Friday, December 20, 2019

A Clockwork Orange Antisocial Personality Disorder Essay

Antisocial Personality Disorder ( ASPD) is a mental illness with various causal factors such as genetic predispositions, environment, parental neglect, gender, brain abnormalities, etc. The factors presented affect the character Alex DeLarge from Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange (1963). Despite Alex not being diagnosed, it is evident that he suffers from ASPD, it is clearly expressed through his behaviors and mentality. Eventually, Alex is incarcerated preceding a murder he committed, in order to be released early he enlists himself to a treatment so that he could be cured. The events that follow include his participation in the Ludovico Technique, an experimental form of aversion therapy which leaves him unable to fulfill the needs of his mental illness. A Clockwork Orange: Antisocial Personality Disorder and Alex DeLarge Previous research suggests that Alex DeLarge, a fictional character created by Anthony Burgess, was the epitome of evil. However, previous research has not considered the environmental, socio-economical, and physiological dispositions that molded him into the person he became. Hence, in this paper, it is argued that Alex DeLarge is at a greater risk for Antisocial Personality Disorder than most members of the general population. This is important because it allows us to view beyond the theatrics and the metaphors into a character that is mentally unstable not a villainous caricature in the eyes of the audience. PersonalityShow MoreRelatedAn Investigation Of The Psychopath1417 Words   |  6 Pagesacquainted with a sociopathic character; you’ve probably read a book, watched a film or watched a television show that displays a character with sociopathic personality traits and have grown to enjoy following them through their story. It’s not uncommon; they’re charismatic, manipulative, powerful, and have an extremely different personality than most people. They’re charming and entertaining to watch, so it’s no wonder authors and producers alike have begun to use sociopaths and psychopaths in theirRead More Caregivers Behavior Contributes to Offspring Behavior1143 Words   |  5 Pageset al., 1996). Their theory about psychotherapy is that it is an adaption rather than a disorder. Violence by psychopaths might be reduced through careful monitoring and supervision therefore increasing the likelihood of detection. The researchers theory begins to take a close lo ok into a psychopaths childhood. The theorists determine that by means of close monitoring of the subjects aggressive and antisocial behavior by caretakers early in life it might shape the later behavior of persons withRead MoreAbnormal Psychology Terms9960 Words   |  40 Pagesrecent research is it is obvious that this case of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder arises from an early childhood fixation. which type of psychologist would most likely have made that statement? lets try to figure out where clients fall on several key personality traits, rather than using a dichotomous classification system. someone saying this would most likely favor which approach to classifying personality disorders? Litigaphobia and litigastress relational aggression is a termRead MoreEffective And Ethically Defensible Methods Of Reducing Crime2344 Words   |  10 Pagesseem more plausible to use genetic research to develop treatment and rehabilitation post factum. The author agrees with Morl ey and Hall in their proposition that genetic research should be directed into finding more effective treatments for personality disorders like ADHD, ASPD and ODD which are found to have some influence on criminal behaviour. Biochemical factors Biochemical factors can determine susceptibility to criminality and delinquency because various methods of predicting criminal behaviour

Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Mozart Effect Ia free essay sample

In an independent sample design, the participants were separated into two groups and asked to memorize and eater recall a list of 10 two digit numbers. Both groups received the same list and had the same period of time to complete the task. The experimental group, however, was exposed to classical music during encoding, while the control group memorized the list in silence. The independent variable was the atmosphere of encoding and the dependent variable was the amount of numbers correctly race Lied.After statistical analysis, the results showed that classical music does not have a significant effect on recall, thus the null hypothesis was accepted. Table of Contents Title page 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents Introduction 4 Method 5 Results . 7 Discussion 9 References 11 Appendix 12 Appendix a 13 Appendix C 14 Appendix D 15 Appendix E 16 Appendix 17 Appendix G . 18 Appendix H 19 Appendix I 20 Appendix J 21 Appendix K 22 Introduction Many studies have been conducted to support the theory that memory is malleable. A positive result would indicate that the process by which humans encode, store, and retrieve information can be modified in such a way that may benefit recall. This means quicker remembrance of encoded material. In the past, many researchers have aimed to discover a method to manipulate Emory. Today, there is still much to be learned about the way in which memory works, but myriad approaches have been introduced with the purpose of improving the process. These include one known as the Mozart effect. The Mozart effect suggests that mental ability notably increases after listening to music from Mozart.The term was first used by Dry. Alfred Tomatoes who studied the effect of Mozart music on childhood development. He hypothesized that the ears main function was to develop the unborn brain, therefore listening to high frequencies such as those found in Mozart violin ancestors could energize the brain. Dry. Tomatoes prescribed sonic therapy to his patients and concluded that auditory experiences could occur before birth and exposing prenatal children to Mozart would help the development of the nervous system. In 1 993, Elizabeth Earaches aimed to test the effect of music on the brains spatial ability.To test this she instructed college students to perform different tasks requiring spatial reasoning in different environments. In one environment, they were exposed to Mozart sonata for two pianos, in the other they listened to relaxation instructions, and the last they were instructed to complete the task in silence. The students scores on the test were significantly higher after they listened to the Mozart sonata. These results were controversial as the effect was temporary and the results were not always replicated.Likewise, Maria Speechify conducted a study in which she aimed to see the impact of music on childrens development. She tested the effect with two groups of students. In the first group, Speechify adjusted the students curriculum with increased music education classes and decreased language and mathematics classes. The other group had an increase in language and thematic courses and the same amount of music courses. The results indicated that the students with increased music courses performed better in reading and showed no difference in math compared to the group with increased academic classes. Each of these studies aimed to determine the influence of music on mental ability. An experiment designed to test the effect of music on recall would provide us with ways to improve short-term memory. If the results were to indicate that music does in fact have a positive effect on recalling, the information could be used to improve tasks that require short-term memory. If the results were to indicate otherwise, then the information could be used to adjust the environment in which information is encoded which would also lead to enhanced memory.Either outcome would serve to modify and possibly enhance memory by adjusting the conditions under which information is encoded. Like the previous three studies, this experiment aimed to determine the effect of classical music on recalling, for the purpose of improving studying methods. The participants were asked to complete a test that consisted of memorizing a list of ten, two digit numbers. Numbers were used as a matter of convenience. The control group memorized the list in silence and the experimental group memorized it while exposed to classical music.The results of musicians will not be scored since it is accepted that, because they are adapted to music, their performance on the experiment will alter. HO null hypothesis- There will be little or no difference between the environment and the amount of numbers recalled. HI research hypothesis- If the students are exposed to classical music during the encoding time then the amount Of two digit numbers recalled will increase. Method Design This experiment took on an independent samples design, meaning that woo separate groups of participants were used as an experimental and control group.This design was adopted to avoid the participation of the order effect; exposing the same participants to the same test under the same two conditions at different times would skew the results, as their recall would improve with repetiti on. It also controlled for maturation; all of the data was collected at one time so the participants did not get a chance to change, or mature, during the experiment. The independent variable in this study was the conditions under which the participants memorized the numbers (silence vs.. Music exposure). The dependent variable is the amount of numbers correctly recalled.Ethical considerations in the experiment were met by providing each participant with a consent form (Appendix A). Furthermore, the participants received a briefing statement explaining the aim of the experiment and their right to withdraw at any time (Appendix B). After the briefing note, the subjects were instructed as described in the procedures (Appendix D). The participants had 1 minute to memorize the numbers on the list. To avoid cheating, a 1 minute break was given after the encoding period, as the experimenters collected the test to prevent the participants room looking back at the list while recalling the numbers.The participants then had 30 seconds to recall and write down the numbers to the best of their abilities. In the end, the participants received a debriefing statement (Appendix E). The ordinal level of measurement was used instead of interval due to the small number of sample data. Furthermore, the median was used to describe the data because it is the most appropriate measure of central tendency. The statistical test that was used was the Mann-Whitney IS test, given that the samples taken were so small that it is difficult to tell if they re part of a normal distribution.Participants The target population consisted Of a pure opportunity sample as a matter Of convenience. All participants were high school seniors at Coral Gables Senior High of 17-18 years of age. The 35 participants (N=35) involved in the study were randomly assigned a group by the researchers (Mozart or silence). Both male and female participants were included in the study. Due to the nature of this experiment, the participants were screened for any musical ability to ensure condition constancy; including musicians in this experiment would introduce outliers and possibly skew the results.Materials Student Consent Form (Appendix A) Standardized briefing notes (Appendix 8) Procedures (Appendix C) Test: list of 10 two-digit numbers (Appendix D) Standardized debriefing notes (Appendix E) pod with Mozart Sonata f or Two Pianos in D Major, KICK Stopwatch Proceed rest A set of standardized procedures was followed. Speakers Visit the classroom; describe the study that will be taking place and ask their permission to participate. Distribute student consent forms. Pick up the forms next time the class is visited.Only the results of those who turned n a signed consent form will be counted towards the results. Read briefing instructions to the class, explaining to them what the aim Of the experiment is and assuring them that ethical conduct will be strictly adhered Split class into two groups: one will serve as the control, while the to. Other will serve as the experimental. Place list of numbers face down in front of participants to prevent any unfair advantages. For control group: when the researcher says you may begin, participants must flip the list over and begin to memorize the numbers in silence for the next 1 minutes.A stopwatch will be used to time the testing. For experimental: when the song starts, participants must flip the list over and begin to memorize the numbers for the next 1 minutes. When the time is up, ask participants to flip list over and begin to collect them. There will be a break for 1 After the break, the participants were asked to write down as minutes. Many numbers as they can remember in 30 seconds. When the time is up, ask participants to put their pens down and begin to collect the tests. Make sure to place each test in one of two piles in accordance to the participants ole in the experiment. Read debriefing notes to the class, ensuring them that confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained. They will also be informed of their ability to withdraw from the experiment; they were asked to write a memorable code on the back of their tests in case they wish to do so. Rest Its At the ordinal level of measurement, the median, the intrauterine range and the semi-intrauterine range were used in the study because they are the most suited measurements. The mean is the most appropriate measure of central tendency because I is not distorted by outliers.After the experiment as conducted and the data was analyzed statistically, it was concluded that the median of the control group is 7. 5. The median of the experimental group is 6. The intrauterine range and the semi-intrauterine were appropriate for the sample size in the experiment. The intrauterine range for both groups was 3 and the semi-intrauterine range was 1. 5 for both groups. After calculating these values from the data, the results of the experimental group and those of the control group were very similar.For this, a Mann-Whitney L] test was performed to determine whether there was a significant difference teen the two results. This test is usually used for at least ordinal data in an independent samples design in an experiment testing a difference between two conditions (Crane, 399). The LU and the CO values were both greater than the Circuit, causing us to accept our null hypothesis and conclude that there is no significant difference between the group that listened to Mozart and the group that worked in silence.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Report on Business Intelligence and Business Analytics

Questions: 1. Definition of Business Goal?2. Role of Information System Strategy for Dealing with Competitive Force?3. Different kinds of decisions within the Business Environment?4. The Six Elements of Business Intelligence environment?5. Five Analytical Outputs of Business Intelligence System?6. Usefulness of Business Intelligence and Analytics Support on Decision Making?7. Benefits of Business Intelligence Techniques in Decision Making and Knowledge Management?8. Benefits of Intelligence Techniques for people working in groups?9. Different Types of Systems used for improving Enterprise-wide Knowledge management? Answers: Introduction Business intelligence (BI) is known as the system which plays a crucial role in strategic planning within an organization. According to Loshin (2012), the business intelligence system allows the business organization to store, gather, analyze and access the company data for making a decision. Business Intelligence consists of several methodologies, tools, and applications for collecting data from external sources (Laudon and Laudon 2013). Business analytics is known as the methodical investigation of an organizations data that concentrates on the statistical analysis. This report reflects the study of the business goal and the role of the information system strategy for dealing with the competitive force. It also comprises of different types of decision that are made with a business group. Then the report focuses on six elements of the business intelligence environment and five analytical outputs of the business intelligence system. The report concentrates on the usefulness of business intelligence and analytics support based on decision-making. It provides a brief overview of the benefits of business intelligence techniques depending on decision-making and knowledge management. The report emphasizes on the advantages of business intelligence for the people working in groups. Finally, the report focuses on the different types of systems that are used for improving enterprise-wide knowledge management. 1. Definition of Business Goal According to the given case study based on ethical and social issues in information system, the main goal of Facebook team is to collect many personal information in a technical manner and later on to sell those information to those advertisers who are advertising on the Facebook portal. 2. Role of Information System Strategy for Dealing with Competitive Force The five competitive forces in an industry include: Competitors within an industry. Danger for the new entrants within an industry including its markets. Danger with the substitute products that may capture the market share. Negotiation power of the suppliers. Negotiation power of the suppliers. For overcoming such competitive forces, a business organization needs to follow five information system related strategy. The five basic competitive strategies includes: differentiation, cost leadership, growth, innovation, and alliance (Laudon and Laudon 2013). 3. Different kinds of decisions within the Business Environment In a business organization, the process of decision making in the major factor where the managers get the opportunity to choose a single alternative among various options (Calof, Richards and Smith 2015). The different types of decision making in an organization are as follows: Business decision making: This kind of decision-making determines the business outcomes in a group. Personal decision-making: This decision-making process helps an organization to maintain a good relationship with the customer and the business organization by providing the outcomes (Sharda, Delen and Turban 2013). Consumer decision making: It comprises of choices for determining the usefulness of the business organization in purchase decisions that happens within the business context (Cook and Nagy 2014). Programmed Decision: When some routine problems arise, these types of decisions help to address standard responses (Laudon and Laudon 2013). Non-Programmed Decision: This type of decision-making process helps to solve non-routine problems that occur within an organization (Howson and Hammond 2014). Strategic Decision: Strategic decision helps to develop the entire strategies, goals, and policies of an organization. It helps to monitor the strategic presentation in economical, political, and competitive business structure of the organization (Wixom et al. 2014). Tactical Decision: This type of decision-making process helps to prepare short range schedules, budgets, and plans for optimizing the workloads of the employees and which in turn brings effectiveness in the overall organization (Loshin 2012). Operational Decision: This type of decision directs the usage of resources and enhances the performance of the task within fixed schedules and budgets (Petermann et al. 2014). 4. The Six Elements of Business Intelligence environment The six main elements that are present in Business Intelligence environment are: Data from the business organization: The business organization needs to deal with both the unstructured and structured data that are available in various sources including the Internet and mobile devices (Power 2013). The infrastructure of Business Intelligence: The business intelligence system is an efficient database system that captures each relevant data that are necessary to operate the business processes. The stored data is integrated and combined within the enterprise data warehouse (Calof, Richards and Smith 2015). Business analytics tools: Business analytics tools are some set of software that is necessary to analyze the available data, producing reports, track the business progression with the help of performance indicators (Laudon and Laudon 2013). Executive users and methods: The managers of any business organization enforce an order for the analysis of data with the help of managerial methods which helps to measure the progress of the group and to set up the strategic business objectives (Calof, Richards and Smith 2015). The business analytics itself can produce reports, online screens, and information without the help of powerful senior management team. Delivery platform- ESS, DSS, MIS: The delivery platform including the ESS, DSS, and MIS helps to deliver knowledge and information to several people and firms including senior managers, middle managers, and operational employees (Rausch, Sheta and Ayesh 2013). With the help of a single hardware and software tools present in the business intelligence and analytics packages, the information can be integrated into the manager's mobile platforms. User Interface: Presently, the business analytics software concentrates on visual techniques including scorecards and dashboards that are essential to deliver a report on iPhones, Blackberrys, organizations Web portal, and on different smart handheld devices (Howson and Hammond 2014). 5. Five Analytical Outputs of Business Intelligence System The five discrete outputs that a business intelligence system uses for providing real-time and correct information to users are: Domo: A unique business intelligence solution provides business data without the involvement of IT (Laudon and Laudon 2013). Without digging the masses of the report, it quickly contains all the correct data to the user in real-time. QuantConnect: It is a browser oriented algorithm investment and trading which performs as a back-testing platform. This business intelligent tool is specially designed for financial engineers who allow them to code algorithm within the browser-oriented IDE (Sallam et al. 2014). It also helps to back test the investment strategies of the financial engineers and allows them to play out in real-time. Cyfe: It provides all in one dashboard for business intelligence starting from social media to marketing, infrastructure, and analytics (Minelli, Chambers and Dhiraj 2012). Cafe combines all the information that is required by the user in an easy to view format and helps to analyze dashboards. RetailMETRIX by PivotLink: It is a demanding real-time retail analytics that especially concentrates on the customer's viewpoint. The RetailMETRIX provides sixty primary performance indicators, which enables the retailers to analyze operations, sales, and plans (Sharda, Delen and Turban 2013). It also helps to manage the supply chain within a series of reports and dashboards. RetailsMETRIX helps the business organization to understand their retail and customers. Birst: It provides business analytics, dashboards, and self-service reports within real-time. Brist provides the ability to collaborate, customize, and distribute the real-time business intelligence to the users in any business organization (Sharda et al. 2014). With the help of Brist Live Access, the user can query and analyze the data when extraction is not available. 6. Usefulness of Business Intelligence and Analytics Support on Decision Making The advantages of using business intelligence and analytics in decision making are as follows: Improves the Business Productivity: Business intelligence and analytic support help the business organizations to save the cost and time. It also provides efficient reporting to improve the overall business productivity (Howson and Hammond 2014). The business intelligence system can gather vital information after interacting with customer and thereby present information which is easy to execute, understand, and communicate. Easily Accessing of Crucial Information: The business intelligence gives vital information to the business organizations for improving the decision making skills and to produce a competitive compensation (Laudon and Laudon 2013). Good Return on Investment: The business intelligence provides a substantial return on investment which specifically reduces the cost, improves the margin, enhances the revenue structure, and to force cost avoidance (Sharda et al. 2014). Moreover, the use of business intelligence can improve the business process efficiency, increase employee productivity, increase customer satisfaction, provides better strategic decision-making. Knowledgeable Decision Making: The use of business intelligence and analytics helps the business organizations to make informed decisions by providing crucial information based on the present and past performance of the business organization (Winter, Marjanovic and Wixom 2013). 7. Benefits of Business Intelligence Techniques in Decision Making and Knowledge Management The modern business organizations are getting benefits by implementing the use of business intelligence in decision-making and knowledge management. The lists of benefits are as follows: With the help of business intelligence system, the business organization can track the customers buying habits, sales, and operational parameters, and the inventory turnover (Sallam et al. 2014). The business intelligence system dramatically and consistently supplies easy access to the most significant trends. The business intelligence system is important for any business organization to recognize the problems that occur within the organization and provides best possible solutions to solve the business related problems (Minelli, Chambers and Dhiraj 2012). The techniques of knowledge discovery including data mining and online analytical processing help the business organizations to acquire an individual's hidden knowledge during the process of decision-making (Wixom et al. 2014). Business intelligence systems like Online Analytical Processing helps in demanding analyzes and dynamic reporting 8. Benefits of Intelligence Techniques for people working in groups The people working as a group in any business organization takes the help of business intelligence systems to enhance their decision making power in an efficient way. The business intelligence system helps to eliminate several types of guesswork in an organization. In improves the communication skills of various departments within the organization during coordinating activities (Chiang, Goes and Stohr 2012). Business Intelligence allows the organizations to react quickly to the change in financial conditions, supply chain operations, and client preferences. Business intelligence specifically increases the coordination factor within the working group and which in turn improves the overall performance of the organization (Rausch, Sheta and Ayesh 2013). The information is known as the second important factor of any organization and thus having proper information and securing that information is very crucial which can be fulfilled by using the business intelligence systems (Petermann et al. 2014). 9. Different Types of Systems used for improving Enterprise-wide Knowledge management The various types of systems available which can improve the enterprise-wide knowledge management are as follows: Intranets: The Intranet is classified into two different areas: the web server which is a content repository and the technological infrastructure including the IP networks, HTML format, and universal web browser (Winter, Marjanovic and Wixom 2013). This web server and web browser allows better access to the information for the knowledge workforce and increases the additional skills for the developers of applications. Document Management Systems: The document management systems are a storehouse of corporate records and which stores explicit knowledge (Petermann et al. 2014). The document management systems are also used for controlling the document creation processes and their reviews. Hence, the document management systems are the most critical enterprise-wide knowledge management system (Power 2013). Information Recovery Engines: The technology of information recovery have added several features in their systems which include natural language querying, applicability ranking, and summarizing which increases the speed of finding the information. Workflow and Groupware Systems: Different business organizations use groupware systems for communicating and collaborating within the workgroups. The groupware enables formal conversations when the group members are unable to communicate in real time (Cook and Nagy 2014). For this reason, groupware and workflow systems are used by the business organizations for improving the enterprise-wide knowledge management. Data Mining and Data Warehouses Tools: Many business organizations are creating the data warehouse and they are providing their managers with various data mining techniques for optimizing the relationship between the internal processes, customers, and suppliers (Fisher, Drucker and Czerwinski 2014). The leading business organizations are focusing on maximizing the usage of data mining and data warehousing tools because the knowledge oriented organization are making decisions depending on the increasing complexity of data (Loshin 2012). The knowledge management systems need to supply meaningful access for the data warehouses to support the standard procedure including Structured Query Language and Open Database Connectivity. Conclusion After the analysis of the comprehensive report, it can be concluded that an information system strategy plays a crucial role for overcoming from the five competitive forces. The five analytical outputs of business intelligence system include Domo, QuantConnect, Cyfe, RetailMETRIX by PivotLink and birst. The advantage of using business intelligence and analytics on decision making involves improving the company productivity, quickly accessing of valuable information, right return on investment, and intelligent decision making. References Calof, J., Richards, G. and Smith, J., 2015. Foresight, Competitive Intelligence and Business AnalyticsTools for Making Industrial Programmes More Efficient.Foresight-Russia,9(1), pp.68-81. Chiang, R.H., Goes, P. and Stohr, E.A., 2012. Business intelligence and analytics education, and program development: a unique opportunity for the information systems discipline.ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems (TMIS),3(3), p.12. Cook, T.S. and Nagy, P., 2014. Business intelligence for the radiologist: making your data work for you.Journal of the American College of Radiology,11(12), pp.1238-1240. Fisher, D., Drucker, S. and Czerwinski, M., 2014. Business Intelligence Analytics [Guest editors' introduction].Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE,34(5), pp.22-24. Howson, C. and Hammond, M., 2014.Successful Business Intelligence: Unlock the Value of BI Big Data. McGraw-Hill Education. Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2013. Management Information Systems 11e Loshin, D., 2012.Business intelligence: the savvy manager's guide. Newnes. Minelli, M., Chambers, M. and Dhiraj, A., 2012.Big data, big analytics: emerging business intelligence and analytic trends for today's businesses. John Wiley Sons. Petermann, A., Junghanns, M., Mller, R. and Rahm, E., 2014. Graph-based data integration and business intelligence with BIIIG.Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment,7(13), pp.1577-1580. Power, D.J., 2013.Decision Support Analytics and Business Intelligence. Business Expert Press. Rausch, P., Sheta, A.F. and Ayesh, A. eds., 2013.Business intelligence and performance management: theory, systems and industrial applications. Springer Science Business Media. Sallam, R.L., Tapadinhas, J., Parenteau, J., Yuen, D. and Hostmann, B., 2014. Magic quadrant for business intelligence and analytics platforms.Gartner RAS core research notes. Gartner, Stamford, CT. Sharda, R., Delen, D. and Turban, E., 2013.Business Intelligence: A Managerial Perspective on Analytics. Prentice Hall Press. Sharda, R., Delen, D., Turban, E., Aronson, J. and Liang, T.P., 2014.Businesss Intelligence and Analytics: Systems for Decision Support-(Required). Prentice Hall. Winter, R., Marjanovic, O. and Wixom, B.H., 2013, January. Introduction to Business Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Big Data Minitrack. InHICSS(p. 3767). Wixom, B., Ariyachandra, T., Douglas, D., Goul, K.M., Gupta, B., Iyer, L., Kulkarni, U.R., Mooney, B.J.G., Phillips-Wren, G. and Turetken, O., 2014. The current state of business intelligence in academia.Communications of the Association for Information Systems,34(1), pp.1-13.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

WordPress vs Ghost vs Medium - Which Is Best for Blogging

WordPress vs Ghost vs Medium? There are numerous blogging tools out there, of which WordPress, Ghost and Medium are the most popular ones. Anyone looking to start a new blog can be spoiled for choice here: which one is the better option, after all?Simply put, all three of these options WordPress, Ghost, and Medium have pros and cons of their own. Neither of them is perfect, but each can serve a definite purpose, and depending on the nature of the goal that your blog has, you can pick the one that is ideal for you.So, which one should you go for? This article shall answer the question. First up, let us look at each platform in detail: 1. WordPressFor anyone who is even remotely active on the internet, WordPress needs no introduction. Its the most popular website building platform and content management system out there, with nearly a quarter of websites and blogs relying on WordPress. Plus, WordPress can be used to power a lot more than just blogs: eCommerce stores, corporate sites, photography sites, news portals, and so on.WordPress is available in two flavors:self-hosted and totally free WordPress.org,or hosted by WordPress.com, either as a free site with WordPress.com ads or as a paid site without adsWondering what is the difference between .com and .org here? In the simplest of terms, WordPress.org is what you will download and install on your own server you can customize it with custom themes and plugins, as well as tweak it to suit your needs. WordPress.com, on the other hand, is what you run from .com servers directly you can still change themes, but the options are severely limited, and there are no custom plugins to be installed. To learn more, check out this post on the CodeinWP blog.WordPress is well-known for its simplicity and ease of use. If there is one platform from our WordPress vs Ghost vs Medium lineup that is guaranteed not to close its doors anytime in the near future, it is WordPress. Chances are, you cannot really go wrong with WordPr ess if you decide to start a blog using it. It does, however, boil down to what you intend to achieve ultimately using WordPress.com for example, will offer you a ready-made community of users who might wish to follow your blog. However, special elements such as SEO metadata and custom content types can only be had in WordPress.orgNote that WordPress is not truly free in terms of money if you opt for the self-hosted version, the software will forever remain free, but you will have to pay in terms of web hosting. On the other hand, the hosted WordPress.com version is free for basic usage lots of storage and features, but if you need a custom domain or anything fancier, you will have to opt for the paid plans.2. GhostGhost is a straightforward and simple platform that relies on a crisp and minimal user interface. Unlike WordPress, Ghost does not power a wide array of websites; instead, it is purely a blogging platform, and it is meant to be used only for blogs.Ghost uses Markdown r ather than visual WYSIWYG editing, but you can change that by means of extensions. Much like WordPress, Ghost comes in two variants:self-hosted version that is free to download and use,and hosted version on Ghosts own servers.However, unlike WordPress.com, Ghost does not offer a free hosted plan (there is a 14-day trial though); and furthermore, you are not limited in the hosted version in any manner. You can upload your own themes and content by means of FTP, no matter which variant of Ghost you are using.Ghost offers SEO settings and social sharing features in the core itself, so you do not need external plugins for that purpose. That said, Ghosts USP is minimalism, and that minimalism is visible not just in design but also in functioning: you can create and edit posts, and thats pretty much it. Need gigantic multi-author blogs, magazines, portfolio sites? Ghost is not your winner of the WordPress vs Ghost vs Medium battle.3. MediumMedium, the third entry in this post, is less of a personalized blogging platform and more of a community-centric writing tool. In other words, writing on Medium is comparable to having your article in the college magazine or the notice-board, rather than in a journal or diary of your own.Medium defines itself as a community of readers and writers offering unique perspectives on ideas large and small. Thats exactly what it is a platform meant for longform writing and expressing your views on various subjects. Medium is primarily used by serious writers, focusing on highly niche-centric topics. For instance, if you are looking for a post about the evolution of society and civilization, Medium will offer you articles that will have more of Anthropology and less of History; in other words, Medium is mostly defined by the high quality and niche-centric content that is published on its site.Medium is purely a hosted platform, so you cannot download anything, run it on your own servers, or use a custom domain. There are no storage limi ts in place, and the best part is that everything else is free as of now sub-domains, SSL, everything else. Medium also pays contributors directly through their paid membership program. The amount you earn is based on how often people clap for your content, providing extra incentive to publish your best work here.The verdictSo, which one wins this WordPress vs Ghost vs Medium battle?Well, the answer is not direct or straightforward. However, if you are looking for a no-nonsense blogging tool that lets you publish posts, format them, and have a basic setup of social sharing as well as SEO, Ghost is probably the best pick for you. It works straight out of the box, requires no configuration, and is easy to master.On the downside, you should know that Ghost is coded in Node.js and that is not yet commonly supported by many shared web hosting providers. You can, always, go with Ghosts hosted solution, but the cheapest plan is priced at $29 per month and capped at maximum 100,000 page vi ews in a month. This pricing model might not be affordable for many folks who might be wanting to start a hobby blog.WordPress, on the other hand, is universally supported. You can run it on $250 / month cloud servers (or tailor-made managed hosting), as well as on $2.5 / month shared web hosting its your decision where you move your blog. You can also go with WordPress.com free or paid plans. WordPress is more bloated as compared to Ghost, but you can learn the ropes with minor efforts.Also, if you have even a remote intention of someday adding something non-blog like to your blog, say a shop or a forum, WordPress should be your first and only choice.Lastly, Medium is a viable option if you want people to explore and read your work, and leave feedback. Your articles on Medium are mostly put in front of the Medium community itself, and vice versa. But there is no personal insulation in the community model of Medium. Your publications will have links to others articles at the end of the page, and so on.However, if you are on a very stiff budget, Medium can be a life-saver for you. You can map your own domain, tweak the page layout, and host your content for zero fees whatsoever. #WordPress vs #Ghost vs #Medium - which is best for #blogging? Click To Tweet Which of these tools do you use to blog? WordPress, Ghost or Medium? Share your views in the comments below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Culture Effects on Leadership Styles and Behavior

Culture Effects on Leadership Styles and Behavior First Entry Effect of Culture on Leadership The article is about the effect of culture has on leadership. Culture may have a great impact on leadership styles and behavior. A hypothesis that appears to support this claim is that certain leadership behaviors are particularly unique to certain cultures. Another argument is that there are certain specific structures or behaviors that a leader should perform so as to be effective, and this does not have any cultural dimension.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Culture Effects on Leadership Styles and Behavior specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These two arguments could be proved by using a Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire as well as a Value Survey Module. Cultural biases may have a significant effect on the leadership of an organization (for example, in the case of a bank). Gender biasness may prevent a female manager from performing her duties effectively. Personality in Leadership There are certain leadership personalities that any leader is expected to posses so as to deliver effectively. A leader should for instance have courage. Courage is the first virtue upon which a leader should depend. All the other leadership qualities depend on it as well. As such, lack of courage would only lead to failure of the management because people hold back and settle for less than their capability. As a bank manager for instance, one may have to take some decisions that might not please all the staff members yet this could be only key to success in the matter is at hand. Any leader ought to have strength and effectiveness. In leadership, strength has a significant effect on the effectiveness of any group. Group focused leadership usually produces group identification hence producing efficiency among the staff. An effective leader needs to inspire the members and pay attention to the specific needs of the group members. Any good and effective leader needs to have the positive trait of integrity. Personal integrity in a leader is a sign of honesty, reliability and trustworthiness. This trait is very vital in any leadership style. When a manager of such an institution as a bank portrays integrity for instance, this helps in shaping that institution. As a result, the manager in question earns the respect of the employees, customers, and other stakeholders of the bank. Given the fact that integrity is an internal trait, it can only be proved by the actions and decisions taken. A leadership that has its basis on integrity makes the employees to feel secure because trust is built between the employees and the leadership, and the organization at large.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An effective leader also need to exhibit intelligence as another trait of leadership. Individuals with high intelligent quotients (IQs) tend t o be more skilled in management as they enable the other members of the organization to feel at ease while working and they are in a position to balance between their personal lives and work. They tend to be straightforward and help in building rapport between the group members, hence ensuring effective interdependence among the group members. In addition, such an individual is fully aware of his/her strengths and weakness and does not act on impulse. An effective leader needs to have conviction. This is the ability to make a decision confidently, communicate it, and stick to it as well. Before making decisions, such a leader needs to seek input upfront. In addition, it is important for the leader to promote positive, critical and constructive assessment of the available options in open forums. Moreover, the leader also need to make a clear option and justifies the decision. The leader needs to be clear-sighted. The leader should be able to measure the impact that the decisions made have over time. The leader needs to be realistic and not flamboyant. The decisions made should be achievable and not based on imaginations. Second Entry Theoretical Perspectives The Theory of female advantage and diversity dilemmas stipulates that there is prejudice towards the female leaders. This leads to the continued discrimination against those women in top positions. There is therefore need to work towards eliminating such perceptions that are culturally- based and could go a long way to denying those women that have the capability to lead the chances of excising their leadership skills to the fullest. Such women could be having ideas that are transformational. This is attributed to the fact that transactional leadership styles do not differ based on gender. In most cultures, it is always believed that men are the best leaders and women have to act like men so as to be considered as good leaders.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Culture Effects on L eadership Styles and Behavior specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Vecchio (2002) however, in his view of leadership and gender differences, he contends that the male leadership advantage is being replaced by the female advantage assumption which is symmetrical. The masculine male style which is task oriented is being replaced by the feminine style which is people oriented. Gender is usually socially-oriented and the behaviours of the leaders cannot be predicted by the masculine or feminine style dimensions. Each leader usually displays those behaviours that are associated with the respective gender characteristics. According to Cox (2001), gender inequalities only form part of the wider inequality and diversity issues. Diversity poses practical and theoretical dilemmas. Whenever diversity is characterised in a narrow way, the consequence is usually discrimination which may be based on race, gender, or ethnicity. The theories of div ersity usually deal with the consequences of diversity which include ethnographic studies, social identity theory, race or gender studies, as well as organizational demography. Such discriminations may make a leader of an organization not to be given an opportunity to exercise his/her leadership to the fullest. In reality, diversity should be celebrated as it enhances innovation. Dividing stereotypes should be done away with for any leadership to be effective. Margaret Thatcher can for instance be perceived as a female leader who was in a position to lead her country to greater heights during her time as helm in leadership. She was the first female prime minister in the United Kingdom. She worked towards the restoration of Britain’s economic prosperity and she even led her country to win against Argentina in a military dispute concerning the sovereignty of Falkland Islands in 1982. She portrayed leadership qualities, for instance, she was charismatic, believed in self and cou rageous as she did not hesitate to take that leadership position just because of her gender.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Oriental Glass Ceiling All in all, just like any other leader irrespective of her gender, she had her own weaknesses. For instance, she used the non-consensual leadership style which generated ideal conditions for her overthrow. Cultural factors in many societies usually lead to the exclusion of women from leadership roles. These cultures are mainly defended by traditional groupings. They judge a leader according to the masculinity. Women therefore have to be very strong and work diligently so as to succeed due to such cultural traditions that are discriminative. Organizational diversity is gradually being accepted in the leadership positions at different levels. The different entry barriers for those groups that are restricted are being relaxed particularly by the elite so as to provide equal opportunities for different groups without discrimination. This however is not absolute as progress is still restricted in higher leadership levels in different institutional sectors. Ster eotypical thinking usually ignores the cues of social worthiness. For instance, the fact that female executives usually rate higher on transformational leadership is ignored. Diversity is a potential for superior performances, although leaders have to understand and also deal with the differences. Diversity could be perceived as an opportunity or a problem. The Third Entry Practical Implication All these have practical implications for Australia as a country both to the leaders and the employees as well. It would be a revolutionary stem if at all the discriminative entries to any leadership positions were to be done away with, and everyone e given an opportunity for leadership positions based on his/her leadership qualities, and the ability to deliver and not on the basis of other cultural, racial, ethnical or racial discriminations. Females could for instance be considered for executive positions and other related posts given the fact that they are not just task oriented but people oriented as well. One may for instance base his leadership on task accomplishment and service delivery and yet fail to take into account the worker’s satisfaction. This could only lead to a sad and unsatisfied lot of workers who instead of enjoying their work might in fact be enduring it. The masculinity mindset of many Australians has led to the election and nomination of leaders to management positions just because of their gender. Some of the people elected in such positions may not be able to deliver as they do not have the required skills and qualities necessary for effective delivery in the respective positions. On the other hand, some of those who can deliver have been left out due to the fact that they are female yet they have all the personalities that a leader ought to have. Some of the legislation has also fueled such chauvinistic beliefs of ideas that are irrelevant in the current century. Efforts are however being made to by the government and other organization s to try and stump out gender- based discrimination in leadership as well as other positions. Efforts have been made by the federal government for instance through the establishment of a taskforce that is concerned with the management and leadership skills, with a view to making recommendations for the improvement of managers’ skills. The taskforce addresses gender issues in the management as well. Gender stereotyping has traditionally been seen as a strategy in leadership. The topic is considered critical in the development of management and leadership skills. It is only through addressing such gender issues that greater organizational effectiveness shall be realized. It has been found out by the taskforce that there is reluctance as well as lack of preparedness by the academic and the industrial management in dealing with gender issues. The subject is sensitive and it has not been easy when it comes to dealing with gender issues in the management of different managements of different organizations in Australia including the banks. This has made it difficult for women to proceed with their career as managers. According to the Karpin’s report for instance, it has been observed that women play a minor managerial roles in the Australian economy (Kaprin 1995).. However, this trend appears to have changed in recent days. The taskforce has been relevant as it has researched and established that there are minor differences when it comes to the performance of female managers in comparison with their male counterparts. These differences are concerned with the matters of confidence, dominance, and the sense of security. According to the findings, gender is not very crucial in leadership. In the case of women, it is the issue of opportunity and not necessarily performance when it comes to the comparison between their roles and those of their male counterparts in the management situation. These findings are vital in policy debates. The government is making an effort towards ensuring diversity at the workplace. Acts have also been enacted, for example, the 1999 Public Service Act which requires that the heads of agencies establish diversity programs at the workplace so as to eliminate gender based employment disadvantages. This has proved successful as women are now effectively fulfilling their management roles in the public service. The representation however varies significantly at agency level as men still form a higher percentage of the employees at the management level. For instance, men form 80.1% of the employees at the Bureau of Meteorology, 63.5% in the defense while still at the Medicare they are 80.3%. However women are still not very much represented at the senior levels (Vecchio 2002). Such gender based discriminations only form part of the influences that a culture has on leadership. As much as women are taking up these roles, this has not been easy for most of them, with a number of women witnessing harassment or bullyin g while at the workplace. The issue of cultural influences on leadership could also happen in another form. For example, there are certain cultures which for instance stipulate that a leader must be elderly. Such culture will therefore not be at peace with the issue of youth empowerment, or they may not readily accept a young person as their leader. Reference List Cox, T., 2001. Creating the multicultural organization: a strategy for capturing the power of diversity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Karpin, D., 1995. Enterprising Nation: Renewing Australia’s Managers to meet the Challenges of the Asia-Pacific Century. (Report on the Industry Task Force on Leadership and Management Skills). Canberra, ACT: Australian Government Publishing Service. Vecchio, R. P., 2002. Leadership and gender advantage. The Leadership Quarterly, Vol.13, No. 6, pp. 643-671

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Trade Diversion and Trade Creation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Trade Diversion and Trade Creation - Essay Example The concept of trade creation and the trade diversion is based on the cost of production and the value of the outcomes among countries or regions. Trade creation arises because of trade deals that occur between different countries that are involved in a spending shift by the domestic consumers. The agreement aims at moving local consumer expenditure from higher cost source domestic spending to a lower cost source partner spending (El-Agraa and El-Agraa, 2007). To clarify the concept of trade diversion, take an example of two countries within the EU that have signed a trading agreement. Taking in country A and country B. Country A households can switch their spending on insurance and cars supplied by its domestic suppliers at a higher cost to those provided by country B suppliers at a lower cost operating in the same market. The primary essence of trade creation is to encourage an upsurge in trade among countries that enter an agreement by signing the trade accord (Laine, 2011). The trade creation also leads to an efficient allocation of limited resources and raises gain in user and manufacturer welfare. Below is a diagram showing both the domestic supply and the internal demand for trade creation in the European Countries. The diagram demonstrates that access to cheaper supplies allows a lower price, which benefits the final consumer. The diagram also shows that a reduction in price that leads to an expansion in demand thus an increase in consumer surplus. The incurred surplus further leads to a net improvement in the country’s economic welfare. On the other hand, trade diversion is best defined as a change in local customer speeding from a zone of lower cost source to an area of higher partner cost source. It occurs because of the removal of tariffs on the imports acquired from the other partner countries. Trade diversion is commonly based on the existing tariffs on the external imports of the goods and services.