INTRODUCTION

CONTACT CENTER
Information and Communications
SERVICES Technology (ICT) Services has an important role in
the world since we are now in the information age
era. It is also very important in our daily lives. The
Grade 11 lack of appropriate information at the right time will
result in low productivity, low
quality research works, and waste of time to
pursue information and even to do research which
actually others had done or in other countries.
Nowadays ICT cannot be separated with our daily
needs.

Digital computer and networking has changed our economy

concept to the economy with no boundary in time and space because of ICT.
It brings a lot of advantages for economic development
enabling millions of transactions to happen in an easy and fast way.

ICT is one of the economic development pillars to gain

national competitive advantage. It can improve the quality of human life
because it can be used as a learning and education media, the mass
communication media in promoting and campaigning practical and
important issues, such as the health and social area. It provides wider
knowledge and can help in gaining and accessing information.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is

basically our society’s efforts to teach its current and emerging
citizens valuable knowledge and skills around computing and
communications devices, software that operates them, applications that run
on them and systems that are built with them.

As a matter of fact, we are living in a constantly evolving

digital world. ICT has an impact on nearly every aspect of our
lives – from working to socializing, learning to playing. The digital age has
transformed the way young people communicate, network, seek help, access
information and learn. We must recognize that young people are now an
online population and access is through a variety of means such as
computers, TV and mobile phones.
INTRODUCTION 1
 In the last few decades, the world has witnessed rapid change, most no-
It is in this premise that educational technology and e-learning is taught
ticeably the emergence of a "new communication society". The adoption of tech-
in or out of the classroom since educational technology is used by learners and
nology is an impressive global phenomenon, in terms of its intensity and usage. It
educators in homes, schools and businesses especially in contact centers.
is obvious that new technology has enabled the development of new services from
Contact center courses train students to adequately respond to which firms are called upon to create value. This shifting
customers’ feedback and fulfil the business' obligations. Standalone courses for technology environment raises serious questions for executives about how to help
aspiring contact center employees are available from their companies capitalize on the ongoing transformation. Being
colleges and universities. For those who want a more comprehensive technology-driven, call centers are presently the primary source of contact for cus-
education in customer service, there are certificate and associate's degree tomers in many industries.
programs that concentrate on fields related to contact center customer service or
Contact centers are increasingly becoming a part of our lives today as
supervision. Some programs are geared toward aspiring information
much as ATMs, self-service machines and internet shopping does, all of which are
technology help desk professionals, while others are geared toward any type of call
ways to deliver service to customers. Contact centers are used by organizations in
center environment.
a wide range of contexts, and they are presently the primary source of contact for
A standalone comprehensive contact center course often customers in many industries, from banking and
covers professional communication, customer service skills and insurance to government services and health. It is a fact that many
telephone etiquette. Students in certificate and associate's degree organizations clearly recognize customer service as the way to differentiate
programs may take individual courses in computer systems, call their offers and be distinguished from their competitors. Various
center operations and communication. They gain the skills needed to type on a empirical studies have found that customers who are treated well tend to
keyboard, work with customer databases, answer perceive the service provider positively, complain less, be more loyal, and pay a
telephones professionally and solve customer problems. Simulations may be higher price.
included to give students an opportunity to practice handling calls.
In the Philippines, the Contact Center industry has vastly helped
Contact center agents are becoming increasingly important in the contact decrease unemployment rates and keep our economy afloat. Due to the
centre context. They act as a contact point between the customer and the company. various job openings and the day-long recruitment process it takes to fill these
Contact center agents should have positions, more and more people see the need to work as a contact center agent.
certain competencies to perform their duties sufficiently. Identifying
competencies, required to be effective agents, will ease the task of training and Here are the top lists of opportunities for Contact center services as a
recruitment. Due to the interrelatedness of the contact center agent, the manage- career:
ment of a call centre and customers, all
1. Potential Higher Earnings & Benefits
relevant role players’ perceptions were taken into account. By using
qualitative analysis to analyse the data, various competencies needed to As a contact center agent, you're likely to get a higher basic pay as com-
function effectively in a call centre were identified. pared to the other jobs nowadays. For an entry level position one can receive
₱15,000 as their starting
Contact center services includes handling phone calls, emails, live chat
salary and this compensation only increases for employees with prior BPO/call
messages, SMS texts, and support tickets for companies. The nature of the calls
center experience or those with more skills. The compensation
and messages that the contact center agents handle can vary from simple bill pay-
package is also much higher for jobs that require more chal-
ments and order inquiries to complex support questions and complaints.
lenging customer service interactions, particular experience
(e.g. dealing with medical records; handling technical support
and financial records), or upon promotions to supervisory or
managerial positions.

INTRODUCTION 2 INTRODUCTION 3
2. Develop Valuable Skills and Experience
5. Opportunity is Open to Nearly Everyone
Contact center agents are able to
develop more skills at a faster rate. Because they have Contact centers do not discriminate. Almost all peo-
nearly over a hundred conversations per day, contact ple can apply as a contact center agent, regardless of
center agents have more opportunities to their gender, age, ethnicity or college degree. Espe-
improve their efficiency and learn faster from their mis-
takes. As contact centers nowadays tend to be more cially for the Philippines, it helps decreased the un-
complex - with customers calling in to inquire about employment rate and contribute to the growth of our
more complicated issues and inquiries - contact center economy. Although the standard minimum is that
agents have more opportunities to he/she must be within the age of majority and must at
improve in various areas such as their English communi- least have a high school diploma, most people who
cation skills, encoding data, enhancing their active lis-
tening skills, hone their problem-solving skills, and negotiating among others. Con- need to work fit the criteria. Also this job usually does not require any ex-
tact center agents will no doubt encounter difficult customers, but over time, they perience needed. The minimum requirement is normally to have good com-
learn how to appease them and help them find a solution to their problem. munication skill and the ability to navigate a computer. Which means that
3. Interaction with the People being a contact center agent is also all about performance and not about
gender, age or race.
In a job that deals with a variety of customers ranging in age, gender, loca-
tion and even ethnicity, 6. Reliable Career Advancement
contact center agents are able to interact with people from all Contact centers tend to have a high em-
walks of life. If you're an outgoing type of
ployee turnover rate, but for those who are deter-
person, this job is well-suited to your sociable nature; and if
mined to grow in their company they can see their
you're more of the shy type, this job will help you get out of
your comfort zone without the intimidation of efforts and hard work culminate in the form of
face-to-face interaction. In this industry, not only are you able promotions. Since contact centers generally have
to converse with people on a daily basis, but you're also able a fast-paced environment, job advancements are
to help them solve their problems implied. Agents normally first get promoted to
"team leader/team captain", then eventually "operation manager" (and, po-
4. Camaraderie with Colleagues tentially, beyond). Team leaders are usually tasked with assisting teams,
and managers are tasked with making sure that everyone in the teams are
Contrary to popular belief, there is much inter-
performing and contributing to the success of the department.
action in working in a call center; not just with custom-
ers, but with co-workers and the people working Being a contact center agent is not for everyone. It takes special
around you. Because you, and the people in your sur- patience, understanding, skill and perseverance to be able to thrive and
rounding work space, may have the same shifting grow in the industry.
schedules, there is a tendency to develop a good cama-
raderie and friendships with them. In
order to break the monotony in call centers, most con-
tact centers have an informal setting where the compa-
ny culture allows
employees to talk between calls and overall build posi-
tive work relationships.

INTRODUCTION 4 INTRODUCTION 5
 LESSON
1 2. Dependability
PERSONAL One of the most critical qualities for a good
contact center agent is reliability. You’ve probably
ENTREPRENEURIAL had a job where if someone missed a day, everyone
around the office felt the effects. Making sure you
COMPETENCIES aren’t letting your co-workers down can go a very
long way in the eyes of your manager, and help further your career. This is one of
the main interpersonal skills consistently listed in research studies conducted on
Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies refers to the key characteristics call centers.
that should be possessed by successful entrepreneurs in order to perform entrepre-
neurial functions effectively. Competencies are defined as the combination of 3. Empathy
knowledge, abilities, and attitudes needed to accomplish a role efficiently. In Having empathy can help greatly enhance the
adopting this definition, we are relating the entrepreneurial competencies to the customer experience when they call in. Having agents
concept of efficacy, or performance in the opportunity identification process. who connect with callers, rather than making the cus-
Below are the main PECs that one should have as a practitioner/entrepreneur in tomers feel like they’re talking to a brick wall, can
Contact Center Services: help build brand loyalty and callers will likely have a
more positive experience.
Characteristics
4. Ability to focus on the ultimate goal
Having the ability to see where you fit in the
Characteristics define as features or qualities that belong to a “puzzle” is an important characteristic to look for when
certain person and make them recognizable. When a person possesses good char- hiring a contact center agent. Even the smallest of tasks
acter it can be observed through their actions. Having an excellent can greatly benefit the greater good of your company, so
contact center agent is just as important as having the right contact center soft- understanding that your contributions always matter.
ware. Candidates can be screened based on a variety of criteria, such as personali- 5. Critical thinking
ty, skill, fit and motivation, during the hiring process. Regardless of the list of pre- This may seem obvious, but being able to solve problems quick-
requisites, it’s helpful to know exactly what makes a successful agent. ly and while maintaining a
The following are the characteristics in Contact Center Servicing: professional demeanour is one of the most
important things a call center agent should possess.
1. Works well under pressure This is a massive benefit for an employee to have, but
not a required trait.
Working in a call center can be a pretty hectic environment, and keeping
6. Ability to follow instructions
calm under pressure is vital to providing a great
A company will likely have a standard operating proce-
experience for customers. Personality and
dure and best practices in place, so being able to make
interpersonal skills play a big part in call
sure you’re adhering to those is important. If one fails to
centers. You have to be prepared to deal with all types
follow even a simple SOPs, it is more likely that employ-
of problems at any given time, you never know when
ers may terminate the contract.
you may be connected with an irate caller.

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 6 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 7

7. Motivation 1. Patience
Per research done on contact centers, Not only is patience important to customers, who
motivation is one of the main skills that corre- often reach out to support when they are confused and
lates with success. However, as you hire more frustrated, but it’s also important to the business. Yet pa-
and more motivated people, it's important to tience shouldn’t be used as an excuse for slothful service
make sure your organization has growth paths
either!
and opportunities and additional incentives
2. Attentiveness
available - otherwise, people may get bored or
The ability to really listen to customers is so crucial for
complacent and move on to other opportuni- providing great service for a number of reasons.
ties. Not only is it important to pay attention to individual cus-
tomer experience (watching the language/terms that they
use to describe their problems), but it’s also important to
be mindful and attentive to the feedback that you re-
Attributes ceive at large.
An attribute is a quality or characteristic given to a per- For instance, customers may not be saying it outright, but perhaps there is a
pervasive feeling that your software’s dashboard isn’t laid out correctly.
son, group, or some other thing. Your best attribute might
Customers aren’t likely to say, “Please improve your UX!,” but they may
be your willingness to help others, example is when you say things like, “I can never find the search feature,” or, “Where is the
take time to assist a new agent in your team with the _____ function at again?” feeling that your software’s dashboard isn’t laid
standard operation procedures. out correctly.

3. Clear communication skills

Lifestyle Make sure you’re getting to the problem at
Lifestyle is expressed in both work and
hand quickly; customers don’t need your life story or
to hear about how your day is going. More im-
leisure behaviour patterns and (on an individual basis)
portantly, you need to be cautious about how some of
in activities, attitudes, interests, opinions, values, and your communication habits translate to customers,
allocation of income. It also reflects people's self-image and it’s best to err on the side of caution whenever
or self-concept; the way they see themselves and believe you find yourself questioning a situation.
they are seen by the others. What does the daily life of An example: The last time I went to get work
a contact center agent look like? Shifting schedules; Unpredictable clients; Al- done on my car, I was told by an employee that if I
ways competitive; and balancing work and life. wanted to get an oil change, it would be “included” in my final bill. This
sentences means: I thought that meant I’d be getting it for free, yet as it
Skills turns out, that wasn’t the case. The employee apologized and I truly believe
Contact center agents need to make sure they it was an accident (they just worked there), but I haven’t been back to that
have the skills for which hiring managers are looking. shop since because of the miscommunication.
Here are the top call center agent job skills you'll need to 4. Knowledge of the Product
land a job in a contact center: The best forward-facing employees in your com-
pany will work on having a deep knowledge of
how your product works. Without knowing your
product from front to back, you won’t know how
to help customers when they run into problems.

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 8 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 9

 It’s not that every single team member should be able to build your prod- 6. Acting Skills
uct from scratch, but rather they should know the ins and outs of how your product Sometimes you’re going to come across people that you’ll never be able to
works, just like a customer who uses it every day would. Every new Help Scout make happy.
employee, for example, is trained on customer support Situations outside of your control (they had a terrible day, or they are just
during their first or second week on the job — it’s a critical component of our em- a natural-born complainer) will sometimes creep into your usual support routine,
ployee on-boarding process. and you’ll be greeted with those “barnacle” customers that seem to want nothing

Knowing the product that you support inside and out is mission “Every great customer service representative will have those basic
critical for anyone in support,” says Help Scout support team member Elyse acting skills necessary to maintain their usual cheery persona in spite of
Roach. “Having that solid product foundation not only ensures you’ve got the best dealing with people who may be just plain grumpy”.
tricks up your sleeve to help customers navigate even the most
complex situations, it also helps you build understanding about their else but to pull you down.
experience so that you can become their strongest advocate.” 7. Time Management Skills
Despite my many research-backed rants on why you should spend more
4. Ability to use positive language time with customers, the bottom line is that there is a limit, and you need to be
Sounds like fluffy nonsense, but customer concerned with getting customers what they want in an efficient manner.
service involves having the ability to make minor The trick here is that this should also be applied when realizing when you
changes in your conversational patterns. This can simply cannot help a customer. If you don’t know the solution to a problem, the
truly go a long way in creating happy customers. best kind of support professional will get a customer over to someone who does.
Language is a very important part of
persuasion, and people (especially customers) 8. Ability to ‘Read’ Customers
create perceptions about you and your company
based off of the language that you use. Don’t waste time trying to go above and beyond for a customer
in an area where you will just end up wasting both of your time!
An example: Let’s say a customer contacts you with an interest in a partic-
ular product, but that product happens to be backordered until next month. You won’t always be able to see customers face-to-face, and in many in-
Responding to questions employ “positive language” can greatly stances (nowadays) you won’t even hear a customer’s
affect how the customer hears your response… voice!
That doesn’t exempt you from understanding
some basic principles of behavioural psychology and being
“Without positive language: “I can’t get you that product until next able to “read” the customer’s current emotional state. This
month; it is back-ordered and unavailable at this time.” is an important part of the personalization
With positive language: “That product will be available next month. I can process as well, because it takes knowing your customers
place the order for you right now and make sure that it is sent to you as soon as it to create a personal experience for them.
reaches our warehouse.” More importantly though, this skill
is essential because you don’t want to misread a customer
and end up losing them due to confusion and miscommuni-
The first example isn’t negative per se, but the tone it conveys feels abrupt cation. As Emily Triplett Lentz wrote in Boost Customer
and impersonal, and can be taken the wrong way by customers, especially in email Happiness with Exclamations and Emoticons:
support when the perception of written language can skew negative. “I rarely use a smiley face in a support email when the customer’s signa-
Conversely, the second example is stating the same thing (the item is una- ture includes “PhD,” for example — not that academics are
vailable), but instead focuses on when/how the customer will get to their resolution humourless, just that “:)” isn’t likely to get you taken seriously by someone who
rather than focusing on the negative. spent five years deconstructing utopian undertones in
nineteenth-century fictional autobiography.”

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 10 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 11

 Look and listen for subtle clues about their current mood, patience  What? When the problem is noticeably out of your league, what are you going
level, personality, etc., and you’ll go far in keeping your customer to send to the people above? The full conversation, just the
interactions positive important parts, or maybe some highlights and an example of a similar ticket?
 How? When it comes time to get someone else involved, how are you
9. A Calming Presence going to contact them? For instance, at Help Scout we use our own
There are a lot of metaphors for this type of personality: “keeps their cool,” product to assign conversations to another team member, or @mention the per-
“staying cool under pressure,” and so on, but it all represents the same thing: the son from whom we need help in a note within the conversation.
ability some people have to stay calm and even influence others when things get a
little hectic. I've had my fair share of hairy hosting 12. Persuasion skills
situations, and I can tell you in all honesty that the #1 reason I stick with Experienced customer support agent know that of-
certain hosting companies is due to the ability of their customer support team to tentimes, you will get messages in your inbox that are more
keep me from pulling my hair out. about the curiosity of your
The best customer service reps know that they can’t let a heated company’s product, rather than having problems with it.
customer force them to lose their cool; in fact it is their job to try to be the “rock” To truly take your customer service skills to the next
for a customer who thinks the world is falling down due to their level, you need to have some mastery of persuasion so you can convince interested
current problem. customers that your product is right for them (if it truly is).
It’s not about making a sales pitch in each email, but it is about not letting
10. Goal-Oriented Focus potential customers slip away because you couldn’t create a
Many customer service experts have shown how giving employees unfet- compelling message that your company’s product is worth purchasing!
tered power to “WOW” customers doesn’t always generate the returns many busi-
nesses expect to see. 13. Tenacity
That’s because it leaves employees without goals, and business goals + cus- Call it what you want, but a great work ethic and a willingness to do what
tomer happiness can work hand-in-hand without resulting in poor needs to be done (and not take shortcuts) is a key skill when providing the kind of
service. service that people talk about.
Relying on frameworks like the Net Promoter Score can help The memorable customer service stories out there (many of which had a
businesses come up with guidelines for their employees that allow plenty of free- huge impact on the business) were created by a single employee who refused to just
dom to handle customers on a case-to-case basis, but also leave them priority solu- do the “status quo” when it came to helping someone out.
tions and “go-to” fixes for common problems. 14. Closing Ability
To be clear, this has nothing to do with “closing sales” or other related
11. Ability to Handle Surprises Remembering that your customers are people too, and knowing that
Sometimes the customer support world is going to throw you a putting in the extra effort will come back to you ten-fold should be your
curveball. Maybe the problem you encounter isn’t specifically covered in the com- driving motivation to never “cheat” your customers with lazy service.
pany’s guidelines, or maybe the customer isn’t reacting how you thought they
would.
Whatever the case, it’s best to be able to think on your feet but it’s terms. Being able to close with a customer means being able to end the conversation
even better to create guidelines for yourself in these sorts of situations. with confirmed customer satisfaction (or as close to it as you can achieve) and with
Let’s say, for instance, you want to come up with a quick system for when the customer feeling that everything has been taken care of (or will be). Getting
you come across a customer who has a product or service problem you’ve never booted after a customer service call or before all of their problems have been ad-
seen before ... dressed is the last thing that customers want, so be sure to take the time to
 Who? One thing you can decide right off the bat is who you should confirm with customers that each and every issue they had on deck has
consider your “go-to” person when you don’t know what to do. The CEO might been entirely resolved.
be able to help you, but you can’t go to them with every single question! Define
a logical chain for yourself to use, then you won’t be left wondering who

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 12 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 13

 TRAITS
Your willingness to do this shows the customer three very
important things: Traits define as a particular characterize that can pro-
• That you care about getting it right duce a particular type of behaviour.
• That you're willing to keep going until you solve their problems Positive character traits are those things that draw us to
other people. When someone is generous, kind, energet-
ic, or optimistic they exude energy that attracts others.
Of course, who wouldn’t want to spend time with a
warm, open, and loving
When you get a customer to, “Yes, I’m all set!” is when you know the conver-
sation is over. person?
Now, when we turn the mirror back on ourselves, many
15. Empathy times we notice not-so-positive character traits…things
Perhaps empathy — the ability to understand and share the feelings of anoth- like jealousy, selfishness, immaturity, or greed. These can all be changed. If you are
er — is more of a character trait than a skill. But since empathy can be learned and not getting the results you want in life, the first place to look is at how you are inter-
improved upon, we’d be remiss not to include it here. In fact, if your organization acting with the world.
tests job applicants for customer service aptitude, you’d be hard pressed to look for a Every job requires a candidate to have certain skills or traits and working as
more critical skill than empathy. a call center agent is no different. Think you have what it takes to be an exceptional
That’s because even when you can’t tell the customer exactly what they want call center agent? You may be surprised about the traits that make a good agent. The
to hear, a dose of care, concern and understanding will go a long way. A support career demands creativity, communication and the ability to work in a fast-paced
rep’s ability to empathize with a customer and craft a environment without breaking a sweat.
message that steers things toward a better outcome can It’s why the industry has such a high turnover rate — but you may have
often make all the difference. what it takes to become the greatest call center agent yet. Okay, maybe that was an
exaggeration, but only a slight one. Find out below the five traits that make an ex-
16. Willingness to learn cellent call center agent.
If you came across this article and read all the
way to the bottom, you likely already have this skill 1. Communication
(nice job!). Communication is required when it comes to call center agent skills, but
This is probably the most general skill on the being a world-class communicator sets agents apart from one another. Your com-
list, but it’s still necessary. munication skills extend
That’s a big part of why happiness beyond speaking to encompass listening to and understanding a cus-
ratings are built into our help desk product, and team members can access and learn tomer’s needs.
from reports detailing their customers’ happiness over time.
2. Memorization
Those who don’t seek to improve what they do, whether it’s build- Memorization is something new call center agents
ing products, marketing businesses, or helping customers, will get left struggle with, as there’s a lot of information to
behind by the people willing to invest in their skills. digest. You have the appetizer of company
values followed by the main course of company products and
finally the dessert of company
policies. If you’re able to memorize this detailed
information, you’re on your way to becoming a
one-of-a-kind agent.

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 14 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES— TRAITS 15

 3. Creativity Worksheet # 1: Personal Entrepreneurial Competences
Creativity is a call center agent skill most
people don’t expect. Agents with a talent for
creativity, however, can help meet a caller’s unique Answer the questionnaire based on your personal and honest views as there are no
needs — which may not be detailed in the compa- wrong answers. Remember that no one is good at everything.
ny’s script — through customized PECs SELF-RATING QUESTIONNAIRE
solutions. These solutions can then be RATING
incorporated into your center’s policies and used for 1. I look for things that need to be done. ______
similar future calls. Satisfied customers, thanks to 2. When faced with a difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to
creative agents, also end their call with a positive view of your company. find a solution. ______
3. I complete my work on time. ______
4. Speed 4. It bothers me when things are not done very well. ______
Speed is a key trait for making a good call center 5. I prefer situations in which I can control the outcomes as much as
agent. It’s also a skill employers value, because agents possible. ______
need to process calls fast in order to move on and help
more clients in turn. If you’re a speedy call center 6. I like to think about the future. ______
agent, you also have first dibs on the nickname “Road 7. When starting a new task or project, I gather a great deal of
Runner” or “Speedy Gonzalez.” You’ll also find that information before going ahead. ______
your callers will be a bit more pleasant if they’ve had 8. I plan a large project by breaking it down into smaller tasks ______
a shorter waiting time. 9. I get others to support my recommendations. ______
10. I feel confident that I will succeed at whatever I try to do. ______
5. Organization 11. No matter whom I'm talking to, I'm a good listener. ______
Organization is one of the most important 12. I do things that need to be done before being asked to do so
skills for a call center agent. Because you’re ` by others. ______
working in a fast-paced environment, as 13. I try several times to get people to do what I would like them to do.
well as modifying client accounts and docu-
______
ments, it’s essential you’re organized to pre-
vent mistakes. Call centers often help agents 14. I keep the promises I make. ______
reach a certain level of organization through 15. My own work is better than that of other people I work with.______
software that makes calling and writing cus- 16. I don't try something new without making sure I will succeed.______
tomer notes easier and more seamless for 17. It's a waste of time to worry about what to do with your life. ______
your call center team. 18. I seek the advice of people who know a lot about the tasks
I'm working on. ______
19. I think about the advantages and disadvantages of different
ways of accomplishing things. ______
20. I do not spend much time thinking about how to influence others.
______
21. I change my mind if others disagree strongly with me. ______

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES— TRAITS 16 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES— TRAITS 17

22. I feel resentful when I don't get my way. ______ 46. I try several ways to overcome things that get in the way of
23. I like challenges and new opportunities. ______ reaching my goals. ______
24. When something gets in the way of what I'm trying to do, I keep 47. My family and personal life are more important to me than
on trying to accomplish what I want. ______ work deadlines I set for myself. ______
25. I am happy to do someone else's work if necessary to get the job 48. I do find ways to complete tasks faster at work and at home. ______
done on time. ______ 49. I do things that others consider risky. ______
26. It bothers me when my time is wasted. ______ 50. I am as concerned about meeting my weekly goals as I am
27. I weigh my chances of succeeding or failing before I decide to do for my yearly goals. ______
something. ______ 51. I go to several different sources to get information to help with
28. The more specific I can be about what I want out of life, the more tasks or projects. ______
chance I have to succeed. ______ 52. If one approach to a problem does not work, I think of
29. I take action without wasting time gathering information. ______ another approach. ______
30. I try to think of all the problems I may encounter and plan what 53. I am able to get people who have strong opinions or ideas
to do if each problem occurs. ______ to change their minds. ______
31. I get important people to help me accomplish my goals. ______ 54. I stick with my decisions even if others disagree strongly with me______
32. When trying something difficult or challenging, I feel confident 55. When I don't know something, I don't mind admitting it. ______
that I will succeed. ______
33. In the past, I have had failures. ______
34. I prefer activities that I know well and with which I am comfortable.______
35. When faced with major difficulties, I quickly go on to other things. ______ PECs SELF-RATING QUESTIONNAIRE
36. When I'm doing a job for someone, I make a special effort to Scoring Sheet
make sure that the person is happy with my work. ______
37. I'm never entirely happy with the way in which things are done; Instructions:
I always think there must be a better way. ______
38. I do things that are risky. ______ 1. Enter the ratings from the completed questionnaire on the lines above the item
39. I have a very clear plan for my life. ______ numbers in parentheses. Notice that the item numbers in each column are con-
40. When working for a project for someone, I ask many questions secutive. Item No. 2 is below item No. 1 and so forth.
to be sure I understand what the person wants. ______
41. I deal with problems as they arise rather than spend time 2. Do the addition and subtraction in each row to compute each PEC score. Watch
to anticipate them. ______ carefully the plusses (+) and minuses (-) to come up with the correct computation.

42. In order to reach my goals, I think of solutions that benefit Check twice or thrice if you have obeyed this rule!
everyone involved in the problem. ______ 3. Add all the PEC scores to compute the total score.
43. I do very good work. _____ Rating of Statements Score PEC
44. There have been occasions when I took advantage of someone. ______
45. I try things that are very new and different from what I have
done before. ______

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 18 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 19

 ______ + ______ + ______ - ______ + ______ +6 = ______ Opportunity Note that the correction factor is very important for the calculation of the final.
(1) (12) (23) (34) (45) Seeking PECs SELF-RATING QUESTIONNAIRE
______ + ______+ ______ - ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Persistence Corrected Score Sheet
(2) (13) (24) (35) (46) Instructions:
1. The correction factor (the total of items 11, 22, 33, 44, and 55) is used to determine whether or
______ + ______ + ______ + ______ - ______ + 6 = ______ Commitment to not a person tries a very favourable image of himself. If the total score on this factor is 20 or
(3) (14) (25) (36) (47) Work Contract greater, then the total score on the ten PECs must be corrected to provide a more accurate assess-
ment of the strengths of the PEC score for that
______ + ______ + ______ + ______ - ______ + 6 = ______ Demand for individual.
(4) (15) (26) (37) (48) Quality & Efficiency 2. Use these following numbers when figuring the corrected score:

______ - ______ + ______ + ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Risk Taking

(5) (16) (27) (38) (49)

______ - ______ + ______ + ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Goal Setting

(6) (17) (28) (39) (50)

______ + ______ - ______ + ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Information

(7) (18) (29) (40) (51) Seeking 3. Use the next page (Corrected Score Sheet) to correct each PEC score before using the Profile
Sheet.

______ + ______ + ______ - ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Systematic

PECs SELF-RATING QUESTIONNAIRE
(8) 19) (30) (41) (52) Planning & Monitoring
Corrected Score Sheet
______ - ______ + ______ + ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Persuasion and
(9) (20) (31) (42) (53) Networking

______ - ______ + ______ + ______ + ______ + 6 = ______ Self-Confidence

(10) (21) (32) (43) (54)

Total PEC Score ______

Correction factor computation

______ - ______ - ______ - ______ + ______ + 18 = ______ Correction

(11) (22) (33) (44) (55) Factor

PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 20 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 21

I. Role Playing: Form 4-6 members and make a role play regarding the discussed LESSON
ENVIRONMENT
PECS.
II. Answer the following guide questions on a separate sheet of paper. Share your
answers with the class.
2
AND MARKET
1. What are the desirable personal characteristics, attributes, lifestyles, skills, and
traits of a prospective entrepreneur? Why are these important? The Philippines is a well-known global destination for world-class call
centers that can cater to your back office support needs. The country has a huge
talent pool, many of which are graduates of business and engineering courses. It
is also a perfect call center location because its human capital speaks English
more naturally. While India is a good competitor in the call center industry,
many investors still prefer Filipinos’ neutral accent.
Majority of the country’s call centers also follow strict safety protocols
to protect their clients’ confidential data and other information assets. In fact,
there are ISO certified call center companies in the Philippines which have an
information security management system in place. It signifies that outsourcing in
the Philippines is not only cheap but also safe.
2. Why is there a need to assess one’s PECs in terms of characteristics, attributes, Most BPO companies in the Philippines are customer service call cen-
lifestyles, skills, and traits before starting a particular business? ters that can handle basic to complex services such as help desk and order tak-
ing. Telemarketing, or the practice of reaching out to customers to generate qual-
ity leads, is one of the most in-demand jobs that foreign companies outsource to
the country. It is an integral part of any business because it opens several oppor-
tunities to generate more sales (for both B2C and B2B) and develop partnerships
(B2B).

According to Magellan Solutions company, the following are the Top

Philippine BPO Destinations:
*Cities that have high potential in catering to the increasing
3. Are there other strategies or approaches where you can assess your PECs? Ex- demands on the BPO industry in terms of talent,
plain how these strategies will become more useful in selecting a viable Market (Towns)
business venture.
ESTABLISHED *NEXT WAVES **NEW EMERG-
PHILIPPINE HUBS CITIES ING CITIES
Metro Manila Baguio City Balanga City
Metro Cebu Cagayan de Oro City Batangas City
Metro Clark (Pampanga Dagupan City Iriga City
Bacolod City Dasmariñas City Laoag City
Dumaguete City Legazpi City
Lipa City Puerto Princesa City
Malolons City Roxas City
Naga City Tarlac City
Sta. Rosa City Tuguegarao City
Taytay City Zamboanga City
PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES 21 ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 22
 Choosing the right call center company that would handle your telemarketing efforts Market (Competitors)
can make all the difference for your business. But as call centers continue to prolifer-
ate, finding the perfect partner can be quite a thing. In order to make sure that you Any industry that seeks to interact with customers can benefit from a contact
pick the best out of the wide selection that you have, you need to look at the right center. Examples include:
places. By doing so, you can come up with a comprehensive list of call centers that
can assist your business in generating leads and increasing sales. Airlines - Customers call airline toll-free numbers to engage with IVR menus or
to speak to customer service agents. Customers can check flight status, obtain flight
details and check frequent flyer mileage balances. In addition, flyers can speak to
Company # of Sites Estimated customer service agents to re-book a flight. When weather conditions, such as a large
Employees winter storm, cause flight delays or cancellations, it’s critical that airlines provide
Convergys 34 60,000+ quick response to customers’ needs.
Accenture 33 40,000+ Healthcare - Customers call healthcare providers to make appointments,
change or confirm appointments and to ask questions to physicians. When a medical
Teleperformance 20 42,000+ emergency arises during off-hours, healthcare providers can use outsourced call cen-
ters to receive calls, then route the calls to an on-call physician.
Teletech 18 25,000+ Retail - Customers call retail businesses for assistance before, during or after
SPI Global Services 7 22,000+ purchase. Before or during purchase, customers may ask a customer service agent
about shipping details or the retailer’s return policy. After a purchase, customers may
Sutherland Global Services 8 18,500+ call to report a missing item or request a return.
Transportation Network- Customers call transportation network companies
Contact centers are used by online merchants, telemarketing for assistance about the status of their account, trip details and payments. When a
companies, computer product help desks, transportation network companies, mail- customer, a driver for instance is unable to go online he/she cannot used the app to
order organizations, polling services, financial institutions, healthcare or medical pro- earn money. He/She should first comply with the requirements given by the compa-
viders, charities and any large organization that uses the telephone to sell and provide ny before he/she can go online.
products or services or enhance the customer experience.
Typically, an inbound call center handles a considerable volume of calls at
the same time, screens and forwards calls to someone qualified to
handle them and logs calls. An interactive voice response (IVR) system will answer
calls and utilize speech recognition technology to either address Consumer analysis is the process where information about the consumer is
customer queries with an automated message or route calls to the appropriate call found out from market research like the needs of the
center agents or recipients via an automated call distributor. consumer, the target market and the relevant de-
Agents in an inbound call center may handle calls from current or Consumer Analysis
mographics so that this information can be used in
potential customers regarding accounts management, scheduling, technical support, market segmentation for further steps of market research. It is very useful in predict-
complaints, queries about products or services, or intent to purchase from the compa- ing consumer behaviour.
ny. In an outbound call center, an agent makes calls on behalf of the company or cli- Customer analysis is a critical component of any business
ent for tasks, including lead generation, telemarketing, customer retention, fundrais- plan in all stages of growth. When you analyse your custom-
ing, surveying, collecting debts or scheduling ers, you define who your target market is, and decide how
appointments. To maximize efficiencies, calls are usually made with an you’ll reach them. A recent article in Forbes stated that 81%
automated dialer and then transferred to an available agent via an IVR system once a of enterprises rely on analytics to improve their understand-
connection with a person has been made. Outbound call centers must ensure compli- ing of customers.
ance with the National Do Not Call Registry, a list to which citizens can add their
phone numbers to avoid receiving unwanted solicitation calls.
A blended call center handles both inbound and outbound calls.

ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 23 ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 24

 1. Consumer Analysis through Observation Define customer archetypes. It’s crucial to under-
stand to whom you need to talk. Take your time when
you define the customer. Give them names. Don’t simply
list institutions. Understand their role.
Observation is quite vital when preparing for a business. Develop an agile mind set. While you want to keep
It will help you test the readiness of consumers for your the conversation on topic, it’s important to remain agile
product in a new place. It can also help you prudently when unexpected and new information arises. Agility will
choose the distribution channels while creating a large allow you to keep the interview going to collect more rel-
customer base at the same time. evant and meaningful information.
Observation should be done with the purpose of under- Be prepared to listen and learn. It bears repeating:
standing the existing customers. It has to reveal what you’re not selling anything. Your goal is to gather as
influences customers’ buying decisions, their values, much valuable information as possible. It helps to record customer interviews –
with permission – so you can stay fully engaged in the conversation while ensur-
what they enjoy most and source influence on their buy- ing you capture all of the information during the interview.
ing habits. Observation is meant to set a realistic target for both small scale Conduct in-person interviews, when possible. Phone calls and video chats
and large scale businesses. Information such as growth and sales are some of are convenient, but nothing replaces face-to-face interviews. They allow you to
the market elements you should tap into when setting targets. make a connection and better read people’s facial expressions and body language
Observation helps solve business problems. It will help you research when they’re sharing the information with you.
and work out what the problem is. For example, if you experience a decline in
sales, you might discover that there is reduced brand awareness in the market. 3. Consumer Analysis through Focus Group Discussion (FGD)

2. Consumer Analysis through Interviews A focus group can be extremely helpful to get
into the mind set of the customers and receive genuine,
One of the key ways that entrepreneurs un- helpful feedback for the company.
Using a focus group over other methods of customer
cover what works is through customer inter- feedback will allow us to have a full, multi-participant
views to discover critical information such discussion about the product – versus stagnant answers
as: What do the customers really need? on a computer screen.
Does your business idea meet that need? It will also allow us to interact with the custom-
But what’s the best way to conduct custom- ers and drive the conversation towards the specific, de-
er interviews? Many entrepreneurs think sired outcome. Like reviews, focus groups allow us to discover the feedback need
they already know how: what questions to to grow. But in order for our focus group to be successful and worthwhile, we
ask, what information to listen for, etc. need to ask our customers the right questions.
Conducting ineffective interviews, howev- There are 5 different types of questions that needs to be consider in FGD:
er, and then launching a product or service that no one really wants or needs A. Introductory Questions – These questions are usually open-ended questions
can create a lot of pain and wasted effort. Effective customer interviews can aimed at setting the tone for the focus group. They will gauge your
group’s interest-level and knowledge of the product, as well as set the
help you build a better business from the start. tone for the focus group discussion. Be sure to ask introductory questions
that will steer and drive the discussion in the way you want it to go.
Tips for Effective Customer Interviews Example:
Today’s topic is [your product]. What are your general feelings about it?
Before conducting customer interviews, there are a few things to con- What do you already know about this product? What is something you would like
sider: to learn more about it?

Focus on the problem. The first thing to understand: You are not selling
anything. Chances are you don’t have anything to sell yet, so focus on the
problem first.

ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 25 ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 26

 B. Competitor Questions – While it may seem counterintuitive, you should ask di-
rect questions about your competitors to know what your company can do better to F. Overall Usage and Opinion Questions – These questions will be more pointed
beat out the competition. You can receive feedback on what your competitors are than overall exit questions, but they will help you get a general feel from your cus-
doing that your customers like and also dislike to know that your company and tomers about your product and what drives them to use/not use it. This is also a
product is providing the best service out there for the market. good area to add in specific questions you may have about a certain aspect of your
Example: product, or if you are suspicious there may be a general feeling from consumers
• Who do you think is the largest competitor to our product? Why?
about your product that internally you cannot see.
• What features do you think are better in our competitor’s product?
Example:
C. Improvements & Dissatisfaction Questions – In order to gather productive data • How has your opinion of this product changed over the past three years?
and make the right changes to your product, you need to figure out what customers • Do you expect to buy this product again or use it more in the upcoming year?
are unhappy with currently. This will help you to get to the root of any issues you Why or why not?
are currently facing with your product, and it will take out any guess-work from
your company as to why customers might be choosing the competitor’s product G. Probing Questions – While driving the conversation through the use of follow-
over yours. up questions, you want customers to expand on their answers. This can be prompted
Example:
by using probing questions, or questions that will clarify.
• What are specific issues, concerns, or problems you’ve faced when using this
product? Example:
• How would you expect a customer service department to respond to this prob- • Can you please clarify why your usage of this product has declined/increased
lem? over the past three years?
• You said that you would be likely to choose/not choose our product over the
D. Positive Aspects of the Product Questions – Along with the areas for improve-
ment, you will want to ask your focus group what areas your product is excelling in competitors, why is that?
over the competitors. This will provide insight into the areas you should be expand- H. Closed-ended Questions – Although the main purpose of a focus group is to dis-
ing on or pouring more resources into that you know will be beneficial to the prod- cuss and go deeper than your face-value yes/no questions, if one of your objectives
uct and consumer. It will also help you avoid making any changes to features or
is to quantify data, you might want to add a few questions that allow you to count
aspects of your product that customers are truly enjoying and believe are function-
ing well already. specific answers and apply statistical techniques. Closed-ended questions that force
Example: the whole group to answer may also eliminate any group bias that has arise from a
• What are this product’s key strengths? few people dominating the conversation.
• What is your favorite aspect of our product and why? Example:
E. Specific Feature Information Questions – After gaining general satisfaction • Would you say you are satisfied with the performance of this product?
knowledge from your customers, you need to get into the specifics of your prod- • Would you pay Php XXX for this product?
ucts. If you fail to do this, then it will be more difficult to make specific improve- I. Exit Question – After all the desired topics have been discussed at length, you
ment changes to your product after analyzing the results of the focus group. You should end the conversation with exit questions to ensure nothing has been left un-
want to make sure you hear exactly what works well (or doesn’t) in this product, said. Want to make sure you and your customers don’t leave the room with any lin-
and you also want to hear how customers would do things differently with these gering doubts. To do this, ask questions to prompt participants to fill any holes in
features if they were in charge. the conversation.
Example: Example:
• If you could add any feature to our product, what would it be? Is there a specific topic we want to circle back to from this discussion to add or ex-
• Why?What features would make this product more useful in your daily life? pand on?

ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 27 ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 28

The Right Questions Are the Key to Focus Group Success
Worksheet #2: Environment and Market
The questions asked in a focus group are crucial. They will set the tone and
drive the entire discussion, which will make or break the results for your company
and your product. Directions: Answer the following questions:
Making sure you cover all of these areas when formulating your questions is
extremely important, as well as the way you word and ask them. 1. Why is consumer analysis important?
Always prompt your customers for more in order to get the most infor-
mation from them possible, but do so in a way that makes them feel comfortable and
that their opinion is truly valuable. From there, you’ll have a wealth of feedback and
information to analyze.

4. Consumer Analysis through Survey

The question of how to get customers to take your surveys

could be solved by looking into research on persuasion and the
concepts of consent. If you’re looking to increase your response 2. In your own opinion what is the best way of analyzing customer? Explain your
rate, read on. answer.
Surveys are fixed sets of questions, which are usually used to
collect quantifiable information (e.g. the percentage of people
happy with a particular product). Questions in surveys are usu-
ally:

• Multiple choice 3. Cite some possible reasons why a customer calls in for each of the following in-
• True/false or yes/no dustry.
• Rankings or ratings (e.g. 1-5, or strongly agree/disagree scales).

You can also include open-ended questions that give people the chance to
answer a question with a statement; however, these tend to be better suited to quali- Airlines
tative research methods such as focus groups and interviews where you can ask fol-
low-up questions to get more information.
Surveys are usually most effective when carried out face-to-face, but can Healthcare
also be completed over the phone, online, or through the post. Postal surveys are
generally better suited to existing customers as they have an affinity with your busi-
ness and are more likely to respond. Transportation Network
Keep your surveys short by not asking too many questions. Make sure your
questions are clear and easy to understand. This will help you get more useful infor-
mation and reduce the chances of participants losing interest or giving misleading Hotel
answers. Test your questions on friends or family to make sure they are easy to an-
swer.
Telecommunication Network

ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 29 ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET 30

 LESSON
2. Keep your installed applications up-to-date
A common method that computer infections use to infect your comput-
3 PERFORM BASIC COMPUTER er are security vulnerabilities in your installed programs. Common programs
that are targeted due to their large install base are web browsers, Microsoft
OPERATIONS AND INTERNET Office, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, Adobe Shockwave, and Oracle Java. In
order to make your computer as secure as possible, you need to make sure
NAVIGATION these programs are updated when new security fixes are released. The prob-
lem is that many people just ignore alerts about new updates, even though
these updates fix security problems that could allow hackers into your comput-
Safety Measures er.

If you are prompted by a known application that you commonly use

Internet safety is difficult, yet critical. Here are seven key steps to stating that there is a new update, just click the button to allow it to be updat-
keep your computer safe on the internet. ed. This is especially true for web browsers, which are commonly targeted by
The very concept of “internet safety” is almost an oxymoron these malicious code on web sites. If there is a new version of your web browser
days. available, you should upgrade it so that any security vulnerabilities are fixed.
It seems not a day goes by that we don’t hear some new kind of
threat aimed at wreaking havoc across machines connected to the internet. 3. Do not use the same password at every site
Here are some things that should do to stay safe. It has now become common to hear about a company who was
hacked and the hacker was able to access the company members email ad-
1. Always install Operating System updates dresses and passwords. If you use the same password at every site, and one
The most important steps for any computer user is to always install of those sites was hacked, the hacker now has your account information eve-
updates, especially security updates, when they become rywhere that you have an account. They can now login to your email, see
available for your operating system. When operating systems are what other accounts you have, banks that you use, etc and gather even more
developed, bugs, or programming errors, are unfortunately created that private information about you.
could cause security vulnerabilities or make your computer act It is very important to use a different password at every site where you
unexpectedly. Though the developers spend many hours trying to prevent have an account. Unfortunately, we all know it's not realistic and even possi-
these bugs, they are ultimately human, and bugs occur. It does not matter ble to remember a different password for every account you may own. To help
what operating system we are talking about, bugs are always introduced. with that you can use a password management program like Keep pass to
Due to this, companies will routinely release help you store your account information for each site you login to. Keep pass
updates and patches to fix any security vulnerabilities or errors as they are also contains plugins that allow you to automatically login to sites you visit us-
discovered. ing the information stored in its database. If you would rather not store your
In order for your computer to operate smoothly and safely it is imper- passwords in another program, then creating a standard password format is
ative that all users install updates, especially security updates, as they are better than using the same password at each site.
released. By not installing these updates you leave your computer at risk
from remote users hacking into them or viruses 4. Install and be sure to update your anti-virus software
exploiting these bugs to gain access to your computer. Thankfully, all mod- It is very important that your computer has antivirus software running
ern operating system provide easy methods for installing new on your machine. By having an antivirus program running, files and emails will
updates. In fact, most of these methods do all the work for you and just re- be scanned as you use them, download them, or open them. If a virus is found
quire you to click a prompt to allow the updates to install. Therefore, there in one of the items you are about to use, the antivirus program will stop you
really is no reason not to install them. from being able to run that program and infect yourself.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 31

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 32
 Is it also important to note that there is no point in running an antivirus
8. Do not open attachments from people you do not know
program if you do not make sure it has all the latest updates available to it. If you
Don't open an attachment from someone you do not know. Simple as that.
do not update the software, it will not know about any new viruses, Trojans,
If someone you do not know sends you something, just delete it. If you receive an
worms, etc that have been released into the wild since you installed the program. If
attachment from someone you know well, then you should still never open attach-
a new infection appears in your computer, the outdated antivirus program will not
ments that end with the following extensions: .exe, .pif, .com, or .bat. Attachments
know that it is bad, and not alert you when you run it and your computer becomes
are a common way that computer infections spread from computer to computer. As
infected. It is imperative that you update your Antivirus software at least once a
described in the previous tip, malware writers exploit default settings on operating
week (Even more if you wish) so that you are protected from all the latest threats.
systems to make attachments harmless looking so that you will then open them.

5. Use a firewall
9. Ignore emails that state you won a contest or a stranger asking for as-
The importance of using a Firewall on your computer or on your network sistance with their inheritance
cannot be stressed enough. Just because you have all the latest security updates, A common online scam are emails from strangers that state that you won a
you are still susceptible to unreported, unpatched, or unknown vulnerabilities that a contest or that they need help transferring money or receiving an inheritance. These
hacker may know about. Sometimes hackers discover new security holes in a soft- are all scams where they are trying to get your personal information in order to per-
ware or operating system long before the software company does and many people form identify theft or want to use you as part of a money laundering scheme. When
get hacked before a security patch is released. By using a firewall the majority of you receive these emails just delete them.
these security holes will not be accessible as the firewall will block the attempt.

10. Do not open attachments from people you do not know

6. Data Backup
Don't open an attachment from someone you do not know. Simple as that.
Backing up your data is not necessarily a way of keeping your computer
If someone you do not know sends you something, just delete it. If you receive an
safe, but it is a way of keeping your data safe. As you use your computer there may attachment from someone you know well, then you should still never open attach-
come a time that you cannot find a document or your hard drive fails. Having a ments that end with the following extensions: .exe, .pif, .com, or .bat. Attachments
regular backup of your data available saves you from the anguish of losing those are a common way that computer infections spread from computer to computer. As
hours of work or precious baby photos. described in the previous tip, malware writers exploit default settings on operating
systems to make attachments harmless looking so that you will then open them.
7. Enable the display of file extensions
It is important to enable file extensions so you can see the complete file 11. Ignore web pop ups that state your computer is infected or has a
name. A file extension, or file name extension, is the letters immediately shown problem
after the last period in a file name. Many viruses that are sent via email as attach- When browsing the web, it is not uncommon to be shown an advertise-
ments contain two periods. For example, [Link]. Since Windows is by de- ment that pretends to be an online anti-virus program. These advertisements will
fault configured to not display extensions, Windows will strip off the .exe and in- pretend to scan your computer and then state you are infected. It will then prompt
stead the file will appear as [Link]. To you this looks like harmless image file. you to install a piece of software.
Once you click on it, though, instead of an image opening, it actually runs the virus An example of this type of advertisement can be seen below:
and you become infected. Though a Mac hides file extensions by default as well,
this is less of a problem on that operating system.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 33 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 34
 chance that they may contain Trojans as well. It is very common for mal-
ware developers to distribute malware on P2P networks that pretends to be a pro-
gram required to view a movie or play a game. Therefore, it is strongly suggested
that you do not use Peer-to-Peer software for illegal activities as you will probably
get what you pay for.

15. When installing a piece of software, watch out for "bundled" tool bars
and programs that you may not want
A common practice used by free programs is to bundle others programs
with them. This allows the developer to offer a program for free, but still earn reve-
nue by bundling tool bars and other software in them. When installing a program,
please read through all the prompts and instructions carefully. If you come to a
screen where the program is asking if you wish to install another companies tool bar
or program, then please do some research as to whether or not you think these pro-
grams will be useful to you. If you do not wish to install these bundled programs,
then uncheck the option to install them.
On a general note, having too many browser tool bars can negatively
affect the functionality of your web browser. As most browsers have built-in search
fields that you can customize, there is typically no need to install separate search
tool bars unless they contain specific functionality that you would find useful.

If you see these types of advertisements, just close your browser to close the 16. When installing a piece of software, read the End User License Agree-
message. If you are having issues closing your browser, then you can use the Alt+F4 ment (EULA) so you know what you're getting into
keys in Windows or the Apple Key+Q in MacOS to force the program to close. When you install a piece of software be sure to read the end user license
agreement, or EULA, before allowing it to install. By law, a EULA must contain
12. Ignore and close web pop ups that pretend to be a Windows alert information on how this program will interact with your computer and use your pri-
Another tactic some software vendors use is to display web pop ups that vate information. If you find that a particular program is using your personal data or
pretend to be an alert from your operating system. These alerts look just like a Win- tracking your computer use, then you can use that information to determine if you
dows or Mac window, but are instead a web popup trying to get you to click on the really want to continue installing the software.
ad.

13. Some types of web sites are more dangerous than others
Some types of sites are more prone to distribute malware or use deceptive
Basic Computer Parts
techniques to have you click on ads. With this said, do not visit porn sites! I know
some of you may not be happy about this, but the reality is that many sites in this
category happily try to infect machines who visit them. Other sites that you can com-
monly become infected from are Warez and Crackz sites. Not only is pirated soft-
ware illegal, but the sites that distribute them are a breeding ground for malware.

14. Be vigilant when using Peer-To-Peer Software

Using a program like Bit torrent for legitimate applications is perfectly fine.
On the other hand, if you use P2P applications for copyrighted movies or software
there is a good

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 35 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 36
Input Devices: External buses are connections to various external components. There are
Devices that help us put data into the computer are called input devices. They help different kinds of slots that internal and external devices can connect to.
in giving instructions to the computer. Let us learn about a few input devices.
Internal
1. Monitor – A monitor looks like a TV screen. It shows whatever you type on the Types of Slots
keyboard or draw with the mouse. There are many different kinds of internal buses, but only a handful of popular
ones. Different computers come with different kinds and number of slots. It is im-
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU) - The processing device in a computer is CPU. portant to know what kind and number of slots you have on your computer before
All the inputs are stored, sorted, arranged and changed by a computer. The device you go out and by a card that matches up to a slot you don’t have.
that helps a computer do so is called the processing device. 1. PCI
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) is common in modern PCs. This kind of
bus is being succeeded by PCI Express. Typical PCI cards used in PCs include:
3. Keyboard - The keyboard is used for entering data into the computer system. It network cards, sound cards, modems, extra ports such as USB or serial, TV tuner
can type words, numbers and symbols. cards and disk controllers. Video cards have outgrown the capabilities of PCI be-
cause of their higher bandwidth requirements.
4. Mouse – The mouse is a pointing device. You can give input to the computer
with the help of the mouse.

5. Speakers – These are used for listening to recorded sound.

6. Printer – A printer prints the results of your work from the computer screen on a
sheet of paper. This is called a printout.

Connection of PC hardware and peripheral devices

A peripheral is a piece of computer hardware that is added to a computer
in order to expand its abilities. The term peripheral is used to describe those devic- PCI Express PCI Slots
es that are optional in nature, as opposed to hardware that is either demanded or PCI Express was introduced by Intel in
always required in principle. There are all different kinds of peripherals you can 2004. It was designed to replace the general-purpose PCI expansion bus and the
add your computer. The main distinction among peripherals is the way they are AGP graphics card interface. PCI express is not a bus but instead a point-to-point
connected to your computer. They can be connected internally or externally. connection of serial links called lanes. PCI Express cards have faster bandwidth
Buses then PCI cards which make them more ideal for high-end video cards.
A bus is a subsystem that transfers data between computer components
inside a computer or between computers. Unlike a point-to-point connection, a bus PCMCIA
can logically connect several peripherals over the same set of wires. Each bus de- PCMCIA (also referred to as PC Card) is the type of bus used for laptop
fines its set of connectors to physically plug devices, cards or cables together. computers. The name PCMCIA comes from the group who developed the standard:
There are two types of buses: internal and external. Internal buses are connections Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. PCMCIA was origi-
to various internal components. nally designed for computer memory expansion, but the existence of a usable gen-
eral standard for notbeook peripherals led to many kinds of devices being made
available in this form. Typical devices include network cards, modems, and hard
disks.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 37

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 38
 AGP
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) is a high-speed point-to-point channel PS/2
for attaching a graphics card to a computer’s motherboard, primarily to assist in the The PS/2 connector is used for connecting
acceleration of 3D computer graphics. AGP has been replaced over the past couple some keyboards and mice to a PC compatible
years by PCI Express. AGP cards and motherboards are still available to buy, but computer system. The keyboard and mouse
they are becoming less common. interfaces are electrically similar with the main
difference being that open collector outputs are
required on both ends of the keyboard inter-
face to allow bidirectional communication. If a PS/2 mouse is connected to a PS/2
keyboard port, the mouse may not be recognized by the computer depending on
configuration.

Devices

Removable Storage
AGP Slots The same kinds of CD and DVD drives that could come built-in on your
computer can also be attached externally. You might only
External have a CD-ROM drive built-in to your computer but you
Types of Connections need a CD writer to burn CDs. You can buy an external CD
writer that connects to your USB port and acts the same way
USB as if it was built-in to your computer. The same is true for
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a serial bus standard to interface devices. DVD writers, Blu-ray drives, and floppy drives. Flash drives
USB was designed to allow many peripherals to be connect- have become very popular forms of removable storage espe-
ed using a single standardized interface socket and to im- cially as the price of flash drives decreases and the possible
prove the plug-and-play capabilities by allowing devices to size for them increases. Flash drives are usually USB ones either in the form USB
be connected and disconnected without rebooting the com- sticks or very small, portable devices. USB flash drives are small, fast, removable,
puter. Other convenient features include providing power to rewritable, and long-lasting. Storage capacities range from 64MB to 32GB or
low-consumption devices without the need for an external more. A flash drive does not have any mechanically driven parts so as opposed to
power supply and allowing many devices to be used without a hard drive which makes it more durable and smaller usually.
requiring manufacturer specific, individual device drivers to be installed. USB is by
far the dominating bus for connecting external devices to your computer. Non-removable Storage
Non-removable storage can be a hard drive that is connected externally.
Fire wire External hard drives have become very popular for backups, shared drives among
Fire wire (technically known as IEEE 1394 and also known as [Link] for many computers, and simply expanding the amount of hard drive space you have
Sony) is a serial bus interface standard for high-speed communications and isochro- from your internal hard drive. External hard drives come in many shapes and sizes
nous real-time data transfer, frequently used in a personal computer. Fire wire has like flash drives do. An external hard drive is usually connected by USB but you
replaced Parallel ports in many applications. It has been adopted as the High Defi- can also have a networked hard drive which will connect to your network which
nition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) standard con- allows all computers on that network to access that hard drive.
nection interface for A/V (audio/visual) component communi-
cation and control. Almost all modern digital camcorders have
included this connection.
Keyboard Layouts and Functions

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 39 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 40
 Computer keyboard is a device used to enter data and commands to a com-
puter. Here are some facts you should know about this part of a computer.
It is one of the most important parts of a computer which is used to enter
commands, text, numerical data and other types of data by pressing the keys on the
keyboard.
A user talks with a computer through input devices such as keyboard and
mouse. Input devices are used to enter data to a computer. The entered data then Computer start-up procedures
converted into machine language so that a CPU understands the data or instruction
comes through the input devices. In computing, booting is the process of starting a computer. It can be initiat-
There are four main areas on your PC’s keyboard (as shown in this figure): ed by hardware such as a button press, or by a software command. After it is
switched on, a computer's central processing unit (CPU) has no software in its main
memory, so some process must load software into memory before it can be execut-
ed. This may be done by hardware or firmware in the CPU, or by a separate proces-
sor in the computer system.

Operating system features

Features of an Operating system are:

1. Hardware Interdependence
2. Provides User Interface
3. Hardware Adaptability
4. Memory Management
5. Task Management
Function keys: These keys are positioned on the top row of the keyboard. They’re 6. Networking Capability
labeled F1, F2, F3, and on up to F11 and F12. 7. Logical Access Security
8. File Management
Typewriter keys: These keys are the same types of keys you find on an old type-
writer: letters, numbers, and punctuation symbols.

Cursor-control keys: Often called arrow keys, these four keys move the text cur-
sor in the direction of their arrows. Above them are more cursor-control keys —
the six-pack of Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down. Online help has Online help functions largely replaced live
customer support. Before its availability, support
Numeric keypad: Popular with accountants, bank tellers, and airline ticket agents, could only be given through printed documentation (limited), mail (long wait) or
the numeric keypad contains calculator-like keys. Numeric keypad is the other part telephone (expensive).
of computer keyboard. Usually, it is located at the right side of a keyboard. It is
arranged like a standard calculator used to enter numerical [Link] can also be used When customers troubleshoot their own problems, quite often they can get
as directional keys. Pressing the Num Lock key above the numeric keypad will tell to a solution by themselves, saving time and money for themselves and the compa-
whether the keys are on numeric or directional mode. If it is on, it is on numeric ny. More companies can afford this kind of help system, allowing them to compete
mode and can enter numbers. If it is off, it is on directional mode and only used for with the large companies more effectively.
moving a cursor on screen UP, Down, Left or Right.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 41 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 42
 The software will be installed. You can now open the application from the Start menu
Installing software on Windows PC (Windows 7) or the Start Screen (Windows 8).

4. The Windows Store

Today, the most common way to get new software is to download it from the Inter- If you're using Windows 8, you can download and install software from the
net. Applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop can now be purchased and Windows Store. The Windows Store is meant to simplify the process of locating and
downloaded right to the computer. You can also install free software this way. For example, if
you wanted to install the Google Chrome web browser, you can visit this page and click the installing software from third-party developers—when you find an app in the Windows
Download button. store, you won't have to do any extra work to install it.
The installation file will be saved to your computer in .exe format. Pronounced dot e
-x-e, this is the standard extension for installation files on Windows computers. Below are the
steps to install an application from an .exe file. Hard Drive and File Concepts

1. Locate and
download an .exe
file.

2. Locate and double

-click the .exe file. A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non
(It will usually be -volatile memory hardware device that permanently stores and retrieves data on a com-
in your Down- puter. A hard drive is a secondary storage device that consists of one or more platters
loads folder.) to which data is written using a magnetic head, all inside of an air-sealed casing. Inter-
nal hard disks reside in a drive bay, connect to the motherboard using an ATA, SCSI,
or SATA cable, and are powered by a connection to the PSU (power supply unit).

There are sever- File Saving and retrieving al ways to save a

Gnumeric workbook that is currently open.
Existing files can be saved directly but this process does not allow a user to
change any settings to the file creation process.

3. A dialog box will appear. Follow the instructions to install the software.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 43 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 44
 Recover deleted files with Recycle Bin:

1. Right click on the icon on desktop.

2. Choose Open from the context menu.
3. Check and select files to recover.
4. Right click on the files you need.
5. Choose Restore from the context menu to recover selected files (you can also
drag the files directly out of Recycle Bin).

Users wishing to save an existing file to a new file must invoke the Save As
dialog. The Save As dialog can be invoked at any time to save the current workbook
to a new file with either a different name or a different file format type. This dialog is
automatically launched when a user attempts to use one of the methods described
above to save a workbook which does not already have an existing file.
The Save As dialog asks the user to provide a name for the file to be created,
to select a folder in which to place the new file, and to select a file format type for
the file.

How to undelete important files with Power Data Recovery?

Preparations:
• Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery and install it to a drive that does not
The remainder of this section explains these steps in greater detail, first, by contain any files waiting to be recovered.
describing the components in the File Save dialog and, then, by explaining each of • Run the software; it gives support to all common file types like photos and vid-
the steps above in greater detail. eos.
How to Retrieve Deleted Files on PC? Steps to recover deleted files after emptying Recycle Bin:
Recover Deleted Files Windows 1. Select This PC from left sidebar.
Backup is important for data recovery for Windows. 2. Select the partition that contains the files you have deleted. (You can appoint
the file type you need by clicking Settings)
• Please recover deleted data from a backup if you have any. 3. Click Scan and wait for it to complete.
• If you don’t have any backups, you should go to check Win- 4. Browse the scan result and check the files you want.
dows Recycle Bin to see whether the important files you need 5. Click Save and set a storage location.
are included there. 6. Click OK to confirm and wait till the end of free data recovery.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 45 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 46
 • Efficiency:
It refers to the ability of the software to
use system resources in the most ef-
fective and efficient manner. The
software should make effective use of
storage space and executive com-
mand as per desired timing require-
ment.

• Usability:
It refers to the extent to which the software
can be used with ease. The amount of
effort or time required to learn how to
use the software.
Software feature/utilities

Software is defined as collection of computer programs, procedures, rules and data. • Maintainability:
Software Characteristics are classified into six major components: It refers to the ease with which the modi-
fications can be made in a software sys-
tem to extend its functionality, improve
its performance, or correct errors.

• Portability:
A set of attribute that bear on the ability of software to be transferred from one envi-
ronment to another, without or mini-
mum changes.

These components are described below:

Sometimes abbreviated as
• Functionality: SW and S/W, software is a col- lection of instructions that ena-
It refers to the degree of performance of the software against its intended purpose. ble the user to interact with a Software computer, its hardware, or per-
• Reliability: form tasks. Without software, most computers would be use-
A set of attribute that bear on capability of software to maintain its level of perfor- less. For example, without your Internet browser software, you could not surf the
mance under the given condition for a stated period of time. Internet or read this page. Without an operating system, the browser could not run
on your computer. The picture shows a Microsoft Excel box, an example of a
spreadsheet software program.
Below is a list of the different kinds of software a computer may have in-
stalled with examples of related programs. Click any of the links below for addition-
al information.
It should be noted that although application software is thought of as a pro-
gram, it can be anything that runs on a computer. The table below also includes a
program column to clarify any software that is not a program.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 47 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 48
 List of Top 5 Best Search Engines
Software Examples
Antivirus AVG, House call, McAfee, and Norton. Google
Audio / Music iTunes and WinAmp. Google Search Engine is the best search engine in the world and it is
program also one of most popular products from Google. Almost 70 percent of the
Database Access, MySQL, and SQL. Search Engine market has been acquired by Google. The tech giant is always
evolving and looking to improve the search engine algorithm to provide best
Device drivers Computer drivers. results to the end-user. Although Google appears to be the biggest search en-
E-mail Outlook and Thunderbird. gine, as of 2015 YouTube is now more popular than Google (on desktop
computers).
Game Madden NFL football, Quake, and World of Bing
Warcraft. Bing is Microsoft’s answer to Google and it was launched in 2009.
Internet browser Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. Bing is the default search engine in Microsoft’s web browser. At Bing, they
Movie player VLC and Windows Media Player. are always striving to make it a better search engine but it’s got a long way to
go to give Google competition. Microsoft’s search engine provides different
Operating system Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. services including image, web and video search along with maps. Bing intro-
Photo/Graphics Adobe Photoshop and CorelDRAW. duced Places (Google’s equivalent is Google My Business), this is a great
platform for business to submit their details to optimise their search results.
program Yahoo
Presentation PowerPoint Yahoo & Bing compete more with each other than with Google. A
recent report on [Link] tells us that Yahoo have a market share
Programming C++, HTML, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, of 7.68 percent. Although a leader as a free email provider, this is declining
and Visual Basic. significantly though with their recent acknowledgement that User Details &
language Passwords where hacked last year.
Simulation Flight simulator and SimCity. Baidu
Spreadsheet Excel Baidu is the most used search engine in China and was founded in
Jan, 2000 by Chinese Entrepreneur, Eric Xu. This web search is made to de-
Utility Compression, Disk Clean- liver results for website, audio files and images. It provides some other ser-
up, encryption, registry cleaner, and screen sav- vices including maps, news, cloud storage and much more.
Word processor Microsoft Word Aol
[Link] is also among the top search engines. These are the guys that
used to send out CD’s which you’d load onto your PC to install their browser
Search Engines and modem software. Once the pre-eminent player they now have a market
share of 0.59 percent. Verizon Communication bought AOL for $4.4 billion.
It was started back in 1983 as Control Video Corporation. It was named
Search Engines are now part of our daily life, whether it be carrying America Online in 1991 and in 2009 as AOL Inc. AOL is a global mass me-
out research for Xmas presents or where the nearest coffee shop is open be- dia company which is based in New York. The company also provides ad-
fore 7am or looking for best Steak House in town. People are now becoming vertising services as AOL Advertising, AOL mail and AOL Platform.
more and more dependent on search engines to get the answer for their eve-
ryday queries.
At Inspire we monitor our search traffic using a variety of analytics.
Most of our queries returned are related to what we do and some are simply
bizarre. Those we’re interested in relate to the services of what we do e.g.
improving search ranking, web design, web development, and many more.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 49 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 50
 It’s possible to connect to the internet via a range of devices these
days — though desktop and laptop computers, mobile phones and tablets are
E-mail Sending and Retrieving the most common. However, everyday items such as watches, even central
heating systems and refrigerators, are now capable of using the internet. In
Write an email order for any device to actually get online though, requires signing up for a
1. On the computer, go to Gmail. specialised service for accessing the internet. These internet access services
2. In the top left, click Compose Compose. are generally of two types: internet fixed to a specific location and provided
3. In the "To" field, add recipients. If you want, you can also add recipients by internet service providers, or mobile internet that can be used out and
in the "Cc" and "Bcc" fields. about, which are provided by mobile phone networks. People use one or the
4. Add a subject. other (or both) types of internet access — fixed or mobile — depending on
5. Write your message. the device they’re using, their immediate environment and budgets.
6. At the bottom of the page, click Send.
Fixed internet
Send messages with confidential mode As the name suggests, this is an internet connection that is fixed to a
On your computer, go to Gmail. specific location (such as a home, office or shop) — meaning that the internet
1. Click Compose. connection is unique to that property, and as such you can only access it
2. In the bottom right of the window, click Turn on confidential mode Turn when you’re physically situated there.
on confidential mode.
3. Tip: If you've already turned on confidential mode for an email, go to the Today, the three most common types of fixed internet connection are:
bottom of the email, then click Edit.
4. Set an expiration date and passcode. These settings impact both the mes- 1. ADSL broadband
sage text and any attachments.
5. If you choose "No SMS passcode," recipients using the Gmail app will The most widely used form of internet connection, ADSL uses a
be able to open it directly. Recipients who don't use Gmail will get property’s existing phoneline to get online.
emailed a passcode.
6. If you choose "SMS passcode," recipients will get a passcode by text This form of broadband has been available for a while, making it of-
message. Make sure you enter the recipient's phone number, not your ten the most cost-effective way of getting online — yet not the fastest
own. (average download speeds of 8.4 Mb) compared to the two other available
7. Click Save. forms of internet connection now available in the UK, cable and fibre broad-
band.
How to connect to the internet?
Today, it’s possible to connect to and use the internet in many differ- 2. Cable broadband
ent ways.
Instead of using a phone line as ADSL does, cable broadband estab-
lishes an internet connection via a specialised cable that shares the same line
as your TV service.

Cable broadband generally offers higher speeds than ADSL connec-

tions (average download speeds of 50.5 mb), but as a cable broadband con-
nection is often shared with many other users, speeds can suffer from time to
time due to congestion during peak times.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 51 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 52
 3. Fibre broadband News (or Usenet)
Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) is used for serving Use-
The most recently rolled out form of internet connection in the UK net posts Usenet is similar to the forums that many web sites have. Usenet
(and therefore, still not that widely available) is fibre broadband. has forums that are dedicated to specific companies as well as forums that
have a wide range of topics. Usenet is divided into several areas. Some of
Fibre broadband claims to offer more consistent and reliable speeds the forums that are included in Usenet are comp. for discussion of comput-
than cable and ADSL (average download speeds of 59.4mb) — allowing mul- er-related topics, sci. for discussion of scientific subjects, rec. for discus-
tiple devices to be performing high-capacity tasks, simultaneously, without sion of recreational activities (e.g. games and hobbies) and talk. for discus-
any slow downs or breakages in the connection, making it an attractive propo- sion of contentious issues such as religion and politics.
sition for busy family homes or office environments.
A data type is a type of data. Of course, that is rather circular defini-
tion, and also not very helpful. Therefore, a better definition of a data type
Internet Protocols and Data Types is a data storage format that can contain a specific type or range of values.

When most people talk about "the Internet" what they are really refer- When computer programs store data in variables, each variable
ring to is the World Wide Web. The Internet is actually composed of many must be assigned a specific data type. Some common data types include
different components. Some of the components are widely known, such as integers, floating point numbers, characters, strings, and arrays. They may
FTP, while others are not so familiar, such as Gopher and Telnet. also be more specific types, such as dates, timestamps, Boolean values, and
Several protocols are used on the Internet, including Electronic Mail varchar (variable character) formats.
(e-mail), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), HTTP (World Wide Web), News (or
Usenet), Gopher and Telnet. Each of these has its own standard and usage. Some programming languages require the programmer to define the
data type of a variable before assigning it a value. Other languages can au-
1. Electronic Mail tomatically assign a variable's data type when the initial data is entered into
Included in the email protocol are three distinct protocols. SMTP the variable. For example, if the variable "var1" is created with the value
(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) "1.25," the variable would be created as a floating point data type. If the
and POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3). variable is set to "Hello world!," the variable would be assigned a string
SMTP is a protocol used for sending mail, while IMAP and POP3 are data type. Most programming languages allow each variable to store a sin-
used for receiving. Almost all Internet service providers support all three pro- gle data type. Therefore, if the variable's data type has already been set to
tocols. However the most popular setup for most providers is to use SMTP for an integer, assigning string data to the variable may cause the data to be
sending mail while using POP3 for receiving. converted to an integer format.

2. File Transfer Protocol Data types are also used by database applications. The fields within
File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is a means of transferring a file from a database often require a specific type of data to be input. For example, a
one computer to another. FTP is commonly used for uploading a web page to company's record for an employee may use a string data type for the em-
a web server so that it may be seen on the World Wide Web. A special pro- ployee's first and last name. The employee's date of hire would be stored in
gram, called a client, is usually needed to use FTP. a date format, while his or her salary may be stored as an integer. By keep-
ing the data types uniform across multiple records, database applications
[Link] (World Wide Web) can easily search, sort, and compare fields in different records.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, is the protocol used by web
server to allow web pages to be shown in a web browser. If you look up into Privacy and Security Measures related to online
the address bar of your web browser, the place where you type in the address
that you want to visit, it has the prefix "[Link] in front of the address. Be- The safety and security of the Internet impacts us all.
cause most web browsers are capable of FTP as well as viewing web pages, We should be able to understand what is happening to our da-
the http tells the browser what kind of information to expect. ta, and have the ability to control how it is used.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 53 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 54
 1. The Basics Here are some privacy links and suggestions for Facebook, Google,
If In Doubt, Throw It Out and Yahoo:
Since malware and phishing scams are getting more sophisticated,
try not to open Facebook:
emails that look suspicious or unusual, especially if they relate to • Access your facebook privacy settings: choose
your email, social “Friends” only for these settings; “Friends of Friends” is
media, financial services, or utility accounts. Delete these messages. next best but vastly increases the availability of information
This goes double for links and attachments in emails related to these to people you don’t know
kinds of • You can also access basic privacy settings by clicking
accounts or services — don’t click them unless you are absolutely on the lock icon on any Facebook page and choosing
sure of the source. “Privacy Checkup”
If you get an email about an issue or past due balance or a refund, • Facebook has a short privacy primer
rather than click • Access “Advanced Privacy Controls” for actions such as removing tags
on a link, go to the provider’s website directly and log in to your ac- of you on photos or removing something someone has added to your
count there, or call timeline
the provider. • Learn more about Facebook privacy
Stay Updated • Access your Security settings for additional protection; in particular, we
Keep your computer’s operating system, browser, and security software recommend setting up two-factor authentication under Login Approvals
up to date. Turn on automatic updates for these wherever possible. (this requires confirmation from your phone if you or someone else tries
Think Before You Act to access your account from an unusual browser or Internet location)
Be especially wary and vigilant if an offer demands you act immediate-
ly, sounds too good to be true, or asks for personal information. Google:

2. Privacy Settings • Read a summary of Google’s various privacy settings

Updating privacy settings on websites and services—particularly on so- • Google offers a “Privacy Checkup”
cial media and search sites such as Facebook, Google, and Yahoo— • Access Google+’s social media settings
is a good place to start protecting yourself. This can usually be done • Turn on two-factor authentication
under a “settings” menu option.
Yahoo:
Since most sites default to information being shared publicly, changing • Access Yahoo’s privacy tools
settings will help you make sure your personal information is seen by • Yahoo’s Ad Interest Manager offers the option to opt out
fewer people. Ideally you should choose to share information only • Turn on two-factor authentication
with people you know.
3. Blocking Cookies
Why is this important? “Oversharing” of social media information leads Blocking third party cookies on your browser is another good way to main-
to numerous risks, including home break-ins by criminals who see tain some anonymity while online. Blocking cookies makes it so websites
that you are on vacation. Also, limited sharing and/or deleting tags will have a harder time tracking the last time you visited, what your
on photos and editing your Timeline can help remove potentially em- username is, and whether or not you should be signed in automatically.
barrassing material from being seen by people who don’t know you While blocking cookies can be less convenient in some cases, the increase in
well, including colleagues at work, acquaintances, distant family privacy is worth the trade off.
members, or potential employers. 4. Unlinking Accounts
Many websites now are giving the option to link accounts. Google, for
example, allows you to link all your different Gmail accounts in a
browser. Many sites are now giving you the option to use your Google
login to access their site.
BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 55
BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 56
 While convenient, linking accounts can create more risk. If one of your ac- Preventive Measures for Computer Viruses
counts is compromised, all the linked accounts will also automatically be at
risk. So unlinking accounts is a good way to help protect information.

5. Secure Connections, Firewalls and Antivirus Services Most of us have had to deal with a computer virus or some sort of malware
Always use a secure wireless connection (and stop using public Wi-Fi net- by now. It wasn’t fun; it was annoying, time consuming, and very frustrating.
works). If you don’t have a strong password on your home Wi-Fi network, When our computers start slowing down or behaving in an unusual way, we
it’s time to create one. are often quick to suspect that we have a virus. It might not be a virus, but it is like-
ly that you have some sort of malware. Some are malicious, and others are just an-
6. Stronger Passwords noying. The worst culprits are the hijackers—malware programs that take over your
Your username and password combinations remain critically important for browser, or worse yet, your computer. I have had to remove these types of evil pro-
maintaining security online. The problem is that with every website needing grams from personal computers and work computers in the past, and I’m sure you
a password, people tend to get predictable or lazy by creating simple pass- have, too.
words or using the same passwords over and over again on different web- Here are 10 tips on how to prevent malware from infecting your computer,
sites. keeping your hardware safe.
1. Install Anti-Virus/Malware Software.
Use passwords of eight characters or more with mixed types of characters. This tip may go without saying, and I almost just casually mentioned it in my
But even passwords with simple substitutions like “dr4mat1c” can be vulner- opening paragraph. However, I have seen many computers—especially home com-
able to attackers’ increasingly sophisticated technology, and random combi- puters—that don’t have anti-virus/malware protection. This protection is a must-
nations like “j%7K&yPx$” can be difficult to remember. have first step in keeping you computer virus free.

One way to create more secure passwords that are easy to recall is to try 2. Keep Your Anti-Virus Software Up to Date.
passphrases — short words with spaces or other characters separating them. Having protection software is the first step; maintaining it is the second. Free
It’s best to use random words rather than common phrases. For example, anti-virus software is better than nothing, but keep in mind that it’s not the best so-
“cakes years birthday” or “smiles_light_skip?”. lution. Microsoft does provide a security package for “free.” It’s free in that if you
have Windows on your machine, you are granted access, but you did pay for your
Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple web- Windows license. Many users aren’t aware of this program, but it’s actually decent
sites. It is especially risky if you use the same password for entertainment protection.
sites that you do for online email, social networking, or financial services
sites. Use different passwords for each new website or service you sign up
for.

7. Better Browsing
You should delete cookies regularly (in Chrome, for example, go to the
Chrome menu and then click Clear Browsing Data.) You should also log out
of social media websites like Facebook, and even your Google account when 3. Run Regularly
not using them (and don’t keep them open in tabs on your browser). Scheduled Scans
with Your Anti-
If you want to take the next step in getting better privacy, try using a browser Virus Software.
such as Tor that routes your IP through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A This too
virtual private network routes all of your data through a proxy server so your may seem like a no
IP address and in many cases your user data is protected. -brainer, but many
of us forget to do
this. Set up your software of choice to run at regular intervals. Once a week is pre-
ferred,

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 57 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 58
 9. Back Up Your Files.
but do not wait much longer between scans. It’s difficult to work on your computer The best thing you can do is back up your
while your anti-virus software is running. One solution is to run the software at files—all of them. Ideally you will have your
night when you aren’t using your computer. However, we often turn off our com- files (your data) in at least three places: the
puters at night, and so the scan never runs. Set your anti-virus software to run on a place where you work on them, on a separate
specific night, and always leave your computer running on that day. Make sure it storage device, and off-site. Keep your files
doesn’t shut off automatically or go into hibernation mode. on your computer, back them up to an exter-
4. Keep Your Operating System Current. nal hard drive, then back them up in a differ-
Whether you are running Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or any other OS, keep it up ent location. You can use a backup service or
to date. OS developers are always issuing security patches that fix and plug security simply get two external hard drives and keep
leaks. These patches will help to keep your system secure. Similarly, keep your anti one at work, at a friend’s house, at a family
-virus software up to date. Viruses and malware are created all the time. Your scan- member’s house, or in a safe deposit box.
ning software is only as good as its database. It too must be as up to date as possi-
ble. 10. Use Multiple Strong Passwords.
5. Secure Your Network. Never use the same password, especially on your bank account. Typically,
Many of our computers connect to our files, printers, or the Internet via a Wi-Fi we use the same email address or username for all of our accounts. Those are easy
connection. Make sure it requires a password to access it and that the password is to see and steal. If you use the same password for everything, or on many things,
strong. Never broadcast an open Wi-Fi connection. Use WPA or WPA2 encryption. and it is discovered, then it takes only seconds to hack your account. Use a strong
WEP is no longer strong enough as it can be bypassed in minutes by experts. It’s password. Use lower case, upper case, numbers, and symbols in your password.
also a great idea to not broadcast your SSID (the name of your Wi-Fi network). Keep it easy to remember but difficult to guess. Do not use dates or pet names.
You can still access it with your device, you will just have to manually type in the
SSID and the password. If you frequently have guests who use your Internet, pro-
vide a guest SSID that uses a different password, just in case your friends are evil
hackers. 1. Press How to End a Program on a PC Alt+Ctrl+Del keys
6. Think Before You Click. simulta- neously, and keep
Avoid websites that provide pirated material. Do not open an email attachment them pressed until you see a window open. This is called the Task Manager.
from somebody or a company that you do not know. Do not click on a link in an Note: In the new OS, Windows 7, a screen comes up with a number of options. Just
unsolicited email. Always hover over a link (especially one with a URL shortener) click on 'Start Task Manager'.
before you click to see where the link is really taking you. If you have to download
a file from the Internet, an email, an FTP site, a file-sharing service, etc., scan it
before you run it. A good anti-virus software will do that automatically, but make
sure it is being done.
7. Keep Your Personal Information Safe.
This is likely the most difficult thing to do on the Internet. Many hackers will ac-
cess your files not by brute force, but through social engineering. They will get
enough of your information to gain access to your online accounts and will glean
more of your personal data. They will continue from account to account until they
have enough of your info that they can access your banking data or just steal your
identity altogether. Be cautious on message boards and social media. Lock down all
of your privacy settings, and avoid using your real name or identity on discussion
boards.
8. Don’t Use Open Wi-Fi.
When you are at the local coffee shop, library, and especially the airport, don’t use
the “free” open (non-password, non-encrypted) Wi-Fi. Think about it. If you can
access it with no issues, what can a trained malicious individual do?

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 59 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 60
2. Select the program from the Worksheet #2: Perform Basic Computer Operations and Internet Navigation
list of open tasks. Also
understand that alt- Answer the following questions:
hough the name of the
task may be unclear, 1. Why do we have to always install the operating system updates?
there is also a descrip-
tion column through
which you may identify
your hanging program.
2. Technically speaking, what is the most accurate description of a peripheral de-
vice?

3. With the unresponsive task high-

lighted, click on the 'End Process' but-
ton at the bottom of the window. When
prompted, click 'Yes'. 3. Why is it important to update your anti-virus?

4. The program is closed. Please note that unsaved changes to most pro-
grams will be lost. 4. Analyze the image below. What will you do if you see this on your computer?

5. What is the most common

way people's
computers get
infected by a
virus?

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 61 BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 62
 II. Complete the table below. Write the parts of your body who exhibit the same
function of each part of the computer. LESSON
UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND
4 INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY
Human Body Parts Function Computer Parts
AND CULTURE
Introduction to Local and International Cultures

It is always a challenge for expats and even Filipinos to manage and lead their peo-
ple if they do not fully understand the local culture. When you clearly understand and
properly observe these cultural values, you can enhance effective communication, promote
teamwork, encourage cooperation, ensure unity and harmony, and motivate people effective-
ly toward greater productivity and excellence. This will also give a comprehensive discus-
sion about the culture elements (language, behaviour and arts), Filipinisms, how to motivate,
manage and lead effectively using cultural perspectives.
Understanding culture is critical for educators because our individual cultural ori-
III. Cite the step by step procedures in: entation is present in every interaction. Too often, we make assumptions about a person’s
a. starting up the computer beliefs or behaviours based on a single cultural indicator, particularly race1 or ethnicity,
b. signing in when in reality, our cultural identities are a complex weave of all the cultural groups we
c. searching in search engines belong to that influence our values, beliefs, and behaviours.
d. turning off the computer

______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ A. Time zones
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Cultural Variables Earth spins on an imaginary pole called its axis. Every 24
_____________________________________________________________________ hours, the Earth makes a complete rotation — or one full
_____________________________________________________________________ turn — on its axis. We call each full turn a day.
_____________________________________________________________________ Imagine shining a flashlight at a globe. Only part of the globe would receive light,
_____________________________________________________________________ while the opposite side of the globe would be dark. As Earth rotates, different parts of Earth
receive sunlight or darkness, giving us day and night.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ How time zones are calculated?
_____________________________________________________________________ The earth is one of the nine planets that make up our solar system. Though it isn't
_____________________________________________________________________ one of the largest planets, it still has a circumference of 25,000 miles or 40,000 kilometers.
_____________________________________________________________________ It is also constantly in motion. In fact, the Earth orbits the sun at an incredible 66,500 rate of
_____________________________________________________________________ miles an hour.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS AND INTERNET NAVIGATION 63 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 64
 Yet, it still takes the earth 365 days, or one year, to complete a full rotation
around the sun. Moreover, as the Earth orbits the sun, it spins on its axis in a coun- This creates other big differences: In the States almost everybody works, husband
ter-clock wise motion. It too rotates at a fast pace of 1042 miles per hour. On its and wife and even teenagers. In the Philippines, there are many adults who do
axis, the earth rotates 360 degrees every 24 hours. Or you can look at it as it takes not work. There is seldom a house with no one at home. And older people retire
one day to complete a full circle. Divided up into an hourly rate, the earth rotates much earlier in the Philippines, and the next generation takes care of them.
15 degrees every hour (360/24). This number plays an important role in determin- Maybe that’s why they have many children- (also because birth control is for-
ing time zones. bidden in this strong Catholic nation.

An important factor in determining time zones is the lines of latitude and 3. Americans are very busy and have a fast paced agenda. Even children have a
longitude. Imaginary lines known as latitude and longitude divide the Earth. Lati- busy schedule with sports and lessons of various kinds. The Philippines is a
tude lines are "drawn" east and west and they measure north and south. The lines much slower pace for many people. Even in the malls or any supermarket, the
start at the equator and measure distance from 0 degrees to 90 degrees north and Filipinos walk so slow. Everything seems to move slowly, including cashiers or
also 0 degrees to 90 degrees south. They also become shorter the farther away they any business transaction. The business and government systems and processes
get from the equator. On the other hand, longitude lines are "drawn" north and are not streamlined nor seem to be concerned with the time. Most paperwork is
south and they measure east and west. They start at the Prime Meridian (or 0 de- done by hand. Filipinos are very good at waiting patiently, sometimes for
grees) and measure from 0 degrees to 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west. Un- hours.
like lines of latitude, these lines are fairly equal in length. The origin of this spheri-
cal coordinate system is at 0 deg. latitude and 0 deg. longitude. This spot can be 4. Filipino culture is very sharing, especially more among the poorer people.
found in the Atlantic Ocean just south and west of Africa. Also, the two lines con- For instance, someone take the shoes off a neighbour’s porch without asking,
nect at 180 degrees or at the International Date Line. This too helps to determine because they needed to borrow them to go somewhere. If you walk by anyone,
the different time zones throughout the world. even strangers, who are eating, they will usually invite you to eat with them.
People are not shy to borrow something, and people often feel obligated to
B. Holidays share their resources. It’s not that Americans are not sharing, but there is such a
Holidays and celebrations are some of the best times to gather with family difference in the culture. Americans are all so independent. Being independent
to create lifelong memories, and families around the world cherish many traditions and being responsible for yourself is really stressed in America- it is in the cul-
together. Traditions represent a critical piece of our culture. They help form the ture. Americans often believe in the ‘tough love principle’ which means not
structure and foundation of our families and our society. Tradition contributes a helping someone, even a family member, so that they will learn to be responsi-
sense of comfort and belonging. It brings families together and enables people to ble. Americans raise their children from a young age to be responsible and in-
reconnect with friends dependent. Not so in the Philippines.

5. Rules are often not followed in the Philippines. I believe this stems from cor-
Cultural Similarities and Differences ruption, which permeates many city and Government officials, even the police.
Nothing is effective in enforcing laws consistently, so many do not follow them
Some of the major differences in culture are: anyway. And because many do not follow, it is overwhelming to enforce. This
1. Respect for elders. In the Philippines even older sisters and brothers, aunts, is so prevalent - for example if the police would pull someone over for some
uncles, etc. are respected and obeyed. Any person older than you is to be spo- traffic infraction, there are many others doing it at the same time - so they just
ken to respectfully. This is oftentimes shocking for American. got 1 or 2 out of thousands doing it. There is a tolerance and often bending of
2. Extended family living together. In the Philippines, families are not so inde- the rules in all areas of life in the Philippines. While in America, the laws are
pendent like in the U.S. They take care of one another and still feel “tied” to strictly and consistently enforced so this affects the culture in many other areas,
their adult family members. Many Filipinos work abroad and send back money in which people know and expect rules to be followed. In America you would
to support extended family. Family ties are much closer in the Philippines. automatically know you are expected to get in line and wait your turn and be
fair. In the Philippines, it is common for people to not have a line or cut in the
front of the line, and nothing is said by anyone. Even if it bothers them, they
are still very tolerant to let it go.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 65 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 66
 6. In the Philippines the culture is very subtle, gracious, polite, pleasant, and
non-confronted. If anyone would speak a small hint of something negative 9. Filipinos are a festive people and love to celebrate anything, always with
about someone or something…it would speak volumes and would be heard food and sometimes outdoor videoke and sometimes fireworks. People love
loudly. Americans would generally miss the hint. In America people speak very to sing and dance, everything from cha-cha-cha to ballroom dance to hip-hop
directly and confrontative (and complain a lot) , which is perceived by many and many are very good at it. So there are many celebrations and sometimes the
Asian cultures to often be rude. Also the culture in the Philippines is mostly neighbourhood is noisy, even through the night, which they have no sense of
very light-hearted and up-beat. You will see people smiling everywhere and ‘boundaries’ about, but nobody complains. Again, very tolerant. (Americans
being very friendly. They may have big problems or hardships, but they appear would call the police to report “disturbing the peace”.) Filipinos are not shy to
to be very happy. It’s part of the culture. perform, in fact I think most love it. Children are trained to perform in school
from a young age, as there are many programs with dancing and singing and
7. Personal boundaries and privacy are very different. Filipino strangers will also speech-giving training and contests, starting in Kindergarten level. Ameri-
ask you where you are going, where’s your husband, and the most popular cans are weak in this area and are often shy to perform. Only an outgoing tal-
question always is how much that cost did? It’s usually only curiosity which ented American would be comfortable performing publicly.
Americans would consider them just being ‘nosey’. But its normal conversation
here. Just like Americans talk about the weather which Filipinos don’t know 10. Filipinos are often ordering the same t-shirt that the whole group will
what to say about that because there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. wear just for a friend group outing for the day to a special place or for a
Physical boundaries are strong in America. People keep their distance and very dance performance at an event or school or a team doing a medical mis-
seldom bump or brush against someone- Americans are trained as a child to be sion, etc. They wear uniforms in their place of employment, such as teachers,
considerate of others about such things. Filipinos will do some funny things and bank tellers, supermarket employees, Government workers, etc. They like be-
not think anything about it… like a group will get off an escalator and after one longing to a group or being identified as a group, while Americans prefer the
step. Stand there talking and they are blocking others behind them. Also in traf- independent look.
fic, someone will pass you and then stop right in front of you in the middle of
the street (if there’s no parking) for some reason - like they are letting someone Of course all these things are not true for everyone or in every place.
out of the car or they are waiting for someone. The spatial boundaries are just These are just some general main cultural differences.
different. Filipinos like to be close together while Americans like to have space.
Some of the similarity in culture between Americans and Filipinos are:
8. Filipinos are an emotional people and go more by their feelings than Ameri-
cans. I attribute this as probably stemming from the 400 years of Spanish rule, 1. Both countries are more religious than their closest economic counterparts
because other Asian countries don’t have this ‘Latin temperament’. Sometimes elsewhere, The US is far more religious than Canada or most European
they seem childish with nosey jealousy or having hurt feelings over a small countries. (Poland might be an exception.) And the Philippines is more reli-
thing or holding a grudge. They seem extremely sensitive or into much drama. gious than any of the non-Muslim Asian countries. Both are traditionalist in
While Americans normally make decisions solely by logic. Asians are taught to their faith to a large extent but also have modern “social justice” leanings,
study by memorization of facts. They may not understand the topic but they though not as central to their religious culture. However, the Philippines is
memorized it all word-for-word for the exam. Americans are always encour- over 80% Catholic while the US is majority Protestant with a substantial
aged to think for themselves and to gain understanding. Also in job training, Catholic minority.
Filipinos are trained to memorize what to say to the customer and to do step 1,
then step 2, etc., but they often are not helpful or logical if your question or situ- 2. Politics is very polarizing in both countries and there is a tendency toward
ation doesn't fit into what they memorized. They often don’t see the bigger extremism among the politically active. Both have extremely polarizing and
overall picture of the situation. For example I have repeatedly seen one worker, controversial presidents at the moment. Both have an ambivalent relationship
with China, hating the Chinese government but being dependent on them for
like on a construction job, damage another’s previous work because he is just
focused with doing ‘his’ job. trade. And both have a problem with extremist Islamic terrorism. Political
patronage has a long history in both countries along with political dynasties,
despite being the oldest democracies in their respective regions.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 67 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 68
 Yes that’s you – Mandarin, Can-
3. A lot of the cuisine of both countries was imported from abroad tonese, Russian, Polish, German and Jap-
(sometimes even from each other) and modified to fit the local tastes anese speakers! Move your mouth more
which get criticized for blandness. when you speak English than you do
4. Both countries have traditionally has a good relationship with their former when you speak your first language. Not
colonizers. The US has no closer ally (except maybe Canada) than the UK, moving and opening your mouth enough
will make your English unclear (in Eng-
and the Philippines has been a close ally of the US as well and seems to be lish we call it mumbling). English has
getting closer to Spain as well in recent decades. many open sounds like ‘ou’ in phone, ‘a’ in ‘start’, ‘a’ in ‘hat’. You need to open
5. A lot of modern Filipino culture was imported from the US including mov- and move your mouth to make these sounds and others clearly and correctly.
ies and basketball. The Philippines probably has the most basketball fans How much do you move your mouth when you speak English? Start to
outside the Americas. pay attention to your mouth and other people’s mouths when speaking.

2. Slow Down and Speak up.

6. Both countries have relatively high GINI indexes, a measure of inequality. Do people ask you to slow down or do they often ask you to repeat? If yes
In fact they are close to the same. It is just more visible in the Philippines, be- you need to slow down…. now!
cause the baseline is lower so you have a lot of extremely poor, while in the As a non-native speaker it is likely that you pronounce some sounds incor-
US the baseline is higher so the rich you have are extremely rich. The 3 rich- rectly and use different stress and rhythms to native speakers. This gives you an
est individuals and 13 of the 20 richest are all Americans. The gulf between accent and can make your English more challenging for people to understand.
Slowing down helps as it gives your listeners time to process what you are saying.
Jeff Bezos (net worth $110 billion) and the average America is about that of Don’t leave your listeners struggling to understand you. Instantly improve the clar-
Henry Sy (net worth $18.3 billion) and the average Filipino. Bezos is worth ity of your English by slowing down.
about 6 times what Sy is and the average American earns about 16 times what If you have difficulty controlling the speed of your speech try to:
the average Filipino does, so it would look like the Philippines is more lopsid- • pause more, especially between phrases and sentences.
ed, but the US also has many more billionaires. In the US the richest 10% • emphasise the key words in your message.
earns about 14 times what the poorest 10% does. In the Philippines it is 15.5, • use more gesture. Moving your hands to emphasise words can help you slow
down.
so almost the same. The world average is 12 times. If you speak too quietly, you need to speak with a louder voice. Practice
reading out loud with a louder voice to get used to how it sounds. We need to hear
One additional interesting similarity is that the oldest European city in you! Open your mouth and speak more loudly.
each country (St. Augustine and Cebu) were both founded by the Spanish in 1565,
with Cebu being about 4 months older. Happy 453rd anniversary to both of them! 3. Listen more carefully to yourself.
The first step is to become more aware of your pronunciation. Become
aware of how your mouth moves and the sounds you make when you speak. Once
you are aware of these things then you can change them. If you are not aware, then
you won’t have the control that’s needed to make change! Pay careful attention to
Here are 5 easy steps to start improving English the positions you make with your mouth when you speak or read out loud. Listen
Accent Improvement pronunciation Skills: carefully to the sounds you are making. Listen to the rhythms you make – is your
1. Open and Move your mouth when you speak English flat or does it go up and down? Are you making the consonant sounds at
English the ends of words?
Many non-native speakers don’t move their mouths enough when they Recording your speech helps you become more aware of how you sound.
speak English. Be aware that the mouth position you use for your first language is
probably quite different to the mouth position we use when we speak English.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 69 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 70
 Alternatively, you may sell your products to specific customers who shop
4. Listen more carefully to others at the mall and design a direct mail campaign to reach customers outside of the
Listen to HOW people are speaking English, not just what they are saying. mall (in another state, for example). The above situations are certainly dissimilar
Listen to the rhythm of their speech. Pay attention to the way that the pitch of their and involve different customers and geographical selling areas.
voice goes UP and DOWN. English is not flat. The rise and fall of our voice when Where will you sell your product or service and/or where will your cus-
we talk actually makes our speech clear and easy for our listener to understand. tomers live? The answers to these questions will assist you later on when deter-
Many non-native speakers have difficulty learning the correct stress patterns and mining the total number of people within your market area. Before you can fore-
this makes their speech more difficult to understand. So instead of just listening to cast your sales or determine if your idea can provide an opportunity, you're re-
‘what’ people are saying, start to listen to ‘ HOW’ they are saying it. Listen to the quired to know the total number of people who potentially will buy your product
‘music’, the UP and DOWN of the pitch of their voice. You will learn all about or service.
making the correct stress and rhythms in English words and sentences with a Star In summary, Geographic Segmentation is used to identify specific regions,
Pronunciation Course, but before your course, start to listen out for it. city size, and densities.

5. Spend some time on pronunciation Basic Geography

For most people, their speech and accent doesn’t change a lot without
work. This explains why many people have been in an English speaking country
for many years but still have a very strong accent. Some people wrongly assume What is Geography?
that their speech will improve at the same rate as their language and listening From Greek word, Geographia, “Geo” means Earth and “graphein” means
skills. “to write about or to describe”.
How Do Places Get Their Names?
People that have a “good ear” for language have a better chance at improv- It would be chaotic and full of confusion if places had no names. It is,
ing their speech without help. But for many people, unless they focus specifically therefore, important to give places names for identification purposes but also to
on particular areas of their pronunciation and work directly on changing sounds help in distinguishing one place from another. There is always a story behind a
and speech patterns, their accent will stay pretty much the same. name that has been given to a place or a person. Different methods and means are
used in naming places. Some places within a region may share names with a slight
So, even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day, start to open your ears to speech variation. It is also possible to get two or more separate places in different coun-
sounds and the ‘music’ of English. Focus on pronunciation – the way people move tries or regions sharing a name. Place names are primarily divided into names of
their mouths and the sounds that they make. The way you move your own mouth natural features and names of settlements. The study of place names, their origin,
and the sounds that you make. meaning, pronunciation, and use is known as Toponymy.

Geographic Variables Place names in the US are easily traceable to their origins since most of
the places are named after their founders or politicians at the time. Some of the
places in the US named after prominent people include Washington DC (George
Geographic variables are defined as variables that provide information Washington), Cleveland (General Moses Cleveland), and Denver (James W Den-
about the characteristics of a place, instead of just the location of that place. Geo- ver) among other famous names. Most of the streets and avenues of the main cities
graphic variables include territories such as nations, provinces, states, regions, and towns around the world are also named after prominent people in that city or
countries, cities, or neighbourhoods of your customers. town. Most places in England derived their names from rivers upon which they
Where do your customers live? To answer this question you need to deter- were built. Some of these cities have changed their names with the changing of the
mine what nations, provinces, states, regions, countries, cities or neighbourhood names of the rivers. For instance, Cambridge was initially named Grontabricc
will your product be available? In other words, where will you sell your product or which was a bridge on Granta, but it was changed to the present name when the
service. river was renamed, Cam.
You may plan to open a retail clothing store in a mall and only sell your
products to specific customers who shop at the mall.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 71 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 72
 The more than 120 cities in the Philippines as of 2010 have taken their Top 10 Most Common Names among Males in the Philippines
names from a variety of languages both indigenous (Austronesian) and foreign Female names Total Percentage
(mostly Spanish). The majority of Philippine cities derive their names from the
major regional languages where they are located including Tagalog (Filipino), Ce- Angel 4,722 0.58
buano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Kapampangan and Pangasinense. They are Angelica 4,385 0.54
written using Spanish orthography in most cases, but a few have also retained their
indigenous spellings. The names of thirty-six cities derive exclusively from the Nicole 3,603 0.44
Spanish language while at least three have taken their names from the old Sanskrit
language. Angela 3,283 0.40
Mary Joy 2,579 0.32
Of the 120 cities, fourteen are named in honor of an individual while ten
are named after saints. Mariel 2,479 0.31
Jasmine 2,299 0.28
This chart shows the places and common person names in United States:
Mary Grace 2,230 0.28
Kimberly 2,088 0.26
Stephanie 2,024 0.25

Map Reading
Map reading (also sometimes written as map-reading) is
the act of interpreting or understanding the geographic information portrayed on a
map. By map reading, the reader should be able to develop a mental map of the
real-world information by processing the symbolized information shown on the
map.
How To Read A Map?
Top 10 Most Common Names among Males in the Philippines If your GPS is on the fritz and you need to know how to get from point A to point
B without getting lost, there’s no need to admit defeat
by stopping to ask for directions. Just pull out your
trusty map! Whether you’re hiking the Swiss Alps or
Male names Total Percentage planning a cross country road trip, knowing how to
read a map is practical skill that everyone should pos-
1. Joshua 7,758 0.88 sess. And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t particular-
2. John Paul 7,389 0.84 ly difficult. Once you understand what key markers
3. Christian 6,747 0.77 like scale, longitude and latitude, and topographical
4. Justine 5,821 0.66 lines mean, you’ll be able to travel just about any-
5. John Mark 584,7 0.54 where with a few quick calculations.
6. John Lloyd 3,980 0.45 Part 1- Understanding the Map's Layout
7. Jerome 3,783 0.43 1. Choose the right type of map. Different kinds of maps exist for different uses.
8. Adrian 3,750 0.43 Before you can use a map to help you find your way, you’ll need to make sure
9. John Michael 3,609 0.41 you’re equipped with one that’s suitable for the type of traveling you’re do-
10. Angelo 3,595 0.41 ing.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 73 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 74
 • For example, there are road maps to help drivers navigate back • If you’re just making a trip to the next town over, longitude and latitude won’t
roads and interstate highways, topographical maps telling come into play. For long-distance journeys, however, they’ll be invaluable for
campers how to reach campsites and lodging areas, and even coordinating your positions.
tourist maps highlighting famous landmarks for sightseers.
• Maps can be found just about anywhere, from gas stations and 5. Pay attention to the scale. A map’s scale provides a ratio of map distance to
visitor centers to restaurants and popular attractions. actual distance. This will give you an idea of just how far you have to go. The
scale will differ from map to map, but will typically be presented as a number
ratio, like “1 : 100,000.” This ratio simply means that 1 unit of distance on the
2. Check the map’s orientation. Open up the map and take a map is equal to 100,000 units in real life.
moment to double check that you’re examining it from the • You’ll usually be able to find the scale at the bottom or off to one side of the
correct perspective. Most maps feature a “compass rose” in map.
one corner that shows which directions are indicated by the • Depending on the type of map you’re using, the scale will be adjusted accord-
various markers. Unless otherwise specified, the top of the ingly. For instance, an explorer map (used for hiking, cycling, kayaking, and
map will always correspond with North. similar short-range activities) will have a scale around 1: 25,000, while the
• North is considered a “neutral” orientation which provides a average driving map will be closer to 1 : 50,000.[6]
reference for the other directions. It can be used to help travelers get their bear- • On a roadmap with a scale of 1 : 100,000, for example, 1 inch (2.5 cm) of
ings. space on the map will be equal to 1.578 miles (2.540 km).

3. Refer to the legend (also called the Map Key) to make sense of the map. In Part 2-Using a Map to Get Where You're Going
addition to a compass rose, many maps also contain a legend, or chart that 1. Figure out where you are. If you’re on the road, the simplest way to do this is
explains the scientific methods used to draw up the map and lists what im- to observe nearby street signs or highway markers and cross-reference them
portant symbols mean. Familiarizing yourself with the legend is key to com- on the map. If you’re stranded someplace with no way of telling where you
prehending the way the map displays information. are, try to match up what you see in real life with
• Here you’ll find symbols representing roadways, town and city limits, and what you see on the map. From there, mark your
prominent landmarks, as well as color-coded environmental features like position so you can get yourself pointed in the
mountains, forests, and bodies of water. right direction.
• These elements are designed to educate travellers on how to interpret and safe- • Some common features that can help you identify
ly traverse their surroundings. your location include outstanding natural features,
like rivers and mountains.
4. Make a note of the longitude and latitude. A Meridian of Longitude is a geo- • One useful trick for establishing your whereabouts
graphic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the is to start with two landmarks within seeing distance (for example, a water
Earth's surface, relative to the Prime Meridian. Meridians of Longitude (these tower and a small town) and draw a straight line between them. The point
"Long" lines) run vertically from the North Pole to the South Pole (or vice- where they intersect is your rough location, give or take a mile or two.
versa, South to North). Parallels of Latitude run parallel to the Equator (the
"waist line" of the globe) horizontally, and show distance north or south of the 2. Make sure the map is aligned correctly to your compass (optional). Assum-
Equator. The numbers at the sides and top or bottom of the map track the de- ing that you're using a compass to aid in navigation, it will be important to
grees of Longitude and Latitude. Each degree represents 60 "minutes" (which calibrate it so that it's correctly oriented with your immediate surroundings,
describes fractions of distance, not travel time) and 1 nautical mile (roughly taking into account possible variations in magnetic attraction (if abnormalities
1.15 land miles). exist, they will ordinarily be noted somewhere on the legend). This step is
• The Equator and the Prime Meridian were chosen as handy reference points sometimes known as “declination.” It will be much easier to get a sense of
because they’re located roughly in the center of the globe. where you’re going when you can simply turn your head.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 75 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 76
 3. Pinpoint your destination. Circle the place where you want to end up on the UNITED STATES
map and look at how much distance lies between your start and endpoints. Once
you’ve done this, you can zoom in and the identify which avenues will allow you
to arrive at your destination in the shortest amount of time possible. Time Zone
• Calculating the distance to scale will help you to track your movements more The United States uses nine standard time zones. From
precisely. east to west they are Atlantic Standard Time (AST),
Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time
4. Plot your course. From here, it’s simply a matter of choosing which roads or
(CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), Pacific
paths you want to take to get from Point A to Point B. Keep in mind that the short-
est distance between two points is a straight line. Consequently, it’s usually best to Standard Time (PST), Alaskan Standard Time
stick to a direct route with a minimal number of branches or detours. (AKST), Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST), Sa-
• Remember, interstate systems are most often laid out left to right and south to moa standard time
north, while city streets are arranged in a grid pattern for more efficient naviga- (UTC-11) and Chamorro Standard Time (UTC+10). View the standard time zone
tion. boundaries.
• One shortcoming of traditional maps is that they won’t be able to alert you to Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in
road closings, construction work, renamed streets, and other potential obsta- March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving Time return to
cles. Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. The names in each time zone change along with Day-
light Saving Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time
5. Follow the selected route to your destination. Now that all the details have (EDT), and so forth. Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and Ameri-
been worked out, you can focus on the journey itself. Roam confidently and watch can Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Read more about the new feder-
the miles tick off, glancing back at the map as often as you need. Be careful not to al law that took effect in March 2007 which extended Daylight Saving Time by
deviate from your course unless you’ve figured out a different route in advance. four weeks.
• The exact course you take will largely be a matter of preference—in some cas-
es, you may be pushing it to get to your destination on time, while in others Public Holidays
you might be traveling at a leisurely pace and want to make the occasional stop
to do some sightseeing. The schedule of public holidays in the United States is largely influenced by the
• If you’re traveling with someone else, assign the navigating duties to one per- schedule of federal holidays, but is controlled by private sector employers who
son so there won’t be any dispute or confusion over how to interpret the map. provide 62% of the total US population with paid time off. A typical work
6. Create checkpoints to keep from losing your way. As you move along, keep week has historically been 40 hours a week with a Saturday–Sunday weekend.
track of your progress using a pencil or other writing utensil. Draw a dot, star, or
some other symbol whenever you come to a notable landmark. That way, you’ll be List of national Holidays in the USA
able to refer to the last checkpoint you passed should you happen to get turned
around. • New Year’s Day (1st January)
• Every time you stop, record how far you’ve come, and work out how much • Martin Luther King’s Day (3rd Monday of January)
distance you still have ahead of you • President’s Day (3 Monday of February)
• Memorial Day (Final Monday of May)
• Independence Day: (July 4th)
• Labor Day: (First Monday of September)
• Columbus Day: (Second Monday of October)
• Veterans Day: (November 11th)
• Thanksgiving: (Final Thursday of November)
• Christmas: (December 25th)

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 77 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 78
 American food
American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States American cuisine was influenced by Europeans and Native
Americans in its early history. Today, there are a number of foods that
American culture encompasses the customs and traditions of the United States. are commonly identified as American, such as hamburgers, hot dogs,
"Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and meat loaf. "As American as apple
marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how pie" has come to mean something that is authentically American. There
we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things," said are also styles of cooking and types of foods that are specific to a
Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London. region. Southern-style cooking is often called "American comfort food"
The United States is the third largest country in the world with a population of and includes dishes such as fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas
more than 325 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A child is born every and corn bread. Tex-Mex, popular in Texas and the Southwest, is a blend
8 seconds, and a person dies every 12 seconds. of Spanish and Mexican cooking styles and includes items such as chili
Language and burritos, and relies heavily on shredded cheese and beans.
There is no official language of the United States, according to the U.S.
government. While almost every language in the world is spoken in the United State Abbreviations and State Postal Codes
States, the most frequently spoken non-English languages are Spanish, Chinese,
French and German. Ninety percent of the U.S. population speaks and understands Since the Postal Service instituted ZIP codes and their
at least some English, and most official business is conducted in English. Some accompanying state postal codes in 1963, the two-letter abbreviations
states have official or preferred languages. For example, English and Hawaiian are have steadily gained popularity. Though it is usually preferable to write
the official languages in Hawaii. out the full name, space constraints often require use of an abbreviation.
The Census Bureau estimates that more than 300 languages are spoken in When you have to use an abbreviation, the standard abbreviation is
the United States. The bureau divides those languages into four categories: Span- strongly preferred. The postal code abbreviation should be used only in
ish; other Indo-European languages, which includes German, Yiddish, Swedish, mailing addresses.
French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Hindi, Punjabi, Greek and several others; Asian
and Pacific Island languages, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Tamil
and more; and "all other languages," which is a category for languages that didn't State Abbreviation Postal code
fit into the first three categories, such as Hungarian, Arabic, Hebrew, languages of
Africa and languages of native people of North, Central and South America. Alabama Ala. AL

Alaska Alaska AK
American style
Clothing styles vary by social status, region, occupation and climate. Jeans, American Samoa AS
sneakers, baseball caps, cowboy hats and boots are some items of clothing that are
closely associated with Americans. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Arizona Ariz. AZ
Victoria Secret are some well-known American brands.
American fashion is widely influenced by celebrities and the media, and Arkansas Ark. AR
fashion sales equal around $200 billion per year, according to a paper published
by Harvard University in 2007. More and more Americans are buying fashion, California Calif. CA
electronics and more online. According to the Census Bureau, U.S. retail e-
commerce sales for the first quarter of 2017 totaled around $98.1 billion. Colorado Colo. CO

Connecticut Conn. CT

Delaware Del. DE

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 79 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 80
 Micronesia FM
Rhode Island R.I. RI
Dist. of Co- D.C. DC
Minnesota Minn. MN CANADA
lumbia South Carolina S.C. SC
Mississippi Miss. MS
Florida Fla. FL South Dakota S.D. SD
Missouri Mo. MO Geographical Culture
Georgia Ga. GA Tennessee Tenn. TN
Montana Mont. MT Canada, second largest country
Guam Guam GU in the world in area (after Russia), occu-
Texas Tex. TX
Nebraska Nebr. NE pying roughly the northern two-fifths of
Hawaii Hawaii HI
Utah Utah UT the
Nevada Nev. NV
Idaho Idaho ID
Vermont Vt. VT continent of North America.
New Hamp- N.H. NH
Illinois Ill. IL shire
Virginia Va. VA
Despite Canada’s great size, it is one of
Indiana Ind. IN the world’s most sparsely
New Jersey N.J. NJ
Virgin Islands V.I. VI populated countries. This fact, coupled
Iowa Iowa IA New Mexico N.M. NM with the grandeur of the landscape, has
Kansas Kans. KS
Washington Wash. WA been central to the sense of Canadian
New York N.Y. NY
national identity, as
West Virginia [Link]. WV
Kentucky Ky. KY North Carolina N.C. NC expressed by the Dublin-born
Wisconsin Wis. WI writer Anna Brownell Jameson, who
Louisiana La. LA North Dakota N.D. ND explored central Ontario in 1837 and
Maine Maine ME Northern MP
Wyoming Wyo. WY remarked exultantly on “the seemingly
Marianas interminable line of trees before you;
Maryland Md. MD the boundless wilderness around you; the mysterious depths amid the multitudi-
Marshall MH
Ohio Ohio OH nous foliage, where foot of man hath never penetrated…the solitude in which we
Islands proceeded mile after mile, no human being, no human dwelling within sight.” Alt-
Oklahoma Okla. OK
hough Canadians are comparatively few in
Massachusetts Mass. MA Oregon Ore. OR number, however, they have crafted what many observers consider to be a model
multicultural society, welcoming immigrant populations from every other conti-
Michigan Mich. MI Palau PW nent. In addition, Canada harbors and exports a wealth of natural resources
Pennsylvania Pa. PA
and intellectual capital equaled by few other countries.

Puerto Rico P.R. PR

Time Zones
Canada uses six primary time zones. From east to west they are New-
foundland Time Zone, Atlantic Time Zone, Eastern Time, Central Time Zone,
Mountain Time Zone, and the Pacific Time Zone.
In most of Canada Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the sec-
ond Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving
Time return to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 81 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 82
 New Year's Day January 1 Féte Nationale
During Daylight Saving Time St. Jean Baptiste June 24
Third Monday in Day
turn your clocks ahead one hour. In Islander Day
February
2011 Newfoundland and Labrador pro- Third Monday in Discovery Day June 24
Family Day February (2nd in Canada Day July 1
claimed an amendment to the Standard BC)
Time Act which puts their observance St. Patrick's Day March 17 Nunavut Day July 9
of Daylight Saving Time in line with Friday before Easter First Monday in
Good Friday Civic Holiday
Sunday August
the rest of Canada effective November
Monday after Easter First Monday of
Easter Monday Labour Day
6, 2011. Previously, Newfoundland Sunday September
and Labrador began and ended Day- Second Monday
St. George's Day April 23 Thanksgiving
in October
light Saving Time one minute after
Victoria Day Monday preceding Remembrance Day November 11
midnight (12:01 a.m.) local time. National Patriotes Day May 25th
Christmas Day December 25
The names in each time zone National Aboriginal
June 21 Boxing Day December 26
change along with Daylight Saving Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Day

Daylight Time (EDT), and so forth. Some areas of Canada not using Daylight Saving Time
include, Fort St. John, Charlie Lake, Taylor and Dawson Creek in British Columbia, National Holiday in Canada
Creston in the East Kootenays, and most of Saskatchewan (except Denare Beach and Local Culture & Language
Creighton). cPreviously, Canada had observed Daylight Saving Time from the first Sunday
The culture of Canada has been primarily influenced by the various
in April until the last Sunday in October. However, through legislation passed in 2006, European cultures and traditions of its constituent nationalities, particularly British
and French culture. There are also influences from the cultures of its indigenous
Daylight Saving Time now begins three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March and
peoples, and from the neighboring USA.
ends on the first Sunday in November. Core Canadian values include fairness, equality, inclusiveness and social justice.
This is evidenced by the country’s approach to governance, which includes public
health care, higher taxation to promote the redistribution of wealth, the legalization
of same-sex marriage, the abolition of capital
punishment and the suppression of far-right politics. Canada generally has a very
open and accepting attitude towards other cultures and religions.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 83 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 84
 Time Zones
In Asia eleven different time zones
are used. These time zones span from UTC
(GMT) +4 to UTC (GMT) +10. Several
countries offset their local time in increments
other than a full hour. As an example, India
is 5 and 1/2 hours ahead of UTC (GMT) time
represented as UTC (GMT) +5.5. The Asian
country of Nepal is five hours and forty-five
minutes ahead of UTC (GMT) time, repre-
sented as UTC (GMT) + 5.75.
Effective May 5, 2018 North Korea set
clocks forward by 30 minutes and observe
GMT/UTC + 9:00h standard time. Most coun-
tries in Asia do not use Daylight Saving Time.
Countries that do use Daylight Saving Time in
ASIA Asia are Mongolia and in the Middle East Re-
gion, Gaza Strip, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
Geographical Culture
Mongolia, Syria and West Bank. Azerbaijan
The Fertile Crescent is considered the birthplace of agriculture. Civilizations de- which in previous years used daylight saving time
veloped along a series of watersheds, starting with the Nile River valley and arching up the Mediter- will not observe daylight saving time in 2016. For more information about time zone off-
ranean coast, eastward toward Iraq and southward along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers until reaching sets and Daylight Saving Time in Asia view the individual countries shown in the list be-
the Persian Gulf. Nomadic peoples settled along the lush river banks to harvest wild wheat and bar- low.
ley, becoming the world’s first farmers. This represented a fundamental shift in the lifestyle of early Local Culture & Language
humans, who until that point had survived by following their food as hunter-gatherers. Through agri- The culture of Asia encompasses the collective and diverse customs and traditions
culture, people learned to sustain themselves by manipulating the natural environment.
of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy, politics and religion that
As more tribes settled and worked together, important agricultural innovations have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups of the conti-
were developed, such as the wheel, irrigation, and hand tools. Farmers used these tools to tame wild nent of Asia since prehistory. Identification of a specific culture of Asia or univer-
grasses, such as wheat, barley, and lentils. Farmers also domesticated animals such as cows, sheep, sal elements among the colossal diversity that has emanated from multiple cultural
and pigs. Agriculture made cities and civilizations possible by producing enough food for the com- spheres and three of the four ancient River valley civilizations is complicated.
munity so not everyone had to provide for themselves. People not engaged in agriculture had time to However, the continent is commonly divided into six geographic sub-regions that
develop writing, religion, taxation, and trade. For instance, the cuneiform writing system has pre- are characterized by perceivable commonalities, like religion, language and rela-
served the history of the metropolis of Ur, part of the Sumerian civilization, which developed around tive ethnic homogeneity. These regions are Central Asia, East Asia, North
2100 BCE. Asia is the largest of the world’s continents, covering approximately 30 percent of the Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia.
Earth’s land area. It is also the world’s most populous continent, with roughly 60 percent of the total
population. As the largest, most populous continent and rich in resources, Asia is
Asia makes up the eastern portion of the Eurasian supercontinent; Europe occupies the home to several of the world's oldest civilizations that produced the majority of the
western portion. The border between the two continents is debated. However, most geographers de- great religious systems, the oldest known recorded myths and codices on ethics
fine Asia’s western border as an indirect line that follows the Ural Mountains, the Caucasus Moun- and morality. However, Asia's enormous size separates the various civilizations by
tains, and the Caspian and Black Seas. Asia is bordered by the Arctic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. great distances and hostile environments, such as deserts and mountain ranges. Yet
by challenging and overcoming these distances, trade and commerce gradually
developed a truly universal, Pan-Asian character. Inter-regional trade was

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 85 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 86
 the driving and cohesive force, by which cultural elements and ideas spread to the EUROPE
various sub-regions via the vast road network and the many sea routes.
Geographic Culture
Europe has a long history of human development and
is considered the birthplace of Western Civilization.
ISO code3 Capital City MY Malaysia
Today, this cultural wealth is used to solidify the
Afghanistan Maldives European Community and is exported to the rest of
AF MV
the world as one of the continent’s greatest global
BH Bahrain MN Mongolia assets.
Bangladesh Myanmar Historic Cultures
BD MM [Burma] Indigenous cultures shaped, and were shaped by, the
BT Bhutan Nepal varied geography of Europe. Physical fea-
NP
tures, weather-related phenomena, and local re-
BN Brunei North Korea
KP sources had a deep impact on how historic European cultures prospered, interact-
Cambodia Oman ed, and believed their world worked.
KH OM
CN China Pakistan The geography and climate of the Mediterranean region, for example, directly in-
PK
fluenced Greek mythology. Most Greek gods and goddesses are representations of
GE Georgia Philippines the active physical elements that made up the local landscape. The volcanoes of
PH
Hong Kong Qatar
Lemnos, an island in the Mediterranean, and Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily,
HK QA were believed to be the forges of Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire. Ancient
IN India Saudi Arabia Greeks also believed reigning gods imprisoned lesser gods underneath the volca-
SA
noes. A volcano’s violent nature thus came from the work of Hephaestus and the
ID Indonesia Singapore anger of the imprisoned gods.
SG
IR Iran South Korea
KR The ancient Greeks’ connection to the sea also deeply influenced their mythologi-
IQ Iraq Sri Lanka cal beliefs. Greece’s many earthquakes, and the tsunamis they caused, were con-
LK nected to the sea god Poseidon, known as the “Earth Shaker.”.
IL Israel Syria
SY Time Zone
JP Japan Taiwan
TW
Most of Europe uses three standard time zones. From west to east the time
JO Jordan Tajikistan zones are Western European Time (WET) which is UTC/GMT +0, Central Euro-
TJ
Kazakhstan pean Time (CET) which is UTC/GMT+1 and Eastern European Time (EET) which
KZ TH Thailand
is UTC/GMT +2. Western European Standard Time is the same as Greenwich
KW Kuwait Turkey Mean Time (GMT), however, during periods when Daylight Saving Time is in
TR
use, Western European Summer Time is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean
KG Kyrgyzstan Turkmenistan Time. In Europe Daylight Saving Time is commonly referred to as Summer Time.
TM
Laos United Arab Emir- Summer Time begins at 1:00 a.m. UTC/GMT on the last Sunday in March. On the
LA AE ates last Sunday in October areas on Summer Time (Daylight Saving Time) return to
LB Lebanon Standard Time at 1:00 am UTC/GMT.
UZ Uzbekistan
MO Macau Vietnam
VN
YE Yemen

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 87 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 88
 In April 2011 the Russian Parliament passed legislation to keep Russia on Day-

The names in each time zone change along with Summer

light Saving Time year round, however, in 2014 Russia reversed that decision and

Time. Western European Standard Time (WET) becomes West-

ended daylight saving time on October 26, 2014. In addition Russia added two

ern European Summer Time (WEST), Central European Time

new time zones. View Russia Time Zones for more details.

(CET) becomes Central European Summer Time (CEST) and

National Holiday
This list includes all ten public holidays in Belgium, except for Armistice Day (11 November). For Luxembourg, Belgian Nation-
Eastern European Time (EET) becomes Eastern European Sum-

mer Time (EEST). Throughout the United Kingdom in the coun-

Date Day
tries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Summer
New Year's Day (not published in 2017 since
Time is referred to as British Summer Time (BST). Iceland and 1 January it falls on Sunday)

portions of Greenland do not observe daylight saving time. In 13 April (Thursday before Easter) Maundy Thursday
addition, some local communities in Europe may not follow the 14 April (Friday before Easter) Good Friday
official time zone rules. 17 April (Monday after Easter) Easter Monday

Labour Day
The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have voted to end the use of daylight 1 May

saving time or summer time in the European Union in 2021. Read More Europe Day
9 May
Western portions of Russia which are west of the Ural Mountains are sometimes referred to as being
Ascension Thursday
in Europe. This area uses Moscow Standard Time which is now UTC/GMT +3 except for Kalinin- 25 May

grad Oblast in the western most portion of Russia which uses UTC/GMT +2. Georgia (formerly Re-
26 May the Friday following Ascension Day
public of Georgia) uses UTC/GMT +4 and does not observe daylight saving time. The Azores, an
Whit Monday
autonomous region of Portugal, observers Azores Time (AZOT) which is UTC/GMT-1. 5 June

From west to east the six standard time zones in Europe are: (UTC/GMT -1) Azores Time Belgian National Day
21 July
Zone. (UTC/GMT +0) Greenwich Mean Time Zone, Western European Time Zone and Irish Time
Assumption
Zone. (UTC/GMT +1) Central European Time Zone. (UTC/GMT +2) Eastern European Time 15 August

Zone. (UTC/GMT +2) Kaliningrad Time Zone. (UTC/GMT +3) Moscow Time Zone. All Saints' Day
1 November
In April 2011 the Russian Parliament passed legislation to keep Russia on Daylight Saving Time year
All Souls' Day
round, however, in 2014 Russia reversed that decision and ended daylight saving time on October 26, 2 November

2014. In addition Russia added two new time zones. View Russia Time Zones for more details. End-of-year days, including Christmas
25 December to 29 December inclusive

al Day is replaced by the Luxembourgish National Day.

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 89 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 90
 Local Culture & Language
EU Countries

The culture of Europe is rooted in the art, architecture, film, different types of mu- The most common place where you will encounter abbreviations in the European Union
(EU) is with the names of the countries themselves.
sic, economic, literature, and philosophy that originated from the continent
of Europe. European culture is largely rooted in what is often referred to as its
"common cultural heritage". The Culture of Europe might better be described as a
series of overlapping cultures of Europe. Whether it be a question of West as op-
posed to East; Catholicism and Protestantism as opposed to Eastern Ortho-
doxy; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultur- AT - Austria FR - France NL - Netherlands
al faultiness across the continent. BG - Bulgaria CY - Cyprus PO - Poland
Europe has been a cradle for many cultural innovations and movements, such
as Humanism, that have consequently been spread across the globe. BE - Belgium LV - Latvia PT - Portugal
The Renaissance of classical ideas influenced the development of art and literature
far beyond the confines of the continent. Most languages of Europe belong to MT - Malta SK - Slovakia RO - Romania
the Indo-European language family. Out of a total population of 744 million (as of
2018), some 94% are native speakers of an Indo-European language; within Indo- SE - Sweden CZ - Czech Republic SI - Slovenia
European, the three largest phyla are Romance, Germanic and Slavic with more than
200 million speakers each, between them accounting for close to 90% of Europeans. DE - Germany DK - Denmark EE - Estonia
Smaller phyla of Indo-European found in Europe include Hellenic (Greek, c. 10 mil-
ES - Spain LT - Lithuania IT - Italy
lion), Baltic (c. 7 million), Albanian (c. 5 million), Indo-Aryan (Romani, c. 1.5 mil-
lion) and Celtic (including Welsh, c. 1 million). IE - Ireland GB - United Kingdom HR - Croatia
Zip Code FI - Finland HU - Hungary GR - Greece

Member States of the European Union (EU) and other countries have been
assigned a two-letter country code, always written in capital letters, and often used
as an abbreviation in statistical analyses, tables, figures or maps.
Other countries that are in Europe but aren't part of the EU are:
The protocol order in which countries are often listed is based on the alpha- AL - Albania VA - Vatican City State AD - Andorra
betical list of countries in their national language for EU and EFTA Member States
and for candidate countries; for potential candidates, it is based on the alphabetical UA - Ukraine GE - Georgia AM - Armenia
order of their country code.
EU Member States come first, followed by European Free Trade Association BA - Bosnia BY - Belarus CH - Switzerland
(EFTA) Member States, candidate countries for EU membership, potential candi- FO - Faeroe Islands IS - Iceland MC - Monaco
dates and, finally, other countries. The order in the tables below is first column
down, then second column down, etc.. MK - Macedonia NO - Norway GI - Gibraltar

RU - Russian Federation TR - Turkey

SM - San Marino

UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 91 UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE 92