The Issue with Sex Offenders at MySpace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Issue with Sex Offenders at MySpace - Essay Example Sullivan discusses the fallout of the seemingly innocuous experiment run by Wired News reporter Kevin Poulsen, in which Poulsen matched registered sex offenders against MySpace profiles and discovered hundreds of matches (116). MySpace’s response was to hire a third-party vendor to compare member profiles to registered sex offender rolls and â€Å"root out sex criminals from the site† (117). A debate arose, however, regarding the amount of time associated with the action that MySpace took. MySpace identified 7,000 profiles of members who were potentially on the registered sex offender rolls, but this action took several months. MySpace promptly deleted the profiles but did not notify authorities at the same time (117). Sullivan states that â€Å"the presence of 7,000 registered offenders on the site—and the time span required to remove them, raises inevitable questions about MySpace’s ability to keep its neighborhood safe† (119). Conversely, Texas A & M student Kevin Alexander wrote â€Å"MySpace Not Responsible for Predators†, an article discussing the experience of a 14-year old girl who met and was allegedly raped by a 19-year old man she befriended on MySpace (119). Alexander argues that the lack of age verification by MySpace does not preclude the responsibility of those using the service to act with caution and common sense (119). He believes that culpability resides with the parent and child who made poor decisions with tragic consequences (120). When setting up a profile, MySpace users must sign a waiver indicating that they understand that MySpace has no control over the actions of its users online or offline (120). The nature of the MySpace service limits the amount of power the company has over who is a member at any given time. Even the action taken in the previous example in which MySpace checked member profiles against the registered sex offender rolls would not have identified this particular situation as a threat to anyone. Online users should be aware of the dangers inherent to cyberspace usage, protect their personal information, and only consider meeting online acquaintances in secure situations. Additionally, parents should educate their children, monitor their online behavior, and not allow them to meet strangers without supervision (120). According to Alexander, by using MySpace, the mother, in this case, sends â€Å"the wrong message by deflecting the responsibility onto a Web site that has no control over sociopaths† (120). Both authors agree that there is a risk inherent to the use of services such as the one offered by MySpace. However, they differ in the assessment of who should assume the responsibility of mitigating this risk. Sullivan prescribes to the idea that companies are ultimately responsible to protect the end users of their products and services wherever possible. Sullivan implies that MySpace has a social responsibility to identify threats and take act ion to create a safe and secure environment, and to protect the children who use the service for fun and entertainment. Alexander believes that people must apply common sense and act in an individually responsible manner. Users should be cautious and careful in all online interactions, and should not depend on the company to do this for them.  

Project about Computer Managed Instruction (CMI) Essay

Project about Computer Managed Instruction (CMI) - Essay Example Since the advent of sophisticated technological means, the educators have been trying to modify the instructional process with the help of technology. According to Baker (1978, p. 3), early 1960’s brought with it â€Å"new curricula, instructional models, and approaches to individualization† of instruction but the drawback with these instructional schemes was their poor management. An ideal classroom environment is so dynamic in which each student presents his own understanding and is comfortable with his own set of instructional materials. Thus, the teacher needs to organize instructional schemes in such a way that all students with their unique calibers are equally attended to. Before CMI, teachers would process instruction manually but that process was inefficient when it came to collecting and summarizing instructional data for management purposes. This was when the need was felt to construct a reliable, fast and user friendly system which would process and manage m odified instruction. Thus, a shift was made toward computer-based data processing or more specifically CMI, which a lot of educators considered â€Å"as a reasonable model for the support of the management functions associated with the individualization of instruction† (Baker). CMI is one of the two types of computer based instructions; Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) is the other. CMI is an instructional scheme that makes use of the computer for obtaining learning resources and objectives, and to assess student performance, thus enabling the instructor to manage instruction in a more efficient way without having to get involved in the teaching process directly. In other words, there is no human interference. To be more precise, it helps the instructor in making effective instructional decisions by providing him with â€Å"diagnostic and prescriptive

Sun Microsystems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sun Microsystems - Case Study Example Sun Microsystems have good financial capabilities and ideas how to improve its position and increase productivity. Sun Microsystems forecasts developments, predicts logical consequences, translates them into potential opportunities, and plans to capitalize on profitable alternatives. In the company, the assessment of market opportunity is closely linked to the innovative process. Market opportunity encourages innovation and stimulates and extends markets. In fact, the assessment of market opportunity may be considered one of the early phases of the total innovative process. Yet innovation is not equated with market opportunity. Innovation requires the supportive system of marketing resources to cultivate opportunity. Both the stimulation of a continuing flow of ideas and products that can better satisfy wants and needs, and the supply of a marketing system to support them, are requisites of opportunity realization (Annual Report 2007). International expansion and acquisition strategy allow Sun Microsystems to develop unique approach to marketing and boost sales. Jabbar developed a strategy that focused on five countries that were each potential billion-dollar-a-year markets for Sun's server business. They were Brazil, Spain, China, India and Italy. Shareholders were optimistic about Sun's potential for growth" (Jacobs and Ensign 2008, C 237). Thus, for Sun a philosophy that competition is essential for innovation. For management expects new developments to destroy existing product positions. Assuredly, firms want to secure future opportunities and "capture" markets. New products are developed for this purpose. Innovations result in two groups of forces, competitive and monopolistic. The monopolistic forces, or the delayed action of competition, offer the innovator incentives to innovate. The competitive features diffuse the benefits of past innovations into the public domain. This puts the innovator under pressure to make further innovations if he is to maintain his competitive advantage and the better-than-minimum profits that go with it. Innovation is, then, one of the competitive tools of the business firm. It is a major means of creating a differential advantage, albeit sometimes short-lived. In adjusting to change, and in attempting to meet the demands of the marketplace, it must be managed, and programmed innovation is becoming one of the foundations of business strategy (Hollensen 2007). This places additional pressure on management to understand more fully the process of managing change and programming innovation through manipulation of knowledge. Innovation approaches manageability when participation in the process becomes part of the continuing responsibility of all levels of management. Sun develops the appropriate environment and set of attitudes to encourage innovation. Only then can a firm hope to deploy its resources most profitably in order to meet the challenge of change. In novating firms face a range of possible marketing policies (Annual Report 2007). 2. The chief elements of Sun's strategy are acquisition strategy and investments, expended portfolio, reduced costs through unit volumes and consulting services. For Sun, innovation is a core of differentiation. This combination of strategic policies allows Sun to "improve operating income by nearly $1.2 billion" during the first half of 2007 (Sun

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Assignment

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - Assignment Example Teaching English with examples and meanings of the verbs, proverbs, tenses, etc, in regional languages does help a lot to the students and have helped and improved me tremendously. 3) I didn't have any major problem in learning English. I used to talk English whenever with my friends, colleagues, etc. I used to concentrate more on my grammatical errors and tried to minimize the same. I started to talk English slowly because fast speaking does make it harder for me. I spoke slowly and then when I became fluent with English, I was fast. 4) a) Borrow: Lend - Borrow is to take and use something that belongs to somebody else. For ex; I would like to borrow your umbrella. Whereas Lend is to give something to somebody that belongs to you, for ex: I can lend you my umbrella. b) Win: Beat - Win is something that is achieved in the game/sports whereas beat is used against opponents. For ex. I win the prize. Or I have won the game. And on the other hand, I beat all the runners in the event or Brazil beats Austria to win the premier league. c) Go back : Come back - Go back is used to send someone back from where he has come. It puts emphasis on returning to the place from where you have left. For ex; Go back to your room or please go back to your place. Whereas Come back is used to call somebody back to the person himself who is calling. For ex.

Past, Present, and Future Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Past, Present, and Future Paper - Essay Example It was a confusing situation at times. I knew that education and learning was important, but at the same time I really didn’t see how it related to real life. When I enrolled at the University of Phoenix, I felt that I had good basic communication skills. I was able to read and write well. I could comprehend complex texts and I could convey information that I learned clearly to others. I did know that I writing I struggled with spelling and grammar. This problem has plagued me for my whole life. In some ways I have always felt as though it wasn’t a big deal. I could always figure something out if I really needed to. I also felt that I was dependable and could work well with people on a team. In a way, I guess I entered the program feeling as though I had some weaknesses academically, but that they could be overcome. I was able to function fully in my job in the Human Resources department and felt competent in my professional life. Entering the program, my career goals w ere to obtain a more senior position within my current employment. I wanted to work my way up and be a specialist within the Human Resources department. I realized that I needed a proper degree to do this. I also began to watch how the senior members of my department communicated and worked with one another. I realized that there were some skills that I was lacking in addition to a degree. I could see that when I compared my current ability to communicate to their ability to communicate, I was found lacking. I resolved that I would gain the skills necessary to feel comfortable and confident when working with these senior members of the Human Resources department. I felt that if I could feel comfortable working with them, then I would be in a position to one-day hold a senior position as a Human Resources Specialist myself. When I began working on the Bachelors of Science in Management (BSM) degree at the University of Phoenix, it became clear that I was not nearly as prepared taking these classes as I thought. I discovered that my spelling and grammar that I knew was a weakness turned out to be much weaker than I thought. I found that just muddling through was not good enough any more so I grew determined to really improve my weaknesses so they could actually become strengths. I found the high level of expectations that was set for clear writing and concise communication to be challenging but helpful in my goal to improve. The feedback I received from professors and other students was very helpful. Collaborating with other students was a part of the course study that I really enjoyed and was actually where I learned the most about writing. I have always enjoyed working in a team atmosphere and felt that I could do it well. What I found at the University of Phoenix was that I actually got better at using collaboration as a tool for learning. I began to see how I could use the feedback from my peers to really improve a paper or to develop a new perspective on a problem that needed to be solved. Through this collaborative process, I feel that my abilities in information retrieval, communication, writing and oral communication skills have greatly improved. I feel that there are three specific classes that really helped me to improve in these areas. The first of these classes was my Skills For Professional Development class. I call this my wake-up call class, because it was in this class that I

Why white-collar crimes are committed (criminology theory) Essay

Why white-collar crimes are committed (criminology theory) - Essay Example Edwin H. Sutherland coined the term "white-collar crime" in 1940 and his theory states that white-collar crime occurs because of exposure to other white-collar criminals, called the Differential Association Theory. This holds true today, although theories of criminology have been broadened and made more complex due to the advent of new technologies that enable new kinds of white-collar crime. Still, Sutherland's theory seems to make the most sense in terms of why white-collar crime has become so prevalent. The simple pain vs. pleasure theory also applies, to a point. White-collar crime is often committed through a systematic deployment of certain transactions, either personal or electronic, that shifts assets from one place to another (the white-collar criminal's hands). If we look at the more common views of white collar crime that have come to public attention in recent years, we can start with Ford Motors in the 1970's; three young women were killed in an accident involving a Ford Pinto; it was found that the gas tank feeder tube in the trunk was in a vulnerable position and prone to explode upon impact in a rear-end collision. Ford saw that re-fitting the tubes would increase the production cost of each car by about eleven dollars, so the company refrained from making any changes for seven years; finally, Ford was forced to recall the cars (W. Sue Feinstein, 1996). This would be one profile of white-collar crime: negligence with the motivation to retain profits. In this case, the victims were the 500 or so people who died as a result of the defective gas feed tubes. In addition to the Differential Association theory is the Self Control Theory Of Delinquency, also applied to white-collar criminals. Defined as "acts of force or fraud undertaken in pursuit of self interest" (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990, p. 15), one can see where the Ford crime fit within this theory, the corporation being the "self" in self-interest. A look at the famed S&L scandal in the 1980's is an example of how white-collar crime affects the economy. The basic chronology of events began when deregulation enabled S&L corporations to lend money to themselves. In 1980, the FDIC insurance was raised from $40,000 to $100,000. While there were several factors that doomed the S&L industry, such as fixed interest rates on home loans and sudden inflation. The most notorious white-collar criminal involved in the S&L failures was Charles Keating of Lincoln Savings in Irvine, California. He allegedly duped customers into buying "junk bonds" and extracted $1 million from Lincoln Savings in anticipation of the company's collapse, which happened weeks later (Wikipedia). All convictions were later overturned through plea-bargaining and other legal maneuvers, and Keating maintained that the blame for the downfall of Lincoln Savings was with the government regulators and not his actions. This act of white-collar crime fits the bill for both theories named above; Keating was acting in self-interest without regard for the well being of Lincoln or its customers. Of course, we cannot overlook Enron. The story is complex and frightening with the implications for the

Sub-Saharan Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sub-Saharan Africa - Essay Example The owners see wanting poverty level of the involved families as an easy way to even exploit them by giving meager earnings, which does not even commensurate with what they do. Hence, prompt them even using children in harvesting period who act as cheap labor for they given them much less compared to their adult counterparts (Freely Give Truth, 2013). Hence, prompting child labor statics augment instead of declining in these states. Many firms known to buy cocoa pressurize farmers into augmenting productivity without even minding their conditions for the crop’s demand globally is significantly high. The fact that they involve intermediaries who buy significant cocoa’s production from the farmers, make them have a huge influence on the farmers (Freely Give Truth, 2013). This way they create a monopoly and therefore they pay farmers as low as low as they want due to the great influence they have. This has prompted farmers yield to procuring children’s services for they are aware they will pay them meager wages, which translates to augmenting of child servitude statistics. There is no enough regulation to curb child labor since a child assisting in the farm is not legally wrong only if the child is involved in heavy work load. The government also has devised extremely low minimum pay, hence prompting the impoverished families to continuously wallow in poverty to the extent majority of them do not have any plan for future investments. Because many work to ensure they are capable of affording only day’s upkeep, which ought to be the case especially what they are producing fetches much global market. The CÃ ´te dIvoire regime together with cocoa buyers can effectively influence declining of this menace. In this case, the regime through devising adequate and effective policies barring farmers from employing children would be a good platform meant to start