Monday, September 30, 2019

FDI

However, these institutions may also bring with them relaxed codes of ethical conduct that serve to exploit the neediness of developing nations, rather than to provide he critical support necessary for countrywide economic and social development. When a multinational invests in a host country, the scale of the investment (given the size of the firms) is likely to be significant. Advantages The possible benefits of a multinational investing in a country may include: HARD – Train the labor skills, other company start losing skilled workers. Improving the balance of payments – inward investment will usually help a country's balance of payments situation. The investment itself will be a direct flow of capital into the country and the investment is also likely to result in import substitution and export promotion.Export promotion comes due to the multinational using their production facility as a basis for exporting, while import substitution means that products previously i mported may now be bought domestically. Providing employment – FDA will usually result in employment benefits for the host country as most employees will be locally recruited. These benefits may be relatively greater given that governments will usually try to attract firms to areas where there is relatively high unemployment or a good labor supply. Source of tax revenue – profits of litigation's will be subject to local taxes in most cases, which will provide a valuable source Of revenue for the domestic government.Technology transfer – multinationals will bring with them technology and production methods that are probably new to the host country and a lot can therefore be learnt from these techniques. Workers will be trained to use the new technology and production techniques and domestic firms will see the benefits of the new technology. This process is known as technology transfer. Increasing choice – if the multinational manufactures for domestic mark ets as ell as for export, then the local population will gain form a wider choice of goods and services and at a price possibly lower than imported substitutes. National reputation – the presence of one multinational may improve the reputation of the host country and other large corporations may follow suite and locate as well.Disadvantages The possible disadvantages of a multinational investing in a country may include: Environmental impact – multinationals will want to produce in ways that are as efficient and as cheap as possible and this may not always be the best environmental practice. They will often lobby governments hard to try to ensure that they can benefit from regulations being as lax as possible and given their economic importance to the host country, this lobbying will often be quite effective. Access to natural resources – multinationals will sometimes invest in countries just to get access to a plentiful supply of raw materials and host nations are often more concerned about the short-term economic benefits than the long-term costs to their country in terms of the depletion of natural resources.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Managing Business Problems Essay

What are the causes of poor productivity within large organizations and how can we look at trying to improve this? Productivity is the degree of output achieved in relation to a certain level of input. For example, in a call centre environment, productivity would be seen as the number of telephone calls answered per hour by a certain number of staff. The telephone calls are the output and the staff available to take the calls are the input. In order to improve productivity, one of the following has to occur: The level of input is decreased however the level of output remains the same, or, the level of output increases but the level of input remains the same. In relation to the example of the call centre, this would mean reducing the number of staff available to answer the phone but yet the remaining staff would still have to answer the same number of calls, i.e. they would have to answer more calls each to compensate for the decrease in staff. Or the other way to increase productivity in a call centre would be to keep the same number to staff available to take customer calls but the number of calls being answered in total would have to increase. Productivity is a major issue within any organisation but especially call centres. Call centres do try to forecast the number of calls they expect everyday and allocate resources accordingly to deal with these pressures, however there are still thousands of calls abandoned (where the customer hangs up before even getting through to an advisor) each and every day, this is sometimes referred to as â€Å"call leakage†. This is a growing problem for call centres across the country and it is surprising the amount of customers who will take their business elsewhere simply because they cant get through on the phone as they see it as poor customer service. In many cases it isn’t feasible for staff numbers to be increased in order to cope with the call volumes that are being received and so the only solution to reducing the call leakage is to increase the productivity of the existing staff. Working in a call centre environment myself I appreciate that this is a very challenging task as call centre agents generally feel overworked and underpaid already and trying to get more work out of them will be difficult. However my research into call centre life has thrown up some issues surrounding the task of increasing staff performance in order for your business to work smarter. My research examines the possibility of reward systems as a means of increasing productivity, how call centre staff view their own roles and changes they would like to see in order to help them perform better During my research I searched the Emerald website to find relevant journal articles to assist my studies. I came across an interesting one called † An exploration of managerial issues in call centres† by Colin Armistead, Julia Kiely, Linda Hole and Jean Prescott. This paper consisted of two case studies carried out in two large organisations; these will be known as Case Study A and Case Study B. I found this article useful as it explores why people work in call centres, how they feel about their jobs and this research is spread over all levels from call centre agent to general manager. Case Study A provides a good background to call centre life and will aid understanding of what it is like to work in a call centre environment. In Case Study A, a total of fourteen staff members of all levels were interviewed, interviews lasted one hour and were all taped and transcribed. The interviews explored the initial decision to work for a call centre, the expectations they had before they started and the extent to which their jobs had lived up to those expectations. The authors also examined company statistics; they found evidence of high turnover in staff who had been employed for a few months then reducing to comparatively low turnover after they had been employed for more than six months. I found the findings from Case Study A to be very surprising having worked in a call centre myself and not having had very many positive experiences during my time there. The overall impression from those interviewed was that they felt very positive about their workplace. There were inevitable differences in how different levels of employees viewed certain issued but there were more similarities than differences. I was interested to see how employees had spoke about productivity and performance targets. It became apparent that performance targets were related to the number of calls answered, the time in which it took to answer the calls and also the levels of call leakage. It is very easy to monitor call centre agents against an array of time-related measures and staff felt under a lot of pressure at times due to this. I can relate to this, as this is exactly how I felt working as a call centre agent. One manager interviewed in Case Study A stated that the most important thing in managing call centre staff was â€Å"motivation, motivation, motivation†, yet the manager in question admitted he had little idea of how to motivate staff. I do agree that motivating staff to perform well is an issue and I appreciate that highly motivated staff will be more productive but I also think that if staff working in call centres had a better understanding of the bigger picture and knew how their actions impacted upon the business as a whole they may change their attitudes and automatically perform better and more efficiently. This is just my opinion from my experience of working in a British Gas call centre for almost three years I have been privileged enough to have been given an insight into the deeper realms of the business, something which frontline staff rarely come into contact with and I do feel this would be of benefit to them. As it stand now, staff are being thrown tough performance targets by management and expected to meet them without question, they have no understanding of why the business needs them to perform at a particular level and what the consequences will be if they don’t. I believe business awareness to be a vital part of representing a company to the public and the company I work for do offer a business awareness course, however this is e-learning based and has to be completed in your own time. Needless to say, there are not many staff who take advantage of this opportunity to understand the business they work for due to the above conditions and a lot of staff are probably unaware that the facility even exists. If British Gas were to allow the time for staff to complete this course during working hours or even to be paid overtime for the time they spend on it outside their scheduled hours, they would have a massive response and although this would be time consuming and possibly quite costly, I believe that the positive effects on how employees work would outweigh the costs. Productivity is very poor in the call centre I work in after reading relevant sections in a book called â€Å"Remuneration Policy† by Patrick McCauley I am under the impression that a successful reward system can help to improve productivity. McCauley defines motivation simply as â€Å"goal directed behaviour† and he makes it clear that employees will only be motivated to increase their performance by goals that are actually of interest to them, for example if a manager said to his team one day that the person with the highest productivity that day would be rewarded with a family ticket to the local pantomime then you would get Sandra, the mother with 2.4 children, husband and nice semi-detached house working her socks off, however, Matt, Gary and Emma, the three students on the team and Harold the grandad of the team who is six months off retirement would not be interested in the slightest by the managers offer of reward. McCauley states that the three key questions we need to consider when devising a successful reward system are: * What goals will employees actually pursue? * What factors will determine their success or failure in achieving these goals? * What will be the consequences of achievement or frustration for the employee and the organisation? As I have already mentioned, it is important to offer rewards that are of interest to the staff and that will actually motivate them to perform better and drive them towards goals which involve meeting productivity and performance targets on the way. It is important to offer generic rewards that are appealable to all or a choice of a few different rewards in order to cater for all the different ages, cultures etc. I have dome some research in to reward systems whilst working on a service excellence team in the British Gas call centre and the rewards that were constantly being requested by staff were things such as an extra days annual leave, high street vouchers, deputising for a higher level role for half a day as a development opportunity etc. These were things that the frontline staff were telling management would motivate them to work harder and to a higher standard, however management declined these requests as they saw them as too ambitious and they were especially against the extra holiday which unfortunately was the most popular suggestion. It was a shame these suggestions were declined as staff then felt that they were being ignored which in turn lowered morale and saw a drop in productivity for a short while, it would probably have been cheaper for the company to have allowed a small number of desired rewards which would have increased productivity for while and certainly wouldn’t have reduced it. Staff are already aware of what their targets are on a day to day basis and we need to remember that there will be a percentage of staff who do consistently meet these targets, therefore when setting criteria for a reward system we have to set it higher than daily performance targets to show that staff are being recognised for going above and beyond the call of duty and not just being coaxed into doing what is already expected of them. Staff will have to meet daily performance and productivity targets and then some before they can achieve a reward. If an employee successfully achieves a reward for their performance then not only will their productivity have had to increase to achieve the reward in the first place but as that desired behaviour has now been rewarded, the employee will be conditioned into repeating it in order to gain further rewards. If an employee either attempts and fails to reach the goal required to achieve a reward or doesn’t make the effort and sees his colleagues around him being rewarded for their increased effort and performance it will have one of the two following effects upon him: * He will become de-motivated as he is feeling left out or a failure as his efforts are not being recognised because he fails to reach the required standard and his performance will drop further. * He will become determined to work to the required level to achieve a reward to prove to himself and his managers that he too can perform well. If the latter of the consequences occurs then the reward systems is still being effective in all areas as even failures are being motivated to continue to strive for the reward on offer. However if the company begins to see individuals experiencing a drop in motivation and performance they may need to consider addressing this with a reward for example for the most improved productivity each month, therefore even those whose efforts don’t bring them above the required productivity level for a standard reward have a chance of recognition for their efforts alone. McCauley examines Vroom’s expectancy theory and this supports the issues raised above. Vroom does state though that the criteria that needs to be met in order to achieve a reward has to be very clear cut and communicated thoroughly to all levels of staff so as to avoid woolly areas where decisions to reward or not may be disputed. Throughout my research I have identified underlying issues surrounding the productivity of call centre staff and how to improve this by encouraging motivation amongst staff and providing them with personal goals that at the same time guide them towards achieving the productivity levels required by the business. I have come to the conclusion that productivity can only really be successfully increased in the long term by providing something for the individual to work towards, not just setting targets and expecting them to be met. I also think that increased business awareness amongst frontline staff would be beneficial to any call centre so then at least they know and understand why there are certain pressures placed upon them and they may be more welcoming to the challenge of attaining higher targets. Bibliography An exploration of managerial issues in call centres. (Journal Article) Colin Armistead, Julia Kiely, Linda Hole & Jean Prescott. Remuneration Policy

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Ethical obligations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical obligations - Essay Example Hence there is a great amount of responsibility that goes within their working basis. They know that if they falter, there is someone else to take their seat and the public would never approve of them in the first place. It is this accountability factor that asks of them to give in their best time and time again. What is most significant is the fact that public administrators have an ethical obligation to perform, mostly on all of the occasions where they get in touch with the public. It goes to suggest without much exclamation that public administrators face ethical responsibilities because it is the public that they have to hold fast on to. They know that if the public does not get the benefits from their undertakings, it would be a futile exercise to work their way through different tasks and actions. The public administration implications in taking good care of the public health sector, housing, education and others is centered on the premise of the peculiar reinforcement strateg ies. These are followed in a very proactive fashion and that too on a consistent rate. The reinforcement phenomenon gets implemented when there are situations which ask of the public administrators to give in their very best on a constant basis. ... he domains of the public administrators, the people resourcing discussion is based on the tangent of giving more significance to the people who are more skilled and who get the most work done in an efficient capacity. However these elements must come with an ethical obligation attached with the same (Bertucci 2006). This means that the public administration implication is made stronger with each passing day and the reinforcement strategies with the help of the motivational reward hierarchies working towards the eventual benefit of the public at large. Administering people with an ethical responsibility thus becomes precisely an easy task as it manifests sound objectives in a quick manner. Thus the public administration implication of administering people through the assistance of the reinforcement strategies is a difficult proposition if the public administrator does not carry out his homework in a well-cohesive fashion. He must know what he is propagating and that too at the right l evels, on a consistent basis. There are a few instances when the public trusts the administration that has been given the right to serve them, and this is indeed an aspect which could be seen in the positive aspects under the relationship between the two – the public and the public administrators. The recent trends in privatizing government functions has a dilemma attached to it, especially when one considers the case related with the attainment of public interest and the like. What this does is to make sure that privatization remains the key within the understanding of the public that it exists to bring harmony within their ranks and not to make them feel indifferent to privatization or even experience numbness towards it. Privatization within the public administration regimes is

Friday, September 27, 2019

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

American History - Essay Example In the Encyclopedia Smithsonian, Roosevelt is labeled as the â€Å"Icon of the American Century,† right after the war against Spain in Cuba, he was chosen to be a governor in 1898 and as a vice president in 1900 (National Portrait Gallery). He strived to be the person anyone wants to be despite the tragedies that he have undergone – the death of his mother and wife. With the assassination of President McKinley, Roosevelt’s fate has been decided, he became the youngest US president at that time. He made sure to make the government be of service with the people – he made sure that despite the growing inequalities, President Roosevelt normalized huge businesses’ trusts to create fair competition and he also closely watched the railroads, labor and processed food industry (National Portrait Gallery). He also did everything he could to maintain the status of USA in world affairs and leadership. As a president, he was characterized as progressive and mode rn, he also believed that it was his duty as president to lead the initiatives that will be beneficial to them and to the welfare of their country. He was also one of the few president who used their executive powers in the same level of the other branches of the government and he believe that the powers of the president should also be put under limitations and restrictions (National Portrait Gallery). Roosevelt is only one of the many that can be called an American hero. There is Jane Addams who was a social reformer who led the international initiatives to intervene between the countries who are going against one another in World War I, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman who was a feminist author who reasoned out that women should be capable of participating actively in the realm of politics and that women should be economically independent – all of these were written in â€Å"Women and

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Paper #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper #1 - Essay Example I am interested in ‘straight’ sex. For example, â€Å"The Invention of Heterosexuality† interested me. I never realized that sexual identity had to do with the progressing cultures. What is acceptable today would have had you locked up in earlier times. Everyone knows heterosexuality started with Adam and Eve (Katz). I know I am heterosexual. The thought of being with a girl makes me uneasy. However I cannot show too much interest due to my fear of Brooke’s disapproval and my ultra preppy crowd’s opinion. I am interested in Freud’s psychosexual stages. The oral, anal, and genitalia stages made sense. I never thought that everyone is sexual at all ages, but I guess it is true. The sexual theories of Kinsey were boring. I do not need an answer to why my body reacts to Nathan. It just does. The science behind sex is useless. Chemistry just happens is my theory. I was extremely bored during this part of the reading. I walked away with a general understanding of the science behind sex, but Kinsey’s whole concept escaped me. The whole sex thing makes me uneasy. This topic is icky to me. I just wish I could be more comfortable with my sexuality at least as comfortable as my friends Brooke, Nathan, Rafe, Trenton, and our group. Maybe when I have sex with Nathan I will understand what it is all about. Being heterosexual or straight is not a choice for me. I feel attracted to boys. I have always been turned on by images of men. Nathan especially turns me on. Lately when I am around him all I think about is his physical presence. His smooth chest makes me want to touch it. His lips make me want to kiss and explore them. I have chalked all this up to hormones. It seems natural. Heterosexuality is my sexual identity. I have never thought about another girl. Since being with another girl makes me sick, I guess heterosexuality is for me. Gays and lesbians do not fit in with my crowd. No one at Acadia is openly homosexual.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Country cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Country cultures - Essay Example He conducted his research amongst employees of IBM which he believed had a national representation of all cultures. In this discussion, I am going to discuss Hofstede’s approach to country cultures using his proposed model. First, there is the power or distance dimension. This dimension addresses the extent of inequality in the society and the level of acceptance in a community without power. In this dimension, when there is a high score of power/distance (PD) it implies that the community acknowledges unequal dispersion of power in the society and that people accept their placement as dictated by running systems. A low indication of PD sends signals that power is well distributed among members of a community and that people perceive themselves as equals. In relation to Canada, the PDI is approximately 40 according to Hofstede statistics. This is slightly lower than fifty percent implying that there is unequal distribution of power though not to a large extent. The PDI of China is 80 which indicate existence of high levels of unequal distribution of power compared to Canada. The second indicator is Individualism (IDV) which refers to the level at which people maintain ties with others in the community. A big score of IDV implies that there is loose bonding among individuals in the community. In countries which are characterized by a high IDV, there is low indication of interpersonal connection among people and people shy away from sharing except for immediate family members and friends (Hofstede 101). A community that has got low IDV indicates that people have strong cohesion among themselves. I addition, people respect and value each other. Canada’s IDV index is placed at eighty percent which is high score. This is an indication that there exists loose bonding among people in Canada compared to countries like China which has a score of 20. This shows that bonding among Chinese people is high compared to Canadians. Masculinity (MAS)

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Olmstead vs. New York (1928) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Olmstead vs. New York (1928) - Assignment Example This continued for a period of five months and the recorded conversation overheard was 775 typewritten pages. Olmstead had been tapped eight telephones in his home and office and offices of the other defendants charged with and some in their homes. Prohibition Agent listened over the taped conversation on behalf of the federal government under their official capacity and reported message retrieved (Gunther & Dowling 564). The evidence disclosed a conspiracy where an astonishing magnitude of distribution, possession, sales and import of liquor unlawfully. More than fifty persons were employed in sea going vessels to transport the liquor to Colombia and smaller vessels could be used to transport the liquor to the coast of the state of Washington. Wire tapping long experience lineman was then employed on behalf of the federal government and, on its expense to end this. Olmstead argued that the telephone wire tapped was equal to an illegal search on his property and therefore, he was den ied his right for privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The court on contrary ruled that the electronic device did not include physical entry arguing that Olmstead had been broadcasting to the general public. Justice Taft went further to write the majority opinion, "the amendment language cannot be expanded and extended to include telephone, connecting globally from defendant’s house and or office. The intervening wires are highways along were they are stretched but neither part of his house nor the office†. After taking some type of invasion of privacy justice brandies envisioned later became a reality, he developed to be one of the most citied options in the Supreme Court (Gunther & Dowling 566). By often using objections, the defendants asked for permission to access the evidence acquired by wire tapping. They claimed that it consisted of unreasonable search and sequestration which is the Fourth Amendment violation, and that the use conversation overheard as evidence c ompelled the defendant from being witnesses against themselves in the Fifth Amendment violation (Gunther & Dowling 566). The purpose of the Fourth Amendments commonly referred to as general warrant or writs of assistance were to prevent citizens from force search of property, owns personalities, papers and effects by the government and prevention from unwilling seizure. Opposing the ruling opinion, that was based on the view of search as a native physical action on private property, Justice Louis Brandeis argued; delicacy and more expansive means of tress passing privacy has become common in the government (Gunther & Dowling 567). Invention and innovation has made the government massively in disclosing in court what is actually whispered in the closet. Furthermore, when applying the constitution, believe cannot only be what has been, but what may be.’ The science generation in providing the government with a way of spying is not likely going to stop with wire tapping. Methods may someday be developed that the government will not be required to remove papers from drawers; this will enable to expose jury and some of the most intimate act of the home. This places the liberty of all citizens in the hands of every officer. Tempering with telephones is far much evil in privacy invasion just like tempering with mails. When a telephone line is tapped, the privacy of both the receiver and the ringer

Monday, September 23, 2019

Was Immigration Directly Influenced by Religion in American in the Essay

Was Immigration Directly Influenced by Religion in American in the Late 1800's and Early 1900's - Essay Example It is pertinent to acknowledge that religion played a key role in the way people had to live in America after they had migrated there. Zollman notes that in order to feel secure the immigrants wanted to live in areas where the other people practiced the same faith. No one wanted to be alone because the immigrants were new in the country and as a result, they wanted to live in religious groups and this could only be achieved through religion. Although most immigrants moved to new countries to seek better economic opportunities, it is of equal importance to note that religious persecution makes people moving into new lands because they want to practice their faith freely. This is the reason why many Jews had to move from England to the U.S after they were expelled from their countries on the basis of their faith. When a group of people immigrates to a new country, they often settle in a group, which comprises of people from their own country. This means that the immigrants do not have a chance of learning the culture of the new country because they tend to practice their old traditions. This results in groups that are based on the same religion or ethnicity. Although many people left their countries for America because of religious persecution, it is of paramount importance to note that many others left for a diverse number of reasons. Yes response Religion and freedom play a crucial role in ensuring that people are free and they do not have to worry about what they do in their lives. However, in most countries, freedom to practice one’s faith is not guaranteed and as a result, people find it hard to enjoy their beliefs. One ought to understand that in America, everyone is free to practice his or her religion. Between 1800 and early 1900’s religious persecution was practiced heavily especially in Europe. This is the reason why many

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

3 - Assignment Example Through this style, the employees were given the freedom to come up with innovative ideas to transform the operations of the business. In addition Sir Richard involved the subordinates in decision making process. As a result, they felt as an integral part of the company. This motivated them to work hard towards the organizational goals, an aspect that was replicated in the overall performance of the firm. Sir Richard Branson also understood that the employees were the one who interacted with the customers in the market. As a result, he used them as an important source of information. He gave the workforce a role of identifying opportunities and noting any changes in the tastes and preferences of the target market. Therefore, the company was able to make the necessary changes in its operations before the competitors (Chan 2013). This gave it an upper hand in the market. Furthermore, it improves the customer relationship, thereby, increasing their loyalty levels. Sir Richard implemented a functional organizational structure in order to streamline the operations of the company. Each department is held by a manager who oversees and manages its operations. However, all functional units work together towards the common objective of the company. Setting up functional units enabled the company to maximize the returns from the employees as they are grouped according to their areas of specialization. This has been very instrumental in establishing very strong teams that are able to deal with the diverse challenges that are facing the company in the market. Sir Richard Branson led the organization from the front. He has been the role model for the rest of the workforce. In addition, he always ensured that he was there when critical decisions concerning the operations of the business were made. He has always offered suggestions but open to critics and challengers. This ensured that the decisions that were

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Internet Personal Security Is Not Absolute Essay Example for Free

Internet Personal Security Is Not Absolute Essay Internet is the most trending and most widely used in today’s generation, either it is used for communication, used for sharing files and documents, for making new acquaintances, or just for own enjoyment. People can also use the internet when they want to socialize with others, when they want to share what’s on their mind and the on goings of their lives, when they want to know what the trending topics like news and scandals, or when they want to post some pranks or scum other people. Internet usability can either be a great help to everyone or it can impose a threat to someone or somebody. People think that when they post something online, whether it is good, bad, privately, or publicly, that information is safely sealed and secured. But the truth is, it can be freely access or easily steal from them. Hacking, viruses, trojans, and especially own self are some of the reasons that threaten internet security. Among all of these examples, hacking is on the top list. Even though there are some laws against hacking like the Republic Act No. 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, it is not enough assurance to protect the people against hackers and it doesn’t improve the internet security. Changes need to be made in the law to increase internet security, and find and punish cyber criminals. Additional laws to stop cybercriminals and necessary, unenforceable, and could infringe upon interest users rights to privacy and the growth of the internet. The issue here is that the internet security is not that secured for users or for people to rely upon. People can hide their files thoroughly or limit the number of people who can access his or her private account but sooner or later that information will be publish and revealed publicly with or without his or her approval. There are different explanations on why this information once hidden and now visible seen by many people, but the most common reason is that â€Å"your file/ information is being hacked†, it can be an expert hacker or you have been chosen for someone’s prank or hobby. In strict definition of â€Å"hacker†, according to Rouse, M. (October, 2006): â€Å"Hacker is a term for â€Å"a clever programmer† who wanted to break into someone’s computer systems. These are people who enjoy learning details of programming language or system. They want to further their knowledge and skills in a particular computer language. Typically, the hacker is either proficient programmer or engineer with technical knowledge on the weakness and vulnerability of the computer system. (Rouse, M. (October, 2006). Definition: hacker. Search Security. Retrieved on January 23, 2013 from http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/hacker).† Like the given definition, because of the hacker’s hobby of exploring and gaining more knowledge on his preferred programming language, he will not give a care on whose account he is butchering, as long as he increases his understanding and skills on his chosen subject. He will not consider if it is personally- owned or government-owned accounts, as long as it interests him, he will do anything on his power to hack that website. Like for example the issue of hacking some government and civil society websites in the Philippines. According to Kabiling, G. D. (October 2, 2012): â€Å"The Anonymous Philippines (as what the hackers describe theirselves) hacked different government and civil society websites, namely: Police Community Relations Group (PCRG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The reason for their attacked is to voice out their pr otest and opinions on implementing the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. (Kabiling, G. D. (October 2, 2012). More Gov’t Websites Hacked: Cybercrime law in effect starting Wednesday. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Retrieved on January 24, 2013 from http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/375681/more-gov-t-websites-hacked#.UQGDCScUuBw).† There is also a hacking issue on American banks, which according to Staff, R. (September 20, 2012): â€Å"The hacking of websites and corporate networks at Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase Co and Citigroup began in late 2011 and escalated this year. According to one of their sources, the attacks were in response to U.S. sanctions on Iranian banks.† The two issues are both similar and different. It is similar because they reported about different hacker’s interfere someone’s computer system. Different because on the first issue, hacking the government websites, the hackers introduced their group and post the reason why they block the websites and on the second issue, the hacker denied their involvement even though many evidences are pointing towards them. Hacking is the most dangerous hobby. Even though the Philippine government implemented the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, it cannot give assurance on protecting the people. The Philippine government must change this law and focus more on the most problematic cybercrime issues. Government must strengthen the internet security in order to lessen the attacks of the hackers to the innocent people who freely use the internet. And in order to accomplish the changes they must first know why the internet security is absolute? Who are the people affected and can use the internet security? How someone knows if the internet security they use can either be helpful or can trigger harm to them?

Friday, September 20, 2019

Why Error Correction Is Necessary Essay

Why Error Correction Is Necessary Essay Correction is necessary. The argument that students just need to use the language and the rest will come by itself seems rather weak. Students come to us to teach them. If they want only conversation, they will probably inform us or, they might just go to a chat room on the Internet. Obviously students need to be corrected as part of the learning experience. However, students also need to be encouraged to use the language. It is true that correcting students while they are trying their best to use the language can often discourage them. The most satisfactory solution of all is make correction an activity. Correction can be used as a follow-up to any given class activity. However, correction sessions can be used as a valid activity in and of themselves. In other words, teachers can set up an activity during which each mistake (or a specific type of mistake) will be corrected. Students know that the activity is going to focus on correction, and accept that fact. However, these activit ies should be kept in balance with other, more free-form, activities which give students the opportunity to express themselves without having to worry about being corrected every other word. It is to S.P. Corder that Error Analysis owes its place as a scientific method in linguistics. As Rod Ellis cites (p. 48), it was not until the 1970s that EA became a recognized part of applied linguistics, a development that owed much to the work of Corder. Before Corder, linguists observed learners errors, divided them into categories, tried to see which ones were common and which were not, but not much attention was drawn to their role in second language acquisition. It was Corder who showed to whom information about errors would be helpful (teachers, researchers, and students) and how. There are many major concepts introduced by S. P. Corder in his article The significance of learners errors, among which we encounter the following: 1) It is the learner who determines what the input is. The teacher can present a linguistic form, but this is not necessarily the input, but simply what is available to be learned. 2) Keeping the above point in mind, learners needs should be considered when teachers/linguists plan their syllabuses. Before Corders work, syllabuses were based on theories and not so much on learners needs. 3) Mager (1962) points out that the learners built-in syllabus is more efficient than the teachers syllabus. Corder adds that if such a built-in syllabus exists, then learners errors would confirm its existence and would be systematic. 4) Corder introduced the distinction between systematic and non-systematic errors. Unsystematic errors occur in ones native language; Corder calls these mistakes and states that they are not significant to the process of language learning. He keeps the term errors for the systematic ones, which occur in a second language. 5) Errors are significant in three ways: to the teacher: they show a students progress to the researcher: they show how a language is acquired, what strategies the learner uses. to the learner: he can learn from these errors. 6) When a learner has made an error, the most efficient way to teach him the correct form is not by simply giving it to him, but by letting him discover it and test different hypotheses. (This is derived from Carrolls proposal (Carroll 1955, cited in Corder), who suggested that the learner should find the correct linguistic form by searching for it. 7) Many errors are due to that the learner uses structures from his native language. Corder claims that possession of ones native language is facilitative. Errors in this case are not inhibitory, but rather evidence of ones learning strategies. The above insights played a significant role in linguistic research, and in particular in the approach linguists took towards errors. Here are some of the areas that were influenced by Corders work: STUDIES OF LEARNER ERRORS Corder introduced the distinction between errors (in competence) and mistakes (in performance). This distinction directed the attention of researchers of SLA to competence errors and provided for a more concentrated framework. Thus, in the 1970s researchers started examining learners competence errors and tried to explain them. We find studies such as Richardss A non-contrastive approach to error analysis (1971), where he identifies sources of competence errors; L1 transfer results in interference errors; incorrect (incomplete or over-generalized) application of language rules results in intralingual errors; construction of faulty hypotheses in L2 results in developmental errors. Not all researchers have agreed with the above distinction, such as Dulay and Burt (1974) who proposed the following three categories of errors: developmental, interference and unique. Stenson (1974) proposed another category, that of induced errors, which result from incorrect instruction of the language. As most research methods, error analysis has weaknesses (such as in methodology), but these do not diminish its importance in SLA research; this is why linguists such as Taylor (1986) reminded researchers of its importance and suggested ways to overcome these weaknesses. As mentioned previously, Corder noted to whom (or in which areas) the study of errors would be significant: to teachers, to researchers and to learners. In addition to studies concentrating on error categorization and analysis, various studies concentrated on these three different areas. In other words, research was conducted not only in order to understand errors per se, but also in order to use what is learned from error analysis and apply it to improve language competence. Such studies include Kroll and Schafers Error-Analysis and the Teaching of Composition, where the authors demonstrate how error analysis can be used to improve writing skills. They analyze possible sources of error in non-native-English writers, and attempt to provide a process approach to writing where the error analysis can help achieve better writing skills. These studies, among many others, show that thanks to Corders work, researchers recognized the importance of errors in SLA and started to examine them in order to achieve a better understanding of SLA processes, i.e. of how learners acquire an L2. STUDIES OF L1 INFLUENCE ON SLA Various researchers have concentrated on those errors which demonstrate the influence of ones native language to second language acquisition. Before Corders work, interference errors were regarded as inhibitory; it was Corder who pointed out that they can be facilitative and provide information about ones learning strategies (point 7, listed above). Claude Hagà ¨ge (1999) is a supporter of this concept and he mentions it in his book The child between two languages, dedicated to childrens language education. According to Hagà ¨ge, interference between L1 and L2 is observed in children as well as in adults. In adults it is more obvious and increases continuously, as a monolingual person gets older and the structures of his first language get stronger and impose themselves more and more on any other language the adult wishes to learn. In contrast, as regards children, interference features will not become permanent unless the child does not have sufficient exposure to L2. If there is sufficient exposure, then instead of reaching a point where they can no longer be corrected (as often happens with phonetics features), interference features can be easily eliminated. Hagà ¨ge stresses that there is no reason for worry if interference persists more than expected. The teacher should know that a child that is in the process of acquiring a second language will subconsciously invent structures influenced by knowledge he already possesses. These hypotheses he forms may constitute errors. These errors, though, are completely natural; we should not expect the child to acquire L2 structures immediately (p. 81). In addition to studies of L1 transfer in general, there have been numerous studies for specific language pairs. Thanh Ha Nguyen (1995) conducted a case study to demonstrate first language transfer in Vietnamese learners of English. He examined a particular language form, namely oral competence in English past tense making. He tried to determine the role of L1 transfer in the acquisition of this English linguistic feature as a function of age, time of exposure to English, and place and purpose of learning English. The influence of L1 on L2 was also examined by Lakkis and Malak (2000) who concentrated on the transfer of Arabic prepositional knowledge to English (by Arab students). Both positive and negative transfer were examined in order to help teachers identify problematic areas for Arab students and help them understand where transfer should be encouraged or avoided. In particular, they concluded that an instructor of English, whose native language is Arabic, can use the students L1 for structures that use equivalent prepositions in both languages. On the other hand, whenever there are verbs or expressions in the L1 and L2 that have different structures, that take prepositions, or that have no equivalent in one of the languages, instructors should point out these differences to their students. Not only was L1 influence examined according to language pair, but according to the type of speech produced (written vs. oral). Hagà ¨ge (p. 33) discusses the influence of L1 on accent; he notes that the ear acts like a filter, and after a critical age (which Hagà ¨ge claims is 11 years), it only accepts sounds that belong to ones native language. Hagà ¨ge discusses L1 transfer in order to convince readers that there is indeed a critical age for language acquisition, and in particular the acquisition of a native-like accent. He uses the example of the French language, which includes complex vowel sounds, to demonstrate that after a critical age, the acquisition of these sounds is not possible; thus, learners of a foreign language will only use the sounds existing in their native language when producing L2 sounds, which may often obstruct communication. STUDIES OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK Corder elaborated on Carrolls work to show that the most efficient way to teach a student the correct linguistic form is to let him test various hypotheses and eventually find the right form (point 6, listed above). In these steps, Hagà ¨ge points out the importance of self correction (p. 82-83). According to Hagà ¨ge, it is useful to always perform an error analysis based on written tests administered by the teacher, but without informing the student of the purpose of the test. On that basis, self-correction is preferable to correction by the teacher, especially if the latter is done in a severe or intimidating way. Self correction is even more efficient when it is done with the help of childrens classmates. According to teachers, the younger the children, the greater the cooperation among them and the less aggressive or intimidating the corrections. Hagà ¨ge dedicates a section in his book to the importance of treating errors in a positive way. In this section, titled The teache r as a good listener, he notes that it is useless, if not harmful, to treat errors as if they were diseases or pathological situations which must be eliminated, especially if this treatment becomes discouraging, as occurs when teachers lose their patience because of childrens numerous errors. This, of course, does not mean that corrections should be avoided; after all it is the teachers duty to teach the rules of the L2. But the correction of every error as soon as it occurs is not recommended. The justification that Hagà ¨ge offers is the following: the linguistic message that the child tries to produce is a sequence of elements which are interdependent; immediate corrections which interrupt this message tend to produce negative consequences, even to the less sensitive children; such consequences include anxiety, fear of making an error, the development of avoidance strategies, reduced motivation for participation in the classroom, lack of interest for learning, reduced will for s elf correction, and lack of trust towards the teacher. Esser (1984, cited in Hagà ¨ge) also made a similar point: repetitive and immediate corrections, he noted, may cause sensitive children to develop aggressive behavior towards their classmates or teacher. Thus, Hagà ¨ge concludes, correction must not be applied by the teacher unless errors obstruct communication. This is the main criterion for error correction (i.e. obstruction of communication) presented by Hagà ¨ge; however there have been studies which examined such criteria in greater detail, such as Freiermuths L2 Error Correction: Criteria and Techniques (1997). Freiermuth accepts Corders view (point 6) and proposes criteria for error correction in the classroom. These criteria are: exposure, seriousness, and students needs. In the case of exposure, Freiermuth claims that when a child creates language (for example, when he tries to express an idea by using a linguistic form he has not yet acquired), he will most likely make errors; correcting these errors will be ineffective because the learner is not aware of them. Thus, error correction would result in the acquisition of the correct form only if the learner has been previously exposed to that particular language form. As regards the seriousness criterion, Freiermuth claims that the teacher must determine the gravity of an error before deciding whether he should correct it or not. Here Freiermuth sets a criterion which agrees with that of Hagà ¨ges: the error, he states, must impede communication before it should be considered an error that necessitates correction. But what constitutes a serious error? Which errors are those which should not be corrected? As an examples of non-serious errors, Freiermuth mentions those errors which occur due to learners nervousness in the classroom, due to their stress or the pressure of having to produce accurately a linguistic form in the L2. These errors can occur even with familiar structures; in that case, they are not of serious nature and are similar to what Corder called mistakes. Here again we see Corders influence in error analysis, and in particular in the distinction between errors and mistakes. Freiermuth goes on to suggest a hierarchy of errors (accor ding to seriousness) to help teachers decide which errors should be corrected: Errors that significantly impair communication [are] at the top of the list, followed by errors that occur frequently, errors that reflect misunderstanding or incomplete acquisition of the current classroom focus, and errors that have a highly stigmatizing effect on the listeners. He also clarifies what can cause stigmatization: profound pronunciation errors, or errors of familiar forms. Another important criterion that must be considered by the teacher is individual students needs. The importance of this factor is mentioned in Corder, who in turn notes that this idea had been suggested previously by Carroll (1955, cited in Corder 1967) and Ferguson (1966, cited in Corder 1967). Each student is different and thus may react differently to error correction. We infer from Freiermuths claim that the teacher must perform two main tasks: first, assess some specific character traits of students, such as self-confidence and language acquisition capability. Freiermuth agrees with Walz (1982, cited in Freiermuth) that self-confident, capable students can profit from even minor corrections, while struggling students should receive correction only on major errors. This claim agrees with Esser and Hagà ¨ges claim that repetitive corrections are likely to decrease motivation; it is reasonable to accept that students who lack self-confidence will be stigmatized to a greater degree than confident students. The teachers second task, according to Freiermuth, is to listen to learners L2 utterances in order to determine where errors occur (i.e. which linguistic forms cause students difficulties), their frequency, and their gravity (according to the severity criteria mentioned above). Then the teacher can combine the outcome of these tasks and decide on correction techniques for individual students. A different approach to error correction was suggested by Porte (1993), who stressed the importance of self-correction. Porte refers to Corders distinction of errors and mistakes and points out that many students do not know the difference. It is important, Porte notes, that students know how to identify an error in order to avoid it in the future. She agrees with Corder that it is more efficient for learners to correct themselves than be corrected by the teacher, and goes on to suggest a four-step approach for self-correction. This approach consists of questions that the teacher provides to students. After writing an essay, students should read it four times, each time trying to answer the questions included in each of the four steps. Thus, in each re-reading task (each step) they concentrate on a different aspect of their essay. In brief, the first task asks them to highlight the verbs and check the tenses; in the second task students concentrate on prepositions; the third task req uires them to concentrate on nouns (spelling, agreement between subject and verb); finally in the fourth task students should try to correct potential personal mistakes. Porte also offers some clarification of what is meant by personal mistakes, in order to help the students identify them. The studies mentioned above are only a few examples that demonstrate how S. Pit Corders work influenced the area of error analysis in linguistics. The concepts that Corder introduced directed researchers attention to specific areas of error analysis; they helped linguists realize that although errors sometimes obstruct communication, they can often facilitate second language acquisition; also they played a significant role in training teachers and helping them identify and classify students errors, as well as helping them construct correction techniques.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

What is a Nation? :: essays research papers

Essay 3: What is a Nation? A nation, as defined in Webster’s Universal College Dictionary, is â€Å"a body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own.† This definition is correct, but leaves so much unsaid. The word nation is actually derived from the Latin word natio that means birth. It represents the beginning of something. London had a miraculous â€Å"birth† in the year 0. This corresponds to the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus. When people speak of â€Å"country (nation) matters†, another Latin term comes into play, with matter meaning mother. A country must have a mother as a mother gives birth, which links back to a nation meaning birth. Now that the definition and meaning of a nation are provided, a common question comes to mind. What makes a territory a nation? A nation consists of three main items: documents, ideology, and language. Documents can be described as legal forms that state we are a nation, ideology includes a set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system, and language come from sharing the same â€Å"mother tongue†. â€Å"Mother tongue† is the language that belongs to one’s identity. People who share these common elements represent the same nation. People who do not belong in a nation are those who do not possess the same elements above with anyone. For example, in Beowulf, Grendel and his mother did not have a nation and were therefore, angry with those who did. They were on the outside looking in and because of this outcast feeling, were angry. Grendel was even angrier because he was still living with his mother. They are roamers who do not belong anywhere. This can also be linked to the dragon and the Spear Danes not being a part of a nation, either, at the beg inning. National identity is always linked to religious identity, as well. Although the United States has many different religions, they are all legal practices here. Other countries may have another, different religion, which is why the people live, and are a part of that nation. We are born into a nation, and therefore are molded in a certain way and our beliefs lean toward what we are taught. With these shared beliefs, we share a common interest with others which is another aspect that makes people part of a nation.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Austin Museum Of Art :: essays research papers

The Austin Museum of Art was the first of the three galleries attended. At the time, the museum had a touring â€Å"Rock and Roll† exhibit, which had its focus on the influence of the Rock –and-Roll culture on art. The pieces were arranged in a chronological order and started with the Pop Art of the early 1960’s. Located in the section were two silk screens, one of Mick Jaggard and the other of Prince, done by Andy Warhol. There were a few other pieces in this time period that helped to point out a major turning point in both art and photography. It was now okay to use other people’s photographs in an art piece. Also, it symbolized a beginning of the manipulation of the photograph. No longer were the artists bound to having their work on paper, there were new and limitless areas to explore now in photography. These were the main works that caught my attention in the museum, but there were many other pieces. Other works went through the abstract and full of color 1960’s, until the newer more mechanical art of the 1980’s and 90’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After attending the Austin Museum of Art, the students headed for a smaller, more informal gallery. The Dumont Gallery contained works from various photographers that were entered into a contest earlier in the year. Now the pictures were traveling around the state of Texas, and had even made a stop at the MSC in College Station. The pieces in the exhibit made visible the numerous ways in which art and photography can be presented. There were huge photographs, Polaroids, pictures developed onto clothing, series photographs, bound pictures, and a large amount whose methods of production could not be identified. There was one group of photographs done by the same artist that truly caught my attention. The artist, while a young woman did not have a very interesting life, and often sought refuge in the Nancy Drew mystery novels. Now, she has often caught herself talking to people about her life and actually telling the events that happened in the books instead of her l ife. It was because of those events that she did a series of photographs were she dressed up like Nancy Drew and posed in her pictures that played out the different stories from the books. She decided, why not be her if you think you are her.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

capital punishment Essay -- essays research papers

The Ineffectiveness of Capital Punishment For many years, capital punishment has been in use, but it is not been effective. Theodore Robert Bundy in 1978, slipped into a Tallahassee sorority house and bludgeoned two sleeping women to death, then killed a 12-year-old girl in Lake City. He was sentenced to three concurrent death sentences in 1979. Nine years later, Bundy is alive and well on the Death Row (Von Drehle 1A). A prisoner sentenced to death spends an average of 10 years, nationally, on death row waiting for their execution. More than 2,100 people live on America's death Rows. At the current execution rate, it would take eighty-two years to kill them all. Death Row is going to get bigger, the wait for execution is sure to get longer, and the cost is bound to get higher. At this rate, it seems that capital punishment will never become a reasonable or efficient means of controlling violent crime. Charles Proffitt murdered Joel Medgebow by stabbing a bread knife into Joel's chest while he was sleeping, an act well determined to be premeditated in the case’s court sessions. Three years after the crime was committed, using Profitt vs. Florida as its test case, the US Supreme Court officially gave its support to Florida's death penalty. "Profitt could be dead in six months", said Attorney General Robert Shevin (von Drehle 1A). Today, 15 years after his heinous crime, Charles is still alive and well, and living off of the money paid by Florida state tax payers, as should be well noted. He is sewing uniforms at the Florida's state prison. The Supreme Court commuted his sentence last year to life in prison. The state of Florida spent five hundred thousand dollars in one decade to bring Proffitt to justice and half of that was spent to send Proffitt to the his death in the electric chair. The death penalty is slow and weak. It actually ends up costing much more than life in prison without parole, and all of that cost coming from tax payers’ money. It has cost Florida at least fifty-seven million dollars since 1973 to achieve eighteen executions. There is an average cost of three million two hundred thousand dollars per execution (Miami Herald, July 10, 1988). Thirty-six inmates on the Florida's death row have been there more than 10 years. Florida's senior De... ...onvicted murderer fears a life in prison more than he does a swift execution. Hence, if the threat of being killed for killing someone isn’t as great a detereent of these violent crimes as the threat of spending the rest of your life in a jail cell, then why even consider the death penalty? Lastly, restitution of the damage. A criminal would be expected to make some sort of reparation for the damage they cause. If they break a window, they replace it. If they stale a car, they replace that. However, if a criminal takes a life, killing them doesn’t give them much of a chance to make reparations, does it? Rather, instead of killing them, put them to work, so that the remainder of their lives might be spent contributing to society so as to try and replace the life they took by producing as much as two people do. The final verdict on this topic, then, should not be one of support for the death penalty, but rather of opposition to it. It is more expensive, it is less effective, and above all, it is wrong. To continue to allow the death penalty is to continue to allow the states to wander around blind in search of a greater good for itself and its citizens.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Web – Based Library System

Overview of the Current State of Technology 1. 2. Local Literature De La Salle University Library System Migration: A Strategic Decision Library automation at DLSU-Manila had undergone a gradual but steady development. It started in 1985 when it implemented the MINISIS software/Hewlett Packard 3000 hardware package. The system was able to create 11,000 bibliographic records for Filipiniana and Reference collections. The massive hardware maintenance problem led to a management decision to phase out the system in 1988. At the later part of the same year MINISIS was replaced by its micro version known as CDS-ISIS.The software with one stand-alone XT computer facility automated the indexing of articles from more than 100 locally published periodicals including newspapers, magazines, and journals. Additional databases were created as the number of computers increased. The index became searchable simultaneously by several users when the computer facilities were networked in 1992. In the sa me year the CD-ROM technology was introduced for information retrieval of selected indexes and abstracts.Perla T. Garcia, Director of DLSU Library (2004) states the reasons for changes: * Technical Development and Vendor Stability Networking * Expansion of Databases â€Å"Despite the struggle the DLSU Library encountered in running the system during the first two years the circulation module was successfully implemented in February 1997. Toward the end of the decade the system was upgraded incorporating the suggestions made by the participating libraries. The new version was renamed T-Series which enhanced the loan process and improved the other information management functions of the earlier edition. † [1] The upgraded version of the system has become an inevitable feature at DLSU Library.However, when it was established that the vendor of the system has closed shop and has merged with another company, the University Library started to work on the future of the library syste m that can be considered to replace T-Series. These reasons are provided for the new system that will replace the T-series. Ateneo De Manila University Professional Library Information System The Library Information System uses a Local Area Network (LAN) for data retrieval handled by five file servers housed in the Intermediate Distribution Function Room (IDFR).Its resources can be accessed thru 24 client stations strategically distributed within the Library and other stations located in different offices in APS such as AHRC, CLE and the Dean of the Law School. In-house databases and commercial databases on CD-ROMs can be accessed by pressing the key letter guide displayed alongside each menu. In the Reference Services, the reference librarian also provides reference assistance to library clients in the most effective use of the library resources and services, aside from conducting guidance to legal bibliography for law students.To provide a plentiful supply of good and useful books in support of its academic curricula is the main goal of the library. Teresita C. Moran, APS Chief Librarian (2004) states the APS Library system features: Online Public Access Catalog This is a catalog where library books, theses, computer files, law materials housed at the Teehankee Library inclusive of uncatalogued but accessioned materials such as serials, law and business periodicals, cases decided by the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Philippine laws. Features: Search limits to format (any,books, maps, computer files, etc. ) – Search limits to field (any title,author, subject, etc. ) – Use both simple and complex algorithm using Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT, etc. ) -It provides user-controlled sort (by title,author,publisher, etc. ) – Work in conjunction with other modules – Provide safe environment to deal with potentially malicious users – Easily update for users convenience and accommodate their library needs – It provides sel ection and print options – Browse matches found in brief and full detail OPAC users are able to benefit greatly from up-to-date information – Patron can see actual Circulation status whether the item is on shelf, on loan, etc. – Password protected [2] WebPAC The Web Public Access Catalog is a guide to all the information sources to all the information sources of the library: books, compact discs, educational video tapes, theses, journals/serials, laws, legal cases and journal articles through simple search by author, title and subject.Features: – It enables the user to search any author, subject, title and publisher – Specify year from-to Get current information from the library’s local database – Includes matches found in your query – Full MARC record display – Applies to any standard internet browser (e. g. Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer) [3] The APS Library operates in an open stack set up. It adapted two ma jor systems of classifying book collections: first is the Library of Congress (LC) Classification system. This system is applied to Business and Information Technology holdings; second is the Los Angeles County Law Library Classifications (LACCLLC) scheme, which applies to the law holdings.Business and law journals are not classified as such but simply arranged alphabetically by title. The â€Å"The† code is the general classification used for both business and law theses. University of the Philippines iLib (Integrated Library System) â€Å"Technically, iLib is implemented in client-server architecture. In this configuration, all application programs run in the server (except for JavaScripts) and the user communicates with the server using a web browser, called the â€Å"thin client† in this architecture. No application is required to be installed in the user’s workstation other than the web browser to be able to use the system.All software updates, bug fixes, and enhancements are implemented in the server which can take effect immediately without requiring any updates or adjustments from the user’s end. † [4] Just like any common web-based systems, users can interact with the iLib system using a keyboard and mouse. Most interfaces in iLib require the user to key-in information in HTML forms using the keyboard and submit form data by clicking the â€Å"submit† buttons with a mouse. In most cases, hitting the â€Å"Enter† key (carriage return) from the keyboard can also trigger form submission.Arellano University Library System â€Å"The University Library comprises the following collections and services: Circulation Unit (foreign books on all fields of interest); Filipiniana Unit (books locally published in the Philippines, books written by Filipino author and books about the Philippines); Periodicals Unit (collection includes journals and magazines in various fields of interest); Reference Unit (collection of reference materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbook, almanac, geographical sources, etc. ; Audio-Visual Unit (a collection of audio-visual materials such as CD-ROM, VHS tapes & cassette tapes) and the Graduate School Unit (collection of books for post graduate level together with the thesis collection for reference purposes). As part of the library system, the adoption of computerized version of card catalog commonly known as OPAC (On-line Public Access Catalog) is used by the patrons as a medium of searching the library collection. † Arellano University library system offers different amenities and learning tools in comfortable environments which is intended for the greater benefit and convenience of its students.That is why they have improved their library with the use of OPAC to provide the users easiness and swiftly find what they are looking for. Far Eastern University Library System â€Å"The University Library is an indispensable educational and cultu ral repository. Refurbished and inaugurated on February 16, 1991 it has a book collection of more than 96,988 volumes and subscription to thousands of titles of magazines and journals in hard copies and in electronic format accessible through the EBSCO host Research Databases.The collection of books and other information resources fall under the following areas (easily accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog. † The FEU University Library aspires to be a leading academic information resource center and to be a dynamic partner in the University’s vision to develop responsible and well informed professionals who can contribute to the advancement of the global society. As usual nowadays, they provide an OPAC for easier researching of information from their libraries. 1. Foreign Literature Proposal for a University of Tennessee Digital Library Center James B. Lloyd (Special Collections Librarian and Chair, Digital Library Committee) and Bill Britten (Head of Libr ary Systems, John C. Hodges Library) (2001) states: â€Å"All students, faculty, and researchers would benefit in a variety of ways because the digital format broadens and deepens access exponentially. All of the digital library content would be available to any number of authorized users at one time, no matter their location.Materials would be available for distance research and distance education. Access to digital content could be provided in ways that are simply not possible in the traditional environment. Text can be available fully searchable through natural language, multimedia can be nested, references can be linked to other references, reference tools can be digitized and used to organize digital collections, etc. A digital library serves all of the constituents of the University in new and better ways by enhancing the research potential ofUniversity faculty on all campuses while also serving the needs of distance education. † [3] The DLC will be a catalyst for chang e by creating the organizational and technical building blocks that allow the campus to conceive of new ways of creating, accessing, and applying information resources to research and teaching. It will select, produce, and maintain a wide range of networked resources for scholars and students at UT and elsewhere.It will collaborate with University information technology professionals and research faculty to capitalize on institutional capabilities by focusing University resources on digital library projects that support the teaching and research of UT faculty, support the learning and research of UT students, and foster research about the digital library. An Intelligent Digital Library System for Biological Data Jeffrey E. Stone et al (2005) To make personalized service possible, a â€Å"user profile† representing the preferences of an individual user is constructed based upon past activities, goals indicated by the user, and options. Utilizing these user profiles, our system will make relevant information available to the user in an appropriate form, amount, and level of detail, and especially with minimal user effort. † [4] Due to the goal to serve the users better, a â€Å"user profile† is provided in the system. The user can personalized it and will have the ability to explore the system without much effort.It also allows the user to make feedbacks about the system, so that the system will know about the user’s areas of interest. The system is designed to act as a helper for the user who visits the digital library to find relevant information, with particular attention to the newly developed and modified documents in it. State University of New York Library System The Office of Library and Information Services in SUNY (1999) states their objectives about the library system.It includes: * Consortia-based capabilities such as union catalog and non-mediated requesting of library materials. * Excellent performance for all participati ng libraries. * Ability of the consortia to distribute the system across different servers, provide real-time mirroring of essential data, and permit the pooling of systems staff across the libraries. * The ability for the system to support the combined transaction load of SUNY libraries on all 64 campuses. A state-of-the-art integrated library system that provides access to public services, collection management, and technical services functions.* A system that enables each campus to view and maintain its own data with local control of profile and security configurations. * The ability to effectively convert data from the existing library systems into a new format that will preserve and insure its continued development and preservation, as well as the ability to migrate data to new generations of library systems. Allow for the integration of electronic resources that are made available through the SUNYConnect initiative (e. g. , bibliographic and full-text databases, image database s, electronic journals, etc. ). * To provide a means of, or an interface to, user authentication and user authorization vis-a-vis the SUNY-wide borrowing of library materials.* The ability to exploit emerging technologies and information resources to raise the level of library services, facilitate an increase in staff productivity, and improve effectiveness. 5] These objectives are made because SUNY is committed to providing exceptional library and information services to the university community by implementing an integrated library management system of superior functionality and cost efficiency. These are the type of functionality the SUNY libraries are seeking to incorporate. In short, this proposed system is part of the SUNYConnect virtual library initiative to provide access to the entire SUNY library collection via a common library management system and to enable patron-initiated remote borrowing.Harvard’s Library Digital Initiative: Building a First Generation Digital Library Infrastructure â€Å"Harvard University has funded a 5-year project to build a first generation production infrastructure to support digital library collections. Key project activities include education and consulting on core digital library issues (metadata, technical formats, reformatting, legal issues, preservation, interfaces and access), defining an overall technical framework, and the development of a core set of systems to support digital collections (catalogs and access tools, repositories, user interfaces, access management, and naming).A significant portion of the funding has been allocated to grants to University units for contents projects, intended to inform and test the developing infrastructure. † [6] Harvard University has a large and unusually decentralized library system. Information technology and shared information systems have been used increasingly in the past two decades to bring coherence to library services while maintaining the independence o f the University's hundred or so libraries.Two years ago a task force of faculty, librarians, and administrative deans proposed that the University administration fund a project to: (1) make Harvard's growing digital collections coherent and easy to use, through the development of a common framework and infrastructure, through communication and coordination, and through the use of incentives for collaborative work; (2) avoid wasteful duplicative development of digital library systems across the many independent departments of the University; (3) help curators build digital research collections through education, expert advice, the provision of core services, and the development of a technical infrastructure; and (4) integrate the new digital collections with Harvard's strong traditional collections. Tokyo University Library System â€Å"OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) / Multilingual OPAC You can search the resources using the OPAC system for journals held in entire University l ibraries, and books acquired in/after 1985. They are currently in the process of incorporating the materials acquired before 1985 into their electronic system. † [7]The  University of Tokyo Library  in Tokyo, Japan, consists of the General Library, which provides services for all students and researchers affiliated with the university, Komaba Library, which supports the studies of the first two years of undergraduate education, Kashiwa Library, which functions as the back number center for natural science materials, as well as more than 60 faculty/institution libraries in various academic fields. The library has the largest collection in  Japan, holding a total of over 8,000,000 books. Using the OPAC, the students can easily find what they need for their research and studies. The university is still maintaining the system to improve the services to provide for the users.

Womens rights

History of women's rights See also: Legal rights of women in history and Timeline of women's rights (other than voting) China The status of women In China was low, largely due to the custom of foot binding. About 45% of Chinese women had bound feet in the 19th century. For the upper classes, it was almost 100%. In 1912, the Chinese government ordered the cessation of foot-binding. Foot-binding Involved alteration of the bone structure so that the feet were only about 4 inches long.The bound feet caused difficulty of movement, thus greatly limiting the activities of women. Due to the social custom that men and omen should not be near to one another, the women of China were reluctant to be treated by male doctors of Western Medicine. This resulted in a tremendous need for female doctors of Western Medicine in China. Thus, female medical missionary Dr. Mary H. Fulton (1854-1927)[3] was sent by the Foreign Missions Board of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to found the first medical college for women in China.Known as the Hackett Medical College for Women this College was located In Guangzhou, China, and was enabled by a large donation from Mr. Edward A. K. Hackett (1851-1916) of Indiana, USA. The College was aimed at the spreading of Christianity and modern medicine and the elevation of Chinese women's social Greece The status of women in ancient Greece varied form city state to city state. Records exist of women in ancient Delphi, Gortyn, Thessaly, Megara and Sparta owning land, the most prestigious form of private property at the tlme. [8] In ancient Athens. omen had no legal personhood and were assumed to be part of the oikos headed by the male kyrios. Until marriage, women were under the guardianship of their father or other male relative. once married the husband became a woman's kyrlos. As omen were barred from conducting legal proceedings, the kyrios would do so on their behalf. [9] Athenian women had limited right to property and therefore were not considered full citizens, as citizenship and the entitlement to civil and political rights was defined in relation to property and the means to life. 10] However, women could acquire rights over property through gifts, dowry and inheritance, though her kyrios had the right to dispose of a woman's property[11] Athenian women could enter into a contract worth less than the value of a â€Å"medimnos of barley' (a measure of grain), allowing women to engage in petty trading. 9] Slaves, like women, were not eligible for full citizenship In ancient Athens, though In rare circumstances they could become citizens if freed. The only permanent barrier to citizenship, and hence full political and civil rights, in ancient Athens was gender.No women ever acquired citizenship In ancient Athens, and therefore women were excluded In principle and practice from ancient Athenian democracy. [12] By contrast, Spartan women enjoyed a status, power, and respect that was unknown in the rest of the classical world. Although Spartan women were formally excluded from military and political life they njoyed considerable status as mothers of Spartan warriors. As men engaged in military activity, women took responsibility for running estates. Following protracted and 40% of all Spartan land and By the Hellenistic Period, some of the wealthiest Spartans were women.The unique thing about Patria Potestas was that it ad no age limits, according to Gaius a man could be consul, have a wife and children of his own and future prominence but as long as his father was alive was still under his potestas (power) and so could own nothing. Patria Potestas only ended with either the death of the father, or emancipation by him. Early in the Republic Manus Marriage ended the potestas for women, but during the middle and later Republic that form of marriage became rare, eventually disappearing completely.Marriage Under Law Rome had only two forms of marriage, and both had exactly the opposite view of legal effects. Manus Marriage was the earlier form of marriage and placed the woman under her husband's manus legally standing in the position of a daughter. Under this type of marriage women could own nothing, and had little if any legal protections. On the other hand a woman assumed the position of her husband's daughter in Manus Marriage making her agnatically instead of cognatically related to Manus, and was the opposite of Manus.Women married Sine Manu experienced no legal changes, so if her father was alive at time of marriage she continued to be his dependent and before the reign of Marcus Aurelius he could even force an end to he marriage. The lack of any legal change of status for the women meant that (provided their father had either died or emancipated them) they could own property, conduct most forms of business, and divorce her husband (without any reason needed). Legally speaking the only lack of independence a woman in Rome experienced in a marriage without Manus was from her fathe r.The only legal issue related to marriage was dowry. A dowry was not required by law, but was usually provided by a father or if a father was nonexistent it would be whatever the bride wished to come out of her own estate. It was administered by the husband, but in the vent of a divorce he was required to provide either the dowry or the equivalent of it back to his wife. In the case of adultery, husbands got to keep portions of the dowry. Politics Legally speaking women were banned from politics.As with freedmen and slaves of the Imperial Family women of the imperial family gained some benefits from the fall of the Republic, but because the nature of the Principate was to hide dictatorship such power had to be subtle and kept out of the public eye when possible. The ban on women and politics was they could not vote or run for office (sine suffragio) enlist n the army, or represent somebody else in court, women speaking their minds was not considered politics and so some women like Hortensia managed to make appearances in politics without violating the law.Inheritance Rights Everyone under the potestas of another had equal rights of inheritance under Roman Law, and wills that did otherwise ran risks of being challenged and invalidated as negligent. Stoic Influence Stoic philosophies had a strong effect on the development of law in ancient Rome. The Roman stoic thinkers Seneca and Musonius Rufus developed theories of Just elationships (not to be confused with equality in society, or even equality) arguing that nature gives men and women equal capacity for virtue and equal obligations to act virtuously (a vague concept).Therefore they argued that men and women have an equal need for philosophical education. [20] Stoic theories entered Roman law first through the Roman lawyer and senator Marcus Tullius Cicero and the influence of stoicism and philosophy increased while the status of women improved under the Empire. [21] Religious scriptures Bible See Women in the Bible â€Å"Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. (Genesis 3:20) â€Å"Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. † Oudges 4:4) God chose a woman, Deborah, to lead Israel.Qur'an The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. feminism, and Sex segregation and Islam The Qur'an, revealed to Muhammad over the course of 23 years, provide guidance to the Islamic community and modified existing customs in Arab society. From 610 and 661, known as the early reforms under Islam, the Qur'an introduced fundamental reforms to customary law and ntroduced rights for women in marriage, divorce and inheritance.By providing that the wife, not her family, would receive a dowry from the husband, which she could administer as her personal property, the Qur'an made women a legal party to the marriage contra ct. [citation needed] While in customary law inheritance was limited to male descendents, the Qur'an introduced rules on inheritance with certain fixed shares being distributed to designated heirs, first to the nearest female relatives and then the nearest male relatives. 22] According to Annemarie Schimmel â€Å"compared to he pre-lslamic position of women, Islamic legislation meant an enormous progress; the woman has the right, at least according to the letter of the law, to administer the wealth she has brought into the family or has earned by her own work. â€Å"[23] The general improvement of the status of Arab women included prohibition of female infanticide and recognizing women's full personhood. [24] Women were generally given greater rights than women in pre-lslamic Arabia[25][26] and medieval Europe. [27] Women were not accorded with such legal status in other cultures until centuries later. 28] According to Professor William Montgomery Watt, when seen in uch historical context, Muhammad â€Å"can be seen as a fgure who testified on behalf of women's rights. â€Å"[29] The Middle Ages According to English Common Law, which developed from the 12th century onward, all property which a wife held at the time of a marriage became a possession of her husband. Eventually English courts forbade a husband's transferring property without the consent of his wife, but he still retained the right to manage it and to receive the money which it produced.French married women suffered from restrictions on their legal capacity which were removed only in 1965. [30] In the 16th entury, the Reformation in Europe allowed more women to add their voices, including the English writers Jane Anger, Aemilia Lanyer, and the prophetess Anna Trapnell. English and American Quakers believed that men and women were equal. Many Quaker women were preachers. [31] Despite relatively greater freedom for Anglo-Saxon women, until the mid-19th century, writers largely assumed that a pat riarchal order was a natural order that had always existed. 32] This perception was not seriously challenged until the 18th century when Jesuit missionaries found matrilineality in native North American peoples. [33] 18th and 19th century Europe The Debutante (1807) by Henry Fuseli; The woman, victim of male social conventions, is tied to the wall, made to sew and guarded by governesses. The picture reflects Mary Wollstonecraft's views in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792. [34] Starting in the late 18th century, and throughout the 19th century, rights, as a concept and claim, gained increasing political, social and philosophical importance in Europe.Movements emerged which demanded freedom of religion, the abolition of slavery, rights for women, rights for those who did not own property and universal to political debates in both France and Britain. At the time some of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment, who defended democratic principles of equality and challenged notions that a privileged few should rule over the vast majority of the population, believed that these principles should be applied only to their own gender and their own race.The philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau for example thought that it was the order of nature for woman to obey men. He wrote â€Å"Women do wrong to complain of the inequality of man-made laws† and claimed that â€Å"when she tries to usurp our rights, she is our First page of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen In 1791 he French playwright and political activist Olympe de Gouges published the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen,[37] modelled on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789.The Declaration is ironic in formulation and exposes the failure of the French Revolution, which had been devoted to equality. It states that: â€Å"This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society'. The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen ollows the seventeen articles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen point for point and has been described by Camille Naish as â€Å"almost a parody†¦ f the original document†. The first article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaims that â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be based only on common utility. † The first article of Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen replied: â€Å"Woman is born free and remains equal to man in rights. Social distinctions may only be based on common utility'.De Gouges expands the sixth article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which declared the rights of citizens to take part in the formation of law, to: Australian women's rights were lampooned in this 1887 Melbourne Punch cartoon: A hypothetical female member foists her baby's care on the House Speaker â€Å"All citizens including women are equally admissible to all public dignities, offices and employments, according to their capacity, and with no other distinction than that of their virtues and talents†. De Gouges also draws attention to the fact that under French law women were fully punishable, yet denied equal rights. 8] Mary Wollstonecraft, a British writer and philosopher, published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792, arguing that it was the education and upbringing of women that created limited expectations. Women’s Rights Over the centuries, women have faced numerous difficulties in a male supremacist infested society who places gender as the main determining element of human capacity. Despite the rise of liberal, secularist ideologies that express support for women’s rights in the 08th and 19th centuries, the problem remains chronic as there remain social prejudices and blind convictions on the weaknesses and shortcomings of women as members of society. . During the 50s, the media projected women as undignified citizens who do not have the right to exercise free will. Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin recall Seventeen Magazine to have advised their readers about the role of women in a relationship. That the woman’s role was to function as partners and not rivals, enemies, and playthings, and that the relationship between women and men should create a heaven, a home that should serve as a place of sanctuary and peace (Isserman & Kazin, 2000, 13). The 1960s proved, on the other hand, to be one of the biggest turning points of women’s rights in the United States and across the world. Apart from the emergence of the second wave of feminists, the Vietnam War provided opportunities for women to show their capabilities as members of the working class. The entrance of women to the realm of the paid labor force were led by women who at the time were over the 40-year old mark Despite such remarkable turn of events, women remained to be deemed as underrated second class citizens. Primarily, tradition norms hold that women should not be granted education and right to labor as their capabilities are not equal to those of their male counterparts. As a result, society failed to acknowledge the statistical proliferation of women in the labor sector because of traditional belief and practice. In doing so, society also failed to look at the fact that the entrance of women in the labor force meant that women as unrecognized members of society have finally broken the domestic ideal that women are supposed to show their supremacy as homemakers and housewives. For the African American woman however, the deprivation of rights were enveloped in the concepts of gender and ethnicity. While African-American women enjoyed the rights to having paid labor similar to those of their male counterparts, they were always compared to white women (Isserman & Kazin, 2000, 26). And considering the rampant racial discrimination during the 20th century, the comparisons between African-American women and Caucasian women implied negativity. Likewise, the right to purity for African American women was among the most alarming concerns as the accepted norm regarding women who take pleasure for sensual activities were only ascribed to African American women. Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin (2000, 27) write that white American Writer Willie Morris was shocked by the fact that a woman of his own skin tone does actually enjoy sexual intercourse. Morris added more insult to injury as he denoted his personal thought that â€Å"only Negro women engaged in the act of love with white males just for fun (Isserman & Kazin, 2000, 27). † Women’s rights over the years have been hindered by male supremacists who only believed in the capabilities of their own ego. However, it has also been apparent that apart from gender, skin tone and other physical features are also factors that hinder women from proliferating and being part of a prejudice-free society. But putting all the obstacles that gender issues bring forth, such obstacles should not be the cause of disheartening but a beacon of hope that women would one day face a world free of blind prejudice and mindless conformity. Women’s Rights Women are increasingly under attack in Afghanistan as far as women’s rights are concerned. The Taliban overthrew the afghan government in 1996, and ruled from 1996-2001, and during that time; strict restrictions had been executed on women. Women and girls were not allowed to work or receive education. There was an exception to the rule if a woman was widowed, and had no other source of income, and then she could work. Women could not go outside, unless they were covered in a head to toe â€Å"burqua,† which is their traditional attire, and a male relative had to accompany them. The burqua only has a small mesh opening over the eyes allowing limited vision, and many of the women had been injured due to poor visibility. If a woman showed a bit of her ankle or had noisy shoes, she would be beaten. In addition, women had no voice, so they are were not allowed to speak in public. From puberty until death, women could only speak to men who were relatives. Once â€Å"The War on Terrorism† began, it gave the Afghan and Iraqi women hope to reform their nation and improve the social situation. The Taliban were chased from the country by U. S. military forces in 2001, and there have been some improvements in women’s rights concerning education and employment although many still suffer the hardships they did before the war. Most improvements have happened in major cites of Afghanistan such as Kabul, leaving rural areas with very much change at all. The police still enforce the wearing of the â€Å"burqua† by the women, but in Kabul, many professional women no longer wear the burqua, but many still do. According to a July 2003 Human Rights Watch report, the Southeast Afghanistan army and police practice of kidnapping, robbing and raping is so prevalent that women and girls are staying home as a means of protection. The fear of assault and political intimidation prevents the women and girls from gaining an education, employment and political influence. † (National Organization for Women, 2008) There is no abiding law and order in Afghanistan by the police o r local authorities. The NATO forces do not have enough manpower to offer protection. However, armed fathers, husbands and brothers do all they can to protect the women. Afghanistan is also known for child brides and marrying off girls as young as eleven to men in their thirties and even older. â€Å"True, women hold 27 percent of the seats in the National Assembly and one-sixth of the seats in the Upper House. But most Afghan women remain illiterate, impoverished and vulnerable to political and criminal violence. Only 15 percent of Afghan woman can read. The United Nations has described Afghan women as being â€Å"among the worst-off in the world. On average, women in Afghanistan die at least 20 years younger than women elsewhere. †(Women in Afghanistan, 2006) In Herat, which is Afghanistan’s second largest city, the government has given women and girls limited educational and employment opportunities. Women groups have been censored, and derailed from the governments’ administration. It is bad enough that the government is threatening womenâ₠¬â„¢s rights, but society has imposed other means by handing out pamphlets in communities encouraging parents not to send their daughters to school, and many of the girls schools have been firebombed and burned. Some girls have been poisoned to death for going to school. Parents that often deny education for their daughters, force their young girls into marriage. Girls are forced into marriage as young as eight years old. Other restrictions that Afghan women face as a violation of women’s rights is a ban on outside employment, strict dress code for women, very limited medical care, threats of violence if seen without a husband, father or male relative and rejection of humanitarian aid. Women are denied any share of humanitarian aid delivered to their country under the assumption that the men will take care of the women. Before the Taliban takeover in 1996, the Afghanistan women were scientist, members of parliament, cabinet members, and university professors. They led corporations, non-profit organizations and local communities. Many of these women are more than qualified to lead Afghanistan back to democracy. In November 2001, shockingly, Afghan women marched for their rights in Kabul. For the first time in more than six years, Afghan women rallied for their rights. Hillary Clinton established a campaign for women in Afghanistan and in 1999; she spoke out on their behalf about the abuse and the wearing of the burqua of the women in Afghanistan. Over the years, some schools have reopened in Afghanistan allowing boys and girls to attend. Several women have also been appointed or elected to important political roles. In the past five years, in the southern city of Kandahar at least five thousand women have graduated from special literacy courses, where they learned how to read and write and were taught skills such as dressmaking or computer knowledge. There is a woman minister of public health, a woman minister of women’s affairs and a woman heading the human rights commission. Women are also now able to travel more freely, and they have returned to work. Although progress is being made, there is still much more turmoil. â€Å"Registered cases of physical violence against women and girls in Afghanistan have increased by about 40 percent since March 2007. Some women seek escape by self-immolation, resulting in death or disfigurement. Last year, at least 30 women committed suicide in the western Farah Province alone, most of them by setting themselves on fire, according to Afghan media reports. † (Afghanistan Online, 2008) The Afghanistan government announced a plan to give nearly one third of jobs to women by 2012. I hope that this will lead to greater things, and that the women’s rights of Afghanistan will improve and that every woman will be included throughout the country, and they can move forward. Women’s Rights Womens rights History of women's rights See also: Legal rights of women in history and Timeline of women's rights (other than voting) China The status of women In China was low, largely due to the custom of foot binding. About 45% of Chinese women had bound feet in the 19th century. For the upper classes, it was almost 100%. In 1912, the Chinese government ordered the cessation of foot-binding. Foot-binding Involved alteration of the bone structure so that the feet were only about 4 inches long.The bound feet caused difficulty of movement, thus greatly limiting the activities of women. Due to the social custom that men and omen should not be near to one another, the women of China were reluctant to be treated by male doctors of Western Medicine. This resulted in a tremendous need for female doctors of Western Medicine in China. Thus, female medical missionary Dr. Mary H. Fulton (1854-1927)[3] was sent by the Foreign Missions Board of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to found the first medical college for women in China.Known as the Hackett Medical College for Women this College was located In Guangzhou, China, and was enabled by a large donation from Mr. Edward A. K. Hackett (1851-1916) of Indiana, USA. The College was aimed at the spreading of Christianity and modern medicine and the elevation of Chinese women's social Greece The status of women in ancient Greece varied form city state to city state. Records exist of women in ancient Delphi, Gortyn, Thessaly, Megara and Sparta owning land, the most prestigious form of private property at the tlme. [8] In ancient Athens. omen had no legal personhood and were assumed to be part of the oikos headed by the male kyrios. Until marriage, women were under the guardianship of their father or other male relative. once married the husband became a woman's kyrlos. As omen were barred from conducting legal proceedings, the kyrios would do so on their behalf. [9] Athenian women had limited right to property and therefore were not considered full citizens, as citizenship and the entitlement to civil and political rights was defined in relation to property and the means to life. 10] However, women could acquire rights over property through gifts, dowry and inheritance, though her kyrios had the right to dispose of a woman's property[11] Athenian women could enter into a contract worth less than the value of a â€Å"medimnos of barley' (a measure of grain), allowing women to engage in petty trading. 9] Slaves, like women, were not eligible for full citizenship In ancient Athens, though In rare circumstances they could become citizens if freed. The only permanent barrier to citizenship, and hence full political and civil rights, in ancient Athens was gender.No women ever acquired citizenship In ancient Athens, and therefore women were excluded In principle and practice from ancient Athenian democracy. [12] By contrast, Spartan women enjoyed a status, power, and respect that was unknown in the rest of the classical world. Although Spartan women were formally excluded from military and political life they njoyed considerable status as mothers of Spartan warriors. As men engaged in military activity, women took responsibility for running estates. Following protracted and 40% of all Spartan land and By the Hellenistic Period, some of the wealthiest Spartans were women.The unique thing about Patria Potestas was that it ad no age limits, according to Gaius a man could be consul, have a wife and children of his own and future prominence but as long as his father was alive was still under his potestas (power) and so could own nothing. Patria Potestas only ended with either the death of the father, or emancipation by him. Early in the Republic Manus Marriage ended the potestas for women, but during the middle and later Republic that form of marriage became rare, eventually disappearing completely.Marriage Under Law Rome had only two forms of marriage, and both had exactly the opposite view of legal effects. Manus Marriage was the earlier form of marriage and placed the woman under her husband's manus legally standing in the position of a daughter. Under this type of marriage women could own nothing, and had little if any legal protections. On the other hand a woman assumed the position of her husband's daughter in Manus Marriage making her agnatically instead of cognatically related to Manus, and was the opposite of Manus.Women married Sine Manu experienced no legal changes, so if her father was alive at time of marriage she continued to be his dependent and before the reign of Marcus Aurelius he could even force an end to he marriage. The lack of any legal change of status for the women meant that (provided their father had either died or emancipated them) they could own property, conduct most forms of business, and divorce her husband (without any reason needed). Legally speaking the only lack of independence a woman in Rome experienced in a marriage without Manus was from her fathe r.The only legal issue related to marriage was dowry. A dowry was not required by law, but was usually provided by a father or if a father was nonexistent it would be whatever the bride wished to come out of her own estate. It was administered by the husband, but in the vent of a divorce he was required to provide either the dowry or the equivalent of it back to his wife. In the case of adultery, husbands got to keep portions of the dowry. Politics Legally speaking women were banned from politics.As with freedmen and slaves of the Imperial Family women of the imperial family gained some benefits from the fall of the Republic, but because the nature of the Principate was to hide dictatorship such power had to be subtle and kept out of the public eye when possible. The ban on women and politics was they could not vote or run for office (sine suffragio) enlist n the army, or represent somebody else in court, women speaking their minds was not considered politics and so some women like Hortensia managed to make appearances in politics without violating the law.Inheritance Rights Everyone under the potestas of another had equal rights of inheritance under Roman Law, and wills that did otherwise ran risks of being challenged and invalidated as negligent. Stoic Influence Stoic philosophies had a strong effect on the development of law in ancient Rome. The Roman stoic thinkers Seneca and Musonius Rufus developed theories of Just elationships (not to be confused with equality in society, or even equality) arguing that nature gives men and women equal capacity for virtue and equal obligations to act virtuously (a vague concept).Therefore they argued that men and women have an equal need for philosophical education. [20] Stoic theories entered Roman law first through the Roman lawyer and senator Marcus Tullius Cicero and the influence of stoicism and philosophy increased while the status of women improved under the Empire. [21] Religious scriptures Bible See Women in the Bible â€Å"Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. (Genesis 3:20) â€Å"Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. † Oudges 4:4) God chose a woman, Deborah, to lead Israel.Qur'an The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. feminism, and Sex segregation and Islam The Qur'an, revealed to Muhammad over the course of 23 years, provide guidance to the Islamic community and modified existing customs in Arab society. From 610 and 661, known as the early reforms under Islam, the Qur'an introduced fundamental reforms to customary law and ntroduced rights for women in marriage, divorce and inheritance.By providing that the wife, not her family, would receive a dowry from the husband, which she could administer as her personal property, the Qur'an made women a legal party to the marriage contra ct. [citation needed] While in customary law inheritance was limited to male descendents, the Qur'an introduced rules on inheritance with certain fixed shares being distributed to designated heirs, first to the nearest female relatives and then the nearest male relatives. 22] According to Annemarie Schimmel â€Å"compared to he pre-lslamic position of women, Islamic legislation meant an enormous progress; the woman has the right, at least according to the letter of the law, to administer the wealth she has brought into the family or has earned by her own work. â€Å"[23] The general improvement of the status of Arab women included prohibition of female infanticide and recognizing women's full personhood. [24] Women were generally given greater rights than women in pre-lslamic Arabia[25][26] and medieval Europe. [27] Women were not accorded with such legal status in other cultures until centuries later. 28] According to Professor William Montgomery Watt, when seen in uch historical context, Muhammad â€Å"can be seen as a fgure who testified on behalf of women's rights. â€Å"[29] The Middle Ages According to English Common Law, which developed from the 12th century onward, all property which a wife held at the time of a marriage became a possession of her husband. Eventually English courts forbade a husband's transferring property without the consent of his wife, but he still retained the right to manage it and to receive the money which it produced.French married women suffered from restrictions on their legal capacity which were removed only in 1965. [30] In the 16th entury, the Reformation in Europe allowed more women to add their voices, including the English writers Jane Anger, Aemilia Lanyer, and the prophetess Anna Trapnell. English and American Quakers believed that men and women were equal. Many Quaker women were preachers. [31] Despite relatively greater freedom for Anglo-Saxon women, until the mid-19th century, writers largely assumed that a pat riarchal order was a natural order that had always existed. 32] This perception was not seriously challenged until the 18th century when Jesuit missionaries found matrilineality in native North American peoples. [33] 18th and 19th century Europe The Debutante (1807) by Henry Fuseli; The woman, victim of male social conventions, is tied to the wall, made to sew and guarded by governesses. The picture reflects Mary Wollstonecraft's views in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792. [34] Starting in the late 18th century, and throughout the 19th century, rights, as a concept and claim, gained increasing political, social and philosophical importance in Europe.Movements emerged which demanded freedom of religion, the abolition of slavery, rights for women, rights for those who did not own property and universal to political debates in both France and Britain. At the time some of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment, who defended democratic principles of equality and challenged notions that a privileged few should rule over the vast majority of the population, believed that these principles should be applied only to their own gender and their own race.The philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau for example thought that it was the order of nature for woman to obey men. He wrote â€Å"Women do wrong to complain of the inequality of man-made laws† and claimed that â€Å"when she tries to usurp our rights, she is our First page of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen In 1791 he French playwright and political activist Olympe de Gouges published the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen,[37] modelled on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789.The Declaration is ironic in formulation and exposes the failure of the French Revolution, which had been devoted to equality. It states that: â€Å"This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society'. The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen ollows the seventeen articles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen point for point and has been described by Camille Naish as â€Å"almost a parody†¦ f the original document†. The first article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaims that â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be based only on common utility. † The first article of Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen replied: â€Å"Woman is born free and remains equal to man in rights. Social distinctions may only be based on common utility'.De Gouges expands the sixth article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which declared the rights of citizens to take part in the formation of law, to: Australian women's rights were lampooned in this 1887 Melbourne Punch cartoon: A hypothetical female member foists her baby's care on the House Speaker â€Å"All citizens including women are equally admissible to all public dignities, offices and employments, according to their capacity, and with no other distinction than that of their virtues and talents†. De Gouges also draws attention to the fact that under French law women were fully punishable, yet denied equal rights. 8] Mary Wollstonecraft, a British writer and philosopher, published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792, arguing that it was the education and upbringing of women that created limited expectations.