Current Applications Of Software Agents Essay

If you have made a purchase at Amazon, you would have noticed that as soon as you complete your purchase procedures, Amazon presents you with a list of books that customers who purchased the same item as you did also bought along with this item. During your next visit, you will find a list of books that are similar to the ones you purchased previously that you might be interested in buying. Another popular site eBay displays a list of similar products that other customers who did the same search looked at. The above two sites are examples of two ways of implementing software agents. A software agent is a computer program that is capable of intelligently and autonomously executing a given task based on the instructions provided by the user. It basically operates on behalf of its owner. The goal of a software agent is to maximize the owner’s interests which it does by maximizing a particular utility function. Most software agents can learn from experience and adapt themselves based on the feedback obtained from the environment thus making it an autonomous process with no human intervention. A multi-agent system involves multiple software agents. Software agents are ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, in particular, process and workflow automation, electronic commerce, distributed problem solving and Internet applications (Acronymics, Inc. 2004). Some application examples include agent-based supply chain management, personal or user agents, e-business systems, e-market, e-banking, and e-investments, etc. Merchandise management in the retail industry is one area of application of the software agent. Merchandise management involves selection of desirable merchandise, disposal of slow-selling ones and ordering and distributing them appropriately. The competition is fierce with the eCommerce making it even more difficult due to diverse customer preferences low merchant loyalty. The only way to tackle this problem is by understanding the changes in customer demands quickly and responding appropriately through merchandise management. However, due to the sheer number of merchandise and brands, managing merchandise effectively becomes an impossible task. This is where software agents are helpful by performing the merchandise managers’ jobs autonomously, continuously and efficiently. These software agents help in evaluating and selecting merchandise and predicting seasons and building purchase schedules autonomously. An effective merchandise management helps reduce the inventory level while increasing sales and profits. (Jae Heon, P. , Sang Chan P. 2003) Rob Meijer describes the following commercial applications in his article: 1. Watcher agents – These autonomously look for the specified information and provide personalized versions based on the end-user’s preferences, an example is personalized versions of newspapers. To generate a personalized paper, a user must first provide with relevant personal information, preferences, and special interests. The agent then provides personalized news based on these details. With each visit, the agent improves and provides personalized newspaper without much human intervention. Fishwrap (MIT) and Newshound are examples of Watcher agents. (Meijer, R. 2005) 2. Learning agents – Based on the behavior of their user, they can learn to tailor their performance. Examples of the same are Firefly, Similarities Engine, WegHunter, Open Sesame, and InterAp. Similarities Engine was a Web-based music recommending system that worked similar to Amazon’s recommedations of new books; the technology has now been purchased by Microsoft. (Meijer, R. 2005) 3. Shopping agents – These agents are capable of comparing and finding the best price for an item. BargainFinder is an example of Shopping agents that searches the inventory of vendors on the internet to find the lowest prices on the desired product helping you save both time and money. (Meijer, R. 2005) 4. Information retrieval agents – These agents search for information intelligently and are capable of summarizing the information as well. Netsumm is an example that can provide an abstract of the most important sentences of a web page. (Meijer, R. 2005) The Intelligent Software Agents Lab (The Robotics Institute – Carnegie Mellon University) has created an information retrieval agent for Aircraft Maintenance. Considering the searching of relevant information along with time constraints, the mechanics are provided with wearable computers based on RETSINA infrastructure. When a discrepancy is encountered, all he needs to do is fill out a form on his computer and the agents would seek relevant information. â€Å"The advantages of wearable computers with agents include automatic location and retrieval of information relevant to repairs, utilization of historical repair data, increased efficiency of access to information from manuals, and reduction in average time for repair. The overall result is timely, quality maintenance. † (The Intelligent Software Agents Lab, 2001-2009) Another example on their site is WebMate which is a personal digital assistant that â€Å"provides URL recommendations based on a continuously updated user profile; offers ever more relevant web documents based on the ‘Trigger Pairs Model’ approach to keyword refinement; responds to user feedback by selecting features from documents the user finds relevant and incorporating these features into the context of new queries; compiles a daily personal newspaper with links to documents of interest to the user. † (The Intelligent Software Agents Lab, 2001-2009) 5. Helper agents – These are generally used for network management and standard maintenance functions. LANAlert is an example of Helper agent. (Meijer, R. 2005) Agents can also help automate the bargaining process i. e. based on the user preferences, products and services along with related conditions (like warranty and delivery time) can be made flexible to meet the client’s expectations. (Gerding, E. H. 2004) Google AdWords is an example of such an agent. On typing search keywords, it provides recommendations to users as sponsored links. First of all, there are limited ads that can be displayed on a search result page. The ads are displayed only on certain keywords selected by the advertiser. Also, since limited ads are there and also the order of displaying the ads (from top to bottom) makes a difference, advertisers have to compete for these spaces. This is done by choosing the best keywords based on the information provided by Google regarding search counts and setting an upper limit on the amount that you would pay if you have a visitor. The advertiser with the highest bid wins in this case. Gary Anthes provides the examples of the following companies who have been successful in utilizing software agents for complex processes: †¢ Procter & Gample Co. (P&G) used software agents to convert their supply chain management into a supply network connecting to 5 billion consumers in 140 countries saving $300 million annually. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Southwest Airlines Co. optimized cargo routing using software agents. †¢ For Air Liquide America LP, software agents helped reduce both production and distribution costs. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Software agents helped Merck & Co. find more efficient ways to distribute anti-HIV drugs in Zimbabwe. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Simulation of buyer preferences using software agents helped Ford Motor Co. come up with car options that â€Å"optimized the trade-offs between production costs and customer demands†. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Software agents helped Edison Chouest Offshore LLC to optimize service and supply vessels deployment in the Gulf of Mexico. (Anthes, G. 2003) Supply Chain Management through software agents not only help save costs but also help in inventory management through reduced inventory, and improved customer service. (Anthes, G. 2003) Gary Anthes also explains how software agents have helped P&G. Basically, each component of the supply system from trucks to drivers to stores was represented by a software agent. Using rules, they defined the behavior of each component that represented its actual behavior such as â€Å"Dispatch truck when full†. P&G then used the simulations to perform what-if scenarios and checked out inventory levels, transportation costs and in-store stock-outs. Many alternate rules were considered such as on ordering and shipping frequencies, demand forecasting etc. (Anthes, G. 2003) Through the use of these agent-based models, P&G realized that while sending trucks with less than full loads increases transportation costs, frequency of in-store stock-outs often resulting in lost sales is reduced. Similarly P&G relooked into many of its rigid rules and relaxed them to improve the overall performance of the supply chain. They also had to be more flexible in manufacturing – instead of one product at a time, they had to be able to produce every product every day, reducing stock-outs. Flexibility in distributing products within 24 hours instead of the customary 48 to 72 hours was another change that software agents helped P&G realize and change. (Anthes, G. 2003) References Jae Heon, P. , Sang Chan P. 2003. Agent-based merchandise management in business-to-business electronic commerce. In Decision Support Systems (Volume 35 , Issue 3 , June 2003). Elsevier Science Publishers B. V. Amsterdam. http://portal. acm. org/citation. cfm? id=794070 This article explains how an agent-based merchandise management system can help retail companies better manage their merchandise. Gerding, E. H. 2004. Autonomous Agents in Bargaining Games: An Evolutionary Investigation of Fundamentals, Strategies, and Business Applications. PhD thesis, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven. http://eprints. ecs. soton. ac. uk/15640/ This article explains how autonomous software agents could be used in the bargaining process and some of its applications. WebMate. The Intelligent Software Agents Lab. The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University. http://www. cs. cmu. edu/~softagents/webmate. html This article explains WebMate, a personal digital assistant, a real-life application of software agents. Aircraft Maintenance. The Intelligent Software Agents Lab. The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University. http://www. cs. cmu. edu/~softagents/aircraft. html This article explains how the aircraft maintenance issues have been resolved using software agents. Anthes, G. 2003. Agents of Change. In Computerworld. http://www. computerworld. com/action/article. do? command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Software+Development&articleId=77855&taxonomyId=63&pageNumber=1 This article provides examples of successful implementation of software agents by several companies and how it has helped them improve their processes as well as their thinking. Meijer, R. 2005. Intelligent Software Agents: Perspective for business. In The IPTS Report (Issue 5). http://ipts. jrc. ec. europa. eu/home/report/english/articles/vol05/art-it1. htm This article provides types of commercial applications of software agents along with implemented examples. Acronymics, Inc. 2004. Why, When, and Where to Use Software Agents. http://www. agentbuilder. com/Documentation/whyAgents. html This article provides an overview on software agents.

European Union and Stricter Environmental Protection

PEST – Analysis This analysis is a helpful tool to take a closer look at the general environment. Although the PEST analysis rely on past events and experience, it can be used as a forecast of the future (Wilson and Gilligan, 1998). Political factors The political environment is good. The government is stable and reliable, even if Britain fails to achieve total agreement with some EU policies from time to time. At the present no EU directives are known which will have a direct effect on the UK clothing retail industry in the near future.Due to the EU membership a trend can be seen towards stricter environmental protection legislation. This may have a direct or indirect effect on NEXT or his suppliers. Economic factors Looking at the economic environment, it is somewhat tricky since on the one hand there is the strong sterling compared to the Euro. Euroland encourages imports and endeavours to hold domestic prices at an attractive level. But on the other hand it is difficult fo r the UK to be competitive outside its boundaries because of the high pound sterling exchange rate against the Euro.As NEXT sells about 96% in the UK marketplace, this may currently only have a limited effect, but could be more important in the future when thinking globally. Fig. 2 This can also be seen on the â€Å"Big Mac – Cross Rates† table, where hamburgers sold in the UK are more expensive than in most other countries. So an investment outside the UK might be very attractive – also speaking of â€Å"reimports† to transfer the goods back into the domestic market. Source: see Chapter 7 Another issue is the falling unemployment rate. For the UK population this is good news but for companies like NEXT, this has different implications.For NEXT it means higher expenditure on wages, as well as greater difficulties in recruiting good employees. Social factors Speaking of the socio-cultural future it should be mentioned that people retire earlier these days, as well as working shorter hours. Average working hours per week have decreased over the last 20 years. As a result many people have more spare time. This means they have time to compare prices in the High Street and the quality of goods and services from retailers. But as a result, they spend more time in the shops.Another issue these days are the â€Å"Green environmental issues†. Because people have more time and have ample access to the media via the TV, radio, as well as newspapers and the Internet, the consumer is better informed and therefore this awareness of environmental issues challenges him to care. He wants more than just a product. He is interested in the production process. He wants to know if the factories are environmentally friendly or not, where his product was build and under which circumstances etc. etc. So one problem in the clothing retail sector could be child labour.There are companies who rely on it in order to be competitive in their domestic marke t, for example Marks and Spencer. Marks & Spencer had been accused of using child labour in Indonesia in 1999. But once the customers becomes aware of such practices, companies get into real trouble if they do not respond immediately. Consumers who are looking for a best price purchase, may however not be prepared to consider the economic price which their social conscience inflicts on those companies whose products offends their ethics and which they consequently shun.Technological factors Another issue is the speed of technological transfers which also has an impact on the industry – it is not comparable with the fast growing internet business – but nevertheless it is important. New technology allows new products to be developed, e. g. Lycra ®, Supplex ® or other synthetic material. Existing materials can be produced quicker and cheaper. Adopting these technologies can be a decis ive factor as to whether a company is ahead of his competitors or whether it lags be hind.

Arecanut and Cocoa Production and Marketing Aspects Essay

Arecanut is an important commercial crop in India which plays a prominent role in the religious, social and cultural functions and economic life of people in India. The present production of arecanut in the world is about 0.854 million tons from an area of 0.702 million hectares. India ranks first in both area and production of arecanut Arecanut industry forms the economic backbone of nearly six million people in India and for many of them it is the sole means of livelihood. Both area and production of arecanut in India have increased tremendously during the last three decades. The area under arecanut in India has increased from 0.167 million hectares during 1971 to 0.4 million hectares by the year 2010-11 with an overall growth rate of 2.2%. During the same period the production has increased more than 3 times from 0.141 million tons to 0.478 million tones with a growth rate of 3.2%. As of now, cocoa is one of the important commercial plantation crops in India and it is mainly cultivated in four major southern States viz., Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. India produces 12954 tonnes of cocoa from an area of 46318 ha (DCCD, 2010). The cocoa industry in the country had expanded to a considerable extent in recent years. At present, more than 15 industrial entrepreneurs and firms existing in the field demand nearly 30,000 tonnes of cocoa beans, of which the present domestic availability is only about 40 percent. Considering the market growth in the chocolate segment in India, which is about 20 percent per annum, cocoa, has a great potential to develop in future years. Recent area expansion in Andhra Pradesh (16969 ha) can be taken as a positive response to the demand-supply fissure. We can further, strengthen the Transfer of Technology (ToT) activities to encourage the cocoa cultivation as an intercrop in arecanut and coconut to meet the challenges r egarding supply of cocoa in the future. Economic impact analysis of arecanut based cropping system An impact analysis of arecanut based cropping systems in South Karnataka has been carried out. It was observed that, farmers are predominantly following three cropping systems which were, 1) arecanut + banana 2) arecanut + cocoa and 3) arecanut + banana + pepper. To estimate the economic impact of different cropping systems, we have calculated the average cost per hectare, average yield and the net returns of each system. The quantification of economic impact of each system has been worked out by combining the difference in net returns of each system from the arecanut monocrop, and percentage of adoption of each cropping system. The total economic impact due to adoption of cropping systems in the region was found to be Rs 680 million. Economic impact analysis of improved arecanut varieties The analysis was based on a field survey of 120 arecanut farmers in South Karnataka. To estimate the economic impact of improved varieties we have calculated the weighed average cost per hectare, weighed yield and net returns of the released varieties. The weights are assigned according to the estimated percentage area of each variety in South Karnataka. The total area of arecanut in the district was multiplied with the percentage adoption of improved varieties in the region to arrive at the total area under improved varieties. The difference in net returns will give the additional benefit we would have obtained, had the area been under released varieties. It was observed that 13.6% of total area in southern Karnataka is under released arecanut varieties. The economic impact of released arecanut varieties in monitory terms was found to be rupees 141 million per year. The presence of improved varieties was more prominent in the young plantations. The holding wise observations revealed that the presence of released varieties was more in small holding groups. Cost of production of arecanut and cocoa According to the study conducted by the Institute, the cost of production of one kilogram of arecanut in a well-maintained garden was found to be Rs 104.20 Here we have considered the economic life span of the palm as 35 years and average annual production as 2700 kg/ha The average maintenance cost (from 8th year to 35th year) was calculated at Rs. 168765/ha. The cost of production of cocoa grown in arecanut garden was found to be Rs74.42/kg of dry beans and average annual maintenance cost recorded at Rs 55268/ha. Marketing The chali and the red are the two main varieties of arecanut consumed by the people mostly as a habit. Chali or the white supari is used mainly in the pan or beedas and the red variety is used both in the preparation of pan and value added products like pan masala, ghutka, sweet supari etc. From production to consumption level both private traders and the co-operatives play an important role in India. Here, the share of the cooperative is around 15 per cent and remaining is under the control of the private traders. Among the cooperatives The CAMPCO, a nodal agency has its own purchasing and sales centres throughout the country Disposal pattern: A study in Dakshina Karnataka showed that 80 percent of the farmers, who dispose the produce immediately after harvest, were small cultivators. Remaining 20 per cent who disposed the produce when the prices in the market are favorable, were large farmers. It was observed that indebtedness and lack of proper infrastructure facilities for storage compel the small farmer to dispose the produce at the earliest. The majority of the farmers (63%) sold chali supari to traders, who reportedly paid two rupees extra of the market rate per kg of chali sold. Stagnating market prices and increasing cost of production, especially the skilled labour charges in the recent times have generated livelihood concerns of arecanut farmers in India. Surging imports, which is around 12 percent of the domestic production, certainly has a significant role in price stickiness. Market studies reveal that around 75 percent of the arecanut trade is in the hands of private trades, which has provided ample scope for hoarding and resulted in market imperfections and low price realization. In the case of cocoa the current supply is only around fifty percent of the actual domestic demand and hence, there exist a huge scope for area expansion with the supply of elite seedlings/grafts. Effective dissemination of technologies through trainings, on-farm trials, demonstrations and seminars are being carried out by the Institute. Nevertheless, the price stagnation of the crop for a long period has caused disinterest among arecanut farmers. Therefore, in the case of arecanut a vicious cycle was formed in the pattern of ‘depressed prices + shortage of labour–crop negligence–diseases /pest attack–low yield/production’ and this in turn especially has adversely affected the small and marginal arecanut farmers who are solely dependent on the crop.

Kohlbergs Theory Essay

PSYCHOLOGY 112 Table of contents: * Introduction * Definition of Kohlberg’s Theory * Advantage in Kohlberg’s Theory * Disadvantage in Kohlberg’s Theory * Opinion * Recommendation Introduction Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development constitute an adaptation of a psychological theory originally conceived by the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. The theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behavior, has six identifiable developmental stages, each more adequate at responding to moral dilemmas than its predecessor. Kohlberg determined that the process of moral development was principally concerned with justice, and that it continued throughout the individual’s lifetime, a notion that spawned dialogue on the philosophical implications of such research. For his studies, Kohlberg relied on stories such as the Heinz dilemma, and was interested in how individuals would justify their actions if placed in similar moral dilemmas. He then analyzed the form of moral reasoning displayed, rather than its conclusion, and classified it as belonging to one of six distinct stages Kohlberg’s six stages can be more generally grouped into three levels of two stages each: pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Following Piaget’s constructivist requirements for a stage model, as described in his theory of cognitive development, it is extremely rare to regress in stages—to lose the use of higher stage abilities. Stages cannot be skipped; each provides a new and necessary perspective, more comprehensive and differentiated than its predecessors but integrated with them. Kohlberg’s Theory The stage of Moral Development/Moral Reasoning 1. Pre-conventional level 2. Conventional level 3. Post-conventional level ..Psychologist, studied the reasoning ability & recognizing where a child is at according to stages can help identify how child may feel about illness ,moral reasoning & cognitive stages of development. LEVEL| STAGE/YEARS| CHARACTERISTICS| Pre conventional| Stage 1(2 to 3 y/o)Stage 2(4 to 7 y/o)| Obedience and punishment orientation(How can I avoid punishment?) A child tell him the right thing because he was told to do so to avoid punishment.–Self-interest orientation(Paying for a benefit)Child caries out actions to satisfy his own needs rather than the society’s.The child does something for another if he gets something in return.| Conventional| Stage 3(7/10 y/o)Stage 4(10/12 y/o)| Interpersonal accord and conformity(The good boy/good girl attitude)A child follows rules because of a need to be good person in own eyes & in the eyes of the others†¦Authority and social-order maintaining orientation(Law and order morality)A child follows rules of authority figures as well as parents to keep the system working.| Post conventional| Stage 5(older than 12y/o)Stage 6(older than 12 y/o)| Social contract orientation(Utilitarian Law Making Perspective)A child follow standards of society for the good of people†¦Universal ethical principles(Principled conscience)A child follows internalized standards of conduct.| Advantages of the Kohlberg’s theory The ability to empirically test the individual for where they are in their moral development, along with offering a basic structure for creating â€Å"just communities† applicable both within and outside student affairs. Moreover, Kohlberg’s model offers insight as to why an individual may be seeking out justice based on what stage they are in. 2. Kohlberg’s theory essentially provides a roadmap for moral thinking that otherwise did not exist. 3. It inadvertently offers benchmarks for where one might be in their moral development based on their life situation. 4. Offering a structure for â€Å"just  communities.† It was Kohlberg’s hope that he would employ his theory to create communities that were collaborative, held each other accountable, and had philosophical and educational discussions to further both the individual and the group in their moral development (Kohlberg, 1971, 1972). It offers a venue for individuals to discuss a number of hypoth etical or moral dilemmas while simultaneously furthering development through cognitive dissonance. Disadvantages in Kohlberg’s theory Gender differences that affect moral reasoning; cultural differences in regards to the Western cultures versus the non-Western cultures; the model being a hard stage model; the focus of justice over care and finally the use of hypothetical decision making over real life dilemmas in the assessments. 2. Gender differences in moral reasoning. Carol Gilligan (1982/1983) was strongly opposed to Kohlberg’s model mainly on the basis of gender. As stated, Kohlberg originally based his theory on a study of young male individuals excluding women. Gilligan (1982/1983) argued that Kohlberg’s theory incorporated a gender bias directly into the theory as well as the assessment tools. Moreover, she argued Kohlberg ignored a women’s moral orientation to a response of care. Some studies have shown that looking at responses to the Rest’s Defining Issues Test (DIT) (Rest, 1986a) and Moral Judgment Interview (MJI) (Colby, et al, 1987), men tend to be more justice oriented and women more care oriented, and especially so when they take on the traditional gender roles (Rest, 1986b; Walker, 1984). This is concerning since Kohlberg’s theory is truly justice oriented. It may be more difficult to get an accurate answer about where a woman is in moral development in regards to Kohlberg’s stage model than a male. 3. Cultural and Religious. Religion can play a major factor in an individual’s personal and moral development. Both Rest (1986) and Dirks (1988) found that a number that religion was a factor in moral decision making. Rest (1986) found that those coming from a liberal perspective tended to score higher in moral development than others. Dirks (1988) found that those with an evangelical belief system are less likely to enter into the post conventional stage. In terms of cultural differences there is likely a difference in moral reasoning in Western cultures versus non Western cultures. The value systems  often differ vastly and as such may not be able to fit in to one particular stage in Kohlberg’s theory. Western cultures tend to be more indivi dualistic (Miller & Bersoff, 1992). While this problem may seem minute, the validity of a theory must be tested across gender and culture. In this regard, Kohlberg’s theory is not as applicable to other cultures because it is based off a values system that is very much Americanized. Ironically, a theory that seeks to promote universality is not as universal as it should be. Opinion Kohlberg’s Theory covers the moral development stages of an individual and I think this theory is a huge help for a person, especially those who have children. Kohlberg’s theory may serve as guide on how a parent would treat their child’s behaviour. Parents would understand why their child is behaving in such manner and they can make disciplinary action or decision on how to correct or improve unpleasant behaviour. And guide them in developing their sense of morality. And make them an honest and morally mature person. By knowing this theory we can also examine ourselves. Reflect and think of situation we encountered in our life and how we reacted to it. By doing so, we will know what level of morality we fit in. I think morality depends on a person’s point of view. We can only say it’s wrong if it’s against the law but the morality issue of the person really depends on what his conscience tell him. Recommendation Lawrence Kohlberg theory of Moral Development gives a detailed explanation on how a child develops morally. This theory is remarkable because we now have an overview about morality and we now have guidance if we are on the right track or not. We can now assess our level of morality. And we can now choose what level we want to be. Report by: Mr.Dennies Dela Cruz Ms.Iris Vi P.De Jesus BSC â€Å"Morality is the ability to see an issue from points of view other than just your own.† — Lawrence Kohlberg—

Religious Journey Essay

The religion that I was raised is Baptist. I have heard that southern Baptists are very strict but I did not ever have to do anything strict. My parents took me to church when I was younger but after about the age of 10 I rarely went again. They got divorced and it was really hard for my mom to raise us and work all the time, so I guess church went out the window. However I have always believed in God and I try to always do the right thing. I pray at night, but I still do not attend church even though I would like to. For a while I did analyze religion too much and I questioned if he was real, but after the stories I’ve heard of people dying and being revived they say they went to heaven. This made me a strong believer and that is why I pray for my family and everything else. If I had not gone to church during my parents’ divorce it would have been a lot harder for me to understand and get through it. It was a very nasty divorce and the custody battle lasted two long years. Going to church not only helped me understand but it gave me something stronger to believe in. The divorce was very hard on me. The religion that I practice now is just being a Christian. I do not really know the difference between Baptist and Christianity. I just know that I believe in God and try to live my life the right way so that one day I can go to heaven hopefully. I always admit my sins and ask for forgiveness. I pray for my family and friends sometimes the whole world. It makes me feel better because it is something bigger than me. I really feel like sometimes God will test us, but he always seems to make it better. I would definitely say that religion and believing in God has made me a stronger and happier person. I couldn’t imagine not believing in anything I know that life would be a lot harder. The reason I decided to be a Christian instead of Baptist is because I do not know the difference for one, but I also want the freedom to believe in God the way I want to. I feel like Christianity gives you more freedom to believe in God your own way. I do not go to church, but that’s not the point. Being a Christian just felt like the right way to go in life.

Cloud Computing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cloud Computing - Assignment Example Cloud computing might be the frontier in business computing and service delivery, but it does not actually differ from the traditional file hosting and network given that they both use the same technology. The significant difference that makes cloud computing more striking exists in the execution of the technology; virtualization. Virtualization avails clients with unlimited resources given that it allows for large scalability. Cloud computing allows businesses to enter new markets and to get closer to customers thus easy delivery of new services. Cloud technologies are commonly used by businesses, as a catalyst, to implement new processes and systems that free organizations to maximize not only business results but also the functional metrics. The paper examines the difference that exists between cloud services and then traditional networks and hosting. (Ivanov, 2012). Cloud services offer a number of business and economic benefits to an organization such as the access to a highly scalable infrastructure while reducing the cost of operation and maintenance. Servers in traditional networking and hosting set ups are fixed in hardware meaning that an organization has to spend more money in upgrades in case it wants to scale up in order to cater for more users than the current hardware can support. This proves to be costly with minimal benefits given that the upgraded hardware is still limited to a number of users. (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2010). Cloud services, on the other hand, has its servers and other infrastructures virtually installed in place enabling for scalability from small needs of users to massive corporate needs. The ability for cloud computing to easily scale resources with minimal cost makes it more affordable than the traditional hosting system since users only pay for what they use. Server and infrastructure upgrades are done by the cloud service providers rather than the business organization thus ensuring

Reflecive journal inspired by different kinds of media practices and Essay

Reflecive journal inspired by different kinds of media practices and ideas related to my module - Essay Example It is regarded as a recent style as such mechanical potential is very newly set so that low cost and extensive execution can be performed. It allows the effective use of space and potential by allowing various functions to be executed on an individual device. Convergence further has two wider ranges of description and they are technological convergence and media convergence (Arenaza, 2010). Technological convergence is the procedure in which the prevailing machinery that integrates in to new configurations that bring about various kinds of applications and media. Recent appliances and machinery generally manage a particular instruction or to execute some primary jobs (Wise Geek, 2014). Technological convergence allows different devices to collaborate with a broader arrangement of media kinds. With technological improvement, brand new versions of the devices may compromise extra characteristics which were not available in the previous one (Techopedia, 2014). Media convergence is the fact that includes the linkage of communication and information technologies, media material and computer systems. Media convergence is the immediate result of the digitalization of media content and the fame of the Internet. It alters prominent organizations, services and work execution and allows absolutely new designs of content to appear (Flew, 2014). Such advancements can be used both ways either for the good or for the bad. The good is always appreciated by the people and especially the government as it makes their work easier while the bad is always criticized by the people and especially the government as it increases their work to maintain law and order. To make sure that media is not being used for the bad, governments make rules and regulations which restrict the media to a certain limits and ensure that the limits are not being crossed. The communication and media organizations are now few of the major industries of the society. After the