Spreadsheet Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spreadsheet Models - Essay Example The concept of an electronic spreadsheet was first outlined in the 1961 paper "Budgeting Models and System Simulation" by Richard Mattessich. A spreadsheet program is planned to carry out general computation tasks using spatial relationships rather than time as the primary organizing principle. Many programs designed to perform general computation use timing, the ordering of computational steps, as their primary way to organize a program. A well defined entry point is used to determine the first instructions, and all other instructions must be reachable from that point. In a spreadsheet, however, a set of cells is defined with a spatial relation to one another. It is often convenient to think of a spreadsheet as a mathematical graph, where the nodes are spreadsheet cells, and the edges are references to other cells specified in formulas. This is often called the dependency graph of the spreadsheet. References between cells can take advantage of spatial concepts such as relative position and absolute position, as well as named locations, to make the spreadsheet formulas easier to understand and manage. Spreadsheets usually attempt to automatically update cells when the cells on which they depend have been changed. The earliest spreadsheets used simple tactics like evaluating cells in a particular order, but modern spreadsheets compute a minimal re-calculation order from the dependency graph. Later spreadsheets also include a limited ability to propagate values in reverse, altering source values so that a particular answer is reached in a certain cell. Since spreadsheet cells formulas are not generally invertible, though, this technique is of somewhat limited value. Many of the concepts common to sequential programming models have analogues in the spreadsheet world. For example, the sequential model of the indexed loop is usually represented as a table of cells, with similar formulas. [02] Small and Large Business Businesses, large or small, depend significantly on spreadsheet models. Small businesses depend more on them due to the basic fact that they do not have enough resources to install and maintain a heavy infrastructure for an ERP system. Therefore, their dependence on spreadsheet models is very large. In comparison, large scale businesses have resource allocation for ERP systems. Not only the large scale organizations have more resources, but they also have high set of standards maintained by them. This is also one of the reasons that large scale organizations do not reply heavily upon spreadsheet models for perfect decision making. However, these large scale business organizations do use some of the interim formats and their procedures are taken care of using a spreadsheet model. Financial planning is a critical activity for every business irrespective of its age and size. For new enterprises, the preparation of financial projections is integral to the business planning process.

Ecology and sustainability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ecology and sustainability - Assignment Example Nutrients present in the soil, are destroyed by the acidity. Useful micro organisms which release nutrients from decaying organic matter, into the soil are killed off, resulting in less nutrients being available for the plants. The acid rain, falling on the plants damages the waxy layer on the leaves and makes the plant vulnerable to diseases. Acid rain erodes limestone and carbonate stones which are used as building materials upon acid deposition. Though stainless steel and aluminum are more resistant to acid rain, other materials such as carbon-steel, nickel, zinc, copper, paint, and some plastics, paper, leather, and textiles are vulnerable to corrosion by acid rain. b.1. Clean Air Act amendments required that power plants make significant cuts in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions (by installing "scrubbers" in their smokestacks and switching to low-sulfur coal.) b.2 Through the market-based allowance trading system, utilities regulated under the Acid Rain Program decide the most cost-effective way to use available resources to comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act. Utilities can reduce emissions by employing energy conservation measures, increasing reliance on renewable energy, reducing usage, employing pollution control technologies, switching to lower sulfur fuel, or developing other alternate strategies. Dobson unit (DU) - One Dobson unit represents the amount of atmospheric ozone that would form a uniform layer 0.01 millimeter (10 micrometers) thick at standard temperature (0 Â °C) and pressure (1 atmosphere or 1013.25 millibars). Because they do not contain chlorine or bromine, HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer (ODP = 0). Some HFCs have high GWPs and are revealed as extremely powerful greenhouse gases which could account for up to 19% of global warming by 2050. It either percolates into the ground and in turn contaminates the groundwater or is discharged into the natural drainage system causing pollution in

Society and Education Essay Example for Free

Society and Education Essay Young peoples decision making is influenced by a number of social factors. Identify three major influences and discuss their impact. Today young people are regarded as the troubled community within the society we Live in, however it is the young people who are to set out our future in years to come. Their decisions is life will determine how this world is run, and society as a whole Should not judge but encourage them to succeed in whatever they should decide to Pursue a career in. It is therefore essential that certain social factors will influence Their decisions. I have identified three of the major factors, which I believe have the highest amount of Influence on youth and what they decide to do in the future, the three factors I have Chosen are; Family, Society and Education. These three summarise the life of a child And can have a major effect on what they choose to do in life, whether higher Education is an option or a life of unemployment and seeking other opportunities Arise. Family Family is defined as a universal social group, which live within the same household. Today families are identified as the main source for the growth of a young child, Without a family the child would merely be able to grow into a well brought up child In society. The family constructs of a mother and a father, perhaps a sibling also. However in some communities the case of a family is split in two, the father is mainly The main culprit for the split and the mother becomes the main influence over the Child. However if the young person is a male, the problem arises that they have no Father to look up to, or a father figure in fact, therefore it is essential that families Work together for their childrens sake. If the male child has no father it can influence The decisions they make in the future due to the guidance issues they have faced in the Past, this can be the same case vice-versa with the mother and daughter situation. The family holds within itself the future of society. the family is the vital environment where every child brought into the world is welcomed (Pope John Paul 2nd (1993)) The quote above taken from Pope John Paul 2nd is a vital quote of which societies can. Base their family life upon, however each society is different, in some areas of Liverpool it can be said that family life is not the most rewarding and most families end in Divorce or a major split, affecting the child. The child is therefore affected by the way the parent or main family member in the household treats them, this can affect the Way the child reacts to certain decisions in life. If the adult treats the child with Disrespect and violence then the childs future will likely involve the same decisions, Instead of a life in higher education and achievement.

Effect of Social Media on Political Participation

Effect of Social Media on Political Participation Has social media led to substantial changes in citizens’ repertoires of political participation? In the past few decades, an upsurge in the use of social networking sites (SNS) has been witnessed (Bode et al., 2014). Ever since the emergence of social media, the deliberation of how and to what extent they altered the way people engaged in politics has been ardently discussed. To understand this question, one should first examine it in two directions, the definition of social media and political participation, before moving on to the discussion of whether or not there are changes over time. Undoubtedly, any authority would be ill-advised to underestimate the power of the internet. If using the internet and sending text messages can modify the foreground of a nation and overturn ingrained authoritarianisms; if they have the ability to change the fortune of an unknown man into an overnight star; if they have magic for fixing the ‘illness’ of the society by pressuring governments, is it possible for anyone to resist using these types of media to achieve their goals? It is an undeniable fact that the current society is a world where all kinds of social media are almost inevitable. Since the launch of social media over 10 years ago, one can fairly address that there have been some enormous changes in people’s everyday lives. According to Jeroen Van Laer and Peter Van Aelst, â€Å"A notable feature of recent public engagements with the internet is its use by a wide range of activists and groups engaging in social and political protest† (Aelst et al., 2010). Tufekci and Wilson (2012) provided an example of this statement. They noted that, â€Å"Since the ‘‘Arab Spring’’ burst forth in uprisings in Tunisia and in Egypt in early 2011, scholars have sought to understand how the Internet and social media contribute to political change in authoritarian regimes† (Tufekci et al, 2012). The two mentioned assertions of each scholar have shed some light on the influence of the internet. This essay will deal with the following aspects of the question of whether or not social media reforms the means of civic participation in politics, a) what is political participation; b) what is the role of social media in the sense of taking part in the policy-making procedure. Finally, the essay will be concluded by the outcome of the discussion in question. To begin with, the definition that was given by Boyle and other scholars in ‘Expressive responses to news stories about extremist groups: A framing experiment’, they proposed that the term ‘‘expressive action’’ included talking to friends and family about politics, sending letters to the editor, contacting public officials and attending rallies (Boyle et al., 2006). However, as Rojas, H. and Puigà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Abril, E mentioned in their journal (2009), â€Å"Verba et al. (1995) narrowly define political participation as ‘an activity that has the intent or effect of influencing government action–either directly by affecting the making or implementation of public policy or indirectly by influencing the selection of people who make those policies’ (Rojas et al., 2009). Either way, one thing is clear, political participation is a set of activities to affect who decides or decision itself in any possible way. In ‘Mobilizers mobilized: Information, expression, mobilization and participation in the digital age’, a number of hypotheses were suggested by Rojas, H., and Puig-Abril. These hypotheses embodied a model explaining the cycle of the interactions between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as Figure 1 they proposed below. As the result of their study, assumptions of informational uses of ICT resulting expending expressive behaviours in the online sphere are sturdily supported. Furthermore, the relative significance of blogs as a source of information that accelerates such expressive behaviours is also suggested in this study. Nevertheless, one interesting result was noted that there is no support for a direct relationship between online expressive behaviours and offline participatory behaviours. This implies that online political activists may not be as enthusiastic as they are online when it comes to taking part in the policy-making procedure offline (Rojas et al., 2009). Political participation on social media is referred to as ‘political SNS use’ by Bode (2014). The definition of ‘political SNS use’ is using SNS for political intentions, for example, displaying a political preference on one’s profile page or becoming a ‘fan’ of a politician (Bode et al, 2014). However, another argument suggested that while one is studying ‘political SNS use’, the disadvantages that it presented should not be overlooked. One example of this is addressed in one of Clair Cain Miller’s articles of The New York Times. Miller stated that due to the convenience that the internet provides, it is useful for promoting events, such as the Arab Spring to the Ice Bucket Challenge. However, people might be reluctant to express themselves because of the urge for obtaining recognition (Miller, 2014). With the exact reason, people tend to interpret the various signals in social media, as liked or hated. As these signa ls become clearer, the reluctance of people to express their views online increases; hence, the differentiation between the different positions will turn into a more serious situation and those who share the same or similar points of view will be even more unified (Miller, 2014). Citing from Bode’s journal, â€Å"although social networking sites were not originally conceived of as political tools, politicians have quickly adapted to use them as such (Bode et al, 2014). The internet has given civil society new tools to support their claims. In the recent years catchphrases, such as, ‘‘Twitter Revolution’’ or ‘‘Facebook Revolution’’ have been high-lighted (Tufekci et al, 2012). However, one should keep in mind that social media alone did not cause the revolutions and demonstrations (Joseph, 2012). In the case study of the Arab Spring, it was the urgent need of four things; namely, justice(Adala), freedom (Hurriya), dignity (Karama), and respect (Ihtiram) which pushed the citizens participating in those protests, and social media merely played the role of supporting the combustion by providing the platform for exchanging and spreading the information. Due to the falling costs and expanding capabilities of mobile phones, the traditional communications have been enriched with capacities of taking pictures and videos. Within the past decade, communities in which it had long been difficult to access information were converted into massive social experiments fuelled by an explosion in channels of information (Aelst et al., 2010). The evolution of new communication technologies brought new forms of political communications. In Jeroen Van Laer and Peter Van Aelst’s journal, they categorised 4 new forms of political communication; namely, a) Internet-supported action with low thresholds. In this category, donation of money, consumer behaviours, and legal protests and demonstrations are involved. It is believed that donating money is the most primary way to engage in a social movement that involves almost no risks or commitments (Aelst et al., 2010). b) Internet-supported action with high threshold, which means transnational demonstrations, transnational meetings, and Sit-in / occupations and more radical forms of protest. One case study of this section is the Harvard Progressive Student Labour Movement at Harvard College. The incident was for demanding higher living wages for the institution’s security guards, janitors and dining-room workers. This movement was initiated with the occupation of several university administrative offices in 2001. Eventually, the ‘real-life ’sit-in at Harvard College was accompanied with a ‘virtual sit-in’ in order to increase media attention and to broaden the pressure on administration officials (Constanza-Chock 2003;Biddix Park 2008). c) Internet-based action with low threshold. This includes actions that are solely performed online: online petitions, email bombs and virtual sit-ins. Any Face book user can generate a group to protest or support a specific cause and invite other members to ‘sign’ this cause by taking part in this group. d) Internet-based action with high threshold. This involves Protest websites, Alternative media sites, Culture jamming, and Hacktivism. The definition of culture jamming was coined by Stolle and other researchers, â€Å"changes the meaning of corporate advertising through artistic techniques that alter corporate logos visually and by giving marketing slogans new meaning (Stolle et al., 2005). These ‘attacks’ are all blurring the line between what is legal and what is not. These tactics are then labelled as ‘electronic civil disobedience’, ‘hacktivism’ or as ‘cyber terrorism’, and depends on the point of view (Denning 2001; Vegh 2003). Using and managing social media as a participatory tool is not the same thing. The real challenge is how to utilize social media to properly take part in the decision-making process. It is indeed that the world needs diverse voices and with the help of social media, everyone is granted the power to ‘have a say.’ Social media did not merely become a tool in hands for those who actively want to have a say, they also bind the communities which were not asked to take actions previously. However, one should bear in mind that ‘saying what’ is the most crucial part of participating in politics. The results from Bode’s study are compelling,†-political SNS use is not a dead-end, but instead provides an impetus for greater political participation (Bode et al, 2014). Perhaps it is worth acknowledging here that social media have indeed changed the citizens’ repertoires of political participation. The evidence is compelling, although there are some op posed arguments. The development of ‘political SNS use’ is promising and is a study worthy for future research. Bibliography Biddix, J. P. Park, H. W. (2008) ‘Online networks of student protest: the case of the living wage campaign’, New Media Society, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 871–891. Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., Borah, P., Shah, D. V. (2014). A New Space for Political Behavior: Political Social Networking and its Democratic Consequences.Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(3), 414-429. doi: 10.1111/jcc4.12048 Boyle, M. P., Schmierbach, M., Armstrong, C. L., Cho, J., McCluskey, M. R., McLeod, D. M., et al. (2006). Expressive responses to news stories about extremist groups: A framing experiment. Journal of Communication, 56, 271–288. Constanza-Chock, S. (2003) ‘Mapping the repertoire of electronic contention’, in Representing Resistance: Media, Civil Disobedience and the Global Justice Movement, eds A. Opel Pompper D. Praeger, London, pp. 173–191. Denning, D. E. (2001) ‘Activism, hacktivism, and cyberterrorism: the internet as a tool for influencing foreign policy’, in Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy, eds J. Arquilla D. Ronfeldt, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, pp. 239–288. Joseph, S. 2012. ‘Social Media, Political Change and Human Right’, Boston College International Comparative Law Review. Laer, J. V. Aelst, P. V., (2009) INTERNET AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTACTION REPERTOIRES.Information, Communication Society,13(8). Available at: http://www.academia.edu/262038/Internet_and_Social_Movement_Action_Repertoires_Opportunities_and_Limitations> [Accessed: February 19, 2015]. Miller, C. C., 2014. How Social Media Silences Debate.The New York Times, [Online]. 0, 0. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/upshot/how-social-media-silences-debate.html?abt=0002abg=1 Rojas, H., Puigà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Abril, E. (2009).Mobilizers mobilized: Information, expression, mobilization and participation in the digital age.Journal of Computerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Mediated Communication, 14(4), 902-927. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01475.x Stolle, D., Hooghe, M. Micheletti, M. (2005) ‘Politics in the supermarket: political consumerism as a form of political participation’, International PoliticalScience Review, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 245–269. Tufekci, Z. Wilson, C., 2012. Social Media and the Decision to Participate in Political Protest: Observations From Tahrir Square. Journal of Communication. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01629.x/pdf> [Accessed: February 19, 2015]. Vegh, S. (2003) ‘Classifying forms of online activism: the case of cyberprotests against the World Bank’, in Cyberactivism. Online Activism in Theory and Practice, eds M. McCaughey M. D. Ayers, Routledge, New York, London, pp. 71–95. Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic volunteerism in American politics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Shaker Communities Essays -- Essays Papers

Shaker Communities During the 1800’s many utopian societies sprouted in the United States. Most of these societies blossomed and faded quite quickly, but one group did not fade away like the others. This society successfully combined their faith with the reasoning of the changing times and kept their communities going strong. They are or known as the Shakers, or more formally as the members of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. The Shakers were inventors and thinkers who challenged many traditional thoughts and beliefs. Even today, people marvel and wonder at the Shakers and their communities, which have survived for over two hundred and twenty years and whose influences on society still are present today. Originally, the Shakers formed out of a sect of Quakers in England that was known as the "Shaking Quakers" due to their very emotional religious services. Jane and James Wardley led the group who shook, danced, sang and spoke in tongues during services. A woman from Manchester, England, named Ann Lee joined the group in 1758. In 1770 she was arrested and spent time in jail for disturbing the peace during a religious celebration. During this time Ann had her vision of "Adam and Eve having carnal intercourse" which shaped the future of the group.1 Afterwards she came to the realization that sexual intercourse caused humankind’s fall from grace. Following her release from jail, she went forth to tell the members of the Shaking Quakers in Manchester about her vision. At this point, Ann Lee became known as Mother Ann, the leader of the Shaking Quakers. For the next four years, the group remained in England. Due to the persecution they faced during this time, they failed to attract many new members... ...x/soc257/nrms/Shakers.html (5 Mar. 2000). 3. Hillebrand ( Http://www.webzonecom.com/ccn/cults/othr09a.txt). 4. Robley Edward Whitson, The Shakers: Two Centuries of Spiritual Refection (New York: Paulist Press, 1983), 1-2. 5. David R. Lamson, Two Years Experience Among the Shakers (New York: AMS Press Inc., 1971), 10-11. 6. Lawrence Foster, Women, Family, and Utopia (New York: Syracuse University Press, 1991), 30-31. 7. Stephen J. Stein, The Shaker Experience in America (New Haven, CO: Yale University Press, 1992) 133-134. 8. Unknown, "New Release from Storey Books - Shaker Medicinal Herbs" Http://www.storey.com/news/aug0404.htm (5 Mar. 2000). 9. Unknown, "Sabbathday Lake." Http://www.shakerworkshops.com/sdl.htm (5 Mar. 2000). 10. Harlan ( Http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jkh8x/soc257/nrms/Shakers.html).

My Goal of Teaching Essay -- College Admissions Essays

To state that my goal is to become a teacher in the primary grades of elementary school is somewhat like writing a one-sentence synopsis of an intricate and wonderful dream. In Webster's Dictionary the word "goal" is defined as: "A point towards which effort or movement is directed; the objective point or terminus that one is striving to reach; the end aimed at." In each of the definitions the aim of the goal is stagnant. My goal of teaching feels much more like a living thing. I would define it more as a journey than a goal. I do not remember a time when I was not interested in becoming a teacher. Although I followed a different career path when I was young, I never let go of my dream to teach. For various reasons it was pushed to the back of my consciousness and seemingly forgotten. But for the past seventeen years, since the birth of my first child, my life has been intertwined with children and my desire to teach has been rekindled. I started out working with my own children. As they grew so did I. My interaction with kids progressed to include their new friends and ult...

What is an Hypothesis?

I believe my hypothesis needs to be strengthened to be better than its rivals. When utilizing the chart on page 64 of our text I do find several areas for improvement. After going through the checklist I believe that a better hypothesis would be made after an Minimal analysis of the percentage of late payments and the minimum credit scores. A hypothesis could then be created that is more specific and testable as well as analyzed against other statistics such as the percentage of late payments for a higher, specified credit score.If research shows 70% of customers that have late payments have a credit score below 600 a stronger hypothesis would state: If the local car dealership that offers In house flagging requires a credit score higher than 600 for approved financing the percentage of late payments they receive will be less than 70%. Adequacy for its purpose I *Does the hypothesis reveal the original problem condition? I Yes, the problem is a large amount of accounts that are past due. I *Does the hypothesis clearly Identify facts that are relevant I It clearly states facts grading financing approval but does not I and those that are not?I Include any other facts. Relevant or not. I I *Does the hypothesis clearly state the condition, size, or I It only states that lenient profiles are used, this should be I distribution of some variable in terms of values meaningful I made stronger by listing a specific minimum credit score I to the research problem? I required. I *Does the hypothesis explain facts that gave rise to the need I Yes, late accounts require explanation and analysis to I for explanation? I continue to operate the equines at a profitable level.I I *Does the hypothesis suggest which form of research I Yes, a causal-predictive study would be appropriate. I design is likely to be most appropriate? I Raising the minimum credit requirement to determine if late I I payments decrease would be appropriate. I *Does the hypothesis provide a framework for org anizing I Yes, the hypothesis indicates that statistics should be I the conclusions that result? I analyzed and shown by credit scores and late payments. I Testable I *Does the hypothesis use acceptable techniques? I Yes, the hypothesis Is late payments.I *Does the hypothesis require an explanation that is plausible I Yes, a plausible explanation would utilize financial applications. I given known physical or psychological laws? I I *Does the hypothesis reveal consequences or derivatives that I The consequence is stated and does not need to be deduced. I can be deduced for testing purposes? I I *Is the hypothesis simple, requiring few conditions or I Yes, no assumptions are required. I assumptions? Better than its rivals *Does the hypothesis explain more facts than its rivals?