The Rise Of The Church - 1332 Words

To understand the rise of the Church in Rome it is imperative to recall that the center of the Christianity had been destroyed in AD 70, when the army of Titus destroyed Jerusalem. Looking for leadership, the Christians would have immediately sought out those in Rome as it was the center of power and capitol of the Empire. In the first and second centuries, all roads did indeed lead to Rome. The second reason that Christians looked to Rome for leadership is because they believed that the church would come from Peter. Many took Jesus statement in Matthew 16:18, â€Å"You are Peter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to literally mean that the Church would form from Peter and he was in Rome, thereby the center of Church leadership would be in Rome and its leader would bear the title Pope. In the following six centuries a sequence of events would eventually lead to the bishop in Rome and the Papacy to great spiritual and political power in all of Western Europe. The intent of this paper is to summarize the rise of papacy power and the factors that contributed to its dominance of Western Europe. The rise of the papacy to increased dominance and power was more likely to a confluence of historical events, divinely inspired as all things come from God, than to the apostolic succession of Peter. How and why the papacy in Rome became the center of power? The Roman Empire was so large that it was ruled in two parts after Christianity was legalized by Constantine in 313. The capitol of the Eastern Empire wasShow MoreRelatedSchool Prayer The Rise Of A Church State Or Freedom1278 Words   |  6 PagesSchool Prayer the Rise of a Church State or Freedom Religious freedom is one of the many freedoms our great nation has worked so hard to protect. During the early 1700’s many different states   made laws only allowing   people of certain religions or certain beliefs   able to hold a state office causing much contention and oppression. Thomas Jefferson tried to draft a bill that guaranteed all   citizens of any religion or no religion, legal equality in the state but his attempts failed. He stated â€Å"TheRead MoreThe Rise to Respectability: Race, Religion, and the Church of God in Christ, by Calvin White, Jr.1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe Rise to Respectability: Race, Religion, and the Church of God in Christ, by Calvin White, Jr. Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 2012. 239 Pages. The Rise to Respectability demonstrates great knowledge about the African American religious life during the late nineteenth century in the south, specifically Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, to the early twentieth century. Calvin White documents the advancement of the Holiness movement by providing information about the origin andRead MoreThe Rise Of The Papacy1473 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rise of the Papacy Introduction The birth or the beginnings of the Papacy is a rather difficult task to really nail down to a specific time, place or person and also the growth of the Papacy was a rather slow and gradual process. In this modern age Rome has been associated with the birth place of the Papacy but history shows that Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in the 4th century. In Constantinople the father of the church was referred to as the Pope. TheRead MoreTHE RISE OF THE PAPACY Essay examples1637 Words   |  7 Pagesmedieval period. This rise to power resulted from the decline in the Western Empire, the leadership of Roman bishops, and special grants that gave the church land holdings. 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Nothing would manage to survive in the middle ages, if there had not been the alliance of the churches with the barbarian royalty, contributing to the preservation ofRead MoreEssay on Roots Of Individualism In Euro1177 Words   |  5 Pagesdeviating from the status quo, largely determined by the Roman Catholic Church, was condemned as heresy. One convicted of such a grievous offense was often excommunicated or killed, either by means of a proper execution or by a hostile mob. However, with the decl ine of the Middle Ages, the conditions arose for the birth of individualism—the development of which can be traced through the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the rise of capitalism. Individualism was a radical ideological revolution thatRead MoreThe Rise Of The Papacy Essay947 Words   |  4 PagesThe Rise of the Papacy There many Roman Catholics worldwide, who looks up to the Pope’s authority. The great question is, what is the foundation of the Papacy? The rise of the papacy came at a very important time in history, after the fall of Rome. In 380 CE, Emperor Theodosius I, made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire. After this establishment, and the church was the top religion in Rome, order was a must. The head of the church normally known as the bishop, now knownRead MoreCharacteristic Features of the Middle Ages Essay750 Words   |  3 PagesThe beginning of the period was marked by the collapse of Rome while its end was marked by the end of Renaissance. The Roman Empire’s fall bringing forth an idea of uniting Europe in what was called Christendom, this was based on the beliefs of the church. Features such as migration of people, invasions, population distribution, and deurbanization characterized this period. The medieval ages had three periods, which i nclude the antiquity, the medieval periods, and the modern period, all of which exhibitedRead MoreChristianity And Its Impact On America1577 Words   |  7 Pagesincreasingly Christianity faces many challenges and problems, including declining attendance, rise in atheism, religious alternatives, secular humanism, political and social issues, and generational issues. One of the main challenges of Christianity in the twenty-first century is declining church attendance. Attendance across evangelical churches in the United States is decreasing. In a survey conducted by the American Church Research Project of more than 200,000 congregations, attendance has gradually declinedRead MorePuritanism And Its Effect On Society1457 Words   |  6 Pagesapart from the rest was the way it was preached and the intense experience it gave many. The style and teaching of the Bible have evolved over time. According to the â€Å"Journal of Church and State,† the Puritans connected a covenant relationship with unifying themselves (2014). McMahon (n.d.) stated they wanted a pure church with the Word of God. Preachers In Salem The path to becoming a preacher started very early on in their lives. Stated in McMahon’s (n.d.) writing, preachers were raised by godly

12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose Free Essays

The movie â€Å"Twelve Angry Men† by Reginald Rose is a drama that displays twelve jurors’ in-depth reasoning to decide a unanimous decision on the defendant’s sentence. There are many assets and liabilities of the group that play a role in their decision making. The jurors are all defined in terms of their personalities, backgrounds, prejudices and emotional tilts. We will write a custom essay sample on 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose or any similar topic only for you Order Now This paper will argue that when pride, jealousy, frustration and prejudice all emerge we see irrational and rational decision making methods. The assets of group is shown when juror#8 starts a different approach to evidence by showing the knife that was thought to be rare. It starts the process of participation in problem solving by other jury members who may have made up their mind or were just feeling conformity pressure. Greater sum of individual’s total information starts to helps jury make a better decision. Liabilities of a group are show when every one except juror# 8 raise their hand feeling conformity pressure. There is desire of individual shown by juror# 3 to dominate and win the argument rather than finding a best solution. Lack of interest is shown by juror# 7 to reason or spend time to solve problem. There are prejudice feelings shown by juror# 10 and 7, they think juror# 5 and 11 do not know much because of their backgrounds. Each group determines assets and liabilities of their group’s problem solving. As long disagreement is not personal and is in interest of best solution it’s healthy. Time required to solve a problem is uncertain, members might get impatient and solve problem without reasoning. Risk taking is either good or bad depending on how a group uses it. Each group has a different problem to solve and different personalities to work with which is why each group can use assets and liabilities positively and negatively. Throughout the film, Juror Ten is violently prejudiced against anyone who comes from a slum. â€Å"You can’t believe a word they say,† he declares – take note that Juror Ten does not say â€Å"he,† meaning the defendant, but â€Å"they,† the group of slums as a whole. This proves that he cannot make a fair judgment about individual guilt. Juror Nine, the senior man with accumulated life experience, notices this and rebukes immediately saying â€Å"Since when is dishonesty a group characteristic? † The intolerance of Juror Ten continues before finally erupting in a long speech that leads the other jurors to reject him. The message is clear that such irrational prejudice is incompatible with justice. Juror Four also shows signs of such prejudice, though he couches it in more acceptable words: â€Å"The children who come out of slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society. When a person hears the word prejudice, he or she might think it only refers to the racial prejudice often found between those with light skin and those with dark skin. However, prejudice runs much deeper than a person’s color. Prejudice is found between gender, religion, cultural and geographical background, and race. People have discriminated against others based upon these attributes from the beginning of time. Prejudice has beco me a complex problem in our society; for example, if someone were to walk in a secluded area at night and pass a group of senior citizens, he or she will, most likely, not feel threatened. However, if instead of senior citizens, three teenagers dressed in ripped jeans and t-shirts wearing metal chains around their necks passed the person is more likely to feel threatened. Prejudice is the sad truth of today’s society. Whether it’s from watching the local news or reading the newspaper, many people base stereotypes on the media or personal experiences. Although these are the most convenient ways to judge someone, they are also the worst. Whenever dealing with the media, events are dramatized and slowly build into the subconscious. The affects of prejudice then influence our decisions without us even realizing it. How to cite 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, Papers

How Dell Segmented Their Marketplace to Achieve their Goals

Question: What are Marketing segmentations of Dell? Explain. Answer: Marketing segmentation refers to a type of marketing strategy that divides a large target into sections. Such sections are then handled separately through separate marketing plans. The large target is divided into the different aspects and requirements that need management of marketing. For example, a large target can divide into many sections like consumers, producers, common needs, requirements, and priorities. The marketing plans are then separately applied to each section (Solomon 2014). Here, the information centers its focus on the marketing segmentation of Dell. Dell is the famous company that specializes primarily in computer hardware. However, the computer device marketing involves both the hardware and software. Since it involves various products of various specialties, it can be further sub-divided, and that is where the segmentation comes. However, the customers are the main key element towards profitability and success. Therefore, the target market of the Dell is divided into customer segment and product segment. The product segment is done because of the variety of product that is produced. The customer segmentation is done based on the choice, requirement of the customer. The segmentation is done under two categories: geographically and demographically. Dell has divided or segmented their target market geographically into US/Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific-Japan. Demographic segmentation did not involve any race, caste, gender issues; rather it included ed ucation, work, occupation, personal interest, and choices. In the customer segment, Dell has identified two categories of customers. Therefore, the customer segmentation can be further segmented according to the type of customer dealt with. According to Dell, there are two customers. The first one is the relationship customer. The relationship customers are those that support large profits for the company. The relationship customers include large corporations such as educational institutes and governmental organizations. The next type of customers included the price-sensitive customers who are conscious about their money transaction and often buy online through credit cards. Such customers are looking for more reliable, low cost, value added the latest technology. The customers are always upgraded to the latest trends in technology. Therefore, Dell uses their strategic management by the requirement of the customers satisfying their price-sensitivity. The product segmentation is dependent on the pricing of the products. The Dell products have different prices in different countries and places. The variation I prices is due to the requirement and popularity of specific devices. Therefore, market segmentation is another marketing strategy that is designed to be implemented very specifically to selected aspect of the target market. The aspects are chosen according to what serves the best and provide with the maximum profitability to the company. The division or segmentation of different aspects provided efficient and specific management. The strategic management is designed studying and analyzing these different sectors. Dell is a computer device company and accordingly it has segmented their target market into customer segment and product segment which comes under many other segments and can be further subdivided into further segments. Thus, marketing segmentation is an essential part of success (Hollensen 2015). References Hollensen, S., 2015.Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Neal, C. (2016).Market Segmentation at Dell: 7 Questions with Dell's Barry Jennings. [online] Blog.cmbinfo.com. Available at: https://blog.cmbinfo.com/bid/29231/Market-Segmentation-at-Dell-7-Questions-with-Dell-s-Barry-Jennings [Accessed 23 May 2016]. Solomon, M.R., 2014.Consumer behavior: buying, having, and being. Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Vishalrawal5.blogspot.in. (2016).Marketing Lecture : From sellers market to buyers market: Segmentation Targeting And Positioning Of Dell - Sanjeev Thakur. [online] Available at: https://vishalrawal5.blogspot.in/2012/12/segmentation-targeting-and-positioning_8347.html [Accessed 23 May 2016].

Video Games Impact on Peoples Lives

Introduction The current world has had a great deal of revolution in so many sectors, one of them being the information sector which has been promoted greatly by the invention of computer and other related gadgets. Such inventions have been followed by a number of other technological developments that have come to capture the interest of so many people in the society since these new discoveries have made life so simple as far as the process of handling tasks that were so hard to tackle in the past is concerned.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Video Games Impact on Peoples Lives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Besides simplifying life, information technology has provided entertainment facilities that have formed the major landmark in the contemporary world of fun. One of the greatest inventions in the entertainment field is the discovery of video games. These games have had a great influence in the minds of people, especially the children who have stopped playing the usual games on the fields to sticking on the computer and television screens playing video games. This research paper will extensively expound on the way the video games are interconnected with information, technology, and society. It begins by offering a brief history of video games industry, which will followed by a discussion on the relationship between video games, technology and society. Brief History of Video Games The term â€Å"Video game† is a generic term that is used to describe any type of electronic device meant for entertainment purposes. The device is handheld and audio-visual. The history of video is known to have emerged from the Cathode Ray Amusement Device. The cathode tubes were missile defense systems that were in use in the late 1940s. Since the tubes were being used for the defense purposes, modifications were being made from time to time. The modification of the defense system meant that the video games were being simplified into a more adaptable and useful products. In the late 1950s and 1960s, numerous computers had been developed, particularly the main frame computers, personal computers and consequently the handheld games (Gunter, 1998). Video Games and Media and Communication The technology behind the video games has drastically evolved with time due to the dynamic characteristic of technology, especially information systems. Video games have a great relationship with media and communication in the sense that they are developed on the same platform of technology due to the fact they all revolve around the information systems that basically involve the computers. The technology behind the video games have emanated from an integration of two types of media, which involves the audiovisual and the graphical games.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These are designed with great expertise to imitate the real games and actions that are played in the real life situation (Downing, 2010). These games have brought great changes compared to the normal audiovisual entertainment that does not give the audience a chance to participate, but the video games have an interface that offers an opportunity for people to interact with the players in the game. Another major connection between video games and media and communication is the fact both are used in conveying a variety of information to people in different ways. This happens in the sense that these two areas of media offer an interactive format which gives people a virtual arena to learn so many things that are happening in the world. For instance, some games are created to depict common sports hence people learn the tactics used in playing those games in reality. Video games have also come to compliment what the usual media forms used to offer in the past. It is very clear that the usual m edia and communication facilities such as television, magazines, and books did not offer an interactive platform for children to learn new skills (Jozefowicz, 2009). But video games, on the contrary, have improved the way information essential for kids to learn is conveyed, whereby video games have altered the format by offering children or any person an opportunity to interact with the game through participation. Thus, in the course of one playing the game, there is a great impact that is imposed on the person with regards to gaining knowledge. Several skills are learned in the process of playing video games which enables an individual to develop the capacity to handle challenges and maneuver them in a tactical manner. These also inculcates the power of reasoning and fast thinking since most of them involve activities that have challenging tasks that a person is needed to do and possibly win. They also enable an individual to have a pursuing attitude in life due to the fact most of the video games have levels which one goes escalating as he or she maneuver the challenges. This levels and the pursuit of the player to reach the highest level possible makes a person to have mentality of not losing hope in life. Other games are created to convey messages touching on the society such as peace, harmony and environment, which are very important issues in life. The aspect that makes video games to have some commonalities with media and communication especially in the current world of technology is the mode of storage and conveyance.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Video Games Impact on Peoples Lives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All these forms of media can be stored in very complex gadgets which are extremely small, convenient and with big capacity such as the compact disks, cartridges, flash disks, micro SD cards and even in the Internet in various ways such as the emails. They can also be moved from one point to another in a very efficient manner by use the same gadgets. Video games have also taken after media and communication in the sense that they are also changing with time. That is, from analogue to digital technology. This has taken over in many areas and at the same time led to the transformation of gadgets from the bulky size to small portable gadgets. This has become a trend in every sector of media and communication tool and also gadgets used for communication such as mobile phones have been installed with video games which are on digital format (Entertainment Software Association, 2011). Video Games and Marketing Perspective In the contemporary world, video games have become a major product for a majority of people, especially the young generation who have become the biggest consumers of these games. According to Holmes (2010), most people in the present world that is flooded with a lot of technological have shifted from the physical outdoor recrea tional activities to indoor less tiring games that are provided through computers and other related gadgets. There are also some recreational places that have made these venture a commercial enterprise where people go to relax as they play games. At the same time there are people who like watching sports such as soccer on the television screens and wish to virtually participate in the game. Such instances have led to the development of video games that involve sports hence they offer such kind of people an opportunity to enjoy playing the game using the players they like and the teams they support. Video games have therefore captured a wide range of consumers thus translating to thee growth of their market. With the invention of video games and their dynamic nature, a wide a range of market has cropped up since the number of consumers has increased considerably. Many business people have started venturing in this industry starting all the way to create video games to retailing them. The increased demand for these games have also made video games developers to research deeply on more advanced technology to integrate in the games so as to remain competitive in the market. For instance, independent game developers are nowadays using the Internet rather than conventional retail channels to reach customers. As computing and graphics power has increased, many firms have also grown to house increasing graphical and programming complexities. The market for video games have also been highly promoted by the association of most of the video games with real activities such as movies and sports that have been set in a graphical manner to be played by people as video games. This development has been accelerated by the fact that most people are fanatics of some of these recreational activities but they only enjoy them by watching on television and cinema screens. For example, FIFA and Sony are the leading organizations in collaborating with developers of soccer video games.A dvertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, since most of these activities have now been transformed into games, such people become so excited playing them since they can now virtually feel as though they are taking part in the scenes when they are playing the games. This transformation has led to a great rise in the market of video games. Many factors have also played a major role in marketing the video games in various ways hence making this venture to be well known across the world. One of the common way through which video games have been advertised is by use of the Internet which provides a wider view since it covers all over the globe. Video games are therefore displayed on the advertising websites and other sites especially the social networks since they have a big number of viewers (Jacko, 2009). They are marketed by use of word of mouth. For instance, a child can inform another about a news video in the market hence making that kid to insist of having the same. Video game dealers also give promotions to th eir customers which are one of the best ways of attracting more customers and at the same time creating royal consumers. The origin of video games has also become the major player in marketing video games. Video games that are created on the basis of captivating movies or sports do very well in the market since their origin already has a captivating nature. Characters used in the video games can also be another crucial aspect that attracts the attention of customers because many people wish to play games that have their favorite movie star, cartoon star or player in a certain sport. Such characters act as very important tools of marketing the video games. The introduction and commercialization of video games have also contributed a lot to the improvement of the economy in various ways. One of the ways is by acting as an income generating venture to those people who develop the video games. It also acts as a source of employment to many people, starting from those who work at the pro duction level to those who are at the distributing and retailing platform. They also offer a wide range of other job opportunities such that there are people who work as sales and marketing personnel and others who start businesses that involve offering recreational environment by playing games at a fee. The business of video games has also earned countries with revenue in the form of tax. All these forms of revenue generating sectors have influenced positively the economy in general. Historical Development of Video Games As earlier mentioned, video games have undergone a great deal of evolution as far as technology is concerned. The earliest video game made its debut in the business arena back in 1971 and was called the computer space. It made a landmark in the recreational sector during this decade across America and other regions such Europe and Asia (Japan). Nevertheless, this industry was faced by major setbacks in the course of its teething stage since it had not set firm tech nological roots. Various companies that had started making video games were directed to dispose their stock of video games that seemed to be in obsolescence due to poor standards of technology that led to low quality games. These challenges even went to a point of afflicting the American video game industry with worse effects such total closure of the trade. This led to the transfer of the venture from United States of America to Japan, which seemed to have the competence technology wise to improve the gaming discovery and development (Wikipedia, 2011). The gaming market for video games still remained strong despite the fact that the market for video games was negatively affected. But this was not the case in Japan since the development of video games went on as usual and actually grew stronger because this country was working really hard on their technological expertise to ensure that they remain at the top. Various generations of computer games came up following one another in Jap an, but it became very hard for other corporations in places such as USA and Europe to keep with pace and competence of Japan. It was not until the development of the fourth generation of the video games that at least USA and Europe were able to have the required knowledge to facilitate them to have a share in this new generation. But at the same they were not as equipped as Japan hence the latter went on dominating in the industry. This went till the introduction of the sixth generation of video games that had a different company other than only a Japanese affiliated corporation to deal with. All in all, this was just a passing cloud for America since with the introduction of portable gadgets that would be used to play video games, the glory that USA had started basking under began fading away since they had not created a firm technological platform to enable them to compete successfully. Japanese video game companies went on doing very well in the industry especially in the develo pment of portable gadgets that contained games such as mobile phones, PSPs, and other electronic devices. These set Japan at a very favorable position in the gaming market hence making them to dominate in this industry for quite some time. The evolution of video game was so dynamic and seemed perpetual since even to this date there are so many new form of games that are being developed to suite the current generation that has been drowned in the advanced technologies, especially revolving around computer systems and the Internet. Improvements have been made and keep on being done so as to meet the demands of the present customers and at the same time, companies that deal with making video games are working hard to remain competent and create loyal customers for their games. The invention of other technologies such as the Internet has also marked the history of the gaming industry in various ways. The internet has led to the elevation of computer games to activities that can be acces sed, shared and played by people in different locations online. Another historical landmark in the video games venture is the introduction of the 3-D (three dimension) technology which has completely transformed the gaming interfaces to a more realistic, interactive and interesting format. The history of video games therefore becomes longer as time goes by because there are so many changes that are being made as result of the need to keep at par with the dynamic nature of technology and the needs of society (Jacko, 2010). Future Implications of Video games on Society There are number of influences that the video games will have in the future, whereby some will be positive while others will be negative. Positive implications may include a number of factors that endorse the fact that these games really have some benefits to the consumer. Video games have depicted some positive aspects that can be advantage if put into use. For instance, some companies and national departments in Ameri ca have adopted the trend of using g certain games to employ and orient people to the tasks they are going to handle in the job place. This has been discovered to be a much efficient way of recruiting and training new employees since these games are consistent and do not have any partiality. At the same time they can always be updated depending on the amendments that have cropped up. The use of video games in recruiting new employees is also very economical since it does not require a panel of professional trainers to undertake this task as it has always been in the past or else in the areas that have not integrated such kind of mechanism in their system. This technology is also advantageous since it can be used by a chain of companies since it has a conventional nature. Video games have also been proved to be used in learning new skills in various activities such as in sports, whereby children have adopted the system of playing video games with the aim of learning how to play real games such as soccer (Raise Smart Kids, 2011). Other people also play some games that are based on the idea of racing cars to learn more skills of driving. Gaming has also been used by the military personnel to teach themselves new skills of defense. Video games, besides being used as a learning tool are also used as a recreational facility, in which people relax at home or in their offices after a hard day’s work and play these games to relief them the stresses of the day and work. This trend is deemed to continue in future. Children also play video games at home after school to keep them occupied and give them an opportunity to relax and interact with each other. Video games have added the number of recreational activities in the leisure places which has created a diversified the pleasures of such places. Parents who go with their kids to places of recreation do not have any worry since they know their kids will also have a good time playing video games with other children. Gaming has also been used as a method of lowering a person’s depression caused by sad situations that a person meets in life. It has also been proven that people who frequently play video games have a better ability to handle tough tasks in their job places than those who rarely or do not play at all. This is a clear indication that video games sharpen a person’s expertise since most of them subject a person to very difficult virtual tasks (Jacko, 2009). With reference to the preceding facts, one can realize that the current generation which has been entrenched in video games will have a higher ability of maneuvering in many ways as far as solving tasks and doing sports is concerned. Video games also enables people to utilize their skills virtually which could be very difficult to do or attain in real life since some of the real life activities are very hard to access or very expensive to set up. For instance, a person might be yearning to have an experience of partic ipating in a certain movie or sport but cannot do that in reality. That person is able to have an experience closer to what he or she wished to have by playing a video game. Gaming will also decrease the number of social misdemeanors that are perpetrated due to idleness because most of the young generations are preoccupying their minds by playing video games hence avoiding them from staying idle (Jozefowicz, 2009). Actually this is making them to develop a creative mind since these games jog their minds. However, video games will also have some terrible negative effects to the present generation in future in many ways. Some games have violent themes which if played may induce a nature of violence in the minds of the players. Gunter (1998) outlines that children tend to become so vulnerable to violent aggressions with one another as they try to imitate what is done on the computer games. Some kids also develop a tendency of wanting to experiment what they are doing in such games and since some of the video games are based on very abstract or complicated theories, they end up falling victims of very perilous encounters. Violent video games have also led to drug abuse and alcoholism which at the end have resulted to serious crimes. Video games will also pose great danger to the health of many people due to the fact that they are less physical hence making such people to develop health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart diseases due to lack of proper exercise (Downing, 2010). Video Games and Human Needs The objective of video games is not only entertainment, but also providing psychological needs, at least in a short period. The more a player succeeds in playing the game, the more he or she keeps playing it. It helps people to reduce stress as it improves the player’s hearing and touching senses. In addition, successful individuals are deemed to gain vitality after playing such games because of the challenges encountered in different stages of p lay (JS, 2007). However, too much gaming can also predispose people to mental problems such as being so aggressive, withdrawal behavior, in which a person does not want to socialize with people, and acute insanity due to being brainwashed by the scenes in the games. Playing video games can also become addictive which if not checked early might make people to stop working so as to play games. Such instances can cause gross problems in the work places between the staff and the executive since the employees do not work as expected due to the fact they use the working hour playing games on their computer and mobile phones. Video games have led to poor performance of students in schools since most of them dedicate all their time to playing video games hence lacking time to study (Raise Smart Kids, 2009). Conclusion In a nut shell, it can be concluded that video games era has had a great impact on peoples’ lives especially the computer literate generation. Video games have changed so many things in the society in a diversified manner. Some effects have posed the society with positive implications while others have subjected people to very adverse situations. The discovery of video games have also changed so many things and at the same time made life so easy since activities that could only be done on the actual set up can now be efficiently and interestingly be done on the screens of television, computers or displays of some electronic gadgets. The introduction of video games has also made electronic companies to be on their toes so as to remain competitive in the gaming market. This has led to the formation of very sophisticated gadgets that have state- of- art video games as one of the applications to compliment these gadgets such as the mobile phones, iPods and iPads. References Downing, S. (2010). Online Gaming and the Social Construction of Virtual Victimization. Journal for Computer Game Culture, 4(2): 277-285. Entertainment Software Association. (2011) . Video Game Marketing Research. Web. Gunter, B. (1998).The Effects of Video Games on Children: The Myth Unmasked. Chicago: Continuum International Publishing Group. Holmes, E.G. (2010). Strange reality: On Glitches and Uncanny Play. Journal for Computer Game Culture, 4(2): 255-275. Wikipedia. (2011). History of Video Games. Web. Jozefowicz, C. (2009). Video Games, Ultimate 10, the Ultimate 10: Entertainment Series. New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing. Jacko, A. (2009). Human-Computer Interaction. Interacting in Various Applications Domains: 13th International Conference, HCI International 2009. San Diego, CA, USA, 2009. Proceedings. Chicago: Springer. JS, Yahoo! Contributor Network. (2007). Video Game Playing May Fulfill Innate Human Need: Study. Web. Raise Smart Kid. (2011). The Good and Bad Effects of Video Games. Web. This research paper on Video Games Impact on Peoples Lives was written and submitted by user Bristol Woodward to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Essay on Modern American History

Essay on Modern American History Essay on Modern American History Essay on Modern American HistoryThere are no doubts that the Civil Rights Movement has brought tremendous changes to the whole country. Let us explore some of those changes that has impacted modern day America.The main impact of the Civil Rights Movement can be seen in abolition of the practice of racial segregation (firstly in the southern states, and then throughout the whole country), and the adoption of a series of laws to protect the rights of black citizens. It leads to equality among the white and black population. Moreover, the movement has changed not only the attitude to the black population, but it also proved that all people should be treated well in spite of their skin color, race, religious views and other specific characteristics.The Civil Rights Movement helped the country to create new social, legal and political systems because these systems were previously dominated only by the white population. For instance, blacks received the right to vote, to shop, to attend sc hools, universities and other places together with whites. Blacks always called whites in polite way as â€Å"Mr.† or â€Å"Mrs.†, although whites seldom bestowed blacks with such a politeness. So, blacks received not only many rights, but the most important thing that they received was a good and respectful attitude to them. So, modern day America became quite another country with people who have equal rights especially due to the Civil Rights Movement.In addition, the Civil Rights Movement has impacted my life too. For instance, nowadays I have many friends among African-Americans and whites and there are no differences between us. We can visit any place in the country and nobody will try to note that color of our skin is different or that some of us are better. It seems to me that the Civil Rights Movement allowed the country to promote the highest social values better, and it led to very positive results because only in conditions of respect and equality people can improve themselves and lead the country to prosperity. Essay on Modern American History Essay on Modern American History Essay on Modern American History‘Escape from Sobibor’ is a 1987 British movie aired on CBS. The movie was directed by Jack Gold, a British television director, and then shot in Avala, Yugoslavia’s biggest film company. The movie tells the audience about Sobibor – Hitler’s concentration camp in Poland, one of dozens of Nazi death camps built specifically to exterminate Jews from the Germans conquered countries. It is a place where prisoners were executed only because they were Jews. Indeed, the movie describes many of the well-known aspects of the Holocaust, including tortures and some other medical experiments. In 1943, the members of the camp’s resistance succeeded in the most massive escape in the history of the death camps. As a result, the death camp was closed because of the massive escape of inmates who decided to resist the Nazi ‘order.’Lieutenant Pechersky, a Soviet prisoner of war, was transferred from one camp to another until he is brought to his final destination – the Sobibor camp. Almost every day new Jews brought to Sobibor were immediately gassed and burned. The overall oppressive atmosphere of imminent death and inhuman conditions make many even powerful people feel depressed and oppressed. However, Lieutenant Pechersky does not loose heart. He, along with a group of like-minded people, begins to prepare an escape. In fact, this is a very complex undertaking requiring a long and laborious preparation.According to Lieutenant Pechersky’s plan, the prisoners were required to secretly liquidate the SS camp staff, and then seize weapons stockpiled in the camp and kill the guards. The plan succeeded only partially: the rebels were able to kill the part of the SS camp personnel, but they could not seize the armory. The guards opened fire on the prisoners, and they were forced to break out of the camp through the minefields. They managed to crush the guards and go to the forest. Howeve r, a significant proportion of prisoners could not escape due to the difficult consequences. After escaping Pechersky led a guerrilla unit and fought until the arrival of the Red Army. After the war, he was a witness at the trial of Ukrainian collaborators – former security guards at Sobibor. Hence, it is possible to see that this edifying movie is based on the true events occurred during World War II. Indeed, the movie makes people not only believe in everything that happens, but also reflect on the terrible and tragic chapter in the history of mankind.Thus, taking the above-mentioned information into consideration, it is possible to draw a conclusion that ‘Escape from Sobibor’ is a very interesting film that reproduces details of the events that were actually occurred during the Second World War. In fact, it is a truly instructive movie that fully demonstrates the horrors of that period, showing the younger generation the price people has paid for their freedom and prosperity. This tape makes people plunge into that terrible time and allows to feel what the prisoners felt – tortures, torments, and tremendous pains. As a result, ‘Escape from Sobibor’ can rightly be considered to be one of the best movies about the Holocaust. It is highly recommended for those who like watching heroic war movies because it provides only the right thoughts and conclusions about the actual events of those times: about the war, its cruelty, inhumanity and horror of those years.

French Exercise - Si Clause Threads, Second Conditional

French Exercise - Si Clause Threads, Second Conditional This practice exercise can be done as a class or in small groups. It requires familiarity with the second conditional (si clauses), including imperfect and conditional conjugations. What to Do Print out a table for each group (see below).Write the first part of a conditional sentence beginning with si (see suggestions below) in the first table cell. Since this is the second conditional, the si clause needs to be in the imperfect. Invent a result clause, using the conditional, for the second cell.For example: Next, transform the result clause into a si clause and write it in the first column of the second row. (Remember that the verb which was in the conditional now needs to be in the imperfect.) Then invent a corresponding result clause to continue the thread. If clause Result clause Si je gagnais au loto, jachterais une nouvelle voiture. Si je gagnais au loto, jachterais une nouvelle voiture. Si jachetais une nouvelle voiture, je la mnerais lcole. Transform the second result clause into a si clause, and so on, until you have completed the thread. Si je gagnais au loto, jachterais une nouvelle voiture. Si jachetais une nouvelle voiture, je la mnerais lcole. Si je la menais lcole, les autres tudiants madmireraient. Si les autres tudiants madmiraient, ils minviteraient djeuner. To make sure students understand the exercise, start by demonstrating on the board: write a si clause and call on students as you go through the entire thread collectively. Then divide the class into groups of 2 to 4 students and provide each group with an if clause, or have them come up with their own. After each group has completed their thread, either have students read them out loud, or - if there are likely to be a lot of mistakes, as in the case of weaker students - collect the papers and read the threads out loud yourself, either correcting them as you read, or writing the sentences on the board and going over them together. Variations To challenge students creativity, have each group start with the same si clause, and then compare how each one turned out at the end.Assign a different si clause to each group, and after they have each completed one row of the table, have them trade with another group. Each group will then complete the clause in the other groups tables, and then exchange once again with a third group.You can also use this exercise to practice the first conditional and the third conditional. Starter Clauses You and your students can of course invent your own if clauses,* but here are some ideas to get started: Si jallais la luneSi javais un souhaitSi je navais quune semaine vivreSi jà ©tais le prà ©sidentSi jà ©tais richeSi jà ©tais toiSi je faisais mes devoirs tous les joursSi je me cassais la jambeSi je me mariaisSi je pouvais faire la connaissance de nimporte qui dans le mondeSi je pouvais remonter dans le tempsSi je pouvais visiter nimporte quel paysSi je trouvais un portefeuille dans la rueSi je voyais un OVNI (objet volant non identifià ©)Sil y avait des formes de vie intelligente sur dautres planà ¨tesSi les chiens pouvaient parlerSi mon meilleur ami me mentaitSi notre professeur à ©tait en retardSi nous à ©tudiions ensembleSi nous savions le secret du bonheur *If you come up with a great starter clause, please share your ideas. Tables This exercise needs tables with two columns and four rows. Printable pages of tables are available in  Microsoft Word format; you can save and edit this if, for example, you want to type the starter if clause into the first cell of each table. Print enough copies so that you can cut them up and provide at least one table for each group of students. Si Clauses LessonFirst conditional practiceThird conditional practice

European Competition Law - The Market for Industrial Filters Essay

European Competition Law - The Market for Industrial Filters - Essay Example From their study of the documents and as a result of interviews conducted with representatives of the manufacturers in question, the Commission is of the opinion that a number of actions taken in concert by manufacturers of industrial filters in the European Union are in breach of current Competition Law, with particular reference to Articles 81(a)1 and 822. We have been asked by the Commission to study the facts and evidence relating to the case in question and, after careful consideration and research, to advise them on the relevance of such issues in respect of their breaches of the European Unions Competition Laws. In the preparation of this report, we have studied the information in hand and undertaken extensive research, including reference to other relevant Competition cases. Our conclusion, outlined in depth within the main body of this report, is that there is reasonable evidence to confirm that the manufacturers of Industrial Filters have taken action in concert to artificially influence the market and that such action is in contravention of current Competition Law. We have been presented with all of the evidence that has been collected and collated by the Competition Director, where they are investigating the possible breach of EU Competition Laws by the manufacturers of Industrial Filters. In our opinion, there are two main issues to be addressed in reaching constructive conclusions within this report. 1) Does the combination of all the undertakings3 in this event represent a dominant force within the industry in which they operate? 2) Have the same undertakings, arriving at decisions made jointly between them, abused their dominant position and conducted themselves in a way which may affect4 the objectives of free trade within the EU and its member states and, by doing so, committed breaches of the EU’s Competition laws and In what specific areas of the Articles have such breaches manifested themselves? There are a number of  different and varied categories of undertakings as defined within Articles 81 and 82.  Ã‚  

INTOSANA GmbH internship report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

INTOSANA GmbH internship report - Essay Example During this year’s internship program, I was assigned to help in developing the marketing strategy of the company especially through online marketing promotion. In addition, I was tasked to perform a market analysis on a specific target group which turned out to be a vital source of information for the company. With these accomplishments, I did not only able to fulfill my duty as an intern but also contributed to the overall growth of the company. In fact, during the entire internship period, I was able to help them get 15 more clients through my work in marketing strategy. Having worked for eight hours a day in two months, I have fully performed my task and prepared to document my working journey. As such, the purpose of this paper is to primarily recount my internship experiences at Intosana GmbH – my role in the company, the contributions I have made, and the lessons learned from the internship experience. First, the description of the organization will reveal the co mpany’s organizational structure and the role I played in the company. From this, an analysis of my experience will showcase my learnings in business and management. Lastly, I will present a personal evaluation of my experiences to showcase my insights about the entire experience. As a nursing care service facility, Intosana GmbH is a company that primarily provides home care service to the elderly. Having started its operation only in November 2010, the company envisions to expand and to improve its services in Berlin and eventually all over Germany. The company’s growth revolves around its mission which states that it aims to willingly provide assistance and advice to its clients. On its website, the company promotes its reliability by providing â€Å"all levels of care† and cooperating with doctors, pharmacists, medical suppliers, and other service providers to meet the needs of its clients. Moreover, the company prides itself in having a nursing team that is â€Å"qualified, reliable, friendly, and motivated† to assure the clients of round-the-clock service, attention, and care. Specifically, it provides basic care such as meal preparation, pulse checks, washing and catering service. It also provides domestic assistance such as cleaning the client’s residence and home visits by doctors and medical personnel. Aside from medical care, it also organizes services such as contact with support groups, newspaper services, emergency call service and physiotherapy. According to the company, the selection process for their staff involves an emphasis of both technical and interpersonal skills that will contribute to the company’s growth. Also, these qualities are expected to boost the teamwork within the staffs and groups in the company. Additionally, it believes that every employee has â€Å"an independent personality† which means that the company deals with its staff individually. The company further emphasized its s taff being â€Å"courteous and friendly† to its clients. This is mainly attributed to Intosana GmbH’s belief that it treats an individual as a whole, and not as a sick person. My Work Description For two months, I worked eight hours a day at Intosana GmbH from March 1 up to April 30, 2012. My work task involves helping the company improve and develop its marketing strategy to attract more clients and expand its operation in Berlin. Specifically, my role

French and Indian War Brief Essay Example for Free

French and Indian War Brief Essay Major Players in the French and Indian War The French and Indian War was primarily England and the American colonies against the French and various Native American tribes in America. As France expanded its colonies along the Ohio River, and Britain ventured further into the mountains and discovered them, it was inevitable that there would be competition, tension and eventually war between the two colonies. This war has come to be known as the French and Indian war, but it has various other names such as ‘The Seven Year War’ or ‘The War of British Conquest’. The war escalated into a world war in 1760 when France and Britain declared war on each other. It was sparked in America, not Europe, but Great Britain spent a lot of money in helping to fight the war and support to their colonies in America and the colonies participated fully in the war. Main reasons for the French and Indian War Britain and France had long been in a competition for territory in North America. The rich land west and north-west of the Appalachians was in top demand, for it was filled with waterways, fisheries, abundant game and beaver runs. Tensions grew until France and Britain finally declared war on each other for the region in 1756. In the first year, the British were defeated numerous times by the French and their allies, the Native Americans. This is when British Prime Minister William Pitt lent a hand to help out with the war, and funded an expanded war effort which involved shipping 10,000 soldiers overseas. He could see that there was potential of imperial expansion if France were defeated and borrowed substantial amounts of money to contribute. From then on, France’s attempts started to fail. By 1760 they were expelled from Canada, and their all allies in Europe were defeated or made separate peace with Prussia. The War comes to an end The French and Indian War was a great British victory. It ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris and also the Treaty of Hubertsburg in February 1763. In the Treaty of Paris, France lost east-Canada and gave Louisiana to Spain. Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper Canada and other French holdings overseas. The British were very pleased with the treaty, as they no longer had to worry about French attacks as much as they previously did. Also, the extra land meant more room for discovery and settlement, although there were still natives all through the land. Contribution the beginning of the American Revolution Fifteen years after the war, the bitterness the French felt after the loss of their colonial empire influenced their input in the American Revolution.

Aspirin :: essays research papers

Aspirin Aspirin is a white crystalline substance made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It is used in the treatment of rheumatic fever, headaches, neuralgia, colds, and arthritis; reduce temperature and pain. The formula for aspirin is CH3CO2C6H4CO2H. Aspirin's scientific name is actylsalicylic acid (ASA). The main ingredient in ASA is salicylic acid. This ingredient grows in small roots, leaves, flowers and fruits on plants. About 100 years ago, a German chemist, Felix Hoffmann, set out to find a drug that would ease his father's arthritis without causing severe stomach irritation that came from sodium salicylate, the standard anti-arthritis treatment of the time. Hoffmann figured that the acidity of the salicylate made it hard on the stomach's lining. He began looking for a less acidic formulation. His search led him to the synthesization of acetylsalicylic acid. The compound shared the therapeutic properties of other salicylates, but caused less stomach irritation. ASA reduced fever, relieved moderate pain, and, at higher doses, alleviated rheumatic fever and arthritic conditions. Though Hoffmann was confident that ASA would prove more affective than other salicylates, but his superiors incorrectly stated that ASA weakens the heart and that physicians would not subscribe it. Hoffmann's employer, Friedrich Bayer and Company, gave ASA its now famous name, aspirin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is not yet fully known how aspirin works, but most authorities agree that it achieves some of its effects by hindering the flow of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that influence the elasticity of blood vessels. John Vane, Ph. D., noted that many forms of tissue injury were followed by the release of prostaglandins. It was proved that prostaglndins caused redness and fever, common signs of inflammation. Vane's research showed that by blocking the flow of prostaglandins, aspirin prevented blood from aggregating and forming blood clots.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aspirin can be used for the temporary relief of headaches, painful discomfort and fever from colds, muscular aches and pains, and temporary relief to minor pains of arthritis, toothaches, and menstrual pain. Aspirin should not be used in patients who have an allergic reaction to aspirin and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. The usual adult dosage for adults and children over the age of 12 is one or two tablets with water. This may be repeated every 4 hours as necessary up to 12 tablets a day or as directed by your doctor. You should not give aspirin to children under the age of 12. An overdose of 200 to 500 mg/kg is in the fatal range. Early symptoms of overdose are vomiting, hypernea, hyperactivity, and convulsions. This progresses quickly to depression, coma, respiratory failure and collapse. In case of an overdose, intensive supportive therapy

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

In Eugene O’Neill’s play A Long Day’s Journey into Night, the main protagonist, Mary Tyrone, functions as an instrument of suffering of others. Her sons Jamie and Edmund both suffer internal tragedies that could easily be blamed on her. Like her sons, her husband Tyrone faces his own internal conflicts, some of which are because of Mary. Mary Tyrone is a â€Å"recovering† addict who has an extremely hard time admitting her problem and is sometimes in denial about her problem. Her denial is a huge factor in the suffering that her sons and husband have.Jamie, Mary’s eldest son, is an alcoholic that undermines his brother. In the earlier half of the play the reader learns from Tyrone that Jamie hates Edmund and is extremely jealous and angry towards him. This becomes evident later on the in the play when Jamie tells Edmund how he feels using terms such as â€Å"Mama’s baby and Papa’s pet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (167), showing the reader his enviou s feelings. Jamie is jealous towards Edmund and resents the fact that he was ever born. Because all of Jamie’s jealousy is due to Edmund’s birth, the true blame and jealousy is toward Mary for giving birth to Edmund.Jamie knows, as well as Mary, knows that the reason for Edmund’s birth was due to the loss of her second son Eugene. After Eugene died Mary felt lost and empty and decided to give birth to a third child, Edmund, in hopes of helping her cope with the loss of her second son. Knowing this adds to Jamie’s jealousy towards Edmund and his bitterness towards his mother. Not only is Jamie angry at his mother for having Edmund, he is angry at her for being in denial of her problem.He knows that his mother is a morphine addict but cannot accept the fact that she won’t admit she is back into her habit. Her addiction causes his addiction. Jamie’s anger towards his mother’s obsession causes him to drink. The more Mary denies her action the more Jamie drinks. Although he is aware of her addiction, he tries cover for her by making up little excuses to her whereabouts and or her physical appearance. Edmund, like Jamie, is also aware of his mother’s morphine addiction but makes excuses of Mary’s actions and appearances to his brother and father.Both Edmund and Jamie hope that by covering for their addicted mother, they will be able to salvage what is left of their broken family. During the play Edmund learns that he has consumption or tuberculosis. This means that he will have to spend up to one year in a sanitarium. After it is learned that Edmund got consumption when he went to foreign lands earlier in life to escape the troubles of his family, it is easy to blame Mary Tyrone for his illness. There would have been no reason for Edmund to escape his family if his mother was not addicted to morphine.If Mary wasn’t an addict than it is highly probable that Tyrone and Jamie would not be alcoholics and Edmund would not be ill and an alcoholic-in-training. After Edmund is diagnosed with consumption, the family must decide on which sanitarium to send him to. Mary and Jamie try to say that Edmund’s consumption is due to the previous sanitariums that Edmund’s cheap father Tyrone decided upon. However, Tyrone’s being cheap is not to blame for Edmund’s illness, his mother is.Mary Tyrone brings about the suffering of her sons and husband through her own morphine addiction. Her addiction contributes immensely to Tyrone’s and Jamie’s alcoholism as well as Edmund’s illness. Their sufferings allow for this play to be a tragedy and for the reader to establish the theme that family-dynamics can hold us back if someone cannot take personal responsibility and move on. Mary Tyrone is a tragic figure in the tragedy A Long Day’s Journey into Night who functions as an instrument of the suffering of others.

Mobile Technology Essay

Mobile technology is the technology used for cellular communication. Mobile code division multiple access (CDMA) technology has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Since the start of this millennium, a standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two-way pager to being a mobile phone, GPS navigation device, an embedded web browser and instant messaging client, and a handheld game console. Many experts argue that the future of computer technology rests in mobile computing with wireless networking. Mobile computing by way of tablet computers are becoming more popular. The most popular tablet at the moment is the iPad, by Apple. Tablets are available on the 3G and 4G networks. Contents 1 4G networking 2 Operating systems 3 Channel hogging and file sharing 4 Future of smartphone 5 External links 6 References 4G networking One of the most important features in the [4G] mobile networks is the domination of high-speed packet transmissions or burst traffic in the channels. The same codes used in the 2G-3G networks will be applied to future 4G mobile or wireless networks, the detection of very short bursts will be a serious problem due to their very poor partial correlation properties. Recent study has indicated that traditional multi-layer network architecture based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model may not be well suited for 4G mobile network, where transactions of short packets will be the major part of the traffic in the channels. As the packets from different mobiles carry completely different channel characteristics, the receiver should execute all necessary algorithms, such as channel estimation, interactions with all upper layers and so on, within a very short time to make the detections of each packet flawless and even to reduce the clutter of traffic. Operating systems Many types of mobile operating systems (OS) are available for smartphones, including: Android, BlackBerry OS, webOS, iOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile Professional (touch screen), Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch screen), and Bada. Among the most popular are the Apple iPhone, and the newest – Android. Android is a mobile operating system (OS) developed by Google. Android is the first completely open source mobile OS, meaning that it is free to any cell phone carrier. The Apple iPhone, which has several OSs like the 3G and 3G S, is the most popular smart phone at this time, because of its customizable OS which you can use to download applications (â€Å"apps†) made by Apple like games, GPS, Utilities, and other tools. Any user can also create their own Apps and publish them to Apple’s App Store. The Palm Pre using webOS has functionality over the Internet and can support Internet-based programming languages such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML, and JavaScript. The Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry is a smartphone with a multimedia player and third-party software installation. The Windows Mobile Professional Smartphones (Pocket PC or Windows Mobile PDA) are like that of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and have touchscreen abilities. The Windows Mobile Standard does not have a touch screen but uses a trackball, touchpad, rockers, etc. The original smartphone OS is Symbian, with a rich history and the largest marketshare until 2011. Although no single Symbian device has sold as many units as the iPhone, Nokia and other manufacturers (currently including Sony Ericsson and Samsung, and previously Motorola) release a wide variety of Symbian models each year which gave Symbian the greatest marketshare. Channel hogging and file sharing There will be a hit to file sharing, the normal web surfer would want to look at a new web page every minute or so at 100 kbs a page loads quickly. Because of the changes to the security of wireless networks users will be unable to do huge file transfers because service providers want to reduce channel use. AT&T claimed that they would ban any of their users that they caught using peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications on their 3G network. It then became apparent that it would keep any of their users from using their iTunes programs. The users would then be forced to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to be able to download files. The limits of wireless networking will not be cured by 4G, as there are too many fundamental differences between wireless networking and other means of Internet access. If wireless vendors do not realize these differences and bandwidth limits, future wireless customers will find themselves disappointed and the market may suffer setback. Future of smartphone The next generation of smartphones are going to be context-aware, taking advantage of the growing availability of embedded physical sensors and data exchange abilities. One of the main features applying to this is that the phones will start keeping track of your personal data, but adapt to anticipate the information you will need based on your intentions. There will be all-new applications coming out with the new phones, one of which is an X-Ray device that reveals information about any location at which you point your phone. One thing companies are developing software to take advantage of more accurate location-sensing data. How they described it was as wanting to make the phone a virtual mouse able to click the real world. An example of this is where you can point the phone’s camera while having the live feed open and it will show text with the building and saving the location of the building for use in the future. Along with the future of a smart phone comes the future of another device. Omnitouch is a device in which applications can be viewed and used on your hand, arm, wall, desk, or any other everyday surface. The device uses a sensor touch interface, which enables the user to access all the functions through the use of finger touch. It was developed at Carnegie Mellon University. This device uses a projector and camera that is worn on the person’s shoulder, with no controls other than the user’s fingers. Acknowledgment I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them. I am highly indebted to (Name of your Organization Guide) for their guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also for their support in completing the project. I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents & member of (Organization Name)for their kind co-operation and encouragement which help me in completion of this project. I would like to express my special gratitude and thanks to industry persons for giving me such attention and time. My thanks and appreciations also go to my colleague in developing the project and people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities.

AP World History - Learn What Test Score You Need

AP World History - Learn What Test Score You Need World History is a popular Advanced Placement subject, and in 2017 nearly 300,000 students took the AP World History exam. Many colleges have a history requirement as part of their general education programs, and a high score on the exam will often fulfill the requirement and qualify students to take upper-level history courses. About the AP World History Course and Exam AP World History is designed to cover the material one would encounter in a two-semester introductory-level college world history course, although the reality is that very few colleges will award two semesters of credit for the course. The course is broad and covers important people and events from 8000 B.C.E to the present. Students learn to make historical arguments and historical comparisons, and they learn how to analyze and write about both primary and secondary sources. Students study how to contextualize historical events, and how to understand cause and effect in relation to historical phenomena. The course can be broken down into five broad themes: The ways that humans have been shaped by the environment as well as the way that humans have affected and transformed the environment.The rise and interaction of different cultures, and the ways that religions and various  belief systems have molded societies over time.Issues of state including the study of agrarian, pastoral, and mercantile states, as well as the ideological foundations of governing systems such as religion and nationalism. Students also study types of states such as autocracies and democracies, and conflicts and wars between states.Economic systems including their creation, expansion, and interaction. Students study agricultural and industrial systems as well as systems of labor including free labor and coerced labor.Social structures within human societies including those based on kinship, ethnicity, gender, race, and wealth. Students will study have different social groups are created, sustained, and transformed. Along with the five themes, AP World History can be broken down into six historical periods: Name of Time Period Date Range Weight on Exam Technological and Environmental Transformation 8000 to 600 B.C.E. 5 percent Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies 600 B.C.E to 600 C.E. 15 percent Regional and Interregional Interactions 600 C.E. to 1450 20 percent Global Interactions 1450 to 1750 20 percent Industrialization and Global Integration 1750 to 1900 20 percent Accelerating Global Change and Realignments 1900 to the Present 20 percent AP World History Exam Score Information In 2018, 303,243 students took the Advanced Placement World History exam. The mean score was a 2.78. 56.2 percent of students received a score of 3 or higher, meaning they might qualify for college credit or course placement. The distribution of scores for the AP World History exam is as follows: AP World History Score Percentiles (2018 Data) Score Number of Students Percentage of Students 5 26,904 8.9 4 60,272 19.9 3 83,107 27.4 2 86,322 28.5 1 46,638 15.4 The College Board has posted preliminary score distributions for the World History exam for 2019 test-takers. Note that these numbers may change slightly as late exams get recorded. Preliminary 2019 AP World History Score Data Score Percentage of Students 5 8.7 4 19 3 28.3 2 28.9 1 15.1 College Credit Course Placement for AP World History Most colleges and universities have a history requirement and/or a global perspectives requirement, so a high score on the AP World History exam will sometimes fulfill one or both of these requirements. The table below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP World History exam. For other schools, youll need to search the colleges website or contact the appropriate Registrars office to get AP placement information. AP World History Scores and Placement College Score Needed Placement Credit Georgia Tech 4 or 5 1000-level history (3 semester hours) LSU 4 or 5 HIST 1007 (3 credits) MIT 5 9 general elective units Notre Dame 5 History 10030 (3 credits) Reed College 4 or 5 1 credit; no placement Stanford University - no credit or placement for the AP World History exam Truman State University 3, 4 or 5 HIST 131 World Civilizations before 500 A.D. (3 credits) for a 3 or 4; HIST 131 World Civilizations before 500 A.D. and HIST 133 World Civilizations, 1700-Present (6 credits) for a 5 UCLA (School of Letters and Science) 3, 4 or 5 8 credits and World History placement Yale University - no credit or placement for the AP World History exam A Final Word on AP World History Keep in mind that college placement isnt the only reason to take AP World History. Selective colleges and universities typically rank an applicants  academic record  as the most important factor in the admissions process. Extracurricular activities and essays matter, but good grades in challenging classes matter more. The admissions folks will want to see good grades in college preparatory classes. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate (IB), Honors, and Dual Enrollment classes all play an important role in demonstrating an applicants college readiness. In fact, success in challenging courses is the best predictor of college success available to the admissions officers. SAT and ACT scores have some predictive value, but the  thing they best predict is the income of the applicant. If youre trying to figure out which AP classes to take, World History is often a good choice. It is a popular exam ranking below just five subjects: Calculus, English Language, English Literature, Psychology, and United States History. Colleges like to admit students who have broad, worldly knowledge, and World History certainly helps demonstrate that knowledge. To learn more specific information about the AP World History exam, be sure to visit the  official College Board website.

American Cultures Impact On The Media Cultural Studies Essay

American Cultures Impact On The Media Cultural Studies Essay None cultures are the same every nation has their own distinct and values. The American and American cultures have very vast differentiation between them. While the culture of America is a mixture of different cultures, the Bangladeshi culture is unique and has its own values and customs. One of the major differences that can be seen between American and Bangladeshi culture is in family relations. While the Bangladeshi are very much family and religious oriented, the Americans are individual oriented. In Bangladeshi culture, the family values are given more prominence than the individual values. Bangladeshi respect family and religious values. On the other hand, in American culture the individual value gets prominence than the family values. Indians are more committed to their family where as the Americans are more committed to themselves only (Difference Between, 2010). The United States is a dynamic country, covering the breadth of a continent. Many cultural currents exist and coe xist within American life. The sections that follow do not attempt to cover every aspect of American culture, but instead zero in on some phenomena, like television, films and American music, that newcomers can study in order to learn more about American life. American values have developed over several centuries, affecting (and often being enriched by) successive waves of immigrants. The best way to look at it is to realize that while Americans are often open to new ways of thinking, they have a deep culture, and a deep sense of being American, one that is not always that easy to describe (Life in the USA,2010). Bangladesh has a rich, diverse culture. Its deeply rooted heritage is thoroughly reflected in its architecture, dance, literature, music, painting and clothing. The three primary religions of Bangladesh (Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam) have had a great influence on its culture and history. The people of Bangladesh have a rich fictional legacy, with the first available form of literature being over a thousand years old. Bengali literature developed considerably during the medieval period with the rise of popular poets such as Chandi Das, Daulat Kazi an Alaol (Bangladesh.com, 2010). Although, local music is still popular in Bangladeshi culture, the younger generation is influenced by the western songs. Youth of America is inspired by American artists, movies, and musical bands are becoming more popular in Bangladesh. Coca Cola and Michael Jackson are popular now in Bangladesh. Fast food, a product of American culture, is available but only in major cities and hotels. Most of the people prefer local foods and deserts. Literacy rate in Bangladesh is high compared with other developing countries. For males, it is 54% and literacy rates among Bangladeshi women are 41.4% (CIA the World Factbook, 2010). Main Body Impact of American Culture on Bangladeshi Culture, Media, and Language Culture: Culture can be described as the exclusive system of shared values, cus toms, beliefs, artifacts, and behaviors that the society members use to confront with their world and also with one another. Moreover, they are transmitted from one generation to another through learning. Culture also refers to the overall cumulative deposit of experience, beliefs, knowledge, values, meanings, attitudes, hierarchies, notions of time, religion, spatial relations, themes of the universe, and possessions acquired by a specific group of people during generations through group and individual striving (Bhabha, 2004). Significant differences are found between cultures of Bangladesh and America. Bangladeshi culture is a sophisticated blend of eastern culture and Islamic traditions. American culture, on the other hand, is a typical example of westernization with distinctive traditions, customs, attitudes and beliefs. It is pertinent to mention that culture is dynamic in nature. Cultures do change over time accepting new traditions while rejecting older ones (refà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Bangladeshi culture is increasingly becoming influenced by American culture even though the rate of transformation is considerably low compared with other neighboring countries like India and Pakistan.

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Lab Report Example Some of the samples were obtained near the river in a hilly place with ample cover of various types trees (Easton p38). While others were obtained away from the river, the main goal being to expose the students to experience field work, and environmental science Hypothesis that we formulated included, most soils found in wabashiki river are clay soils, the nearer the soil is on the river the higher smoother the texture, texture of soils depicts its components, the soil pH is mostly constant Every group having the relevant materials embarked into obtaining the samples for use and documentation. Each and every person within the group was expected to come up with his own samples each. Some from near the river and further away from the river; the sampling site was obtained after the purpose of the study was established thus no major sampling technique was put in place (Easton p135). The study was to take place along the river at different coordinates. The analysis of a soil sample to det ermine its nutrients and the contents contaminated and also other characteristics like the ph. Level. There were various soils testing strategies put in place some were to be done in the field so that one could obtain results as soon, as the soil was from its natural flora, and fauna to avoid defects due to transport handling and storage. Some of the testing done on the field includes crushing, feeling the texture acidity porosity trough exposure to water. The soils were obtained from flat grassy ground, and also from a hilly part near the river the following was observed, Both soils had the same average period of time, i.e. 10yrs though thee color varied as the soils obtained from the grassy flat area had a less color value than those obtained from near the river that had a higher color value. Although the two ended up having the color Chroma values of two each, the soil that was obtained from the grassy flat area was established as a sandy loam soil after cross examination. While the soil obtained from near the river was established as silty clay loam soil. Each collected sample was labeled accordingly comprising the following; group name, student initials, GPS coordinates, section number, date and sample number. Members of the group were to meet and carryout various tests within the laboratory this is where the tests for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were done. The samples were to be divided, and parts of them were dried for the purpose of carrying out tests in total more 10 samples were collected in my group five from near the river, and the other five away from the river this was executed such that each sample came from different coordinates so as to obtain well distributed samples (Easton p 220). After the tests were conducted the following was observed, the soils extracted from near the river had low contents of phosphorous while those obtained from near the river had relatively high quantities of phosphorus. All the samples tested had very low qu antities of nitrogen in them whether they were obtained from further away or near the river. The ph. of all the samples obtained was neutral at 7 points this showed that despite the fact that the samples were obtained from different places none, showed any basic or acidic characteristic. From the results, it was also noted that the all the samples obtained from the two areas, had very high contents of potassium. The tests conducted were fundamental in depicting the various characteristics of each and every sample obtained. The soil texture of the samples obtained varied. z sandy loam soil color sheet 10 color value 3 color chroma 2 ph 7 The soil texture is known as the relative composition of various soil particles size fractions in soil.

Financial and Strategic Planning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial and Strategic Planning - Coursework Example s; (1) patients are adopting a much healthier and generally safety conscious lifestyle, or, (2) patients are dissatisfied with the services offered and therefore opt to seek these services elsewhere. There is need for a physical survey and assessment of this situations as it may pose a legitimate threat to the operations of the medical institution. This situation can be remedied by the use of a more intensive marketing strategy that is well within the boundaries of ethics. This is to ensure that the general public is informed of all the services that Franklin Healthcare provides. There is great need for the introduction of medical facilities that employ modern day technology. This is essential in helping the hospital expand its operations and the services it offers to its clients. These new services will require increased expenditure on hospital equipment, specialized and highly qualified staff and the infrastructure development to support the expansion of services offered. Franklin Healthcare may potentially increase its services to the customer by developing new services that are geared towards increasing healthcare knowledge for its clients and the general public. This would potentially increase the number of clients that the institution receives. The facility appears to be financially healthy. This is owing to the fact that the larger part of its income, 50%, is generated from business with third-parties as opposed to dependency on patient revenue and/or grants and investments. Furthermore, according to the information provided, Franklin Healthcare spend less than 1% of its revenue. This is an indication of financial stability in the case of the institutions performance. The Grant is a considerable portion of the hospitals revenue. However, considering the financial position of the hospital, it is evident that the Hospital does not require the grant to remain operational. Furthermore, the 25% represents the grant and the institution’s investments. This

Job Satisfaction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Job Satisfaction - Research Paper Example This is because they can be satisfied by challenging, stimulating and absorbing work. The hygiene factors in the Herzberg’s two factor theory correlate with safety, physiological and belonging needs. They postulate that the deficiency and hygiene needs should be satisfied before an employee is motivated by higher needs. Therefore, the hygiene factors represent the needs to avoid physical harm or pain while motivator needs represent the needs for self actualization. The research questions posed in the study relate to issues such as the variety of tasks, promotional opportunities, the coworkers and rate of pay among others. Employees cannot deliver as expected if they are not satisfied with the work they are undertaking. Job satisfaction entails all the positive and negative feelings towards a job that results from various factors that influence an individual’s life. Job satisfaction describes the level of content of an employee to their job. Satisfied employees perform better than unsatisfied ones (Heller, Judge, & Watson, 2002). Lack of job satisfaction is the most prominent factor that determines the performance of an employee. Some of the job design methods used to promote job satisfaction and performance are job rotation, enlargement and enrichment (Plaks, 2011). According to the law of nature, as employees get more, they yearn for more. Therefore, the level of satisfaction remains less. Other factors that influence job satisfaction include management style and culture, and employee empowerment and involvement. The most common method of job satisfaction entails the use of rating scales whereby the employees present their feelings and attitudes regarding their job. Job satisfaction is a significant indicator of how employees feel about their job and predicts work behaviors such as absenteeism, turnover and

Counterculture Analysis: Blackbeard

Counterculture Analysis: Blackbeard Zachariah Chiles Many groups have been established as countercultures throughout the course of history. However, what makes those groups actually be considered countercultures? Author W. LaVerne Thomas attempts to answer such a question in his book, a group [that] rejects the major values, norms, and practices of the larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas). One group that significantly follows Thomass definition are the Blackbeard pirates. This group rejected the cultural patterns of the British monarchy to live their own cutthroat life of stealing, killing, and raping. To this day pirates are still a significant threat to those who tread international waters, and even those who live in third world countries. Before Blackbeard acquired his name, he was known as Edward Teach or Edward Thatch. As far as origin goes, not much is known about Thatch. However, it is recorded that he joined the British navy as a privateer during the Queen Annes War, and turned to piracy shortly after (Division of Archives and Historys Office of State Archaeology). Blackbeard began his pirating in 1713 under the Captain Benjamin Hornigold (Ossian). Once given a smaller ship by Hornigold and able to command his own crew as a captain, Blackbeard found the French slaver ship La Concorde. This esteemed ship would be known to many as the Queen Annes Revenge, La Concorde was big, fast, and powerful. With such a vessel, Blackbeard knew his men could cause more havocà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Woodard). In 1717, the two pirates were so deadly that the British monarchy offered both Hornigold and Blackbeard currency in exchange for putting down pirating. Hornigold accepted, whereas Blackbeard denied the offer, and continued ravaging the Caribbean on his esteemed Queen Annes Revenge. However, his time came to an end on November 22nd, 1718 when facing a British Royal Navy Contingent sent by Governor Alexander Spottswood. Blackbeard and his crew mainly raided ships for one thing, and that was gold. Everything they did was based upon how much loot they could take, and although he has died many years ago, his reputation and name still stands out in the history of pirating. Both the sociological perspective and the sociological imagination can be used to explain the actions of Blackbeard and his crew. According to author LaVerne Thomas, The sociological perspective helps you see that all people are social beings. It tells you that your behavior is influenced by social factors and that you have learned your behavior from others (Thomas). Many heard and saw the stories of Blackbeard and his ferocious crew. Because of this, many saw his actions and adopted them, to continue pirating and adapting Blackbeards techniques for more efficient plundering. His name alone put fear in the hearts of men, so many see that fear and want to become it; inspiring many to take up piracy and life on the seas. C. Wright Mills believes the sociological imagination is, the capacity to range from the most impersonal and remote [topics] to the most intimate features of the human self and to see the relationship between the two (Thomas). In other words, this describes the insight of how your social environment shapes you, and how you shape your social environment (Thomas). Blackbeard and his crews environment most likely included a poor social background, and the loss of a loved one. Many who are greedy and kill, have often grown up in these conditions. They surrounded themselves with murderers and thieves, and thus became murderers and thiev es themselves. They shaped their social environment by surrounding others with the same negative behavior, thus having new people join Blackbeards crew. The more people in his crew, means the more people that go out and tell the infamous story of Blackbeard, the cutthroat killer. Ethnocentrism is a large part of any culture. It is described as, [the] tendency to view ones own culture and group as superiorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Thomas). Countercultures are subcultures, therefore Blackbeard and his crew is technically a subculture of the larger society the British monarchy. Blackbeard and his crew saw these norms as superior to the restricting life in the monarchy, and therefore ethnocentrism formed. Also, the British already having ethnocentrism, saw the opposing moral standards set by Blackbeards new found subculture, and rejected their views, making Blackbeard and his crew a counterculture. Many examples can be made as to why he and his crew is a counterculture. One such case is that there was no law against killing on Blackbeards ship, whereas it was outlawed in the British monarchy. Another similar case would be with stealing, where Blackbeard plundered and stole from other ships for loot, whereas such atrocities were against the law in the British monarchy. Cultural relativism can be defined as, the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture (Thomas). Looting, pillaging, and killing is what pirates know. These simple standards cannot be judged outside cultural beliefs without noticing the large moral negativity that follows. Blackbeard and his crew had no moral compass, so their actions should not be justified through the eyes of the British monarchy. From a logistical point of view, them being strong, picked on the weak in order to gain wealth and become stronger in the world. Although they may know what they do is morally unacceptable and goes against the laws of many larger societies, they followed their own standards and traditions and should not be judged outside of that. My counterculture Blackbeard and his crew, have many intriguing norms and standards that oppose that of many societies of that era as well as modern times. However, this does not excuse the actions of Blackbeard and his crew. Killing, stealing, and plundering all leave large marks on this world. Anywhere from crushing the economy of a British town to killing the last son of a lonely French mother, cultures that directly affect the larger societies in a negative manner should not exist. Cultures having opposing standards is completely fine, as long as the opposing standards does not actively contradict those of a larger society. Blackbeard and his crew have very free standards, however the deaths that have been caused forces me to disagree with the philosophy and norms of their counterculture. References Division of Archives and Historys Office of State Archaeology. Queen Annes Revenge Project. n.d. 12 3 2017. Ossian, Rob. The Pirate King. n.d. 12 3 2017. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Holt Sociology: The Study of Human Relationships. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2003. Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2007. Customer Segments in Retail Supermarket | Analysis Customer Segments in Retail Supermarket | Analysis CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND In todays dynamic retail environment, customers are offered with a tremendous range of choices and their loyalty is increasingly becoming transitory due to the severe impact of competitors actions on existing relationships (Reinartz and Kumar, 2000). This increased competition to satisfy the diverse needs of the customer, forces the traditional production and selling focus of the retailers towards customer relationships. In the context of retail supermarket, this has resulted in large investments in retail information systems to collect the shoppers data to understand the customer shopping behaviour (Brijs.T et al 2001). Several tools and technologies of data warehousing, data mining, and other customer relationship management (CRM) techniques are exploited to manage and analyse this data. Especially through data mining, simply means extracting knowledge from large amounts of data which helps the organisations to find the patterns and trends in their customers data, and then to drive improved customer relationships (Rygielski, Wang and Yen, 2002). According to Witten Frank, (2005), some data mining techniques include decision trees (DT), artificial neural networks (ANN), genetic algorithms (GA), association rules (AR), etc., are usually used to solve problems related with customers in various fields like engineering, science, finance and business. In retail supermarket domain, data mining can be applied to identify useful customer behaviour patterns from large amounts of customer and transaction data (Giudici Passerone, 2002). Consequently, the discovered information can be used to support better decision-making in retail marketing. Data mining techniques have been mostly adopted to make predictions and describe behaviours. During the past decade, there has been an array of significant developments in data mining techniques. Some of these developments are implemented in customized service (Chen et al, 2005) which is vital in retail markets to develop customer relationship. Therefore, this research focuses to provide customised service to distinct customer segments in retail supermarkets, by implementing data mining techniques with the help of data mining tools. Related Work Researchers proposed various approaches to mine sales transaction data of a retail supermarket to improve customer relationships. Previously, the customer behavioural variables such as (RFM) Recency-Frequency-Monetary variables are associated with demographic variables to predict customer purchase behaviour (Chen et al, 2005). Current research improved significantly, as Business Intelligence tools and advanced data mining algorithms are implemented to analyse the data in a much more reformed way. Liao et al, (2008), proposed a methodology based on Apriori and K-means algorithms to mine the customer knowledge from household customers for product and brand extension in retailing. Bottcher et al, (2009), presented an approach which aimed to mine the changing customer segments in dynamic market through deriving frequent itemsets as representations of customer segments at different points of time, which are then analysed for changes. Problem Definition Effective management of sales transaction data is as important as any other asset for a retail supermarket store. The sales transaction data usually contains great amount of information distributed through numerous transactions. This study focuses on applying data mining techniques to analyse the sales transaction data of a retail supermarket store and suggests recommendations to provide customised service to defined customer segments. This research specifically uses two data mining techniques namely clustering and association rule discovery. The research starts with identifying different customer segments based on their purchase frequencies, in order to find out the differences in their purchase behaviour. The definition of behaviour in retail supermarket domain covers different meanings. For example, retailers often distinguish between light, medium and heavy users or weekday or weekend customers etc (Brijs et al, 2001). In this research, the differences will be discovered by identifying frequently purchased items for each customer segment and comparing their combinations. The retailer may use this information to customize his offer towards those segments and also to further examine the underlying relation ships between those items for purposes of pricing, product placement or promotions. AIM OBJECTIVES The aim of this research is to provide customised service to defined customer segments in a retail supermarket, by implementing data mining techniques on sales transaction data with the help of data mining tools. OBJECTIVES To conduct a critical review of the literature and present the current research within the discipline. Obtain the customer sales transaction dataset, in order to apply the data mining algorithms. Based on the literature review, select the appropriate data mining approach to pre-process the dataset and to implement the algorithms on the pre-processed data. Analyse the results obtained from the data mining algorithms and propose recommendations to provide customised service. Draw conclusions, discuss the limitations of this research and suggest the areas of future research. Research Approach This research follows the quantitative methodology by obtaining the dataset and analysing the data with data mining tools. The dataset for analysis was obtained from ABC retail supermarket store, Canada, which was available online (http://www.statsci.org/datasets.html). The data required for this project is selected and loaded onto data mining tools SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and Weka, the tools selected for this research to mine the data. The data mining algorithms that are selected for this study are k-means algorithm for Clustering and Apriori algorithm for association rule mining, the reason behind the choice of these algorithms is justified in the literature review. These algorithms are implemented on the dataset with SPSS and Weka. The results obtained from these algorithms needs to be justified with the help of charts, tables and graphs. Microsoft Excel is used to plot the charts, tables and graphs. Finally, the recommendations are made based on the ana lysis of results. Dissertation Outline This chapter presents the essence of this dissertation, highlighting the aim and objectives of this research. The rest of this dissertation is structured as follows Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive literature review of different aspects relating to the research topic under study. Chapter 3 discuss in detail about the research methods and the data analysis techniques followed, in order to achieve the aim of this research. Chapter 4 presents the analysis of the results obtained from the application of data mining algorithms on the data and provides recommendations. Chapter 5 summarises the entire project and gives insights on limitations of this research and points out the areas of future research. CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction This chapter provides a critical review of literature addressing the application of data mining in retail supermarkets. It begins with an introduction to data mining, followed by its evolution and applications in todays business world. Then explore the role of data mining in retail supermarkets to improve customer relationships, followed by a discussion about the typical data mining approach. It also discusses the techniques and algorithms implied in this project and the reason for their choice. Data Mining: An Introduction The word mining means extracting something useful or valuable, such as mining gold from the earth (Lappas, 2007).The importance of mining is growing continuously, especially in the business world. Data mining is a process of finding interesting patterns in databases for decision-making. It is one of the fast growing and most prominent fields, which can provide a significant advantage to an organization by exploiting the vast databases (Rygielski, Wang and Yen, 2002). Finding patterns in business data is not new; traditionally business analysts use statistical approach. The computer revolution and huge databases ranging from few Giga Bytes to Tera Bytes changed this scenario. For e.g. companies like Wal-Mart stores huge amount of sales transaction data, which can be used to analyze the customer buying patterns and make predictions(Bose and Mahapatra, 2001). Data warehousing technology has enabled the companies to store huge amount of data from multiple sources under a unified schema. Data mining has been considered to be a tool of business intelligence for knowledge discovery (Wang Wang, 2008). Many people consider data mining as Knowledge Discovery from Data (KDD), but it is actually a part of the larger process called knowledge discovery which describes the steps that must be taken to secure the desired results (Han and Jiawei, 2006). Typical data mining process implicates various iterative steps; the first step is the selection of appropriate data from a single database or multiple source systems followed by cleaning and preprocessing for consistency. The data is then analyzed to find patterns and correlations in the data. This approach compliments the other data analysis techniques like statistics, OLAP (On-line analytical processing) etc, (Bose and Mahapatra, 2001). Every organization follows a different data mining and modelling process to achieve their business imperatives. The Evolution of data mining It all started with the need to store the data in computers and improve the access to it for decision-making. Today the technology enables the users to access and navigate the real time data. At the beginning of 1960s, the data was collected for the purpose of making simple calculations to answer the business questions like the total average revenue for a specific period of time. In 1980s 1990s the usage of data warehouses to store data in a structured format emerged, policies regarding the format of data to be used in an organization were implemented (Therling.K, 1998). The data warehouses extended to be multi-dimensional that facilitates the stakeholder to drilldown and navigate through the data. Nowadays, online analytic tools assist to retrieve the data real-time. Now computers can query data from past to until the current. In recent years many technologies like statistics, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning have been evolving as core sectors in data mining field(Rygielski, Wang and Yen, 2002). So these technologies combined with relational database systems with data integration provide potential knowledge from the data. Data mining applications Data mining can be implied in many fields depending on the aim of the company. Some of the main areas in todays business world where data mining is applied are as follows (Apte.C. et al, 2002): Finance Telecom Marketing Web analysis Insurance Retail Medicine Data mining for CRM in retail supermarkets Swift (2001) defined CRM as an Enterprise approach to understanding and influencing customer behaviour through meaningful communications in order to improve customer acquisition, customer retention, customer loyalty, and customer profitability. According to research by the American management association It costs three to five times as much to acquire a new customer than to retain the existing one and is especially evident in services sector (Ennew Binks, 1996). Therefore it is very important to create a good relationship with the existing and new customer rather than expanding the customer base. A large number of companies are adopting various tools and strategies to enhance a more effective CRM, in order to gain an in-depth understanding about their customers. Data mining is a powerful new technique, which helps the companies to mine the patterns, trends and correlations in their large amounts of customer, product, or data, to drive improved customer relationships. It is one of the well-known tools given to customer relationship management (CRM) (Giudici Passerone, 2002). In the context of retail supermarket these patterns not only assists the retailers to offer high quality products and service to their customers, but also helps them to understand the changes in customer needs. Data mining applications for CRM in retail supermarkets Data mining improves customer relationship in retail supermarket, which is a wide area of research interest. Depending on the retailers objective, there are various application areas in which data mining can be applied to enhance customer relationship management. Some of the major data mining applications in retail supermarket, identified from literature are as follows: Cross-selling (Brijs et al 1999, Feng and Tsang, 1999) Product recommendation (Shih and Liu 2005, Li et al 2009) Customer behaviour modelling (Baydar.C 2003, Cadez, 2001) Shelf space allocation (Chen and Lin 2007, Chen et al 2006) Catalogue segmentation (Ester et al,2004, Lin and Hong, 2006) Direct marketing (Bhattacharyya, 1999, Prinzie and Poel, 2005) Prize optimization (Chen et al 2008, Kitts and Hetherington, 2005) THE DATA MINING PROCESS Ivancsy Vajk, (2006), defined the three main stages involved in the data mining process which are: (i) preprocessing, (ii) pattern discovery, (iii) pattern analysis/interpretation. Preprocessing Famili .A, (1997), defined data preprocessing as all the actions taken before the actual data analysis process starts. It is essentially a transformation T that transforms the raw real world data vectors Xik, to a set of new data vectors Yij. Yij = T (Xik) Such that: Yij preserves the valuable information in Xik, Yij eliminates at least one of the problems in Xik and Yij is more useful than Xik. In the above relation: i=1 n where n = number of objects, j=1 m where m = number of features after preprocessing, k=1. . . l where l = number of attributes/features before preprocessing, and in general, m ? l. The most common data used for mining the purchase behaviour in retail supermarket is customer and transaction data (Giudici and Passerone, 2002). With a huge collection of customers sales transaction data available in the databases, it is necessary to pre-process the data and extract the useful information from it. In the context of retail supermarkets Pinto et al, (2006), suggested four key tasks in data preprocessing, they are data selection, data cleaning, data transformation, and data understanding. The first preprocessing task is data selection. Here the subset of the data is identified on which pattern discovery is to be performed. This task is especially helpful in solving the problem of large amounts of data through precisely evaluating and categorizing the data into much smaller datasets. Computational requirements necessary for data analysis and manipulation are also hugely reduced by preprocessing large datasets through data selection techniques like clustering or vector quantization (Famili .A, 1997). The second is data cleaning where basic operations include removing noise and handling missing data (Fayyad et al, 1996). Other issues regarding the data quality like errors and insufficient attributes which may complicate data analysis are also addressed in data cleaning. In most cases missing attribute values are replaced by attribute mean but traditionally, if more than 20% of attribute values are missing, the entire record is eliminated (Famili .A, 1997). To handle the outliers and noise data, techniques like binning (partitioning the sorted attribute values into bins), clustering and regression are applied. The next preprocessing task is data transformation. The application of each data mining algorithm requires the presence of data in a mathematically feasible format (Crone et al, 2006). Inaccuracies in the measurements of input or incorrect feeding of data to the data mining algorithm could cause various problems. Since, operations such as normalization, aggregation, generalization and attribute construction are performed. Normalization deals with scaling the attribute value into a specific range, whereas aggregation and generalization refers to the summary of data in terms of numeric and nominal attributes. Attribute construction handles the replacement or addition of new attributes based on the existing attributes (Markov.Z and Larose.T.D, 2007). Once issues regarding the data are solved and the data are prepared, understanding the nature of data would be useful in many ways. According to Famili .A, (1997), the majority of the data analysis tools have some limitations regarding the data characteristics; therefore, it is important to recognize these characteristics for appropriate setup of data analysis process. He further pointed out that techniques like visualization and principal component analysis are useful for better understanding the data. Pattern discovery Fayyad et al, (1996), defined that core of the process is the application of specific data-mining methods for pattern discovery and extraction. Pattern discovery is the key stage of the process in this research, which is where the data is mined. Once the data is pre-processed, and the irrelevant information is eradicated, it is then used for mining, using data mining techniques to discover patterns. However, it is not the intent of this paper to describe all the available algorithms and techniques derived from these fields. This research focuses on two main data mining methods that to helps to mine the data and find patterns. They are Clustering and Association. The reason behind choosing these rules is justified below. Clustering Clustering can be defined as a technique to group together a set of items having similar characteristics (Kuo et.al, 2002). In retail domain, cluster analysis is a common tool to segment the customers on the basis of their similarity on a chosen segmentation base or set of bases (Stewart.D.W and Girish.P., 1983). The actual choice for one or a combination of these bases largely depends on the business question under study (Wind, Y., 1978). Segmentation can be done on the basis of various variables/bases, such as 1) general or product-specific, and 2) observable or non-observable as classified by wedel M and Kamakura (2000). General bases for segmentation are independent of products, services or circumstances, whereas product-specific bases for segmentation are related to the product, the customer or the circumstances. Observable segmentation bases can be measured directly, whereas non-observable bases must be inferred. The combination of classification of segmentation bases is shown below. Twedt, D.W., (1967) as cited in Engel.J.F et.al, (1972), stated that the existence of huge amounts of transaction data in retail supermarket domain provides a great impetus for segmentation on the basis of purchase frequencies. Segmentation based on this divides customers into groups on their intensity of buying a product(s), such as light, medium and heavy buyers. According to Brijs.T, (2002), if customers are classified by their purchase frequency, these segments could then be treated differently in terms of marketing communication (pricing, promotion, product recommendation etc.) to achieve greater return of investment (ROI) and customer satisfaction. Therefore, in this research clustering is employed to segment the customers into various clusters on the basis of their similarity in purchase frequency. Several algorithms have been proposed in the literature for clustering, such as ISODATA, CLARA, CLARANS, ScaleKM, P-CLUSTER, DBSCAN, Ejcluster, BIRCH and GRIDCLUS (Kanungo.T. et al, 2002). It is not the objective of this research to use all these algorithms for clustering. However, as discussed earlier, k-means clustering algorithm would be used to cluster and its justification is given below. k-Means Clustering Algorithm The K-means has been considered as one of the most effective algorithms in producing good clustering results for many practical applications (Alsabti et.al, 1998). The main reason behind this is, when clustering is done for the purpose of data reduction, the goal is not to find the best partitioning, but simply needs a reasonable consolidation of N data points into k clusters, and, if necessary, some efficient way to improve the quality of the initial partitioning (Faber, 1994). Therefore, k-means algorithm proves to be very effective in data reduction and produces a good clustering output. The k-means algorithm clusters the data that are similar into various clusters namely Cluster 0, Cluster 1 to Cluster n (Kanungo et.al, 2002). Provided a set of n data points in real d dimensional space (Rd) and an integer k, the aim is to determine k points in Rd, called the centers, so as to minimize the mean squared distance from each data point to its nearest center. This measure is often called as squared-error distortion (Jain Dubes, 1988). The diagram below illustrates the standard k-means algorithm. It shows the results during two iterations in the partitioning of nine two-dimensional data points into two well separated clusters. Points in cluster 1 are shown in red, points in cluster 2 are shown in black; data points are denoted by open circles and reference points by filled circles. Clusters are indicated by dashed lines. The iteration converges quickly to the correct clustering; even there was a bad initial choice of reference points. Lloyds algorithm is another popular version for K-means clustering which requires about the same amount of computation for a single pass through all the data points, or a single iteration, like the standard K-means algorithm (Faber, 1994). Lloyds algorithm is similar to standard k-means algorithm, except when the cluster centroids are chosen as reference points in subsequent partition; the centroids are adjusted both during and after each partition. However, the k-means algorithm constantly updates the clusters and requires comparatively less iterations than Lloyds algorithm, thus, k- means algorithm is considerably faster. This is the key reason that leads to the selection of k-means algorithm, since it can group the customers which have similar purchase frequency into different clusters in less iterations. However, Faber, (1994), pointed two major drawbacks to this algorithm. Firstly, it is computationally inefficient for large datasets. Secondly- although the algorithm will always produce the desired number of clusters, the centroids of these clusters may not be particularly representative of the data. Association Rules Association rule discovery was proposed to find all rules in a basket data to analyze how items purchased by customer in a shop are related (Gery Haddad, 2003). The rule refers to the discovery of attribute value associations that occur frequently together within a given data set (Han Kamber, 2001). It is typically used for market basket analysis to discover rules of the form x% of customers who buy item A and B, also buy item C (Zaiane, 2001) and is an implication of the form (A, B) à ¨C. Some of the key definitions drawn from literature that characterize association rule technique are provided below (Agarwal, Imielinski and Swami, 1993). Itemset (i) Set of items that contain in a single transaction (e.g. {milk, sugar, curd}) Support (s) The support expresses the percentage of transactions in the data that contain both the items in the antecedent and the consequent of the rule. Confidence (c) Confidence estimates the conditional probability of B given A, i.e. P (B |A) and it can be calculated as Confidence (c) =s (A B) / s (A). Association rule discovery typically involves a two phased sequential methodology (Brijs T., 2002). Finding frequent itemsets The first phase involves looking for so-called frequent itemsets, i.e. itemsets for which the support in the database equals or exceeds the minimum support threshold set by the user. This is computationally the most complex phase because of the number of possible combinations of items that need to be tested for their support. Generating association rules Once all frequent itemsets are known, the discovery of association rules is comparatively straightforward. The general scheme is that, if ABCD and AB are frequent itemsets, then it can be calculated whether the rule AB à ¨ CD holds with sufficient confidence by computing the ratio confidence = s (ABCD) / s (AB). If the confidence of the rule equals or exceeds the minconf threshold set by the user, then it is a valid rule. For an itemset of size k, there are potentially 2k-2 confident rules. Association rules can help to discover frequently purchased combinations of products within a customer segment and provide customised service by promoting certain products or product combinations to the defined segments (Brijs T. et al, 2001). Therefore, in this research, frequent itemsets for each customer cluster will be generated and their combinations are compared to identify the differences in purchase behaviour to provide customised service. Traditionally, support and confidence are used in association rule discovery, but Aggarwal Yu, (1998), criticized this support-confidence framework for association rule discovery for the following main reasons. First of all, setting good values for the support and confidence parameters in association rule mining is critical. For example, setting the support threshold too low will lead to the generation of more frequent itemsets. But even if they would be statistically significant, their support is usually too low to have a significant influence. On the other hand, setting the support threshold too high increases the probability of finding insignificant relations and of missing some important associations between items. Further Agarwal Yu, (1998); Brin et al., (1998), as cited in Brijs.T,(2003), introduced the lift (also called interest) measure to overcome the disadvantage of confidence in not taking the baseline frequency of the consequent into account. Lift/Interest (l) Lift is computed as the confidence of the rule divided by the support of the right-hand-side (RHS). In other words, lift is the ratio of the probability that A and B occur together to the multiple of the two individual probabilities for A and B. Lift (l) = s (A B) / s (A).s (B) In order to perform predictive analysis, it is useful to discover interesting patterns in the given dataset that serve as the base for future trends. The best and most popular algorithm used for this analysis is called the Apriori algorithm (Varde et.al, 2004). Apriori Algorithm The Apriori algorithm was proposed by Agarwal et.al, (1994) (Varde et.al, 2004). The algorithm finds frequent items in a given data set using the anti-monotone constraint (Petrucelli et.al, 1999), as cited in Varde et.al, 2004). It works under the principle that all subsets of a frequent itemset must also be frequent. In other words, if at least one subset of an itemset is not frequent, the itemset can never be frequent anymore. This principle simplifies the discovery of frequent itemsets significantly because for some itemsets, it can be determined that they can never be frequent before checking their support against the data anymore. This is the key reason to select this algorithm, since the association rules for the items can be discovered more quickly and efficiently. Given a data set, the problem of association rule mining is to generate all rules that have support and confidence greater than a user-specified minimum support and minimum confidence respectively. Candidate sets having k items can be generated by joining large sets having k-1 items, and deleting those that contain a subset that is not large (where large refers to support above minimum support). Frequent sets of items with minimum support form the basis for deriving association rules with minimum confidence. For A à ¨ B to hold with confidence C, C% of the transactions having A must also have B. Though the algorithm is very efficient in association rule mining, it has certain drawbacks, found by Margahny Shakour, (2006). After discovering the 4-frequent itemsets this algorithm needs extra data structure and methods to process, since the further itemsets can be obtained by different ways. This method is fast only while handling small data. There are several tools available for clustering and association rule mining such as ARMiner, Clementine (SPSS), Enterprise Miner (SAS), Intelligent Miner (IBM), Decision Series (NeoVista). To mine association rules, WEKA is used, which is a collection of machine learning algorithms for data mining tasks and SPSS statistics 17.0 for clustering. WEKA is an open source software available online and very efficient in mining large datasets, where as SPSS statistics 17.0 is a statistical analysis package available at Brunel university computer labs. Pattern Analysis Pattern analysis means understanding the results obtained by the algorithms and drawing conclusions. This is the last phase in data mining process, where the uninteresting rules or patterns from the set found in the pattern discovery phase are filtered out (Cooley et.al, 2000). The uninteresting patterns are filtered out by applying appropriate methodologies on the results and produce some interesting statistical patterns. SUMMARY This chapter discussed the concept of data mining, its evolution and applications in todays business world. Then, it provided an overview regarding the role of data mining in retail supermarkets to improve customer relationships, followed by a discussion about the typical data mining approach. It also discussed the techniques and algorithms implied in this project and the reason for their choice. The following chapter will explain about the research approach followed in this dissertation. CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH APPROACH Introduction This chapter will discuss about the research approach employed in this project. It starts with a discussion about the research and literature review methods, followed by the data collection and justification of data mining approach on the data. Research Methods The research approach depends upon the objectives and aim of the study, as it assists the researcher to elicit appropriate responses. Boyatzis (1998) defines research methods as taxonomic procedure used for problem solving where, first data is collected based on the research question, hypotheses are stated, data analysis is carried out using appropriate techniques, results are interpreted and conclusions are derived. According to Hussey et al (1997), research methods can be distinguished in two types they are Qualitative and Quantitative approach. Oates (2006) says that, quantitative research method is the data or evidence on numbers whereas qualitative research method includes all non-numeric. In this research, quantitative research methodology is used. Quantitative study makes use of the numeric data that has been collected from a group of people interested in the subject area which is then analysed and interprete