Smartphones Research Paper Example

Smartphones Paper Name: Tutor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Smartphones specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Smartphones specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Smartphones specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Smartphones Introduction The widespread embrace of smartphones in the contemporary society is a factor that illustrates the manner in which smartphones deliver quality services to their owners. Indeed, a smartphone is a cellular phone constructed on a mobile OS (Operating System) with more enhanced connectivity and computing capacity than a mid-range priced phone. The foremost smartphones comprised the operations within a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with a cellular phone. Nonetheless, the inspiration behind the smartphone dates back to the conceptualization of the model in the early 1970s with the introduction of the IBM Simon Personal Communicator in 1992. Interestingly, the mode in which smartphones progress based on the needs of the modern client warrants an insight into the origin, evolution and impact of the device within the society. Origin Even though the conceptualization of a ‘smartphone’ materialized as early as 1973, the notion of the terminology ‘smartphone’ received recognition in 1997. This is in accordance to the unveiling of the GS 88 Penelope by Ericsson, which termed the phone as a ‘Smart phone’. Nevertheless, the concept of the smartphone dates back to 1973 when Theodore George Paraskevakos patented the notions of integrating intellect, data processing and visual presentation within telephones. The motivations behind the development of the smartphone in accordance with Paraskevakos delved on the performance of banking transactions and paying service bills through the telephone. As such, the concept developed by Paraskevakos regarding the amalgamation of intelligence, processing and visual presentation initiated the development of cellular phones that combined multitasking properties. As such, the foremost cell phone to incorporate PDA characteristics was a model developed by IBM in 1992. The prototype, which was unveiled at the COMDEX trade showcase later, gained rejuvenation and enhancement as a purchasable product in 1994 under the acronym Simon Personal Communicator in 1994. Known as the Simon, the device gained reference as the first official smartphone even though the term was not popular at that time. On top of its capacity to initiate and receive cell phone calls, the Simon was capable of conveying and obtaining facsimiles, pages and electronic mails (e-mails) via its visual screen that comprised touch technology. Furthermore, the Simon incorporated several applications such as calendars, an address book, calculator, typical and prognostic touch screen keypads and world-time chronometer. Further motivations involving the creation of the smartphone centered on simplifying the routine tasks that persons require to perform on a daily basis. As such, through the introduction of applications by the Simon, the progress of integrating further end-user applications within cellular phones gained considerable interest and innovation. Thus, extensive innovation on smartphones led to the development of new models in the late 1990s. Smartphone models such as Nokia 9000 integrated PDA features and necessitated the inclusion of mobile OS such as BlackBerry, Windows and Palm. These initial operating systems led the way for the innovation of superior and contemporary mobile operating systems within cellular phones such as Symbian, Android and iOS operating systems, which form the market base for mobile operating systems as well as smartphone technology. Evolution Probably, the major milestones marking the development of smartphones involve the introduction of mobile operating systems. Even though regular phones constituted the base for the development of smartphones, the materialization of mobile operating systems distinguished feature phones and smartphones. The first milestone in smartphone development began in 1996 after the introduction of the IBM Simon. At that time, the first phone to utilize a mobile OS was actually a Palm Pilot 1000 PDA that comprised a Palm OS. Nonetheless, another milestone involved the introduction of the Nokia 7110 based on a Nokia S40 OS in 1999. Furthermore, the introduction of the Symbian OS in 2000 perpetuated the release of further smartphones with their respective operating systems further enhancing smartphone functionality (Kenney and Pon, 6). However, the development in smartphone technology facilitated challenges that mostly arose out of competition among developers. As such, the challenges facing smartphone progression were evident in the development of mobile applications. These challenges comprise technological factors such as insufficient abstractions since application developers require tackling short sensor data and insufficient programming support since developing applications requires partitioning smartphone and server codes (Ravindranath et al, 1). Nonetheless, the future evolution of smartphones presents further innovations. It is asserted that by 2016, smartphones will possess holograph technology and an audio-processing application that will disambiguate the client’s voice. Furthermore, it will be possible for people to implant smartphones through making them wearable and smartphones will possess the capability of assuming any shape. Impact Indeed, providing information regarding smartphones is important to any audience. This is because smartphones occupy an extensive portion of the society. According to Fischer et al (27), nearly a half of all the cellular phones within the United States comprise smartphones. As such, such information on these basic devices is important since it enables the audience to determine the history surrounding such devices and the future prospects embodying smartphones. Nonetheless, the research on smartphones provides efficient information in the development of other innovations such as tablets that embrace the smartphone technology. Conclusion As a fact, smartphones occupy a global space in the modern society. With respect to the creation of the first smartphone, the devices have assumed a designated stance in the modern society, ranging from developed to developing economies. As far as development receives consideration, it is early and impossible to rule out further evolution regarding such devices in the near future. Works Cited Fischer, I., M. Frank, C. Kuo, and L. Huang. â€Å"Short Paper: Smartphones: Not Smart Enough?† Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security. (2012): 27-32. Print. Kenney, Martin, and Bryan Pon. â€Å"Structuring the Smartphone Industry: Is the Mobile Internet Os Platform the Key?† The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. (2011): 1-22. Print. Ravindranath, L., A. Thiagarajan, H. Balakrishnan, and S. Madden. â€Å"Code in the Air: Simplifying Sensing and Coordination Tasks on Smartphones†. Association of Computing Machinery. (2012): 1-6. Print.

Figurative Language Definition and Examples

Figurative Language Definition and Examples Figurative language is  language in which figures of speech (such as metaphors and metonyms) freely occur. Contrast with  literal  speech  or language. If something happens literally, says childrens book author Lemony Snicket, it actually happens; if something happens figuratively, it feels like it is happening. If you are literally jumping for joy, for instance, it means you are leaping in the air because you are very happy. If you are figuratively jumping for joy, it means you are so happy that you could jump for joy but are saving your energy for other matters†Ã‚  (The Bad Beginning,  2000). Figurative language  can also be defined as any deliberate departure from the conventional meaning, order, or construction of words. Examples It is midmorning. A few minutes ago I took my coffee break. I am speaking figuratively, of course. Theres not a drop of coffee in this place and there never has been.(Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction. Random House, 1971)MetaphorsMemory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food.(Austin OMalley, Keystones of Thought)SimilesThe Dukes moustache was rising and falling like seaweed on an ebb-tide.(P.G. Wodehouse, Uncle Fred in the Springtime, 1939)HyperboleI was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.(Mark Twain, Old Times on the Mississippi)UnderstatementLast week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse.(Jonathan Swift, A Tale of a Tub, 1704)MetonymyThe suits on Wall Street walked off with most of our savings.ChiasmusYou forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.(Cormac M cCarthy, The Road, 2006) AnaphoraAnaphora will repeat an opening phrase or word;Anaphora will pour it into a mold (absurd)!Anaphora will cast each subsequent opening;Anaphora will last until its tiring.(John Hollander, Rhymes Reason: A Guide to English Verse. Yale Univ. Press, 1989) Kinds of Figurative Language (1) Phonological figures include alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia. In his poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1842), Robert Browning repeats sibilants, nasals, and liquids as he shows how the children respond to the piper: There was a rustling, that seemed like a bustling / Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling. Something sinister has started.(2) Orthographic figures use visual forms created for effect: for example, America spelled Amerika (by left-wing radicals in the 1970s and as the name of a movie in the 1980s) to suggest a totalitarian state.(3) Syntactic figures may bring the non-standard into the standard language, as in US President Ronald Reagans You aint seen nothing yet (1984), a nonstandard double negative used to project a vigorous, folksy image.(4) Lexical figures extend the conventional so as to surprise or entertain, as when, instead of a phrase like a year ago, the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas wrote a grief ago, or when the Irish dramatist Oscar Wilde sai d at the New York Customs, I have nothing to declare but my genius. When people say that you cant take something literally, they are generally referring to usage that challenges everyday reality: for example, through exaggeration (the hyperbole in loads of money), comparison (the simile like death warmed up; the metaphor life is an uphill struggle), physical and other associations (the metonymy Crown property for something owned by royalty), and a part for a whole (the synecdoche All hands on deck!).(Tom McArthur, The Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 2005) Observations Figures are as old as language. They lie buried in many words of current use. They occur constantly in both prose and poetry.(Joseph T. Shipley, Dictionary of World Literary Terms, 1970)Traditionally, figurative language such as metaphors and idioms has been considered derivative from and more complex than ostensibly straightforward language. A contemporary view . . . is that figurative language involves the same kinds of linguistic and pragmatic operations that are used for ordinary, literal language.(Sam Glucksberg, Understanding Figurative Language. Oxford University Press, 2001)At no place in Book III [of the Rhetoric] does Aristotle claim that these devices [figures] serve an ornamental or emotional function or that they are in any way epiphenomenal. Instead, Aristotles somewhat dispersed discussion suggests that certain devices are compelling because they map a function onto a form or perfectly epitomize certain patterns of thought or argument.(Jeanne Fahnestock, Rhetorical Fig ures in Science. Oxford University. Press, 1999) The emergence of nonliteral language as a respectable topic has led to a convergence of many fields: philosophy, linguistics, and literary analyses, computer science, neuroscience, and experimental cognitive psychology, to name a few. Each of these fields has enriched the scientific understanding of the relation between language and thought.(A.N. Katz, C. Cacciari, R. W. Gibbs, Jr., and M. Turner, Figurative Language and Thought. Oxford University Press, 1998) Figurative Language and Thought This new view of the poetics of mind has the following general characteristics: - The mind is not inherently literal.- Language is not independent of the mind but reflects our perceptual and conceptual understanding of experience.- Figuration is not merely a matter of language but provides much of the foundation for thought, reason and imagination.- Figurative language is not deviant or ornamental but is ubiquitous in everyday speech.- Figurative modes of thought motivate the meaning of many linguistic expressions that are commonly viewed as having literal interpretations.- Metaphorical meaning is grounded in nonmetaphorical aspects of recurring bodily experiences or experiential gestalts.- Scientific theories, legal reasoning, myths, art, and a variety of cultural practices exemplify many of the same figurative schemes found in everyday thought and language.- Many aspects of word meaning are motivated by figurative schemes of thought.- Figurative language does not require special cognitive processes to be produced and understood.- Childrens figurative thought m otivates their significant ability to use and understand many kinds of figurative speech. These claims dispute many beliefs about language, thought, and meaning that have dominated the Western intellectual tradition.(Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., The Poetics of Mind: Figurative Thought, Language, and Understanding. Cambridge University Press, 1994) The Conceptual Metaphor Theory According to the conceptual metaphor theory, metaphors and other forms of figurative language are not necessarily creative expressions. This is admittedly a somewhat unusual idea, as we ordinarily associate figurative language with poetry and with the creative aspects of language. But Gibbs (1994 [above]) suggests that what is frequently seen as a creative expression of some idea is often only a spectacular instantiation of specific metaphorical entailments that arise from the small set of conceptual metaphors shared by many individuals within a culture (p. 424). The conceptual model assumes that the underlying nature of our thought processes is metaphorical. That is, we use metaphor to make sense of our experience. Thus, according to Gibbs, when we encounter a verbal metaphor it automatically activates the corresponding conceptual metaphor. (David W. Carroll, Psychology of Language, 5th ed. Thomson Wadsworth, 2008) John Updikes Use of Figurative Language [John] Updike wrote self-consciously about big subjects and big themes, but he was always celebrated more for his prose style than for his subject matter. And his great gift, on the level of style, was not just descriptive but explicitly figurativenot about presentation, in other words, but about transformation. This gift could work both for and against him. Figurative language, best employed, is a way of making connections between disparate phenomena, but even more than that it is a way of making us see better, more freshly, more naà ¯vely. Updike was more than capable of such flights: Outdoors it is growing dark and cool. The Norway maples exhale the smell of their sticky new buds and the broad living-room windows along Wilbur Street show beyond the silver patch of a television set the warm bulbs burning in kitchens, like fires at the backs of caves. . . .  [A] mailbox stands leaning in twilight on its concrete post. Tall two-petaled street sign, the cleat-gouged trunk of the telephone pole holding its insulators against the sky, fire hydrant like a golden bush: a grove.[Rabbit, Run] But taking one thing and turning it, via language, into another can also be a way of deferring or denying or opting out of engagement with the thing nominally being described. (Jonathan Dee, Agreeable Angstrom: John Updike, Yes-Man. Harpers, June 2014) The Abuse of Figurative Language Obfuscation also comes from mishandled metaphor. As readers of his reviews will know, letting [James] Wood anywhere near figurative language is like giving an alcoholic the keys to a distillery. In no time, he’s unsteady and comprehensibility is a casualty. Getting images upside down is a speciality. The personality of a Svevo character is, Wood writes, as comically perforated as a bullet-holed flag- an odd view of what’s comical since such a flag would usually be found among the dead and mutilated on a battlefield. Another character is inundated with impressions . . . like Noah’s dove. The point about Noah’s dove, though, is that it wasn’t inundated but survived the flood and ultimately brought back evidence that the waters had subsided. (Peter Kemp, review of How Fiction Works by James Wood. The Sunday Times, March 2, 2008)

Special Character Chart for German

Special Character Chart for German Both PC and Mac users sooner or later confront this problem: How do I get à ¶, Ä, à ©, or ß out of my English-language keyboard? While Mac users dont have the problem to the same degree, they too can be left wondering which option key combination will produce a  « or a  » (the special German quotation marks). If you want to display German or other special characters  on a Web page using HTML, then you have yet another problem- which we also solve for you in this section. The chart below will clarify the special German character codes for both Macs and PCs. But first a few comments on how to use the codes: Apple/Mac OS X The Mac option key allows users to easily type most foreign letters and symbols on a standard English-language Apple keyboard. But how do you know which option combination will produce which letter? After you get past the easy ones (option u a ), how do you discover the others? In Mac OS X you can use the  Character Palette. To view the Character Palette you click on the Edit menu (in an application or in the Finder) and select Special Characters. The Character Palette will appear. It not only shows the codes and letters, but also how they appear in various font styles. In Mac OS X theres also an Input Menu (under System Preferences International) that allows you to select various foreign-language keyboards, including standard German and Swiss German. The International control panel also allows you to set your language options.   Apple/ Mac OS 9 Instead of the Character Palette, the older Mac OS 9 has Key Caps. That feature lets you see which keys produce which foreign symbols. To view Key Caps, click on the multicolored Apple symbol at the top left, scroll down to Key Caps and click. When the Key Caps window is visible, press the option/alt key to see the special characters it produces. Pressing the shift key and option simultaneously will reveal yet another set of letters and symbols. Windows - Most Versions On a Windows PC, the Alt option offers a way to type special characters on the fly. But you need to know the keystroke combination that will get you each special character. Once you know the Alt0123 combination, you can use it to type an ß, an , or any other special symbol. (See our Alt-code chart for German below.) In the related feature,  Can Your PC Speak German?, I explain in detail how to find the combination for each letter, but the chart below will save you the trouble. In the same feature, I explain how to select various languages/keyboards in Windows. Character Codes for German These codes work with most fonts. Some fonts may vary. For the PC codes, always use the numeric (extended) keypad on the right of your keyboard and not the row of numbers at the top. (On a laptop you may have to use num lock and the special number keys.) For this German character, type: German letter/symbol PC Code Alt + Mac Code option + 0228 u, then a 0196 u, then A e, acute accent 0233 e 0246 u, then o 0214 u, then O 0252 u, then u 0220 u, then U sharp s, es-zett 0223 s

Presentation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Presentation - Research Paper Example Palestinians viewed themselves as dwelling in an occupied state, whereby invaders (Israelis) had placed them in military rule. In order to retaliate, Palestinians built a terrorist network for attacking innocent Israeli nationals. Israelis felt they had to go on controlling Palestinians with military force thereby protecting themselves against further terrorist attacks (Matthews 19). Additionally, Palestinians deem that they are not a free nation since Israeli soldiers obstruct them at every checkpoint between cities. Therefore, most Palestinians have to get approval from Israeli every day so as to go to their places of work, return home, attend the hospital, buy groceries, or call on their own families. According to Matthews, subsequent to a terrorist attack, sometimes soldiers decline to let Palestinians by the checkpoints to go to work or even other prominent places, something that infuriates Palestinians even more (26). Moreover, Israelis control most of the Palestinian water sup ply there giving Palestinians less admittance to water than they require. This makes Palestinians feel disgraced and manipulated by the Israelis. This raises the question as to whether the Israelis will retreat to 1967 borders and permit Palestinians total independence if Palestinians discontinue their terrorist strikes on Israelis. The answer is certainly not (Mattews 32). Despite most of Israelis having the willingness of having their military abscond the Palestinian territories, an influential minority suppose that all of the territory presently known as Palestinian is part of Israel. As a result, they do not want to negotiate or pull back; rather, they want to go on expanding Israeli settlements within Palestinian territories. On the other hand, Israelis deem Palestinian militants as terrorists who are incapable of compromising thereby gaining peace. In fact, Matthews asserts that Palestinian extremists got involved in terrorist

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Global Warming - Essay Example Nations that approved the Kyoto Protocol concur to decrease emissions of six greenhouse gases that increase the problems of global warming. These nations are also permitted to utilize emissions trading to reach their obligations if they maintain or increase their greenhouse gas emissions. All of these activities around the world are then observed and maintained by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the IPCC, as well as other environmental protocol treaties. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research or UCAR (2011) cited that â€Å"the IPCC coordinates the efforts of more than 2,000 scientists from 154 countries. Together, they represent a vast array of climate specialties, from physics, to chemistry, to interactions with Earth's surface, to the role of human behavior.† The IPCC also has a policy-making body that helps extensively review the findings from scientists or field-related researchers so that their formation in creating policies is well founded and guided. The question that should now be asked is whether or not such measures are good or bad for the environment. Could it be certain that the measures taken by these various human actions and endeavors help the world against the effects of global warming? These inquiries shall be explored further through the next discussions of this paper. The Affirmative Side It has come to the attention of various environmental organizations and some societies of various nations that the negative effects of global warming could no longer be taken for granted and ignored. This matter has made environmental groups and organizations rise in their activities through the years, and many have made successful advances with their agendas in government, business, and... Combining policies that deal with the local air pollution and the issue of global climate change would result to beneficial changes for climate alleviation. Medium to long term plans and actions to lessen air pollution will lead to more benefits in combating global warming. For example, the development of green intelligence policies has been growing in different businesses and societies. This was observed by the BusinessWeek Research Services (2009) who posited out, â€Å"amid the current climate of greater demand for both environmental awareness and corporate accountability, organizations are finding that success is increasingly being measured not only by financial performance, but also by ecological and social accomplishments as well† (p.3). If various major governments and much of the private sector adopt the green intelligence as a core goal and as part of their methods and practice, then it could make up for all the environmental damage that has been done for the past cen tury. Different methods of proper waste disposal and management can also help combat and deal with the increasing problem of global warming. Proper segregation and recycling of garbage or trash can prevent the creation of massive waste landfills that release a lot of gases that are harmful to the atmosphere, the ecological systems, and human health. Recycled material can also be used for the consumption and use by society and even help promote a new type or brand of goods to be used for commerce and trade.

Analysis of Unethical Practices in Banking

Analysis of Unethical Practices in Banking The essence of this essay on management and ethics is to analyze the unethical practices in the banking industry with an aim of assessing the level of honesty in the banking activities as well as the extent to which they affect the ethical atmosphere in banks. A number of banking industry employees were interviewed, and a general conclusion that emerged in all the interviews indicated that there were various issues that required evaluation as well as. Foremost, the banking sector should to comply with the integrity principles, neutrality, dependability, transparency, social obligation, and finally on the control on money laundering. However, the manner in which this compliance is achieved arouses serious concerns as to whether it really exhibits the expected ultimate objective. Moreover, the management structure of the banking sector, like most other blue chip companies is very strict and hierarchical. In addition, the strictness results from the underlying principle of accountability, as well as transparency in the various operations within the banking industry. Nevertheless, the banking sector pays close attention to the ethical practices of various employees and customers partly as a way of creating a positive image to the public as well as to their regulators, and partly because of the need to offer services to customer in a manner that reflects ultimate respect for our creator (God). For instance, try to have an honest discussion with an employee regarding the various banking practices. in theory, the employee in question can indicate how much he/she values the ethical practices been implemented, but in terms of personal belief, a lot of employees will accept that they carry out some of those practices out of duty and not out of care for the society. T herefore, the role of this essay is to explicate the unethical issues in a bid to come up with proper recommendations. The Issue of information non-disclosure and interest rates determination Over the years, banks have undergone tremendous growth in many aspects of their operations, starting with the type of customers they deal with to the manner in which information is received, recorded, transformed, and finally used. Ultimately, banks have unraveled the whole mystery of discrimination as to what customers to offer services to or not by categorizing their clients in terms of their income structure. This classifying of customers is meant to assist in the decision making process as to what customer receives what treatment, but it is also meant to assist the banks in understanding the type of customers to offer better services to. Therefore, regulated by their policy of information non-disclosure, banks would obtain very crucial information about various customers (their age, sex, race, employment status, as well as income level) with a notion that they are adhering to the Know Your Customer policy. This information is supposed to be private and confidential. However, on c lose examination, one would realize that banks need such information to make decisions aimed at enabling them to remain in the global market while at the same time, maintaining their traditional banking principles. Consequently, the objective of this essay is to analyze the various unethical practices the employees of the bank practice, and their relevance to the community at large. Moreover, the unethical practices will be addressed in a manner that relates to ethical dilemma and decisions regarding management. Thus, to understand the conflict in terms of globalization and traditional practices, one needs to call to focus the approach exhibited by Thomas L. Friedman regarding the Lexus and the olive tree (2000). According to Thomas Friedman, the Lexus designates sustenance, affluence as well as modernization, development, computer technologies, and the burgeoning of the global markets (Friedman 51). In addition, all these principles represented by the Lexus are positive and very instrumental in the current global economy. However, on the other hand, the olive tree designates the attachment of individuals and societies towards their traditional comfort zones, or rather values of higher course; and this is where the ethical standards take presidency. Consequently, banks operate in an economy that is very volatile, and they need to ensure that various practices are done in the traditional banking manner, provision of financial services in a legal manner. This information is thus democratized, in the words of Friedman (81), and the level of privacy expressed to customers is thus questionable. This is because, they only way in which this information can be protected is by using access codes. However, any employee can be able to access this information based on whether he/she has this access codes or not. In addition, most employees in the banking industry would want to access customer information based on various reasons. One, employees are evaluated in terms of their performance to the bank; this requires that they obtain crucial information about customers in a bid to decide on what services to offer them or not. In so doing the employees end up violating the information privacy requirement that clients would wish to have. Secondly, because of the current market trends in the banking industry, services have been made available even to the lowest income earner in order for banks to exploit all possibilities in terms of lending and customer deposits. In addition, the sales team works diligently to acquire customers both in terms of deposits taking or loan advancement. Moreover, of great significance is the manner in which they obtain information about clients before they can influence them to accept the services offered by the banks. Information is actually retrieved from the database by whoever lays hands on access codes, and customers having good credit history, and huge income are contacted in order to take up loans or open up other accounts with the bank. Further, these customers are treated with respect and they are offered what has been termed as superior services, premium services. These services could range from dedicated management assistance, special separate banking premises, and other service s such as internet, meals, to name but a few. On the other hand, those customers with a lesser income level, their treatment is more general and the banks credit advance to them is highly scrutinized compared to the premium customers. A question that arises here is whether these activities are conducted in the view of the Lexus, or olive tree. On the one hand, the information obtained from customer plays a very significant role in enabling management to understand the nature of their customers in a bid to offer relevant services to them. For instance, a customer who has a higher income level could be given alternative solutions as to how he/she could better use his/her income effectively in order to generate more income. Well, this attitude implies that the bank would wish to enable the employee benefit from the global economy in terms of investment and finance. However, the manner in which this process is attained is through privacy violation, which again touches on the whole issue of values; are banks really promoting ethical values as they seemingly purport to show in their terms and conditions, or they are merely doing trying to convince customers? A question like this one could seem obvious but it is a triple bottom line question. In addition, it concerns the balance that is required between being ethically oriented and at the same time acting as a role model in the global economy. Another aspect of information disclosure relates to issuance of bank services to customers. This is done in a manner that customers should receive full information as to the commitment they are about to engage in. Besides, some information if well known to customers could send these prospective customers away from the banks. Nevertheless, withholding this information seems to be the only way out for banks to maintain their customer base. Therefore, bank employees tend to give customers critical information only when they request for it, and in case they do not, then this information is withheld. Which kind of information could banks withhold in order to maintain or attract customers? Information regarding bank charges, loan processing fees, salary processing fees, insurance coverage fees, loan payment default repercussions, interest rate computation information, to name but a few. Most of this information, if disclosed to some customers, could lead to disastrous results. Therefore, d riven by their desire to generate increased revenue and reduced costs, banks find it confortable to offer services to customers behind closed doors. Therefore, these behaviors arouse serious debate as to the role of the banking sector in promoting social wellbeing. Whereby, customers would like to maximize their utility of services from the banks, while banks on the other hand would want to maximize revenue in order to cater for the costs incurred in technology and other services rendered. Information disclosure does not have to relate to customers alone, but also to competitors. Nevertheless, there is some information which is so important to the progress of banks, and if this information goes to competitors, then the bank whose information has been violated, stands to loose. There have been instances of insider information ending in the hands of competitors without having a clue as to whoever supplied that information, and the impetus for doing so. This situation occurs in cases when some people are employed in some banks not because they want to work there but because they want to obtain important information about the organization in question. This has been deemed to occur in certain banks, which end up loosing customers because of their information usage by the competitor financial institution. On the one hand, this practice could be considered a business strategy, which could provide resourceful information for the management decision-making process. On the other hand, this could be deemed an unethical practice owing to the fact that such a practice violates banking practices of fair play. Another area of unethical endeavor is on the issue of interest rates determination. Whereby, banks usually operate in a manner that they use the base lending rates that stipulated by the banks governing body (Central Bank). These rates represent the lowest value possible for advancing loans to customers. However, banks also engender to generate maximum profits because that is their essence as business enterprises. Nevertheless, because of technological advancement, competition has become the most common war in the current society. Thus, in order for banks to come up with sound decisions pertaining interest rates, they call to focus many factors, which are of course logical. For instance, blue chip companies are given lower rates compared to the standard companies. Furthermore, companies are approved based on their performance over a certain period of time as well as their level business trend. Employees in these banks are encouraged to pursue those high-end customers, more than the r est. The banks management does not directly encourage employees to pursue high-end customers; they rather use reduced interest rates to lure these customers to obtain bigger credit from them so that the final interest rate value remains higher. On the other hand, customers with poor credit history, low-income level, and unknown business practices, are offered highly scrutinized services. For instance, their loan advancements are denied on various bases, but the bottom line is that these banks do not want to make commitments to individuals who might end up generating losses. However, when evaluating this trend from banks to offer credit to individuals with high credit worthiness, and deny credit to customer with low-income levels, issues of ethics come in. First, one could see these financial institutions offering services to individuals who do not take a damn about whether they are offered finances or not, while treating those who really need financial assistance with caution. An institution with greater social responsibility should not behave in a manner that contradicts their practices, but a balance has to be maintained between the two sides of ethics and development. Moreover, too much overreliance to ethics could lead to negligence on sustenance, opulence, technological advancement, and financial progress, which could as well offer more support to the society through social responsibility services. On the other hand, overreliance on globalization could lead to negligence of the ethical standard to treatment that banks are required to follow. The steps taken to protect customer information Information is a powerful tool for controlling individuals. Once one is in possession of crucial information, he/she can decide to do something drastic and detrimental to the other party concerned. Therefore, banks in line with the current technological advancement have fostered various mechanisms that offer more confidentiality that is appealing to its customers. This has been through the installation of new management information systems, which are highly structured and monitored. For instance, access codes are provided in a manner that each code offer access to a certain level of information to the banks employees. Employees at the top level of management are offered access to a wider range of information access because they are the major stakeholders in the decision making process of the companies. In addition, tactical level managers have authority to oversee the various progress reports of other employees. Thus, this form of management fosters accountability and responsibility in the manner in which employees treat customer information. Furthermore, this use of access codes has been facilitated by information systems that track and record various issues regarding the daily operations of the banking industry. For instance, individuals accessing computers are monitored by a system that indicates their time of access, the type of information they were accessing, and the reason as to why they were accessing this information. Hence, this management information system leads to responsibility and protection of customer information, because whoever tempers with information is dealt with accordingly. Moreover, employees are required to access only information that relates to their line of duty. Another manner in which banks are responding to efficient information management is through video monitoring. Whereby, in this manner of information policy, employees are monitored by a well-protected computer video recording system, which records the various employees and their locations as well as time. In this case, access to information on various systems is traced back quickly. Recommendations According to Thomas Friedman, there should be a balance between spiritual worthiness and the role model, which involves the olive tree and the Lexus (Friedman 512). Therefore, banks should ensure that as much as they are responding to the changing environment, they should also adopt an approach that is of social concern and ultimately, of a Godly value. Therefore, it is in the due course of responding to this ethical challenges that banks are expected to restructure their strategies in a manner that ensures that they obtain credibility with their major stakeholders, who need high return on investments, and customers who expect good services from the financial institutions. How responsive are specific banks to management restructuring? This question is well calculated owing to the impetus to discover the way forward in cases when unethical practices are observed. For instance, in most banks, like many other organizations, it is the role of the top management to foresee the process of decision-making and policy implementation in the banking industry. However, even though other employees down the line are given an opportunity to provide recommendations regarding the best course of action, their information could only be accepted or rejected based on the manner in which the tactical manager sees these recommendations. Thus, the decision-making process in the current globalized society has been, in the words of Friedman, democratized (Friedman 109). This means that most of the practices within the banking sector only reflect the perspective of the managers per se. in which case, managers have an obligation to deliver results based on the stakeholders interests as well as their interests. In addition, this might crowd off their judgments because, they might decide to use all means necessary to achieve results without bearing in mind the end result of the means in use. Moreover, employees are governed by their contractual agreement to foster the banks missions and objectives. Nevertheless, as they engender to achieve this contractual responsibility, unethical practices may ensue as mentioned above. Thus, there is need to re-evaluate their behaviors in order to recognize that no matter how much one would wish to retain his/her job, God exists, and that He requires that all actions be of value to socie ty and of value to the greater good. There are better ways of addressing issues of unethical standard that are more appealing even though risky. For instance, in the case of interest rates disclosure, individual employees in the banking sector could be required to offer their recommended interest computation strategies that do not reflect unethical practices. These recommendations could include having interests lowered but increasing penalties on defaulters, increasing interest rates and lowering processing fees, offering preferential services to high-end customers as well as ensuring that the standard customers are also given dignified services. Sometimes, issues of serving standard customers are delayed compared to those of premium customers. This level of discrimination should be reduced because it counters the whole aspect of human rights and fair treatment. The Impact of Information and Interest Rate Disclosure to the Business World Ethics plays a crucial role in our society today, not because of the immediate feeling that individuals feel after experiencing ethical practices, but because of the ultimate role, ethics plays in the society. Besides, the banking industry plays a significant role in ensuring that business practices prosper in line with the advancement in technology. Thus, it is within the banking sector that businesses derive their standard of operations. Hence, unethical practices resulting from banks signify negative role modeling. Stable business can never operate without having access to banks. In return, these banks receive important information that relates to the operations of the businesses concerned. Therefore, the information received should be kept secure and only disclosed to the government in cases when there is need for investigations as to the business practices as the government deems necessary. Furthermore, information relating to the various charges the banks make on individuals are co-operations, the disclosure of such information is important for business planning and cost estimation. Therefore, it is important that this information be readily available so that other businesses may thrive in the global economy.

Education Is Very Important Essay

It helps us gain knowledge, information and interpret things correctly. Education teaches us how to lead our lives by mingling in the society and turning out to be good citizens. It makes us capable of interpreting rightly the things perceived. Education teaches us right behavior and makes us civilized people. It forms as a support system to excel in life, to continuously learn and build confidence, to reason everything till every question meets its answer. The conversion of information to knowledge is possible because of education and we also gain intelligence. Higher education influences the economic development of a nation as per the economists. A person is always judged by good manners he/she has. Education is important as it teaches us to differentiate between good and bad manners and choose the right behavior that cultivates good manners. Good manners are important for kids to develop at a very young age. Kids must learn to be polite, learn telephone etiquette, socialize with other kids and develop values. All this can be taught at home as well as school. Teaching your children good manners creates a foundation for them that will follow them through life. Education is important because it equips us with all that is needed to make our dreams come true. When we opt for higher education or masters, we need to choose the specialization field of our interest and talents. Most leading courses allow you to study all areas for the first year and to choose a specialization in your second year when you have more exposure and knowledge about these fields. The technical and analytical skills can be well explored in the area of one’s interest.