief is commonly shared by an ever-increasing global populace encompassing both theists and atheists, natural scientists and non-scientists alike. In fact, while pseudo and legitimate religious groups grow in wide diversity from New Age to Panentheism, the Christian belief of God and the Savior remains one of the most enthralling religious wonders of our time. Humbling and altogether enlightening when deeply understood. Thomas Aquinas summed up the answer for the question "Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us" when he wrote: It can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly, as an example of how to act." Aquinas argued that "in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ. Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue." He added that "If you seek the example of love: Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends (New Testament). Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake." Together with the virtue of love, Aquinas cited other virtues represented on the man and the cross: patience for enduring the pain, sorrow and suffering, humility for allowing himself to be judged by the angry mob and Pontius Pilate, obedience to the will of His Father, and immateriality. Finney (1851) in his argument presented 24 reasons why Jesus had to suffer on the cross but this discussion shall present only those which conveys governmental underpinning as: First, he reasoned, is due to God's great and all-encompassing love quoting John (New Testament) "God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life" (John 3:16). Second, "His great love to the universe at large [] inasmuch as it was impossible that the atonement should not exert an amazing influence over moral beings [e.g., angels]" Third, "That an infinite amount of suffering might be prevented. The relation of Christ to the universe rendered his sufferings so infinitely valuable and influential, as an expression of God's abhorrence of sin on the one hand, and his great love to his subjects on the otherAs a governmental expedient it is easy to see the great value of such a substitute; that on the one hand it fully evinced t he determination of the ruler not to yield the authority of his law, and on the other, to evince his great and disinterested love for his rebellious subjects." In this argument, Finney (1851) quoted the

Iphone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Iphone - Essay Example With the latest iphone, they have a personal assistant assigned in the phone that can do functions of the phone with the user voice control. It is durable and has a great physical design which is the reason many are attracted to buy it. The unique design of this product makes it a unisex phone – it looks equally attractive with all. To top it off, apple provides all its amazing services in one product: the ipod music player, amazing camera, and a phone that can have applications customized according to your needs (Amit, 2007). One of the biggest disadvantages that the phone has is affordability. For majority of the population, buying the phone directly from Apple becomes a problem, but they can buy it from telecommunication companies on contracts for a lower amount. Another issue is Apple’s reluctance to introduce Flash in its system, barring the use of this amazing facility in the phone. It does not have a detachable battery that becomes an inconvenience sometimes to the user and no slot for expanding memory if

Controversial topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Controversial topic - Essay Example Regarding effects due to gene-flow, the EPA showed in 2010 that 83% of wild or weedy canola contains genetically-modified herbicide-resistant genes that were linked to GMO canola crops [2]; if the canola plant were a â€Å"pest plant†, this could hurt the environment Insect-resistance strains significantly decrease pest populations while increasing non-pest insect populations; insect-resistant strains also decreased the amount of pesticides used – and their negative effect on the environment – by 15%, in 2006 [3] Also, not as much resistance as might believed: a series of studies from the Pew Institute showed that most Americans do not support the banning of GMO foods, but instead want the safety of the foods highly regulated [6] End with quote from economist Paul Collier, of Oxford University: â€Å"Genetic modification is analogous to nuclear power: nobody loves it, but climate change has made its adoption imperative.† [7] In this case, increasing world population, combined with decreasing farmable land, may make the adoption of GMOs inevitable. So, let’s fund more research and oversight of GMO

Can Islam live at peacr other faiths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Can Islam live at peacr other faiths - Essay Example eaching of this particular religion often argues about the source of peace to be the inner-thoughts of individuals which he/she depicts in front of others (Siddiqui 1-16). However, in the recent decades with the increasing activities of terrorism all over the world and active involvement of Islam in the same, it is often argued that whether this particular religion can live at peace with other religions in this ever globalizing society. It is evident that Islam also has its own philosophies and practices that can ensure peace within the religion and all over the world. In order to provide a better and a clearer understanding on this particular debate, this essay will intend to depict the religious differences and similarities of Islam with other faiths on the basis of social peace. This can further enable to provide an apparent response on whether Islam can live at peace with other faiths. People hold different beliefs about the prevalence of peace in Islam especially owing to the fact that the religion is involved in conducting good deeds as well as involving in active terrorism throughout the world over the years. Peace in Islam is often regarded as a myth since little clear perception prevails among the people about the same. It is quite a fact that as per the teachings as well as the religious significance of Islam, the aspect of violence and terrorism and the overall religion of Islam are contradictory to one another (Ernst 18-26). It is argued that violence and terrorism were never been within the core values of the Islam religion. Relating the values of the Islamic religion with terrorism and violence will simply be an approach of denying the principles and teachings of the prophet. The alignment of the Islamic religion with peace can also be comprehended from the fact that the term Islam itself means ‘peace’ as per the Arabic slim (Siddiqui 36-41) . As per the values and teachings of the Prophet, a person belonging to the Islamic religion will have the

Iphone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Iphone - Essay Example With the latest iphone, they have a personal assistant assigned in the phone that can do functions of the phone with the user voice control. It is durable and has a great physical design which is the reason many are attracted to buy it. The unique design of this product makes it a unisex phone – it looks equally attractive with all. To top it off, apple provides all its amazing services in one product: the ipod music player, amazing camera, and a phone that can have applications customized according to your needs (Amit, 2007). One of the biggest disadvantages that the phone has is affordability. For majority of the population, buying the phone directly from Apple becomes a problem, but they can buy it from telecommunication companies on contracts for a lower amount. Another issue is Apple’s reluctance to introduce Flash in its system, barring the use of this amazing facility in the phone. It does not have a detachable battery that becomes an inconvenience sometimes to the user and no slot for expanding memory if

Can Islam live at peacr other faiths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Can Islam live at peacr other faiths - Essay Example eaching of this particular religion often argues about the source of peace to be the inner-thoughts of individuals which he/she depicts in front of others (Siddiqui 1-16). However, in the recent decades with the increasing activities of terrorism all over the world and active involvement of Islam in the same, it is often argued that whether this particular religion can live at peace with other religions in this ever globalizing society. It is evident that Islam also has its own philosophies and practices that can ensure peace within the religion and all over the world. In order to provide a better and a clearer understanding on this particular debate, this essay will intend to depict the religious differences and similarities of Islam with other faiths on the basis of social peace. This can further enable to provide an apparent response on whether Islam can live at peace with other faiths. People hold different beliefs about the prevalence of peace in Islam especially owing to the fact that the religion is involved in conducting good deeds as well as involving in active terrorism throughout the world over the years. Peace in Islam is often regarded as a myth since little clear perception prevails among the people about the same. It is quite a fact that as per the teachings as well as the religious significance of Islam, the aspect of violence and terrorism and the overall religion of Islam are contradictory to one another (Ernst 18-26). It is argued that violence and terrorism were never been within the core values of the Islam religion. Relating the values of the Islamic religion with terrorism and violence will simply be an approach of denying the principles and teachings of the prophet. The alignment of the Islamic religion with peace can also be comprehended from the fact that the term Islam itself means ‘peace’ as per the Arabic slim (Siddiqui 36-41) . As per the values and teachings of the Prophet, a person belonging to the Islamic religion will have the

At-Risk Program for Alcohol and Drug Use Essay Example for Free

At-Risk Program for Alcohol and Drug Use Essay When observing the schools in our communities, many choose not to notice that there is a serious problem concerning drug and substance abuse within the student population. Drug and alcohol abuse has become a serious problem for many students in the state of Alabama. There are over 40,000 adolescents in the state of Alabama that have used illegal drugs in this past month (Inspirations for Youth and Families, 2011). This is an alarming number that needs the support of the community, state funded programs, and the school district. There are currently over 15,000 youths in the state of Alabama that need help with substance abuse problems and are not receiving the proper care and help they deserve (Inspirations for Youth and Families, 2011). This community needs an at-risk program that targets the students who have become victim to drug and alcohol abuse. Identifying students in our schools who may be using drugs or alcohol is not an easy task. There are several signs that students could convey during schools hours that draw the attention of teachers or classmates. This program will be available to any parents concerned about their children with substance abuse, or students exhibiting at-risk warning signs. Warning signs of an at-risk student that will be eligible for a drug and substance abuse program may exhibit several traits that set them apart from the rest of the student body. These include smelling like alcohol or drugs, missing or skipping class, a dramatic change in academic involvement, trouble with authority, and getting involved in fights or showing an increase in aggressive behavior (Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2012). Students who exhibit any of these signs would be recommended to participate in the drug and alcohol program. Periodic drug screenings in schools for students expressing these signs is another measure that will be taken to inform educators and parents of the students experimenting with illegal substances and need our help and support. This drug and alcohol program will meet the needs of the students in our community by providing them a haven where they can turn without worrying about getting into trouble. This program is not meant to judge these students, but to help them overcome the pressure they feel from their peers and their habitual drug and alcohol abuse. This program will be in every school in the Montgomery County school district. It will target students in grades five through 12. The guidance offices will have specific laws and rules to abide by to find at-risk students and enter students into the drug and alcohol program. The guidance office will have the responsibility of meeting with students when there are not program meetings, keeping a log of the student’s success and information on the drug/alcohol abuse, drug screenings, parental involvement, and so forth. Program meetings for all students involved in the drug and alcohol program will be held three times a month at the George Washing Carver High School Gymnasium, taking place after school for three hours from two in the afternoon to five in the evening. Buses will be supplied at all schools to transport the students to the main center at Carver High School, and then will be available to transport these students home. The staff at our meetings will include guidance counselors from every school in the district, teachers, and volunteers from the community. There will be a certified psychiatrist at every meeting to meet with students considered high-risk. If these high-risk students show signs of serious addiction or dependence, extra therapy sessions will be provided through the school district and rehabilitation options will be explored. This drug and alcohol program will be supported by the Montgomery County Department of Human Resources and Covenant Health Centers who implement the Alabama Recovery Center. Both of these state departments will ensure the success of the drug and alcohol program so the students in our community have access to the best resources. The Montgomery Department of Human Resources has social workers who will be able to meet with at-risk and high-risk children and make contact with family members on the students’ behalf. All cases of adolescent drug abuse must be referred to DHR by state law. This resource will be both beneficial for the students and the community. The Alabama Recovery Center have experienced and licensed staff that work with drug and alcohol abuse in adolescents through intensive  out-patients treatments programs (Covenant Health Centers, 2012). They provide counseling options, individual or family oriented, to best meet the required needs of the student. Their substance abuse programs consist of a 12 week intensive outpatient program that includes after care programs and custom programs working in accordance with several state departments such as DHR (Covenant Health Centers, 2012). With the Montgomery County Department of Human Resources and the Alabama Recovery Center, this new drug and alcohol program will have the support it needs to become a success to our students and the community. The positive impacts the drug and alcohol program would have on our community, schools, and school district are endless. The positive impact it would have on our community is to help adolescents that have fallen victim to drug and alcohol abuse and give them the support these students deserve. This will make sure that the children and teens in our community have a chance to a bright future to become productive citizens for this community. The positive impact this program will bring to our schools is intervention and honesty. Students can communicate with their teachers on a personal basis and let them into their private lives. This will allow the schools to become responsible concerning the essential help that is needed for at-risk students. It will give schools the chance to intervene in situations that involve drug and alcohol abuse. Schools will be the most important level where the student body can be reached to deal with the issues of peer pressure and drug/substance abuse. This program will bring positive impacts to the school district by keeping drugs and alcohol off school campuses and away from the student body. The district will observe dramatic changes in the population of students who have abused drugs and alcohol. The district will reap these rewards by becoming part of a positive change by implementing this program. The school district will see the change in students. This will raise the educational rating of the schools in the district. There are several steps necessary to implement this new drug and alcohol program. The first step is to find and receive funding for this drug and alcohol program. â€Å"The Department of Educations Safe and Drug-Free Schools  and Communities Program (SDFSP) provide funds for virtually every school district to support drug and violence prevention programs and to assist in creating and maintaining safe learning environments† (National Drug Control Policy, 1999, para.12). This is where our source of funding will come from. Once we have received proper funding, the second step is to begin training the guidance counselors, teachers, and volunteers who will be helping this program. The third step is to inform the local community about the new drug and alcohol program to spread awareness. The fourth and final step is to present the at-risk program to the school district’s advisory board. They will make the final decision in regard to implementing the program throughout the schools in the district The drug and alcohol program involving the adolescents in our school systems is a serious concern this community needs to address. This program is planned to target at-risk students by giving them a way to recover from their substance abuse. There are over 40,000 adolescents in the state of Alabama who need help concerning drug and alcohol addiction. The schools in our district are the best ways to identify these students and reach them with kindness, caring, and help. If this district were to implement this program, the student body in the Montgomery County school district will reap essential rewards. These students will have a chance at becoming productive citizens of the community. These students will have a chance to break the substance abuse cycle and become something that we all hope our children will and can become. This drug and alcohol program can bring light into the lives of many students suffering from addiction in our community. It is our job as educators and members of this community to help and give at-risk students a chance. References Covenant Health Centers. (2012). Alabama Recovery Center. Retrieved from http://www.covenanthealthcenters.com/alabama-recovery-center/ Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (2012). Identifying and Confronting Students At-Risk. Retrieved from http://www.iup.edu/page.aspx?id=45873 Inspirations for Youth and Families. (2011). Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Teens in Alabama. Retrieved from http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/Teen-Rehab-Alabama.asp National Drug Control Policy. (1999). Preventing Drug Abuse. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publications/policy/99ndcs/iv-b.html

Bilateral Or Multilateral International Trade Agreement With Eu Economics Essay

Bilateral Or Multilateral International Trade Agreement With Eu Economics Essay International trade is so common in todays business world. No country can fulfil everything it needs by itself, due limited resources and capabilities. There is a great need of collaborations between nations especially in this era of globalisation. A country can import and export its goods and services to other countries or from other countries. This can be done through bilateral or multilateral trade agreements, where by two countries can agree on trade or more than two countries agrees on trade issues regardless their level of development. These Agreements aims to reduce trade barriers and increase the movement of factors of production which are persons, goods, services and investments within countries. These two ways has impacts on trade when Emerging countries enter into agreement with EU countries as it will be illustrated later. As stated by Wikipedia (20101) increasing international trade is very vital to the continuation of globalization. FREE TRADE THEORIES Countries need to trade in order to exchange their goods and services as no country can be self-sufficient through local production of goods and services. There are two theories which support free trade, proposed by different economists: Theory of comparative advantage: According to Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2009 pg.274) in 1817, David Ricardo proposed this theory which states that countries should specialize in areas in which they have a comparative advantage. Theory of absolute advantage: This theory was proposed by Adam Smith in 1776 (Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan, 2009 pg.272) which states that countries should specialize in producing goods in which they have an absolute advantage. Emerging Countries Emerging countries are those countries that growth has come very drastically and so is the level of industrialization, whereby industrialization is driving the economies of those markets/nations. There are about 28 nations that are regarded emerging with China and India topping the list respectively. (More details in appendix 1). Supporting my illustration behind, Im delighted to mention some of the characteristics of these emerging countries. Characteristics of Emerging Countries Considering a country like India, I have realized its importance in the world due to the fact that, it is one of leaders in technological advancement because so far it has been accepted and relied upon. So, India is not expected to be a burden in the trade agreements with any EU country as itself could offer something beneficial. The second characteristic of an emerging country is labour pool availability at large. Country like China or India itself can be mentioned as those where cheap labour can be relied upon because of poor economic situation and poverty facing its people. So, this results in looking for job vacancies. Thirdly, considering production capacity as one of the characteristic of emerging countries in the sense that, it will be excited on looking for external markets of their products mainly goods and services. So far, I had heard that Brazil is the worlds best coffee producer as well as bananas. Therefore, from my definition above, I dare say that because of the efforts shown by these emerging countries in various aspects there is a great possibility for countries like India, China, Brazil and South Africa to fasten development within their countries. THE EUROPEAN UNION This is the largest and most comprehensive regional economic group. It began as a free trade agreement with the goal to become a customs union and to integrate in other ways. (Daniels et al, 2009, p.346) Why do business with EU? The EU promises for market in terms of both population and income. It is economically strong and stable so companies cannot ignore this potentiality of profit. ECONOMIC INTEGRATION Is the political and economic agreements among countries that give preference to member countries to the agreement. (Daniels et al, 2009, p.339) In other words, economic integration is similar to a situation whereby two or more countries come into collaboration especially in economic issues. From my understanding, economic integration has to be of mutual interest among the participating members. However, elements of any economy must be put into consideration so as to attract economic cooperation among different countries. These elements are inflation or deflation, rate fluctuation and money circulation. Before a country engages itself in international trade, it is wise for the country to decide on the type of trade agreement it is going to take because they have significant influence on the strategies countries choose to trade. These agreements tends to remove trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas which used to protect domestic countries from foreign competition Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2009 pg.54) stated there are two types of trade agreement that the country can choose from: Multilateral trade agreements Bilateral trade agreements BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: Is where two countries decide to cooperate more closely together, usually in the form of tariffs reductions (Daniels et al, 2009, p 339) The term bilateral is a little confusing because EU negotiate trade as on trading block, its agreement with other countries, such as between the EU and Brazil, are technically bilateral agreements (Daniels et al 2009 pg.342). EU comprises of about 27 countries. Advantages of Bilateral Agreement First and foremost, as the name itself suggests, it seems that, this is the most efficient and effective way which is also easier to be implemented by the member countries. It is easily done in the sense that, decision making process is not hardly arrived at probably due to the fact that only a few countries mainly two are in. Secondly, through international bilateral relationships it is my hope that, single member country priorities might be considered hand-in-hand with the groups partnership manifesto activities. Disputes difficulties isnt an issue when it comes to bilateral trade agreements because as I said only a few countries take part so dispute settlement wont be time consuming or quarrelsome. Additionally, its quite obvious that these countries in a bilateral trade agreement wont be negligent when it comes to environmental issues as a matter of fact that, maybe such might be having standards and procedures agreed upon so as to preserve environmental degradation. This traces a country like India which environmentally disturbed. However, the legal aspects will be adhered to because bilaterally EU wont hesitate to stop some of the dirty tricks played by dishonest countries as India and probably maybe China. For instance, document and product forgery is a common thing used to falsify business agreements. Therefore, India and the like countries will have trustworthy in globe. Disadvantages of Bilateral Agreement Bilateral accord brings forward trade diversion this is whereby the formation of free trade agreements diverts trade from more efficient exporter to a less efficient exporter. These trade agreements would bring obstacles to trade duties by adding administrative complexity to the customs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_diversion accessed on 4/8/2010 MULTILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: Is agreement whereby three or more countries come as one to normalize trade between the nations without discriminations, frequently multilateral trade agreement intended to worse trade barriers between participating countries, as a result, increase the degree of economic integration between the participants, never the less the most valuable way of liberalizing trade in an interdependent global economy are considered multilateral trade agreements. (K. Alex, 2010) World Trade Organization (WTO), the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the major multilateral forum through which government can come to agreements and can settle disputes regarding trade. According to in 1947, in order to remove quotas and lessen tariffs, GATT was set up. The basic principle of GATT was to forbid any sort of unfairness that occurs when trading by making each member nation to equally open its markets to every other member nation. For example, most of the times, developed nations take advantage of developing nations; GATT was established to remove these trading unfairness( Daniels et al 2009 pg.340). Advantages of Multilateral The main benefit that countries can benefit from multilateral is the equal treatment. In a multilateral trade agreement it is very easy for member countries to share common standards and procedures that have been agreed upon. For instance, the movement of goods and services from Brazil to different EU countries wont face trade restrictions, embargoes or quotas. So in this case, it will be easy for investors from emerging countries can have start-ups. Also, from my opinion, culture can be used to the maximum advantage because countries in the cooperation will be able to share the good values, beliefs and assumptions when it they aspire to achieve high development goals and objectives. However, this could involve techniques which simplify complexities. Promotion of Transparency  This also contains an equity contemplation in that the worse, less powerful countries are more likely to benefit from this transparency than richer, more powerful ones (not that there isnt much more to be done. (R.Pollock, 2003) Disadvantages of Multilateral Agreement To begin, it is not like bilateral trade agreement because decision making process is very complex in the sense that, until all the countries reach into an agreement so that other activities will follow. Such agreement mostly takes lengthy of time. Also multilateral agreement leads to trade diversification. . The main disadvantage that emerging countries can suffer from multilateral is the equal treatment between countries, this levels the playing ground while the levels of economic development is different. How can a China company that are less competent by nature though not all compete with an American conglomerate company in the same bases? Can it be a fair trade? Such an agreement is bound to exploit small economies. This agreements will not consider small economies well being and moreover this agreement will halt the success of small nation to prosper further. This disadvantage will conflict with political ideology of G8 whereby the agenda for G8 summit is to boost developing countries economies and to eradicate poverty. Due to these reasons this type of agreement is not preferable to be taken by emerging countries. Benefits of international trade agreements with the EU Technology transfer EU member countries are more advanced in technology, thus emerging countries trading with them they could benefits by employing it to innovate their business processes to increase their productivity and hence grow. Increase export Emerging countries have a plenty of raw materials used by developed counties in their industries, so engaging in multilateral agreement they would be able to export more and increase their foreign exchange reserves. Also this will improve the balance of payment of emerging countries. Expand sales of the existing product: It creates a second market and the global market when a country enters itself in international trade .hence it widens its sales by selling its active products both domestically and globally. Impact of trade agreement These international agreements have profound effects on member states both negatively and positively. Nations sovereignty is threatened to some extent as countries could be interfered on making their decision to progress economically. For instance the EU would want a certain course of action to be taken and on the other hand the emerging countries would want the opposite. International trade agreement between European Union (EU) and emerging nation would impact the culture for both parties unconstructively and optimistically. There is always a chance for culture to be diluted and enriched respectively. CONCLUSION The business environment is very dynamic the one who is quicker can take the advantage before the windows of opportunity is closed for that matter In conclusion, for emerging countries, bilateral agreements are preferred than multilateral agreements. Reasons: Bilateral is attractive because most emerging countries prefer quick results stated by Lamy (n.d.). Bilateral agreements take shorter time to reach agreement and conscious as it involves fewer participants compared to multilateral. This is good because of the dynamic nature of the businesses. Bilateral agreements is a free trade where by all tariffs that restrict trade are removed; for this reason emerging countries engaging in bilateral agreement are not bound to any trade restrictions. No need to agree with WTO members they can trade with any country they wish, so long as they share the common goal and interest and they dont block the laws. Bilateral agreements are easier for countries to pursue because it is easier to resolve issues in a smaller setting. (Daniel et al 2009.p342) It is easier to resolve and settle issue between two countries than among many different countries because each country may have its own opinion and interest hence misunderstanding can occur due to the complexity of culture.

Essay --

Social networking has become increasingly popular over the past few years, especially with many new media sites and apps being released. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedln are perfect examples of social media sites where people can post what they are doing and where they are at with pictures for the general public to see. Different companies and establishments are using social networking to check on their employees and to see how they carry themselves out side of work. Outside of our work and jobs, we represent the companies and establishments that we work for. Major companies and establishments want their employees to be responsible and act maturely when they are inside and outside of work. Employees are expected to hold the integrity of the company and their image. Sharron Smalls was a principal at the Jane Addams High School in Chicago, Illinois when a photo of her and another man drizzling chocolate upon themselves surfaced. Much controversy circulated over this case whether Sharron should be fired or still be able to keep her job. Margie Feinberg who is a spokeswoman fo...

Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I The Characters...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ralph - Ralph is one of the older kids stranded on the island, one with a natural leadership quality about him. He is one of the stronger, if not the strongest of the boys; 12 year old with common sense to help him get along on his own; unfortunately, common sense doesn’t fly too well with small children. Ralph is stuck between what is considered fun, and what needs to get done in order to have peace on the island. Not a position many would like to be in, but as he was chosen leader, he has the respect of most of the kids on the island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piggy - Piggy is an eager, chubby kid, who likes to poke his nose where it doesn’t belong. Piggy is the only one on the island that wears glasses to aid his vision, and seems to be a character easily disliked because of his babyish personality. Although he is one of the most rational and logical thinkers, his ideas are seldom heeded, mainly because of his persistent whining. Piggy has asthma, and this makes it difficult for him to work. Ralph, being the first to meet Piggy, became his guardian, and protector from the other children’s cruelty on the island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack - Jack Merridew is a singer, head of the choir, and has an intimidating appearance and way of talk. Jack is jealous, and when Ralph is elected Chief, Jack forms a bit of hatred in his heart, not revealing it even unto himself until time passes. He is head hunter, and likes fun more than work, and eventually wins the favor of the children, claiming Ralph as a coward, and a person who just dreams about being rescued. II The Conflict...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main conflict in Lord of the Flies is that a fairly large group of boys have been stranded on an island in the Pacific with no adults around to lead and guide them. They do set up a leadership consisting of a chief, and then workers who carry out the chiefs orders. This works great for about a week, but soon the children tire of the work, and do not realize the long term consequences involved with not having necessities like shelter and a signal fire, and before long, fun rebels against common sense, turning the island into chaos. Eventually there is a war, the hunters against the worker/dreamers.

Heredity, the Environment and Development Essay

The study of genetics has grown out of a desire to understand how exactly the individual comes to be just that, an individual different from its peers. In order to comprehend the scope of possible outcomes and how they came to be behavioral genetics looks at a number of variables; these include the impact of our genes (nature), and our environment (nurture). A countless number of hypotheses were put to the test through research to analyze the degree of influence of each. In this paper, team A will discuss the methods of behavioral genetics, the various research techniques used, their testing populations and why used, along with proposed answers and explanations. Behavioral GeneticsBehavioral geneticists uses family, twin and adoption studies as a basis for their argument of individual differences (Lerner, Bearer, Garcia, & Coll, 2004). A significant contributor to studies in behavioral genetics, provides this definition: â€Å"Behavioral genetics is the genetic study of behavior, which includes quantitative genetics (twin and adoption studies) as well as molecular genetics (DNA studies) of human and animal behavior broadly defined to include responses of the organism from responses measured in the brain such as functional neuro-imaging to self-report questionnaires† (Plomin,2004). Read more:  Influences that affect children’s development essay One of the first twin studies was conducted by Bouchard in 1979 when he found a set of monozygotic twins, babies from a fertilized egg that splits into two. The babies were separated at a few weeks old. The babies had many physiological and psychological similarities. Since Bouchard’s initial study it has been proven that, while monozygotic twins raised together have many similarities, those separated at an early age have an even greater likeness. Since twins being raised together are more likely to highlight their differences in order to maintain some element of independence, behavioral geneticists argue that this indicates a strong genetic underpinning in human development (Plomin, 2004). Research conducted by Grilo and Pogue-Geile (1991) correlated the familial relationships with extroversion. The study included monozygotic twins reared together and apart, dizygote twins reared together and apart, biological parents and children, biological siblings, adoptive parents and children and  unrelated siblings reared together. The results reflected that the highest correlation was between monozygotic twins raised together and apart. The lowest correlation was between unrelated siblings raised together. For behavioral geneticists, these results conclude that genetics are at work in determining the extroversion of a person. Behavioral geneticists suggest reasonable doubt in assuming connections between psychological environments and developmental results may be genetically arbitrated and that the environment a person is in responds to the genetically influenced characteristics (Plomin, 2004). The genetic association between parent and child is useful to examine. For example, â€Å"†¦differences in parenting can be the genetic effect rather than the environmental cause of children’s psychopathology† (Plomin, 2004, p. 345). The results of the twin, adoption and family studies support these assumptions. The Correlation of Heredity and EnvironmentThe nature versus nurture controversy exists because some people believe that a person’s genetics has the greatest impact on their personality, intelligence and behavior. On the flipside, some people believe that the environment has more of an impact. Behavior geneticists assume that behavior is influenced by the relations of heredity and environment. With the help of twin studies, and adoption studies researchers are working on understanding what molds a person into the individual he or she is today. Twin studies, using identical twins, are conducted to understand how biology influences traits and psychopathology in humans whose genotypes are the same (Haimowitz, n.d.).Twin studies also use fraternal twins who share half of the genes they acquire at conception which helps to compare the degrees of genetic influence such as intelligence and personality. Adoption studies take a look to see if adoptive children exhibit the behavioral and psychological traits of their adoptive parents, or those of their biological parents (Haimowitz). Any links to biological parents can be attributed to genetics, and any connection to adoptive parents can be  attributed to environment. Heredity-Environment correlations can be shown in three ways. One is the passive genotype-environment correlations. Passive genotype-environment correlation exists when a child’s biological parents are raising him or her (MacDonald, n.d.). An example of this situation could be Ana’s parents having the genetic predisposition to be intelligent and read skillfully leading one to believe that Ana will more than likely share these skills. Evocative Genotype-Environment Correlation occurs when a child’s genotype provokes a specific type of physical or social environment (MacDonald, n.d.). An example of this type of correlation: Andrew is artistic, and outgoing, he will elicit encouragement to try out for plays. Sheena is very athletic and competitive; she will be encouraged to go out for sports. Active genotype-Environment Correlations emerge when a child seeks out environments he or she will find compatible and stimulating (MacDonald, n.d.). An example could be that a child like Matilda, who has a gift of music, will seek a musical environment where she can expand on her talent. Scientist researching how genetics influences academic achievements show three ways heredity and environment could possibly be correlated. The three ways in which Meredith Phillips and a team of colleagues found genetics and environment to be correlated are passive correlation, active correlation, and reactive correlation. â€Å"Passive correlation: genes influence both a child’s environment and heredity (Phillips, Brooks-Gunn, Crane, Duncan, & Klebanov, n.d.,  ¶ 3).† â€Å"Active correlation: genes influence the environments that a child seeks out (Phillips et al.,  ¶ 3).† â€Å"Reactive correlation: environments react differently to people with different genetic profiles (Phillips et al.,  ¶ 3).† In passive correlation if a parent is the type of person whom enjoys reading, the love for reading could be transferred to the child from the parent reading to the child frequently. The child will already have the genetics from the parents. My son enjoys music I would like to think he received that from me because of my interest in music. He hears a great deal of music when at home therefore, the music rich environment my son is placed in has an influence on his musical achievements. Combined with the genetic aspect of my love for music and his father’s love for music the affect of his music rich environment causes a stronger influential desire to be involved in music. In active correlation, the child has genetic influences from the parent reading to him or her. When the child voices the desires for the parent to read to him or her, the parent enjoying the reading ultimately influences the child by reading to the child. The child requesting stories to be read is the incentive the parent has to continue the process along with the parent’s love for reading. Reactive correlation was described as genetics affecting the child’s physical features with the child’s features being judged by peers. The views of the child’s peers are voiced and in the process the child’s academic achievements are effected. The child’s environment can put him or her under a certain labels. In this situation genetics affects the views of the child’s peers and the environment combined with genetics can have a negative affect on the child’s academics. Definition of Shared and Non-shared Environmental ExperiencesBeyond genetics, each individual has a unique personality that is based on a blending of their shared and non-shared experiences in life. Shared environmental experiences are those which the majority of the world encounters. Shared experiences can occur differently by culture, but generally adhere to a specific â€Å"social clock or a set of age norms that defines a sequence of normal life experiences (Boyd & Bee, p. 10).† For American culture think of the traditions of school, watching a baseball game, having a BBQ, getting married, having children, working and retiring as relative shared norms that all, or most of us, encounter. Of course, non-shared experiences are different for each of us; these are categorized as individual experiences. Individual or non-shared experiences  can be influenced by â€Å"race, socioeconomic status, and other social factors (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p. 36).† These individual differences can also be related to school, relationships, marriage and childbirth and the unique perspective that each person has. Each individual thinks much differently and so the way that they perceive and interact in the world will make their experiences, shared and non-shared, unique to them. Role Played by Shared and Non-shared Environmental Experiences DevelopmentThe importance that shared and non-shared experiences have in development is that they help shape our personal development as well as our social development. If in fact, each person encounters shared experiences in accordance with the norm expected, they are more likely to fit in culturally and have a higher understanding of appropriate and healthy relationships. Likewise, with non-shared experiences if interactions each person has with their parents and peers, and in his or her independent life, is healthy they will know themselves internally and process environmental factors that occur around them in a healthy manner. If the shared and non shared experiences of an individual do not go according to the norms of society it will be more difficult for them to develop into healthy adults who function both independently and interdependently at appropriate levels. (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p. 36) In conclusion, behavioral geneticists have used a wide array of approaches to their research in developmental theories. Through the use of identical twins a great deal of information has been acquired on the basis of both genetics and environment. The strongest proponent of this argument was shown to be the case of identical twins separated at birth exhibiting very similar characteristics even though they had not been raised in the same environment. Corresponding research which also strengthens this argument shows that adoptive children exhibit very few of the characteristics of their adoptive parents. It seems safe to say that genetics lay the foundation of behavior with environment and individual experience capable of exhibiting some influence beyond that. References Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2006). Lifespan Development. Retrieved from http://ecampus.phoenix.eduGrilo, C. M., & Pogrue-Geile, M. F. (1991). The Nature of Environmental Influences on Weight and Obesity: A Behavior Genetic  Analysis [White paper]. Retrieved from National Institute of Health: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.govHaimowitz, A. G. (n.d.). Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption, and Family. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/haimowitz.htmlLerner, R. M., Bearer, E. L., Garcia, , & Coll, C. G. (2004). Nature and Nurture: the Complex Intereplay if Genetic and Environmental Influences on Human Behavior and Development. . Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=iFriCJCTsx4C&printsec=frontcoverMacDonald, K. (n.d.). PSYCHOLOGY 361: BEHAVIOR GENETICS. Retrieved April 21, 2009 , from http://www.csulb.edu/~kmacd/361Notes2.htmlPhillips, M., Brooks-Gunn, J., Crane, J., Duncan, G. J., & Klebanov, P. (n.d.). How Might Genetic Influences on Acad emic Achievement Masquerade as Environmental Influences?. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.children.smartlibrary.org/NewInterface/segment.cfm?segment=2606Plomin, R. (2004). Genetic and Developmental Psychology. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50(3), 341-352. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/merrill-palmer_quarterly/v050/50.3polmin.html