Innovation and Invention in the Current Age Essay Example for Free

Innovation and Invention in the Current Age Essay I’m sure you all might have sensed something wrong as soon as you would have read the title of the article- Invention is the mother of necessity. Well, to go by conventions there is a proverb which goes like –Necessity is the mother of Invention. My English teacher used to elaborate this one by explaining that, it’s the necessity or paucity of something that leads to an invention. To cite a few simple examples- Telephones, mobiles etc. The telephones and mobiles were invented because it was a necessity for people to get in touch even when they are miles away. So that is how the proverb- Necessity is the mother of Invention goes. But, the technology traits today converse the proverb in entirety. In today’s mind-bogglingly advancing Technology Universe, it’s the invention of something that evolves its necessity. We need not be Marketing Experts or Trade Analysts to understand this simple yet cunning gamble of Technology vendors. I will begin justifying my topic with one the latest Tech-trends- The Tablet PCs. I’m sure you all might have seen the recurrently flashing endorsements of Tablet PCs, most popular of them being Apple’s Ipad. Let’s go in deep waters. The Tablet PC vendors in their advertisements claim that Tablet PCs are a vital necessity for professionals in the Corporate World. Corporates have lots of work, to be specific important work, and if they want to carry it with them, they can just do it via Tablet PCs. Hence, this would increase the response of the corporates towards events and thereby increasing a firm’s productivity. This is the most clichà ©d explanation a marketer for Tablet PC would provide. But, I would make a simple question here. Were Microsoft, Apple Inc, Hawlett Packard and other Big Daddies in B-World making losses when Tablet PCs weren’t invented? Or did their profit graph break the charts after the Tablets were invented? Obviously not ! Then why the Tablet PCs? Answer to this is simple- Profits. If we try to understand the marketing strategies, we would come to a conclusion that a company cannot sustain profits with a single product. You cannot keep on selling the same thing every day, because people already have it, their necessity is quenched and they wouldn’t want to buy it again. Hence, why not create something new? Once a new product is  made, the demand for it can always be created. People are always in hunt of new gadgets, not out of necessity but out of curiosity and voracity. People would always want to try something which they’ve never tried. That too, if the target audience is the Corporate World, sell them anything in the name of profit and they would buy it obliviously . As a result, now you see the corporates going GAGA over the Tablet PCs, some of them have even started equipping the creamy staff with IPADs and stuff in panic for high profits. Another example is Facebook. Facebook was created under the pseudo motive of Social Networking. I feel like laughing when I hear the term Social Networking associated with Facebook. The reason being, there is everything else happening on Facebook except Social Networking. Spying, Virtual Relationships, Corporate Deals, Advertising Marketing, Gaming, Celebrities but Social Networking is something with definitely seems absconding. It was invented to get people ( rather strangers ) closer socially. But I’ve a question to ask, did people have no friends before Facebook existed? I bet people had better friends and better relationships before Facebook. Now, the scenario is that, we would see the newspapers reporting breakups and divorce due to spying issues over Facebook. We would find people’s privacy violated and hence misused. 3 out of 7 days in a week, the news fader on Yahoo! homepage shows issues posed due to usage of Facebook A couple got divorced due to suspicious wall posts, an employee was sacked for writing ill about his boss in his status updates, celebrities digging at each other and what not. In the name of a bliss pertaining to Social Networking and Togetherness it proved a jinx! Not only this, it made the youths so fervent about it, that its mania affected their academics. Facebook now has become an indispensable part of almost everybody’s life. It was never a necessity, but its invention made it a necessity, to be more explicit-an ADDICTION. If you look around, you will find so many things which logically hold negligible prudence in our life, still we have got hooked to it, rather we have been made to hook to it. Sometimes, we are hooked to a particular thing not because we find it necessary or important, but just due to peer pressure. Ipods, Ipads, Smartphones have become a STATUS SYMBOL today and  hence many people use it involuntarily to show off their lofty stratum. Marketing Strategies have cast such a robust spell on our mind that it hardly sees the vitality of anything and just makes it a part of our life. It’s difficult to get out of this conjure but not impossible. It’s time we contemplate about the things we’re using, and about the things we’re addicted to. To conclude, â€Å"Invention is the Mother of Necessity†- is the Mantra which Vendors and Marketers follow today. We being mere mortals fall an easy prey to this hoax. Yet, if thoughtful approach is given precedence over Peer Pressure, Greed for Profit and Class Conscious Approach, it can be tackled with. As soon as people need something, they invent it. For example, when ancient people felt hunger – they went on hunting and for that they invented the bow and arrows. When they needed to carry heavy cargos to large distances the wheel was discovered. In fact, every day the humanity faces new challenges that can’t be met using only the existing technologies. And that’s why new inventions are made every day. Actually, there are people who would challenge even the seemingly obvious statement that â€Å"Necessity is the mother of invention†. They say that inventions were not inspired by the necessity alone. Curiosity was, and still is, a powerful stimulus for explorers, researchers, and inventors. Besides, I have heard more than once, sometimes as a joke, the idea that laziness is the mother of invention, as the man by nature has always been trying to make his life easier by all possible means. Laziness combined with ingenuity, inspired the man to boost his strength by means of the lever, the wheel and axle, and the pulley. For the same reason, the man discovered the sail which enabled him to move fast across the seas without putting any effort into it. But the most obvious proof of this statement is the invention of the remote control for the TV set. Only a very lazy person could have invented a way to avoid having to stand up from a sofa or a  recliner to press a button of the T V set manually. Moreover, there is another point of view that jealousy is the mother of invention. It’s known that the man has only invented the wings because people had long envied the birds their ability to fly. The envy of the fish’s ability to breathe under water has encouraged the man to invent the aqualung. So, those who say that envy gives the start to any progress are not far from the truth. But still, whichever it may be: curiosity, laziness, or jealousy – all of them are nothing but substitutes for necessity. It was necessity that forced the man, almost half-ape, to start The meaning of the proverb is self-evident. We invent what we need; unless we feel the pressure of needs, we are not likely to invent anything. The fable of the thirsty crow which collected pebbles and threw them into the jar to raise the level of water to the birds reach of lips is well-known. Mere necessity would not help us much if we are not moved by thought. Animals have their needs but because t hey lack the power of thinking and ingenuity, they cannot invent anything. They act on instinct and follow a beaten track. Hence, the correct formula should be necessity is the mother of invention but only when it is supported by the power of thinking. This, of course, is obvious. When man feels the pinching need of anything, he begins to think how he can satisfy his needs. He then sets his mind to the task of invention. Necessity gives the first impulse; the rest is the work of the intellect. In primitive times men lived by hunting. It became necessary to shoot and bring down the bird flying or the beast running beyond the reach of man. Hence, the bow and the arrow were invented. Clothes were devised as protection against cold, houses for shelter. Implements were invented for production of food. In this way, various instruments were made to secure a better standard of living. Man is not only the slave of his needs but their creator as well. He not only seeks to satisfy his necessity but also his desire for beauty, his lust for power. Culinary skill has been invented to please the palate. Ornaments were invented to add to female beauty. Man has spent millions trying to invent guided locomotives to the moon and other planets like Mars, not because there is any crying need for the same, but because it gives the thrill of doing the outwardly impossible. The mere satisfaction of needs can never be the sole motive for exercising mans faculties for inventiveness. The proverb tells us not to be passive in our attitude to life.

Cyber Crime: Strategies and Types

Cyber Crime: Strategies and Types Cyber Crime: Identity Theft A. Introduction In this era of globalization, one of many things that can distinguish a developed country to a developing country is its progress of science and technology. This is because along with the development of a countrys science and technology, will also developed the countrys ability to enrich their own potential. Great advances in science and technology in developed country are due to their well-established information system. Meanwhile, in the developing country, the information system is still minimal, which make the development of science and technology become blocked. Thus, whether a country will become a developed country or not, is highly depend on their mastery of information system. In times like these, the mastery of the information system will not enough by merely mastering. We need to conquer the speed and accuracy too, because there is almost no point in mastering outdated information. Moreover, the very rapid progress of information makes the age of the information shorted. In other words, substitution of old and new information becomes faster. Old information will be ignored because of the more recent information. But, the development of science and technology, in which also means the development of information system, does not always have good effects. It has bad effects too. One of them is the increased rate of the computer crime. B. Computer Crime Computer crime issues have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement through warez, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise. A computer crime is any illegal action where the data on a computer is accesed without permission. This access does not have to result in loss of data or even data modifications. Computer crime is often attributed to rogue hackers and crackers, but increasingly organized crime groups have realized the relative ease of stealing data with low-level of risk. There are three major classes of criminal activity with computer: 1. Unauthorized use of a computer, which might involve stealing a username and password, or might involve accessing the victims computer via the Internet through a backdoor operated by a Trojanhorse program. Unauthorized use of computers tends generally takes the following forms: Computer voyeur. The attackers read or copy confidential or propietary information, but the data is neither deleted nor changed. Changing data. Example, changing a grade on a school transcript. Unauthorized changing of data is generally a fraudulent act. Deleting data. Deleting entire files could be an act of vandalism or sabotage. Denying service to authorized users. 2. Creating or releasing a malicious computer program (e.g., computer virus, worm, Trojanhorse). Malicious computer program are divided into these following classes: 1) A virus is a program that infects an executable file. After infection, the executable file functions in a different way than before: maybe only displaying a benign message on the monitor, maybe deleting some or all files on the users hard drive, or maybe altering data files. There are two key features of a computer virus: The ability to propagate by attaching itself to executable files (e.g., application programs, operating system, macros, scripts, bootsector of a hard disk or floppy disk, etc.) Running the executable file may make new copies of the virus. The virus causes harm only after it has infected an executable file and the executable file is run. 2) A worm is a program that copies itself. The distinction between a virus and a worm, is that a virus never copies itself, a virus is copied only when the infected executable file is run. In the pure, original form, a worm neither deleted nor changed files on the victims computer, the worm simply made multiple copies of itself and sent those copies from the victims computer, thus clogging disk drives and the Internet with multiple copies of the worm. Releasing such a worm into the Internet will slow the legitimate traffic on the Internet, as continuously increasing amounts of traffic are mere copies of the worm. 3) A Trojan Horse is a deceptively labeled program that contains at least one function that is unknown to the user and that harms the user. A Trojan Horse does not replicate, which distinguishes it from viruses and worms. Some of the more serious Trojan horses allow a hacker to remotely control the victims computer, perhaps to collect passwords and creditcard numbers and send them to the hacker, or perhaps to launch denial of service attacks on websites. Some Trojan Horses are installed on a victims computer by an intruder, without any knowledge of the victim. Other Trojan Horses are downloaded (perhaps in an attachment in e-mail) and installed by the user, who intends to acquire a benefit that is quite different from the undisclosed true purpose of the Trojan Horse. 4) A logic bomb is a program that detonates when some event occurs. The detonated program might stop working, crash the computer, release a virus, delete data files, or any of many other harmful possibilities. Atimebomb is a type of logicbomb, in which the program detonates when the computers clock reaches some target date. 5) A hoax is a warning about a nonexistent malicious program. 3. Crimes facilitated by computer networks or devices, the primary target of which is independent of the computer network or device (cyber crime) Examples of crimes that merely use computer networks or devices would include : Cyber stalking Fraud and identity theft Phishings scams Information warfare The third type of Computer Crime has become the most famous right now, because it produce more benefits than the other two. C. Cyber Crime The Internet is a new frontier. Just like the Wild, Wild West, the Internet frontier is wide open to both exploitation and exploration. There are no sheriffs on the Information Superhighway. No one is there to protect you or to to lock-up virtual desperados and bandits.This lack of supervision and enforcement leaves users to watch out for themselves and for each other.A loose standard called netiquette has developed but it is still very different from the standards found in real life.Unfortunately, cyberspace remains wide open to faceless, nameless con artists that can carry out all sorts of mischief. And that is why the cyber crimes can be as they are right now. Cyber Crime is a criminal activity done using a computers and the internet. This includes anything from downloading illegal music files to stealing millions of dollars from online bank accounts. Cyber crime also includes non-monetary offenses, such as creating and distributing viruses on other computers or posting confidential business information on the internet. Cases of cyber crime, 1970 2005: 1970 1990 1. John Draper discovers the give-away whistle in Capn Crunch cereal boxes reproduces a 2600Hz tone. Draper builds a ‘blue box that, when used with the whistle and sounded into a phone receiver, allows phreaks to make free calls 2. Robert T. Morris, Jr., graduate student at Cornell University and son of a chief scientist at the NSA, launches a self-replicating worm (the Morris Worm) on the governments ARPAnet (precursor to the Internet). The worm gets out of hand and spreads to over 6000 networked computers, clogging government and university systems. Morris is dismissed from Cornell, sentenced to three years probation, and fined $10K. 3. After a prolonged sting investigation, Secret Service agents swoop down on organizers and members of BBSs in 14 US cities, including the Legion of Doom. The arrests are aimed at cracking down on credit-card theft and telephone and wire fraud.(1990) 1991 2000 1. Five members of the Aum Shinri Kyo cults Ministry of Intelligence break into Mitsubishi Heavy Industrys mainframe and steal Megabytes of sensitive data. (1994) 2. Hackers adapt to emergence of the World Wide Web, moving all their how-to information and hacking programs from the old BBSs to new hacker Web sites.(1994) 3. Russian crackers steal $10 million from Citibank. Vladimir Levin, the ringleader, uses his work laptop after hours to transfer the funds to accounts in Finland and Israel. He is tried in the US and sentenced to 3 years in prison. All but $400K of the money is recovered. (1995) 4. The French Defense Ministry admits Hackers succeeded in stealing acoustic codes for aircraft carriers and submarines. (1995) 5. FBI establishes fake security start-up company in Seattle and lures two Russian citizens to U.S. soil on the pretense of offering them jobs, then arrests them. The Russians are accused of stealing credit card information, attempting to extort money from victims, and defrauding PayPal by using stolen credit cards to generate cash. (2000) 2001 2005 1. Microsoft become victim of a new type of attack against domain name servers, corrupting the DNS paths taking users to Microsofts Web sites. This is a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. The hack is detected within hours, but prevents millions of users from reaching Microsoft Web pages for two days. (2001) 2. The Klez.H worm becomes the biggest malware outbreak in terms of machines infected, but causes little monetary damage. (2002) 3. Two men hack into wireless network at Lowes store in Michigan and steal credit card information. (2003) 4. Brian Salcedo sentenced to 9 years for hacking into Lowes home improvement stores and attempting to steal customer credit card information. Prosecutors said three men tapped into the wireless network of a Lowes store and used that connection to enter the chains central computer system in NC, installing a program to capture credit card information. (2004) 5. Secret Service seizes control of the Shadowcrew Web site and arrests 28 people in 8 states and 6 countries. They are charged with conspiracy to defraud the US. Nicolas Jacobsen, is charged with hacking into a T-Mobile computer system, exposing documents the Secret Service had e-mailed to an agent. (2004) Australian Institute of Criminology, 9 types of cycber crime: 1. Theft of telecommunication service The phone phreakers of three decades ago set a precedent for what has become a major criminal industry. By gaining access to an organisations telephone switchboard (PBX) individuals or criminal organisations can obtain access to dial-in/dial-out circuits and then make their own calls or sell call time to third parties. Offenders may gain access to the switchboard by impersonating a technician, by fraudulently obtaining an employees access code, or by using software available on the internet. Some sophisticated offenders loop between PBX systems to evade detection. Additional forms of service theft include capturing calling card details and on-selling calls charged to the calling card account, and counterfeiting or illicit reprogramming of stored value telephone cards. 2. Communication in furtherance of criminal conspiracies There is evidence of telecommunications equipment being used to facilitate organised drug trafficking, gambling, prostitution, money laundering, child pornography and trade in weapons (in those jurisdictions where such activities are illegal). The use of encryption technology may place criminal communications beyond the reach of law enforcement. 3. Telecommunications privacy Digital technology permits perfect reproduction and easy dissemination of print, graphics, sound, and multimedia combinations. The temptation to reproduce copyrighted material for personal use, for sale at a lower price, or indeed, for free distribution, has proven irresistable to many. 4. Dissemination of offensive materials Content considered by some to be objectionable exists in abundance in cyberspace. This includes, among much else, sexually explicit materials, racist propaganda, and instructions for the fabrication of incendiary and explosive devices. Telecommunications systems can also be used for harassing, threatening or intrusive communications, from the traditional obscene telephone call to its contemporary manifestation in cyber-stalking, in which persistent messages are sent to an unwilling recipient. 5. Electronic money laundering and tax evasion With the emergence and proliferation of various technologies of electronic commerce, one can easily envisage how traditional countermeasures against money laundering and tax evasion may soon be of limited value. I may soon be able to sell you a quantity of heroin, in return for an untraceable transfer of stored value to my smart-card, which I then download anonymously to my account in a financial institution situated in an overseas jurisdiction which protects the privacy of banking clients. I can discreetly draw upon these funds as and when I may require, downloading them back to my stored value card (Wahlert 1996). 6. Electronic vandalism, terrorism and extortion As never before, western industrial society is dependent upon complex data processing and telecommunications systems. Damage to, or interference with, any of these systems can lead to catastrophic consequences. Whether motivated by curiosity or vindictiveness electronic intruders cause inconvenience at best, and have the potential for inflicting massive harm (Hundley and Anderson 1995, Schwartau 1994). While this potential has yet to be realised, a number of individuals and protest groups have hacked the official web pages of various governmental and commercial organisations (Rathmell 1997). http://www.2600.com/hacked_pages/ (visited 4 January 2000). This may also operate in reverse: early in 1999 an organised hacking incident was apparently directed at a server which hosted the Internet domain for East Timor, which at the time was seeking its independence from Indonesia (Creed 1999). 7. Sales and investment fraud As electronic commerce becomes more prevalent, the application of digital technology to fraudulent endeavours will be that much greater. The use of the telephone for fraudulent sales pitches, deceptive charitable solicitations, or bogus investment overtures is increasingly common. Cyberspace now abounds with a wide variety of investment opportunities, from traditional securities such as stocks and bonds, to more exotic opportunities such as coconut farming, the sale and leaseback of automatic teller machines, and worldwide telephone lotteries (Cella and Stark 1997 837-844). Indeed, the digital age has been accompanied by unprecedented opportunities for misinformation. Fraudsters now enjoy direct access to millions of prospective victims around the world, instantaneously and at minimal cost. 8. Illegal Interception of telecommunications Developments in telecommunications provide new opportunities for electronic eavesdropping. From activities as time-honoured as surveillance of an unfaithful spouse, to the newest forms of political and industrial espionage, telecommunications interception has increasing applications. Here again, technological developments create new vulnerabilities. The electromagnetic signals emitted by a computer may themselves be intercepted. Cables may act as broadcast antennas. Existing law does not prevent the remote monitoring of computer radiation. It has been reported that the notorious American hacker Kevin Poulsen was able to gain access to law enforcement and national security wiretap data prior to his arrest in 1991 (Littman 1997). In 1995, hackers employed by a criminal organisation attacked the communications system of the Amsterdam Police. The hackers succeeded in gaining police operational intelligence, and in disrupting police communications 9. Electronic funds transfer fraud Electronic funds transfer systems have begun to proliferate, and so has the risk that such transactions may be intercepted and diverted. Valid credit card numbers can be intercepted electronically, as well as physically; the digital information stored on a card can be counterfeited. Right now electronic funds transfer fraud is the most famous type of cyber crime. Every year the rate of case about electronic funds transfer fraud always increasing especially in credit card information stealing. From www.spamlaws.com they wrote about credit card stealing in 2005,†Credit card fraud statistics show that about $2.8 million was lost due to credit card fraud, from fraudulent use of MasterCard and Visa alone. In total, credit card fraud costs cardholders and credit card issuers as much as $500 million a year.† Identity Theft Identity theft is really identity fraud. This criminal uses someone elses identity for their own illegal purposes.Examples include fraudulently obtaining credit, stealing money from the victims bank accounts, using the victims credit card number, establishing accounts with utility companies, renting an apartment, or even filing bankruptcy using the victims name. The cyberimpersonator can steal unlimited funds in the victims name without the victim even knowing about it for months, or even years. Anyone who relies heavily on credit cards, Social Security Numbers or network blogging is more susceptible to credit identity theft. Many of our modern conveniences also come with a risk and less protection. The digital age is the perfect age for the Cyber criminal to commit it. Think of the internet as a dark alley in the middle of the night. And these cyber criminals are those people hiding there waiting for the victims to make a mistake. Credit identity theft is a very damaging crime because it not only damages the person financially but also damages the persons reputation as well. Imagine someone borrowing money using your name and never telling you. You will both bear with the burden of paying back the money he borrowed and suffer the humiliation of having this blunder under your name. Identity theft has been referred to by some as the crime of the new millennium. It can be accomplished anonymously, easily, with a variety of means, and the impact upon the victim can be devastating. Identity theft is simply the theft of identity information such as a name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), or a credit card number. The mundane activities of a typical consumer during the course of a regular day may provide tremendous opportunities for an identity thief: purchasing gasoline, meals, clothes, or tickets to an athletic event; renting a car, a video, or home-improvement tools; purchasing gifts or trading stock on-line; receiving mail; or taking out the garbage or recycling. Any activity in which identity information is shared or made available to others creates an opportunity for identity theft. It is estimated that identity theft has become the fastest-growing financial crime in America and perhaps the fastest-growing crime of any kind in our society. The illegal use of identity information has increased exponentially in recent years. In fiscal year 1999 alone, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Fraud Hotline received approximately 62,000 allegations involving SSN misuse. The widespread use of SSNs as identifiers has reduced their security and increased the likelihood that they will be the object of identity theft. The expansion and popularity of the Internet to effect commercial transactions has increased the opportunities to commit crimes involving identity theft. The expansion and popularity of the Internet to post official information for the benefit of citizens and customers has also increased opportunities to obtain SSNs for illegal purposes. Victims of identity theft often do not realize they have become victims until they attempt to obtain financing on a home or a vehicle. Only then, when the lender tells them that their credit history makes them ineligible for a loan, do they realize something is terribly wrong. When they review their credit report, they first become aware of credit cards for which they have never applied, bills long overdue, unfamiliar billing addresses, and inquiries from unfamiliar creditors. Even if they are able to identify the culprit, it may take months or years, tremendous emotional anguish, many lost financial opportunities, and large legal fees, to clear up their credit history. Identity theft occurs in many ways, ranging from careless sharing of personal information, to intentional theft of purses, wallets, mail, or digital information. There are some reasons why the attacker can steal the credit card information: 1. Unsecured network Example: 1. Poisoning Poisoning technique is quiet complicated. First, the attackers need to connect to the same network with the target. After that, the attackers have to look for the IP address of the target. The next step, the attackers should poison the target computer with ARP poisoning or with trojan horse. Then the computer target will move following the attackers track. The attackers will bring the target into fake shop site, and make the target unrealized that he/she has entered the credit card information. 2. Sniffing This technique is unstable, why? Because its depend on the attackers luck. Just like poisoning, the attackers have to connect to the same network with the target. After that, the attackers should scan all of MAC address in the network. Next, the attackers start the sniffing program, such as Cain and Able or Wireshark. Last, the attackers should wait until someone in the network open a shop site and enter the information of the credit card. 2. Vulnerabilities on the site Example: 1. SQL Injection With this vulnerability the attacker can enter admin panel without knowing the username and password. They just need to enter a right syntax as username and password to enter the admin panel. If they are already in admin panel they can see the complete information of the buyer. 2. Blind SQL Injection Blind SQL injection is the most favorite vulnerability for the attackers. The attackers will only need the web browser to do this technique. First, the attackers have to found a right page to be injected with some syntax. After that the attackers should drop all database table, and looking for user table or admin table. If there is user table the attackers can drop the column and the attackers could get the full data of the user, included the credit card information. But, if user table doesnt exist, the attackers should use the admin table. The attackers should drop the admin column and search for the admin password. After the attackers cracks the admins username and password, the attackers could go to the admin panel and look for the information of the buyer. 3. Order log Order log is an old vulnerability, but theres still websites that have this vulnerability. With this vulnerability the attackers only need to use search engine and look for the order log. If the order log has already founded the attacker will open it, and suddenly get full information about the buyer. 4. Admin Directory This vulnerability makes visitor of the site be able to open admin directory freely. So, the attacker could use this chance to see the database. Order database is always in the database. In the order database, the data of the buyer will be saved completely, including credit card information. 3. Human error Example: Social Engineering or Human Manipulating Attacker could use security weakness which is human. Why? Because human is easy to be manipulated. First, the attackers could request the target to do something unimportant, and then set a trap for the target. Attackers will manipulate the target to follow the attackers scheme. Then, if the target has already been trapped, the attacker could make the target gives the complete information about the credit card. There are several ways that can be done to avoid the potential victims from identity theft : The potential victims should request a complete credit report every once a year and check it closely. When get unwanted pre-approved credit card offers, shred them up before tossing them. When in public, do not recite social security number outloud to a bank teller or store cashier. Use a secure mailbox that locks. When asked to give mothers maiden name as a code access, use another key word instead. Change the personal identification numbers on accounts regularly. Pick up and keep printed receipts at bank machines or gas pumps. Even if have been victimized, there are still things that can be done : Before calling the police, contact bank or credit card company and freeze the account. The reason for this is twofold: first, it will help minimize monetary loss, and two, most banks and creditors have a time period in which the notification still valid and can be used to protect the victims. Then call the police department. It does not matter if the identification is being used in the victims city or halfway across the world because the police are required by federal law to take the report. After making police reports, the victim could contact any of national credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on their account. While dealing with the credit bureau, the victim should get a current copy of their credit report. And read it carefully. Then, the victims can contact their insurance company and ask for compensation. At least one insurance company has developed an insurance policy to help deal with identity theft. REFERENCES Anonymous. Computer Crime Definition. cited from http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/definition/ computer-crime.asp [21 November 2009] Anonymous. Cybercrime. cited from http://www.techterms.com/definition/cybercrime [21 November 2009] Australian Institute of Criminology. Nine Types of Cybercrime. cited from http://www.crime.hku.hk/ cybercrime.htm [21 November 2009] Hoar SB. Identity Theft: The Crime of The New Millennium. cited from http://www.cybercrime.gov/ usamarch2001_3.htm [5 December 2009] Karnow CEA. Cybercrime. cited from http://www.davislogic.com/cybercrime.htm [5 December 2009] Herries S. Overcoming Identity Theft: What to Do After You Have Been Comprimised. cited from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/272448/overcoming_identity_theft_what_to_do_pg2.html?cat=17 [5 December 2009]

Mitsubishi Essay -- essays research papers

Background Recruitment Workplace Discrimination Lawsuit Media Response Defense Leave End Interpretation Conclusion Racial Discrimination?Japanese Interview Mitsubishi Japan Employment Discrimination Case Hi, I had the misfortune of working for Mitsubishi Electric in Japan, a few years ago. This is my story of a rare employment-related racial discrimination lawsuit I filed against them in their home country. This story is somewhat different. Media's version of it (below) will let you know some facts regarding this case and for those with patience and open minds to explore the truth, a different story will emerge after reading my account. First, let me introduce you briefly to my relevant background. I am a graduate of IIT Bombay (an IITian) and we are used commonly in the IT industry for developed countries like the USA and Japan. I am a permanent resident ("Green Card" holder) of the USA and it took me five years to get it. Normally, it used to take about 2 years. Moreover, as you can see from my GMAT scores that I have high verbal aptitude (left scores). (GRE scores were similar.) I was preparing for a career in financial sector. MBA + Actuarial exams with high scores + CFA and CFP exams. Was expecting to pursue that career after getting my Green Card. I didn't want to work for in the IT industry and most definitely didn't want to work for notorious Mitsubishi but I landed up in their Computer Works in Japan. Mitsubishi went on an aggressive recruitment process to hire me, apparently at the orders of its highest executives. The purpose - you will find out soon. By the way, as most of us very well know, Japanese executives in places like Mitsubishi have racial-superiority complex towards the rest of us, especially the non-Caucasians, and even though they try hard, most of them are unable to master a foreign language like English. Now you are all set to begin your journey. Note: Am adding more material to the other pages. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Case of Racial Discrimination? An Indian Worker Sues His Japanese Employer by Robert Guest From the credit - Robert Guest is a British free-lance writer based in Hiroshima who contributes business and other articles to The Far Eastern Economic Review and The Independent. The Journal - Issues in Bilateral Relations, November 1992 p... ... thinks its effects will last much longer. Victory for [name removed], for example, would mean that Japanese companies would have to start taking concrete steps to educate their staff about racism and completely overhaul their training programs for foreign workers, not to mention instituting new sensitivity training courses for workers going abroad. Mitsubishi Electric officials, meanwhile, are maintaining their innocence in this case, claiming that the whole affair was "an unfortunate misunderstanding." "It was our intention to provide Mr. [name removed] with opportunities for training and a chance to make use of his abilities in the long term," said a spokesperson for the firm, "but he failed to understand this, and so, unfortunately, has brought this case against us." The company would prefer to wait until the facts have been established before making any further comments, he added, but in the meanwhile, they are doing their best to make [name removed] understand their point of view. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: mitsubishi-sucks[at]ThisDomainName[dot]com Related link: Mitsubishi!

Speech Com -- essays research papers

Attention getter: Have you watched the news lately? Even if you haven’t, you still probably have heard something about the disputes in and around Jerusalem. These disputes have been going on for centuries. Many different groups of people have fought to control Jerusalem over the years but we are going to focus on the current majority parties from today. From the information I found on CNN.com and the Jerusalem Post, I concluded that the Israelis and the Palestinians are currently fighting over who should control Jerusalem and how it should be run. The major problems between these to groups started in 1948 when the British Mandate partitioned Palestine into separate Muslim and Jewish states. Now, Palestine is majority Muslim while Israel is mostly Jewish. Well, under the Mandate, Jerusalem was given to the Jews to control by the UN as a reimbursement for what their people went through during WWII. This made the Palestinians mad because their third holiest mosque is now in a fo reign run state. The Jews are mad because now they control the land but cant do what they want. They want to build a new Hebrew Temple of Solomon to replace the one that was destroyed a very long time ago. The big problem is is that the exact location of where they want to put the temple is in the exact location where the Muslim’s mosque is located. That’s not all they are fighting about however. They are also fighting about how Jerusalem should be governed. Israelis want to keep it free for all religion...

Epistolary Novel Essay

The word epistolary is derived through Latin from the Greek word á ¼ Ãâ‚¬ÃŽ ¹ÃÆ'Ï„Î ¿ÃŽ »ÃŽ ® epistolÄ“, meaning a letter. An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters. The epistolary form can add greater realism to a story, because it mimics the workings of real life The founder of the epistolary novel in English is said by many to be James Howell (1594–1666) with â€Å"Familiar Letters†, who writes of prison, foreign adventure, and the love of women. There are two theories on the genesis of the epistolary novel. The first claims that the genre originated from novels with inserted letters, in which the portion containing the third person narrative in between the letters was gradually reduced.[1] The other theory claims that the epistolary novel arose from miscellanies of letters and poetry: some of the letters were tied together into a (mostly amorous) plot. The first truly epistolary novel, the Spanish â€Å"Prison of Love† (Cà ¡rcel de amor) (c.1485) by Diego de San Pedro, belongs to a tradition of novels in which a large number of inserted letters already dominated the narrative The epistolary novel as a genre became popular in the 18th century in the works of such authors as Samuel Richardson, with his immensely successful novels Pamela (1740) and Clarissa (1749). In the novel Pamela, the female narrator can be found wielding a pen and scribbling her diary entries under the most dramatic and unlikely of circumstances. The first North American novel, The History of Emily Montague (1769) by Frances Brooke was written in epistolary form. There are three types of epistolary novels: monologic (giving the letters of only one character, like Letters of a Portuguese Nun and The Sorrow Of Young Werther), dialogic (giving the letters of two characters, like Mme Marie Jeanne Riccoboni’s Letters of Fanni Butlerd (1757), and polylogic (with three or more letter-writing characters, such as in Bram Stoker’s Dracula)

Workforce Diversity and the impact SHRM has towards Competitive Advantage

Workforce Diversity covers a wide variety of differences, which include race, gender, age, culture, nationality, religion, sexuality, interests, needs and desires (Hartel & Fujimoto, 2000). In order to explain workforce diversity in depth, this essay will utilise Race/Ethnicity as the key diversity characteristic, discussing the various theories and practices used in Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) to develop and manage diversity. In order to achieve increased organisational performance, a strategic plan must be implemented to position people throughout the organisation; and to manage these diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds, and nurture their creativity and innovation, diverse recruitment and training is undertaken. Through the use of the diverse labour pool available when recruiting, an organisation can benefit from the different skills and knowledge obtained by the diverse employees. Secondly, their creativity, innovation network range, uniqueness and rarity, serve as a means of giving the organisation unique resources and processes that competitors are unable to produce or replicate, resulting in the organisation benefiting from a human capital based competitive advantage. This essay discusses workforce diversity, competitive advantage, diversity orientation, diversity openness, and effects of diversity on team and individual performance, and diversity management. Due to the effects globalisation has on the organisations today, organisations must diversify the methods in which they manage their human resources and establish a competitive advantage to compete in the current global market. By defining the presence of differences among members of social units (Jackson et al. , 1995, as cited in D’Netto & Sohal, 1999), different types of diversity can be identified and the groups can be categorised in order to manage them effective and efficiently. According to H?rtel and Fujimoto (2000), Workforce diversity is categorised into two dimensions: Observable differences and Underlying differences. Firstly, observable differences take into account the diverse characteristics such as race, gender, age, verbal/non-verbal behaviours. Secondly, underlying difference encapsulates less observable differences such as values/beliefs, sexual orientation, skills/knowledge, and religion. These two dimensions contribute to the influence of the process and outcomes of many organisations. As suggested by Ayoko and H?rtel, impact of diversity of workgroups has been a focus for most studies on diversity; however, in diversity studies from Cox and Blake (1991) and Jackson (1992), cultural heterogeneity differences in race, ethnicity and national origin have been the focal point. Experiences of lower cohesion and social integration (Hambrick, 1994), more conflict, higher turnover, less trust, less job satisfaction, more stress, more absenteeism, and more communication difficulties ( Alder, 1991; O’Reilly et al. 1992; Zenger and Lawrence, 1989) are shown as the key comparisons in the research between diverse workgroups and homogeneous groups. Diversity has both positive effects such as increasing opportunity for creativity and negative effects such as increasing the likelihood of dissatisfaction and failure to identify with one’s workgroup (Milliken and Martin, 1996). Richard Florida (2004, 2005; Lee et al. 2004) argues that diversity influences economic comp etitiveness directly by fostering creativity and innovation, which are elements for promoting rarity and unique ideas and concepts, giving an organisation an advantage in its market. Organisations that acknowledge workforce diversity and its different viewpoints, and facilitate unique and creative approaches to problem solving, increase creativity and innovation within the company, leading to increased organisation performance and competitive advantage. By utilising the diversity and realising its potential, organisations are able to attract and retain the best talent available, reduce costs due to lower turnover and fewer lawsuits; enhanced market understanding and market ability; greater creativity and innovations; better problem solving; greater organisational flexibility, better decision making, and better overall performance (Cox, 1993; Cox and Blake, 1991; Cox, 1991; Robinson and Dechant, 1997; Carlozzi, 1999; Griscombe and Mattis, 2002; McAllister, 1997; Watson et al. 1993). Allan et al. (2007) suggests the negative effects of diversity to organisational performance such as lower employee satisfaction and higher turnover (O’Reilly et al. , 1989), creating a sense of detachment (Tsui et al. , 1992), lower cohesiveness, and difficulties in communications, and intergroup conflict and tension (Richard et al. , 2003; Cox, 1993). These effects of poor diverse planning and management would have severe and damaging results for the organisation. The use of Strategic Human Resource Management and Diversity Management are used to manage the broad definition of diversity, inclusive of everyone and values the differences that each individual brings to the organisation. The need for a broader definition is recognised by Loden (1993), realising that theories only based on affirmative action and equal employment opportunity tend to focus only on women and minorities which result in organisation efforts that are sectioned with the outcome of other groups feeling disenfranchised. Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) uses people as one of its components to gain competitive advantage. To be able to retain this advantage, the resources must remain scarce and hard to duplicate, have the inability to be directly substituted, and enable companies to pursue opportunities (Barney, 1991; Boyd & Wright, 1992). The key to a competitive advantage is how well the human resources work within the company (Pfeffer, 1994), leading to the creation of value, hard to imitate, and is rare which in turn increases sustainability of the competitive advantage. As the global market and its demographic characteristics of its customers change, so must an organisation’s to retain a competitive edge in the market (Cox, 1994). As communities become more multicultural, organisations must change their human resource structure so that it is aligned with the customer’s needs, as the organisation span widens globally, employees are then needed to understand the customer’s references and requirements (Cox & Blake, 1991). In order to maximise diverse employees, Diversity-oriented Human Resource Management (HRM) is utilised and is achieved through the implementation of HRM policies. By strategically focusing on processes such as employee attraction and recruitment, retainment, training and development, and organisational alignment (Denton, 1992; H?rtel & Fujimoto, 2010; Rosen & Lovelace, 1991), diverse employees can be promoted to assist an organisation to manage the challenges the come with today’s diverse marketplace. Problems arise for HRM when implementing diversity initiatives, such as convincing top management that the initiatives will benefit the organisation. Management can see the diverse initiatives as being too expensive, production may be reduced and disruption the workplace (D’Netto & Sohal, 1999). On the other hand, diverse-oriented organisations not only accept diversity, they also recognise it as an integral part of the organisation (Richard & Johnson, 2001). The key aspects of diversity orientation: work design, staffing, training, and compensation are all embedded with the foundation of diversity, thus being valued as the core part of the organisation. It is through the bundling of the HRM policies and practices that direct the organisation towards diversity and diversity management. The organisation activities of training and development, work design, staffing, and compensation programs need to all supporting and reinforcing diversity for the constitution of diversity orientation to be successful. Coinciding with the organisational activities suggested previously, procedural fairness must be undertaken so that both majority and minority groups do not experience a sense of feeling left out. Diversity orientation is a rewarding tool when striving for competitive advantage; however, diversity orientation is not universal. The effectiveness of diversity orientation involves a substantial commitment of resources and a willingness to experience inefficiencies for a time, although through persistence, this tolerance for inefficiency may be of great benefit for organisations desiring innovation, high-commitment work environments, and the ability to face dynamic environments. To be able to effectively manage diversity, the implementation of SHRM policies and procedures regarding recruitment and training must first be undertaken. Problems need to be identified so that the correct policies and procedures can be put into place. D’Netto and Sohal (1999) suggest several â€Å"best practices† be used to improve workforce diversity management during recruiting and selection; job descriptions and selection progress that cover job relevant duties, qualifications, and experience and comply with anti-discrimination legislation. Successful organisations can benefit from orkforce diversity by creating an organisation environment which attracts people from diverse labour markets. A competitive edge is promoted by selecting the right people for the correct task regardless of race (Cornelius, 1999). Through recruitment, human capital is used as a driver for competitive advantage by selecting diverse individuals with specific, unique, and rare skills, increa ses the efficiency and effectiveness of an organisation, exploiting market opportunities, and neutralise potential threats (Barney, 1991; Ulrich & Lake, 1991). Human capital that is not readily available in the labour market and not easily duplicated by other organisations provides a potential source of competitive advantage (Snell, Youndt & Wright, 1996). Management needs to proactively communicate the organisation’s commitment and reasons for valuing diversity, invest in training, socialisation, and other efforts to manage conflicts effectively (Richard et al. , 2002). Once the right people have been employed it is then up to Human Resource management to implement diversity orientated training, helping to retain the diverse workforce and to focus on the organisation as a whole, creating an environment where clear, unambiguous policies and procedures are initiated. Training can create an awareness of certain traps and provide strategies for addressing any underlying issues (Barry & Bateman, 1996). A well implemented training program will provide employees with a better understanding of each other’s race, culture, gender, religion, and sexual preferences. It will help those who are not from diverse backgrounds identify the strengths and opportunities that are supplied by the minority groups. Communication problems can be addressed through proper diverse training, helping employees understand that minority groups are handled differently according to their skills and knowledge as opposed to the employment due to their minority status. The benefit of diversity-orientated training is that it reduces the amount of bias from both employees and management, allowing the diverse groups to be accepted for the skills and knowledge they offer, which in turn, leads to a more productive, innovative, and creative organisation and promotes cohesion and cooperation between colleagues (H?rtel & Fujimoto, 2010), resulting in human resources and practices that are of a competitive nature. The first two theories Social Identity and Similarity Attraction both dentify the negative effects that diversity can have on an organisation and how it can also affect the competitive advantage, in the form of human resource. Firstly, Festinger’s (1954) studies of Social Identity theory focus on the development of social identity which results in the comparison of individuals towards other group members. The outcome of these comparisons can result in the individual with either a positive or negative self-image (Richard & Johnson, 2001), an d desire to be part of the group or wanting to leave a group. Social Identity theory suggests that being part of a group creates a feeling of collective representation of self-identity and behaviour. According to Tajfel (1982), â€Å"the psychological process associated with this theory generates distinct group behaviour, such as, solidarity within a group, conformity to group norms, and discrimination against out groups†. The second theory of Similarity Attraction (Byrne, 1971) is reliant upon demographic characteristics such as race. Similarities are perceived by individuals and compared to other members of a group, fostering trust, mutual cooperation and interaction. These effects lead to sub groups which, in turn, lead to less effective team function as a whole. Finally, theory that describes the positive attributes to diversity is the Information Processing and Decision Making Theories (Gruenfeld et al. , 1996), suggesting that decision making and exchanging of information are improved within groups that are more diverse. Benefits arising from diversity are their ability to use a greater variety of resources, allowing the use of more diverse networks. The key to dealing with all of these theories of diversity are correct usage of Diversity Management, allowing management to identify the characteristics of each and deal with them accordingly, in doing so conflict, absenteeism, and discrimination are reduced, allowing for cohesion, creativity and innovation to be produced. Competitive advantage, organisation effectiveness, increased productivity and coherent organisational environment are all outcomes that can be acquired through the correct implementation of Diversity Management. These can be achieved through the building of specific skills, creating of policies and drafting practices (D’Netto & Sohal, 1999), which in turn, get the best results from every employee. The management of diversity can be identified as the leveraging and use of cultural differences in people’s skills, ideas nd creativity to contribute to a common goal in such a way that an organisation can achieve an advantage above that of the organisations competition (Deversky, 1994; Fernandez, 1993; Morrison, 1992). The management of diverse groups is becoming increasingly difficult. Globalisation is a large contributor to workforce diversity, increased migration as a result of the opening of foreign borders, especially from different countries where people were originally migration from, resulting in a wider span of people with diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds populating the country. In order to achieve competitive advantage through the use of diversity and SHRM, ethnic diverse individuals/employees must be strategically managed so that their diverse attributes can be utilised within the organisation, leading to organisation performance and efficiency. Diversity Management focuses on the inclusion of the full span of diverse employees, allowing them to perform to their full potential, ensuring that their wellbeing, both individually and in the organisation remain positive. Introducing training, development, and affective leadership are concepts that help develop diverse employees. According to H?rtel and Fujimoto (2010), it is reported that employees working in a diversity managed organisation have an improved work-life and higher cohesion among employees. Diversity Management has many positive effects which include understanding that minority viewpoints foster quality of thought, performance, and decision making (Nemeth, 1992), and that groups made up of larger diverse backgrounds and characteristics produce a wider variety of ideas, solutions, and alternatives than those groups with similar demographic characteristics (Bantel & Jackson, 1989; Jackson, 1992). Once these viewpoints are identified and understood, procedures and practices can be implemented to embed their skills and knowledge resulting in better organisational performance. Task conflict, when using diverse groups to problem solve complex, non-routine tasks, results in disagreements amongst members about task, including viewpoints ideas and opinions, utilising their skills, knowledge, abilities, and perspectives, leading to more complete analysis of the issues and improved decision-making and performance (Jehn, 1995; Pelled, 1996). In conclusion to the discussion of the previous associative approaches to managing diversity, the essay found limitations as a result of the quantity of differences that incorporate diversity, it would be limited to arguing the characteristic of Race/Ethnicity and the effects that workforce diversity has on its contribution to competitive advantage. The review concluded that the need for a contingency approach is needed to manage diversity effectively, as problems are constantly arising due to the ever changing demographical characteristics of today’s global market. Individuals from diverse cultures are migrating to areas in which they previously were not. This results in the need for continuously updated training and recruitment with placement of diverse individuals into positions to effectively communicate and network with global customers.

Communication and Presenting Information

What is active listening? Active listening is a person’s ability and willingness to listen and understand. Often we people talk to each other. We might not listen at a time because lack of attentiveness, which can distract the speaker. In way active listening can be called as responding to another person that develops mutual understanding. Active listening is process in which the listener paraphrases in its own words what the speaker had said to confirm or clarify of accuracy of the message. Active listening involves listening with your head and your heart; that is, you listen to the content of the message but also the feelings behind the message. The skill of active listening involves paying attention with empathy to the listener, as opposed to distracted denying, cynical or ostrich behavior. New session leaders of alcoholics anonymous meetings are advised to’†¦. Take cotton form your ears and put it in your mouth’. (Hogan, 2000) Listening can wrongly be vi ewed as a passive activity; the speaker talks and the listener listen’s. The listener is silent and passive and the speaker is active and verbal. When the speaker finishes its talking, the assumption is that the message has been accurately received by the listener, with no observation participation or effort active listening statement. â€Å"The most basic of all human needs is the need to be understood†. (Fujishin,1997) Listening does not mean just have sit with the mouth shut stirring at the person. A dead body can do that. It is an active process which requires participation to understand fully the meaning of a communication. Listening actively involves clarifying, paraphrasing, giving feedback. Paraphrasing: state in your own word what the speaker had said in the talk. It is sign of good listening. It keeps the listener busy trying to understand and know that other person means rather than blocking. Clarifying: it goes along with paraphrasing. It means asking questions until the listener get the correct picture. In order to understand fully what the speaker said. Clarifying assist the listeners to sharpen its listening focus so that the listener hears more than vague generalities. Giving Feedback: feedback is what active listening depends on. After paraphrasing and clarifying the listener gives an example what had been said and hopefully understands it. This is the point at which the listener can talk about reaction. In freely way the listener share its thought, felt or sensed. Active listening is really one of the mostly physical and mentally challenging aspects of facilitation. Listening sometime does not come easy for some people not because they are not willing to listen but because they are not able to do so. Actually their mind does not come up with the total picture because some people see the world in one dimension. This inability to listen using both side of the brain can cause misinterpretation, miscommunication and miscalculation. As a result the listener with in ability could not be able to deal with logic of a relationship and also with the emotional component. Therefore this unbalanced use of brain often results in the inability of the listener understand all the essential signs form the person speaking. Therefore active listening require usage both side of brain. Unfortunately there are few people who are able to understand this fact who instead see this skill in one reflecting use of the both side of brain. Taking holistic approach toward listening requires special discipline or rules on the part of the listener. The basis reason is that many listeners tend to fall into their own comfort zones by in taking what they want to hear and skipping rest of the important data and facts. As a result hearing selectively can lead to incorrect conclusion of data and information. Listening is like art were there are opportunities for huge errors. â€Å"This information is taken from the Source: Kliem (2007) â€Å"Effective Communications for Project Management† CRC Press Feature of active listening Active listening motivates the person to listen carefully which eventually motivates the speaker to talk effectively. Active listening helps the speakers to identify that whether the listener is taking afford to understand thing with any distraction and helps the listener to clear their doubt and revert back the message to the speaker in order to give idea that he as understood. The distraction is big treat while listening and speaking, were the listener forgets the point or get miss leaded about speaker’s talk or message, were as speaker also gets frustrated and won’t put his best effort. The active listener use both side of brain. They see the skill as one reflecting the use of the right or left side of the brain. The left side of the brain highlights facts, organizational, logical reasoning and thinking and discipline and accuracy in thought. It is extremely goal and analysis oriented. Active listening exclusively from this viewpoint can result in ignoring the important emotional message of the speaker: for example the importance on calculating metric is left brain activity. Focusing on scheduling and cost performances index as a measure of success is a prime example of left brain thinking. The right side of the brain highlights emotional and sensory view. Imaging and imagining are two quiet actions of this side of the brain. The importance is on nonverbal communication and impulsive behavior. Active listening from this view point can result in ignoring or skipping the important data and fact and being influenced by the speaker. Most common example of active listening is boards meeting of the company were each directors or shareholders as listener listen actively because every decision raised in the company is important and should be planned in order to achieve objective and goals. BARRIERS OF ACTIVE LISTENING â€Å"Man inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively, skillfully and with understanding to other human beings†. Carl roger,1850) The biggest barrier of the active listening is the unconscious nature of the process. When we listen to take in information from all of our sense continuously and for which automatic we give a meaning to what we take in. Responding without thinking for the first is easy, as there are some people who use very little of their full listen ing capacity because they do not intentionally put their full energy into it. However there are barriers to listening beside the environmental barriers. Some of the common see barriers are: Negative and positive trigger: there are certain words, sound, phrases; gesture that can draw out an emotional response from the person. A positive trigger is phrases or word that produces a good feeling for the listener and negative trigger is a phrase or word that produces feeling such as anger. The trigger causes when a person reacts before for thinking. The listener just by hearing few words has a preprogrammed understanding and response because the trigger cuts off the information gathering actions of the senses and can show the way to greatly mistaken estimation. This trigger interferes with the listeners listening because the listeners immediately change their attention to the emotions that they are experiencing. Any effective listener can identify their own trigger in order to gain their conscious control of their action and listen more effectively. ?Difference in word definition: No two people have same meaning for the words or phrase. These differences in meaning can lead to misinterpreting and misunderstanding. A responsible person first check with the speaker and helps groups builds up harmony on the definition of important words and phrases. Personal issues: every person has important personal issues beside the work life. Sometimes these issues want a huge attention and take a lot of energy which make the person tough to actively listen at some moment. A Responsible person first observes the effect of the personal issues and then takes time to deal with them. When it is time to listen, they intentionally remind themselves to use active listening process. For example a manager who is going through break up found it difficult to listen during board meeting. But his boss was supportive and understanding; however at that moment the manager should put his personal matters at a side and meet his obligations of the organization. ?Poor physical surroundings: poor physical surrounding involves Noisy, distracting or uncomfortable places and situation make it hard to listen and also make it difficult to focus on what the speaker is explaining. ?Tiredness: it becomes difficult to listen actively when a person is tried. Active listening requires active or alert mind and energetic body to considerate. A student in order to be active listener should get good night sleep before attending the early morning lecture so that the student considerate without any tiredness. ?Filter: Your beliefs, values, assumption, expectation, past experiences and interest all these things interfere with active listening. There are subtle and thus are hard to detect. For instant, think as if your enemy sitting beside you, eventually you will be thinking some else rather that listening to the speaker. Importance’s of active listening Active listening is an important skill that can bring changes in people. Changes as such in attitude toward themselves and others and also bring changes in your vital value and physical philosophy. People who contain active listening skill are more emotionally mature, less defensive, have more experiences, more independent and less demanding. The people who listen sensitively tend to listen themselves with more care so they are make clear about what they are thinking and feeling. Some of common Importance of active listening is: ? It helps you to focus on one task without any distraction and enable you to get clear picture of what speaker try to explain. It helps you to develop your interest in listening and keep you active and alert. ?It keeps you way from misinterpretation and misunderstanding of idea of other person because understanding other person is very difficult. ?It helps to develops trust between listener and speaker. It isn’t very often an individual is given the opportunity to share what’s really on his mind or deep in his heart without be attacked and rescued. This is one of the most important rewards of actively listening for understanding where the speaker trusts you. Conclusion Listening well is an essential component of every successful person. Active listening takes a lot of energy and very irritating to mirror every statement during conversation. At some extend, it can drive person crazy. A person should keep active listening for those occasions when the person require clarifying the speaker’s message, the speaker want to feel understanding of listeners. Active listening just encourages a person to set aside the trouble of self talk, in order to get mixed up with what the others are relating and to experience totally what they feeling. You will be shocked to discover that when you focus on your speaker rather than yourself, it become far easier for you to think of things to say. As said by Fritz Perls â€Å"the pictures of the world do not enter us automatically, but selectively. We don’t see, we look for, search, scan for something. We don’t hear all the sounds of the world, we listen†. References 1. Hoppe(2007) â€Å"Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead† London Publisher: Center for Creative Leadership 2. Ivey , Bradford Ivey & Zalaquett (2009) â€Å"Intentional Interviewing and Counseling: Facilitating Client Development in a Multicultural Society† Publisher: Cengage Learning 3. Jones (2008) â€Å"Introduction to Counselling Skills: Text and Activities† Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd. 4. Moyet(2005) â€Å"Understanding the nursing process: concept mapping and care planning for students† Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 5. Weaver & Farrell (1997) â€Å"Managers as facilitators: a practical guide to getting work done in a changing workplace† Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 6. Fujishin(2007) â€Å"Creating effective groups: the art of small group communication† Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield 7. Kliem(2007) â€Å"Effective Communications for Project Management† Publisher: CRC Press 8. McKay, Davis & Fanning (2009) â€Å"Messages: The Communication Skills Book† Publisher: New Harbinger Publications 9. Spencer & Pruss (1997) â€Å"The professional secretary's handbook† Publisher: Barron's Educational Series 10. Farrell & Weaver (2000) â€Å"The Practical Guide to Facilitation: A Self-Study Resource† Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 11. Garner(1997) â€Å"Conversationally speaking: tested new ways to increase your personal and social effectiveness† Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional 12. http://www. gordontraining. com/artman2/uploads/1/ActiveListening_RogersFarson. pdf (accessed 6 august 2009)