Gender Inequality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender Inequality - Research Paper Example This report stresses that there is statistical evidence regarding the roles of men and women in society. Men are paid better than women for the same services. Women possess less properties, physical assets, financial resources, and are not equal to men in education and technology usage. They word harder than men but it cannot be economically proved as they don’t get rewarded for that. Women are not independent in making decisions whether at home or the community they belong to. Cultural traditions and assumptions come in the way of treating women equally to men. They carry higher risk to violence and rape than men. Gender inequality is inherent in society as it is based on cultural beliefs, societal attitudes, power and independence. This essay makes a conclusion that the media watch-dogs should keep an eye on finding and checking gender stereotypes and partial attitude towards women. They should observe that regulation and standards are adhered to by speaking non-sexist language. Gender issues should be included in the production and use of media so that gender stereotypes no more remain a roadblock in the partnering of men and women in all aspects of life. It is a human rights responsibility also to eradicate negative gender behavior and attitude from all walks of life. Media and advertisement organizations need to be transparent in their policies if they are keen on discouraging gender based discrimination through policy initiatives, and increase their credibility rating. Only media can be the best platform to be used as a tool in empowering gender equality, which will result in economic and social growth.

Granting Finance and Non-Fund Based Limits Essay Example for Free

Granting Finance and Non-Fund Based Limits Essay For the purpose of granting finance, banks are lending by way of fund based limits as well as non fund based limits. The following are treated as fund based limits: a) Lock and key type – against of pledge of goods; b) Open factory type pledge or open key advance – against hypothecation of goods; c) Advance against hypothecation of goods; d) Advance against book debts; e) Advance against bills. The following are considered as non fund based limits granted by the banks to the public: Letter of credit and bank guarantees: Banks normally undertake a proper appraisal of the financial standing and requirement of the customer for non fund based facilities as in the case of fund based ones. This is because though the bank in the case of non funded facility, commits itself to pay only in the event of non-payment by or non performance of the customer, the possibility of the given non-funded credit facility resolving into real or funded credit facility on the customers default or non performance cannot be ruled out. Letter of credit: A letter of credit is a written undertaking given by a bank on behalf of its customer who is a buyer, to the supplied, promising to pay a certain sum of money provided the supplier complies with the terms and conditions embodied in the letter of credit. A letter of credit is required where the supplier of goods and services deals with unknown parties or otherwise feels the need to safeguard his interest. In such circumstances he stipulates in his sales contract with the buyer that the goods will be supplied and payment made only under a banks letter of credit. Under a banks letter of credit a conditional commitment to make the payment is made by the bank which gives an assurance to the supplier that he will receive the necessary payment provided he does what the buyer requires him to do, within the time period specified in that regard. Whereas in the case of fund based limits, the banks deal with goods, in the case of letter of credits, they deal with documents and not in goods and the transactions are executed only on the basis of the documents. The letter of credit is an autonomous transaction quite distinct from the sale and purchase on which it may be based. The bank issuing the letter of credit has to make up its mind within a reasonable time on receipt of the documents whether to accept or reject them. Normally the letter of credits issued the banks are governed by the Uniform customs and practice for documentary credits of the International Chamber of Commerce situated at Paris. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/finance-homework-help/

Pittsburgh Steelers Essay -- essays research papers

The Pittsburgh Steelers Do you like professional football? Have you ever wondered where teams originate from? Or what teams have been around the longest? The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional team that has an extensive history. There are also many unique details about them that other NFL teams do not have. There creator was a great man who started the team from practically nothing, their name and logo represent great tradition, and lastly, they have won many championships. The Pittsburgh Steelers were founded in July of 1993. The contract was purchased for only $2500.00 by Arthur Joseph Rooney. Art Rooney was an exceptional all-around athlete who also had a Bachelors degree in Accounting. In 1964, Rooney was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his strenuous growth of the NFL and the Steelers. In 1988, at the age of 87, Rooney died of a stroke. He was the ruler of the Steelers for almost 55 years. Dan Rooney, his son, was handed the responsibility of being franchise president. Did you know the Steelers haven’t always been called the Steelers? When Arthur Rooney purchased the team he named them the Pittsburgh Pirates. He got this name from the Pittsburgh National League Baseball Team. But in 1940, the Pirates became the Steelers, in order to generate more fan support. This name came from the city’s primary source of employment. This was an honor for the Steelers, being able to represent Pittsburgh steel heritage. Team logos are essential as well. The Steeler...

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Es

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) 1. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), the Convention applies to treaties between states. 2. The Preamble enshrines the recognition of genocide as a crime that must be eradicated from the world within the conceptual framework of the Convention. The atrocities of history are declared as evidence of the substantial impact that genocide has had on humanity and to prevent these atrocities international co-operation is required. 3. Articles I and II, Article I which recognises genocide as an international crime in â€Å"time of peace or in time of war† which states undertake to â€Å"prevent† and â€Å"punish†. Article II defines the crime of genocide specifying â€Å"an intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group†. 4. Article IV through to Article IX; in particular Article V directs states to enact the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention outlined in Articles I, II and III. Article VIII also provides for states to call upon the United Nations (UN) to take action for the prevention and suppression of the acts enumerated in Article III. While Article VI enshrines the role of tribunals in punishing the crime of genocide and hence enforcing Articles I, II and III. 5. Articles X and XI, the Convention was open for signature on 9 December 1948 until 31 December 1949, on behalf of any Member of the UN and of any non-member State to which an invitation to sign had been addressed by the General Assembly. 6. Article V asserts that states must enact the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. 7. Article XI, after 1 January 1950 the Convention ... ...al of International Law, vol. 20, no. 4, p. 1195-1222. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 9 December 1948, 12 January 1951. Kelly, M. J. 2008, ‘â€Å"Genocide† – the power of a label’, Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, vol. 40, p. 147-162. Sayapin, S. 2010, ‘Raphael Lemkin: A tribute’, The European Journal of International Law, vol. 20, no. 4, p. 1157-1162. Schabas, W. A. 1999, The genocide convention at fifty, US Institute of Peace, 7 January, 1999. Schabas, W. A. 2008, ‘Origins of the genocide convention: From Nuremburg to Paris’, Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, vol. 40, p. 35-55. Scott, S. V. 2010, International law in world politics, 2nd edn, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., Colorado. Straus, S. 2005, ‘Darfur and the genocide debate’, Foreign Affairs, vol. 84, no. 1, p. 123-133.

Is Singapore a Nation?

When you think of Singapore, you will think of the myriad of international awards and global benchmark this city-state has achieved within its first 50 years of independence. It is commendable – her success that is. Having attained self-governance in 1959 and subsequently independence in 1965, her economic miracle in the decades to come is deserving of being looked upon as an economic model of success. Her emergence came as a shock as she was expelled from Malaysia in 1965 due to clashing political ideologies, and nobody knew what to expect. The emergence of the imperiled Singapore brewed much uncertainty and anxiety in a â€Å"Chinese land in the sea of Malays† environment. Certainly though, Singapore has come so far into being what she is today. As we slowly transit into a new political era and hand over the political reins to fresher and younger batch of Singapore's fourth-generation leaders, it is worth to stop and reflect. Having gone through 50 years of independence, can it be truly said that Singapore is a nation? Has she become a nation, or is she still in the process of nation-building; a nation-in-progress? This essay will discuss at large with regards to where Singapore stands in this issue. Before proceeding any further, it is crucial to unpack the term nation.Defining the term ‘nation'Nation has never had a concrete definition owing to its broad and complex nature. Scholars, nonetheless, have attempted to define the term nation for pragmatic purposes. As argued by Dawisha Adeed, nation is a form of identity. That individuals identify with their nations the same way they identify with other forms of collective identity. Rupert Emerson also argued that nation is a socio-cultural concept than a political concept. It is the sense of belonging to a community who share the same heritage, and the same future. It is thus agreeable that nation is essentially a sense of belonging to a country. A sense of pride, and a measure of a person's loyalty to a country. In the words of Benedict Anderson, nation is â€Å"an imagined political community† because members may not know most of their fellow members, yet â€Å"in the minds of each lives the image of their communion†. In this regard, it is in my interest to highlight the difference between a state and a nation. As brought up earlier, Singapore is not a nation as of yet on the grounds that Singaporeans do not feel as intense a sense of belonging to Singapore.

When to Capitalize Religious Terms

When to Capitalize Religious Terms When to Capitalize Religious Terms Knowing when to capitalize religious terms can be hell. Or should that be Hell? And there we get to the crux of the matter. Are words from religions always capitalized? Is it only when you use these terms in a religious context? Or should you just say â€Å"to heck with it† and stop caring? Well, before you do that, check out our guide to capitalizing religious terms. When to Capitalize Religious Terms As a guideline, you should usually capitalize the first letter of religious terms when they are used as a proper noun. This is a noun that names a unique entity, such as â€Å"Barbra Streisand† or â€Å"Donald Duck.† In a religious context, proper nouns may include: Religions and religious movements (e.g., Judaism, Methodism) Religious figures and deities (e.g., Jesus, Zeus) Holy texts (e.g., Bible, Quran) Religious holidays (e.g., Easter, Diwali) Titles when used with a name (e.g., Reverend Green) However, there are some cases where the correct capitalization depends on how you’re using a term. We will look at a few of these below. God, Gods, Goddesses and Proper Nouns As mentioned above, you should always capitalize the first letter in a proper noun. If you were referring to the Christian deity, for instance, you would need to capitalize the â€Å"G† in â€Å"God†: I am here only by the grace of God. But some words, like â€Å"god,† can be either proper or common nouns depending on how we use them. So if you were referring to gods and goddesses in general, or any god or goddess where â€Å"god† is not part of their name, you would need to use a lower case â€Å"g† instead: Prior to Christianization, the Anglo Saxons worshipped the Germanic gods and goddesses, including Ä’ostre, the goddess of the dawn and spring. Notice that we do, however, capitalize Ä’ostre in the example above, even though we use a lower case â€Å"g† for â€Å"goddess.† This is because Ä’ostre is the name of a goddess, so it is a proper noun. Other Inconsistent Capitalization â€Å"God† is the most prominent example of something we only capitalize in certain cases. However, there are many religious terms that have second meanings. And you should only capitalize these words if you use them in a religious context, not when they’re used elsewhere. For instance, we would capitalize â€Å"Catholic† in â€Å"the Catholic Church.† But â€Å"catholic† can also mean â€Å"all-embracing.† And we would not use a capital â€Å"C† to write about someone with interests in a range of seemingly unrelated things (i.e., someone with â€Å"catholic tastes†). Catholic tastes ≠  A liking for Gothic architecture and stained glass. Likewise, we would capitalize the â€Å"M† in â€Å"Mass† if we were talking about the religious ceremony. But we would not usually capitalize the same word when using it as an adjective in â€Å"mass market† or â€Å"mass transit.† It pays, then, to double check whether religious terms have other uses. Holy Pronouns In the past, it was common to capitalize the first letters of pronouns when referring to religious figures. This is known as reverential capitalization. For instance, if we used â€Å"his† to refer to God, we might capitalize the â€Å"H†: Our hearts shall rejoice in God and His holy name! This is quite unusual in modern writing. However, if you do use reverential capitalization, there are two key rules to follow: Only apply it to pronouns that refer to deities and divine beings. Apply it consistently throughout your writing. To ensure consistency, you may also want to have your writing proofread. But if you do, let your editor know which terms you’ve chosen to capitalize. Heaven and Hell Finally, we have heaven and hell. As a rule, you do not need to capitalize these terms. This is true even when referring to the Christian concepts of â€Å"heaven† and â€Å"hell.† Take Matthew 5:18 from the NIV Bible, for instance: For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. However, some religious institutions do prefer to capitalize the words â€Å"Heaven† and â€Å"Hell.† And you should always capitalize ‘Heaven’ when referring to the famous gay nightclub in London. Is this what Belinda Carlisle was singing about?(Photo: Nick Cooper/wikimedia) The capitalization of â€Å"Heaven† is, in fact, one of the few areas where evangelical Christians and the LGBT+ community truly see eye to eye. And that, at least, should be celebrated.

Hypothesis Test for Comparing Two Proportions

Hypothesis Test for Comparing Two Proportions In this article we will go through the steps necessary to perform a hypothesis test, or test of significance, for the difference of two population proportions.  This allows us to compare two unknown proportions and infer if they are not equal to each other or if one is greater than another. Hypothesis Test Overview and Background Before we go into the specifics of our hypothesis test, we will look at the framework of hypothesis tests.  In a test of significance we attempt to show that a statement concerning the value of a population  parameter (or sometimes the nature of the population itself) is likely to be true.   We amass evidence for this statement by conducting a statistical sample.  We calculate a statistic from this sample.  The value of this statistic is what we use to determine the truth of the original statement.  This process contains uncertainty, however we are able to quantify this uncertainty The overall process for a hypothesis test is given by the list below: Make sure that the conditions that are necessary for our test are satisfied.Clearly state the null and alternative hypotheses. The alternative hypothesis may involve a one-sided or a two-sided test.  We should also determine the level of significance, which will be denoted by the Greek letter alpha.Calculate the test statistic. The type of statistic that we use depends upon the particular test that we are conducting.  The calculation relies upon our statistical sample.  Calculate the p-value. The test statistic can be translated into a p-value.  A p-value is the probability of chance alone producing the value of our test statistic under the assumption that the null hypothesis is true. The overall rule is that the smaller the p-value, the greater the evidence against the null hypothesis.Draw a conclusion. Finally we use the value of alpha that was already selected as a threshold value.  The decision rule is that If the p-value is less than or equal to alpha, then we reject t he null hypothesis. Otherwise we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Now that we have seen the framework for a hypothesis test, we will see the specifics for a hypothesis test for the difference of two population proportions.   The Conditions A hypothesis test for the difference of two population proportions requires that the following conditions are met:   We have two simple random samples from large populations.  Here large means that the population is at least 20 times larger than the size of the sample. The sample sizes will be denoted by n1 and n2.The individuals in our samples have been chosen independently of one another.  The populations themselves must also be independent.There are at least 10 successes and 10 failures in both of our samples. As long as these conditions have been satisfied, we can continue with our hypothesis test. The Null and Alternative Hypotheses Now we need to consider the hypotheses for our test of significance.  The null hypothesis is our statement of no effect.  In this particular type of hypothesis test our null hypothesis is that there is no difference between the two population proportions.  We can write this as H0: p1 p2. The alternative hypothesis is one of three possibilities, depending upon the specifics of what we are testing for:   Ha:  p1 is greater than p2. This is a one-tailed or one-sided test.Ha: p1 is less than p2. This is also one-sided test.Ha: p1 is not equal to p2. This is a two-tailed or two-sided test. As always, in order to be cautious, we should use the two-sided alternative hypothesis if we do not have a direction in mind before we obtain our sample.  The reason for doing this is that it is harder to reject the null hypothesis with a two-sided test. The three hypotheses can be rewritten by stating how p1 - p2 is related to the value zero.  To be more specific, the null hypothesis would become H0:p1 - p2 0.  The potential alternative hypotheses would be written as: Ha:  p1 - p2   0 is equivalent to the statement p1 is greater than p2.Ha:  p1 - p2  Ã‚  0 is equivalent to the statement p1 is less than p2.Ha:  p1 - p2  Ã‚  Ã¢â€°   0 is equivalent to  the statement p1 is not equal to p2. This equivalent formulation actually shows us a little bit more of what is happening behind the scenes.  What we are doing in this hypothesis test is turning the two parameters p1 and p2  into the single parameter p1 - p2.  We then test this new parameter against the value zero.   The Test Statistic The formula for the test statistic is given in the image above.  Ã‚  An explanation of each of the terms follows: The sample from the first population has size n1.  The number of successes from this sample (which is not directly seen in the formula above) is k1. The sample from the second population has size n2.  The number of successes from this sample is k2.The sample proportions are  p1-hat k1 / n1  and p2-hat   k2 / n2 .We then combine or pool the successes from both of these samples and obtain:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   p-hat ( k1 k2) / ( n1 n2). As always, be careful with order of operations when calculating.  Everything underneath the radical must be calculated before taking  the square root. The P-Value The next step is to calculate the p-value that corresponds to our test statistic. We use a standard normal distribution for our statistic and consult a table of values or use statistical software.   The details of our p-value calculation depend upon the alternative hypothesis we are using: For Ha: p1 - p2   0, we calculate the proportion of the normal distribution that is greater than Z.For Ha: p1 - p2  Ã‚  0, we calculate the proportion of the normal distribution that is less than Z.For Ha: p1 - p2  Ã‚  Ã¢â€°   0, we calculate the proportion of the normal distribution that is greater than |Z|, the absolute value of Z.  After this, to account for the fact that we have a two-tailed test, we double the proportion.   Decision Rule Now we make a decision on whether to reject the null hypothesis (and thereby accept the alternative), or to fail to reject the null hypothesis.  We make this decision by comparing our p-value to the level of significance alpha. If the p-value is less than or equal to alpha, then we reject the null hypothesis. This means that we have a statistically significant result and that we are going to accept the alternative hypothesis.If the p-value is greater than alpha, then we fail to reject the null hypothesis. This does not prove that the null hypothesis is true. Instead it means that we did not obtain convincing enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis.   Special Note The confidence interval for the difference of two population proportions does not pool the successes, whereas the hypothesis test does.  The reason for this is that our null hypothesis assumes that p1 - p2 0.  The confidence interval does not assume this.  Some statisticians do not pool the successes for this hypothesis test, and instead use a slightly modified version of the above test statistic.

Resume Tips Part 3 Words and Phrases to Delete from Your Resume

Resume Tips Part 3 Words and Phrases to Delete from Your Resume Choosing the right wording on your resume is very important. Some words pack a punch, and some leave the reader wanting more information. For the final segment in my resume tips series, well focus on two verbs that dont have much power: â€Å"Assisted† and â€Å"Helped.† On one list of recommended resume verbs, Power Verbs for Your Resume from The University of Iowas Pomerantz Career Center, the verbs assisted and helped are listed under a very specific category: Helping. That is the only place where these verbs belong! You should delete these words from your resume and use more powerful verbs. Take a look at some examples below. Telling us on your resume that you assisted somebody with something is only as informative as you make it. Honestly, I do not care that you assisted on a film shoot. I want to know that you held a camera or a boom; that you ordered pizza (or handled catering orders); or that you troubleshot in emergency situations. It is essential that you don’t get fooled into thinking that Assisted and Helped are always power verbs. They often just lead to vague and uninteresting bullets. Instead of Helped Example #1 Compare: a. Helped artists and network personnel. b. Accompanied artists to television appearances and mediated between the artists and network personnel. Instead of Assisted Example #2 Compare: a. Assisted with small claims cases. b. Handled all phases of collection and litigation of small claims cases. Attended small claims court; directed court clerk and court commissioner regarding what action to take on firm’s cases. Version b. in both cases is much more interesting and descriptive than version a. When Helped and Assisted are Appropriate There are limited situations in which it can be appropriate to use the words assisted or helped. For example: a. Helped disabled adults to perform simple job tasks at their job locations. b. Assisted elderly residents with their personal and financial recordkeeping. Note in these last two examples, that although there might be other ways to phrase the bullets, we are not left wondering, â€Å"Well, what did you do exactly to help or assist?† Take a look at your resume. Did you find the words â€Å"Helped† or â€Å"Assisted†? If so, can you be more specific about what you did? Draw us a picture. We want to know. For more resume tips and writing assistance, go to The Essay Experts Resume Writing Services. We can help you choose the right words for a powerful resume that gets results.

Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Article Critique - Essay Example This movement did much to shift the focus from job recovery to the national debt. Though some from the conservative stance felt the Tea Party movement was exactly what the nation needed, proponents such as Sarah Palin had a very different view. She supported the insurgency much more so than the leader of the movement. She was very much against the movement being defined by any one leader or party. TEA AND SYMPATHY Who owns the American Revolution? (Tanenhaus,2012) The article uses metaphor to describe the Boston Tea Party ship. Though there is a replica that is discussed I believe in this article the discussion demonstrates that State of the Tea party Movement. Jill Lepore goes on to describe one business commentator’s outrage of the federal government’s bailout plan, demanding a new Tea Party. He insisted on the unloading of derivative securities into Lake Michigan. The article highlights the importance of the Founding fathers and those events that transpired in 1773; comparing them in a way as to give the opinion that today’s Tea Party movement is small in comparison and lacks the convictions of those of that time. Jill Lepore’s bias seems to be in agreement with the argument’s she presented in the article, and is in agreement that no particular leader or party should be on whole responsible for the Tea Party movement and that those who are considered Tea party faithful’s are emphatic of quixotic crusades (Tanenhaus,2012). Lepore disagree that the tea Party movement has a misguided view of the American Revolutionary period (Mohamed, 2011). Lepore uses sources such as Christen Varley, responsible for holding monthly Tea Party movement meetings and CNBC business commentator Rick Santelli. Lepore suggests that if the Tea party is to be thought of as fundamentalism history and its review will not change these thoughts. No Thanks for the Memories Gordon S. Wood (Wood, 2011) This article is actually a response to the Jill L epore book â€Å"The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party’s Revolution and the Battle over American History, (Princeton University Press, 2011). He describes Jill Lepores attitudes and opinions as mocking and describes her discussions as ramblings of present day Tea Party movement issues with those of the Revolution. He considers her question of what our forefathers would do to be a question that is not only pointless but serves little purpose then to provoke conversation towards what seems to be her favorite subject, the American Revolution. Lepore regards the Tea Party as an ageless and nearly sacred event almost to the point of worship. Throughout her book she constantly reiterates that in the case of the Tea Party movement history is clearly not understood and possibly incapable of being understood by today’s government. She dismisses interpretative doctrine of original ideas as fundamentalism (Woods, 2011). Woods opinion is that Lepore should have as her focus mem ory of the American Revolution more so than emotional ties and that these ties cloud and bias her vision and opinion. He expresses concern that her scientific credentials are not demonstrated and that the book leaves us with little actual understanding of the Tea Party movement. He feels the book should have ‘

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 15

Assignment - Essay Example However, they have to learn that they cannot have a perfect plan (Honig, 265). They have to keep trying in order to succeed in the life of business. The secret of effectiveness in any field lies within one’s ability to keep trying until he or she meets success. The timid cannot be a leader or a manager for the sake of argument because he or she has to call the shots, and without confidence they cannot do their jobs. The company named as Apple became the status symbol of innovation in recent years, and the secret lied in the culture of the company. The late CEO of the organization, Steve Jobs introduced the flatter organizational structure for the first in the era of tall organizations with the setup of command and control. The featured corporate leader always believed in the power of innovation, and he struggled thoroughly in order to construct the organization that valued innovative thinking. The company innovated at a product level by introducing newness at an organizational one first. The company brought second order change, and the first order followed the regime on its own. The innovation at an organizational level gave the employees freedom to think creatively and the managers at the company stayed available for their employees so that they can share their thoughts in a free environment (Young and Simon, 168). The company stated openly that it considers its human resources as the most vit al assets of all. The company focused on development of an urge to become better in the employees, and it paid off the Apple in the long run, but the chain of innovation broke recently because the leadership changed, and they tried to undo the development of Jobs that they do not understand and comprehend. The new leadership changed the organization, and destroyed it beyond recognition, and as a result, the turnover rates grew in all

The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash - Essay Example On the contrary, the contemporary market is characterized with higher demand as compared to the supply. Financial innovations enable changes in the financial market by introducing new ways of trading assets. One of the newest financial innovations entails trading from computer to computer through use of complex mathematical algorithms that are hard for humans to comprehend. The recent financial crisis resulted in increased unemployment, which is an indicator of the increased inefficiency of the stock market. This paper agrees with Stiglitz opinion that that Flash Crash will lead to less investment in information, which is harmful to the markets price discovery function hence the financial market. The paper will oppose the opinion that Flash Crash could be a positive feedback loop of the trading environment. Computer trading has become a common phenomenon, which has increased the speed of trading making it impossible for humans to intervene in times of occurrences such as flash crash. Additionally, the explosive trading speed results in undermined efficiency since the market becomes incapable of allocating resources efficiently. Flash Crash entail trading from computer to computer through use of pre-programmed algorithms. ... During the Flash Crash, a contract could be traded for more than 27,000 in a period of about 14 seconds (U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission & U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, 2010; Stiglitz, 2012). According to the SEC report, computer generated algorithms, which are used for high frequency trading comprise more than 70% of trading in U.S. equities. On the SEC joint report on the flash crash of 6 May 2010, the American shares fell by 10% within a few minutes, which resulted in many questions regarding the credibility of nanosecond trading, which characterizes computer to computer trading. The computer based trading does not make use of price discovery but uses algorithms that makes it possible for dealers to extract information regarding expected price of securities through observing patterns of prices and trades. The dealers are thus incapable of making sound decisions. High frequency trading undermines the stability of the market. During the flash clash, high frequency trading firms started by absorbing sell pressure but eventually started forceful selling, which resulted in increased orders in the market and creation of feedback loop. Eventually, the high frequency trading firms began to buy and resell to each other e-mini contracts resulting in decreased net buying irrespective of the increased volume of e-mini contracts. Buyers using traditional trading methodologies refused to buy the extra E-minis resulting in the fall in trading funds. This was because dealers could not comprehend the transactions and feared taking risks. Therefore, computer based trading is inapplicable since there are no clear models on how it operates (Stiglitz, 2012; Mackenzie, 2006). High frequency trading resulted in liquidity crisis when automated trading systems

Freedom and Determinism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Freedom and Determinism - Essay Example Through determinism concept, freedom is driven by several aspects in human live including mental status, past life experience, physical factors, theological matters, biological concerns and so on. However, criminals also try all evasion avenues possible to escape any convictions, possibly using their lawyers. With this understanding, the stand of the attorney general and the jury that Penry's behavior may be a scheme purposed to deception, as opposed to arguments on childhood abuse and diminished mental capacity may be worth. Penry's side felt that his behavior was as a result of mental disturbance, with the other side believing that the behavior was out of ignorance but not mental retardation. Penry's lawyers hold that moral responsibility depends on mental stability. They suggest that the case should be waved because could the accused be smart mentally, then the crime could not take place (Doob, 2006, 11). Several aspects of determinism can be used to explain the varied views and opinions of the two sides. Nomological or causal determinism can be used to necessitate and explain present and past events. The horrific treatment of Penry by his mother should have impacted on the way he behaved by the belief that the past can influence the present. This is backed by scientific determinism or deterministic dogma which provides that cause, effect and precise eventual combination engenders particular outcomes at given moments. Events that Penry underwent at young ages accumulated to influence his behavior. Horrific treatment of the accused by his mother tells us what character the mother was. Biological determinism argues that desire, belief and behavior of an individual can be mould by endowment of genetics (Doob, 2006, 13). As a result, Penry may have inherited bad habits from her mother. In defining a disease, genetics is treated as a vital element, meaning that ailments are linked to gene tics. In theological determinism, daily happens are determined by God. This takes place through a form of omniscience, knowing ones actions in advance and decreeing ones actions in advance. The controversy of this determinism is how free will can be deemed free when someone has already planned for it. Thus it can be argued that this is the way God programmed the life of Penry. The above concepts of determinism link it to excuses of behaving unethically. Hard determinism applies environmental and hereditary means in influencing morality. Therefore, people do not have to belief ethically if they don't believe in uncaused free will. Soft determinists say that causation isn't acted unpredictably neither should it be viewed as compulsory or else a constraint (Doob, 2006, 12). Based on the above facts about determinism, prosecution judges should be very careful in establishing whether the conduct of the accused was genuine. This is the starting point for fairness to both sides and legal system itself. In the same line of thought, the society requires justice from legal institutions. These institutions are primarily set up to safeguard the rights of individuals and the general society. As above stated, the jury should take time to determine what made the man behave this way. If it was intentional, then the man is a potential threat to the society, indicating

The market trends in the UK clothing industry Coursework

The market trends in the UK clothing industry - Coursework Example This research will begin with the statement that clothing in the UK market is dominant by the large retail stores that provide major sales to this industry. There is generally one influencer in the market that owns the market share in the UK clothing industry, for example, Philip Green owns 12 percent of the UK clothing market. Since the dominance in the clothing market is by the major retail stores hence the prices of quality clothing has increased in the UK which has provided an opportunity to bring in to the market the clothing that is of high quality but at affordable prices. This need for affordability of prices and quality clothing has increased the demand for such products in the UK market. Also because the major retail stores tend to cater to the market for personalized service that too is becoming marginalized. The market trends in the UK clothe industry show a growing trend. As reported that the market for clothes has increased by 10% between years 2004 and 2008. It is also expected that the market will continue to grow in another three years. By the year 2014, it is estimated that the clothing industry would be worth nearly  £8.6 billion experiencing an increase of 29% from the worth of today estimated at being  £6.7 billion. The consumers want quality and value products and thus it’s this trend that is contributing to the growth of the industry. During the time of recession, the market saw a growth of 10% per annum however it is expected that this sector will experience a 21% of growth in the next three years.

Freedom and Determinism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Freedom and Determinism - Essay Example Through determinism concept, freedom is driven by several aspects in human live including mental status, past life experience, physical factors, theological matters, biological concerns and so on. However, criminals also try all evasion avenues possible to escape any convictions, possibly using their lawyers. With this understanding, the stand of the attorney general and the jury that Penry's behavior may be a scheme purposed to deception, as opposed to arguments on childhood abuse and diminished mental capacity may be worth. Penry's side felt that his behavior was as a result of mental disturbance, with the other side believing that the behavior was out of ignorance but not mental retardation. Penry's lawyers hold that moral responsibility depends on mental stability. They suggest that the case should be waved because could the accused be smart mentally, then the crime could not take place (Doob, 2006, 11). Several aspects of determinism can be used to explain the varied views and opinions of the two sides. Nomological or causal determinism can be used to necessitate and explain present and past events. The horrific treatment of Penry by his mother should have impacted on the way he behaved by the belief that the past can influence the present. This is backed by scientific determinism or deterministic dogma which provides that cause, effect and precise eventual combination engenders particular outcomes at given moments. Events that Penry underwent at young ages accumulated to influence his behavior. Horrific treatment of the accused by his mother tells us what character the mother was. Biological determinism argues that desire, belief and behavior of an individual can be mould by endowment of genetics (Doob, 2006, 13). As a result, Penry may have inherited bad habits from her mother. In defining a disease, genetics is treated as a vital element, meaning that ailments are linked to gene tics. In theological determinism, daily happens are determined by God. This takes place through a form of omniscience, knowing ones actions in advance and decreeing ones actions in advance. The controversy of this determinism is how free will can be deemed free when someone has already planned for it. Thus it can be argued that this is the way God programmed the life of Penry. The above concepts of determinism link it to excuses of behaving unethically. Hard determinism applies environmental and hereditary means in influencing morality. Therefore, people do not have to belief ethically if they don't believe in uncaused free will. Soft determinists say that causation isn't acted unpredictably neither should it be viewed as compulsory or else a constraint (Doob, 2006, 12). Based on the above facts about determinism, prosecution judges should be very careful in establishing whether the conduct of the accused was genuine. This is the starting point for fairness to both sides and legal system itself. In the same line of thought, the society requires justice from legal institutions. These institutions are primarily set up to safeguard the rights of individuals and the general society. As above stated, the jury should take time to determine what made the man behave this way. If it was intentional, then the man is a potential threat to the society, indicating

See the pix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

See the pix - Essay Example This is an indication that though I may exhibit charisma, I am not a highly charismatic person. To a far extent therefore, charisma is not entirely important to my leadership effectiveness. Rather, I would want to use other means such as being persuasive through actions and words to effect my leadership obligations. I would depend on charisma only when the going gets very though and it has to be used as a last resort. As far as my preferred type of power is concerned, I scored very high points on referent than rewards, which suggests that my power system is based on people’s desire to identify with me rather than getting them to deliver tasks in exchange for reward. Babou (2008) also notes that transactional leaders are those who relate power to reward, punishment and conditions to get their followers accomplishing task. Since this contrasts with my own description, there is every indication that my leadership skill is more transformational than transactional. Based on the five basis of power, I am more comfortable using legitimate type of power. The reasons that can be attributed to this in relation to my leadership style are enormous. Fundamentally, I am a person who deals with people rather than task. This means that I should be able to guide my actions and interactions with personal and empirically accepted legitimate principles. This would ensure that my day by day interactions with people do not fall out of order. In the absence of such principles, people who come around are clearly going to abuse the freedom around me. My conflict handling style is collaborative. This means that in the midst or event of a conflict, I would rather want to be seen present with all people and stakeholders involved in trying to resolve the issue. I would not want to delegate powers into the hands of third party mediators. Rather, I would want to be involved myself. In relation to my leadership style, I would

Working Capital Simulation Essay Example for Free

Working Capital Simulation Essay Introduction The working capital simulation has allowed us to analyze the financials of Sunflower Nutraceuticals Company(SNC). The decisions made by the CEO increased the working capital and maximized the overall organizational growth potentially with respect to time. Moreover in addition to various details of the SNC firm we have also examined various decisions which took place in each of the phase of SNC’s simulation which has an estimated values to figure out the results. The paper also describes how SNC’s decisions are influenced with respect to their working capital followed with the final step of evaluating the general affects associated with the limited access of financial mix. Sunflower Nutraceuticals (SNC) Background SNC is a privately owned Nutraceuticals company and is a wide distributor which provides all the vital dietary supplements such as herbs for women’s, vitamins, and minerals for all the consumers (mainly women’s), distributors and retailers. (Harvard Business School Publishing, 2012). Once the business was initiated after 2006, SNC expanded their operations and came up with various retail outlets in the nutraceutical industry and has been successful while introducing their own brands of sports drinks, vitamins for teenagers, metabolism- boosting powders, etc and various other products from a same product line which enhance the metabolism system of humans. Although the potential to grow as one of the major nutraceutical distributors in the, they are still struggling to break even and on more than one occasion have been forced to exceed the company’s credit line ($1,00,000) to finance the payroll and other operational needs. Because of the organization’s somewhat restrictive financing options, they are only able to use a small percentage (approx. 10%) to evaluate and invest in new business expansion which resembles great opportunities in other retail markets across the globe. Phase 1 of SNC’s Simulation (Years 2013-2015) During the initial phase of the simulation, they presented four major  opportunities which could be helpful for their company to maximize their growth, those opportunities includes- Discontinuing their Poorer Selling Nutraceutical Products –since they have more than 100 products, some of those products can be dropped off SNC’s inventory because they are outdated. Reducing or discounting those items will allow SNC to a) reduce its DSI to approximately 3 months, b) cut its EBIT by 50k approximately, c) drop sales to 1mm, and d) create more inventory space for the popular products. Doing this will rationalize the SNC’s SKU count. Leveraging their Supplier Discount –SNC is considering an offer to add Atlantic Wellness (a large successful food chain) to their nutraceutical product line. The company considered and accepted the Atlantic Wellness contract as it allows them to increase company sales to 2k. In addition to their contract offer with Atlantic Wellnes s, SNC also considered the acceptance of Ayurveda Naturals with the contract offer which was favorable to SNC as its payment terms reflected a net gain of approximately 50. They could have lowered its AP if it was related to pay of Ayurveda Naturals within a month and that payment can increase a discount of almost 2% on some of their raw materials. Acquiring a New Client – SNC acquired a new client by acquiring the services of health food giant Atlantic Wellness to their nutraceutical products line. This decision increased SNC’s EBIT by approximately 200,000 and thus their sales figures. Although SNC’s sales and EBIT figures increased, their net working capital and profit margins will remain at current figures. Additionally, acquiring Atlantic Wellness as a client will help increase SNC’s sales significantly, but the increased sales come at a cost as the increased sales will decrease inventory and accounts receivable. Sacrificing inventory and accounts receivable is not a good deal for SNC because of their current cash position as SNC must keep a minimum of amount of cash on hand to meet their company’s operational nee ds. However, there is a positive lining for SNC as the risk of inventory and accounts receivable could be balanced by negotiating a profitable deal with merchant Ayurveda Natural. Limiting their Receivable Accounts – Since Super Sports Centers account for 20% of SNC’s sales figures, those receivable accounts takes the company approximately 200 days to pay and those 200 days is well above the normal 90-day average. To resolve this issue, SNC could drop Super Sports Centers and improve their DSO number, but that come at a cost as SNC’s sales would  drop drastically. Phase 2 of SNC’s Simulation (Years 2016-2018) During phase two of the simulation, SNC was presented with three different opportunities and those opportunities include: Expansion of SNC’s Online Presence –Since SNC would like to expand their operations into new retail markets its company was presented with an opportunity to partner with Golden Years Nutracueticals so that they could reach a larger, more diverse consumer base. From 2016-2018, this partnership reduced SNC’s DSO figures because its web sales began to be collected more rapidly from few days almost 7 to 2 days throughout the duration of 2016-2018. Also SNC also saw about 10%, increase in their sales from 2016-2018. This was an ideal opportunity for SNC as it will allow them to increase their sales with having little-to-no effect on the company’s working capital. Take up Big-Box Contributions – SNC established a partnership with sales giant Mega-Mart, and that decision allowed SNC to see increase in sales of 25%, 10%, and 5% approximately during 2016-2018. Additionally, this decision dropped SNC’s from about 1%, however, their bills were paid on time causing SNC’s DSO to drop. Beginning with a partnership with Mega-Mart is a good idea. However, this partnership will drop margins and reduce SNC’s EBIT. Create a Private Label Product –SNC has a partnership with Fountain of Youth Spas, and Fountain of Youth Spas want SNC to develop their own private label product so that SNC can expand their nutraceutical products line and increase their sales and consumer base. Doing this would increase SNC’s 2016-2018 sales by 5%, 4%, and 3% approximately. Additionally, it will also increase margin by 2% while increasing SNC’s DSO’s and DSI. This partnership will allow SNC to increase their EBIT while sli ghtly raising their accounts receivable figures. Phase 3 of SNC’s Simulation (Years 2019-2021) During phase three of SNC’s simulation, there were three opportunities for SNC to consider, and those opportunities include: Adapt a Global Expansion Plan–SNC acquired a new Latin America client (Viva Familia), which helped SNC expand their business operations into Latin America. SNC’s partnership with Viva Familia allowed SNC to decrease their DSO for a couple of days because Viva Familia will cover delivery charges. However, this new partnership increased the company’s DSI by two days, and it also increased  SNC’s sales by 2% with margins remaining parallel to current business. Renegotiate Current Supplier Credit Terms – SNC want to renegotiate its credit terms with other vendors so they used their main vendor Dynasty Enterprises (located in China) as leverage (suppose SNC needed a 3% discount for payment in 10 days) with other vendors. SNC could use their negotiation tactics with other vendors because their main vendor, Dynasty Enterpris e offered SNC profitable terms of 2/10 with a net of 30. This reduces SNC’s costs of sales by $3278 and their AR by $13112. Acquire a High-Risk Client –Midwest Miracles is a potential high-risk client for SNC because of Midwest Miracles excessive debt and risky financial situation. However, acquiring this client will increase the sales of future prospects of SNC sales by approximately 30% in 2019. Midwest Miracles is a potential risk for SNC as their company has lesser chance of going bankrupt as compared with the recovery. Other effects of this client, includes a likely increase in DSO by 190 days, and higher fees with a longer than average invoice pay-period. SNC’s Final Metrics Results Final Metrics Results (Figures Reflect 2013-2021) Estimated values: EBIT (202% Increase): Figure went from $440 to $1,330, Sales (27% Increase): Figure went from $10k to $12,672 Net Income (412% Increase): Figure went from $156 to $798 Free Cash Flow (124% Increase): Figure went from $365 to $798 Total Firm Value (56% Increase): Figure went from $3,248 to $5,082 General Effects of Limited Access to Financing There are several general effects that limited access to financing can have on entrepreneurs trying to start or grow his or her businesses. For example, limited access to financing can lead to 1) higher interest rates on a business loans or credit fees. 2) Force a business to face a complicated and expensive entry (registration costs, policies, equipment fees, etc.) and exit procedures (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012). C) Limit the amount of growth (profits, SME, consumer/client base, etc.) a company can have in that new market. D) Make it more challenging (longer and more expensive process) to implement property and intellectual rights of privately owned and developed brand products. Conclusion SNC simulation reflected the challenging ways of managing growth and capital of an organization in our present scenario. In the business market we can find many companies with limited financial power or take on business partnerships because they cannot financially support the business with their credit line or resources as it is more than estimated budgets. Hence, managing a company while managing the working capital and finances of the company is really a difficult task. References Harvard Business Publishing. (2012). Working capital simulation: managing growth. Retrieved from, http://forio.com/simulate/harvard/workingcapital/simulation/?#page=dashboard. BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Parrino, R., Kidwell, D. S., Bates, T. W. (2012). Fundamentals of corporate finance (2nd ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons.

Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis

Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis The chapter is a theoretical examination of the discipline of contrastive analysis. Its main aim is to provide a literature review of contrastive analysis. In pursuit of this aim, the chapter first sheds the light on the history of the discipline of contrastive analysis by providing a definition and a sketch of its origin. Then, an account of the stages involved in the comparison and contrastive process is provided. After that a classification of the contrastive studies is introduced. Additionally, a brief review of the contrastive analysis hypothesis is presented as well as CAs applications and contributions to other fields like language teaching, language universals, etc. Finally, the criticism directed towards CA is identified along with the recent developments originating from the discipline itself. Definition and Origin There are three types of comparative studies. They are comparative historical linguistics, comparative typological linguistics, and contrastive linguistics. Comparative historical linguistics developed in the 19th century, it aims to find the common genetic relatedness between groups of languages. Comparative typological linguistics classify languages according to the characteristics and features they share. Note that languages which belong to a given typological group do not need to be genetically related, i.e., two languages can be closely related in their typological classification regardless their genetic distance. Contrastive linguistics/analysis is a sub discipline in linguistics which is concerned with another kind of comparison. It is concerned neither with historical development nor with the problems of describing genetic relationships. Contrastive analysis is purely synchronic in its orientation. It differs in its scope from comparative historical linguistics, since it is t ypically concerned with a comparison of corresponding subsystems in only two languages. To put it differently, Contrastive analysis studies the language items used in the same period, not those items which exist in different periods. It involves comparing and contrasting languages or subsystems of languages in order to identify their similarities and differences. Accordingly, contrastive analysis is based on theoretical linguistics as well as descriptive linguistics. It is based on the former since the success or failure of these comparisons depends on the theory applied; and it is based on the latter since no comparison is to take place without a prior description of the languages under study. Contrastive analysis had a long history. As early as 1000 A.D, the English abbot Aelfric of Eynsham (c. 955 c. 1010) wrote his Grammatica: a grammar of Latin and English, based on the assumption that the knowledge of grammar of one language facilitates the learning of the other. Additionally, in the 17th century, the grammarian John Hewes expresses the view that the knowledge of the native grammar cannot only facilitate learning a foreign language but also interface (the idea of interference) with it. Hewes in his (1624) A Perfect Survey of the English Tongue taken according to the USA and analogie of the Latine, presented the fundamentals of English in order to provide the learner with a Right knowledge censure of their owne mother tongue, in regard it holden a great difference in it selfe from the dialect of the Latine (as cited in Krzeszowski, Tomasz, 1990, p. 02). Other grammarians like Howel (1662), Coles (1675), and Lewis (1670?) applied the idea of facilitation (positive transfer) through adapting the grammars of English or of Latin to the needs of speakers of various native languages. Note that those early contrastive studies were motivated in almost the same way as modern contraceptive studies in the USA. As early as 1670, Mark Lewis stated the following: The most facil (sic!) way of introducing any in a Tongue unknown is to show what Grammar it hath beyond, or short of his Mother tongue; following that Maxime, to proceed a noto ad ignotum, making what we know, a step to what we are to lean (sic!) (as cited in Krzeszowski, Tomasz, 1990, p. 02). Nearly three centuries later, Charles Fries wrote the following: The most efficient materials are those that are based upon a scientific description of the languages to be learned, carefully compared with a parallel description of the native language of the learner (Fries, 1945, p. 9) Although the word contrast did not appear until the end of the 18th century, the idea of comparing languages for pedagogical reasons is not a new one, as it goes back to the beginning of the foreign language teaching tradition. Nevertheless, written records of such kind of procedures went back to the 15th century. It should be mentioned that earlier contrastivists were not concerned with methodological problems, though they did develop a method of comparison know as The Sign Theory, the first method in contrastive studies. The sign theory is an approach introduced by Krzeszowski (1985) and was designed for teaching Latin in England; it involved adjusting the grammatical descriptions of both English and Latin. For many years, contrastive studies were practiced in the classroom intuitively. However, modern linguistic theories which flourished in the 20th century did affect the state of contrastive studies and hence, interests in methodology and theory of contrastive analysis began to grow. Contrastive analysis usually involves two languages and it is based on the assumption that languages have enough in common to be compared, as stated by James (1980, p. 3): CA is a linguistic enterprise aimed at producing inverted (i.e. contrastive, not comparative) two-valued typologies (a CA is always concerned with a pair of languages), and founded on the assumption that languages can be compared. Among the prominent objectives of contrastive analysis are: supplying insights into the convergences and divergences existing among languages, predicting problematic areas in L2 learning and contributing to the development of language teaching materials. A quick glance at the history of the discipline of CA will manifest that it has been assigned different labels by different European and American scholars. It was referred to as parallel description (Fries 1945), analytical comparison (Mathesius, 1964), comparative descriptive linguistics (Halliday-McIntosh-Stevens 1964), differential description (Mackey 1965), descriptive comparison (Catford 1968), dialinguistic analysis (Nemser 1971), analytical description (Ibid), differential studies (Lee 1974), interlingual comparison (Fillipovic 1975c). However, the widely used term contrastive linguistics has been coined by the American linguist and anthropologist Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941) in his 1941 article Languages and logic. In the aforementioned article, Whorf distinguished between comparative and contrastive linguistics. He claimed that contrastive linguistics is of even greater importance for the future technology of thought (1967, p. 240); and he defines it as a discipline which plots the outstanding differences among tongues in grammar, logic, and general analysis of experience. Contrastive analysis first appeared in Central Europe before the Second World War and spread afterwards in North America. It was Lados Linguistics Across Cultures (1957) which sets the corner stone of contrastive analysis, specifically the idea that the degree of differences between the two languages correlates with that of difficulty. In its early days in the forties (1940s) and fifties (1950s), CA was seen as a pedagogical tool, through which problematic areas in language teaching and learning can be predicted. Accordingly, CA relies very much on psychology as it is concerned with the prediction of learning difficulties which crop up from learners NL and TL; hence it needs a psychological component. It should be mentioned that CA is more powerful in the prediction of pronunciation difficulties, however, when it comes to grammar, it is not so powerful since most of grammatical errors in second language learning occur in areas where CA cannot predict. It is important to realize that there are three phases of Contrastive Analysis; each having its own characteristics: the (1) traditional, (2) classical and (3) modern phase. Traditional contrastive studies which marked the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century were horizontal in dimension in the sense that an element(s) in language A is compared with an equivalent element(s) in language B. They proceed from the description of the same features in the two languages to their juxtaposition on the basis of translation equivalence as assessed by a bilingual informant. Normally, a point of reference, often called tertium comparationis, is required outside the languages to be contrasted. The period between the end of the Second World War and 1965 was recognized as the classical period of contrastive studies. In this period, CA has been credited its status as a scientific, pragmatic as well as academic discipline. The most prominent figures of that period are Charles Fries, Robert Lado, Kenneth Pike, Ureil Weinreich among many others. The modern period of contrastive studies has been marked by the numerous contrastive projects carried out all over the world. However, it should be emphasized that theoretical issues of previous periods came under severe criticism. We will return to this presently, for the time being, it is sufficient to see that a problem exists. Despite the criticism of the previous periods, this phase marked the establishment of CA as an academic discipline throughout the world. It should be emphasized that modern linguistic approaches and technology have opened new horizons for CA. Notably, cognitive linguistics, pragmatics and corpus linguistics have all offered new theoretical frameworks and methodology. Stages of Contrastive Analysis Contrastive Analysis involves three stages, description, juxtaposition, and comparison. Lets consider each stage separately. The descriptive stage In this stage, the contrastive analyst provides an exhaustive description of the languages under study. Note that each language should be described individually apart from the other. Furthermore, the two languages should be described using the same model or framework, because if it happens that the two languages were described using different models, certain features may be described successfully than others. The juxtaposition stage In this stage, the contrastive analyst should respond to the following question: what is to be compared with what? In classical contrastive studies, the decision was based on intuitive judgments of competent bilingual informants. It was thought that competent bilinguals are able to decide about whether an element X in language A is equivalent to element Y in language B or is not. However, these intuitive judgments proved to be very weak as there are no clear principles underlying these decisions and as they were based on formal resemblances only which are not enough. As a consequence, the contrastive analyst faced the problem of establishing the criteria of comparison, also referred to as the tertium comparationis. It should be mentioned that the tertium comparationis is a kind of constant against which differences are measured, as stated by James (1980): The first thing we do is make sure that we are comparing like with like: this means that the two (or more) entities to be compared, while differing in some respect, must share certain attributes. This requirement is especially strong when we are contrasting, i.e., looking for differences-since it is only against a background of sameness that differences are significant. We shall call this sameness the constant and the differences variables. (p. 169) The notions of the equivalence and the tertium comparationis were presented graphically in Djordjevi (1987). In traditional contrastive studies, the TC was defined as the common platform of reference (Krzeszowski, 1990, p. 15). During the classical period, however, the TC was either formally or semantically based (James, 1980). Note that in phonological CA, the tertium comparationis is the IPA chart and the vowel diagram; in Lexis, it is the set of semantic components. However, contrastivists failed to establish a clear TC for grammatical CA. Because of this failure, three candidates have been proposed: surface structure TC, deep structure TC, and translation equivalence TC. The comparative stage In this stage, the contrastive analyst identifies the similarities and differences existing among the two languages. Note that the comparison involves types and not tokens (i.e. the contrastive analyst compares structures rather than strings of sound or graphic substance). Another issue related to the comparison stage is the fact that one does not compare languages in toto, instead a specifying process is usually under way, like for example the area of grammar, phonology or lexicology; which result in a variety of contrastive studies such as grammatical CA, phonological CA, and lexical CA. According to Krzeszowski (1990), there are three distinguished areas in this stage: Comparisons of various equivalent systems across languages, such as pronouns, articles, verbs, and in phonology consonants, vowels, as well as sub-systems, such as nasals, laterals, etc., depending on the degree of delicacy of the grammar. Comparisons of equivalent constructions, for example, interrogative, relative, negative, nominal phrase, etc., And in phonology clusters, syllables, diphthongs, and various distributions of sounds. Comparisons of equivalent rules (in those models where the concept of the rule appears), for example, subject raising from the embedded sentence, adjective placement, interrogative inversion, passivization, etc., and in phonology assimilation, dissimilation, metathesis, etc. In each area of comparison, one of three possible situations may arise: XLi = XLj When item X in Li may be identical in some respects with an equivalent item in Lj. XLi à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   XLj When item X in Li may be different in some respects from an equivalent item in Lj. XLi = ØLj When item X in Li has no equivalent in Lj. (Krzeszowski, 1976, p. 90) (as cited in Krzeszowski, Tomasz, 1990, p. 39). Levels of Analysis Contrastive analysis can be conducted at different levels of language, for example it can be carried out at the phonological level, grammatical level, as well as the lexical level. Phonological CA When comparing the sound system of two languages, the contrastive analyst has to go through four basic steps. Firstly, he should draw up the phonemic inventory (describe and compare vowels and consonants) of the two languages under study. Secondly, the contrastive analyst should compare the phonemes in the two languages interlingually. At this stage, the contrastive analyst should apply the minimal pair test. Here is an example of the minimal pair test between the phonemes /k/ and /g/ in English and Arabic: English: came /Keim/ vs. game /geim/ Arabic: /kelb/ dog vs. /gelb/ heart In Algerian Arabic /q/ and /g/ are phonemes and allophones: /gern/ horn vs. /qern/ century à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ phonemes /gma::r/ moon vs. /qma:r/ moon à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ allophones Thirdly, the contrastive analyst should state the allophones of each phoneme of the two languages being compared. And fourthly, he should state the distribution restrictions of the phonemes and allophones of both languages. Grammatical CA In a grammatical contrastive analysis, the contrastive analyst compares and contrasts between the grammatical systems of two languages. The comparison may take different forms, for example, in English; word order is used to differentiate between an affirmative sentence and an interrogative one: you are a teacher/are you a teacher? In Spanish, however, the same distinction is indicated via the use of intonation; while in Arabic, the same distinction is expressed through the addition of functional words like Ù†¡Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ at the beginning of sentences. Another kind of grammatical contrastive analysis may investigate how a given linguistic category functions in two different languages, such as the case of adjectives in English and French. In English, adjectives tend to be pronominal, however, in French; they tend to be post nominal, for example: The narrow door La porte etroite. Lexical CA Contrastive lexicology is carried out between the vocabulary system(s) of two languages. It is concerned with the way lexical items in one language are expressed in another language. This can be done through identifying both the semantic fields and the semantic properties in order to specify the divisions and sub-divisions of the lexicon. Lexical CA may result in complete, partial, or nil equivalence between languages. Towards the Classification of Contrastive Studies Contrastive studies can be divided into various subdivisions according to many criteria. Jacek Fisiak distinguished between theoretical contrastive studies and applied contrastive studies as stated in the following quote: Theoretical CS give an exhaustive account of the differences and similarities between two or more languages provide an adequate model for their comparison, determine how and which elements are comparable, thus defining such notions as congruence, equivalence, correspondence, etc. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Applied CS is part of applied linguistics. Drawing on the findings of theoretical contrastive studies they provide a framework for the comparison of languages, selecting whatever information is necessary for a specific purpose, e.g. teaching, bilingual analysis, translating, etc. (Fisiak, 1981, p. 9) He claims that theoretical contrastive studies do not investigate how a given category present in language A is represented in language B. Instead they look for the realization of a universal category X in both A and B (Fisiak et al. 1978: 10). Whereas, applied contrastive studies are preoccupied with the problem of how a universal category X, realized in language A as y, is rendered in language B. (Fisiak et al., 1978, p. 10), as illustrated below: X X A B A(y) B(?) Figure 2. a) Theoretical CAs b) Applied CAs Hence, a theoretical contrastive study provides us with exhaustive descriptions of the languages being compared and contrasted. Also, it highlights the main points of convergences and divergences between the languages in question. A worth emphasizing point is that there are no claims to be made as to whether the results are applicable for other purposes or not. An advantage of theoretical contrastive analyses is that they make reference to the universal tertium comparationis X; whereas applied contrastive analyses do not make such a reference. Additionally, theoretical contrastive studies contribute to the establishment of language universals. Also, they are language independent and non-directional. It should be mentioned that theoretical contrastive studies insist on the descriptive neutrality between the two languages under study, which is why attention should be drawn to some problems of terminology. In contrastive studies, terms like SL vs. TL, L1 vs. L2, and NL vs. FL occur and re-occur. However, the avoidance of these terms is highly required in theoretical contrastive studies, simply because the languages under study have an equal status. Applied contrastive studies draw on the findings of theoretical contrastive studies. Their aim is not merely linguistic but also applicable to other domains like: language teaching, translation, bilingual education, etc. Traditionally speaking, applied contrastive studies have been concerned with setting out the possible problematic areas in the learners target language, i.e., providing reliable prediction of the learners difficulties (James, 1980, p. 181-7). It should be mentioned that Applied contrastive studies devote more attention to surface representations since these are what the learners/translators have a more immediate access to and what language teaching has always been concerned with. Despite the fact that applied contrastive studies draw on the findings of theoretical contrastive studies, still they do not deal only with differences but also they give importance to the similarities. Hence, the teacher should point out the similar forms, so that learners will not guess them, because very often, an element of a foreign language is similar to what one has in his own language. Notice that the first contrastive studies were predominantly theoretical (Grandgent, 1982; Vietor, 1894; Passy, 1912; J Baudouin de Courtenay, 1912; Bogorodickij, 1915). Still, the applied part of CA was not completely neglected (e.g. Vietor, 1903), but it was of little importance. Also, the aim of developing pedagogical materials was more visible in the US, while Europe was more interested in the theoretical dimension. The other classification of contrastive studies is based on the linguistic model applied when describing the languages involved. Since contrastive analysis can be carried out in different linguistic frameworks, there are the structural, transformational, stratificational, or systemic contrastive studies. A third taxonomy is the one provided by Di Pietro (1971). He divided contrastive studies into Autonomous vs. Generalized and into Taxonomic vs. Operational. In autonomous contrastive studies, no reference is made to any universal which may be shared between the languages compared. Each language is described independently from the other. However, in generalized contrastive studies, reference is made to the shared features/structures which exist between the compared languages, not only because of their typological or genetic similarities but because of the universal grammar which underlie all human languages. Concerning the Taxonomic vs. Operational contrastive studies, the former states the similarities and differences across languages, the latter seeks to formulate a series of conversions performed on the source language in order to produce the forms of the goal language (Di Pietro 1971, as cited in Krzeszowski, Tomasz, 1990, p. 24). Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) Definition and origin Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis states that the structure of the learners L1 affects the acquisition (the two terms acquisition/learning interchangeably) of their L2, in the sense that whenever there are similarities the L2 learning is facilitated, and whenever there are differences the learning process is difficult. The term Contrastive Hypothesis implies the theory itself, while the term Contrastive Analysis implies the methodology. Hence, the term Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis implies both theory and methodology. CAH came into existence in the 1960s. It originated from Lados Linguistics across Cultures: The plan of the book rests on the assumption that we can predict and describe the patterns that will cause difficulty in learning, and those that will not cause difficulty, by comparing systematically the language and the culture to be learned with the native language and culture of the student (1957, p. VII). CAH is based on the assumption that second language learners tend to transfer L1 features to L2 utterances as stated by Lado (1957): Individuals tend to transfer the forms and meanings, and the distribution of forms and meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign language and culture (p. 2). Accordingly, Ellis (1965) suggested that the psychological foundation of CAH is transfer theory. In fact, CAs assumption that L1 interferes with the learners L2 acquisition/Learning leads us to the notion of transfer; be it positive or negative. Transfer refers to the application of native language knowledge when trying to speak the target language. Positive Transfer (facilitation) occurs when the structure of the two languages is the same; hence no errors will crop up. However, negative transfer (interference) occurs when the structure of the languages is different, and here errors will crop up and so the difficulties in tackling the target language. All in all, the more the similarities the more the learning process is facilitated, and the more the differences the more the learning process will be difficult. The aforementioned statement reflects linguists belief that a comparison of learners L1 and L2 will reveal problematic areas for L2 students, as stated by Lado (1957): In the comparison between native and foreign language lies the key to ease or difficulty in foreing language learningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Those elements that are similar to (the learners) native language will be simple for him, and those elements that are different will be difficult. (p. 1-2) The linguistic framework of the CAH is structuralism which assumes that language is a finite structure which can be compared with structures of other languages. Additionally, Skinners behavioural psychology is the basis of the CAH, specifically, the idea that learning is a habit formation process that takes place by reinforcement. Language acquisition consists of the acquisition of a set of habits; errors in second language were seen as the result of the first language habits interfering with the acquisition of the habits of the second. Procedures of the contrastive analysis hypothesis CAH applies the following procedure when attempting to predict areas of difficulty, as illustrated or stated by Whitman (1970): A contrastive analysis must proceed through four steps; description, selection, contrast, and prediction. Unfortunately, most analyses are weakened by insufficient care or attention at one or more of these steps, each of which is beset with a host of problems. (p. 191) In the Description stage, the contrastive analyst provides a formal description of the learners L1 and L2. In the selection stage, he selects specific forms (linguistic items, or rules, or structures, etc.) for contrast, as it is impossible to contrast every single facet of two languages. In the contrast stage, he carries out the contrastive process which will result in highlighting the similarities and differences existing among the two languages. Finally, come the stage of prediction in which the contrastive analyst predicts the problematic issues and difficulties, which the learner may or may not face while learning the target language. In order to describe the stage of prediction, Stockwell et al. (1965) proposed a hierarchy of difficulty based on the notion of transfer, be it positive transfer, negative transfer or zero transfer. When the forms of the two languages are similar, positive transfer will occur and hence the facilitation of the learning process; however, when the forms of the two languages are different, negative transfer will occur and hence difficulty in learning; when there is no relation at all between the forms of the two languages, here no transfer is to take place, i.e., zero transfer. Versions of the CAH It is important to realize that there are different versions of the CAH. These are the strong and weak versions of Wardhaugh (1970) and the moderate version of Oller and Ziahosseiny (1970). Wardhaugh (1970) suggested that the strong version predicts areas of difficulty via providing a systematic and scientific analysis of the learners L1 and L2. However, the weak version requires of the linguist only that he uses the best linguistic knowledge available to account for observed difficulties in second language learning. (Wardhaugh, 1970, p. 129) So, there is a shift in focus from the predictive power of areas of difficulty to the explanatory power of observable errors. In addition, Oller and Ziahosseiny (1970) find the strong version too strong and the weak version too weak, and so they proposed a moderate version of the hypothesis which they summarized as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the categorization of abstract and concrete patterns according to their perceived similarities and differences is the basis for learning; therefore, wherever patterns are minimally distinct in form or meaning in one or more systems, confusion may result (p. 186). To explain their view, they conducted a study based on English spelling errors on the UCLA placement test. In this test, they compared the spelling errors of foreign students whose native language employed/uses a Roman alphabet with foreign students spelling errors whose native language has little or no relation to the Roman alphabet. They arrive to the conclusion that knowledge of one Roman writing system makes it more difficult to learn/acquire another Roman spelling system. Implementations of Contrastive Analysis Be it a very useful tool, CA is applied in many fields of inquiry. It contributes to different areas of study as stated in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Linguistics: CA has been used as a tool in historical linguistics to establish language genealogies, in comparative linguistics to create language taxonomies and in translation theory to investigate problems of equivalence. In language teaching it has been influential through the contrastive analysis hypothesis CAHà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Johnson Johnson, 1998, p. 85) Contrastive analysis and language teaching In the field of language teaching, CA has been influential through the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, as Fries point out: The most efficient materials are those that are based upon a scientific description of the languages to be learned, carefully compared with a parallel description of the native language of the learner (1945, p. 9) As a matter of fact, the contributions of contrastive analysis to the field of language teaching are numerous and remarkable. First, a contrastive analysis of the learners L1 and L2 helps syllabus designers to prepare effective teaching materials taking into consideration students difficulties. As stated by Lado in his (1957) Linguistics across Cultures: The results of such comparisons have proven of fundamental value for the preparation of teaching materials, test and language teaching experiments. Foreign language teachers who understand this field will acquire insights and tools for evaluating the language and culture content of the textbooks and tests, supplementing the materials in use, preparing new materials and tests, and diagnosing students difficulties accurately. ( p. I) Secondly, contrastive analysis provides useful insights to the teacher who has performed a contrastive analysis between the students L1 and L2, and makes him/her aware of the real learning problems and the best way(s) to teach them, as stated by Lado (1957): The teacher who has made a comparison of a foreign language with the native language of the student will know better what the real learning problems are and can better provide for teaching them. (p. 2) In addition to Lado, Mackey (1965) illustrates the significance of CA to language teaching in the following quotation: CA is of particular interest to language teaching because many of the difficulties in learning a second language are due to the fact that it differs from the first. So that if we subtract the characteristics of the first language from those of the second; what presumably remains is a list of the learners difficulties. I DID NOT FIND THE PAGE It seems likely then, that the most useful contribution that Contrastive Analysis can make to language teaching lies in predicting learning difficulties and helping syllabus designers to produce the most effective materials. Contrastive analysis and language typology

Graduation Speech: Its All About the Lives We Touch :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

To be honest, I felt daunted by the task of attempting to sum up "the future"; and, what few key points could I focus on that everyone could relate to and take interest in? After a few weeks of thinking about it, the answer struck me—absolutely nothing. With that in mind, the task became easier, for I no longer aimed to impress but to advise, no longer to appease but to guide. The final result was much more personal and thoughtful than I had ever intended. I asked around to my friends, "When you think of the future, what one word pops into your mind first?" One practical senior replied "technology." He is, of course, quite right. It is impossible to tell what specific advancements await the world in the near future, but it is important to realize that with the power to change the planet through a microchip or one single stem cell, comes the burden of great responsibility. Because of this, America's youth, us, needs to be more ethically attuned than ever before. We must weigh the outcome, the possibility for acclaim and money, always with the ethics of the means. It is only with a balance of technological advancement and morality that this country will move forward and prosper. Marian Wright Edelman succinctly explained, "If we believe in it, if we have faith in it, if we dream it, if we struggle for it, and if we refuse to give up, we can make America a place where truly no child is left behind. What good does it matter for us to be the richest, most powerful nation on earth and lose our soul?" An honest friend of mine replied "fear" when asked about the future. Truthfully, most of us here today are just a little bit afraid. Graduates: you're moving on to new and different things. Families: you're watching them do it. At this leaping-off point, a hand to hold is both a comfort and a guide. Should that hand grip too tightly, however, the spirit becomes shackled. It is impossible to learn, to explore, discover, and to grow under the constant protection of another ¹s wing. Going it alone inspires imagination and resourcefulness. A mind accustomed to the direction of others, one that is used to being told what and when to feel, cannot learn the art of free will. Lastly, over sheltering infringes upon the development of the soul, an incarceration that leads to inner turmoil.

Microsoft Office and Figure

Table of Contents Introduction This session is targeted at those who wish to learn the new key features of MS Word 2007. It will cover use of the ribbon, adding tools to the Quick Access Toolbar and using live preview before making selections. By the time you have completed this session you should be able to: 1. Work with the new ribbon in Word 2007 2. Add tools to the Quick Access Toolbar 3. Use the Office Button 4. Use Live Preview and make selection 5. Create, save and format a document 6. Indent paragraphs and change line spacing 7. Create bullet and number list 8.Change format of bullets and number list 9. Apply borders and shading to paragraphs 10. Add a header or footer and page numbers to documents 11. Select tools from the Mini Toolbar 12. Work with Super tool tips 13. Use Launchers to display dialog boxes 14. Create and modify tables 15. Add and remove items from the Status Bar 16. Select Word Options 17. Understand the new file formats 18. Use the Compatibility Checker 19. Understand and apply the different security features Documents needed for practical are contained within the EssentialsInWord folder on the desktop or download from http://www. qub. ac. k/student Click on the Training Materials link (under Useful Information), scroll down to Microsoft Office 2007. Click on the Zip files for Word Essential. zip and download either to desktop or H drive. Right click on the zip file and select Extract All (or unzip to here) This practical should take you approximately 2 hours to complete Microsoft Word’s 2007 Ribbon When Word 2007 is first opened, a new blank document is automatically created. The ribbon displayed across the top of the screen replaces the old toolbars and menus. The ribbon is divided into eight tabs (if Developer tab is shown), plus an additional tab if add-ins are being used.The number of items shown in the ribbon will vary depending on the size and resolution of the monitor. For example, figure 1 below shows four heading styl es on the ribbon, whereas a larger monitor with a higher screen resolution would display six or more heading styles. By clicking on the downward arrow to the right of the styles, the full range of styles will be displayed. By selecting the tabs across the top of the ribbon, i. e. Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review and View, a different section of the ribbon will be displayed.Notice that the Home ribbon/tab contains many of the tools previously displayed on the Standard and Formatting toolbars. Figure [ 1 ]: The Ribbon (Home Position) To hide the ribbon, (which will allow more room on the screen) double click one of the tabs across the top. To access a tool from the collapsed ribbon, click once on the tab to expand the ribbon and select the tool. To bring the ribbon back, double click on a tab or use the keyboard option Ctrl+F1. Note that when the ribbon is collapsed it is possible to use the Alt key on the keyboard to show the shortcut keys.For example Alt+N will acce ss the Insert tab. See . Figure [ 2 ]: Short Cut Keys for Ribbon ————————————————- Across the top of the ribbon (or just below it), at the left hand side of the Title Bar, you will notice the Quick Access Toolbar (see figure 3). To add tools from the ribbon to the toolbar, right click on the tool and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar. Note: tools on the Quick Access Toolbar are saved to the computer, therefore if you use a different computer, you will not be able to access tools saved earlier. Figure [ 3 ]: Quick Access ToolbarMany of the tools contained in the earlier Edit menu, can now be accessed from the Office Button See figure 4 for list. Note that if the current document is saved on a SharePoint server, there will also be a Server Tasks button, between Publish and close. 1. ———————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Click on the Office Button 2. ————————————————- Right click on the Save icon 3. ————————————————- Select Add to Quick Access Toolbar Note: If the tool is already on the Quick Access Toolbar, the option will be unavailable.If this is the case, select another tool of your choice to add to the toolbar. Office Button Click on the arrows to see an extended menu in each case Live Preview Live Preview shows formatting results on text such as heading styles, font colour, background colour, etc, without actually clicking on the choice. For example by highlighting text and moving the mouse over the styles, on the Home tab, a preview of the effect of each style will be displayed without actually selecting the style. Note that not all fo rmatting options use live preview.Click on the Office Button and select Open Browse to where you have saved the Word Essentials folder and open the document ECDL Leaflet Select the first heading ECDL and ECDL Advanced Ensure the Home tab is selected and move the cursor over the heading styles Notice how the heading changes to allow a preview (without clicking on a style). Click the downward arrow to the right of the styles to access the full range. Select Heading1 style by clicking on it. (Note: the name of the style will appear as you move the cursor over each style). Bullets and Numbering 1. ———————————————— Under the heading Why Study for an IT Qualification, select the five lines of text after By studying for the ECDL at Queen’s†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. ——————————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€- Select the Bullets tool from the Paragraph group on the Home tab. 3. ————————————————- Scroll down to the heading What will you learn and select the seven lines of text beginning Basic Concepts of IT and select the Numbering tool from the Paragraph group. 4. ————————————————-Under the heading Moving forward with ECDL Advanced, select the text Word processing, down to Presentations and select the bullets tool. 5. ————————————————- To change the style of numbering or bullets, select the last list you created and click on the downward arrow to the right of the bullet or number tool 6. ———————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Choose a style or select Define New Bullet to choose a picture/symbol. See figure 5. (Note Live Preview of bullets before selection) : Change Bullet types * Note: within the Paragraph group there is also a Multilevel list.See figure 6, which is a useful feature for creating sub level lists. Also under the font group there is a tool to remove all formatting from a document. See figure 7. : Multilevel List : Clear Formatting Borders and Shading 1. ————————————————- Ensure the Home tab is selected. 2. ————————————————- Select the last paragraph in the document beginning ECDL and ECDL Advanced and click on the downward arrow beside the Border tool (on the Paragraph group). See figure 8. 3. — ———————————————-Select Outside Borders, see figure 8. Figure [ 7 ]: Border 4. ————————————————- With the paragraph still selected click on the downward arrow beside the Shading tool (next to the border tool) on the Paragraph group. 5. ————————————————- Select a shade of grey, i. e. 25% * The MiniBar/Mini Toolbar Select any line of text in the ECDL leaflet document. Notice that the mini toolbar appears. See Figure 9. At first the toolbar will be quite faint but as the cursor is moved closer to the toolbar it becomes more solid.Moving the cursor off the mini toolbar and back may cause it to disappear. Right click on the selected text and it will reappear. Note t hat the mini toolbar does not produce live preview results. Figure [ 8 ]: Mini Toolbar By right clicking on text such as bullets or numbering, extended shortcut options will appear (see figure 10). Figure [ 9 ]: Extended Short Cut Menu * Super Tooltips Move the cursor over the tools on the ribbon. Notice that an extended tool tip appears. For example in Figure 11 below, the mouse was hovered over the Format Painter tool. In most cases the keyboard short cut keys also appear.Figure [ 10 ]: Super Tooltip for Format Painter * Dialog Boxes and Launchers Dialog boxes can be displayed in several ways. One example is to use the launchers. These are indicated by the small arrow in the lower right hand corner of ribbon groups, see figure 12. Click on the launcher to open the dialog box. Note that not a lot of changes have been made to dialog boxes in Word 2007 see figures 13a and 13b for one example. Figure [ 11 ]: Launcher Launcher Figure [ 12 ]a: Paragraph in 2007 Figure 13b: Paragraph in 2003 The Insert RibbonClick on the Office Button and create a new blank document. Click on the Insert tab to display the insert section of the ribbon, see figure 14. Figure [ 13 ]: Insert Ribbon From the Pages group there is the option to insert a cover page, a blank page or page break. Section breaks can now be accessed from the Page Layout tab (covered later). Note that page breaks can also be accessed from the Page Layout tab. Tables Click on the downward arrow under tables and select a three column by three row table. See figure 15. Alternatively select Insert Table to make your selection. See figure 15. Figure [ 14 ]: Insert TableThree columns by three rows Note the table tools in the ribbon with Design and Layout tabs. See figure 16 with Design tab selected and Figure 17 with Layout tab selected. Design tab Layout Table Tools Border Launcher Figure [ 15 ]: Table Tools (Design) 1. ————————————â €”———- Click into the first cell of the table and ensure the Layout tab is selected (see figure 17) 2. ————————————————- Select the top row of the table and click on the Merge Cells button within the Merge group 3. ————————————————-Select the Design tab and from the table styles (use the arrow key to the right of the styles), select Light List Accent 2 style, i. e. move the cursor over the styles and a name box will appear. Figure [ 16 ]: Table Tools (Layout) 1. ————————————————- Select the table and with the Design tab still selected, click on the Draw Borders launcher (see figure 16) to access the full range of borders and sha ding options. Alternatively click the downward arrows next to the borders and shading buttons to see the full range of options (within table styles of the Design tab). 2. ———————————————— Select All borders 3. ————————————————- Select 1 point width for the border and the colour blue. 4. ————————————————- Right click within a table cell to bring up additional options such as insert row/column, delete row/column, etc. See figure 18. 5. ————————————————- Alternatively, select the Layout tab, see figure 17 to insert rows, columns, delete table, et c. 6. ————————————————- Using figure 19 as a guide, complete the remaining cells within the table. . ————————————————- Save the document as Table Example within the WordEssentials folder and close the document. Figure [ 17 ]: Table options Courses Microsoft Office 2007 Training Courses| October| Word| Essentials| October| Excel| Essentials| October| PowerPoint| Essentials| October| Access| Essentials| November| Word| Advanced| November| Excel| Advanced| November| PowerPoint| Advanced| November| Access| Advanced| A range of other course are available in each Microsoft application Shapes and SmartArt Click on the Office button and create a new document and ensure the Insert tab is selected.The Illustrations group on the Insert tab has buttons for inserting pictures , ClipArt, Shapes and Charts, there is also an option to use SmartArt which is a new feature on the Insert ribbon. 1. ————————————————- Click on the downward arrow below shapes. A range of shapes, lines, arrows are available. See figure 18. Note the option New Drawing Canvas at the bottom of the list (this appeared automatically in Word 2003) 2. ————————————————- Select three flow chart shapes of your choice and draw them on the page, one beneath the other.Draw connecting lines from the first shape to the second and a line from the second to the third shape. Figure [ 18 ]: Shapes 1. ————————————————- With the Insert tab still selected, click on Blank Pa ge (from the Pages group). 2. ————————————————- Click on the SmartArt control and browse through the different categories down the left hand side. See figure 21 3. ————————————————- Select Block cycle from the Cycle category and click OK. See figure 21 with block cycle selected. Note the SmartArt ribbon appears.See figure 22. Figure [ 19 ]: SmartArt Figure [ 20 ]: SmartArt Ribbon Add Shape Change Colours 4. ————————————————- Click into each area of the cycle in turn and type the tasks associated with completing the ECDL qualification. See figure 23. 5. ————————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Click anywhere on the page when the cycle is complete. To access the SmartArt ribbon, double click on the shape and it will reappear. 6. ————————————————- To change the colour of the cycle, click on the Change Colours control, see figure 22. 7. ———————————————— To delete a shape, select the shape and press delete on the keyboard. 8. ————————————————- To insert a shape, select a shape next to where you want the new shape and click on Add Shape, see figure 22 9. ————————————————- To change the layout use the arrows to the right of the Layouts group and click a layout to select. 10. ————————————————- To change the SmartArt style, click on the arrows to the right of the Styles group and click the style to select. Figure [ 21 ]: Steps to complete ECDLNote: for more advanced features of SmartArt, see Advanced courses in Word and PowerPoint. Headers and Footers 1. ————————————————- Ensure the Insert tab is selected. Click the downward arrow under Header, (within the Header & Footer group) to see the full range of header styles. Click the arrow beneath Footer and Page Number to view the styles available. See figure 24. 2. ————————————————- Click on the Footer button and s elect Alphabet style. Type your name in the [Type Text] box. The page number will appear on the right of the footer. . ————————————————- Notice the view of the ribbon/tab has changed, i. e. a design tab for header and footer appears. See figure 25. 4. ————————————————- Click Close Header and Footer (see figure 25). Note: Another way to access headers or footers is to double click the header or footer area of the page. Figure [ 22 ]: Headers and Footers Note: When in the header or footer area the header and footer tools/controls appear, see figure 25. To return to the main document, click the Close Header and Footer button see figure 25.Figure [ 23 ]: Header and footer tools Quick Parts and Building Blocks Quick Parts and Building Blocks provide a menu of reusable document parts, for example headers, footers, cover page, tables, etc. 1. ————————————————- With the Insert tab selected, click on Quick Parts from the Text group. Any quick parts created will be displayed. In figure 26 below, a cover sheet for IT courses has been created and saved as a quick part. 2. ————————————————- Click on Building Blocks Organizer to see the full list and type.Select a building block and note the preview displayed. To use a building block, select it and click Insert Figure [ 24 ]: Quick Parts 1. ————————————————- With the Building Blocks Organizer open, click on the heading Name, to sort items by name. To sort by Gallery, Categor y or Template, click on the particular heading. 2. ————————————————- Select one of the building blocks and click Edit properties. The Modify Building Block box opens (see figure 27). Changes can be made, click OK Figure [ 25 ]: Modify Building Blocks 1. ———————————————— To add a document part to Quick Parts or Building Blocks, select the item (for example to create a heading with QUB logo): 2. ————————————————- Ensure the Insert tab is selected, click Header and select Edit Header 3. ————————————————- Click on Picture within the Insert tab and insert Logo_QUB from the folder saved to your desktop. 4. ————————————————- Click on the downward arrow next to Quick Parts and select Save selection to Quick Part Gallery (see figure 27). . ————————————————- Type a name for the Quick Part, i. e. QUBLogo, select the Header gallery from the drop down list. See figure 28 Figure [ 26 ]: Create Quick Part 1. ————————————————- Open a new blank document 2. ————————————————- Click on the arrow next to Quick Parts and select Building Blocks Organizer 3. ————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Click on Name to sort by name and scroll down to QUBLogo 4. ————————————————- Click Insert The Page Layout RibbonClick the Page Layout tab to display the page layout section of the ribbon, see figure 29. Figure [ 27 ]: Page Layout Ribbon Margins 1. ————————————————- Ensure the ECDL Leaflet document is opened. 2. ————————————————- Within the Page Setup group, click the downward arrow under Margins, to change the margins of the document 3. ————————————————- Note t he range of page set up styles provided but in this case choose Custom Margins 4. ————————————————- Change the top margin to 3. cm and the bottom to 3. 00 cm (see figure 30). 5. ————————————————- Note the option to change page orientation (leave as Portrait) 6. ————————————————- Click OK Figure [ 28 ]: Page Set up Indents and Spacing 1. ————————————————- Select the first paragraph of text under the heading â€Å"Is your CV missing something? † 2. ———————————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Ensure the Page Layout tab is selected and click on the launcher button to the right of the Paragraph group (see figure 12 for launcher button) 3. ———————————————— Ensure the Indents and Spacing tab is selected and from Special select First line indent (see figure 31). 4. ————————————————- Change the line spacing to 1. 5 lines with 10 pt spacing after the paragraph (see figure 31). Click OK Figure [ 29 ]: Indents and Line Spacing As mentioned earlier section breaks can be inserted from the Page Layout tab, from within the Page Setup group, (click the arrow beside Breaks to select section breaks), see figure 29. The References Ribbon Click on the References tab to display the ribbon, see figure 32.The References tab is used f or working with long documents, i. e. generating a table of contents and index, inserting footnotes and endnotes, inserting captions for tables and figures, etc. It will not be covered in this practical. Figure [ 30 ]: References Ribbon The Mailings Ribbon Click on the Mailings tab to display the ribbon, see figure 33. Tools on the Mailings tab are used to create mail merged documents, labels and envelopes. A document has been created named ExamResults containing student exam results (three topics) for seven students. Figure [ 31 ]: Mailings Ribbon 1. ————————————————-Open the document StudentResults and ensure the Mailings tab is still selected 2. ————————————————- Click on the Start Mail Merge button and select Normal Word document 3. ———â €”————————————- Click on the downward arrow next to Select Recipients and choose Use Existing List 4. ————————————————- Browse to the WordEssentials folder and select the file ExamResults. Click Open 5. ————————————————- Position the cursor after the text Student Name and click on the downward arrow beneath Insert Merge Field 6. ———————————————— Select Student Title (see figure 34), leave a space and repeat, inserting Student_First_Name and Student_Surname 7. —————————————†”——- Position the cursor in the first blank cell of the table (beneath Module Result) 8. ————————————————- Insert fields for Introduction to Pure Maths, 9. ————————————————- Repeat point 8 above for Applied Maths and Programming (should resemble figure 35) Figure [ 32 ]: Insert Merge Field Merged Fields 10. ————————————————-Click on Finish and Merge 11. ————————————————- Click Edit Individual documents, select OK 12. —————————————— ——- Exam results for 7 students should be completed. The Review Ribbon Click on the Review tab to display the ribbon, see figure 36. The Tracking group is used to track changes made to a document and the Changes group is used to accept or reject changes. These will not be covered in this practical. The spell and grammar checker, thesaurus word count and translate tools can be accessed from the Proofing group of the Review tab.To spell check the ECDL leaflet, click on Spelling & Grammar. As with previous versions of Word, suggestions will be given, along with the option to add to dictionary. Figure [ 33 ]: Review Ribbon Proofing group The View Ribbon Click on the View tab to display the ribbon, see figure 37. Within the Document Views group the various views with text description is displayed. Also note the views are displayed in the status bar across the bottom of the window. Figure [ 34 ]: View Ribbon Developers Ribbon To show the Developers ribbon, click on the Offic e Button and select Word Options.Ensure the Show Developer tab in ribbon is ticked. See figure 38. The Developers tab is not covered in this practical. Figure [ 35 ]: Show Developer Tab in Ribbon Click on the Developer tab to display the ribbon, see figure 39. Figure [ 36 ]: Developer Tab * The Status Bar The Status Bar is positioned across the bottom of the window, see figure 40. There are over 20 choices on the bar, see figure 41. To display the Customize Status Bar dialog box, right click on the Status Bar. Items with a tick beside them will appear on the Status bar. To add an item, click on it. To remove an item, click on the ticked item.Figure [ 37 ]: Status Bar Figure [ 38 ]: Status Bar Options Word Options Previously Word options were accessed from the Tools menu by selecting Options. Word Options is now accessed by clicking on the Office button and selecting Word options. The Word Options menu will then appear. See figure 42. Click on the tabs down the left hand side to acce ss features associated with the tab. In figure 42, the Popular tab is selected showing the top options for working with Word. Figure [ 39 ]: Word Options Customize Quick Access Toolbar 1. ————————————————-With Word options still open, click on Customize 2. ————————————————- Click on the downward arrow next to Choose Commands From (see figure 43). Notice all the tabs are listed along with options to add tools not displayed on the ribbon. 3. ————————————————- Select the Insert Tab and select Convert Text to Table. See figure 43 4. ———————————————â€⠀- Click the add button to add the tool to the Quick Access Toolbar 5. ————————————————- Click OK. See figure 43Figure [ 40 ]: Add to Quick Access Toolbar File Formats Most Word files created in 2003 can still be opened in 2007. Word 2007 uses four file extensions: 1. .docx – file ending for ordinary Word 2007 documents 2. .docm – file ending for macro enabled documents 3. dotm – file ending for Word 2007 templates (does not contain macros) 4. .dotm – file ending for macro enabled templates By clicking on the Office Button and selecting Save As, you have the option to save as a Word Document (2007 version), Word Template, Word 97-2003 or select Other Formats, see figure 29.Even if the document is saved in Word 2007 format, Word 97/2003 users can still open it if they have downloaded the compatibility pack from Microsoft online. Figure [ 41 ]: F ile Formats Note: Word’s . doc used binary, whereas . docx uses XML. .docx creates smaller files than . doc and are less likely to become corrupt. Use SaveAs to save one type of document as another Save the Document 1. ————————————————- Click on the Office Button and select Save As 2. ————————————————- Save the document as ECDL Information (notice the file ending), see figure 45 3. ———————————————— Save it in the WordEssentials folder, see figure 45 4. ————————————————- Close the application Figure [ 42 ]: Save Compatibility Checker Pro vided Word 2000-2003 users download the free Office 2007 compatibility pack, they will be able to read and write to Word 2007 files. Occasionally users will get a message stating that certain features might be lost when converting between these different formats. Word automatically runs compatibility checks if a document is being saved in a different format from the current one.If you prefer, you can run a compatibility check at any time to find out if features would be lost in saving to another file format. To run the compatibility checker, click on the Office button and select Prepare, Run Compatibility Checker. See figure 46 Figure [ 43 ]: Run Compatibility Checker Ensure the Check compatibility when saving in Word 97-2003 formats check box is ticked. See figure 47. If the checker is turned on, whenever you use a feature in Word 2007 that is not supported in Word 97-2003 the Compatibility Checker will pop up highlighting the issue, see figure 48. Figure [ 44 ]: Compatibility Chec kerSecurity Features There are a range of different types of protection methods that can be used with Word 2007 Restricting Permission: Information Rights Management: This option allows users to access Microsoft’s service to restrict access to those who can open or make changes to a document. Click on the Office Button, select Prepare, Restrict permission and Restricted Access, see figure 48. Note you may need to download the software from Microsoft (see figure 47) and sign up to the service the first time you use it, see figure 50. Figure [ 45 ]: Restricted Access Figure [ 46 ]: Information Rights ManagementAt this stage it is a free trial service but it is possible Microsoft might charge for the service in the future. Figure [ 47 ]: Sign Up Style Formatting, Tracked changes, comments and filling forms Restrictions * Restricts formatting to particular styles * Protection is by password * Accessed from Review ribbon, Protect Document, Restrict Formatting and Editing (see figu re 51). * Make selection from Restrict formatting and Editing pane, see figure 52. Figure [ 48 ]: Formatting Restrictions Limit formatting to a selection of styles – tick box Figure [ 49 ]: Restrict Formatting and EditingSelect type of editing allowed from drop down list Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection to enter password Password to Open/modify Click the Office Button, select Save As – Tools – General Options and enter the password to either open and modify or modify only, see figure 53. Figure [ 50 ]: General Options Inspect Document To inspect a document to see if it contains personal data or comments, click the Office Button, select Prepare, Inspect Document. Click Inspect on the Document Inspector, see figure 54. Figure [ 51 ]: Inspect Document Mark as Final A document can be marked as final if it had no further modifications to be made.This option will render the document read only. Users with Word 2007 can remove the feature if necessary. Users with e arlier versions of Word, even with the compatibility pack won’t even see the file as Read Only. Word Help To access Word help, click on the question mark at the right hand top of the window. Type keyboard shortcuts in the box provided and click on Search. See figure 55. Links to a range of possible solutions will be provided. See figure 55 Figure [ 52 ]: Help The Get Started Ribbon For additional help on using the Office 2007, download to your own computer the Get Started ribbon (also provided for Excel, PowerPoint).See figure 56. A range of interactive materials, videos, online training and discussion forum is provided. See figure 56. To download the Get Started Ribbon (when you return to your own computer), open a web browser and go to http://office. microsoft. com/en-us/help/HA102146851033. aspx Figure [ 53 ]: Get Started Ribbon Bibliography TitleAuthor(s)Publisher Goal Directed Project ManagementE S. Anderson et al. Kogan Page & Coopers & Lybrand, 1987 The Handbook of Pro ject ManagementTrevor L YoungInstitute of Directors, 1999 Introducing Prince – The Structured Project Management MethodC. BentleyNCC Blackwell, 1992Project Management – 5th EditionDennis LockGower, 1994 Project Management – A Managerial Approach 4th EditionJ. R. Meredith & S. J. Mantel, Jr. John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2000 Project Management – A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and ControllingHarold KerznerJohn Wiley and Sons, Inc, 1998 Project Management ToolsJacques SurveyerSoftware Development Magazine, July 1997 Project Management for the 21st CenturyB. P. Lientz & K. P. ReaAcademic Press, 1998 Project SkillsSam Elbeik & Mark ThomasButterworth Heinemann, 2000 Step by Step – Microsoft Project 2000C. S. Chatfield & T. D. JohnsonMicrosoft Corporation, 2000