Cluster Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Cluster Analysis - Essay Example There are various statistics associated with cluster analysis which are used for analyzing the data. Clustering can be hierarchical or non hierarchal and these are further classified into various methods. Hierarchal clustering is developed as a tree like structure. This method can be either agglomerative or divisive. In agglomerative clustering each object is formed as a separate cluster which is formed by grouping into bigger clusters and the process is continued till all the cases form as members of a single cluster. In agglomerative method, the various methods such as linkage methods, error sum of squares or variance and central methods are used. Linkage method includes single linkage, complete linkage and average linkage. The single linkage method is based on the minimum distance. The complete linkage is based on the maximum distance. And the average linkage is based on the average distance between all pairs of objects, so that one member of the pair is from each of the clusters. Variance method is used to minimize the within -cluster variance. Ward's procedure is a variance method where the squared euclidean distance to the cluster means is minimized. In the centroid method the distance between the two clusters is computed as the distance between their centroids. Generally the average linkage and Ward's method are supposed to perform better than other procedures. Now we shall discuss the various statistics associated with cluster analysis. Agglomerative schedule gives information on the cases being combined at each stage of a hierarchical clustering. The mean value of the variable associated with all cases in a cluster is known as cluster centroid. Dendogram is a tree like graph which displays the result of cluster analysis. The clusters which are joined together are represented by vertical lines. The position of line indicates the distance where the clusters are joined. This graph is a generally read from left to right. The distance between cluster centers indicates how the pairs of clusters are separated. If the clusters are widely separated and distinct then they are desirable. Icicle diagram is a graph, which displays the clustering results. It is called as icicles which hang from the eaves of a house. The columns represent the cases being clustered and the rows correspond to the number of clusters. This diagram is read from bottom to top. In this case chestnut ridge club clustering is considered on the attitude of the respondents in terms of joining a club. And the respondents expressed on a scale of 1-5, the objective here is group similar cases and to measures how similar or different the case are. The approach is to measure similarity in terms of distance between pairs of objects. There are different methods to measure the distance. These methods can be used to measure and the results can be compared. In hierarchical clustering agglomerative clustering is selected and Wards procedure is used to measure the distance. Generally the choice of clustering method and choice of a distance measure are related. Here the variables are measured on a five-point scale. The Wards linkage method is used to find the average distance between all pairs of objects. In this variance method the squared Euclidean distance to the cluster means is minimized. The important outputs obtained here are agglomeration schedule which shows the number of clusters combined at each

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Strategic management - Essay Example In general, a case study on a particular business organization provides an in-depth analysis on its operation, structure, and situation. However, a study accomplishes more than just that by giving us a view of a company copes with the internal pressures and the external trends, challenges, and opportunity. This paper will focus on the case study entitled South African Beverages (SAB): Achieving Growth in the Global market. The main focus is to expose the central issues on the business organization’s alternative strategic directions. The case lays out the significant information that SAB needs to consider before it can make any strategically efficient choice. Looking closely, this wealth of information can either be classified as products of internal or environmental scanning. Internal scanning essentially looks at the vision, mission, objectives, structure, strategy, core competence, strengths and weaknesses of a company while environmental scanning refers to the analysis of t he external factors which affects the business organization such as opportunities, threats, trends, changes, and developments. Any strategic direction taken by SAB should always be in line with how it wants to see itself in the future and its strategic goals. The company’s vision is to be one of the top five brewers in the world. In terms of organizational structure, it is apparent that SAB is employing a decentralized strategy in managing its human resource.

Communication Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Communication Analysis - Essay Example Combination of set of skills such as nonverbal communication, thoughtful listening, stress management in the moment, and the ability to recognize and understand ones own emotions and those of the person you’re communicating with, can efficiently drive the point home. The paper, therefore, tends to analyze a communication with the aim of identifying the techniques that need to be employed to make it useful. There is this case where an organization was planning to come up with a short-term project that would change the way various activities were carried out and all members were to get involved in carrying out the project. Planning officer was to come up with a procedural plan for how that project was to be carried out and, the only method that he could use in delivering the information about the project was through conducting organizational framework to allocate tasks. During the session, noises, poor feedback, poor non-verbal communication, an ambiguity of some terms, lack of confidence, lack of alternative channels as well as environmental friendliness. The project was effectively done through the organization experienced low morale of the employees, reduced efficiency of the project as well a lack of innovation. From the above it is many cleats that the organization did not achieve its target and, experienced a significant loss. The primary cause of the problem was not the project itself but the manner in which communication was carried out by the planning officer while addressing the employees. Poor listening skills led to a lot of noises, and no one understood what was being said. Listening involve paying close attention to what is being said and asking a question where necessary. The issue of collectivism was to be given much weight as working as a family or one group as it could have helped in yielding much fruit. The employees did not pay attention to the speaker may be because they thought they could do it without

Healthy Grief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthy Grief - Essay Example â€Å"Grief is an emotional process† as what Hood, Hill & Spilka (2009, p. 198) quoted. In literature, the discussions that are common are about stages of grief, models of grief and ritual grief (Hood, Hill & Spilka, 2009, p. 198). Kubler-Ross & Kessler (2005, p. 7) stated that there are five stages of grief. These â€Å"five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance† (Kubler-Ross & Kessler, 2005, p. 7). These are the process in which each person should undergo once they experience the loss of someone. According to them, these are only identifiers for which a person feels when in time of grief, but it does not conclude that a person will experience all of these stages (Kubler-Ross & Kessler, 2005, p. 7). Also, Kubler-Ross & Kessler (2005, p. 7) state that it does not need to be exactly the same order as how they presented the stages of grief. These are only tools for people to identify easily what they are going through in times of grief. The firs t stage, which is denial, does not literally mean that the people who lost their loved ones do not know it. This denial is â€Å"more symbolic than literal† as noted by Kubler-Ross & Kessler (2005, p. 8). The second and third stages are anger and bargaining. Anger, according to Kubler-Ross & Kessler (2005, p. ... After that, depression is the next stage. A person who lost someone feels empty and alone during this stage. Hence, it does not mean that when a person feels this way, it is a sign of mental illness (Kubler-Ross & Kessler, 2005, p. 20). Depression is normal to a person who just lost someone. Further, the last stage is acceptance. This is the point where the person accepts the reality that someone is dead. On this stage, the person will learn to live with it. On the other hand, the five stages of grief have many critics. There are some psychologists who also proposed other multi-stage models of grieving. Musgrave and Bickle (2003, p. 46) have drawn one of the popular stories of the Bible which is the story of Job. They stated that the story focuses on how someone heals through grieving. In the story of Job, Job deals not only a human grieving, but it also included God (â€Å"The Book of Job,† 2011). Though Job experienced the worst way of human grieving, it shows some of the st ages of grief. In the story of Job, it only shows three stages among the five stages of grief from Kubler-Ross and Kessler (2005). These would be bargaining, depression and acceptance. It may sound unusual, but it seemed that acceptance comes first in the story of Job. It came first because Job is a believer of God. Thus, Job knew that his trials are part of God’s plan (â€Å"The Book of Job,† 2011). Since Job’s love for God is strong, he did not feel any anger and denial. Moreover, there’s one thing that Job showed - joy (â€Å"The Book of Job,† 2011). Though Job is suffering, he still shows hope that one day he will meet God face to face. Hence, it somehow gave him joy. In comparison between joy and the grieving process, a person can obtain joy once he/she free himself/herself from any

Religion, Media and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religion, Media and Ethics - Essay Example Media ethics as such is a complex subject, as it is formulated on the basis of the concurrent culture, economy and national policies. It has been observed by a number of researchers that the media symbolizes societal values. Slinger (1983) has mentioned a number of examples in which media comes up with advertisements which prompts the views to connect the product being advertised to societal values specific to the viewers. One important value that a person relates to is his personal beliefs and religious beliefs. It’s generally considered that the popular programs in the secular media do not have religious intentions. Considering the recent development of secularizing of religious broadcasting sponsored by religious organizations, the identification of religiously persuading content becomes difficult. Programs and specifically labeled content dealt by religious media are the ones which are bracketed as of the ones which influence the public religiously. However, there are arguments that this is not the case. Mark Pinsky (2001, p.5) observes that he ‘found God, faith and spirituality in abundance on Th e Simpsons’.Jana Reiss (2004, p.xii) claims that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel ‘are two of the most religious programs on network TV’. These arguments suggest that cartoon programs and other popular programs may also be considered as religious. I agree with this argument. The earlier argument that only religious media can contain religious content is based on the assumption that religion is associated with religious institutions and organizations. Schultze (1990) has argued that being religious does not mean belonging to a religion but it’s a way of life with its own world view. Anything which would influence this world view thus must be considered religious persuasion. Thus there is no wonder in Pinsky finding spirituality and god in the cartoon

Alexander the Great Essay Example for Free

Alexander the Great Essay He was the father of Alexander the Great, Philip III and possibly Ptolemy I, the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. *Hephaestion son of Amyntor, was a Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was by far the dearest of all the kings friends. *Darius III was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC. He was deposed during Alexander the Greats conquest. *Roxana was a Bactrian noble and a wife of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy I Soter was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who became ruler of Egypt *Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. *Craterus was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. *Parmenion was a Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great *Philotas was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexanders most experienced and talented general. Plot .. The film is based on the biography of Alexander the Great, the King of Macedon, the first Macedonian Emperor who conquered Asia Minor, Persia and eventually Ancient India. It provides a glimpse into some of the key moments of Alexanders youth, and his invasion of the mighty Persian Empire, until his death. It also outlined his early life, including his difficult relationship with his father, Philip II of Macedonia, the conquering of the Greek city-states under the League of Corinth, and the conquest of the Persian Empire in 331 BC. It also details his new plans to reform his empire, and the attempts made to reach the end of the world. The storyline begins in 356 BC with Ptolemy I Soter, who narrates the story throughout the film. In lavish sets and images Stone shows his vision of Alexanders daily life in the court of his father, Philip, and portraying the strained relationship between his parents. Alexander grows up with his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle, where he finds interest in love, honour, music, exploration, poetry and military combat. Late on, his relationship with his father is destroyed when Philip marries Attalus niece, Eurydice. Thereafter Philip is assassinated and Alexander becomes king of Macedonia and the rest of Greece. After a brief mentioning of his punitive razing of Thebes and burning of Persepolis, Ptolemy gives an overview of Alexanders west Persian campaign, including his declaration to be the son of Zeus by the Oracle of Amun at Siwa Oasis, his great battle against the Persian Emperor Darius III in the Battle of Gaugamela, and his eight-year campaign at Hydaspes against Porus in modern day Pakistan), both of which are shown in the film. The plot also illustrates Alexanders private relationship with his childhood friend, Hephaistion, and later his wife Roxanna until his death. Before succumbing to an unknown illness or poison (it is never revealed which and both are suggested) Alexander distanced himself from his wife Roxanna despite her being pregnant, believing she has killed his childhood friend Hephaistion. The film accurately places Hephaistion in a far closer position than his first wife Roxanna. It is suggested in the film that Alexander died in part due to the loss of Hephaistion, which occurred less than three months earlier. Early in the film Hephaistion compares Alexander to Achilles, to which Alexander replies that if he is Achilles then Hephaistion is his Patroclus (Achilles cousin and supposed lover). Hephaistion mentions that Patroclus died first and then Alexander pledges that if he should die, he would follow him into the afterlife. A promise Ptolemy himself says Alexander apparently kept when he died shortly after Hephaistion. In the film after conquering Babylon Alexander admits that Hephaistion is the only person he loves. (no one can back up that Alexander was homosexual). During the film Hephaistion shows extensive jealousy when seeing Alexander with Roxanna and deep sadness when Alexander marries her, going so far as to attempt keeping her away from Alexander after the former murdered an old friend in India. The film also focuses intensively on the close and warped relationship Alexander shared with his mother Olympias. Summary .. Alexander was born in Macedonia in 356 BC. His father, King Philip II of Macedonia, hired the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle to tutor young Alexander. In the summer of 336 BC, Philip was murdered by one of his bodyguards. Alexander then became king. Many people in Macedonia plotted against the young king, but Alexander was shrewd. He quickly ordered the execution of all the conspirators. At the same time, some Greek cities ruled by Macedonia rebelled and others threatened to seek independence. Alexander crushed the rebellions and restored Macedonian rule. Next, in 334 BC, Alexander turned his attention toward the Persian Empire (now Iran) in southwest Asia. Alexander led Macedonian and Greek soldiers to attack Darius III, Persia’s king. Their armies met at Issus in Syria in 333 BC, and fought a fierce battle. Alexander won, and Darius fled. Alexander then led his soldiers south, into Egypt. Alexander seized power from the pharaoh, who ruled Egypt on behalf of the Persians. The grateful Egyptians saw Alexander as a person who freed them, and they crowned him pharaoh. At the mouth of the Nile River in northern Egypt, Alexander founded a new city. He named the city Alexandria, and it became a famous center of learning In 331 BC, Alexander led his troops back north into Persia. King Darius was eager for revenge. Alexander and Darius fought another great battle, this time at Gaugamela. Once again, Alexander won. The battle at Gaugamela ended centuries of Persian rule in Asia. Alexander then turned south and conquered other important Persian cities. At Persepolis, he burned down Darius’s palace to show he had conquered the Persian Empire. In 330 BC, Alexander went north to find Darius again. This time, Darius was killed by his own men as he fled. Alexander was a military genius and a great explorer. But he also had a grand ambition. He wanted to rule a world empire where people could live in peace with one another. From 330 to 327 BC, Alexander led his soldiers east, through Afghanistan and into Central Asia. As he travelled, he built more cities. He recruited soldiers, merchants, and scholars from many lands to settle there. In 326 BC, Alexander turned south, into India. But by then his men were tired and weak. They were far from home in an unknown land. The soldiers rebelled and refused to go farther. Reluctantly, Alexander turned back. By 323 BC, he reached Babylon in Iraq. While there he caught a fever and died at the age of 33. His empire was divided among his generals. Moral / Lesson O The first moral / lesson in this film is to never dreamed of becoming as powerful as God because He is the only one no one compared with Him. Secondly is â€Å"power† is the counterpart of jealousy. Comprehension Questions .. 1. )What characteristics of Alexander in his young age is being portrayed in the film? Did these characteristics still evident in his adult life? How? O Even Alexander was only a child, you can clearly see his unique characteristics specially his braveness and genuine in terms of battle. O Yes! He conquered half the globe because of his intelligent plans, braveness and his greatness in terms of ruling. . )How did Olympias influenced Alexander? OOlympias influenced Alexander by supporting him to his decisions and teaching Alexander the values of being a child, a man, and also a warrior. 3. )Did Philip have a good relationship with his son? Support your answer. O At first Yes, because they are close to each other(a father and son relationship). Later on, his relationship with his father was destroyed when Philip married Euridice. And in the last part of Philip’s life, Alexander accepted what happened and their early relationship came back. 4. Enumerate all the lands being conquered by Alexander. O Alexander conquered Asia Minor, Persia and eventually Ancient India. 5. )Did the wife of Alexander became an asset or liability to him? How? O No, Hepastion was the only person loved by Alexander. And Roxana(his wife) was just like an ordinary person to him. 6. )How was the vast empire of Alexander divided? O After Alexander died, the vast empire he conquered including Macedonia were divided to his four generals. 7. )In the film, the eagle soars high over the vast army of Alexander during one of his conquest. What does the eagle symbolize in lieu with Alexander’s characteristics as a man, a leader, and a warrior? OAlexander as a man is great compared to an eagle flying in the air. An eagle when flying covers a large part of land by it’s shadow likewise to Alexander’s genius leadership. Even Alexander is only one he can rule properly and control his vast army and lead it to victory. 8. )One of the themes or universal truth of the film is â€Å" The thirst for power and it’s consequences†. In not less than 400 words explain the said theme. O For me the theme or universal truth in the film, â€Å"The thirst of for power and it’s consequences† means that having a power is having a responsibilities. Just like the sayings in Superman â€Å"great powers come great responsibilities† which means If you got power expect that there are consequences like protecting people, beating bad guys, and preserving peace. Similar in the film Alexander, we know that Alexander was very powerful at that time that the other people consider him as a God. But as he got this power he must face the risk. One is he must protect his army whatever happens. Also as a king he must do his best to achieve peace, prosperity, and love in his land. And the main problem or consequence on having superiority is jealousy. Many powerful people died not in battle but because of jealousy of others to their power. Examples are Alexander the great and Julius Caesar. Although the death of Alexander is unknown if due to illness or poison. Some historians thought that its poison that killed Alexander. The suspects are his generals and other officials. It is said that his men are so jealous to Alexander due to his success and supreme power. So they tried to kill him by adding poison to his wine when they are in Macedonia after the battle in Ancient India. Alexander died and his vast empire were divided to his generals. Same as Julius Caesar, he was also a genius in conquering lands as Alexander. Caesar had an absolute power in his time and also because of that â€Å"power† opposition against him grew. Some denounced him as a tyrant, while others were jealous of his popularity. On March 15, 44 Before Common Era, he was stabbed to death. I knew that having a power is awesome and great but too much of it may lead to disaster. A taste of it is enough because as your power increases the risk increases too as well as your enemy. And sadly even the one you trust and love can lie and sell your friendship to get only your power. Once I read a book about power, and it stated that no one can ever have an absolute powers because all these powers belong to God. And also thre’s no one can compare to Him. That’s all. And that’s my own explanation to the atatement â€Å"The thirst for power and it’s consequences†. I hope you understand what I am trying to say or point out. Hehe . Again thanks for reading. God bless.

Human Social Welfare

Human Social Welfare Human Societies in general comprises different social classes with inhabitants ranging from privileged to under-privileged. There exist a number of philosophies to cater social needs of different establishments and in accordance with them people select their methodologies, policies and overall strategies History of Social Welfare and Social Work A program initiated with a vision to provide assistance, support, limited income and services that can benefit the needy in a society can be defined as undertaken for the social welfare. Societies face numerous problems especially the low-income families and those which have no income at all, social work involves analysis of practices suggested by social scientists, conducting research to understand the areas causing problems, evaluating solutions and devising strategies to improve the life of those suffering with poverty or injustice. Social work is aimed at proving social welfare as its focused at positively affecting human living conditions, life style, health, education, food ammunitions. Any government or non-governmental organization can start serving humanity with their social work aimed at the welfare of the people in their community. Providing each individual with quality education, every patient with proper medical facilities, goods and services at affordable prices, shelte r to tragedy striven, employment opportunities and assistance to old citizens are the services social welfare organizations usually provide to the humanity. According to the residual concept of social welfare an individual who has left with no other means of help from his family, work or any where else and has a cause to defend his need would be considered for the sustenance provided by the state. Welfare provision is often seen as being for the poor. This was the dominant model in English-speaking countries; the English Poor Law (1598-1948) was exported to many other countries. This has been taken as the model of a residual system of welfare, in which welfare is a safety net, confined to those who are unable to manage otherwise. (Spiker, 1995) In the light of institutional concept of social welfare state tries its best to protect people from the cost they would have to incur for their survival in an industrialized capitalist market, here the cause of need is not the driver but the need itself is. In this system every social class can be benefited. This concept serves the entire public by establishing development authorities, educational institutions, hospitals, military and law enforcement. UK and Sweden practice Institutional concept of welfare for its state. There is a concept of liberalism in United States that emphasizes on individual liberty strictly denying restrictions imposed by state, religion or social structures. This liberalism has three classes, classic, social and neo liberalism. Classic liberalism emphasizes strongly over individual liberty and minimum hold of state. The philosophy here supports individual rights of property, free trade, and the decision one makes out of his rational mind-set. Social liberalism has an added economic and social aspect of politics. It highlights the need for the whole society to preserve individuals right of liberty. Its usually been applied in mixed economies and with government providing services to private enterprises conducting their business and consumer services. Its philosophers consider lack of basic human needs like education, health and employment triggers the threat to individual as well as social liberty. Neoliberalism suggests economic liberty as the foundation of economic develop ment for any nation. Income taxes, individuals right of property, deregulation, trade liberalization etc are the pre-requisites of neoliberalism. Conservative philosophers believe in the rule of law over liberty and individual rights. They consider implication of law mandatory on the economic, political and social ideology of people. Classical conservatism prioritize legacy of laws over individuals speculated rational decisions. It has tradition and religion codes focused at the perseverance of both. In fiscal conservatism there is a limit to all the taxes, government intervention and budgetary laws. Social conservatism is centered at preserving social norms and cultural values. Judeo Christian system has a concept of sharing value system common to both the religion. The Jew considers Christians as adopters of some of the values from their faith. The concept of merging belief system could also serve humanitarian values as it increases the tolerance for people belonging to different religion, creating acceptability among communities and bring peace. American system is Judeo Christian with the history that founders of the nati on were more of the believers of being heirs to the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible and the belief in liberty. This sense of mission is why more Americans have died for the liberty of others than any other nations soldiers. It is why those who today most identify with the Judeo-Christian essence of America are more likely to believe in the moral worthiness of dying to liberate countries not only Europe, but Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. That is why America stands alone in protecting two little countries threatened with extinction, Israel and Taiwan. (Prager, 2004, p.5764) The concept is extending to introduce Judeo Christian- Muslim. Even Islamic teachings concentrates on spreading peace on earth rather then promoting terrorism which is the exploitation of the essence of the religion by those who are the enemies of world peace and stability. The Poor Laws in England identified poor as belonging to three groups, those who cant work at all, those who cant find work and those who were not willing to work. A poor relief fund was created and workhouses for able-poor while the idle ones were punished. Elizabeth Poor law of 1601 formularized the relief process by creating a collectivist national system made by imposing taxes and provided services to poor. The deserving poor were provided with food, money and even clothing. Those who needed work were placed at workhouses and were even given places to live while those that were not willing to work were sent to houses of correction. A parish was responsible for identifying and providing sustenance to its poor. The alms provided outside the workhouse were called outdoor relief. Some economists consider American Poor Law comparable to English poor Law reform of 1834. According to a critic Stephen Pimpare Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Hunter College CUNY: During these periods of profound economic transformation, they used similar arguments to make ending or restricting relief an act of compassion, not cruelty, thus giving political viability and moral legitimacy to their self-serving cause. Such propaganda was disseminated through similar kinds of well-funded and well-connected organizations of â€Å"experts,† which functioned as mediating institutions, linking their funders, the media, and the political system; those funders remained behind the scenes during these battles, achieving their goals by dressing their economic campaigns in moral rhetoric. (Pimpare, 2003) Protestant ethics is being considered as an evolutionary force behind capitalism. Unlike other religion it encouraged the followers to pursue economic growth. Under this view Economic gain was focused, activities for the pursuit of worldly benefits was encouraged and given positive meaning. Some critics condemn such behavior of protestant preachers as being aimed at saving their position by establishing opportunities like material growth appreciable in religion. Laissez-Faire introduces an economic concept which rejects the intervention by the government in the form of taxes and other charges that are above then the one required to carry the specified services like individual rights, peace and security government is supposed to provide. It stresses the need of individual rights, personal freedom and free market. States unnecessary regulation and protection skims the profits and leave business world dissatisfied. Reference: Pimpare, S. (2003, Aug) The Poor Law Strikes Home?  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, PA Online Retrieved 2008-02-24 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p62621_index.html Prager, D. (2004) â€Å"What does Judeo-Christian mean?†. Jewish World View 8 Nissan, 5764, Retrieved 2008-03-04 from http://focusonjerusalem.com/whatdoesjudeo-christianmean.html Spiker, P. (1995) â€Å"Social Policy and Administration†. Social policy: themes and Approaches, Retrieved 2008-03-04 from http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/socpolf.htm