A Gllance At Information And Communication Technology Essay

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become an important tool in all aspects of life. With the development of technology, the introduction of ICT as a tool has essentially brought tremendous revolution to the practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavor within business and governance during the past decades. Consequently, the importance of ICT project management cannot be overemphasized since it is the catalyst for successfully carrying out the ICT project. A critical research on the factors influencing the performance of ICT has been conducted as well as the introduction of different evaluation models or frameworks, which are used determine if an ICT project is successfully implemented. The last but not the least, a conclusion and a recommendation are given to prove that the potential values and benefits will be brought by elaborately analyzing those related factors before implementation and regularly evaluation on the ICT project. Table of content Introduction Recently, the role of Information and communication technology (ICT) has become more and more important in any forms of organizations and businesses. According to Daniels (2002) ICT has evolved to be one of the basic tool but pervasive among the public within such a short time. Besides, understanding the operational mechanism of ICT and mastering the fundamental skills and concepts of ICT are regarded as the basic knowledge that people now should equip with. However, it seems that many people have the wrong perceptions of what ICTs are; it’s commonly that ICTs generally be referred to ‘computers and computing related activities’ before the definition of ICT officially clarified by a United Nations report (1999). Also, according to UNESCO ICT could be understood in the way that which is the combination of ‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, such as communication technology in particular. In other words, ICT is a more extended than information technology (IT), ICT not only emphasizes the technology itself, but also highlights the unified communications and the integration of telecommunications, computers; furthermore, by using these products such as the enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, users will be able to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. Now, we can find the radio broadcasts, audio conferencing, teleconferencing, email, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc., are vari ous kinds of ICT products available, and those ICT products have been used for different purposes in our daily life, work environment, or common business practices. There are more and more people become aware of the benefits and efficiency brought by the ICT. With that in mind, people are starting paying more attentions on the ICT management issues, such as how to better manage ICT projects, what are those key factors determining the performance of ICT project, or how to adequately evaluate the performance of ICT project. Discussion Just as the other project management is, there are various success/failure factors related to the ICT project management. Here we discuss the roles of attitudes and the alignment between ICT and business, which are regarded as two of the most important key factors in ICT project management. A corresponding literature review is also preformed in order to better understand the background. The Roles of Attitudes Based on recent researches on the acceptance and use of ICT project, and related ICT design and development, ICT only brings values to the organization if it is accepted, applied and widely applied by those targeted users. From one of the research (Zhang, P. 2007), the author mentioned two different theories, which the inconformity between these two theories lays in the concepts behind and effects behavioral intention. The theories mentioned are Attitude toward ICT as an object (ATO) and Attitude toward using ICT as a behavior (ATB). By definition, ATO is â€Å"a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor† (Eagly et al. 1998) or, as a combination of evaluative judgments about an object (Crites et al. 1994), while ATB is defined as â€Å"an individual’s positive or negative feelings (evaluative affect) about performing the target behavior.† (Fishbein et al. 1975) And the conceptual confusions whether attitudes play important role in the context of ICT project acceptance and use has been clarified, and there is an interesting evidence showing that the roles of attitudes can change as the users’ use of the ICT increases. The Alignment between business and ICT The literature related to the information and communication technology (ICT) demonstrated that alignment between ICT and business will influence the business performance and effectiveness of the organization in a positive way. (Cumps, B., Viaene, S., Dedene, G., & Vandenbulcke, J 2006) Furthermore, the alignment of business and ICT of an organization is one of the fundamental sustainable factors, which can also be an advantage for an organization. In that case, the organizations should consider establishing specific ICT management routines in order to obtain better alignment performance scores. Since the role of ICT cannot be underestimated, more and more people want to know whether the ICT really brings values, whether the ICT substantially improved the efficiency, or whether the ICT works as expected. Based on the research, there are several more comprehensive ICT management capability maturity framework developed, such as the ICT management capability maturity framework and ICT Pe rformance Reference Model. The differences between these two frameworks or models are the focus and the content. ICT management capability maturity framework The framework is a ‘spider diagram’, which includes seven indicators: ICT Applications, Business-ICT relationship, ICT strategy alignment, ICT user profile, ICT managerial paradigm, ICT governance and ICT organization. Before applying the ICT management capability maturity framework, the users should firstly define the critical processes of their ICT management for each indicator. For each indicator, there are specific process-orientated evaluation standards, and the users should make judgments for each standard to see whether it fits to the organization’s characters, needs, and specific industry. For each applied standard, there are different dimensionalities to assess the maturity of capability. The key function of this framework is to be used as an evaluating tool and a improvement roadmaps that can point out directions for the senior management on ICT and business management in strategies planning in order to sustainably improve, develop, and manage the ICT capability in support of optimized business value delivery. From this capability maturity framework, we can clearly see the ICT management capability maturity of an organization as well as its improvement footprint. At the same time, with the use of such framework, the organization can be evaluated on its overall ICT management capability, the comparison analysis between different organizations can be conducted, and even the industrial benchmark can als o be made to see the ranking of the organization in the certain industry. ICT Performance Reference Model ICT Performance Reference Model is a model using the reference model principles in the area of ICT management. For better understanding of the meaning of reference model, here the definition of the reference model that â€Å"Reference model contains relevant structures and relationships among the model elements (process structures, levels, document structures) and also the predefined knowledge (best practice examples) already included in these structures.† is used. ICT Performance Reference Model combines the strengths of mathematical and data modeling techniques for its structure and knowledge management principles for its content; namely, it represents the best practices and knowledge in the formalized model structure, and therefore allows easier knowledge replication. The framework of ICT Performance Reference Model includes ICT Management Process, ICT Performance management Methodologies, ICT Performance Measurement Processes, ICT Performance Measures and ICT Performance m anagement Tools and Applications. The performance of ICT project is then be evaluated through these dimensions. With the implication of ICT Performance Reference Model, it would be easier to address ICT management related issues including application functionality overlap, technology and knowledge heterogeneity, and constantly changing business pressures. Conclusion From the discussion part, we can see that there are different success/failure factors relate to the Information and Communication Technology project management. Each factor cannot be left out from consideration whenever applying an ICT project, namely, the importance of each factor cannot be overestimated, or there would possibly result in an unpleasant outcome. On the other hand, it is also necessary to have the ICT project to be reviewed, or assessed the related management capability maturity periodically. With the regular evaluation, the organization will have better understanding about the current state of the implementation of ICT project, the acceptance level of related personnel, the operation results compared to expected results, and the continuing alignment with organization’s strategies. Recommendations As we all know that the management of ICT in the enterprise has been increasing in importance and nowadays it is one of the critical success factors of any type of business. In order to ensure sustainable growing of an organization, the use of ICT cannot be avoidable. After the careful research, I recommend the organization should look into every success/failure factors corresponding with the ICT project before implementation, which will largely reduce the risk of carrying out a project and ending in nothing. At the same time, with careful elaboration on each success/failure factors, the organization will have better understanding of its status quo, its strengths and weakness, which can be a great headstone for the design and implementation of the ICT project. In addition to the prior-art research, the ongoing assessment is also important for an ICT project management. In that case, the organization should choose adequate evaluation model or framework with some customized changes in order to fit into the needs of the organization. By doing the regular inspection, the organization can notice the wrong behavior in time and make certain modifications accordingly. Without such safeguard monitor mechanism, it may be too late when the organization realizes the mistakes happening. References Becker, J., Knackstedt, R., & Pà ¶ppelbuß, D. W. I. J. (2009). Developing maturity models for IT management. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 1(3), 213-222. Cumps, B., Viaene, S., Dedene, G., & Vandenbulcke, J. (2006, January). An empirical study on business/ICT alignment in European organisations. InSystem Sciences, 2006. HICSS’06. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on (Vol. 8, pp. 195a-195a). IEEE. Donnellan, B., Sheridan, C., & Curry, E. (2011). A capability maturity framework for sustainable information and communication technology. IT professional, 13(1), 33-40. Novotnà ½, O. (2009). ICT performance reference model in the context of corporate performance management systems. IDIMT-2009 System and Humans–A complex Relationship. Linz: Trauner Verlag Universitat, 13-16. Silvius, A. G. (2009, April). Business and IT Alignment: What We Know and What We Don’t Know. In Information Management and Engineering, 2009. ICIME’09. International Conference on (pp. 558-563). IEEE. Zhang, P., & Aikman, S. (2007). Attitudes in ICT acceptance and use. In Human-Computer Interaction. Interaction Design and Usability (pp. 1021-1030). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Slavery & Abuse – Modern Day Realities for Maid

â€Å"At her death, the 19-year-old girl – who was 50 kg when she arrived in Singapore – weighed only 36 kg and had more than 200 injuries on her body. †(Lee, para. 3) The evolution of domestic workers in Singapore dates back to the mui tsai, migrant girls from China in the early 1890s who were the virtual slaves of the rich families. They worked from dawn to dusk and into the wee hours of the morning. However, the number of foreign domestic workers started to grow only in the 1970s, a result perhaps of the economic boom then, and the desire for more leisure. The number continued to rise rapidly. In 2005, there were more than 140,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore. (Chew, pg. 152) It may seem that maids working in a first world country like Singapore, has it easy off, compared to those working in second world countries, but there is a hidden claw that scars maids in this roaring Lion City. Some may say that maid abuse is not a widespread problem and that the irresponsible reporting of maid abuse by the local papers and television is the problem. On the other hand, others believe that maid abuse still remains a widespread problem. Singaporean, para. 12) Singapore maids undergo the risk of being abused due to financial and educational circumstances for their family, leaving them with psychological effects during and after abusive treatment. Foreign Domestic Workers come to Singapore in search for a job, without the protection of the Singapore government, to get them out of a poverty stricken life they have back in their hometown. The y earn money to be able to build a home and be able to afford a decent education and keep their children sufficiently fed and clothed. However, the cost of this may lead to a permanent psychological trauma caused by employers, which follows them for the rest of their lives after their contract is up, if they do not commit suicide. These abusers come from all walks of life: A school teacher had forced her maid to eat her own feces(Singaporean, para. 11), a father of two kicked and threw chairs at his maid(Singapore, para. 3), an air force staff sergeant tortured his sleep deprived maid by whipping her(Chong, para. 8), even children slap and hit their maids repeatedly to the encouragement of their parents(Rhonda, entry 5, para. ). Something has to change. Background Singapore for the past century has been a country growing in population and world status and recognition. Once an island of fishing village, and a British settlement, today Singapore is a republican country, which had undergone tremendous change. This is a result of the workforce Singapore has and its strategic location on the globe, being located off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, making it an ideal destination to port ship between traveling between the Indian and Pacific Ocean, thus being a highly growing and expanding nation. With a huge amount of Singapore’s society holding jobs that requires long hours, they hire helpers, maids, to lighten their work load for the chores they have to do. In 2005, there were more than 140,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore(Chew, pg. 152), under the care of employers who hire these helpers from one of the 700 maid agencies in Singapore. (Chew, pg. 152) These employers may hold high paying jobs or high posts in the company they work for, but there is always a hidden side to people. In 1997, Singapore has reported 157 cases, 89 cases in 1998, 82 cases in 1999. (Sierakowski, pg. 133) it may seem that there is a downward trend with maid abuse cases of such in Singapore, however, there was 87 cases in 2000 and it has since been rising. (Chew, pg. 133) The cases of abusive behavior implicated upon the employer’s helper, usually happens behind closed doors of the employers resident: be it in their HDB’s (government funded Housing and Development Board in Singapore), landed properties, condominiums or private properties. The implications of such abusive inflictions on their helpers, causes physiological traumas embedded forever with their helpers. Unfortunately, some of these traumas unfortunately do end with the loss of lives. Description The idea of maid abuse parallels the idea of slavery. In Singapore, there was no term known as maid abuse till the recent decade. Each year, an average of 90 maids report the abuse cases and are documented into the system, however, many goes unheard. (Chew, pg. 33) The basic ideology of maid abuse happens when a worker under the employment of an employer is ill treated to an extent that would cause side effects to a person physically and mentally. A recent case of maid abuse consisted of a maid being kicked in the belly, slapped, and thrown multiple items at her for not preparing curry puffs as instructed properly. This maid, suffered injuries to her arms and toes, but managed to flee the apartment and reported the abuse to the police. The abuser, Mat Nooh, a father of two, and teacher, was found guilty, and this particular case was settled. Singapore, para. 2) It is important to know that even a person holding a profession as a teacher, who provides an education to others, and is a highly respected job that others trust and seek information from, is able to carry out such abusive behavior towards a fellow human being. It leads us to question the fact of how much a person can appear to be what he is not, question the true identity of others. However, not all abused are able to take the physical and psychological abuse. There was another maid who is referred to as Imelda, had acquired bruises all over her body. She alleged that her employer’s brother had hit her repeatedly whenever he would get drunk. In January 1988, he had handed her his knife and told her to kill herself. By doing this action, the employer’s brother had not only physically abused the maid, but also had imprinted the underlying idea that Imelda was useless and would be better off to the world to be dead. Imelda has initially fled to Philippine Community Center, which has since been closed down, to take refuge. However the psychological impact of the matter was too much for her to take, and she had plummeted from the hospital window, to her death. (Sampang, pg. 8) This is significant to the fact that the abuse of a maid does not stop when the maid leaves the abusive environment, but the effects of it continue to linger in her subconscious mind and it would impair her judgment and thought process in the future due to the abusive acts inflicted upon the maid. Leaving a permanent psychological scar on the maid, forever. There are laws in Singapore that protect helpers, for the most part, from being hurt physically, being wrongfully confined and outraged of modesty, but, it is important to note that foreign domestic workers are not protected under the Employment Act, 1968(Chew, pg. 53), that all employees in Singapore are protected by. If you enter a foreign country to work in it as a domestic helper and you realize that the government of that country does not protect you the way it protects the other 5. 5 million people living in the same country, it results in not just fear in the back of your mind but it trips a wire that subconsciously tells you, you are not of the same value of others. Analysis A psychological effect on a person doesn’t require drastic measures to happen before changes in a person’s mind occur. Even a simple thing such as that, maids who are employed by couples are often made by the employer’s wife to cut their hairs short and not to wear any makeup so they will be less attractive to the employer(Perlez, para. 25), may be of mental harm towards a maid. This may not seem to be a big deal, however not being able to look good for herself, psychologically impairs the person to think that she is ugly and not worth the trouble, consequently causing a decrease of self respect , ego and insecurity in looks, with the possibly of resulting in the state of depression. In simple terms, the maid turns suicidal as a result of abuse. However, the effect of maid abuse does not stop there, but carries on as a chain reaction. If a child sees his/her parents abusing their maid when they are young, the child will think that it is the norm and would carry this trait into the future, and would abuse the possible maid he/she would employ. Abuse may not only be in the form of physical contact between the two parties, derogatory verbal statements made about these domestic helpers may also be considered as an abuse. It may not seem that verbal statements could be an abuse, however when you start referring to a person as said ‘maid’, it lowers a person’s self-respect and in their subconscious mind, they feel like they are being told that they are worth less than others as they have to ‘serve’ their employers. However, in this seemingly dark and grim topic, there is a glimmer of hope for this matter. If we are able to raise awareness within the community, then the rate of abuse cases would decline over time, consequently saving the lives of possible future victims. Solutions H. O. M. E (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics), is one of the charities in Singapore that is helping out the situations of abused maids in Singapore. H. O. M. E helps these maids by offering them to be told of their rights and options in their own native tongue. In addition to that, H. O. M. E aids abused migrant workers by informing the MOM (Ministry of Manpower) of the case an d follows up onto it, be it negative or embarrassing towards the ministry. (Maid, para. 24) H. O. M. E also provides referral services, shelter, income-generating opportunities, and legal aid to abused migrant workers. It helps workers navigate the justice system in Singapore and has been cultivating a working relationship with the Ministry of Manpower and sending countries' embassies to respond to cases of abuse. (Maid, para. 54) An idea to a new solution would be to create an advertisement campaign to educate the young public. This would be the solution to the maid abuse problem. It would be to educate the young to prevent these problems in the future, as the past has already happened. The condition of maid abuse cannot be changed overnight by campaigning about it. The elder generation’s mindsets have already been written in stone and so it would be hard to sway their mindset. However, the younger generation is easily influenced and so by educating them on respect of other human beings regardless of their ethnicity and background, it would prove to be worthwhile, with the outcome of a new generation of people who would respect, understand and have more compassion. Even though MOM had held a photographed campaign against the abusive behavior towards maids, I felt that I could approach my campaign from a totally new and different perspective. The advertisement campaign could consist of three different compositions that mirror the layout of TIME magazine, so the viewer would be draw to see the image. The first could consist of an image of an abused maid cowering in a dark corner, accompanied with shocking text as topics. The second could consist of an image of a shadowed fist about to strike maid, accompanied with socking text as topics. The third could consist of a picture of an abused maid with a tear rolling down her cheek, portraying her cry for help. The campaign will be up on the internet alongside being posted in strategic locations around my school, for maximum exposure. This campaign could possibly have a very strong impact on the audience. However, the limitation of this would be the amount of audience that this would receive, and if they would even care. Conclusion There are many implications to the extent of abuse possible. Even in this magnificent Lion City, Singapore, there are abusive behaviors occurring to the employed helpers of households. This leaves a mental imprinted scar in he minds of such victims through and subsequent to abusive treatment. The abused will feel that they are inferior to the general public and start to decline into the start of depression, with the possibility of resulting in death. However, there are solutions to the problem at hand, by raising awareness within the community. Maids have plunged from top stories of buildings, slit their wrist, starved, beaten and abused to death. We must not let them die in vain. Each and every one of them has a story to tell. Let us carry their voices on.

INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION - Essay Example Nonetheless, due to the clash of trading principles, it is often difficult to come up with an equitable decision which is favoured by the parties. In view of that, business-minded individuals (merchants) have led the call for an international tribunal who will decide on conflicting claims pertaining to international commercial dealings. Thus, the phrase â€Å"international commercial arbitration† has been formulated and put into issue. International commercial tribunals have been created—settling disputes by integrating the different principles in trade and commerce—mostly applying the â€Å"lex mercatoria† (law of merchants). In this sense, it can be stated that â€Å"the lex mercatoria is indeed a live subject: more so today than at almost any time over the last generation† (Fortier, 2001). â€Å"Disputes are inevitable occurrences† in international relations especially in commercial transactions—failure or refusal to pay in accordance with the stipulations provided in a contract is one of the main causes of conflict (Lew, et al., 2003). To settle the differences of the contracting parties, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are made available. Arbitration is actually one of the non-judicial methods of settling commercial disputes which has been exhaustively applied by some states and entities. In fact, some of the countries in the world have included arbitration as part of their law on civil procedure like Germany and France. Arbitration is a procedure by which conflicting claims of two or more individuals or entities with regard to their shared rights and obligations is heard and resolved by an arbitrator—the agreement reached by the parties has a binding effect (Halsburys Laws of England, as cited in Lew, et al., 2003, p. 3). As such , it has four fundamental features which include the following: an alternative to judicial proceeding, a private way of resolving disputes, parties can select and control the process, and final resolution of

Implementation of Infrastructural design for information technology in Research Paper

Implementation of Infrastructural design for information technology in financial environment - Research Paper Example Keywords: servers, farm, co-location, co-lo, IT, information technology, location, maintenance, email, instant messaging, ticketing system Implementation of Infrastructural Design for IT in a Financial Environment I. INTRODUCTION i. Background of the problem The recent advancements in information and technology have resulted in widespread adoption of networked information systems thereby creating new threats to the integrity, and safety of the information infrastructure and transactions in a number of financial environments across the globe. Consequently many banks and other financial organizations are increasingly implementing secure infrastructural designs of information technology in their financial environments not only to secure their sensitive communications and transactions but also to improve the reliability and integrity of their systems. According to Harris (2001, p.39), an effective IT infrastructure design reduces the risks of potential financial losses due to network fau lts while at the same time reducing the expenses related to network management. A properly implemented infrastructural design for information technology in a financial environment often integrates a number of technological components to support business needs of the particular organization. IT infrastructure comprises a group of shared tangible IT resources that offer a foundation to enable present and potential business applications. These recourses include the operating systems, key data. Core data-processing applications network and telecommunication and shared its services. Information management is the heart component of government infrastructure; it is the intellectual capital of accountability governance. Best practices and standards leads in efficient, responsible and cost effective use of resources. IT comprises of a full spectrum of technology and services that back-up information management. Financial institutions are often demanding environments dealing with massive quan tities of sensitive information. In this regard, it is critically important to implement reliable and secure infrastructural designs for such environments to ensure their robust performance as well as provide secure access to information. This paper seeks to detail the specific server farm setup that will be utilized by the company, the design of the IT department, the type of software and hardware that would be best suited for the company, as well as the different possibilities for co-location sites that would be used for the servers themselves. ii. Researcher’s Work Setting and Role The researcher is a graduate student pursing masters of Science Degree in Management. As the lead researcher, my primary role will be to outline the specific research problem and work closely with the other members of the research team towards the achievement of the research goals. I will also be obligated to participate in the data collection processes as well as to provide a supervisory role t hroughout the research. iii. Statement of the problem For any information and communication system in any enterprise to run smoothly a

Impact of Brand Personality on Consumer Decision Making Essay

Impact of Brand Personality on Consumer Decision Making - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in equating the impact of a brand’s personality on the consumer decision-making process, Hofmeyr and Rice in a book titled â€Å"Commitment-Led Marketing: The Key to Brand Profits Is in the Customer's Mind† aptly sums up the purpose of this study. They advise us that commitment is what brands seek to establish with consumers as it represents what they feel about a company, as opposed to loyalty, which they describe as what consumers do. In order to gain a level of commitment from consumers, a brand must establish some sort of relationship as well as an image that transmits and provides them with a reason or reasons to act upon that foundation. In delving into this study, certain keywords as represented by its purpose, are integral to understanding the foregoing. A brand, according to the Concise Dictionary of Business Management is â€Å"A mark, name, logo or trademark that identifies a product or services or organizatio n and distinguishes it from its competitors. It is studied, brand personality encompasses branding, which the Concise Dictionary of Business Management defines as â€Å"The use of a brand to describe a product service or organization†. In considering the term brand personality one needs to understand that it meansâ€Å". the quality or condition of being a person †¦ the totality of qualities and traits †¦ that are peculiar to a specific person †¦ the pattern of collective character, behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental traits †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In equating the preceding application to brand personality, substituting brand for the person provides the context. Aaker tells us that â€Å"The brand personality provides depth, feelings and liking to the relationship†. He adds that â€Å"Of course, a brand-customer relationship can also be based on a functional benefit, just as two people can have a strictly business relationship†. The preceding brief exploration has sought to acquaint you with the foundational precepts in this exploration that includes the third facet, consumer decision making. This last area represents the core question and focus of marketing professionals for over 70 years, with its roots tracing back approximately 300 years as led by economist Nicholas Bernoulli. Bernoulli’s groundbreaking work paved the way for von Neumann and Morgenstern who extended his work into what is called the Utility Theory. Their hypothesis, von Neumann, and Morgenstern are based upon the theory â€Å"†¦that individuals evaluate uncertain prospects according to their expected level of satisfaction or utility. The preceding represents one of a number of consumer decision making theories and or models, which for the purposes of time, only a few shall be covered in this examination. The highly competitive world of business, where most products and or services share common and or similar characteristics, brand distinc tions represent an important advantage that companies seek to establish. This study will seek to explain and examine the relationships between these areas and explain the nuances as well as linkages that make brand personality an important part of the consumer decision-making process.

Defination Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Thomas Nagel, death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thomas Nagel, death - Essay Example There are a number of arguments that have been presented in the written work by Nagel concerning the death being an ultimate loss. However, the major aspect that has been well evaluated by the author through rhetoric is the understanding of death being an ultimate loss or the perfect end of an existence. Herein, one can notice that there is strength as well as weakness of the claim concerning death in the written piece. Firstly, the author has appointed two hypotheses to evaluate the subject matter from various perspectives. The appointment of such an approach has rather allowed the author to bring differing viewpoints in contrast1. In such a way, the author has been extremely successful in allowing the readers to understand the context of discussion. It is one of the ways through which the literature gap could easily be understood. As a matter of fact, the weakness of the argument is in terms of pathos. The author has not been able to make an effective use of pathos that could have allowed better back up to the claims and information presented. For instance, the author asserted that life itself is meaningful and one can notice that if there is no evil or good then it, there remains certain value. In order to present a counter crime, the author has weakened the position by asserting that the loss cannot be accounted. On a closer analysis of the pointers and claims presented by Nagel, it comes to understanding that he has brought a very profound debate. There are a number of critics who can consider the hypothesis to be overly presented within the context. The usage of counter arguments as presented by the author surely presented death to be the end of existence but it does not formally answer the questions. In simpler words, the claims and arguments within the article rather leave more questions to be answered. For instance, the understanding of the article by Nagel has been closely underpinned for further research by

Why College is important to Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why College is important to Me - Essay Example College is important to me as it will tell me who I really am and what I can do towards changing the world dynamics. I will study the different subjects and thus choose a career pathway for my own self, in light of the subject areas that I will study at college. I will thus gain hands on experience of what I will be doing in the future – which will eventually be my profession at the end of the day. The college will be significant to me as it will tell me how to exchange ideas and viewpoints with people, how to interact with them and will also tell me the exact way under which I need to conduct my own self at the best of times. It will give me the much needed exposure that I need in order to move about freely in this world. Thus college is important to me as it will give me the insight and knowledge that I desire for and the truth which is hidden from me, when it comes to knowing all about the world in

Oprah Winfrey Essay Example for Free

Oprah Winfrey Essay I. Oprah Winfrey is giving, a role model and very successful person I ever seen. Oprah Winfrey revolutionized the talk show market with her unique and natural style and rose to become the host of the most watched daytime show on television, which boasts 22 million viewers daily (three-fourths of whom are women). She is the first African American to own her own TV studio. The multitalented Winfrey is also a billionaire businesswoman, a talented actress, owner of a movie production company, and committed philanthropist II. Oprah Winfrey Contributions to Society is enormous. Oprah’s private charity ‘The Oprah Winfrey Foundation’ has given thousands of grants to organizations who support education to children, empowerment of women, helping families in America and across the globe. She has donated millions of dollars for providing better education to children’s who have merits, but lack in means. The Oprah Winfrey’s Scholarship Programmed gives scholarships to students who will educate themselves and give back to their community. Her Christmas Kindness South Africa 2002 which is an extension of her pet Foundation visits orphanages and rural schools in South Africa and more than 50000 kids receive gifts in the form of toys, books, food, athletic shoes and clothing. Along with Nelson Mandela, in Dec 2000 she pledged to build a school in South Africa. Her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa contributed more than $40 million towards girl’s education in Jan 2007.The vision of the Academy is to develop future women leaders of South Africa. Oprah Winfrey Contributions to Society helps to support women’s shelter, helps establish schools and scholarships, builds youth centers and homes for the poor and the needy, thus bringing in change for the future and changing the world for betterment. Because she has dedicated her whole life to improving other peoples lives, she gives her best selflessly and doesn’t expect anything in return when she does a good cause. And even though she has had a tough childhood she still treats everyone with love and care. Unlike others who could hate everyone because of the terrible things that have happened in the past. She teaches us to pick ourselves up through hard times and to forgive but most of all she teaches us to believe, to believe in ourselves and in our d reams. That is why she is now so successful and such an influential woman and a positive role model. III. In 1977, the station switched her from her news anchor job to co-hosting a morning talk show called â€Å"Baltimore Is Talking. After her first day on the job, she said: This is what I was born to do. This is like breathing. In 1984, Winfrey moved to Chicago to take over a dull morning show called A.M. Chicago that always got the worst ratings in its time slots. Her first move was to change the shows topics from lightweight womens topics† like cooking and makeup to more topical and controversial subjects. This had been Donahues successful strategy and it worked for Winfrey, too. Within one month she was even with Donahue in the ratings; by three months she was ahead of him and the show had been renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show.

A Message to Garcia. story Review Essay Example for Free

A Message to Garcia. story Review Essay Through hostile territory Rowan traveled by foot, within three weeks he delivered the letter to Garcia. In this story it was clear that he couldn’t express the things Rowan did to deliver this message, it was something incredible and not anything to boast about freely. The point the tried to make was that Rowan was given a task in which he asked no questions, he just did as he was told. The writer gave his opinion of what this meant to him. He said men don’t need to be book smart nor have a lot of knowledge on this subject but rather some courage, loyalty and trust. These things with some concentration are what it means to â€Å"carry a message†. I believe he’s saying it takes a man with no fear or hesitation to get the job done. At this point in the story General Garcia is now dead. The writer states this isn’t where it stops, there are many other Garcias.. Meaning story’s like this one. He says no man will succeed by being foolish or only working half hearted, he believes you will get out of the situation what you put in to it and if you don’t have heart for what your trying to accomplish.. your not going to be successful. Elbert Hubbard the writer of this story puts another example in to perspective for the audience to think about. He talks about six clerks, he puts one to the test. He has asks the clerk to look in the encyclopedia and make a short memorandum explaining life of Corregio. He goes on to explain, the clerk most likely will not know what he is talking about and the clerk will end up asking all sorts of questions trying to get more information on this subject. When the clerk runs out of questions he will resort to another clerk and task him to help complete this mission, but all in the end the clerk will come back to him stating there is no such man named Corregio. The point the trys to make is that by asking the clerk to do this for him rather than do it himself is stupid. He says â€Å"if men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all? † Hes basically saying that a lazy man who has no independence and takes no responsibility in a situation is a selfish person. In this story Elbert Hubbard makes the point that a man doesn’t need to know how to spell or puncuate, or he may not have a good memory or grammar. A man may be great at one thing and horrible at another. It doesn’t matter those small things, what matters is if a man has the courage, responsibility, loyalty, pride and determination. A unique mindset of someone who could be given any random task and any given time and ask no questions. Without hesitation, completing the task with a full heart and a focused mindset†¦ this is what it means to â€Å"carry a message to Garcia† I like this story a lot because it relates to a lot of real life situations now. This story states a strong and bold message about morals and having self pride in what you do on a daily basis.

Study Of Bureaucratic Leadership Management Essay

Study Of Bureaucratic Leadership Management Essay The textbook describes the Bureaucratic style of leadership as a supervisor who manages by the book and is seen by his/her employees as a police officer. This type of leadership style is great for workplaces where the employees have no chance of discretion when it comes to their jobs such as accounting and law related work. The term Bureaucracy can be traced to eighteenth-century French literature. The early usage referred to an official workplace (bureau) in which individual activities were routinely determined by explicit rules and regulations. As modern systems of management, bureaucracies are designed to rationally coordinate the duties and responsibilities of officials and employees or organizations. The delineation of official duties and responsibilities by means of formal rules and programs or activity, is intended to displace and constrain the otherwise private, idiosyncratic, and unlikely personal interests an d actions of individuals. Bureaucratic systems of administration are designed to ensure that the activities of individuals rationally contribute to the goals and interests of the organizations within which they work. Bureaucracy is the world of explicitly formulated goals, rules, procedures, and givens that define and regulate the place of its members, a world of specialization and expertise, with the roles of individuals minutely specified and differentiated. Its employees are organized by purpose, process, clientele, or place, It is a world that prices consistency, predictability, stability, and efficiency more than creativity and principle. Roles and duties are prescribed less by superiors than by tradition, formal examinations, and technical qualifications. Careers and job security are protected by tenure, pensions, union rules, professional standards and appeal procedures[2] Some other important characteristics of bureaucracies are the hierarchical ordering of authority relations, limiting the areas of command and responsibility for subordinate as well and superordinate personnel, the recruitment and promotion of individuals on the basis of technical expertise and competence, a clearly defined division of labor with specialization and training required for assigned tasks, a structuring of the work environment to ensure continuous and full time employment, and the fulfillment of individual career expectations within the organization, the impersonality and impartiality of relationship among organization members and with those outside the organization, the importance of official record in the form of written documents. I feel that when talking about Bureaucratic leadership, it is more like when talking about a computers programing. A computer follows a protocol to do whatever we need it to do, the same way a Bureaucratic leader looks to the rules, the protocol, to see what needs to be done and how it is to be done. This text explains that bureaucracy discourages the kind of power that is generated by the tapping of motivational bases among employees and the marshaling of personal- as opposed to organizational- resourcesAnd Bureaucracy, far from directing social change or serving as a factor in historical causation, consciously or not helps buttress the status quo. This is majorly significant in understanding Bureaucratic leadership because most people only know that bureaucratic leadership is about following the rules but they dont understand that there is an underlying need from these bureaucratic leaders to follow the rules and that their minds are stuck in the feeling of if its not broken, why fix it as well as knowing that maybe not following the rules may result in problems for them that would not have been generated had they followed to rules. Bureaucratic authority is formal power that has been vested in persons by virtue of their holding certain positions, that is, vested in the positions themselves. Such authority may be used to influence subordinates under a system of rewards and penalties, the carrot and stick method usually, and this authority from ruler to subordinate is accepted because the subordinate is motivated to respect its credibility and legitimacy. Basically conformity is the basis of bureaucratic leadership and bureaucracy in general. The knowledge that we must follow the rules, no matter what, to get ahead is the very thing that makes us feel that no matter how much or how little work we do our efforts will not be recognized. This leads to conformity and feeds into the status quo by hammering into our heads that the very act of trying to change the way things are, the workplace, society and such, may and will end in punishment either by literally removing us from the environment, termination, or by brainwashing us to think that our actions are wrong, rehabilitation. The historical trend towards increasing bureaucratization through modern Western Europe, highlighted by the changing structure of military organizations, is documented in the works of Karl Marx, however, the study of bureaucratic structure and process as the prominent sociological topic is based on the intellectual legacy of Max Weber. Max Weber observed that bureaucratic authority was not the rule but the exception. Even in large political systems such as those in ancient empires, rulers carried out key measures through their inner circles or personal trustees, table companions, and servants of the court. In certain cultures, unlike the ones just discussed, bureaucracies were the dominant basis of the organization, empires such as the Romans and China during recent history. To Weber, power represents the ability or capacity to have other people behave in accordance with certain orders or dictates, no matter if those affected care that its application is rightful or legitimate. Authority for Weber, represents the legitimation of this power by those whose activities are ordered in such way that the application of power and its impact is deemed to be proper and acceptable. At the root or bureaucratic conflicts, lies some kind of struggle and prestige. This struggle pervades the bureaucracy because it engages persons who tap one anothers motivational and need bases and who have various power resources that they can employ or mobilize in this process. Within the bureaucratic organization, rules serve to direct individual actions in ways that promote the technical efficiency of the organization. The distinctive feature of bureaucratic organization is not the use or rules per Se but, rather, the type of rules employed within a organization as well as the justification for the use of the rules. Rules have been, and continue to be, used in all forms of administration to control individual actions, whether it is by following the rules verbatim or by loosely interpreting them.

Isabellas Accusations in Measure for Measure by Shakespeare :: essays research papers

Near the end of all plays there is the climax, the part of the play where all the action comes together, the most important part of the play. Near the end of Measure for Measure, Isabella confronts Angelo in front of the Duke. This is the climax of the play. Although there are many important parts in Measure for Measure, by William Shakespearem, Isabella's accusations of Angelo is the most important because of the language used, the charactor development that comes out, and the emphasis of the plays themes. Shakespeare is famous for his ability with words, and this short passage is no exception. In iambic pentameter, this passage consists of Isabella telling the Duke about Angelo's inappropriate actions towards her. In current english the lines translate to Isabella saying that she is not insane and that although Angelo may seem to be innocent and perfect, the Duke must look past that to see the truth. She asks the Duke to believe that Angelo can actually be a bad person. When the Duke calls her insane once again, Isabella asks him to look past what appears to be the truth, and find what is actually the truth. Isabella changes a lot throughout the play, but it all becomes more evident in this short passage. She finally sticks up for herself, by telling people about what Angelo attempted to do to her. Her way of talking changes as she feels more and more helpless. The Duke not beleiving her is a huge blow to her arguement, as it is ultimatly the Dukes decision on what to beleive. She becomes more and more desperate as she feels more and more helpless. At the start of the passage she is confident, explaining to the Duke that Angelo is not as perfect as everyone thinks. In the second part of the passage Isabella seems to be begging with the Duke to beleive her, asking him to "harp not on that", talking about how the Duke believes she is insane. This passage emphasizes the major theme of the play, justice. The whole passage is about Isabella trying to create justice. Angelo did something wrong, and therefore should be punished for it. The whole issue that Isabella is fighting for is about justice. She beleives her brother was executed for something that should not be considered wrong.

Steven Spielberg Essay -- essays research papers

Steven Spielberg   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a kid in Phoenix, Steven Spielberg charged admission to his home movies while his sister sold popcorn. Although Spielberg excelled at making movies he was not a good student. He hated school and was one of the most unathletic students there. His movie making career began at the age of twelve when his father bought a movie camera that Spielberg used all the time. Instead of doing his school work he was using the camera. While he was working with his mom and sister on his projects, his father helped him make miniature sets out of paper mache.He turned out his first production, with script and actors, when he was thirteen, and a year later he won a prize for a forty minute war movie titled Escape to Nowhere. At the age of sixteen, his 140-minute production, Firelight, was shown in a local movie theater. In college, his short film, Amblin was shown at the Atlanta Film Festival and led to the boy genius's Universal Studios directing contract at the age of twenty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spielberg learned his craft doing television work, which included an episode of the Rod Serling series Night Gallery and the classic cult movie Duel. His first feature, The Sugarland Express, was released in 1974, and he was soon offered the chance to direct a thriller about a great white shark terrorizing a small New England beach town. Jaws cost $8.5 million and grossed $260 million. Spielberg followed it up two years later with Close Enc...

Predictive Analytics: the Future of Business Intelligence

The market is witnessing an unprecedented shift in business intelligence (BI), largely because of technological innovation and increasing business needs. The latest shift in the BI market is the move from traditional analytics to predictive analytics. Although predictive analytics belongs to the BI family, it is emerging as a distinct new software sector. Analytical tools enable greater transparency, and can find and analyze past and present trends, as well as the hidden nature of data. However, past and present insight and trend information are not enough to be competitive in business. Business organizations need to know more about the future, and in particular, about future trends, patterns, and customer behavior in order to understand the market better. To meet this demand, many BI vendors developed predictive analytics to forecast future trends in customer behavior, buying patterns, and who is coming into and leaving the market and why. Traditional analytical tools claim to have a real 360 ° view of the enterprise or business, but they analyze only historical data—data about what has already happened. Traditional analytics help gain insight for what was right and what went wrong in decision-making. Today’s tools merely provide rear view analysis. However, one cannot change the past, but one can prepare better for the future and decision makers want to see the predictable future, control it, and take actions today to attain tomorrow’s goals. What is Predictive Analytics? Predictive analytics are used to determine the probable future outcome of an event or the likelihood of a situation occurring. It is the branch of data mining concerned with the prediction of future probabilities and trends. Predictive analytics is used to automatically analyze large amounts of data with different variables; it includes clustering, decision trees, market basket analysis, regression modeling, neural nets, genetic algorithms, text mining, hypothesis testing, decision analytics, and more. The core element of predictive analytics is the predictor, a variable that can be measured for an individual or entity to predict future behavior. For example, a credit card company could consider age, income, credit history, other demographics as predictors when issuing a credit card to determine an applicant’s risk factor. Multiple predictors are combined into a predictive model, which, when subjected to analysis, can be used to forecast future probabilities with an acceptable level of reliability. In predictive modeling, data is collected, a statistical model is formulated, predictions are made, and the model is validated (or revised) as additional data become available. Predictive analytics combine business knowledge and statistical analytical techniques to apply with business data to achieve insights. These insights help organizations understand how people behave as customers, buyers, sellers, distributors, etc. Multiple related predictive models can produce good insights to make strategic company decisions, like where to explore new markets, acquisitions, and retentions; find up-selling and cross-selling opportunities; and discovering areas that can improve security and fraud detection. Predictive analytics indicates not only what to do, but also how and when to do it, and to explain what-if scenarios. A Microscopic and Telescopic View of Your Data Predictive analytics employs both a microscopic and telescopic view of data allowing organizations to see and analyze the minute details of a business, and to peer into the future. Traditional BI tools cannot accomplish this functionality. Traditional BI tools work with the assumptions one creates, and then will find if the statistical patterns match those assumptions. Predictive analytics go beyond those assumptions to discover previously unknown data; it then looks for patterns and associations anywhere and everywhere between seemingly disparate information. Let’s use the example of a credit card company operating a customer loyalty program to describe the application of predictive analytics. Credit card companies try to retain their existing customers through loyalty programs. The challenge is predicting the loss of customer. In an ideal world, a company can look into the future and take appropriate action before customers switch to competitor companies. In this case, one can build a predictive model employing three predictors: frequency of use, personal financial situations, and lower annual percentage rate (APR) offered by competitors. The combination of these predictors creates a predictive model, which works to find patterns and associations. This predictive model can be applied to customers who are start using their cards less frequently. Predictive analytics would classify these less frequent users differently than the regular users. It would then find the pattern of card usage for this group and predict a probable outcome. The predictive model could identify patterns between card usage; changes in one’s personal financial situation; and the lower APR offered by competitors. In this situation, the predictive analytics model can help the company to identify who are those unsatisfied customers. As a result, company’s can respond in a timely manner to keep those clients loyal by offering them attractive promotional services to sway them away from switching to a competitor. Predictive analytics could also help organizations, such as government agencies, banks, immigration departments, video clubs etc. , achieve their business aims by using internal and external data. On-line books and music stores also take advantage of predictive analytics. Many sites provide additional consumer information based on the type of book one purchased. These additional details are generated by predictive analytics to potentially up-sell customers to other related products and services. Predictive Analytics and Data Mining The future of data mining lies in predictive analytics. However, the terms data mining and data extraction are often confused with each other in the market. Data mining is more than data extraction It is the extraction of hidden predictive information from large databases or data warehouses. Data mining, also known as knowledge-discovery in databases, is the practice of automatically searching large stores of data for patterns. To do this, data mining uses computational techniques from statistics and pattern recognition. On the other hand, data extraction is the process of pulling data from one data source and loading them into a targeted database; for example, it pulls data from source or legacy system and loading data into standard database or data warehouse. Thus the critical difference between the two is data mining looks for patterns in data. A predictive analytical model is built by data mining tools and techniques. Data mining tools extract data by accessing massive databases and then they process the data with advance algorithms to find hidden patterns and predictive information. Though there is an obvious connection between statistics and data mining, because methodologies used in data mining have originated in fields other than statistics. Data mining sits at the common borders of several domains, including data base management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, pattern recognition, and data visualization. Common data mining techniques include artificial neural networks, decision trees, genetic algorithms, nearest neighbor method, and rule induction. Major Predictive Analytics Vendors Some vendors have been in the predictive analytical tools sector for decades; others have recently emerged. This section will briefly discuss the capabilities of key vendors in predictive analytics. SAS SAS is one of the leaders in predictive analytics. Though it is a latecomer to BI, SAS started making tools for statistical analysis at least thirty years prior, which has helped it to move into data mining and create predictive analytic tools. Its application, SAS Enterprise Miner, streamlines the entire data mining process from data access to model deployment by supporting all necessary tasks within a single, integrated solution. Delivered as a distributed client-server system, it is well suited for data mining in large organizations. SAS provides financial, forecasting, and statistical analysis tools critical for problem-solving and competitive agility. SAS is geared towards power users, and is difficult to learn. Additionally, in terms of real-time analytics, building dashboards and scorecards, SAS is a laggard compared to competitors like Cognos, Business Objects, and Hyperion; however, its niche product in data mining and predictive analytics has made it stand out of the crowd. SPSS SPSS Inc. is another leader in providing predictive analytics software and solutions. Founded in 1968, SPSS has a long history of creating programs for statistical analysis in social sciences. SPSS today is known more as a predictive analytics software developer than statistical analysis software. SPSS has played a thought-leadership role in the emergence of predictive analytics, showcasing predictive analytics as an important, distinct segment within the broader business intelligence software sector. SPSS performs almost all general statistical analyses (regression, logistic regression, survival analysis, analysis of variance, factor analysis, and multivariate nalysis) and now has a full set of data mining and predictive analytical tools. Though the program comes in modules, it is necessary to have the SPSS Base System in order to fully benefit from the product. SPSS focuses on ease; thus beginners enjoy it, while power users may quickly outgrow it. SPSS is strong in the area of graphics, and weak in more cutting edge statistical procedures and lacks robust methods a nd survey methods. The latest SPSS 14. 0 release has improved links to third-party data sources and programming languages. Insightful Along similar lines is Insightful Corporation, a supplier of software and services for statistical data analysis, data mining of numeric, and text data. It delivers software and solutions for predictive analytics and provides enterprises with scalable data analysis solutions that drive better decisions by revealing patterns, trends, and relationships. Insightful’s S-PLUS 7, is a standard software platform for statistical data analysis and predictive analytics. Designed with an open architecture and flexible interfaces, S-PLUS 7 is an ideal platform for integrating advanced statistical techniques into existing business processes. Another tool offered by Insightful is Insightful Miner, a data mining tool. Its ability to scale to large data sets in an accessible manner in one of its strengths. Insightful Miner is also a good tool for data import/export, data exploration, and data cleansing tasks, and its reduces dimensionality prior to modeling. While it has powerful reporting and modeling capabilities, it has relatively low levels of automation StatSoft Inc. StatSoft, Inc. is a global provider of analytic software. Its flagship product is Statistica, a suite of analytics software products. Statistica provides comprehensive array of data analysis, data management, data visualization and data mining procedures. Its features include the wide selection of predictive modeling, clustering, classification and exploratory techniques made available in one software platform. Because of its open architecture, it is highly customizable and can be tailored to meet very specific and demanding analysis requirements. Statistica has a relatively easy to use graphical programming user interface, and provides tools for all common data mining tasks; however, its charts are not easily available for the evaluation of neural net models. Statistica Data Miner another solution that offers a collection comprehensive data mining solutions. It is one of two suites that provides a support vector machine (SVM), which provides the framework for modeling learning algorithms. Knowledge Extractions Engines (KXEN) Knowledge Extraction Engines (KXEN) is the other vendor that provides a suite that includes SVM. KXEN is a global provider of business analytics software. Its self-named tool, KXEN provides (SVM) and merges the fields of machine learning and statistics. KXEN Analytic Framework is a suite of predictive and descriptive modeling engines that create analytic models. It places the latest data mining technology within reach of business decision makers and data mining professionals. The key components of KXEN are robust regression, smart segmenter, time series, association rules, support vector machine, consistent coder, sequence coder, model export, and event log. One can embed the KXEN data mining tool into existing enterprise applications and business processes. No advanced technical knowledge is required to create and deploy models and KXEN is highly accurate data mining tool and it is almost fully automatic. However, one record must be submitted for every entity that must be modeled, and this record must contain a clean data set. Unica Affinium Model is Unica’s data mining tool. It is used for response modeling to understand and anticipate customer behavior. Unica is enterprise marketing management (EMM) software vendor and Affinium Model is a core component of the market-leading Affinium EMM software suite. The software empowers marketing professionals to recognize and predict customer behaviors and preferences—and use that information to develop relevant, profitable, and customer-focused marketing strategies and interactions. The automatic operation of the modeling engine shields the user from many data mining operations that must be manually performed by users of other packages, including a choice of algorithms. Affinium is an easy to use response modeling product on the market and is suitable for the non-data miner or statistician, who lacks statistical and graphical knowledge. New variables can be derived in the spreadsheet with a rich set of macro functions; however, the solution lacks data exploration tools and data preparation functions. Angoss Software Corporation Another leading provider of data mining and predictive analytics tools is Angoss Software Corporation. Its products provide information on customer behavior and marketing initiatives to help in the development of business strategies. Main products include KnowledgeSTUDIO and KnowledgeSEEKER, which are data mining and predictive analytics tools. The company also offers customized training to its clients, who are primarily in the financial services industry. Angoss developed industry specific predictive analytics software like Angoss Expands FundGuard, Angoss Telecom Marketing Analytics, and Angoss Claims & Payments Analytics. Apart from financial industry Angoss software is used by telecom, life sciences, and retail organizations. Fair Isaac Corporation Along similar lines, Fair Isaac Corporation is the leading provider of credit scoring systems. The firm offers statistics-based predictive tools for the consumer credit industry. Model Builder 2. 1 addresses predictive analytics, and is an advanced modeling platform specifically designed to jump-start the predictive modeling process, enabling rapid development, and deployment of predictive models into enterprise-class decision applications. Fair Isaac's analytic and decision-management products and services are used around the world, and include applicant scoring for insurers, and financial risk and database management products for financial concerns. IBM Not to be left out, the world’s largest information and technology company, IBM also offers predictive analytics tools. DB2 Intelligent Miner for Data is a predictive analytical tool and can be used to gain new business insights and to harvest valuable business intelligence from enterprise data. Intelligent Miner for Data mines high-volume transaction data generated by point-of-sale, automatic transfer machine (ATM), credit card, call center, or e-commerce activities. It better equips an organization to make insightful decisions, whether the problem is how to develop more precisely targeted marketing campaigns, reduce customer attrition, or increase revenue generated by Internet shopping. The Intelligent Miner Scoring is built as an extension to the DB2 tool and works directly from the relational database. It accelerates the data mining process, resulting in the ability to make quicker decisions from a host of culled data. Additionally, because D2B Intelligent Miner Scoring is compatible with Oracle databases, companies no longer have to wait for Oracle to incorporate business intelligence capabilities into their database product. User Recommendations Depending on an organization’s needs, some predictive analytics tools will be more relevant than others. Each has its strengths and weakness and can be highly industry-and model-specific—the algorithms and models built for one industry are not applicable to other industries. Financial industries, for example, have different models than what are used in manufacturing and research industries. Selecting the appropriate predictive analytics tools is not a simple task. The following capabilities must be taken into consideration: algorithm richness, degree of automation, scalability, model portability, web enablement, ease of use, and the capability to access large data sets. The more diversified the business, the more functions and unique models are required. Model portability is important even within different business units in the same company. The scalability of the solution and its ability to handle expanded functionality should also be verified and based on a business’ growth. The tools also have to be tested by the right experts. To understand and interpret predictive analytics results, one has to be knowledgeable about statistical modeling. One should look for the main functions and features of the tool and try to match them with their main requirements, as well as measure the trade off between functionality and cost. For example, some functionalities might be more important for some companies and less important for others. Buyers should also beware. Although marketing campaigns for predictive analytics solutions claim †ease of use†, these tools are not for beginners. Users require extensive training and expertise to use the core functionalities of the predictive analytics solutions, such as identifying data, building the predictive model with right predictors, data mining knowledge to align with business strategy etc. Furthermore, predictive analytics automates model building, but does not automate the integration of business processes and knowledge. Thus expertise and training are required to evaluate the best software relevant to an organization’s unique business model. Nonetheless, if a company has or is willing to attain the expertise required to use predictive analytics it can definitely benefit from the tool. Although most large enterprises use some sort of traditional BI tool or platform, their tools do not provide predictive analytics functionality. Incorporating predictive analytics into an existing BI infrastructure can provide organizations’ a competitive advantage in their industry. Consequently, the integration of BI tools is a key consideration when selecting a predictive analytical tool, as is its integration with key applications such as enterprise resource planning, (ERP), customer resource management (CRM), and supply chain management (SCM) etc. Ultimately, since predictive analytics is currently the only way to analyze and monitor the business trends of the past, present, and future, selecting the right tool can be a key success factor in your BI strategy. About the author Mukhles Zaman has more than twenty five years experience in the IT industry specializing in business intelligence (BI), customer relationship management (CRM), project management, database design, and reporting software. He is a leading BI expert and has worked as a senior project manager on IT projects for Fortune 1000 companies in India, the Middle East, US, and Canada. He has also developed call center systems, software architecture, and portfolio management systems. He holds an MA in Economics, and a BA in Economics and Statistics from the University of Dhaka and is an Oracle Certified Professional. He can be reached at [email  protected] com.

Bones Restaurant

One wall Is covered entirely by a mirror, Glenn the appearance that the addling room is a lot larger than it actually Is. There are photographs hanging on the other walls of celebrities like Bob Hope, Being Crosby, and Danny Okay, and other famous people like President George Bush, and President Ronald Reagan all of which have dined there. Although there is a tie requirement, the other dcord is not so much as to make someone feel uncomfortable. It is rather ranch style, with Bull horn, and Mason Jar chandeliers, and rustic wood furniture.The menu has a diverse selection from pasta, chicken, lamb, pork, and of course what they are known for, the steaks and seafood. We decided to get two totally different options so that we could sample more of the menu. Sara decided on the Grilled Swordfish with braised Swiss chard. The Swordfish steak was a 1402. Steak, which is a large piece offish, and it was undoubtedly flavors. The Swiss chard, a green leafy vegetable, which was cooked in the oil s of the Swordfish, Sara said was also delightfully tasteful. I am not one for vegetable of that nature so I did not try it myself.I ordered the Dry Aged Bone-Len Rib Eye, served with fresh steamed Asparagus. The Steak itself I can see why it has gotten such great ratings from food critics, it was cooked perfectly, and was pull apart with a fork tender. It had tons of natural flavors, along with the spices that they had rubbed on it before its final preparation. Although the prices may be a little rich, I believe that it is well worth it considering the flavor, the quantity, and quality of the food that you do receive. This brings me to the people at Bone's Restaurant.As said before, as soon as you walk wrought the doors, you are greeted by smelling faces, and friendly attitudes. A reservation is a must so wait time is almost nothing. And the quality of Dana, the server that we had this wonderful evening was absolutely fantastic. Dana was friendly, helpful, and her knowledge of the menu was impeccable. But not only was she great, everyone that walked by inquired and made sure that we were doing okay. The General Manager Emilee also came by to make sure everything was great. Both Male Ana Dana were very personable, Ana easy to talk to.Male even suggested places to go, and see after she found out that we were new to Atlanta. Our overall experience with Bone's Restaurant is something that could be called awesome. It was definitely worth the three week wait list for reservations that we had to wait, and we even already have our name down for a future visit in September. Sara and I would recommend this establishment to anyone, and everyone that is planning to go to Atlanta. Bone's Restaurant is one of the greatest dining establishments that we have ever been to.

Reserach Methodology Essay

3.1 Research Design This study is a quantitative-descriptive in nature where the purpose is to describe the level of student’s satisfaction on services provided by the school towards the enrollment system through quantitative research method to quantify and reflect in numbers the observation made of the respondents being studied (Sampa, 2012). It attempts to explore and explain while providing additional information about the topic. This is where research is trying to describe what is happening in more detail, filling in the missing parts and expanding our understanding. This is also where as much information is collected as possible instead of making guesses or elaborate models to predict the future – the ‘what’ and ‘how,’ rather than the ‘why.’ The researchers used a modified questionnaire which answers the first two objectives of this study which is the extent to which students meets and/or exceeds their expectations and perceptions towards the enr ollment system provided by the University of Mindanao. 3.2 Research Respondents The respondents of this study were the students of University of Mindanao selected randomly according to their year level and their type (freshmen, old student, and transferee). 3.2.1 Population Population, statistically, refers to the entire aggregate of items, i.e., group of people or element, who shares common set of characteristics or interest, from which samples can be drawn, in which the researcher wishes to investigate. University of Mindanao has large population of students from both Bolton Campus and Matina Campus, hence, the population refers to the University of Mindanao students who are enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.2 Sampling Frame Sampling Frame refers to the target population. In this study, 60 respondents was selected from students currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.3 Types of Sampling Technique The researcher chose the simple random sampling whereby every element is selected independently and the sample is drawn by a random procedure from  the sampling frame. Sekaran(2003) as cited by Abdullah (2005) points out that through simple random sampling technique, all elements in the population are carefully weigh and each element has an equal chance of being chosen as the subject. If the main objective of this study is to generalize the ability of the findings to the whole population then, this sampling design is best suited. 3.2.4 Sampling Size It is concerned with how many people that should be surveyed. The sample size larger than 30 and less than 500 are appropriate for most research (Roscoe (1975) cited by Abdullah ( 2005)). It is believe that large sample generates inevitable results than smaller samples. However, it is not necessary to sample the entire target population or even a material portion to have reliable results. With this, the researcher only chose 60 sample units as the sampling size randomly due to the time constraints, cost and other human resources. Sixty questionnaires were being distributed to respondents who are currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.3 Research Instruments The researchers used a survey questionnaire in checklist form. This instrument was modified by the researchers to establish the level of student’s satisfaction on enrolment system provided by University of Mindanao. The instrument determined, among others, the gender, type of student (freshmen, old student and transferees), and year level of the respondents. The Itemized Rating Scale survey was the selected questionnaire type as this enabled the respondents to answer the survey easily. Though, it is somewhat similar to Likert Scale but it uses other than agreement /disagreement item statement. This rating scale requires the subject to indicate his or her level of satisfaction to a statement. In this type of questionnaire, the respondents were given five response choices.

Adoption of Islamic Banking Essay

The intention of the study is to identify the benefits which could be drawn in Adoption of Islamic banking by conventional banks and to determine the challenges they are going to face in the adoption. The 60 respondents from various conventional, non-Muslim banks have been chosen through simple random sampling. The result of the survey for the questions regarding the awareness of the local people was considered positive in Edgware Road, London. They were mostly familiar with Islamic banking since there is already established Islamic bank in the area. The first branch of The Islamic Bank of Britain was in this area. It was also found out that a good portion non-Muslims are aware about the features of Islamic banking. A number of these non-Muslim respondents were also found to be employees of Islamic banks. The fact that Islamic Bank of Britain employs the best person for the job regardless of color, creed, gender, and ethnicity, the system makes it more familiar to non-Muslims. It may be concluded that although Islamic banking is a good alternative to the conventional banking system, it should not replace the conventional system. The benefits drawn in the adoption of Islamic banking may be a very good alternative for investors who could use either or both systems to maximize the outcome of their investment plans. Chapter 1 Introduction 1. 1 Introduction What is Islamic Banking? Islamic Baking is quite a different system compared to a conventional banking system. The Islamic banking system prohibit usury and interest categorized as riba. It is governed by Shariah where Islam does not distinguish interest and usury (Haron 1995, p. 26). Currently, there are more than 150 interest-free institutions all over the world according to the International Association of Islamic Banks. Islamic banks nowadays were also serving non-Muslim countries such as Denmark, Switzerland and other Western countries. No interest is paid nor charged in an Islamic Bank. (Haron 1995, p. 26). The pioneer Mit Ghamr Local Savings Banks was established in 1963, somewhere in Nile Delta, Egypt, a provincial rural center. Although most of the banks operate in Muslim countries, it was also extended to the Western world. An example is the Islamic Banking System International Holding which was established in Luxembourg in 1978. It is considered as the first Islamic bank in the Western soil. The establishments of these banks were followed by other Islamic banks not only serving Muslim customers but also those who expanded their operations to service non-Muslims (Haron 1995, p. 27). After more than a decade since its establishment, it was estimated that over US$20 billion to US$40 billon of assets existed in the Islamic banking system worldwide. Currently, they have grown for more than US$60 billion. A study shows that the adoption of Islamic Banking in a financial system has not led to collapse as some feared to happen (Ghannadian & Goswami 2004, p. 242). Islamic banking is also playing a very important role in resource allocation, mobilization and utilization. It means Islamic banks are also providing savings to depositors and credits to the needy. Normal deposits such as savings account, current account and investment deposits are very available to customers. Islamic banks provide financial assistance in a short or long term business and individuals. They are also involved in international trade activities (Haron 1995, p. 27). 1. 2 Research Background It is difficult to pinpoint when Islamic banking started, but consensus suggests that it took place in Egypt in the 1960’s. In the mid 1970’s, Islamic banking started to take root in other Muslim countries. The changes were explained into main factors. First, the 1970s have seen oil price shocks which led to a massive transfer of wealth for the oil-consuming to oil-producing countries. Second is the fact that the oil shock coincided with the Iranian revolution which brought about the Khomeini government and the first Islamic republic (Akacem & Gilliam 2002, p. 126). By 2003, there were about 176 Islamic banks around the world, handling over US$ 147 billion and 32 banks are in an Arab state (Info Prod Research, 2003). This form of specialized banking may help to promote growth in the developing countries (Ghannadian & Goswami 2004, p. 242). As recent as 2003, there have been news about the introduction of Islamic hedge funds which could tap into the capital of Islamic families that could be worth a trillion dollars in asset management. According to banking statistics, the growth rate of Islamic banking has outpaced the growth of traditional banking in the past decade. Transformation Oriented Developing Economies (TODEs) made the transformation of society into full pledged market based economies (MBEs) a centerpiece in overall strategies. Many structural changes are required in its financial institutions, especially that the role of a financial intermediary in supplying funds to a growing new industry is crucial. Moreover, there are times when improper resource allocation may potentially result destabilization due to either faulty risk assessments. Or because of the design of its contract could be significant in examining the implementation of an Islamic banking system and how Islamic banks can provide liquidity and aid in creating money. This is through offering transactions accounts with compensation for inflation to risk-avoiding depositors (Ghannadian & Goswami 2004, p. 242). Evolution of Islamic The first modern experiment with Islamic banking was undertaken in Egypt. The pioneering effort of projecting Islamic image was led by Ahmad El Najjar who aimed to establish a savings bank based on profit-sharing in the town of Mit Ghamr in 1963. This experiment lasted until 1967, and by that time there were nine banks operating in the country. These banks neither charged nor paid interest and invested mostly in trade and industry directly or in forms of partnership and shared their profit with the depositors. This function is essentially a savings investment institution rather than a commercial bank. The Nasir Social Bank was established in 1971, IDB established in 1974 by the Organization of Islamic countries, and was the primarily inter-governmental bank aimed at providing funds for development projects in member countries (Sohrab 1996, p. 287). In considering the adoption of Islamic banking by conventional banks, what kind of benefits may be drawn from such adoption and the challenges they are going to face in undertaking such? Most benefits that may be drawn from the adoption of Islamic banking by conventional banks come from the features of its equity financing contract. With Mudaraba (trustee financing) and Musharaka (equity participation), entrepreneurs with little means and substantial collateral are able to gain access to capital (Sohrab 1996, p. 288). In addition, few businesses are able to operate strictly on cash basis without taking on debt or selling a portion of the business just to cover shortfalls or when there is a need for expansion (Bartlett & Economy 2002, p. 184). Because of this, it will be more attractive to engage into Islamic bank equity financing than that of conventional banks offering debt financing thus, making Islamic banking more competitive with regards to innovative entrepreneurial customers.

Graduation Speech Essay

This is such a great victory for all of us! We have done each others’part to make this occasion whole. As educators, it is our pride and honor to see you all on this very momentous day tasting the fruit of our sweet success for six years of labor and more. Your parents are in deep joy celebrating your achievement that at last you did to surpass this milestone of your primary training. Years ago you entered this place,you had the desire within you to learn and to prepare yourselves for the challenges to come in the future. We had a heart to heart agreement to teach and learn. Now, we have realized that agreement in us. Your teachers are with high regards in you for they freed you from this place because you deserve to seek higher learning which will make yourselves more equipped to meet your tomorrow with confidence, satisfaction, and integrity. The time spent in school was never wasted despite of the shortcomings we encountered. With the theme, â€Å" Building the Nations Future Leaders Through the K to 12 Basic Education Program†, we are truly confident that your dreams are at hand. Just strive hard not only for yourselves but for the nation as well. The foundation we built is of good help wherever you go. As you leave your beloved Alma Mater, put in mind, carve in heart and do by hands the teachings and learnings you acquired in fundamental step of your basic education to gear you up for the higher one. Always remember, even in this step, you start making yourselves leaders. Being a leader doesn’t always mean to be at authority to acquire power, but; being a leader is possessing the ability to make a difference to cut the poverty and corruption for the goodness of humanity so that even the most deprived will still get their basic needs with honor and happiness. Do that vision in you a great mission to fulfill in making this world a better place for all of us to live with equity and justice. May the Almighty God guide you to whatever path will you take in building a nation with integral progress empowered by holistically developed leaders. A warm greetings of congratulations to all of you, Graduates! Mabuhay and God speed!

MONEY AND BANKING ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

MONEY AND BANKING - Assignment Example the lending rate or the reserve requirement, which will allow banks to borrow funds at a lower rate from the central bank and also increase their own fund capacity. Banks borrowing at lower rates will pass the benefit to its client, resulting in lower lending rates of bank. If the cash reserve ratio (CRR) falls, the commercial banks will have to keep a lesser amount of reserve in the central bank. Therefore, they will pass the reserve to their customer as loans through a lower lending rate and demand for loan will also be increased, which directly increases the demand for reserve of the commercial banks to their central bank. It implies that there will be a credit growth, i.e. more loans are offered at a low interest rate. The credit expansion will lead to increased borrowing by corporate and retail segments for investment purposes (Mishkin, 2007). Money borrowed by companies will be invested in their business expansion that leads to increased money supply in the economy. The retail segment borrowing also lead to increased money supply as they borrow funds to buy homes, cars, home decor, etc that leverages these sectors to produce more. This results increased growth. Usually interest rate target and money supply are inversely related i.e. if interest rate is lowered, demand for bank reserve will increase and accordingly money supply will rise through lower lending rate of the commercial banks (Gowland, 2013). The above figure represents the effect of interest rate on money supply in an economy. The x axis shows the interest rate and the y axis represents the quantity of money supply. With given level of interest rate of 7% the MS line is the red line which intersects with the money demand line MD. The MD follows the general rule of a demand curve i.e. downward sloping. When the interest rate is reduced to 6%, the MD rises, which pushes the money supply line to a new equilibrium. There is a shift in the MS line from red to

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 24

Marketing - Essay Example Carpenter (2004) highlights the definition of marketing given by American Marketing Association in his article. Marketing is defined as "an organizational function and set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders" (Carpenter, 2004). Carpenter means that marketing deals with customer relationships and the process involves creation of products, their communication and then their delivery to the customers. Donald (2004) defines marketing as not an advertising campaign but some function that deal with consumer touch points, brand values and attributes that are communicated. Therefore, for Donald, marketing is not just advertising but a whole procedure that involves the consumers, the product and its features. Marketing covers all the point mentioned by Donald. Marketing is done about products for consumers so that the products can be availed by consumers because of the attributes and brand values of the products. Marketing is an important function of an organization or business setup and this factor cannot be negated that the businesses operating all around the globe are able to reach to the general public by means of their marketing functionalities. Marketing is an activity that enables all the businesses to make the people know what is in their hands for the people and how can it fulfill the needs of people. Planning is also very crucial for the success of a marketing campaign. Through marketing plans, the organizations are able to attain information about their competitors, strengths and weaknesses of their products and much more (Pophal, 2000). Every day we see unlimited advertisements in the newspapers, on the internet, on television, in the form of banners and by many other means in which, we notice that the products or services that are monitored are

Religion and politics in the United States Research Paper

Religion and politics in the United States - Research Paper Example Ground Zero became a symbol for American perseverance and a shrine for all the lives lost in the tragedy. Ten years later, plans have been made to build a mosque near the site which has caused much strife in the American public. The construction of an identity that is rejected by the traditional American has been the result. This society is based on the exclusion of those who oppose the dominant ideology as opposed to including diverse ideology out of appreciation. Indeed the history of the U.S. has been a history of the exclusion of various groups at multiple points throughout the history of the nation. The current conflict is merely an extention of previous conflicts manifested with a new enemy. The best means of fully understanding this conflict is through an analysis of current and historical events, social transformations, and American narratives. The plans to build the 100 million dollar mosque were headlined by Sharif El-Gamal who has stood for religious freedom in the face of adversity and hate (Baum, 2011). In fact, recent polls indicated that most New York inhabitants did not want to have a mosque near the cite (Baum, 2011). In spite of this, Michael Bloomberg defended religious freedom by stating that â€Å"there is no neighborhood in this city off-limits to God's love and mercy (Baum, 2011)." On the opposite side of the table was Pamela Geller who is a conservative activist that leverages her blog, Atlas Shrugs, to attack El-Gamal for being a front man for the money behind the project as well as for Islamic supremacist who believe in constructing a mosque near the site of a war victory (Baum, 2011). Ironically, a current candidate for president, Donald Trump, used money as an incentive to attempt to get the mosque moved to a different location. In response, El-Gamal asked, "Are we supposed to move so we can create a Muslim-free zone, Muslim-free blocks (Baum, 2011)?" He was furious with the notion that the criminal act that occurred on September 11 th is a representation of all Muslims. In terms of the historical relationship between Islam and Christianity, the two communities have shared conflict and feuds. The reason why Islam is being compared to Christianity is because it is the primary religion in the U.S (Gaustad, 2004). Empirical examples that prove this to be true is the fact that currency holds that â€Å"In God We Trust† and each day we pledge allegiance, it is â€Å"Under God†. When these two concepts came under heat by activist, it was the Christians that stood in defense of the terms. Much like that situation, Christian sects are arising to contest the establishment of the mosque (Sachedina, 2001). This conflicts stems all the way back to the year 1095 where the first crusades began. The crusades were a series of religiously sanctioned wars where followers fought over a rite of passage (Stokes, 1950). It seems as if Christianity is consistently attempt to stop the spread of Islam as is proven in the Crusades where the cause was because of the attempt to recapture Jerusalem from Muslim rule. While Jerusalem served as the birthplace of the Christian figure Jesus, It serves as the point of ascension into heaven for the Islamic figure Muhammad. In fact, the Bill of Rights already settles the issue concerning the mosque by establishing Freedom of Religion as an essential right of all Americans (Stokes, 1950). It states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof (Mutua, 2004). This means that the formation of the country was more geared towards the free exercise of religion as opposed to the persecution of individuals who don’