Learner autonomy has been defined as 'a capacity to control important aspects of one's learning'(Benson, 2013, p. 852). In the teaching of additional languages, learner autonomy dates back at least to the 1970s. For instance, Trim, who was a leader in the teaching of additional languages in Europe, stated that a goal of language education was to: make the process of language learning more democratic by providing the con- ceptual tools for the planning, construction and conduct of courses closely geared to the needs, motivations and characteristics of the learner and enabling him [sic] so far as possible to steer and control his own progress. (1978, p. 1)
Black and white Americans tend to have different names today. This divide was long in the making. I show that the racial divergence in naming patterns was a gradual and continuous process spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I then exploit the migration of households from the South to determine if place matters for name choices. Children born after their households moved receive names that are less black or more white than their older siblings, a difference that widens with time spent outside the South. This may reflect the cultural assimilation of households rather than a response to economic incentives.
Nowadays, computer virus attacks are getting very advanced. New obfuscated computer virus created by computer virus writers will generate a new shape of computer virus automatically for every single iteration and download. This constantly evolving computer virus has caused significant threat to information security of computer users, organizations and even government. However, signature based detection technique which is used by the conventional anti-computer virus software in the market fails to identify it as signatures are unavailable. This research proposed an alternative approach to the traditional signature based detection method and investigated the use of machine learning technique for obfuscated computer virus detection. In this work, text strings are used and have been extracted from virus program codes as the features to generate a suitable classifier model that can correctly classify obfuscated virus files. Text string feature is used as it is informative and potentially only use small amount of memory space. Results show that unknown files can be correctly classified with 99.5% accuracy using SMO classifier model. Thus, it is believed that current computer virus defense can be strengthening through machine learning approach.
PurposePrevious research has posited country image to operate at two levels: the country's macro image, based on general politico-economic descriptors of the country, and the country's micro image, based on perceptions of products from the country. The purpose of this paper is to further explore this premise in a practical study, using a psychometric assessment of macro and micro country images by ascertaining the nature of differences in macro and micro images of leading exporters, the USA and China, for consumers in Malaysia, a top import destination of US and Chinese goods; the images of Malaysian goods were similarly assessed.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a systematic sample, with questionnaires distributed to adult respondents using a street intercept. Interviewers asked every other passer-by to fill out a questionnaire, and stood in close proximity to address any questions from respondents. The study hypothesized that there is a significant difference between country macro and micro image, respectively for the USA, China and Malaysia, and that there is significant relationship between country macro image and country micro image in each country, respectively, USA, China and Malaysia.FindingsThe study found support for the reliability of existing country micro and macro image measures, and further refined them for increased validity. The study compared between the countries and found significant differences on both macro and micro dimensions of country image. The US scored highest on technological research, high quality products, standards of living, labor costs, welfare system, industrialization, civilian government, development, literacy, free-market system and democracy, followed by China on technological research, industrialization, development and free-market system, with Malaysia scoring higher on product quality, labor costs, welfare system, civilian government is civilian/non-military, literacy, free-market system and democracy.Research limitations/implicationsA broader study of countries that share geopolitical and cultural similarities might offer additional insights into country macro and micro image.Practical implicationsThe study cautions marketers to assess the acceptance of their products in the context of their country's macro and micro image perceptions in target markets, and steer those perceptions in a manner that would be beneficial to their marketing efforts.Originality/valueThe conceptualization of themacroandmicroaspects of country image has been one of the less studied dimensions of country image. This study is the first to address these dimensions from an emerging-market perspective, suggesting that, at themacrolevel, country perceptions regarding technology, economy, and politics contribute to an overall impression of the country, which would then influence the desirability of its products originating there. For themicrocountry image, products from countries perceived as innovative, excelling in product design, and producing prestigious products, are likely to be perceived as desirable.
Purpose – Previous research has posited country image to operate at two levels: the country's macro image, based on general politico-economic descriptors of the country, and the country's micro image, based on perceptions of products from the country. The purpose of this paper is to further explore this premise in a practical study, using a psychometric assessment of macro and micro country images by ascertaining the nature of differences in macro and micro images of leading exporters, the USA and China, for consumers in Malaysia, a top import destination of US and Chinese goods; the images of Malaysian goods were similarly assessed. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a systematic sample, with questionnaires distributed to adult respondents using a street intercept. Interviewers asked every other passer-by to fill out a questionnaire, and stood in close proximity to address any questions from respondents. The study hypothesized that there is a significant difference between country macro and micro image, respectively for the USA, China and Malaysia, and that there is significant relationship between country macro image and country micro image in each country, respectively, USA, China and Malaysia. Findings – The study found support for the reliability of existing country micro and macro image measures, and further refined them for increased validity. The study compared between the countries and found significant differences on both macro and micro dimensions of country image. The US scored highest on technological research, high quality products, standards of living, labor costs, welfare system, industrialization, civilian government, development, literacy, free-market system and democracy, followed by China on technological research, industrialization, development and free-market system, with Malaysia scoring higher on product quality, labor costs, welfare system, civilian government is civilian/non-military, literacy, free-market system and democracy. Research limitations/implications – A broader study of countries that share geopolitical and cultural similarities might offer additional insights into country macro and micro image. Practical implications – The study cautions marketers to assess the acceptance of their products in the context of their country's macro and micro image perceptions in target markets, and steer those perceptions in a manner that would be beneficial to their marketing efforts. Originality/value – The conceptualization of the macro and micro aspects of country image has been one of the less studied dimensions of country image. This study is the first to address these dimensions from an emerging-market perspective, suggesting that, at the macro level, country perceptions regarding technology, economy, and politics contribute to an overall impression of the country, which would then influence the desirability of its products originating there. For the micro country image, products from countries perceived as innovative, excelling in product design, and producing prestigious products, are likely to be perceived as desirable.
What was the return to education in the United States at mid-century? In 1940, the correlation between years of schooling and earnings was relatively low. In this article, we estimate the causal return to schooling in 1940, constructing a large linked sample of twin brothers to account for differences in unobserved ability and family background. We find that each additional year of schooling increased labor earnings by approximately 4 percent, about half the return found for more recent cohorts in twins studies. These returns were evident both within and across occupations and were higher for sons from lower socio-economic status families.
