datamining essays

datamining essays In todays business world, information about the customer is a necessity for a businesses trying to maximize its profits. A new, and important, tool in gaining this knowledge is Data Mining. Data Mining is a set of automated procedures used to find previously unknown patterns and relationships in data. These patterns and relationships, once extracted, can be used to make valid predictions about the behavior of the customer. Data Mining is generally used for four main tasks: (1) to improve the process of making new customers and retaining customers; (2) to reduce fraud; (3) to identify internal wastefulness and deal with that wastefulness in operations, and (4) to chart unexplored areas of the internet (Cavoukian). The fulfillment of these tasks can be enhanced if appropriate data has been collected and if that data is stored in a data warehouse. This makes it much easier and more efficient to run queries over data that originally came from different sources." When data about an organizations practices is easier to access, it becomes more economical to mine. Without the pool of validated and scrubbed data that a data warehouse provides, the data mining process requires considerable additional effort to pre-process the data (SAS Institute). There are several different types of models and algorithms used to mine the data. These include, but are not limited to, neural networks, decision trees, rule induction, boosting, and genetic algorithms. Data Mining is largely, if not entirely used for business purposes. The highest users of data mining include banking, financial, and telecommunications industries (Two Crows). Data mining will have a different effect on different industries in the business world. The key to succeeding in this rapidly changing industry is to understand the customer, or the market that the customer represents. Through data mining, companies can know what their cus...

Pepper and Water Science Magic Trick

Pepper and Water Science Magic Trick The pepper and water science trick is one of the easiest magic tricks you can perform. Heres how to do the trick and an explanation of how it works. Necessary Materials You only need a few common kitchen ingredients to perform this science magic trick. black pepperwaterdishwashing liquidplate or bowl Steps to Performing the Trick Pour water into a plate or bowl.Shake some pepper onto the waters surface.Dip your finger into the pepper and water (Nothing much will happen).However, if you put a drop of dishwashing liquid on your finger and then dip it into the pepper and water the pepper will rush to the outer edges of the dish. If you are doing this as a trick then you might have one finger that is clean and another finger that you dipped in detergent before performing the trick. You could use a spoon or chopstick if you dont want a soapy finger. Heres How the Trick Works When you add detergent to water the surface tension of the water is lowered. Water normally bulges up a bit, like what you see when you look at a water drop. When the ​surface tension is lowered, the water wants to spread out. As the water flattens on the dish, the pepper that is floating on top of the water is carried to the outer edge of the plate as if by magic. Exploring Surface Tension With Detergent What happens if you mix detergent into the water and then shake pepper onto it? The pepper sinks to the bottom of the plate because the surface tension of the water is too low to hold up the particles. The high surface tension of water is why spiders and some insects can walk on water. If you added a drop of detergent to the water, they would sink, too. Floating Needle Trick A related science-based trick is the floating needle trick. You can float a needle (or paperclip) on water because the surface tension is high enough to hold it up. If the needle gets completely wet, it will sink immediately. Running the needle across your skin first will coat it with a thin layer of oil, helping it to float. Another option is to set the needle on a floating bit of tissue paper. The paper will become hydrated and sink, leaving a floating needle. Touching the water with a finger dipped in detergent will cause the metal to sink. Quarters in a Glass of Water Another way to demonstrate the high surface tension of water is to see how many quarters or other coins you can add to a full glass of water before it overflows. As you add coins, the surface of the water will become convex  before finally overflowing. How many coins can you add? This depends on how you add them. Slowly sliding the coins into the water edge-on will improve your results. If youre competing with a friend, you can sabotage his efforts by coating his coins with soap.

Free Essays on 12th Night Qoute

Quote Essay â€Å"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die† These are the first lines of the play, said by the Count Orsino. These lines set one of the main themes in the story, which is that love can bring much suffering. The plays characters seem to view love as a plague or curse which does not bring them happiness. What Orsino is saying in this first passage, is that he wants the musician to play so that the music will feed his love and that once the musician plays enough he will be sick of love and then die. Many other characters claim to be suffering from love as well. Olivia is suffering first of all because of the loss of her father and then her bother. This effected her so much (at first) that she refused to be in the company of men for several years so she could mourn them. Olivia also describes love as a â€Å"plague† from which she suffers terribly (I.v.265). She thinks that she is suffering because Viola does not love her as well. The theme also continues into the relationship of Viola and Orsino. Viola has fallen in love with the count but can not express her love to him because she is disguised as a man. She may also feel emotional pain because of Orsino’s constant talk of Olivia. Viola also may be suffering from the thought that her bother as died. This suffering from love in the play is something that brings a comedic affect to the play. To the audience it is funny that Olivia has fallen in love with Viola. It is also funny that she chose a woman in disguise over a real man, who has wealth and power. We need the suffering of the characters for entertainment, but to the characters this not a laughing matter. So if this theme wasn’t in the play it would lose its main appeal.... Free Essays on 12th Night Qoute Free Essays on 12th Night Qoute Quote Essay â€Å"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die† These are the first lines of the play, said by the Count Orsino. These lines set one of the main themes in the story, which is that love can bring much suffering. The plays characters seem to view love as a plague or curse which does not bring them happiness. What Orsino is saying in this first passage, is that he wants the musician to play so that the music will feed his love and that once the musician plays enough he will be sick of love and then die. Many other characters claim to be suffering from love as well. Olivia is suffering first of all because of the loss of her father and then her bother. This effected her so much (at first) that she refused to be in the company of men for several years so she could mourn them. Olivia also describes love as a â€Å"plague† from which she suffers terribly (I.v.265). She thinks that she is suffering because Viola does not love her as well. The theme also continues into the relationship of Viola and Orsino. Viola has fallen in love with the count but can not express her love to him because she is disguised as a man. She may also feel emotional pain because of Orsino’s constant talk of Olivia. Viola also may be suffering from the thought that her bother as died. This suffering from love in the play is something that brings a comedic affect to the play. To the audience it is funny that Olivia has fallen in love with Viola. It is also funny that she chose a woman in disguise over a real man, who has wealth and power. We need the suffering of the characters for entertainment, but to the characters this not a laughing matter. So if this theme wasn’t in the play it would lose its main appeal....

Avoid Gratuitous Capitalization

Avoid Gratuitous Capitalization Avoid Gratuitous Capitalization Avoid Gratuitous Capitalization By Mark Nichol As an editor, I devote much of my time and energy to helping a writer bring out the best in his or her prose, but a lot of effort also goes into minor but nagging errors unnecessary capitalization among them. Long after the Roman alphabet was developed, only one form existed: the capital form. Along the way, a parallel form, known as lowercase developed. (The term lowercase derives from the fact that stamps for printing letters using this style were kept in rows of cases located below those housing the uppercase, or capital, letters.) Now, capital letters are used in a limited number of functions: primarily, for the first letter of the first word in a sentence or of a proper noun, and for denoting acronyms and initialisms. Unfortunately, many amateur writers, and a number of professionals, clutter their writing with gratuitous capitalization because of a misunderstanding of or a disregard for orthographic conventions. For example, many people do not realize that when the name of an entity such as an organization is reduced to one word, that word is generally treated without initial capitalization, as in â€Å"the association† (not â€Å"the Association†) as shorthand for â€Å"the American Automobile Association.† One complication is something that can be blamed on institutional pride, as when a university’s literature describes how â€Å"the University’s student-life environment is very rich† or on corporate branding efforts, as in â€Å"the Company is here to serve your needs.† Such gratuitous capitalization is entrenched in traditional legal writing (for example, â€Å"the Plaintiff’s claim is upheld†), but both in that context and in general prose it is distracting. Whenever you’re tempted to capitalize a word, specific to your field of interest or endeavor, that is not a proper noun, check its treatment in the lay literature books, nonscholarly periodicals, newspapers, and websites. Often, you’ll find that the word is treated generically, and I hope that you’ll realize that unless the word is strictly a proper noun, there’s no justification for aggrandizing it with an initial capital letter. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterThat vs. WhichTypes of Plots

Strategic analysis of a company and its competitive environment Essay - 1

Strategic analysis of a company and its competitive environment - Essay Example The company has employed over 7600 employers in the UK and overseas. M&S ultimate goal is to become a major retailer in the global market. The company has come up with strategic plans to help them achieve this goal. The first plan was launched in 2007 and aimed at achieving at attaining 100 commitments in 5 years but the plan has extended to 180 commitments to be attained by 2015 (Thompson 15). The first section of the paper analyses M&S external environment. The external environment analysis pays attention the factors affecting the company and is often referred to as the macro environment. This entails the study of the how the company deals with change in the market, how it responds to the market demands and any competitive forces in the market. The analysis of the external market is done using the PESTEL analysis and the Porter Five Forces (Baines et al. 33). The second section analyses the company’s internal environment using the SWOT analysis. Analysis of both the internal and external environment affects the strategic analysis of the company. The strategic analysis of a company helps identify the environmental factors that impact on a company (Harris 55). Additionally, it clearly outlines the activities in the organisation and outside the organisation. M&S External Environment The external environment is made up of the forces and conditions that are beyond the company’s control and influence the company’s strategic options. Furthermore, it defines the competitive forces that could have positive and negative effects on the company (Harris 55). The PESTLE model is used to analyse the classes of external factors that can affect M&S ability to expand and survive in the current competitive market. PESTLE Analysis The company’s growth depends on the political stability, business growth and investor growth in the country. The government sets rules and regulations that companies must abide by including risk control and assessment, healt h and safety and planning for hazard identification. Additionally, the legal and administrative factors in the economy including trade regulations, tax rates, incentives, pricing regulation and employee benefits (Hibbit 1998). The company has been faced by various political factors such as the war in Iraq that led to instability in the UK economy. The company failed to abide by the health and safety regulation established by the British Standards. George Blair who was injured in the line of duty after the company continued to ignore repairs also charged the company (Hibbit 1998). Finally, in 2006 the company was the first giant retailer to be affected by the Fair trade route on its clothing and food sections. This included a regulations relating to animal welfare protection and to cut down on the fat and salt content. Economic Factors The economic environment surrounding the company is highly uncertain and has huge impact on all the company’s segment including food, clothing and furniture. M&S was adversely affected by the global recession and cut down on the number of employees and closed a number of stores. The government’s legislation to increase the VAT led to a drastic decline in the company’s sales (Harris 55). However, in the recent times, the economy has had a positive

Individual Audience Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Audience Paper - Essay Example When presentations are made, the speaker should not assume that everyone will understand the material the way he/she does. This could be a fallacy, for your program really to be effective; it must be of interest to your audience. Individual Audience Paper Addressing an audience may seem to be quite easy, but this usually entails more than just imparting information to an interested audience. This is not the case, as a great deal of preparation and thought go into the message or lecture that you are going to deliver to your audience. Also, your message must be relevant and of interest to the audience that you are addressing. By understanding audience unique and distinctiveness, the most effective communication methods, by adding variety and assortment and the way that your audience will relate to your message and identify with it. Audience Characteristics: Recognizing the traits of your audience is the first step successful and effective interaction. Every person that is present where you are delivering your address is considered to be part of the audience and in public or speaking to a assorted group of individuals, the most important thing is to concentrate on the audience. The primary audience consists of the people that are watching you and you want to please. Count how many there are: when speaking, concentrate on what the consumer or audience wants, rather than what you or your company wants, because if you ignore your traditional customers for newer ventures, you might one day realize that they too have new needs, and have left you and moved on. In public speaking, when addressing an assorted group of individuals, it is imperative that your total concentration is absolutely necessary to focus on the audience To present an effective presentation,  the considerations of the audience that is essential to attaining success is to remember the various distinctiveness of the audience that you want to reach and impress and the methods of communication that will be adequate and suitable to communicate the communication to the addressees successfully. When presenting the report of your quarterly sales information, it will be necessary to explore the various distinctiveness of this miscellaneous group of individuals who will include customers. To best demonstrate the necessary careful thought or deliberation that is essential for this presentation effectively, an analysis of the audience personality and their demographic character can be visibly analyzed (Locker & Kienzler, 2008). An understand must be made of which segments of the audience will exercise power over the message itself, who will take some initiative based on the message, or will definitely become better informed on the principal aspects of the message. To give an example of an audience comprising of managers, salesmen, and management, management shall be considered to be a watchdog and the main or primary spectators, salesmen would be considered to be the secondary spectators and finally the customers might be considered as supplementary spectators. However, when the audience has been figured out, it can be categorized according to their importance and characteristics. When presentations are made, the speaker should not assume that everyone will understand the material the way he/she does. This could be a fallacy, for your program really to be effective; it must

Media Sex and Violence - Past and Present Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media Sex and Violence - Past and Present - Essay Example They are interested in shows that satisfy their aggressive nature and thus they turn toward believing violent reports subconsciously. While defining his media theory, Sparks (2009, p.3) asserts that â€Å"Perhaps the effects of media violence are difficult for people to detect in themselves- even though the effects are definitely present.† Negative effects of sex and violence on children Parents and teachers have always been concerned and looking for answers regarding what effects violence and sex in media can imprint on young developing brains. As technology media grows significantly and presents newer and smarter media types, the American youth is the first to get affected thanks to increased availability and affordability of media sources. When the television shows violent programs, then it is to be blamed in mutating the minds of the youngsters from incorruptibility to violence. Violent media arrives with concerns relating to addiction, anxiety, dejection, brutality and ag gression that develop in young minds. Last decade has shown an increase in violence rate among children in the United States and studies show that children are increasingly being treated for anger management thanks to the violent shows and programs shown on television. Children tend to have less-developed ability of decision-making or critical thinking so they cannot realize what is wrong with what they are viewing and their minds learn or absorb every act they see. When a child watches the violent or sexual acts, the energy generated by the fantasy keeps the physical responses from getting expressed. So, when this energy gets its chance, it gets expressed in the real life. Moreover, girls are experiencing very early menstruation and boys are entering into adolescence very early because of being exposed to the bold television shows which hastens their puberty. â€Å"Several longitudinal studies have linked exposure to sex in the media to earlier onset of sexual intercourse†, says Wood (2009). Negative effects of sex and violence on adults â€Å"Research on violent television and ?lms, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts†, assert Anderson et al. (2003, p.81). They further state that violence shown in media is responsible for the development of aggressive behavior and thoughts among the adults (Sics, 2011; Boxer et al., 2009). This can also result in abuse in relationships. Desensitization regarding violence and sex occurs. The physiological arousal that results from sexual content shown by media tends to initiate frustration which then comes out in the form of spouse abuse, rape, homicides, and sexual activities. Research suggests that today, the number of adults watching violent and sexual media through different media sources are increasing day by day and it is frustrating to guess where it will end up. Recomme ndations Media literacy is necessary, both in the adults and the children. In case of children, it is important for the parents to work out some parental mediation interventions so that the children’