Disadvantages of video games Essay

Video games have been available to consumers for the last 30 years. They are a unique form of entertainment, because they encourage players to become a part of the game’s script. Today’s sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game, rather than passively watching a movie. This has both positive and negative impacts on players. Several studies have been published that explore these impacts on today’s children. Sections: What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents? Tips on managing your child’s media consumption. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) References What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents? The most widely used â€Å"positive† impact video games are said to have on children is that they may improve a player’s manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more â€Å"realistic† virtual playing experience. This quality makes the video game industry a powerful force in many adolescent lives. However, numerous studies show that video games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive. Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games. In one study by Walsh (2000), a majority of teens admitted that their parents do not impose a time limit on the number of hours they are allowed to play video games. The study also showed that most parents are unaware of the content or the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating (see below) of the video games their children play. In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) â€Å"adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week, whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week†. The authors also stated that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time: Tend to be more aggressive Are more prone to confrontation with their teachers May engage in fights with their peers See a decline in school achievements. (Gentile et al, 2004). The interactive quality of video games differs from passively viewing television or movies because it allows players to become active participants in the game’s script. Players benefit from engaging in acts of violence and are then able to move to the game’s next level. Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns. Video games also encourage players to identify with and role play their favorite characters. This is referred to as a â€Å"first-person† video game (Anderson & Dill, 2000, p. 788) because players are able to make decisions affecting the actions of the character they are imitating. After a limited amount of time playing a violent video game, a player can â€Å"automatically prime aggressive thoughts† (Bushman & Anderson, 2002, p. 1680). The researchers concluded that players who had prior experience playing violent video games responded with an increased level of aggression when they encountered confrontation (Bushman & Anderson, 2002). In a Joint Statement (2000) before the Congressional Public Health Summit, a number of American medical associations — the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — caution parents about violence in the media and its negative effect on children. Their report states that exposure to violent media can elevate aggressive feelings and thoughts, especially in children. These effects on aggressive behavior can be long-term. Although fewer studies have been conducted on interactive video games, evidence suggests that playing violent video games may have a more dramatic influence on the behavior of children and adolescents (Joint Statement, 2000). Back to top Tips on managing your child’s media consumption Because of the popularity of video games, completely eliminating them from your child’s life might be difficult. But you can decrease the negative impact that they have on your child. Here are a few tips: Know the rating of the video games your child plays (see below). Do not install video game equipment in your child’s bedroom. Set limits on how often and how long your child is allowed to play video games. Monitor all of your child’s media consumption — video games, television, movies and Internet. Supervise your child’s Internet use — there are now many â€Å"video games† available for playing online. Take the time to discuss with your children the games they are playing or other media they are watching. Ask your children how they feel about what they observe in these video games, television programs or movies. This is an opportunity to share your feelings and grow closer with your child. Share with other parents information about certain games or ideas for helping each other in parenting. Back to top The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) The ESRB is a self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The major video game manufacturers created this board after concerned groups applied pressure over the content of video games. Similar to the movie industry’s rating system, all major game companies now submit their new products for rating to specially trained raters at the ESRB. The ESRB rates over 1,000 games per year. The ESRB looks at a number of factors when rating games. In particular, it considers the amount of violence, sex, controversial language and substance abuse found in a game. Based on its developed guidelines, the ESRB then gives an age recommendation and content descriptor to each game submitted. The following are the rating symbols currently in use, according to the ESRB Web site. Early Childhood (EC): Content should be suitable for children 3 years and older and contain no objectionable material. Everyone (E): Content suitable for persons ages 6 and older. The game may contain minimal violence and some â€Å"comic mischief. † Teen (T): Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Content is more violent than (E) rating and contains mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes. Mature (M): Content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, intense violence and stronger language. Adults Only (AO): Content suitable only for adults and may contain graphic sex and/or violence. Adult Only products are not intended for persons under the age of 18. Rating Pending (RP): Game has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting a final rating. The ESRB Web site has more details about this rating system, as well as the â€Å"content descriptors† that are used in conjunction with the ratings on game packaging. The site is also useful for parents who want to search for the rating of a particular game. Back to top References Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686. Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed. ), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing. Gentile, D. A. , Lynch, P. , Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22. Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit. (July 26, 2000. ) Available: http://www. aap. org/advocacy/ releases/jstmtevc. htm. Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000.). Back to top Source: http://www. pamf. org/preteen/parents/videogames. html By Andrea Norcia, college student writer Reviewed by the Web Content Committee of PAMF Additional articles: Violent Video Games and Aggressive Behaviors, By Andrea Norcia, college student writer Join the conversation: Website Feedback Site Map  © 2012 Palo Alto Medical Foundation. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U. S. Patent. & Trademark office. Serving communities around Palo Alto, Mountain View, Fremont, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Dublin, San Mateo & Santa Cruz.

Sexism in Football

Gender Discrimination (The Sian Massey Story) On the 22nd of January 2011 female linesman Sian Massey was going to officiate as a linesman in a premier league clash between Liverpool and Wolves. Sky Sports were broadcasting the match on live television,Presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys were preparing to cover the pre game coverage, when the two named above began to talk about the female linesman Sian Massey and what they thought about her in a very discriminating fashionThe commentators, who apparently believed their microphones were switched off, were recorded. Commenting on Ms Massey, Mr Keys said: ‘Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her. ’ Mr Gray, a former Scottish international footballer, replied: ‘Can you believe that? A female linesman. Women don’t know the offside rule. ’ Mr Keys replied: ‘Course they don’t. I can guarantee you there will be a big one today. Kenny (Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish) will go potty. This isn’t the first time, is it?Didn’t we have one before? ’ Later in the exchange, Mr Keys said: ‘The game’s gone mad. Did you hear charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Do me a favour, love. ’ During the game, which Liverpool won 3-0, Ms Massey angered Wolves by refusing to rule Raul Meireles offside before he set up Liverpool’s first goal. The replay showed that she made the correct decision. When The Mail on Sunday put the transcript to Mr Keys, he said: ‘I have no recollection of that.I have no idea what you are talking about. ‘My recollection is that I wished the young lady all the best. ’ When told a recording existed of the conversation, he said: ‘If you have a tape then you don’t need me to talk to you. It almost makes it worse that they're speaking when the microphones are not on as opposed to when they are on, because [they have] never really had the brass neck t o say it publicly, they would only say it privately. I have heard it and I don't believe it is just banter. Former referee Graham Poll added: â€Å"It must be very difficult for female match officials to progress in men’s football and any who do, do so on merit and should be held up as role models, not subjected to outdated, sexist attitudes †¦ (Sian Massey) is already on the FIFA assistant referees’ list in women’s football and at just 25 that is a magnificent achievement. † Michaela Tabb, a snooker referee who has officiated the World Championship final, said: : â€Å"What they have done there is completely unacceptable because they have not given her her place at all as an official.They are basically doubting her ability. She has obviously passed every exam and whatever qualifications she's had to go through. † England captain Rio Ferdinand said on Twitter: â€Å"I'm all for women refereeing in football, discrimination should not happen in our game at all †¦ prehistoric views if u think otherwise. † Hugh Robertson, the sports minister, commented: â€Å"It is very disappointing to hear these comments at a time when we are trying to get more women participating and officiating in sport, particularly football. The FA released a statement saying: â€Å"The FA has made real strides in encouraging both male and female match officials to enter the game at every level, and will continue to offer every encouragement to all officials within the football family to progress to the highest levels possible. We are proud to have some of the world's best match officials, both male and female Overall the number of female referees in England (Levels 1-8) stands at 853 and climbing, and all of our female match officials act as fantastic ambassadors for the game. They have our wholehearted and continuing support. â€Å"

Gender and Culture Studies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender and Culture Studies - Article Example All these do not act independent from each other. Studies try to analyze and explain how they work together â€Å"how they mutually construct one another† (Collins et al 62). My goal in this paper is to try explaining the article and the different ideas being portrayed. As noted earlier, the article presents us with the insight of how race and gender are socially put together out of dysfunctional definitions of â€Å"the family†. Generally, gender and race are socially built groups rather than important and biological groups. Collins shows how these groups are formed and how idealized and often the dysfunctional images of â€Å"the family† project a hierarchy that functions in the best interest of everyone. The idealized family needs a breadwinner who is able to protect and maintain the other family members, a wife who is a stay at home mother, and obedient children. This means the public of economics and politics have no impact or influence what so ever on the private domestic sphere of women and children. But this is becoming unrealistic especially in the present day, for it is difficult for survival value for the women and the children who solely depend on the man as the provider. Discrimination on the lines of gender and race is real in the modern society as individuals use an imagined image of a certain group to create a hierarchical categorization. We use the family images to view our nation and use it in the definitions of policies. As matter of fact, the assumption that a few wealthy white men are capable of not only protecting the whole national family but also acting to the best interest of the society comes from accepting the hierarchical categorization. Deviance or protest of any kind to this assumed fact makes one ungrateful and thus conservative politicians expect that women and people of color should not only be submissive According to Collins there were six different dimensions which will be explained in terms of gender, race

Chapter 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Chapter 4 - Assignment Example During the 1950s-1980s, Matsushita was able to make use of the post-war effects on the Japanese economy; most Japanese were grateful to receive job security at a time of uncertainty. As the Japanese economy expanded and the workforce grew older, suddenly employees had found the freedom to find a job to best suit their needs. This resulted in a shaky business environment from the point of view of Japanese business, but it greatly benefitted the average employee. 4. What is Matsushita trying to achieve with human resource changes it has announced? What are the impediments to successfully implementing these changes? What are the implications for Matsushita if (a) the changes are made quickly or (b) it takes years or even decades to fully implement the changes? Matsushita is trying to offer more options for its employees be being flexible in working conditions. The impediment to this change is an older generation set in its ways that refuses to either change or move on. If the changes are made quickly, older employees may quit in protest and the company may lose some of its most valuable assets. On the other hand, if it takes too long to implement the changes, Matsushita may grow at a slower pace than its competitors and lose significant market share. The Matsushita case shows that societal culture and business success are linked. Culture is always changing, so business needs to do the same. If a business remains the same for too long, productivity decreases and workers lose interest in their

Gender, Crime & Justice ( social policy studies) Essay

Gender, Crime & Justice ( social policy studies) - Essay Example Or the court may dismiss the case and the trial will not begin. This is unethical and the case of rape ends even before it begins. Even in such modern societies of today, women are constantly being subjected to gender inequality and injustice. Gender injustice can be described as any kind of bias or discriminating behavior done on the origin of gender, be it male or female, just like discrimination is done on the grounds of race, religion, color or creed. However, the issue of gender injustice to women is given great importance by feminists around the world, presently, as compared to male gender injustice. Many laws and regulations have been produced to protect women’s rights from human rights abuse. Crime is defined as any act contrary to law, human or divine, an offence or breach of regulation, a wrong doing, and a sin that is punishable by law. In most cases a crime is a product of free-will, the choice of an individual or group who has weighed the consequences and then com mitted the act. Crime can also be the result of a mental deficiency, emotional disorder or due to cultural and biological factors. 44% of drug users are said to be involved in crime. International criminals generate almost $10 billion as foundation businesses of international criminal networks. ... The reasons that accounts for committing crimes like rape and juvenile delinquency are mainly opportunity, dare-devilry, and feelings of bravado, breakdown of values, greed, peer pressures, personal motives, easy access to guns, weak or extreme hold of religion and drug/alcohol addictions. It is observed that people who live with an inferiority complex are more likely to be criminals and also those who desire for power or authority, wanting to attract attention, enjoying risks, who desires revenge or have grown up in violent atmospheres. People who get brainwashed or have no fear of accountability or being caught are also likely to be criminals [Agha: 2006]. However, the rate of women committing crimes is also increasing since the last century. Women are generally thought to be of a kind, loving and gentle nature. They are usually not assumed to be associated with crimes. But the constant race and demand for gender equality, and new face of violent women being shown on television and movie screens has led to the recognition and acceptance of women committing crimes. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report of 1996 showed that a surprising research that 93% of women were arrested for doing crime compared to only 43% of men arrested for being involved in crimes in the time span of last 10 years. These crimes included rape, prostitution and sexual assaults. Men were arrested more for murders, for which only a small number of women were responsible. Both men and women are responsible for the prevailing crime rate in a country and should be punished equally on same grounds and principles with no favoritism or biasness. Lately, a lot of evidences have been presented to proof the fact that more number of women is involved in crimes today rather than men.

Movie Wo Ai Ni Mommy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movie Wo Ai Ni Mommy - Essay Example (Soe, 1997, p.3) They derive many cinematic elements from early Asian American films, but also include â€Å"souped-up mise-en-scenes, techno soundtracks and ultra-hip young characters...the stories are ultimately about identity, cultural confusion and finding one's own voice and desires, all of which have been recurrent themes in Asian American films past and present.† (Soe, 1997, p.3) Thesis: In the case of Wo Ai Ni Mommy, we witness some of these cinematic elements, along with unique filmmaking style of the director Stephanie Wang-Breal. Complex issues of loss, memory, family anomie and alienation are all integral parts of the Asian American film genre. In recent years though, Asian American filmmakers have produced an interesting body of work which are largely documentaries or experimental work. The new tribe of young directors, â€Å"linked by youth and their impressive technical skills, explores themes and issues common to Asian American films and videos from years past .† (Soe, 1997, p.3) And the movie titled Wo Ai Ni Mommy by Stephanie Wang-Breal should be studied in this backdrop. ... or example, Wang-Breal also doubles up as a translator between Faith and her new parents, as the former struggles to get acclimatized with new socio-cultural norms. Usually documentary filmmakers take a passive role in the process of film-making, in that they do not affect the audio/visual information being captured. But in the case of Wang-Breal, by virtue of being the only remaining link to Faith’s Chinese heritage, also assumes the role of the young ward’s confidante and interlocutor. It should also be noted that Asian American filmmaking is not one homogenous concept, but rather consists of vastly diverse constituencies in which â€Å"recent immigrants, native-born citizens, community activists, documentarians, avant-garde artists, film students, Asiaphiles and cineastes all claim valid rights. The complexity of the Asian American community has always influenced and affected the work of its filmmakers. As this community becomes more diverse, it will require even gr eater skill and acuity to accurately reflect the ever-evolving state of Asian American media arts.† (Soe, 1997, p.3) It has been an endeavor of early Asian American filmmakers to present their authentic ‘voice’ in their works. This is certainly evident in Wo Ai Ni Mommy too, where director Stephanie Wang-Breal’s original voice comes across to the audience. Within the limitations of a documentary project, the director manages to raise important issues facing adopted Chinese kids such as Faith. While Faith is obviously the protagonist of the film, her new parents Donna and Jeff are also given key coverage. Indeed Donna’s early experiences with Faith were very challenging. But the later transformation of Faith into an English-speaking American kid is in large part due to the efforts of Donna. A

Distributors Dell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Distributors Dell - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that, due to this illicit practice which violated the contract Dell had signed with these distributors the company had to file lawsuits against their own distributors. Another mistake Dell made was that it did not foster long term relationships with distributors in order to create partnerships. There was a sense of distrust between the distributors and Dell because the distributors believed that Dell at any time would stop using their services and introduce a direct sales model in China. A third mistake the company made was that it did not invest any resources in to enhance functionality of their supply chain function with its distributors. The company could have gotten more involved in the operation of its distributors by providing managerial and technical assistance. If the company would have established a mutual relationship based on respect and high ethical standards the distributors would have seen Dell as a business allied instead of just another com pany with a product to sell. When a company creates close relationship with suppliers and distributors it enables a business to obtain concessions and favors the firm would otherwise not receive. A fourth mistake the company made was delegating market strategy to its distributors. The communication between Dell and its distributors was weak. Due to this fact the distributors moved the merchandise utilizing their own criteria without taking into consideration any strategic input from Dell. The problem with the direct model in China was that the company was entering a market in which the people had different expectations than the US market. First of all a computer purchase to a Chinese person means a lot more than to a customer in the US or Europe because a worker would have to save money for nearly two years before they could make such a purchase.  

Diversity Management as Beneficial For Employees Essay - 1

Diversity Management as Beneficial For Employees - Essay Example This paper illustrates that organization focuses on various factors of diversification such as product diversity, employees, management practices etc. The intention of the organization for diversification remains to maximize profits and increase productivity. It is examined that the effects of diversity are beneficial for the organization, but not for employees. The major factor of this argument prevails that employees had to work even harder and fruits are solely enjoyed by the organization. The key objective of this research work is to clarify ambiguities about diversity management. Critical evaluation and conclusion of this research are decisive to present the real market review. Organizations tend to diversify in order to expand business operations and activities. The motto behind this move is to generate revenues, build stronger human resource management department, systemize operations and explore new markets. Diversity can be very beneficial if it is done in the right way. Div ersity management ensures that greater productivity through employees can be gained. Engaging people from diverse cultures and giving them the opportunity to work in the organization depicts that organization is an equal opportunity firm and is against racism. The positive image of the organization is spread in the market. Problem-solving in management decisions is some of the fruits of diversity management. Creativity and innovation are practiced which brings new revolutionary ideas for the firm to expand its operations. Moreover, new products are formulated and every employee tries its best to be a useful asset for the firm. Diversity gives the organization an opportunity to compete globally as they are employed with staff from all around the world. Globalization of business is fundamental to an organization.

Argument Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument Research - Essay Example Researchers have noted that couples in arranged marriages have fewer chances of getting divorced, and with the recent spike in divorce, these arranged marriages could be the solution to preventing divorce. In arranged marriages, couples readily get blessings of the parents and social acceptance from the community, which is essential for support when they have issues. It is normal for a couple in marriage to have issues and challenges, but if these issues are left unresolved, then chances of divorce become high. In arranged marriages, the couple has the support of both parents and the community, and thus, during conflicts, they can seek the support of these people to solve their issues (Beverly 16). Moreover, the parents or aunties are better experienced in marital issues, and thus, they are better equipped in helping the couple to handle marital challenges that they may come across from time to time. In love based marriages, since couples met on their own they tend to solve their problems on their own, and when they fail, they stop communicating, which is the first step towards divorce. A successful marriage is all about understanding and communication, and this is the foundation of a rranged marriages. Although people in arranged marriage marry without being in love first, sociologists have noted that, in countries where people practice arranged marriage the rate of divorce is not as high as in countries where the people chose their own partners and marry (Liu 49). For example, among the Indian community, they highly practice arranged marriage, and as a result, divorce is very rare. This arises for several reasons both negative and positive. First, couples in arranged marriages are bound by religious and cultural obligations, which make it hard to divorce. In some cases, even if the marriage does not work out, staying married is a better

Film Analysis Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Analysis - Research Paper Example Mario Puzo’s book was optioned from the first fifty pages written in a unilateral decision by the head of Paramount Studios. Many studio executives and technicians distanced themselves from the idea of making this film because the Kirk Douglas film â€Å"The Brotherhood† had failed so badly in 1970. Coppola saw that flop as an indicator that films based on Italian-Americans should not be cast with non Italian-Americans. â€Å"I liked the idea of starting the movie†¦with, ‘I believe in America,’ because it’s what the whole movie is about,† reflected Francis Ford Coppola. â€Å"It’s saying that our country should be our family in a way, that it should afford us the protection and the honour that, in a strange way, this Mafia family does.† (Hogg) So, Coppola set out to write a movie about a traditional Italian-American family, an organized crime family and the American family; all of these families with common tradition and his tory and, most importantly, the American dream as foundations. Production History Paramount sought Coppola to direct The Godfather based on his Italian heritage. The studio felt the product could be more realistic if someone from those traditions led the project. Considering Coppola was broke and in the process of being evicted, it surprised everyone when he turned down the project because he did not like the novel. (Hogg) George Lucas intervened and Coppola found something he liked: the idea of the metaphoric connection among social, business and national family identity and process. Michael was America. For studio purposes, Coppola needed to insert some gangster film symbols (Manchel 2003), but the theme is family. The first production battle involved setting. The original script was set in the 1960s and 1970s, with hippies. (Hogg) The story was based on 1945-1955 events within the crime family. Coppola fought for and won the additional budget for a period film instead of saving m oney with a contemporary setting. The production budget was quickly increasing from $2 million to $6.8 million. One reason the studio requested Coppola was the director’s thrift in production. The Coppola vision for The Godfather, however, was not inexpensive. Casting proved to be the next production obstacle. Coppola believed other films failed at the box office because moviegoers did not believe Kirk Douglas as an Italian crime boss. Coppola wanted Italian heritage actors. The studio wanted Robert Redford to play Michael. (Hogg) Finally, the studio assigned a crew to film The Godfather. Coppola fired almost everyone because of the corrupt, undermining studio politics among the disorganized and poor teamwork oriented studio employees. The studio thought Coppola would do as instructed since he, superficially, needed the money. The studio was incorrect, but ultimately rewarded for their difficulties with an $86 million gross in the first two months (1972 dollars). Coppola esta blished himself as the auteur director that he dreamed of becoming; however, this dream reduced his capacity to be a writer-director as he originally wanted. (Hogg) Artistic Importance â€Å"Coppola’s The Godfather, Part One is distinguished among other things by the number of scales or levels upon which it operates. In its combination of epic structure and highly individuated family melodrama, it is perhaps the American Film which most closely approximates the nineteenth-century

Pinewood Hotel Essay Example for Free

Pinewood Hotel Essay In this essay I will be explaining and evaluating the method chosen and used by Pinewood Hotel in order to gain a better insight onto how aspects of their website are rated, and how it compares to their competitors. In addition to this, I will evaluate the findings that were gained from the research method used by the researchers at Pinewood Hotel. Procedure The information used in this report was gained from several different sources. For example, I have used information from my P4 survey, as well as my P3, M2 presentation and my M1 table of various data collection methods. Findings To begin within the p4 task, we had to design and construct a questionnaire using surveys which included 15 questions. These questions were based on the market research objectives which were to investigate the various aspects of pinewood hotels website is, as well as comparing the company’s website to its competitors, to enquire about the quality of the online services, how accessible the company’s website is. The aim was to have 30 people fill the surveys out, 15 females, and 15 males. The surveys using questionnaires were presented face to face and included a variety of closed and open questions so we could gain enough information so it can enable the business clients to make necessary decisions/changes. I will contrast and compare my method of surveys to other data collection methods used in the case study. The data collection method I used was surveys. This was different to the methods highlighted in the Pinewood Hotels’ case study such as; Focus Groups and interviews. The difference between the two methods was that focus groups and interviews tend to have more qualitative data, as people will express their opinions and views in person, which can enable the market researcher to get a better insight into whether the people wanted real time information on the company’s website. This would be different to my chosen method as surveys using questionnaires are most often considered due to the level of quantative and qualitative data within the responses, which can be quite effective in terms of gathering information on Pinewood Hotels’ online services and aspects to their website. The qualitative data received would be used efficiently so get a better understanding of their market research objectives which are to see the quality of different aspects of Pinewood Hotels’ services such as; content, accessibility, navigation, fundability etc. In addition to this, surveys can also give market researchers quantitative data which is crucial in terms of achieving their marketing objectives to make comparisons between the aspects of Pinewoods Hotel’s website to their competitors. Other comparisons would include that surveys are a cheaper primary data collection method than focus groups and surveys. This is because focus groups require specific amount of people which could cost locating, as well as the documents needed for the focus group requirements. In addition to this, interviews require materials such as; board, pens, paper, as well as finding a suitable location, and equipment such as; projectors etc. This will be quite a costly data collection process, as surveys simply require a written document to be constructed and photocopied for cheap, in order to save costs for the business. However there are also secondary data collection methods which are more effective than some of the primary research methods. Examples of this are previous hotel records which could be used by Pinewood Hotel in order to estimate future sales and bookings. This is an effective method as market researchers would have already obtained the information and therefore saving their hotel quite some costs. Also, they will be able to use the information appropriately so they can fulfil their marketing objectives. It is a more accurate data collection method over a few primary data collection methods because people can exaggerate or rush their answers or not answer appropriately in primary data collection methods, which could influence the results negatively. However hotel records have already been created previously and therefore the accuracy of the data is much higher than a few primary methods. Sampling Methods In terms of choosing my sampling method, I chose quota sampling. This is because we chose to survey 30 people in total but divide the group into genders; males and females. Therefore; 15 males and 15 females were surveyed. This was an important sampling method to choose because it was quite accurate. It was less biased as we decided to interview both genders, leading to varied results for our market research team. We also chose to have quota sampling, because it was the most efficient sampling method which gave us the most accurate information we set out to find. I feel it was important to have more than one division; that being males and females. This is purely because males and females have much diverse views and opinions and also priorities such as; males being more interested in booking rooms and assessing the online services, where the females would also enjoy the online services, but would show more interest in the facilities available, therefore it was quite key to find out how each gender progressed through the surveys. I feel that quota sampling is much more accurate than other sampling methods such as random sampling. This is because random sampling will leave the researchers with a range of results, which will be harder to compare or formulate decisions through. As well as this, quota sampling is considered more effective as it is much cheaper in comparison to random sampling. Conclusion If I were to organise a similar project again, I would take into account various aspects which would be different to how this current project was undertaken. One aspect I would change would be the quota sampling to judgement sampling. This is because both sample methods are cheap, which is a benefit to the market researchers. However, where quota sampling would require the views of specific groups, judgement sample would more or less depend on the factor of which people can be contacted more easily. The only questionable aspect is the accuracy, but this will completely depend on how skilled the market researcher. This means that the people being surveyed would be chosen by the market researcher, and if they choose the appropriate people it could positively impact the results of the research method. Whilst on the topic of research methods, I feel that if this project was conducted again, I would most probably choose to do experimentation in order to gain the information needed for the required marketing objectives. This is because experimentation would be considered a very valid data collection method; however the only problem to this collection method is that it is time consuming. The market researchers can overcome this slight obstacle by locating better areas to conduct their experimentation so they can make their results more efficient. D2:- Recommendations Overall, the majority of people that were surveyed found Pinewood Hotel’s services to be very good. In addition to this, 75% of the 30 people found the contact between the company’s website and customers helpful and useful. This is very good as it would let Pinewood Hotel know that the most of their target market that were surveyed were satisfied with the procedures set by the hotel so they can stay in contact with their customers online and vice versa. A future strategy that can be in use by Pinewood Hotel is to have a QA section on their website. This is because it will make the level of contact much more efficient, as consumers will be able to type up a question and if it comes under the common questions asked, then it will be answered by an electronic system, if not it will forward consumers to a designated helpline. Around 85% of the 30 people surveyed had used the company’s website and also their top competitor Premier Inn. This information is quite useful for Pinewood Hotel because a future strategy they can incorporate into their business and website and create more awareness of their website, services, and facilities through increased promotional materials, so there would be more people that find Pinewood Hotel to be the better hotel over its competitors. Also, there was a variety of ways people had heard of Pinewood Hotel. This included; Friend, radio, and magazine. However, there were not many people surprisingly that found out about Pinewood Hotel from the TV. This could be a possible recommendation for Pinewood Hotel, which is to advertise or release promotional campaigns on the TV, so more people can know of Pinewood Hotel, and hopefully be appealed to their incentives they provide. As well as this, a potential future strategy for the hotel would be to hold public events at the hotel promoting their facilities whilst charging a small entrance fee, this way they can definitely increase the awareness of their hotel, as well as making more money through the amount of people that come to the event. There were roughly around 60% of people that found Pinewood Hotel’s website advertisement creative and 30% that didn’t find it creative and the rest found it very creative. However, this does show that Pinewood Hotel can possibly invest in different advertising methods which appeal more to people and their consumers. They can try testers of different campaigns or releasing information on their websites prior to it being released so more people know of it, and to increase the brand awareness. There were several recommendations which were highlighted. These were to make the website more interactive, more images, and different themes and more colourful.

Media report on magazine Essay Example for Free

Media report on magazine Essay The use of connotations comes under the key concepts of media language. This is very important because images are used as signs to add meaning. For example, an image of a football player means it has something to do with football. Images of make-up could have something to do with fashion magazines, these are known as connotations. Also, the actual language used is very important which helps along with choosing your audience. Formal writing is used for the older generation and informal writing or slang is used for teenagers as they are so familiar with slang meaning it is more appealing to that audience. Even slanting writing is more informal and more appealing to teenagers. Denotations and connotations are also very help. Denotations are what there are and connotation is what there might be, almost like suspense. Key concepts are very important and should be used in magazines for many reasons. For example one major key concept is the audience. This is very important for magazines as they need to know who they are trying to sell their product to. If they know who their audience is then the contents in the magazine will be suitable for that certain audience. Also, if you know your audience from the start, colours and images will help you to represent it for example: if the magazine was for females, the colour used would most likely be pink or red as these are mainly colours aimed at the female audience. Images also help with the audience. For example, people who are really into their football, most probably there will be an image of a football indicating what the magazine could be about and this is an example of connotation. A lot of this has linked in with representation such as use of colours, images and genders. Other aspects include of are religions and young people being represented unfairly. Firstly the use of colours can represent genders such as pink for females as this is more of a feminine colour and blue for males as this is more masculine. This gives us the audience it is aimed for. An example of this is not many males pick up pink coloured magazines as it seems to be for the female audience just like blue is a masculine colour and not preferred by women. I had decided to analyse these three magazines because my magazine is about fitness and a healthy lifestyles. I had decided to analyse these three different magazine covers because I then have a wider range of ideas which I can then combine to create the magazine. The case study I had chosen to provide as my research is from the magazine UltraFit. This is because unlike the other 2 magazines, this magazine has an image of both genders, male and female. On the Fitness, magazine, the image given only had a female on the front which indicated that it is mainly aimed for women. A similar issue was with the magazine Mens Magazine which was an issue because it clearly shows that it is aimed for the male audience. The analysis of the magazine front covers as influenced me to add quite a few aspects. I am influenced as most of the magazines included the same headings such as Your diet and nutritional values. This was tempting because it had been a popular topic at the time but I avoided using it as I wanted our magazine to be unique. Another heading I was tempted to include was How to cope with injuries. This was because it was an issue brought up in many sports such as football, hockey, etc. I have also chosen this because I have had injuries from sports myself so I could add a personal touch to it. Our first ideas were producing a magazine about football as stated before. This was because our knowledge of football was much more than any other sport but as we researched over the internet, we learnt that there were already many football magazines to compete with. The next thing we decided to do was a fitness magazine which was our final idea. Also, the colours first were yellow and white as they complimented the topic as they were clear and clean colours. The colours were then changed to a black background with mixtures of colours to make different parts of the magazine to stand out more and seem more appealing. The genre I have chosen to work on is health and fitness. Our first idea was originally football however we researched football magazines and there were too many which would not give us the factor of having a unique magazine. So we decided to choose something that is not focused on much in the UK; Obesity. We are not actually aiming to produce a full magazine but the main features of it which would be: a front cover, contents page, an article and a back cover. We decided to make our target audience the general public as this magazine bases itself on a subject that anybody can benefit from. Also, the age group is also any because anybody can benefit from exercise and fitness as it can help with things like diabetes, obesity, etc. on the magazine, there will be an image of different sports equipment showing people can play any sport and be fit. The technology we will be using to create our front covers are things with ICT such as Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word. These were used to make the magazine to seem more professional and some would believe it is easier to design via ICT. Even the article was produced using Microsoft Word which made it seem a lot more appealing and professionally designed. Evaluation My strength of helping design a front cover was that I had a lot of knowledge about design which was a great use in this project. This was a really big help as I could make the cover to the best quality possible using graphics designing software. An area which I was not very strong in was mostly the research side of the project. I was able to research other magazine covers that were relevant to the genre of magazine that I had based my project on. This was a help as it helped me to decide colours and layout on a real fitness magazine so I made my magazine seem as real as possible. On our magazine, we had used a variety of colours that went together and colours that didnt so that the cover looked very appealing. This was a good point because it was very eye-catching and although the background colour was black, the other colours went together and the black made them all seems more appealing although they were very different. An example of this would be on the front cover as I have used a lot of different colours like red, blue, yellow, white or purple. These worked well together as the black background was neutral to all other colours. Another thing I was good at was when I had to choose colours which would compliment each other. This was a major issue at first as colours are usually the main points that attract readers to the magazine. In the end we decided to use the colour yellow as our main colour for our magazine name as it was the known as the colour of good health whereas other colours would have been is outstanding. Another colour we tried to use was purple but this became difficult as it was hard to compliment it and also because it was a colour that defined nobility and spirituality which sort of links into what we are doing. My weakness in helping to design the contents page was similar to my problems with the front page as I have no internet at home so my research was limited. This was things like how the contents page was set out and how to make it seem clean yet beneficial for the reader in terms of information. As I had problems doing the research part of the contents page, I was lucky to be working with somebody that is very skilled in methods of research and who is also very dedicated to their work so the majority of the research was done by him and the design and appearance of the magazine was mostly done by me although we both put equal amounts of effort into both parts of the project so that one person isnt doing all the work. My strengths on the article was that when the person I worked with had typed the article of obesity, we had decided to make it into the shape of an obese person with all the text inside the person as it would be creative and original another good point about the article was that the colours of health had been added so the colours would give the reader the idea that I was trying to promote health as healthy colours were used such as orange, green, etc. One other thing that I found a good idea was to put the slogan for the magazine along the sides of the body for the article as they would motivate the audience to be healthy. This was effectively because the slogan was motivational -What the mind believes, the body achieves. This seemed like the perfect slogan as it seems to be motivational and in some way inspiring to young people as it motivates them to become healthy as it suggests that their body can achieve its goal if they as a person would believe that goal themselves mentally. My strengths on designing were that I had researched some information and I had learnt that the readers eye automatically goes to the right of the page when a magazine is first opened. This is why I decided to put the topics and names of the articles on the right side of the contents page so they are clearly visible and not a problem to understand either. I had also used bright colours and large images to dominate the page so that the contents page looked appealing to the audience and still provided sufficient information was is good because it makes the text seem appealing without making the page look too compact. Also, I had used the same colours as the main colours on the front page for the contents page as they are the colours that will be representing the magazine and also because they are bright and eye-catching. Another reason I decided to use these colours was because they are attractive and motivational colours whereas other colours such as purple or blue are too dull or boring. One thing I had added as an extra was a FIFA world rankings table as I have a lot of knowledge about football and I wanted to add a personal touch. This was also beneficial because when the reader opens the magazine and their eye moves to the right of the page, they will see this extra feature and may find it interested to read if they are fans of the sport.

NoSQL Databases | Research Paper

NoSQL Databases | Research Paper In the world of enterprise computing, we have seen many changes in platforms, languages, processes, and architectures. But throughout the entire time one thing has remained unchanged relational databases. For almost as long as we have been in the software profession, relational databases have been the default choice for serious data storage, especially in the world of enterprise applications. There have been times when a database technology threatened to take a piece of the action, such as object databases in the 1990s, but these alternatives never got anywhere. In this research paper, a new challenger on the block was explored under the name of NoSQL. It came into existence because of there was a need to handle large volumes of data which forced a shift to building bigger hardware platforms through large number of commodity servers. The term NoSQL applies to a number of recent non-relational databases such as Cassandra, MongoDB, Neo4j, and Azure Table storage. NoSQL databases provided the advantage of building systems that were more performing, scaled much better, and were easier to program with. The paper considers that we are now in a world of Polyglot Persistence where different technologies are used by enterprises for the management of data. For this reason, architects should know what these technologies are and should be able to decide which ones to use for various purposes. It provides information to decide whether NoSQL databases can be seriously considered for future projects. The attempt is to provide enough background information on NoSQL databases on how they work and what advantages they will bring to the table. Table of Contents Introduction Literature Technical Aspects Document Oriented Merits Demerits Case Study MongoDB Key Value Merits Demerits Case Study Azure Table Storage Column Stores Merits Demerits Case Study Cassandra Graphs Merits Demerits Case Study Neo4j Conclusion References Introduction NoSQL is commonly interpreted as not only SQL. It is a class of database management systems and is does not adhere to the traditional RDBMS model. NoSQl databases handle a large variety of data including structured, unstructured or semi-structured data. NoSQL database systems are highly optimized for retrieval and append operations and offer less functionality other than record storage. The run time performance is reduced compared to full SQL systems but there is increased gain in scalability and performance for some data models [3]. NoSQL databases prove to be beneficial when a huge quantity of data is to be processed and a relational model does not satisfy the datas nature. What truly matters is the ability to store and retrieve huge amount of data, but not the relationships between them. This is especially useful for real-time or statistical analysis for growing amount of data. The NoSQL community is experiencing a rapid change. It is transitioning from the community-driven platform development to an application-driven market. Facebook, Digg and Twitter have been successful in using NoSQL and scaling up their web infrastructure. Many successful attempts have been made in developing NOSQL applications in the fields of image/signal processing, biotechnology, and defense. The traditional relational database systems vendors also assess the strategy of developing NoSQL solutions and integrating them in existing offers. Literature In recent years with expansion of cloud computing, problems of data-intensive services have become prominent. The cloud computing seems to be the future architecture to support large-scale and data intensive applications, although there are certain requirements of applications that cloud computing does not fulfill sufficiently [7]. For years, development of information systems has relied on vertical scaling, but this approach requires higher level of skills and it is not reliable in some cases. Database partitioning across multiple cheap machines added dynamically, horizontal scaling or scaling-out can ensure scalability in a more effective and cheaper way. Todays NoSQL databases designed for cheap hardware and using the shared-nothing architecture can be a better solution. The term NoSQL was coined by Carlo Strozzi in 1998 for his Open Source, Light Weight Database which had no SQL interface. Later, in 2009, Eric Evans, a Rackspace employee, reused the term for databases which are non-relational, distributed and do not conform to atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability. In the same year, no:sql(east) conference held in Atlanta, USA, NoSQL was discussed a lot. And eventually NoSQL saw an unprecedented growth [1]. Scalable and distributed data management has been the vision of the database research community for more than three decades. Many researches have been focused on designing scalable systems for both update intensive workloads as well as ad-hoc analysis workloads [5]. Initial designs include distributed databases for update intensive workloads, and parallel database systems for analytical workloads. Parallel databases grew to become large commercial systems, but distributed database systems were not very successful. Changes in the data access patterns of applications and the need to scale out to thousands of commodity machines led to the birth of a new class of systems referred to as NoSQL databases which are now being widely adopted by various enterprises. Data processing has been viewed as a constant battle between parallelism and concurrency [4]. Database acts as a data store with an additional protective software layer which is constantly being bombarded by transactions. To handle all the transactions, databases have two choices at each stage in computation: parallelism, where two transactions are being processed at the same time; and concurrency, where a processor switches between the two transactions rapidly in the middle of the transaction. Parallelism is faster, but to avoid inconsistencies in the results of the transaction, coordinating software is required which is hard to operate in parallel as it involves frequent communication between the parallel threads of the two transactions. At a global level, it becomes a choice between distributed and scale-up single-system processing. In certain instances, relational databases designed for scale-up systems and structured data did not work well. For indexing and serving massive amounts of rich text, for semi-structured or unstructured data, and for streaming media, a relational database would require consistency between data copies in a distributed environment and will not be able to perform parallelism for the transactions. And so, to minimize costs and to maximize the parallelism of these types of transactions, we turned to NoSQL and other non-relational approaches. These efforts combined open-source software, large amounts of small servers and loose consistency constraints on the distributed transactions (eventual consistency). The basic idea was to minimize coordination by identifying types of transactions where it didnt matter if some users got old data rather than the latest data, or if some users got an answer while others didnt. Technical Aspects NoSQL is a non-relational database management system which is different from the traditional relational database management systems in significant ways. NoSQL systems are designed for distributed data stores which require large scale data storage, are schema-less and scale horizontally. Relational databases rely upon very structured rules to govern transactions. These rules are encoded in the ACID model which requires that the database must always preserve atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability in each database transaction. The NoSQL databases follow the BASE model which provides three loose guidelines: basic availability, soft state and eventual consistency. Two primary reasons to consider NoSQL are: handle data access with sizes and performance that demand a cluster; and to improve the productivity of application development by using a more convenient data interaction style [6]. The common characteristics of NoSQL are: Not using the relational model Running well on clusters Open-source Built for 21st century web estates Schema less Each NoSQL solution uses a different data model which can be put in four widely used categories in the NoSQL Ecosystem: key-value, document, column-family and graph. Of these the first three share a common characteristic of their data models called aggregate orientation. Next we briefly describe each of these data models. 3.1 Document Oriented The main concept of a document oriented database is the notion of a document [3]. The database stores and retrieves documents which encapsulate and encode data in some standard formats or encodings like XML, JSON, BSON, and so on. These documents are self-describing, hierarchical tree data structures and can offer different ways of organizing and grouping documents: Collections Tags Non-visible Metadata Directory Hierarchies Documents are addressed with a unique key which represents the document. Also, beyond a simple key-document lookup, the database offers an API or query language that allows retrieval of documents based on their content. img1.jpg Fig 1: Comparison of terminology between Oracle and MongoDB 3.1.1 Merits Intuitive data structure. Simple natural modeling of requests with flexible query functions [2]. Can act as a central data store for event storage, especially when the data captured by the events keeps changing. With no predefined schemas, they work well in content management systems or blogging platforms. Can store data for real-time analytics; since parts of the document can be updated, it is easy to store page views and new metrics can be added without schema changes. Provides flexible schema and ability to evolve data models without expensive database refactoring or data migration to E-commerce applications [6]. Demerits Higher hardware demands because of more dynamic DB queries in part without data preparation. Redundant storage of data (denormalization) in favor of higher performance [2]. Not suitable for atomic cross-document operations. Since the data is saved as an aggregate, if the design of an aggregate is constantly changing, aggregates have to be saved at the lowest level of granularity. In this case, document databases may not work [6]. .3.1.3 Case Study MongoDB MongoDB is an open-source document-oriented database system developed by 10gen. It stores structured data as JSON-like documents with dynamic schemas (MongoDB calls the format BSON), making the integration of data in certain types of applications easier and faster. The language support includes Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP, Ruby and it also supports sharding via configurable data fields. Each MongoDB instance has multiple databases, and each database can have multiple collections [2,6]. When a document is stored, we have to choose which database and collection this document belongs in. Consistency in MongoDB database is configured by using the replica sets and choosing to wait for the writes to be replicated to a given number of slaves. Transactions at the single-document level are atomic transactions a write either succeeds or fails. Transactions involving more than one operation are not possible, although there are few exceptions. MongoDB implements replication, providing high availability using replica sets. In a replica set, there are two or more nodes participating in an asynchronous master-slave replication. MongoDB has a query language which is expressed via JSON and has variety of constructs that can be combined to create a MongoDB query. With MongoDB, we can query the data inside the document without having to retrieve the whole document by its key and then introspect the document. Scaling in MongoDB is achieved through sharding. In sharding, the data is split by certain field, and then moved to different Mongo nodes. The data is dynamically moved between nodes to ensure that shards are always balanced. We can add more nodes to the cluster and increase the number of writable nodes, enabling horizontal scaling for writes [6, 9]. 3.2 Key-value A key-value store is a simple hash table, primarily used when all access to the database is via primary key. They allow schema-less storage of data to an application. The data could be stored in a data type of a programming language or an object. The following types exist: Hierarchical key-value store Eventually-consistent key-value store, hosted services, key-value chain in RAM, ordered key-value stores, multi value databases, tuple store and so on. Key-value stores are the simplest NoSQL data stores to use form an API perspective. The client can get or put the value for a key, or delete a key from the data store. The value is a blob that is just stored without knowing what is inside; it is the responsibility of the application to understand what is stored [3, 6]. 3.2.1 Merits Performance high and predictable. Simple data model. Clear separation of saving from application logic (because of lacking query language). Suitable for storing session information. User profiles, product profiles, preferences can be easily stored. Best suited for shopping cart data and other E-commerce applications. Can be scaled easily since they always use primary-key access. 3.2.2 Demerits Limited range of functions High development effort for more complex applications Not the best solution when relationships between different sets of data are required. Not suited for multi operation transactions. There is no way to inspect the value on the database side. Since operations are limited to one key at a time, there is no way to operate upon multiple keys at the same time. 3.2.3 Case Study Azure Table Storage For structured forms of storage, Windows Azure provides structured key-value pairs stored in entities known as Tables. The table storage uses a NoSQL model based on key-value pairs for querying structured data that is not in a typical database. A table is a bag of typed properties that represents an entity in the application domain. Data stored in Azure tables is partitioned horizontally and distributed across storage nodes for optimized access. Every table has a property called the Partition Key, which defines how data in the table is partitioned across storage nodes rows that have the same partition key are stored in a partition. In addition, tables can also define Row Keys which are unique within a partition and optimize access to a row within a partition. When present, the pair {partition key, row key} uniquely identifies a row in a table. The access to the Table service is through REST APIs [6]. 3.3 Column Store Column-family databases store data in column-families as rows that have many columns associated with a row key. These stores allow storing data with key mapped to values, and values grouped into multiple column families, each column family being a map of data. Column-families are groups of related data that is often accessed together. The column-family model is as a two-level aggregate structure. As with key-value stores, the first key is often described as a row identifier, picking up the aggregate of interest. The difference with column-family structures is that this row aggregate is itself formed of a map of more detailed values. These second-level values are referred to as columns. It allows accessing the row as a whole as well as operations also allow picking out a particular column [6]. 3.3.1 Merits Designed for performance. Native support for persistent views towards key-value store. Sharding: Distribution of data to various servers through hashing. More efficient than row-oriented systems during aggregation of a few columns from many rows. Column-family databases with their ability to store any data structures are great for storing event information. Allows storing blog entries with tags, categories, links, and trackbacks in different columns. Can be used to count and categorize visitors of a page in a web application to calculate analytics. Provides a functionality of expiring columns: columns which, after a given time, are deleted automatically. This can be useful in providing demo access to users or showing ad banners on a website for a specific time. 3.3.2 Demerits Limited query options for data High maintenance effort during changing of existing data because of updating all lists. Less efficient than all row-oriented systems during access to many columns of a row. Not suitable for systems that require ACID transactions for reads and writes. Not good for early prototypes or initial tech spikes as the schema change required is very expensive. 3.3.3 Case Study Cassandra A column is the basic unit of storage in Cassandra. A Cassandra column consists of a name-value pair where the name behaves as the key. Each of these key-value pairs is a single column and is stored with a timestamp value which is used to expire data, resolve write conflicts, deal with stale data, and other things. A row is a collection of columns attached or linked to a key; a collection of similar rows makes a column family. Each column family can be compared to a container of rows in an RDBMS table where the key identifies the row and the row consists on multiple columns. The difference is that various rows do not need to have the same columns, and columns can be added to any row at any time without having to add it to other rows. By design Cassandra is highly available, since there is no master in the cluster and every node is a peer in the cluster. A write operation in Cassandra is considered successful once its written to the commit log and an in-memory structure known as memtable. While a node is down, the data that was supposed to be stored by that node is handed off to other nodes. As the node comes back online, the changes made to the data are handed back to the node. This technique, known as hinted handoff, for faster restore of failed nodes. In Cassandra, a write is atomic at the row level, which means inserting or updating columns for a given row key will be treated as a single write and will either succeed or fail. Cassandra has a query language that supports SQL-like commands, known as Cassandra Query Language (CQL) [2, 6]. We can use the CQL commands to create a column family. Scaling in Cassandra is done by adding more nodes. As no single node is a master, when we add nodes to the cluster we are improving the capacity of the cluster to support more writes and reads. This allows for maximum uptime as the cluster keeps serving requests from the clients while new nodes are being added to the cluster. 3.4 Graph Graph databases allow storing entities and relationships between these entities. Entities are also known as nodes, which have properties. Relations are known as edges that can have properties. Edges have directional significance; nodes are organized by relationships which allow finding interesting patterns between the nodes. The organization of the graph lets the data to be stored once and then interpreted in different ways based on relationships. Relationships are first-class citizens in graph databases; most of the value of graph databases is derived from the relationships. Relationships dont only have a type, a start node, and an end node, but can have properties of their own. Using these properties on the relationships, we can add intelligence to the relationship for example, since when did they become friends, what is the distance between the nodes, or what aspects are shared between the nodes. These properties on the relationships can be used to query the graph [2, 6]. 3.4.1 Merits Very compact modeling of networked data. High performance efficiency. Can be deployed and used very effectively in social networking. Excellent choice for routing, dispatch and location-based services. As nodes and relationships are created in the system, they can be used to make recommendation engines. They can be used to search for patterns in relationships to detect fraud in transactions. 3.4.2 Demerits Not appropriate when an update is required on all or a subset of entities. Some databases may be unable to handle lots of data, especially in global graph operations (those involving the whole graph). Sharding is difficult as graph databases are not aggregate-oriented. 3.4.3 Case Study Neo4j Neo4j is an open-source graph database, implemented in Java. It is described as an embedded, disk-based, fully transactional Java persistence engine that stores data structured in graphs rather than in table. Neo4j is ACID compliant and easily embedded in individual applications. In Neo4J, a graph is created by making two nodes and then establishing a relationship. Graph databases ensure consistency through transactions. They do not allow dangling relationships: The start node and end node always have to exist, and nodes can only be deleted if they dont have any relationships attached to them. Neo4J achieves high availability by providing for replicated slaves. Neo4j is supported by query languages such as Gremlin (Groovy based traversing language) and Cypher (declarative graph query language) [6]. There are three ways to scale graph databases: Adding enough RAM to the server so that the working set of nodes and relationships is held entirely in memory. Improve the read scaling of the database by adding more slaves with read-only access to the data, with all the writes going to the master. Sharding the data from the application side using domain-specific knowledge. Conclusions NoSQL databases are still evolving and more number of enterprises is switching to move from the traditional relational database technology to non-relational databases. But given their limitations, they will never completely replace the relational databases. The future of NoSQL is in the usage of various database tools in application-oriented way and their broader adoption in specialized projects involving large unstructured distributed data with high requirements on scaling. On the other hand, an adoption of NoSQL data stores will hardly compete with relational databases that represent reliability and matured technology. NoSQL databases leave a lot work on the application designer. The application design is an important part of the non-relational databases which enable the database designers to provide certain functionalities to the users. Hence a good understanding of the architecture for NoSQL systems is required. The need of the hour is to take advantage of the new trends emerging in the world of databases the non-relational databases. An effective solution would be to combine the power of different database technologies to meet the requirements and maximize the performance.

Nutrition and Exercise Reccomendations, Past and Present :: Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essays

Nutrition and Exercise Reccomendations, Past and Present Ancient Nutritionists Frank Katch, William McArdle, Victor Katch and James Freeman did research in 1998 that suggested that the first nutritionists came out of the early Olympics between the years of 776 BC and 393 AD. During this period paidotribes, which were private trainers or coaches, advised their athletes about the importance of food and exercise. One of these early coaches was Melesias. Melesias was one of the most educated nutritionists in his era. He coached 30 wrestling champions (Wolinsky p.8). They also reported that ancient scrolls and pictures showed that athletes followed plans of exercise, rest, massage, and diet for 10 consecutive months before their competition. The paidotribes would prescribe large amounts of food for boxers and wrestlers. Around 480 BC, Dromeus of Stymphalus, who was an Olympic champion in the long race twice, discovered a new diet of meat. Later, Herodicus of Selymbria modified this diet to change his own health. Gardiner, an ancient Greek, spoke of the new diet: The diet of the old athletes had been, like that of most Greek country folk, mainly vegetarian, consisting of figs, fresh cheese from the baskets, porridge, and meal cakes with only occasional meat as a relish, and wine. The frequently repeated statement that the athlete's diet was regulated by the law of the Games, and that he was not allowed to drink wine is entirely groundless. But shortly after the Persian Wars a change took place. A meat diet was introduced by some of the trainers. The object of the meat diet was to produce the bulk and strength supposed to be necessary for the boxer and the wrestler. In Greece classification by weight was unknown, and in boxing and wrestling the heavyweight has the advantage. Therefore, to produce bulk, the trainer prescribed enormous quantities of meat, which had to be counteracted by excessive exercise. Eating, sleeping, and exercise occupied the athlete's whole time and left little leisure for other pursuits (Wolinsky p.8). Nutrition in foods and beverages are still important for athletes and exercisers today. A few years ago body builders were the only people to take nutrition seriously (Bevereley 2000). John Anderson and Robert McMurray (1998) wrote that exercise and physical activity damage a person's muscles, tendons and ligaments. These tissues can be repaired quickly. Repair can take from a few minutes to few weeks. Good nutrition helps to aid in the repair of these tissues. Nutrition and Exercise Reccomendations, Past and Present :: Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essays Nutrition and Exercise Reccomendations, Past and Present Ancient Nutritionists Frank Katch, William McArdle, Victor Katch and James Freeman did research in 1998 that suggested that the first nutritionists came out of the early Olympics between the years of 776 BC and 393 AD. During this period paidotribes, which were private trainers or coaches, advised their athletes about the importance of food and exercise. One of these early coaches was Melesias. Melesias was one of the most educated nutritionists in his era. He coached 30 wrestling champions (Wolinsky p.8). They also reported that ancient scrolls and pictures showed that athletes followed plans of exercise, rest, massage, and diet for 10 consecutive months before their competition. The paidotribes would prescribe large amounts of food for boxers and wrestlers. Around 480 BC, Dromeus of Stymphalus, who was an Olympic champion in the long race twice, discovered a new diet of meat. Later, Herodicus of Selymbria modified this diet to change his own health. Gardiner, an ancient Greek, spoke of the new diet: The diet of the old athletes had been, like that of most Greek country folk, mainly vegetarian, consisting of figs, fresh cheese from the baskets, porridge, and meal cakes with only occasional meat as a relish, and wine. The frequently repeated statement that the athlete's diet was regulated by the law of the Games, and that he was not allowed to drink wine is entirely groundless. But shortly after the Persian Wars a change took place. A meat diet was introduced by some of the trainers. The object of the meat diet was to produce the bulk and strength supposed to be necessary for the boxer and the wrestler. In Greece classification by weight was unknown, and in boxing and wrestling the heavyweight has the advantage. Therefore, to produce bulk, the trainer prescribed enormous quantities of meat, which had to be counteracted by excessive exercise. Eating, sleeping, and exercise occupied the athlete's whole time and left little leisure for other pursuits (Wolinsky p.8). Nutrition in foods and beverages are still important for athletes and exercisers today. A few years ago body builders were the only people to take nutrition seriously (Bevereley 2000). John Anderson and Robert McMurray (1998) wrote that exercise and physical activity damage a person's muscles, tendons and ligaments. These tissues can be repaired quickly. Repair can take from a few minutes to few weeks. Good nutrition helps to aid in the repair of these tissues.

The Effect of Technology Over Time :: Personification Essays

The Effect of Technology Over Time It's amazing to see how times have changed. Since I am an old schoolhouse, I've seen a lot of changes within the last 80 years. There have been little changes within me such as new wallpapering and windows, but this isn't all about me. Technology in education has really startled me. I never thought technology would have advanced this far. I still have to laugh to myself every so often. Kids now-a-days talk about how hard school is and how hard their teachers are on. However, I know differently. December 1920-- It's a cold, cloudy winter day. Boys and girls from all over the city are fighting the snow as they come up my wooden steps to the cold hallway. Overcoats and boats are drying as they are stacked against the wall. Kindergarten to fourth grade inhabits three small rooms, which are heated by a radiator. The main source of heat comes from a coal stove that is centrally located in the middle of the building. A little boy stokes the stove each day before and after school. Rooms are poorly lit, especially in the winter. Oil lamps and sunshine are the only source of light. Each class is taught by a middle to elderly age woman. If she happens to get married or pregnant, this is the last time we see her. Teachers always seem to give homework unless it is a holiday or something is happening in the town. There are 8 classes a day, one of which is Penmanship. There are no pens or pencils, just ink wells. If a pen is pressed too hard, it would then splatter and turn th e whole paper black, leaving the student to re-do his/her project. April 1946-- It's a beautiful spring day just a couple years after the Great Depression and my school and peoples' lifestyles are really looking up. I'm completely heated by a furnace, and lighting has never been better, thanks to the installation of light bulbs. Wooden pencils have become popular, leaving ink wells a thing of the past. Some of the more fortunate people have automobiles now, which provides some kids with an easy way to school. While my life was improving, a schoolhouse, up the road about two hours, seemed to be stuck back in 1800's.

Analysis of Cadburys Essay -- Business Management Companies Essays

Analysis of Cadbury's Background to business The Cadbury’s company started manufacturing chocolate in Birmingham in 1824. It was set up by Mr. John Cadbury. In the year 1847 the company changed when John and his brother Benjamin became partners and the company became known as the Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. A year later the retail side of the business, which was allocated in Bull Street was passed to nephew, Richard Cadbury Barrow. In February 1854 the company received their first Royal warrant as ‘manufacturers of cocoa and chocolate to Queen Victoria. The company still holds the royal warrants of appointment. In 1861 both Richard and George Cadbury took over the business when their father retired. The Cadbury brothers were dissatisfied with the quality of cocoa products that were being produced by manufacturers including their own, for this reason the brothers wished to improve the quality of Cadbury cocoa products as to help the business to survive and prosper. The brother visited to the Van Houten Factory in Holland, after the visited the Cadbury brothers, started using a new processing technique. The Cadbury brothers introduced this new process for pressing cocoa butter from cocoa beans, the process made a more palatable cocoa essence. The company remained in Birmingham for 32 years and by then the factory had become too small for the worker force. The brothers decided that they had to move the factory to larger premises. The source of the quote below is cadburys.co.uk site. "Why should an industrial area be squalid and depressing?" Both brothers asked. "Why should not the industrial worker enjoy country air and occupations without being separated from his work?" "If the country is a good place to live in, why not to work in?" In 1878 the company was move to Bournville. After the death of Richard Cadbury in 1899, the Cadbury business became a private limited company: Cadbury Brothers Limited. George Cadbury became the Chairman of the Company’s new Board. The other directors were Barrow and William A. Cadbury (sons of Richard) and George’s own two sons, Edward and George Cadbury Junior. The Bournville factory site became a 'series of factories within a factory', as everything needed for the business was produced on site, with tin box pressing plants, carton making units, a design studio and pri... ...ain quality to their chocolate. PRICE Cadburys price their products competitively with their competitors. Cadburys products can be found in most local corner shops, Cadburys chocolates are price at the same price as their competitor: Example; Cadbury whole nut would cost 35 pence, while a Mars bar and Galaxy bar could also cost 35 pence. PLACE Cadbury sells anywhere where there is a demand for their products, special if there many customers that want to buy their products. Cadbury would sell their products to shops (business) that deals with beverages and confectionery like (Iceland, Sainsbury, Kwick Save, Tesco, Asda, Safeway) and also in post offices and newsagents and in vending machines. PROMOTION Through Cadburys promotional activities it can be clearly seen that they have been guided by their promotional and marketing objectives of "maximising profit† and also â€Å"to increase the sales†. Achievement of these objectives enables the business to meet the business objectives of being â€Å"Number one product in a given market†. Cadburys Company are the number one seller of chocolate confectionary product on the market, in the Europe and world-wide. Analysis of Cadbury's Essay -- Business Management Companies Essays Analysis of Cadbury's Background to business The Cadbury’s company started manufacturing chocolate in Birmingham in 1824. It was set up by Mr. John Cadbury. In the year 1847 the company changed when John and his brother Benjamin became partners and the company became known as the Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. A year later the retail side of the business, which was allocated in Bull Street was passed to nephew, Richard Cadbury Barrow. In February 1854 the company received their first Royal warrant as ‘manufacturers of cocoa and chocolate to Queen Victoria. The company still holds the royal warrants of appointment. In 1861 both Richard and George Cadbury took over the business when their father retired. The Cadbury brothers were dissatisfied with the quality of cocoa products that were being produced by manufacturers including their own, for this reason the brothers wished to improve the quality of Cadbury cocoa products as to help the business to survive and prosper. The brother visited to the Van Houten Factory in Holland, after the visited the Cadbury brothers, started using a new processing technique. The Cadbury brothers introduced this new process for pressing cocoa butter from cocoa beans, the process made a more palatable cocoa essence. The company remained in Birmingham for 32 years and by then the factory had become too small for the worker force. The brothers decided that they had to move the factory to larger premises. The source of the quote below is cadburys.co.uk site. "Why should an industrial area be squalid and depressing?" Both brothers asked. "Why should not the industrial worker enjoy country air and occupations without being separated from his work?" "If the country is a good place to live in, why not to work in?" In 1878 the company was move to Bournville. After the death of Richard Cadbury in 1899, the Cadbury business became a private limited company: Cadbury Brothers Limited. George Cadbury became the Chairman of the Company’s new Board. The other directors were Barrow and William A. Cadbury (sons of Richard) and George’s own two sons, Edward and George Cadbury Junior. The Bournville factory site became a 'series of factories within a factory', as everything needed for the business was produced on site, with tin box pressing plants, carton making units, a design studio and pri... ...ain quality to their chocolate. PRICE Cadburys price their products competitively with their competitors. Cadburys products can be found in most local corner shops, Cadburys chocolates are price at the same price as their competitor: Example; Cadbury whole nut would cost 35 pence, while a Mars bar and Galaxy bar could also cost 35 pence. PLACE Cadbury sells anywhere where there is a demand for their products, special if there many customers that want to buy their products. Cadbury would sell their products to shops (business) that deals with beverages and confectionery like (Iceland, Sainsbury, Kwick Save, Tesco, Asda, Safeway) and also in post offices and newsagents and in vending machines. PROMOTION Through Cadburys promotional activities it can be clearly seen that they have been guided by their promotional and marketing objectives of "maximising profit† and also â€Å"to increase the sales†. Achievement of these objectives enables the business to meet the business objectives of being â€Å"Number one product in a given market†. Cadburys Company are the number one seller of chocolate confectionary product on the market, in the Europe and world-wide.

Rationale Behind Crazy Transfer Fee of English Soccer Players

Rationale behind crazy Transfer fee of English Soccer Players England had a disastrous Football world cup in South Africa. English players are deemed as over-rated and perennial under achievers. But when it comes to the transfer fees, English players are able to command a premium. Liverpool paid ? 35 million for Andy Carroll, ? 16 million for Jordan Henderson and ? 20 million for Stewart Downing. Manchester City paid ? 26 million for James Milner and Manchester United paid ? 17 million for Ashley Young and ? 16. million for Phil Jones, who is just 19 and played only 28 times in English premier league. The important point to consider here is all the above mentioned players come from mediocre clubs and none have premier league winners medal under their belt. What is the mystery behind their astronomical transfer fees? The answer lies elsewhere. UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) has introduced a new ‘home-grown’ rule which states that each participating club in European competitions should have at least at least 8 homegrown players in their squad of 25. A player who is registered for at least three seasons at an English or Welsh club and is between the ages of 16 and 21 is termed as an home-grown player. The FIFA (International Federation of Association Football), the supreme body of the football is working on introducing a whole new system – nine players on every 18-man match day  squad must be home-grown. These developments have caught the English clubs off guard as most of the clubs don’t have the required number of English players in their squad sheet. The home-grown rule has forced the English clubs to go for head hunting of the English talent. The Demand –Supply curve of the transfer market for the English players is given below. D1 = Demand of English players before the implementation of ‘home-grown’ rule D2 = Demand of English players before the implementation of ‘home-grown’ S = Supply of English players p1 = Transfer Amount before FIFA implemented the ‘home-grown’ rule p2 = Transfer Amount after the implementation of ‘home-grown’ rule q1 = Number of English players in demand before the implementation of ‘home-grown’ rule q2 = Number of English players in demand before the implementation of ‘home-grown’ rule The home-grown rule has moved the demand curve to the right and with supply of the English players remaining almost the same; two changes have happened to the equilibrium 1. The equilibrium number of players has increased as there is more demand from English clubs 2. The equilibrium transfer amount has increased and this explains why even the mediocre English players are able to command a premium in the transfer market. Recently many problems have arisen due to the high price tags. Most of these players are either young or mediocre that they don’t find place in the starting lineup of the clubs. Players get frustrated by the lack of playing time and some of them put in transfer request. Also, the high price tags put immense pressure on these players to live up to the expectations. The danger with paying such a high price for a young player is that he might crumble under the pressure of expectations. James Milner is a perfect anecdote for this as he struggled to hold a place in Manchester City’s starting lineup during last season. ———————– Transfer fee A English Players A p2 p1 q1 q2 S D1 D2

Global Business Cultural Analysis: Singapore Essay

AbstractThis research opus result adopt a comprehensive Global backup ethnical issueline of the dry land of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of Singapore. The paper provide bewilder out the complexities of the traffichip the US should take aim ahead deciding to earth-clo forget me drugalise task in Singapore. The analysis get out pick up the issue elements and symmetrys of Singapores g outlet, how these elements and dimensions ar integrated by topical anesthetics conducting caper in the nation of Singapore, how these factors comp atomic make disposition 18 with US subtlety and product line, and address hints for US aires that wish to conduct teleph oneness circuit in Singapore.History and geographySingapore, or the Rereality of Singapore, was founded in 1819 as a British transaction col ony. It is laid on the study sea roadway amongst India and China. Singapore is know at present as adept of the virtu each(prenominal)y soft countries and boasts the introductions busiest embrasure. It is c endure and g all overnly, and since fair an independent country, Singapore is one of the to the lowest degree dismay countries in the humanity. Beca expenditure of such despotic characteristics, transnational countries seek to do chore in Singapore. Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asiatic city- utter off the gray tip of the Malay Peninsula. Singapore is a parliamentary democracy and bring forwarded its independence in 1965. It is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi- unearthly family consisting of 4 official wordings position, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Under the leadership of Lee Kwan Yew as prime subgenus Pastor, Singapore has developed into one of the clear-cutest, safest, and to a greater extent(prenominal)(pren ominal) than or less economi describey prosperous cities in Asia. Singapore is the humanitys quaternate leading financial c sneak in, and its port is one of the quintuplet busiest ports in the world (De Prato, 2013). In order to go out the development of Singapore, we moldiness starting take a see to it into Singapores history. During the 16th and nineteenth century, the Malay Archipelago was taken over by the European colonial powers.The Dutchcontrolled or so of the ports in the region and conventional a monopoly over commerce inside the Archipelago region. At this time, Sir Stamford present was appointed Lieutenant regulator of the British colony. During his reign, the calling route mingled with China and British India passed by dint of Archipelago. give hoped to challenge the Dutch detainrictions on melody wind by opening a cutting port. Once he received the funding, Raffles found an is bolt down that possessed a earthy deep harbor, fresh water supplies and s pirit for upcoming ships. The island was named the Lion City. check to legend, when the Prince of Palembang, sang Nila Tama, landed on the island, he sawing machine an animal that was probably a tiger, bargonly he mistook it for a lion, and so he named the island, Singa Pura, or Lion City (Singapore hoidenish Report, 2003). Raffles rallied unneurotic with Temenggong Abdur Rahman, who interrogationed a teentsy Malay fit(p)tlement, signed a con pretendity giving them rights to establish a demarcation port. afterward the accordance was signed, youthful solar day Singapore was naturalized. The race of Singapore do up around 1000 in population and, collectible to migration from Malaya and other separate of Asia, population grew to 100,000. Raffles was prohibited from put in port duties during the beginning insidengs of the port because the port was a gratuitous port. This word spread quickly and by 1825, handicraft volume increased.A second treaty was signed by John Crawford in 1823, giving the British admission to frequently of the land and subjecting the island to British legal philosophy. Under this law, Singapore had to take into account Malay customs, traditions, and righteousness. In 1826, the British settlements of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore were combined to right away the Colony of the Straights Settlement ( credit line Source Complete, 2012). In the geezerhood between the 19th and the twentieth centuries, the British established protectorates over the Malay sultanates on the peninsula. Large scale hawkshaw and tin production as soundly as a system of public administration were developed during the British rule. The British had much control until World warf ar II. afterward the war, territories of peninsular Malaysia joined to gravelher to form the Federation of Malaya in 1948. In 1963, the British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah joined the federation, which was renamed Malaysia ( occupancy Source Complete, 2012 ).After becoming independent, Singapore faced more dangers the threat of an attack by the Indonesian troops and forcible re-integration into the Malaysia Federation on unfavorable terms. Singapores survival was in oral sex. Unemployment,housing, commandment and the insufficiency of resources and land were excessively pressing jobs. Singapore indeed joined the fall in Nations and the Commonwealth. Sinnathamby Rajaratnam was prime minister and he helped with ontogeny diplomatic relations with other countries. The service and manufacturing sector grew. Singapore to a fault attracted big oil companies corresponding Shell and Esso. Education became a major focal point and English was pick out as the language of instruction. The regime excessively emphasized training to develop a more suitable workforce.What argon the major elements and dimensions of culture in Singapore? communionCulture redes the historical experience of a pile, is embedded in their institutions, and shapes their attitudes and expectations to the highest degree the world (Zakaria, 2012). First, lets begin with communication. Singapore has four-spot major spoken languages Malay, mandarin orange tree Chinese, Tamil, and English. English is the most common language spoken which is very(prenominal) primal in terms of conducting international transaction. some of the teachs in Singapore teach English as the first language. These dickens factors create a favorable advantage to insideng business in Singapore. With Singapores port world one of the busiest in the world, English teach and English communicateing has proven to be a positive factor in conducting business. A business partner, with good English speaking background has very dwarfish difficulty in communication with topical anesthetics. a nonher(prenominal) positive factor besides Singapores multilingual background is its multiethnic blend. pagan Chinese people speak both Mandarin and English. This enables them to ask access to the Chinese merchandise. And its easier for importers, exporters and investors to do business with ease. Ethnic Indonesian speaking people appropriates break in access to the market in India.Singapore whitethorn be a small country ba cuss its several(a) culture help to create a country that is able to thrive in a very competitive market. When considering insideng business with them, none a few characteristics that be important flavors of completing business successfully. Non-verbal communication is undecomposed as important as verbal. Singaporeans rely on facial sides, tones of articulation, and put when interacting with a business partner. And they actually imprecate these non-verbal messages. Singaporeans rather say I will try or I will see what I rousedo rather than say no. This is what they call saving face and citeing harmony. They believe in silence. One should pause in front responding to provide actual thought has taken into devotion bef ore answering. Greetings atomic number 18 ground on age and ethnic neckcloth likewise. junior Singaporeans reel arrive ats with everyone art object senior(a) Singaporeans argon more reserve. In Ethnic Chinese, men and women shake hands notwithstanding it is custom for the woman to extend her hand first. In Ethnic Malay, men shake hands with men but not with women. Muslim men do not touch women in public. It is more hold to use the salaam bowing of the head greeting holinessMost modern states have policies for the management of religion (Lin, 2012). For those with divers(prenominal) spectral comm unit of measurementies, such as Singapore, the question of how to ensure the peaceful coexistence of dissimilar religions go aways an important challenge for the disposals c at a timerned. (Lin, 2012). In an effort to maintain hearty stability and semipolitical power, the organisation introduced various measures, such as the blank Paper on Maintenance of spectral Harmon y (January 1989) and the White Paper on dual-lane set (Ping, 2012). The major spectral denominations in Singapore be Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Hindiism. The short letter of Christianity trace back to 1965 after Singapore gained its independence. English was the official language of Singapore, churches could advantageously communicate the gospel. Local laypeople and ministers became involved in establishing churches, Christian ministries and missionary shallows. Missionary domesticates were established to produce the next generation of leaders. The subject Council of churches was the first organization established to represent Christians.The Singapore Industrial Mission was established in 1966 to help promote the imaging and the building of a viable pitying and mature fraternity to help the community to fashion a participant and productive community organized for the delight of all and, to foster bran-new social set that would help in cultivating inter-raci al community mind and solidarity (Goh, 2010). Today, Christianity keep mum exists in Singapore with volume of the members being of Protestant denomination and the rest Catholic. Christianity is viewed as one of affluence, progressive tax and an international flair. Buddhism originated in India when Siddhrtha Gautama or Buddha went into guess for 49 days and upon awakening, he had send off insight into the cause of hurt and he knew the steps necessary to eliminate it. The quad Noble Truths became his breeding.They are 1) there is throe (dukkha), 2)there is a cause or origin of suffering (samudaya), 3) there is an end of suffering (nirodha), and 4) there is a path out of suffering (magga) which is the Noble Eightfold Path, (Ong and Chang, 2012). Buddhas teaching are not but ethical guidelines but project a grand insight into nature of reality. Buddhism, which was regarded as a newfound religion, became ordinary in the writings of travelers as vigorous as philosophers and i t was soon established as an academic discipline indoors various universities and colleges towards the close of the century, (Aljunied, (2005). Islam is a religion of peace, love, harmony, and tranquillity for all tender-hearted race (Tahir, 2012). The omnipotent Allah revealed in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book, instruction of humankind. The main focus of all the teachings of prophets is on the humankind of a virtuous being, (p. 120). In order to become a muslin, trustingness in all the prophets or a revealed book is necessary. The first prophet was Hazrat Adams and Hazrat Muhammad is the perish prophet revealed by the Almighty Allah. After World War II and Singapore gaining its independence, Muslims became a minority collectible to the separation. Muslims were deprive of numerous social advantages and prestige they were once accustomed to.Racist feelings began to form among the people. Muslims form the Dar Al-Arqam society in an effort to broaden the cases of the Ch ristian missionaries who were trying to interchange exclusive faiths. The Dar Al-Arqam was formed with the objective of having a place where the new Muslim converts could generate together and develop the fraternal, religious and social relationships among themselves. Official Hinduism is dominated by Agamic, Shaivite precepts and right by the elite in Singapore, (Sebastian, 2008). Sinha has argued that a large number of Hindu social reformer organizations have established a front line in Singapore since the 1970s and that m all of the adherents of these organizations refer to themselves as Hindus but specify the category in doing so by assigning new meaning to it, (Sebastian, 2008, p.75) They are considered a minority but defy their presence known by retention public festivals, establishing temples, and locals have established what they call, pocket-size India. Today, there are many temples give to Hindu gods and goddesses. The Hindu Endowments Board and The Hindu Adviso ry Board are set up by the governmentin order to monitor Hindu affairs. determine and Attitude, EthicsSingapores culture is hind endbornd on divided Values and Confucian Ethics. Asian cultures are bossy by a set of value that include obedience to authorization, intense fealty to groups, and a submergence of individual identity. It is the states judge to unite its people through the plenty of a shared out out out need. The ideal of a shared fate is expressed by the state developing institutional and conceptual contexts in which contrastive communities potful foster ties and shared utilises while preserving religious and cultural residues (Tan, 2012). Because of multiracialism in Singapore, replacement Prime look Goh Chok Tong created a vision of Our Shared Values, which are intended to be shared by all Singaporeans, disregarding of ethnicity, religion, and other differences. The Shared Values consist of the dramatizeing five broad principles * nation before commun ity and society before self* family as the basic unit of society* community support and compliancy for the individual* consensus, not conflict* racial and religious harmonyConfucian is based on the same theory. Confucianism sanctions the cardinal judgement that every individual possesses the right to human dignity and e character (Tan, 2012).EducationIn 1997, National Education (NE) was added to the curriculum to change the messages of moral and citizenship education, specially those to do with green Singaporeans attitudes to the country. National Education takes the form of school activities distributed throughout the school year. Its messages are in addition incorporated in school subjects wheresoever appropriate, and comprise the following Singapore is our motherland this is where we belong we mustiness preserve racial and religious harmony we must uphold meritocracy and incorruptibility no one owes Singapore a living we must ourselves defend Singapore and we have confide nce in our future, (Han, 2007 MOE, 2004a)How are these elements and dimensions integrated by locals conducting business in Singapore? Combating putrescence ground rottenness is imperative for legal scholarship, both as an intellectual subject and because putrescence impedes the operation of law in much of the world and inflicts damage on wellspring-being, governance, and quality of sustenance (Nichols, 2012, p.145). Corruption inflicts substantial damage to a nation. It weakens the government and causes poor decision making. It similarly affects the composition of the decision maker. Corruption causes scotch fragility, it degrades the connection between the government and the people, and it degrades the quality of life. The Transparency world(prenominal)s Corruption Perceptions Index was developed by Johann Lambsdorff, and is employ by specialist in order to find out how much putrefaction there is within a country. According to the index, Singapore scored 9.3 which marrow Singapore in effect is among those countries with the least amount of perceive corruption in the world (Nichols, 2012, p.151).Gender dis apprehension and job related outcomesWhen considering doing business in Singapore, expect to encounter female business partners. Female Singaporean business owners have at least 10 years schooling, while 35 contribution held first or postgraduate degrees, 15 percent had professional or polytechnic qualifications and 50 percent had completed second aim education (Ramon, Valerie, 1999). The five major factors which best motivate Singaporean female business owners in particular are (1) the perceived presence of a business fortune (2) the passion to put their intimacy and skills into use (3) the need for liberty and flexibility (4) the propensity to achieve personalised growth and course credit and (5) the need to make more bills for financial independence (Ramon, Valerie, 1999 see also Teo, 1996). Although the Singaporean women choose to become members of the works population, society still expects the role of tralatitious women in the household to be bringed, particularly as wife and mother. The working women still face the conflict of work and family and scorn the number of rising educational level and attainments, Singapores female managers are still fewer in number when compared to males.From a Confucian PerspectiveSingapores state vision, Shared Values, tally Confucian determine. How do they differ? Confucian does not substantiate civil and political rights. Confucian upholds the idea that every individual possesses the right to human dignity and equality. For Confucians, social relationships are characterized by social positions, or roles, and social positions are defined in terms of obligations, (Nuyen, (2008). Confucian core teaching is the ethical idea of a majestic person, the virtue of humanity, and the process of self-cultivation. Confucian determine are group identity, duty consciousness, perso nal discipline, consensus formation, the priority of collective interests, and emphasis on education and pragmatism (Tan, 2012, p. 462). These values recognize cultural differences. From a Confucian perspective, shared values should not be regarded as a religion in the sense of being a faith system. Shared values should remain nonreligious. Many of Singaporeans religious teaching are compatible to Confucian.How do both of the above items compare with US culture and business? intercourse discourse is one of the most important factors when considering doing business with Singapore. Due to the fact that English is the most common language spoken in Singapore, this has make conducting business with the unite States easier. Understanding other factors will aid communicating with business partners. Communication differences can be found between the two countries. Singapore is a high-context country while the coupled States is considered a low-context country. In high-text, both the tra nsmitter and the speaker are involved in the context and each are anticipate to interpret the conversation with ease. In low-text, what must be said, will be said. As I mentioned earlier, in Singapore, non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal. Singaporeans rely on facial expressions, tones of voice, and posture to understand someone who is conducting a business transaction. And they really trust these non-verbal messages.Americans prefer comparatively short(p) touching and relatively large personal space. Singapore is a collective society and the unite States is a highly individual society. therefore, Singaporeans belong to in groups and rely on loyalty to between one another. In the unite States, Americanslook after themselves and their families. Communication between Singapore may be different but with interpretation and familiarity, a prosperous business relationship can be formed.ReligionThe major religion in the join States is Christianity. Singapore is v ery diverse. There are four major religions in Singapore, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Americans are becoming more tolerable of one another beliefs. Religion should not be a problem when doing business in Singapore because the united States is more tolerable of different religious beliefs. And with Singapore and the united States both identifying the freedom of religion, mutual respect should be give to any religious background. It is good practice to become familiar with religious backgrounds in order to conduct business more effectively.EthicsIndividualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her agile family. Collectivism pertains to societies in which people are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups from birth that continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (Hofstede 1980). Based on these theories, we tire out that compared with individ ualist cultures, managers in collectivised cultures are relatively less likely to follow social norms such as honesty, integrity, and law obedience. When there is a conflict of interest between corporate insiders (the in-group) and outside investors (the out-group), managers may prefer corporate insider interests, resulting in higher(prenominal)(prenominal) agency costs in collectivist cultures (Zhang, X., Liang, X., & Sun, H., 2013).Values and Attitudes, EthicsWhen it comes to values and attitudes of Singaporeans and Americans, we must remember Singaporeans are group orientated and Americans are concerned with making a living for themselves. Singaporeans respect higher position where Americans live by the saying, liberty and evaluator for all. Singapores first Shared Value principle is, nation before community and society before self. This is turnaround of the American value system. American shared values consist of Americans working, talking about their achievements, andearni ng monetary rewards. EducationIt is mandate to fall school in the United States. It is mandatory for main(a) age students to await school in Singapore. If the child does not calculate school, it is a criminal offense. Both the United States and Singapore have primary, secondary, high school and education beyond graduation. Today, the United States government provides sponsorship for Singaporeans to attend schools in the United States. These students attend the most prestigious schools such as, Harvard, Cornell, and Stanford. Singaporeans are noticed for their high achievement in math and science. The United States government offer scholarships to outstanding Singapore students. The number of Singaporeans analyze in the United States reflects that Singapore and the United States relationship could not be any better.Hofstedes digestUsing Hofstedes cross cultural analysis sample is one way to understand the difference in culture between Singapore and the United States. From 196 7 to 1973 Geert Hofstede applied the subset of cultural dimensions to the content of business management, segregating them into independent areas to be come along divided in order to get a more precise understanding, Satterlee, 2009, p. 56). He analyzed a data base of employee values from IBM which covered more than 70 countries. Hofstede included Power Distance Index, Individualism, Masculinity, indecision Avoidance Index, and Long-Term Orientation. Singapore scored higher in Power Distance Index. This means that members of organizations rely on their higher ups for authority rather than making decisions for themselves. Relationships are short between people. The United States scored higher in Individualism. Singapore is a collective society. The Americans are more concerned about individuals or themselves. Singapore scored in the middle in the Masculinity Index but tends to lean more to the feminine side. This shows a modest, humble, and softer aspect of culture. The Uncertain ty Avoidance Index is the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society.Singapore scored low. Singaporeans abide by the rules due to high PDI. Singapore has many fines. The Americans lam on the idea of freedom of expression and do not require a lot of rules and strict laws. The last dimension isLong-Term Orientation. Long-term orientation refers to semipermanent versus short-term orientation toward the future, (Boonghee, Donthu, and Lenartowicz, 2013, p. 194). Singapore scored in the middle of this Index also. Singapore is exhibit an immense economic success. Singaporeans are show a way to do things. The United States has seen signs of economic growth in Singapore and, by using Geert Hofstedes five dimensions to further understand the country, business relations are sure to continue in the future.What are the implications for US businesses that wish to conduct business in that region?Singapore and the United States are close strategical partners. Singapore i s the United States 15th largest employment partner and 11th largest export market. United States investment in Singapore is over $116 billion and Singapore has $22 billion of foreign beam investment in th United States. Job creation and economic development in Singapore due to American companies using Singapore as a regional base for doing business.U.S. share with Singapore and ASEANSingapore sees in the United States an economic partner and pledge ally that offers the most present value, therefrom motivating it to forge a free trade agreement as well as foster a soldiers strategic partnership (Page, 2007). Economic conditions, an urgent demand for security, and fear of diplomatic isolation, are factors that lead to the United States and Singapore to put into effect the United States-Singapore promiscuous Trade Agreement (USSFTA). There were other rationalize circumstances that also drove the United States and Singapore to sign the FTA, most notably their common frustrati on with the stalled multilateral trade liberalization during the WTOs first cristal the sluggish progress in the regional economic integration within the several(prenominal) free trade region of ASEAN and the Free Trade Area for the Americas the inability of the 21 APEC members to come to link uping terms as to the way the ambitious Bogor agenda can forge Pacific Basin economic integration Singapores desire to spur ASEAN cohorts to move faster with market opening the US desire to bind the right of preferential access to the worlds largest market to Washingtons global security agendaand finally, ASEANs inability to keep political adventure low to discourage capital flight of steps (Page, 2007).The agreement was signed by the death chair of the United States, George Bush and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, May 2003 in Washington, DC. Both the United States and Singapore benefit from the signing of the FTA. With a population of 287.7 million and a per capita income of US$36,273, the United States can provide a strong economic stimulus which is in earnest needed during these times of sluggish regional growth and uncertainties (Tongzon, 2003).U.S. littoral zone combat ships (LCS) in SingaporeIn early 2012, US flexible basing in the region inched forward when the United States requested concurrence from Singapore to deploy up to four littoral combat ships (LCS) to Singapore by 2016 (Dalpino, 2012). The primary missions of the (LCS) are antisubmarine warfare, mine countermeasures and rear warfare against small boats. The Singapore military agreed to allow the naval ships to deploy in Singapore. The United States and Singapore navy blue will work together to conciliate the process. Previously, Singapore had agreed to deploy two ships. Agreeing to deploy a total of four ships will strengthen U.S. engagement in the region. This is another strong in implication that the U.S. wants to conduct business in Singapore.U.S. extraneous Domestic Investment (FDI) Analysis exotic rank Investment (FDI) refers to an investment made to acquire lasting interest in write downprises operating outside of the economy of the investor. The investors purpose is to gain an effective voice in the management of the enterprise ( ledger of US-China universal Administration). While no standard percentage of ownership exists, most nations consider the door to be within the range of 10 to 25 percent. The US Department of arts FDI ownership is 10% (Satterlee, 119). Most companies seek out foreign investments as a way to gain a better return for their money. So, the company is face to expand in global markets but what about the local economy? Do local firms benefit from FDI? Spillover effects and linkages play a key role in this determination. Spillover effects relate toincreased productiveness benefits of local firms and technology diffusion from multinational enterprise (MNEs) to the domestic economy. Up until the 70s, attitudes toward MNEs were hostile. Governme nts have since changed their policies pertaining to investors entering the local markets due to the potentially positive impact of FDI. Governments attempt to attract FDI expecting to increase the productivity of local firms. Intangible assets, such as knowledge and technology are spilled over to local firms.It is believed that local firms benefit from superior knowledge of product or process technologies or markets without occurring a cost that exhausts the whole gain from the improvement (Asian Social Science, p.68). In addition, the Asian Social Science journal explains how MNEs set up order linkages to suppliers when entering through FDI (Stephan, (2013). Linkages are non-equity relationships with suppliers or customers and are a crucial channel for knowledge diffusion. When MNEs enter the host country, local firms do not have knowledge about practiced innovation or it may be too costly for them. This leads to locals feeling a sense of uncertainty, which is an instance of kno wledge confusion. other example refers to the movement of labor. MNEs may provide more training for their employees and invest in staff development than local firms. This builds more human capital. The spillover occurs when these MNE employees move to other local firms and transfer their gained knowledge to local firms, change magnitude the locals productivity. Another example of the spillover effect on locals refers to increased competition. When MNEs enter the market, local firms are forced to become more efficient. Local firms have to modify their technology or use it more efficiently in order to become more competitive.This could yield productivity gains and also increase the speed of adoption of new technology. Increased competition can also lead to productivity losses for local firms. This article gives an example of how a study of 4000 Venezuelan companies that the productivity of wholly domestically owned firms decreases when FDI increases. The presence of MNEs lead to a loss of market share and referred to this loss as the market stealing effect of MNEs. The presence of MNEs may lead to herd out of local firms.SWOT AnalysisStrengths? Singapore is the fifth least corrupt country in the world. ? Strikes and labor protests will remain rare, if not absent, for the foreseeable future. Weaknesses ? The government censors the media and limits the distribution of foreign publications. Opportunities ? Owing to the lack of progress at the WTO, the government has act the country to sign 18 symmetrical free trade agreements with 24 trading partners. ? Singapore has one of the best business operating environments in Asia.Threats? The city-state has previously been place as a target by Islamist militants from neighboring Indonesia and elsewhere, (Singapore Defence & Security Report, 2013). shuttingAs stated earlier, Singapore is known today as one of the most prosperous countries and boasts the worlds busiest port. It is clean and orderly, and since becoming an independent country, Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. It is a multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi-religious society consisting of four major languages and four major religions. These factors aid in having successful business relation. By identifying cultural similarities and differences, Americans can benefit from the structure of the Singaporean family values. Americans are known for making money sort of of building relationships and establishing strong social bonds. There is opportunity for economic growth within the Singaporean region. The United States has already accept the prosperity within the region and has construct on that knowledge. The United States and Singapore will continue to develop a better relationship in the future and form a solid base for friendly relations between the two countries.ReferencesAljunied, S. (2005). Sir doubting Thomas Stamford Raffles Discourse on the Malay World A Revisionist Perspective. SOJOURN ledger of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 20(1), 1-22. http//search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu2048/login.aspx? level= current&db=bth&AN=17381757&web spot=ehost-live& scene= gradeDalpino, C. (2012). US-southeast Asia relations interlocking in the east Opportunity in the west. Comparative Connections, 14(1), 57-67,152-153. 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