Tag Archives: money

Software Piracy Costs Billions in Time, Money for Consumers and Businesses

New Microsoft-commissioned study also highlights dangers for those that use counterfeit software.

REDMOND, Wash. — Although some computer users may actively seek pirated software in hopes of saving money, the chances of infection by unexpected malware are one in three for consumers and three in 10 for businesses, according to a new study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by IDC. As a result of these infections, the research shows that consumers will spend 1.5 billion hours and US$22 billion identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware, while global enterprises will spend US$114 billion to deal with the impact of a malware-induced cyberattack.

The global study analyzed 270 websites and peer-to-peer networks, 108 software downloads, and 155 CDs or DVDs, and it interviewed 2,077 consumers and 258 IT managers or chief information officers in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Researchers found that of counterfeit software that does not come with the computer, 45 percent comes from the Internet, and 78 percent of this software downloaded from websites or peer-to-peer networks included some type of spyware, while 36 percent contained Trojans and adware. (more…)

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Why Older Adults Become Fraud Victims More Often

Brain shows diminished response to untrustworthiness, UCLA scientists report

Why are older people especially vulnerable to becoming victims of fraud? A new UCLA study indicates that an important clue may lie in a particular region of the brain that influences the ability to discern who is honest and who is trying to deceive us.

Older people, more than younger adults, may fail to interpret an untrustworthy face as potentially dishonest, the study shows. The reason for this, the UCLA life scientists found, seems to be that a brain region called the anterior insula, which is linked to disgust and is important for discerning untrustworthy faces, is less active in older adults. (more…)

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The Benefits of Taking a Gap Year for College Students

The practice of taking a gap year after graduating high school is becoming more and more popular. Instead of heading to college right away, students instead take a year off to travel — either at home or abroad — to either work, volunteer, or just see the sights.

The gap year isn’t just something that irresponsible students take to postpone the inevitable. For many students, a gap year is a carefully planned step that offers many benefits.

Here are just a few of the benefits of taking a gap year for college students: (more…)

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UA’s Kate Kenski Tracks Election Through Talking Points, Tweets

Kate Kenski, an associate professor in the UA communication department, is studying the 2012 election using talking points, Twitter feeds and also jokes.

Election season is to politics-watchers as tax season is to accountants. There are polls to follow, debates to dissect and political ads to analyze.

For Kate Kenski, an associate professor in the University of Arizona communication department and School of Government and Public Policy, election season provides a wealth of data that she analyzes to write and teach about public opinion and political communication.

For the 2012 election, Kenski is keeping a keen eye on whether the frequent explanations for wins and losses in previous campaigns hold true for this campaign. Will the economy be the determining factor? Or will candidate personality or message strategy tip the campaign in one candidate’s direction over the other’s? (more…)

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Beliefs Drive Investors More than Preferences, Study Finds

COLUMBUS, Ohio – If experts thought they knew anything about individual investors, it was this: their emotions lead them to sell winning stocks too soon and hold on to losers too long.

But new research casts doubt on this widely held theory that individual investors’ decisions are driven mainly by their feelings toward losses and gains. In an innovative study, researchers found evidence that individual investors’ decisions are primarily motivated by their beliefs about a stock’s future. (more…)

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Do Not Rely on Others

I know that you hope, when you get older, that your children will be there to help you out. That they will take care of you like you took care of them. But I want to warn you now- do not count on it. You cannot count on other people to take care of you. Friends, relatives, even children will not help you out. If they do help you then great but do not set your mind, heart, and financial future to that.

Let me give you an example. An elderly friend of the family got divorced after many, many years. Now on her own for the first time, she thought she could count on her kids to help her out. She moved in with her oldest son. After a few months, things of hers started disappearing. Eventually, she confronted him and he revealed he had been selling her stuff to pay for her ‘expenses’. (more…)

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2012 Economic Forecast from UMD Business Faculty

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A weak housing market, tight credit for small businesses, no significant growth in the banking sector, anemic consumer spending, and modest sales for retailers – that’s the outlook for 2012 according to experts at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

“Several important dynamics frame the 2012 economic outlook,” says Cliff Rossi, Tyser Teacher Fellow and executive-in-residence. These factors include:

  • Massive financial leveraging across the board by sovereign countries, state and local governments, banks, businesses, and individuals;
  • Fear and uncertainty among consumers and investors, despite faint signs of optimism at times;
  • Political self-interest and brinksmanship increasingly interfering with effective policy making. (more…)

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Language May Play Important Role in Learning the Meanings of Numbers

*Research shows “homesigners” unable to comprehend the value of large numbers*

New research conducted with deaf people in Nicaragua shows that language may play an important role in learning the meanings of numbers.

Field studies by University of Chicago psychologist Susan Goldin-Meadow and a team of researchers found deaf people in Nicaragua, who had not learned formal sign language, do not have a complete understanding of numbers greater than three. (more…)

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