Communication and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication and Culture - Essay Example To begin with, the prosecutors in both cases have tried to present the videos as pieces of evidence, while the defense has tried to present the videos as an assault on privacy. In this case, an important question to be asked is whether or not looking is an acceptable social practice. The portrayal of truth in this case is the basic premise upon which both cases have been built. For the wrongdoer, it might be a much needed act but for the onlooker, it might be an unnecessary one. Therefore, in case of looking, truth has two dimensions. These dimensions had been played upon by the prosecution and defense respectively, where the defense tried to make the police look like the victims. (Goodwin, 1992) If Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright's book titled Practices of Looking, is to be believed, then the concept of looking has great ideological implications. These ideological implications are a part and parcel of the basic mental makeup of any society and finally, the law that governs it. Th is concept as described by Cartwright et al, works at a dichotomous level as far as the parties go - i.e., the spectators and the participants. Therefore, this is an important concept to follow as far as the definition of looking is concerned in the world of emerging visual culture. This visual culture is a by product of the theories revolving around the emerging field of communication techniques. These theories come in the form of how one chooses to express himself or herself apart from those theories that demonstrate what a person wants to learn and how he or she wants to enjoy. (Cartwright et al, 2001) The Rodney King beating video and the Simi Valley LAPD video have also shown the power of expression which is a close by product of the practice of looking. In this regard, the book titled Look, A Negro, by Robert Gooding - Williams, the author relies mostly on the demonstration of how race and ethnicity continue to be a source of amazement to some people. (Williams - Gooding, 2005 ) According to his theory, it is important to be able to draw a line so as to make people comfortable. This has a wider context in today's global village where boundaries are shrinking and people of various ethnicities settle in lands far from their homes. If Williams Gooding is to be believed, then the concept of looking has both positive as well as negative dimensions in context of who is being looked at. According to Judith Butler in her book titled Endangered/Endangering: Schematic Racism and White Paranoia, the act of looking at a person for the color of his skin, or the clothes she is donning shows that there is a certain amount of ignorance which is demonstrated by their expressions and how they discuss or regard such situations. According to her, this calls for more progression in society and a form of 'controlled looking' wherein, looking is practiced for the sake of catching and punishing wrongdoers or for a strict social causeThese means of expression define the society a t large and steer the way for social practices. According to Butler, looking is a practice that requires a state of complete focus and concentration, especially when in public. (Butler, 2004) References: 1. Cartwright, Lisa; Sturken, Marita. "Practices of Looking - An Introduction to Visual Culture." (Jan, 2001) Oxford University Press. 2. Butler, Judith.

Impact of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Impact of Crime - Essay Example Furthermore, as reiterated earlier, it can have financial, social, psychological, physical and spiritual consequences. And although there isn’t very accurate information available about the problems and challenges that victims face in coping with the eventual aftermath of the crime, his/her ability to cope with crime is dependent on several factors (Harris, 2001). When there is a history of psychological and mental health problems and the onset of a new crime, the trauma is augmented, especially when there is a history of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. The incidence of violent crime and sexual abuse attacks in the United States decreased from 1994 to 2004 (U.S. Department of Justice, 2006); however, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports (2006), violent crime increased in 2005. Rape was the only violent crime that showed a decrease. Americans are still concerned about becoming crime victims. Americans’ fear of becoming a victim of a crime affects more people than crime itself (Dominguez, 2011). Majority of the households in the United States, around 14 percent went through the experience of violent sexual attacks or had a member -12 years or older who underwent the experience of violent crimes. There has also been research done which shows that Alaska Natives and Native Americans are prone to violent crimes and sexual abuse attacks a lot more than other people. American Indians have undergone the experience of violence that of the U.S resident population. Also, on an average, American Indians are more prone to violent crimes, especially age 12 or older (Astbury, 2005). With the development of the field of victim services, the comprehension of the multi-faceted impact of crime on families, victims and communities has also developed greatly. The victims of both severe and not very severe sexual abuse attacks can face a myriad of problems because of the

Creative Play Essay Example for Free

Creative Play Essay Creative development is provided within settings through role play, music, dance and messy activities. Creativity can stem to a range of other things to, such as problem solving, knowledge and understanding of the world, Personal social and emotional development and physical development. When creative activities are set out for children they can gain a great deal of satisfaction and it can increase the child’s confidence and self esteem. Children do not necessarily have an end product in mind but they may just want to explore and enjoy the creative materials they are using. Children are learning all the time and we as practitioners need to make learning fun and enjoyable. It is important that we provide enough opportunities for children to develop creatively we can do this by providing resources that they may not have access to at home and offering support in exploring these materials. As practitioners we are good observers and reflectors and should encourage children to reflect on their experiences to. From children’s reflections you can then look at where an activity should go next and how you can adapt that activity to support the individual child’s learning. Children can learn from as young as newborn. They begin to learn skills such as grasp, facial expression, textures, smells and sounds. The first sign of a child’s creativity begins with exploring sounds and listening to familiar voices around them. They may link these sounds to key people such as their parents, siblings, grandparents or carers. The process of a newborn is to become familiar with its surroundings and to sense a gain of belonging. They can gain this from bonding with its parents. As the child gets older they begin to learn new skills and have more opportunities in which they are able to explore. They become more inquisitive and like to have free flow of activities within the setting they are in and practitioners need to encourage them to explore the surroundings without taking charge of their play. For babies we offer opportunities for them to explore a wide range of materials and resources such as musical and light toys and natural ‘holistic’ objects such as brushes, wool, saucepans, utensils, wood, sponges and a range of different textured fabrics. Babies use the senses to acquire the skills of play they explore by using their hands and eyes. Children gradually learn to understand the properties of the objects that they played with – whether they are hard or soft, or big or small; whether the have a ight or a wrong way up; whether their shape changes or stays the same; whether they taste or smell good, and so on. Babies learn so much from exploratory play and we as practitioners provide them with a safe and secure place to do this. We let the children take risks which they may not be able to do at home such as having out blunt cutlery, pasta and other exciting and interesting objects in which they can play with and learn from. Children are more likely to l earn through play if you make it exciting for them and you help in supporting their play. When supporting children within their play you should aim to provide minimum intervention in children’s play activities while keeping them safe from harm. You should support rather than direct their play and help create a play environment that will stimulate their self directed play and provide maximum opportunities for them to experience a wide variety of activities. You can show support within children’s play by providing flexible planning and enable them to choose from a broad range of play opportunities both indoors and outdoors. You should support their play by giving the child a choice of whether or not they wish to be involved in the play activity. By giving the child plenty of space to play especially when they are taking part in physical and imaginative play and to provide challenging play opportunities to avoid boredom; risk taking is part of the enjoyment of play. Creative play allows children to express their feelings through art, music, role play, singing and story telling. It is important that as practitioners we introduce new concepts of play to children in order to expand on their existing knowledge. When supporting a child in creative play practitioners should not stress that they are to produce an end product, and that there is no competition to who produces the best piece of work as children develop at different levels and stages. Practitioners should support the fact that the child has had a learning experience whether they have just explored the resources and materials or they have reached the end product. All children should be praised for the efforts they have made and feel pride in what they have achieved and learnt and we should support children in not being disappointed in their efforts of creative play. Children’s creative development is broken down into 4 sections these are responding to experiences, expressing and communicating ideas, exploring media and materials, Creating music and dance and developing imagination and imaginative play. Children need the opportunity to explore and investigate and have a sound knowledge of where they want to go in life. Creativity can give your child a chance to experience and develop new skills and sharing their knowledge and skills with others It is a way in which children explore and develop an understanding of the world. Through creative play children develop social, material, and imaginary worlds and their relationships with them, they elaborate all the while a flexible range of responses to the challenges that they may encounter. Creativity plays a part in all the learning areas within the foundation stage for example; Personal, social and emotional development, creativity builds upon a child’s curiosity and encourages a positive approach to new experiences.

Ethical Hacking And Attacking Computer Science Essay

Ethical Hacking And Attacking Computer Science Essay It is debatable, if hacking can be ethical or not, the term Hacking over time has been associated with destructive activity. These are some of the terms used in the context of hacking which provides better clarity, Hacker is somebody who enjoys learning hacking for a defensive purpose; an ethical hacker is the security professional who exercises his skills for a defensive purpose. The term Cracker refers to a person who uses his hacking skills for destructive purpose. The ethical question here is in regard to the physical activity of hacking which is sometimes hard to differentiate from cracking. The main difference being, Ethical hacker just identifies vulnerabilities and does not exploit them unlike a cracker. Ethical hacking is the process adopted by ethical hackers to discover the vulnerabilities existing in information systems operating environments. With the growth of internet, computer security has become a major concern for business. Organizations need ethical hackers who can think like a cracker to simulate a real life hacking scenario; they make use of same tools and techniques of that of crackers without damaging / compromising the sensitive information thereby maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of the organization. Ethical hacker should have excellent programming and networking skills. They evaluate the security of target and update the organization regarding the discovered vulnerabilities along with recommendations to mitigate them. Anatomy of a Hack Initially, Hacking meant having extraordinary skills to break into the system. However today there are lots of automated freeware tools available on internet making it possible for anybody having the desire to hack succeed in breaking into the system. These are the 5 phases every hacker must know. Figure 1: Anatomy of an Attack Reconnaissance Reconnaissance is the preparatory phase where an attacker gathers information about the target system prior to launching the attack. This phase might also involve network scanning either internal or external without any authorization. One of the ways for gathering information during this phase may involve Social engineering. A social engineer is a person who smooth-talks and persuades people to reveal personal / sensitive information such as passwords, security policies etc. Social engineering is one of the easiest ways to hack as it requires no technical skills and one of the hardest forms of attack to defend against as humans are the weakest link in the security chain. All security measures taken care by the organization goes in vain when the employees get social engineered. Detecting social engineering attacks are difficult, as there is no tool to detect such attempts, in most of the cases victim themselves are not aware having revealed sensitive information. Rebecca and Jessica are the common terms used, which refer to people who are easy target for social engineering attacks such as a receptionist or a support executive. Dumpster diving is another way of gathering information. It is the process of looking for discarded sensitive information in an organization thrash. It is one of the effective ways of gathering information as it may provide attackers with even more sensitive information such as username, password, ATM slip, social security number, Bank statements. It is important that an organization has appropriate policies in place to protect their assets and also provide proper guidance to employees on the same. Reconnaissance technique can be classified into active and passive reconnaissance. In passive reconnaissance, the attacker does not interact with the system directly but uses social engineering or dumpster diving as a mean to gather information. Where as in a active reconnaissance, the attacker makes use of tools for port scanning, network scanning to get the details of the application, operating system etc. Often reconnaissance phase overlaps with the scanning phase. Scanning Scanning precedes the actual attack and is one of the important phase of information gathering where in the attacker gathers information about the targets IP address , operating system , system architecture , services running in the system in order to find various ways to intrude into targets system. The strategy to launch the attack is based on the gathered information. The risk of an organization is considered high in the scanning phase as it enables access to the network. Different types of scanning are Port Scanning: Procedure for identifying the open ports and the services running on the target system. Network Scanning -Procedure for identifying IP addresses, active hosts on a network either to attack them or as a network security assessment. Vulnerability Scanning -Automates method to identify the known vulnerabilities present in the system and the network. Some of the important tools used during this phase are Nmap which is used for port scanning; it also offers a variety of advanced features such as remote OS detection. Nessus is a vulnerability scanner which detects the local flaws, uninstalled patches and weakness in network hosts. Nessus has a security vulnerability database which is updated on a daily basis. It carries out development of security checks for recent security holes. CEH scanning methodology The diagram below shows the sequence of steps followed in order to scan any network although scanning method may differ based on the objective of the attack. The Attacker starts with checking for the live systems in the network. Once he finds the live system, looks for any open port present in the system to identify the services running on it. The next phase is OS fingerprinting which is nothing but gathering operating system information about the target system. Post which the attacker scans for vulnerabilities present in the target operating system and exploit it. The attacker may also choose to probe the network by making use of proxies. Figure 2: CEH Scanning Methodology Gaining Access This is one of the most important phases for an attack as this is where the actual attack is planted. Therefore the business risk is highest in this phase. Although not a mandatory phase as an attacker need not always gain access to cause damage like in denial of service attacks. The main aim in this phase is to obtain elevated privileges such as system privilege to execute commands to access sensitive information. Maintaining Access Once the attacker gains access into the system or the network, he tries to retain his ownership on the compromised system and periodically attack it. Typically in this phase the attacker tries to install Key loggers to capture the keyboard strokes, sniffers to capture network traffic, rootkits at the kernel level to gain super user access and Trojan horse to gain repeated backdoor access, also download the password files to access the system at a later time. Once the Trojans are in place, the attacker can assume to have gained total control of the system. During this phase the attackers might even harden the system against other attackers by fixing the vulnerability which allowed them to access the system or the network. Clearing Tracks This is where the attacker tries to cover the evidence of his activities for various reasons like maintaining access or legal actions. During this phase the attacker deletes the system logs preventing the system administrator from monitoring the unusual activity, Rootkits are installed as they are effective in covering tracks and also because in some cases they disable logging. Other techniques like Steganography which is used to hide the data in a image or a file, are made used by the attacker in order to cover tracks Typical Hacking Techniques There are several ways an attacker can gain access into the system such as Operating system attacks Application Level attacks Shrink wrap code error Misconfiguration attacks Google Hacking Google Hacking is the art of creating complex search queries in order to gather information of the target system. Google is the primary tool used for Google hacking. Advanced Google operators are used to filter information. Google hacking database identifies files containing password, sensitive directories, vulnerable web pages, error messages containing sensitive information, pages containing firewall logs etc Figure 3: Google advanced search option Basics of Google Hacking Below are some of the basic ways Google is used for hacking Directory Listing Attack: Webpage often accidentally displays files and directories that exist on the web server when top level index file is missing or invalid as directory listing is not taken care of. Most of the times they do not prevent users from downloading files or accessing sensitive information without authorization. Locating directory listing in Google is very straight forward. A query of Intitle: Index.of is the universal search for directory listing Figure 4: Google hacking for Directory Listing An attacker can make use of this information to access sensitive information of the application. Information Disclosure Error messages can disclose a lot of sensitive information about the target like the operating system, network architecture, user information etc. A query of intitle: error fetched 4,070,000 results Figure 5: Google hacking for Information Disclosure Below is the error message displayed by an application. Figure 6: Error message displayed from Google hacking query The error message reveals sensitive information about the target system such as the application is built in asp.net, IIS 4.0, MYSQL database. An attacker can now launch attacks that are vulnerable to these technologies. Sensitive Information: Here are some of the Google search syntaxs to crawl for Sensitive information such as passwords filetype: xls inurl: password.xls -Looks for username and password in ms excel format. intitle: Index of master.passwd -index the master password page index of / backup- Looks for the index backup file on server) intitle: index.of passwd.bak Looks for the index backup password files. intitle: Index of pwd.db- Looks for database password files inurl: user.xls intext: password- Looks for url that save username and passwords in spread sheet files Site Digger, which explores Googles cache to look for susceptibilities ,errors, security loopholes on website and Gooscan which automates queries against Google search engine are some of the other tools used for Google hacking. Certified Ethical Hacker Certification Course (CEH) CEH is the professional certification provided by the international council E-Commerce consultants (EC-Council). Figure 6: CEH Process Apart from EC council, there are other certified hacking course taken by some well known Hackers like Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker (AFCEH) and also some other vendors like karROX Certified Ethical Hacker Course. Ethical Hacking Services As part of ethical hacking services, Penetration testing which is nothing but creating a real life hacking scenario and trying to break into the system is offered by various vendors. Different tools, technique and methodologies are used to gain entry into that application. The service offered could be either a black box testing (where only the application URL is given) or a grey box testing (where a dummy user account with least privilege is created for the pen testers).Penetration testing will be carried over by a team of dedicated ethical hackers. Some of the key benefits of penetration testing are Find security loopholes which cannot be found through functional testing. Identify business logic flaws which cannot be detected by Code Review. Real world simulation of hacking thereby revealing soft targets for possible attacks. Meet Regulatory Compliance like PCI, HIPAA, GLBA and ISO regulatory compliance. Reduction in web application development security flaws. Development of effective mitigation strategies based on your specific environment The Pen test report provides recommended remediations for the identified attack. Follows the industry standards for security such as OWASP TOP 10 and SANS 25. Commercial tools like Cenzic, Acunetix, and IBM Rational Appscan are some of the widely used tools for Pen Test. Social Engineering Testing is offered as complementary service by some vendors which tests the organizations human firewall by gaining access to an organization and its assets by tricking key personnel over communications medium such as telephone, email, chat, bulletin boards, etc. Acknowledgement Vikram 😛 Related Knowledge Briefs or References Have to check. Summary In recent times Web applications are the target of various forms of attacks. According to a Gartner report 70% of the security attacks are targeted on the web application. Competition is so high that enterprises cant ignore the risk associated with their vulnerable application. Loss incurred could vary from monetary losses to loss of credibility. In certain cases it could mean end of business. You cannot stop an attacker from hacking, the only thing you can do is make it harder to get in. Ethical hackers are the security professionals who use their hacking skills for defensive purpose. The process of ethical hacking would depend on, what is that organization is trying to protect, against whom and how much or resources the organization is ready to spend. The hacking tools are meant for research and educational purpose only and should not be used for destructive purpose. Your Name then enter a short two or three line biography, including your BU/practice and location. Was the information contained in this Knowledge Brief useful? We strive to improve our content by continuously refining it. You can discuss the document, or download the most recent version, from the details page of this Knowledge Brief. Your feedback is appreciated!

To Download Or Not To Download :: essays research papers fc

The Internet is an extremely useful resource. Using it, one can obtain information on nearly any topic. A relatively new item of Internet technology for sharing music has emerged and brought with it, countless legal debates: Napster. Napster allows people to share music files, discover new artists, and become part of the online-music community. Although Napster’s opponents argue that sharing music files is immoral and should cease immediately, the positive elements that Napster brings to the Internet overshadow any regret for its use. Marc Geiger, executive of â€Å"Artist Direct,† an online music-marketing firm and Napster champion, states, â€Å"Napster is totally community oriented. It brings artists and fans together, and can allow struggling musicians a chance to be heard; that’s what the program is all about. The more people hear the songs, the more they want {to} buy the CD† (Sullivan). Struggling musicians who do not receive widespread media coverage to enhance their own album sales find Napster invaluable (Sullivan). These avid Napster supporters can use the medium to distribute and publicize their music with literally no cost (Sullivan). Richardson, CEO of Napster, Inc., is promoting the good side of the software, and trying to make upset artists understand that this program is for the little guys (Sullivan). Richardson maintains that Napster will not hinder music sales, but will have an opposite effect (Sullivan). Napster is an MP3 file-sharing program that enables users to share their music with one another. Anyone with a computer can download the program, sign the user agreement contract and then start swapping music. The program includes chat features, top music sharing lists, search capabilities, charts showing the status of the file transfer, and other assisting utilities (Allen). The chat rooms allow users to converse and exchange information with other people â€Å"in† the room (Allen). The search feature allows the music consumer to search by song title, artist, along with a myriad of other variables. The file transfer element of the program allows listeners to manage file downloads (files which they are receiving) and uploads (files which others are copying) (Allen). Napster also includes a â€Å"library,† a utility for sorting and listing music files stored on a given computer (Allen). Napster users can also listen to their newly downloaded files with Naptster’s built in mp3-player (Allen). The program is easy to use and does not contain too much technical jargon (Allen). A Northeastern student named Shawn Fanning developed Napster in his college dorm room to share ideas and music with his friends.

Behind The Scenes :: essays research papers fc

BEHIND THE SCENES In the aftermath of the untimely death of Princess Diana a timeworn issue re-plays itself like a tired re-run of “The Honeymooners.'; Does the media go too far? Maybe. But like any other commodity, supply and demand go hand and glove. Whether a high profile celebrity or an every-day Joe, we sit glued to our chairs as the nightly news somberly announces society’s latest barbarity. We eagerly snatch up the tabloids as these mudslingers breathlessly divulge their version of the most recent Hollywood gossip. The fact is that America has become obsessed with the goings on in other people’s lives. Greedy consumers of the First Amendment, we march defiantly under the banner of our “right to know';, but do we have just cause? Differences and difficulties in interpretation have characterized much of the later history of the First Amendment and historians continue to debate what the nation’s founders meant to include when they wrote that there shall be “no l aw'; abridging the freedom of speech or press. Today the U. S. Supreme Court blindly inches its way across the tightrope of censorship. Laws prohibiting obscenity and indecency have been successfully incorporated and public sentiment has historically served to curtail the over-zealous journalist. However the moral fiber of society has degenerated from its once prim and proper past, and the press now vulgarly oversteps the boundaries of decency with little retribution. In the words of Chief Justice Warren Burger, “The First Amendment should not be interpreted to include the protection of frivolous gossip that “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value'; (Grolier Encyclopedia 1996, Miller v. California). The People’s “right to know'; does not justify the growing abuse of our right to Freedom of the Press. The negative effect upon today’s society is only beginning. Tabloids not only thrive on; they encourage the invasion of privacy. In an era defined by celebrity worship, Americans have become increasingly tolerant of what is acceptable concerning media coverage of celebrities’ private lives. It is unfortunate that Princess Diana died for a blurry picture, a pointless snap from a speeding motorcycle. Dodging tabloid photographers she was simply trying to preserve some privacy by holding back the media intrusion. In the sixteen years since her marriage, she became not only the most famous woman in the world, but the only personality who consistently sold big in the global marketplace (Alter, Dying 39).

Using Technology to Improve Business Communication

Assignment #2 Using Technology to Improve Business Communication Hans Jacobs October 31, 2011 By Inderjot Shokar Horvathova, P. & Davidova, M. (2011). Application of Talent Management with the useof Information and Communications Technology in the Czech Republic and OtherDeveloping, Emerging and Transitions Economies. Retrieved fromhttp://web. ebscohost. com. libproxy. auc. ca In this study, the researchers examined the quality of ICT technology along with talent management being used in organizations in one of the regions in the Czech Republic. Out of a group of 237 respondents (all organizations) selected for a survey, 96. % had said talent management had not been put into practice in their organization. In another survey, 118 of 228 respondents had said they were not familiar with the process. In relation to my topic, this article does stress the importance of using technology to improve business communication, how to use it efficiently, and that it’s most effective along w ith human interaction. However, it does not discuss how to keep technology in perspective, the importance of reconnecting with people frequently, and the flaws and distractions of technology if used inappropriately. Tsai, C. , Wang, C. , & Lu, M. 2011). Using The Technology Acceptance Model To Analyze Ease of Use of A Mobile Communication System. Retrieved from http://web. ebscohost. com. libproxy. auc. ca This article discusses the use of mobile communications to relay specific bodies of knowledge. It states that if mobile communications is to be used as a communication medium, it should have a simple design that users can implement in their life on a daily basis. Doing so will make people more willing to use the technology and thus improving communication. In an experiment of 230 participants, the results showed that this research had atisfactory reliability and validity. Therefore, this information is relevant to my topic because it discusses improvement through technology of com munication. But keeping technology in perspective, connecting with people frequently, and using communication technologies productively is not discussed. People should have this knowledge to avoid the negative effects from the use of technology. Bubou, G. M. (2011). Platform Technologies and Socio-economic Development: The Case ofInformation and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in Nigeria. Retrieved fromhttp://web. bscohost. com. libproxy. auc. ca In this case study, the nation of Nigeria is examined to see how far it has developed during the period of 2001-2009 with the use of ICT and how ICT will assist to obtain the strategic vision ‘Vision 20/20/20’ to improve Nigeria’s economy . It is now among the top 10 countries in Africa with the highest telecommunication users. In 2001, the tele-density of Nigeria was a measly 0. 73%. By the end of December 2010, it grew to 63. 11%. Even internet usage has gone up, from 24% in 2007 to 42% in 2009 with over 83 million subscribers.A major milestone that made this possible was the launch of the first African communication satellite (NigComSat1). Over $12 billion of Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) has flowed into the country. At a macroeconomic level, the GDP has increased by 27. 8% from N6. 7 billion in 2004 to N8. 6 billion in 2005. In 2010, it is said this sector will contribute to 1. 62% of GDP, with over 50. 9% growth in contribution to GDP. In comparison to my topic, the improvement through technology for Nigeria is emphasized greatly.However, it has not touched base on the other areas of my topic. Although the growth and development of this country has heavily been impacted by the development and implementation of ICTs, the topic of ICT should be discussed in more detail. All aspects should be covered, including the negative effects. Bonnie, C. How Do Businesses Use Communication Technology to Improve Their Performance? Retrieved from http://smallbusiness. chron. com This article discusses ho w communication can be key when it comes to keeping all workers in the loop. As it is mentioned, ‘what’s new’ section on the company website can keep everyone up-to-date with what’s going on with the company. Instant messaging programs can help communicate important information or instructions quickly and efficiently. It can also update coworkers and supervisors of an employee’s status, whether they are in a meeting, at their desk, or out of the office. Email is still a popular method of communication and is ideal when a business has multiple offices in multiple areas. In regards to my topic, productive use of technology for business improvement is demonstrated well in this article.Yet they have not included the downsides of instant messaging. It can prove to be quite distracting. Employees can potentially misuse IM for non-work related discussion, and thus decreasing productivity. As well, it has failed to mention keeping technology in perspective and how important it is to connect with people frequently. Applegate, J. (1999, Nov). Black Enterprise. Retrieved from http://books. google. ca (110-118) In this article, it is discussed how crucial it is to use technology to run a business.Suggestions are made for different types of technologies that any business should have for its’ day to day operations. Included in these suggestions are cellular phones, two-way pagers, multi-function boxes (printer/scanner/fax/copier), internet service providers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, online employee training, voicemail, and creating a website. This article discusses improvement of business through technology but forgets to mention the cons of misuse for technology, keeping technology in perspective, and the importance of connecting with people.You would want to ensure that employees are using their technological tools for work purposes. For interpersonal communication, these tools are great. But you do not want to grow dependent on them. It’s not meant to think and communicate for you. Communicating through a phone all day may be convenient, but it good to stay in touch face-to-face with your workers and contacts. It’s good to know people for who they are, because behind a computer or phone, they are just another voice.