Christmas †8th Grade Expository Example Essay

â€Å"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style†¦ In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My favorite holiday has always been Christmas. I love everything about it! One of the best things about Christmastime is that we get such a long time off from school. In addition to that, my family flies back home to Pennsylvania in December, so we always get to see snow. We also spend time with family and friends playing games and exchanging gifts, which is always a lot of fun. Of all the holidays, I think Christmas is the best! Towards the end of December, we all really need a break, and Christmas Break comes at just the right time, lasting just over two weeks! It’s so nice to have off from school at a time when there’s great holiday music on the radio and great sales in all the stores. Not to mention the fantastic foods filling my plate as I go to all the holiday get-togethers. I don’t like too many gatherings, though, sometimes I just like to rest. I try to spend most of my time on the long break relaxing and enjoying family. Speaking of family, I get to fly back home to Pennsylvania over Christmas Break to visit my relatives. It is always snowy in Pennsylvania in December, so that’s an exciting part our vacation for my sister and me. We go to my cousins’ house and ride four wheelers in the snow, pulling inner tubes behind them. Our parents usually get some great videos of us playing in the snow. Last year we stayed outside so long in a snowstorm, that our hair was caked with snow by the time we came in! It looked like we had white dreadlocks! It is always so fun having adventures with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents back home in Pennsylvania. In addition to all of our snowy adventures, we also spend lots of time indoors with famil y and friends playing games and exchanging gifts. My grandma buys tons of little gifts – mostly candy and dollar store items, but a few nice things, too – that she wraps up and uses as prizes in a game that the whole family plays. There are about twenty of us sitting around her long dining room table, and we roll dice for about two minutes. Whenever anyone rolls doubles, they get to take a present. When all the presents are gone, but there’s still time on the clock, you get to steal someone else’s present! It’s kind of hard to explain, but it’s the most fun our family has at the holidays. Spending time with all of my family over Christmas Break is a great time that is very special to me†¦and getting little gifts is an added bonus! Just like most people I know, I think Christmas is the best holiday ever! Having such a long time off from school is a much-needed break in the middle of the school year. Because the break is so long, my family can fit in time to fly back home to Pennsylvania to have some fun playing in the snow. The fun continues indoors with family games and gifts, always a highlight of the vacation. This vacation is something I look forward to all year round. Christmas brings me so much happiness†¦just like those Silver Bells. â€Å"Ring-a-ling†¦.Hear them ring†¦ Soon it will be Christmas Day.†

Animal Behaviour Essay

Animals and their behaviour has been fascinating to behold and even more incredible to experience. Humans have been intrigued at how the most basic creatures can do the most complex things. Ethology or the scientific study of animal behaviour is responsible for numerous breakthroughs in the understanding of the animal world, and in turn the human one. Animal behaviour can range from being altruistic, to funny, to being lessons in teamwork and commitment. Dolphins have been observed to help sick or injured animals, swimming under them for hours at a time and pulling them to the surface so they can breathe. Male emperor penguins form a huddle during the cold and dark winter months where from tens to thousands of penguins lean on each other and gradually shift positions to obtain maximum warmth from the core of the huddle. Geese fly in a V formation as a flock to increase flight efficiency by 71% compared to one goose flying alone. Malaysian ants blow themselves up into a thousand bits of organic dust if they sense a threat to their colony. Elephants are known to mourn their dead. They stand around the body for days and pay respects to the dead elephant by touching their trunks to its body. Many animals, from earthworms to apes, are capable of learned behavior. They can alter their instinctive behavior by drawing on past experiences. With the help of technology, today scientists are able to find out much more about animal behaviour and the ways animals interact. If scientists in the Smithsonian can teach orangutans simple language using computers they can also find out if other animals think like humans. The knowledge they gain will help save wildlife and prevent endangered species from disappearing. So let’s hear it for the creepies and crawlies, the slimies and furries who have successfully learnt to establish and protect territories, find food and water, court, mate, reproduce, nurture their young, and play in a mind-boggling array of conditions far beyond our fragile human capacity. â€Å"God gave unto the animals wisdom past our power to see: Each knows innately how to live. Which we must learn laboriously†.

Reporting results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Reporting results - Essay Example Even though in 2012, Meals for the Homeless made a significant growth in total revenue, the amount could even be higher if the revenue from telephone solicitation was higher. One of the possible explanations for the decreased revenue through telephone solicitation is that lenders were more interested in viewing the balance sheet before giving their donations. Based on the fact that financial reports are used by various users including banks, lenders and auditors among others, Meals for the Homeless should show their financial reports to the lenders as a way of proving their financial stability and accountability (Finkler, 2010). Another possible reason is that Meals for the Homeless was not targeting large donors and organisations in 2012. As a result, the revenue generated from the less financially stable donors was less in 2012. The key question is: why did the revenue from telephone solicitation decreased while Meals for the Homeless management received more funds from mail solicitation? In the same way, was the decrease caused by the poor relation between the Meals for the Homeless management and the public or poor financial management and lack of

"selection questions" investment banking job application Essay

"selection questions" investment banking job application - Essay Example The UBA offers a non-discriminatory and harassment-free workplace, which nurtures stable career growth with room for career development. The bank offers the ideal work environment for all employees while offering them opportunities to develop their professional banking careers. This is why the UBA global bank serves as the perfect bank to work for. The position of Analyst for mergers and acquisitions is a very challenging role, which deals with the purchase, merger, sale or takeover of companies (Iannotta 141). Working in such a globally recognized institution as Barclay Bank would provide a positive career challenge and would boost my experience in the banking career. Careerwise, taking up this role at Barclays would give me the necessary exposure and hands-on experience that is necessary to develop the career positively. The international outlook of the company would offer me a huge opportunity to network with others and help build a solid career base. The main objective of working for the institution would be to utilize this unique platform by maximizing on my talents with the intention of positively developing my career. Additionally, I will maximize on the international platform that the opportunity offers. The Barclays Bank is a leading branch globally, and it focuses on integrating global policies in diverse internation al settings. In addition, the opportunity would help me to bring personal output on an international scale and at the same time boost the merger and acquisitions expertise so as to be able to serve clients better. A chance to be a component of such a dynamic team is indeed hard to find, and this is why being onboard the Barclays fraternity would be such an honor and privilege. Indeed, such added expertise would help in this competitive field, and give it an edge over other banks. The stronger duty of national governments within banking is a catalyst

IKEAs Corporate Social Responsibility and Supply Management Coursework

IKEAs Corporate Social Responsibility and Supply Management - Coursework Example It is noted that since the year 2000, IKEA has worked actively towards meeting its set corporate social responsibility towards its business sustainability. The first area of CRS that IKEA started channeling its efforts was to meet the social requirement of its stakeholders by complying in its supply chain. In other words, IKEA created effective business relationship with investors and supplies towards sustainable business. Additionally, IKEA has made RCS its organizational culture that aims at enduring effective partnership with all stakeholders as it support social issues, protect the environment, and giving back to the society. Notably, IKEA is highly involved in the community development a responsibility that makes it in active interaction with its various stakeholders. IKEA has also set code of conduct within its operation to ensure that its employees interact among themselves and with other stakeholders in socially acceptable manners. IKEA started implementing its code of conduc t in the year 2000.

Pubic health pharmacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pubic health pharmacy - Essay Example Each ethnicity has different barriers that they must overcome to help them prevent, manage, or cure a certain health issue. During the behavioral diagnosis, each student was responsible for interviewing two African Americans and understanding their view of health problems. Diabetes and high cholesterol were the other two major health concerns among the African American society along with hypertension. Many of the people that were interviewed had one of these diseases themselves or someone in their immediate family were suffering from these diseases. The disease according to the interviewers was more common for people that were busy with uptight schedules. From our perspectives and understanding many of the interviewers didn’t seem to take their health as significantly as they should be. From such observations, we concluded perhaps they are not as aware of the risks and prognosis of such a potent disease. The SPSS data helped us confirm the major health concerns among the Afric an-American population. Hypertension was the highest risk among the society with 35% followed by high cholesterol with approximately 20% and diabetes with 17%. The percentage is equal to the amount of people that were aware of their health conditions in each of the different disease states. Arthritis, Anemia and liver disease were not as common in the population as much as the other three stated above. Based on our interpretation of these data and our behavioral diagnosis we concluded hypertension as the most common risk among African-Americans. In the environmental diagnosis each one of the group members focused on a specific part of New York City that had a majority of African-Americans. To make it city wide we chose throughout the different boroughs. Comparing our results together we found a few things in common. All the areas had relatively many fast foods and a very few healthy food stores such as

The meaning of the marine NCO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The meaning of the marine NCO - Essay Example War is usually fought by trained personnel who are either expert in ground combat, air combat or water combat. However the USA Marine Corps is a special unit that is a maestro both in ground and water combat. In this sense they might be termed as the amphibians as powerful as a tiger lurking its prey on ground and as vicious as a crocodile waiting silently beneath the water without a hint that its probable prey could have catch. United States of America has a rich and engrossing military history. Over the centuries they have not only protected their home land rather came into rescue for several times to other nations well. The two of the prime example might be the first Great War followed by the second one within a span of quarter of a century. Such aggression and military success by no means qualifies the country as war monger, but war is an evil necessity and at times to restore peace or to save the world from evil dictatorship dedicated to wards military regime instead of fostering democracy; war cannot be avoided. The effort of the USA military can best be classified under these two headings one to restore global peace and the other to tame the evil dictators who came with a dream to rein the entire world through force of military not by the power of love. The USA armed force has several sectors, each dedicated to its own cause and entrusted with their specific responsibilities. The entire armed force of USA might be sub-divided into four parts namely, US Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Air Force (Wisegeek, 2013). The term USA Marine Corps brings peace to the heart of each American people and runs a chilly wave along the spine of all the enemies of United States of America. The first question that hover the mind of a researcher is what was the need for the USA Congress to initiate a new division of armed force? The Marine Corps started as an infantry division within the Navy with a view to protect the ship from any mutiny and

Chapter 9 & 10 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chapter 9 & 10 - Assignment Example Question # 2: P&G has now realized the importance of the social media and already shifted its advertisement budget towards social media. The company needs to increase its budget for social media such as face book, twitter as this media has great influence in the mind of people. P&G should also involve in social causes to attach customers emotionally towards it and to build strong brand images. For that purpose, It can offer scholarships to needy and meritorious people, and help needy people. Question # 3: The world is facing economical crises and the buying power of the consumer is reducing which can be worst in future. This is a significant situation which might affect P&G badly. Moreover, the R&D and marketing cost of P&G is increasing with the passage of time which can be problematic for the company as the world is now searching new techniques to reduce cost. In addition to that, increasing competition in FMCG industry is also the major risk which P&G can face in the future. Case 2: McDonald’s Question # 2: The core brand value of McDonald is its high quality food for customers with speed and convenience. Initially, McDonald was offering quality Hamburger but it expanded its menu with other dishes like Happy Meal, Big Mac, Egg, McMuffin etc. The company started expanding its business domestically as well as internationally due to its premium quality of food. However during 1990s company lost its direction i.e. high premium food. It focused to further expand its network of restaurants. It was not focusing to train employees properly and thus customer faced poor services and started losing the interest from the company. The company realized this situation and refocused its 5Ps and adopted the policy to offer different dishes for different region according to their culture and environment. Through this plan McDonald refocused on food and service quality. It also started offering healthy food due to the increasing concern of customers regarding obesity. I t also included ice-cream and coffee in its menu. Question # 2: McDonald should not change its strategy because the strategy worked well for it. It has refocused on its core values which it lost and had negative response from consumers. Therefore it will be a great risk for McDonald to change its strategies. McDonald has expanded its menu and added great varieties in it. Though its core product was Hamburger but it included new food to attract new segments of the market. Moreover, they have included healthier food in the menu and offer to health conscious people at a premium price. The strategy to offer different food for different markets according to their culture and environment has also worked in favor of McDonald. In addition to that, $1 menu was also the marvelous strategy of McDonald which targeted lower income people and teenagers. Question # 3: McDonalds might face several risks in the future. It is a multinational company which can face treasury risk due to the variation i n US Dollars against major currencies. Global instability in the economical crises might also affect McDonald’s business. Another greater risk that it might face is the entrance of new players in the market. The living standard of the people is increasing and they are going to more delicious and quality food. Therefore, the

Cubism movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cubism movement - Essay Example â€Å"Within the first two decades of the 20th century, a new art movement began that was unlike any other—Cubism. Started by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, most Cubist works are immediately recognizable due to their flattened, nearly two-dimensional appearance; an inclusion of geometric angles, lines, and shapes; and a fairly neutral color palette†.Imagination and influence of other artists was contagious and spread like the wild-fire! Artists were waiting in the wings, as if to tread the path of this novel mode of art. Additions and subtractions were made to the original conception of Cubism. The great artist Picasso was highly influenced by the works of Paul Cezanne and Jean Dominique. He experimented with ambiguous silhouettes. Next to catch his imagination was primitive and African art. Artists began to don the gowns of mathematicians. Cezanne advised the artists to treat nature in terms of the cylinder, cone and the sphere. Picasso and Braque did further improv ements. After conceiving the totality of the subject, they fragmented and analyzed and then reassembled it in an abstract form. They were criticized and appreciated for their extraordinary experiments—that they abandoned proportions, continuity of life samples and organic integrity and material objects. Critics said that the works looked like a field of broken glass.Notwithstanding the criticism and differences in opinions, Cubism thrived. â€Å"The Cubist emphasized a flat, two-dimensional surface and rejected the idea that art should imitate nature.

Teaching science to children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Teaching science to children - Essay Example The students were able to observe and experiment first-hand how many of these processes are undergone. The results of these experiments not only benefitted the knowledge of the students by allowing them to witness scientific phenomena, but it also allows us to grasp the best ways that students can be taught these methods. Science teaches an understanding of the world around us by stimulating a child’s prediction and analysis of natural phenomena. Teaching science involves conducting methods of Investigation to encourage creative thought and to demonstrate how science can have an immense impact on our future and to achieve advanced medical biotechnology, genetic engineering food production and safety, agricultural biotechnology, and treatment of environmental waste. Teaching science also aims to improve children’s verbal and writing skills to become more scientifically literate (N.A. 2009). Effective teaching style requires the adaptation of successful principles and methods by teachers that were used as an assistant for efficient delivery to take place. Prior to setting up teaching methods, the children’s background knowledge and environment should be considered. Teachers should be aware that students have different learning abilities, and as such different learning techniques should be used during lessons to match their different abilities. A lesson plan can then be designed. These plans state the specific learning goals of each lesson for teachers to follow in a form that can be carried out in several ways: whole class discussions, explaining, experimentation, demonstration, group work, and assessment of pupils’ work. It also helps learners to achieve deep understanding of the material and to become fascinated and keen to acquire more knowledge about scientific phenomena (Fredericks 2005). The science curriculum is a statement about the selected elements of science

Patton-Fuller Network Design Project Essay Example for Free

Patton-Fuller Network Design Project Essay This project focuses on designing an integrated network for the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. The first section of the paper describes the characteristics and components of the current network as well as the standards that coincide with the project. Lastly, the paper also evaluates the current network topology. The hospital has a power backup unit designed to automatically use auxiliary power from a diesel generator. Each department also has its own uninterruptible power supply. The topographical network design shows that of a centralized design. This system has benefits with no need for an operating system stored locally. Thus improving the performance because the OS and user applications are already running on the servers, however it also increases the risk if the mainframe suddenly lost power it will affect all terminals. Distributed networks have much less risk of power outages because if one component in the network fails the others will still have functionality. On the other hand they require OS and software installed on individual computers which require additional hardware to store it, which can take more time to maintain and update. The network bridge is a critical component in this network that passes information locally throughout the network. Doctors can be authorized in a virtual private network (VPN) from a router linked to the remote access server (RAS) that permits them access to the servers from their home. For email functions the network has a Windows Exchange server running on an IBM x3250 series. Workstations in doctor’s offices and nurses have iMac clients on fiber cables. The senior managers in human resources, operations, and finance have virtual operating systems with both Mac OSX (Leopard) and Windows XP. The hospitals current network architecture comprises of a network bridge joining  the administrative and clinical areas. All administrative functions have lines contained in a trunk using Cat 6. The executive departments have Apple desktop systems with Wi-Fi cards installed. The hospital central mainframe is an IBM series Z9EC featuring a database storing patient records and with a fiber connection to a 10 terabyte NAS. Clinical departments have another trunk line on a single mode fiber optic line. (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2011) As part of HIPAA, which is meant to protect patient information in attempts of data breaches. This information is stored in encrypted data files using AES (advanced encryption standard). Access is permitted through identification and authentication of any user the requests this information. Standards are important in networking because all networking devices must have the same rules for communication to prevent a loss of data. Networks can have several levels of scope, local area networks (LAN) are a group of devices connected by Ethernet cables and are limited to the same building with a range of 300 feet. Wide area networks (WAN) are networks built in cities, usually for institutions. Wireless networks have the same scope as LANs do, but use radio signals as communication between a router or wireless modem and any number of wireless devices. A WLAN will require a wireless standard in typically 802.11n or ac. In the installation of a WAN an X.25 standard using a leased line will be adequate for a connection between other hospital locations. (International Business Machines [IBM], n.d.). Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is a telephone network that utilizes the Internet to send voice signals. Unlike the public switched telephone networks that require extra hardware when placing calls in other countries, VoIP send data packets to the phone. Which is the same as how a webpage is loaded in a browser (Nunn, McGuire, Crowe, 2009) In summary, this paper discussed characteristics and components in Patton-Fuller’s network and its topographical design. Finally, standards that are relevant to this project were analyzed. References International Business Machines. (n.d.). Wide area network standards: X.25 networks. Retrieved from http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_61/rzajt/rzajtx25con.htm Nunn, L., McGuire, B., Crowe, B. (2009, Forth Quarter). Measuring the benefits of voice over internet protocol. The Review of Business Information

Summary of Critical Theory

Summary of Critical Theory The Central Claims of Critical Theory In order to understand the central claims of Critical Theory, it must first be defined. What is Critical Theory? Critical Theory first coined as such in 1937 is a name given to a series of new approaches to the study of culture, literature and thought that developed during the 1960’s primarily in France (Leitch, 2001). It refers to a series of pathways for intellectual inquiry that first emerged with the end of the 18th century European Enlightenment (mid 1600’s to late 1700’s) (Nowlan, 2001) in which the causes associated with it were legal equality, the right of ordinary Europeans to hold their rulers to account, the rule of law, transparent government, freedom of expression, the right of nations to self-determination and to freedom from colonial domination – and they are as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago (Glendening, 2003). Critical theory questions and challenges that which seems obvious, natural and simple in the world around us â⠂¬â€œ the conviction that what is, or what is in the process of becoming, or what appears to be, or what is most commonly understood to be, or necessary and inevitable – it does not accept any of this (Nowlan). The Frankfort School is the name given to a group of German Jewish intellectuals associated with the Institute for Social Research (Institut fur Sozialforschung) founded in 1923. Their work was an attempt to integrate psychoanalytic insights and the domain of culture into a Marxist analysis of twentieth century societies. The group composite was that of thinkers such as Horkheimer, Adorno and Marcuse (Agger, 1993). According to these theorists a â€Å"critical† theory may be distinguished from a â€Å"traditional† theory according to a specific practical purpose: a theory is critical to the extent that it seeks human emancipation, â€Å"to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them† (Horkheimer, 1982, 244). Theories aim to explain and transform circumstances; critical theories provide the descriptive and normative bases for social inquiry aimed at decreasing domination and increasing freedom in their forms. A clarification is given to what is not clearly understood or is questionable. Theories arise in many ranges – anthropology, film, religion, linguistics and political science – and even family lifestyle. Critical theory is not a system, nor it is reducible to any fixed set of proscriptions (Bronner, 2002). Today, social theory is in crisis because of growing dissatisfaction with the dominant methodologies and conceptions of social theory and research. The 1960’s is when Stephen Eric Bronner became interested in critical theory as new theoretical paradigms emerged that questioned prevailing quantitative, empiricist, and positivist conceptions of social theory. But where did the central claim of critical theory begin? Since the Frankfort School was the first Marxist-oriented research center affiliated with a major German university directed by Carl Grunberg, it tended to be empirical, historical, and oriented toward problems of the European working class movement. Works by Karl Korsch, Georg Lukacs and others also had works published in its journal Archiv fur die Geschichte des Sozialismus und der Arbeiterbewegung. Grunberg retired in 1930 and Max Horkheimer became the director. Under Horkheimer, the Institute sought to develop an interdisciplinary social theory which could serve as an instrument of social transformation publishing a journal Zeitschrift fur Sozialforschung (1932-1941) that contained a wholesome collection of articles and book reviews. These compilations detailed social theory and defined any misconceptions of their meaning. Horkheimer, upon assuming his position as Director, delivered an inaugural address on January 24, 1931, entitled â€Å"The State of Social Philosophy and the Tasks of an Institute for Social Research (Bronner and Keller 1989: 25-36). Within the contents of the text, he defines social philosophy as an attempt to elucidate the â€Å"fate of human beings, insofar as they are parts of state, law, economy, religion, in short, with the entire material and spiritual culture of humanity. He criticizes Kant for grounding social philosophy in the experience and faculties of the particular individual (Ibid: 33) and praises Hegel’s theory as an improvement but yet questions speculative metaphysics and their tendencies to celebrate a higher transcendental sphere of Being and meaning over concrete existence. (ibid:38-39). Horkheimer continued to defend the importance for critical social theory and envisaged a program of supra-disciplinary research which would investigate current social an d political problems. Philosophers, sociologists, economists, historians, and psychologists would be united in and ongoing research community who would do together what in other disciplines one individual does alone in a laboratory, which is what genuine scientists have always done: namely to pursue the great philosophical question using the most refined scientific methods; to reformulate and to make more precise the questions in the course of work as demanded by the object; and to develop new methods without losing sight of the universal (ibid:41). Hence we see the first steps toward the formation of critical theory in the making. It is impossible to characterize the â€Å"Frankfort School† as a whole since its work spanned several decades and involved a variety of thinkers who later engaged in sharp debates with each other. Rather, one should perceive various phases of Institute work: 1) the empirical-historical studies of the Grunberg era; 2) the attempts in the early to mid-1930’s to establish a materialist supra-disciplinary social theory under Horkheimer’s directorship; 3) the attempts to develop a critical theory of society during the exile period from about 1937 to the early 1940’s; 4) the dispersion of Institute members in the 1940’s and the new directions sketched out by Horkheimer and Adorno; 5) the return of the Institute to Germany and its work in Frankfurt during the 1950’s and 1960’s; 6) the development of critical theory in various directions by Fromm, Lowenthal, Marcuse, and others who remained in the U.S.; 7) the continuation of Institute projec ts and development of critical theory in Germany by Jurgen Habermas, Oskar Negt, Alfred Schmidt, and others in the 1970’s and 1980’s; and finally 8) contributions to critical theory by a variety of younger theorists and scholars currently active in Europe and the United States. Kellner believes that a crisis of critical theory emerged with its fragmentation after World War II. Social theory stopped developing despite some empirical research projects and sustained meta-theoretical analyses be certain of its members, especially Adorno (Kellner, 1989). He believes that critical theory provides the most advanced theoretical perspectives within contemporary social theory from the 1930’s through the early 1960’s; new socio-cultural developments since then have rendered obsolete some of its theses concerning on-dimensional society, the media, technology, and so on. In particular, critical theory has not continued to theorize new technologies, new developments in the media, changes in socialization practices, and new cultural developments. This is surprising as earlier contributions were precisely in these areas (Wiggershaus, 1986). Adorno did a great deal of work in social theory in the 1950’s and 1960’s, as well as turning out an incredible profusion of texts in the areas of literary criticism, cultural critique, philosophy, and aesthetics. His work turned from supra-disciplinary research to philosophical reflections (Kellner, 1989). Herbert Marcuse argued that Marxism had degenerated into a rigid orthodoxy and needed concrete experience to revivify the theory and that it neglected individual’s problems. He was concerned about individual liberation and well-being in addition to social transformation. The intentions of his writings were of great interest, yet many were unpublished and unknown (Kellner, 1984). The theory of hegemony by Antonio Gramsci reserves a place for the intellectuals in society. Men find themselves born in a process independent of their will, they cannot control it, they can seek only to understand it and guide their actions accordingly was noted to be economic determination by Marx. Gramsci was concerned to eradicate economic determinism to develop its explanatory power with respect to super-structural institutions. His holdings were that class struggle must always involve ideas and ideologies, ideas that would make the revolution and also that would prevent it. He stressed the role performed by human agency in historical change: economic crises by themselves would not subvert capitalism. He was more â€Å"dialectic† than â€Å"deterministic†: he tried to build a theory which recognized the autonomy, independence and importance of culture and ideology (Strinati, 1995). The works in the last decade relative to critical theory has followed Habermas in attempt to develop a more adequate philosophical aspect of critical theory (Heinemann, 1986). A deficit of social research and elaboration of new theoretical perspectives has come about with contributions from members of the postmodern camp who attempt to theorize the impact of new technologies, the media, and other socio-cultural developments (Kellner, 1988 and 1989). The focus on democracy as the location for cooperative, practical and transformative activity continues in the work of Jurgen Habermas, as does the attempt to determine the nature and limits of â€Å"real democracy† in complex pluralistic, and globalizing societies. Habermas’ work is concerned with rethinking the tradition of critical theory and German social philosophy. He has advanced that tradition in distinctive ways. His rationality consists not so much in the possession of knowledge and thus primarily concerned with the consistency and conten of one’s belief’s, but rather in â€Å"how speaking and acting subjects acquire and use knowledge† (Habermas, 1984). Rationality, freedom and justice are not just theoretical issues to be explored and debated. Habermas’ entire work aims to defend and continue the enlightenment project against the challenge of Weber’s instrumental rationality, Horkheimer and Adorno’s earlier critical t heory and Nietzscheanism in the forms of post-structuralism as presented by Foucault and Derrida and the postmodernism of Lyotard. The reconciliation of the competition of claims of the reason of the life and the world are contributions of Habermas to contemporary and social theory. His account and his answers are not complete, but raise questions without losing the hope of continued research (Rasmussen, 1990). People create conditions and deal with them. Their opinions influence the thoughts of others. In his theory, Habermas fails to incorporate or appreciate gender and racial inequality. Habermas’ calls for particular â€Å"reconstructive sciences,† whose aim it is to render theoretically explicit the intuitive, pre-theoretical know-how underlying such basic human competences as speaking and understanding, judging, and acting. It is not certain if Habrmas’ theories are built on a conception of the world in which essentialist characteristics (middle class, white, males, or class) dominate. Historically discourses of rationality and progress have sided with men over women (Stanley and Pateman, 1991). Certain valuable elements are cited of by Selya Benhabib (1986) that can provide basis for a wide-ranging normative critique of contemporary society. An excerpt from Critical Theory and Society: A Reader: â€Å"essay is a stylistic vehicle with its inherently unfinished quality is the logical form for generating anti-systemic claims and fostering the existence of reflexivity† perhaps best describes the logic that inspired Bronner and Kellner to publish this book. Within is a collection of seminal essays, many appearing in English for the first time, which provides an excellent overview of the critical theory developed by the Frankfurt School. An essay is a short work that treats of a topic from an author’s personal point of view, often taking into account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them (Wikipedia). What better way can a criticism be announced than through an essay? Personal opinions are relished because they may have something within their contents that was not seen by others. In the essay Le Prix Du Progress by Max Horkheimer exemplifies the nature of discussions that were presented to the early theorists. A French physiologist, Pierre Flourens, was disenchanted with the use of chloroform. He states his belief, and cites his reasoning. The essay ends with Horkheimer’s comments. Somewhat in the form of an editorial for a newspaper, but yet an answer is given. A concern was presented – a problematic thought was answered. Another famous essay by Theodor Adorno elaborates on Culture Industry Reconsidered. In it Adorno explains the term culture industry, corrects inconsistencies from a prior publication and remarks on the term â€Å"mass culture† (from â€Å"The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Cuture† London: Routledge, 1991). In Critical Theory and Society: A Reader are included the works of Horheimer, Erich Fromm, Lowenthal, Pellock, Herbert Marcuse, to mention a few. The time realm of critical theory displays evidence that modern culture needs to redefine the conclusions of its predecessors. The understanding of theories, imply that they have to be updated continually to include new circumstances. Modernization has to be critiqued to include the changing of the times. We should be concerned with something other than uncovering the past. Instead we should reinvigorate the present, salvage the Enlightenment legacy, and contest those who would institutionally freeze its radicalism and strip away its protest character (Israel, 2001). The inclusion of the way people act and why they act can begin with critical theory of family. Family history provides an example of some of the theoretical deficiencies as in social scenes. The family is attacked and defended with equal vehemence. With a dominant empiricist tradition, historians have come to the field of family history without a clear sense of what the significant questions are. They have not self-consc iously theorized the family as a field of investigation. Instead they began by adopting the conventional wisdom of sociology which, goes back for Federic Le Play (L’Organisation de la famille selon le vrai modele signale par l’histoire de toutes les races et de tous les temps –Paris, 1871), and saw a broad change in the family from an extended form of the Middle Ages to a nuclear form of modernity (Shorter, 1975). From the family come the leaders of the world. Understanding distinct family structures enables an outline to the future tasks of its members. The tendency of Marxist social theorists is to view the family as a dependent variable, a secondary structure, unintelligible in its own right, which will change after the revolution. The family is an intelligible as a structure (Morgan, 1975) composed of race, religion, gender, which impose these factors towards their beliefs. From a â€Å"Gramscian† perspective the mass media have to be interpreted as an instrument to spread and reinforce dominant hegemony – or they can be used to spread counter-hegemonic ideas too. â€Å"Pop culture and the mass media are subject to the production, reproduction and transformation of hegemony through the institution of civil society which cover the areas of cultural production and consumption. Hegemony operates culturally and ideologically through the institutions of civil society which characterizes mature liberal-democratic, capitalist societies. These institutions include education, the family, the church, the mass media, popular culture, etc. (Strinati, 1995: 168-169). From Strinati’s point of view the main problem with Gramsci’s ideas is the same as the the Frankfurt School’s theories and Althusser’s work: their Marxist background. The framework does not allow history to contradict the theory, and the interpretation of reality becomes rather elementary. Critical Theory offers an approach to distinctly normative issues that cooperates with the social sciences in a nonproductive way. Its domain is inquiry into the normative dimension of social activity, in particular how actors employ their practical knowledge and normative attitudes from complex perspectives in various sorts of contexts. It also must consider social facts as problematic situations from the point of view of variously situated agents. In conclusion, Kellner feels that in order to find a way out of the contemporary crisis of social theory, it must develop new perspectives. Critical Theory should be responded to with theoretical analyses of developments within the capitalist economy and of changes in class stratification, the labor process, new technologies, the media, and politics. The central claims of critical theory should be emphasized by those who wish to revitalize it in an attempt to politicize it with new social movements and existing political struggles to buil d a better society. The development of both its â€Å"analysis of the present situation and a new politics is in order to become once again the cutting edge of radical social theory† (Kellner, 1989). Critical theory enables the development and refinement of the ability to engage in comments as critics, through movements encompassed around incomprehensible situations of society. All productive and concerned citizens should be the empowered critical agents that are able to question, challenge and contribute toward the progress of transformation of the prevailing status quo within the communities, societies, and cultures that are worked in to help maintain and reproduce every day. In relation citizens should not only be inescapably interested, but also vitally important as participants to opinionate on theory (Nowlan). BIBLIOGRAPHY Agger, Ben. 1993. The Discourse of Domination: From the Frankfurt School to Postmodernism. Northwestern University Press. January. Bronner, Stephen Eric. 2002. Critical Theory Its Theorists. Routledge Publishers: 2nd Edition. April. Bronner, Stephen Eric and Douglas Keller. 1989. Critical Theory and Society: A Reader. New York and London: Routledge. Glendening, Marc. 2003. Visions for a democratic Europe. Brussels, December 12. Habermas, J. 1987. The Theory of Communicative Action. Volumes 1 and 2. Boston: Beacon Press. Heinemann, Benhabib, Seyla. 1986. Critique, Norm, and Utopia. New York: Columbia University Press. Horkheimer, M, 1982. Critical Theory. New York: Seabury Press. Israel, Jonathan. 2001. Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and theMaking of Modernity 1650-1750. Oxford University Press. Kellner, Douglas. 1984. Herbert Marcuse and the Crisis of Marxism. London and Berkeley: Macmillian and University of California Press. 1988. Postmodernism as Social Theory: Some Problems and Challenges,† Theory, Culture Society, Vol. 5: 240-269. 1989. Critical Theory, Marxism, and Modernity. Cambridge and Baltimore: Polity Press and John Hopkins University Press. Leitch, Vincent B. et al. (eds), The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism (New York/London: W.W. Norton, 2001. Morgan, D.H.J. Social Theory and the Family. London, 1975. Nowlan, Bob. Introduction: What Is Critical Theory and Why Study It? University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. September 21, 2001. Stanley, L and Pateman, C. 1991. Feminist Interpretations and Political Theory. Cambridge: Polity. Rasmussen, D. 1990. Reading Habermas. London: Blackwell. Shorter, Edward. The Making of the Modern Family. New York. 1975. Strinati, Dominic. 1995. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture. Rouyledge, London. Wiggershaus, Rolf. 1986. Die Frankfurter Schule. Munich: Hanser. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay

Decision support systems

Decision support systems Abstract Nowadays, Decision Support Systems has a significant role in almost all areas of life. These systems go further and use new technologies like data mining and knowledge and data discovery (KDD) to improve and facilitate human decision making. First of all we provide some definitions about decision making, models and processes. Afterwards, we discuss about knowledge and data discovery and also, Intelligent decision support systems. At last, as an empirical survey, we compare two different cultures in using decision making support systems. One of them uses decision support system in clinical environment to improve the decision making and reduce crucial errors significantly; while the other uses the traditional system and relies on the human memory and experience rather than using decision support systems. Keywords: Decision Making, Decision Support, Knowledge and Data Discovery (KDD), Intelligent Decision Support Systems Introduction Information system has a significant role in supporting decision making, and in some special environments like business, health and education, gets the mandatory part. Moreover, such systems go further and use data mining and knowledge and data discovery (KDD) techniques to improve their abilities in supporting decision making. One of the environments that need information systems support for making crucial decisions and have direct effect on human life is clinical and health environment. We are going to look through the effect of decision support system in it. Decision Making Decisions and models Decision making is undeniably an essential and vital part of the human life. A decision problem may consist of numerous smaller decisions inter-related together, and the results of multiple decisions can be consolidated together; or one decision can influence another subsequent one. This influence can be fed as the input to a subsequent decision, or as a decisional choice for the users in determining which decision to make subsequently. This bigger decision, and its smaller decisions embedded within, must be represented in a simple manner for decision makers to read, understand, and communicate with. Each decision can be represented in the form of a model, to represent, describe and depict the decision problem and its interaction under consideration, whether it is simply an abstraction schema, insights to the decisions rather than mere numbers actual model instance, or executable computer program module. Each decision model can be a permanent modeling scenario which can be retrieved and included as part of a bigger scenario. Alternatively, it can be a temporary modeling scenario that is aggregated or pipelined within a bigger scenario. Such model integration treatments are subject to the discretion of users at the time of making such decisions. Even though each of these decisions may have a direct or indirect bearing on other subsequent decisions and can easily influence the overall decision and conclusion, many decision making processes and systems treat these decisions as independent and unrelated. This obscures the users from seeing and discovering the true effects and influen ce of the decision problem and its interaction under consideration, whether they are interrelated and/or interdependent. The element of interdependence may not be discovered until the full picture can be seen and assessed. Even though many decisions do occur in a sequential fashion, there are also many decisions that occur in parallel, evolve over time and converge to a concluding decision, or eventually combine or are interwoven into a final decision. Therefore, the decision making process should neither be fixed nor predetermined beforehand so that the execution order can be created as required. Hence, modeling is an important process in understanding, capturing, representing, and solving these decision models especially in terms of their interrelatedness across multiple models and their instances over a period of time. Furthermore such models should ideally be able to capture functional, behavioral, organizational, and informational perspectives. Decision systems are intended to assist users in making a decision. There are several types of users involved in using decision systems and these users progress as they develop more confidence: from inexperienced/na?ve decision makers, to average decision makers/ analysts, to experienced decision makers/modelers. Each type of user has different needs and should not be restricted by the constraints of any decision system that dictates the steps and techniques behind analyzing and solving a decision problem. Some users may need more decisional and/or system usage guidance while others may prefer to have minimal guidance. Some may wish the decision system will take care of the entire decision making process including prescribing the order in which each set of data is requested as well as the order in which each decision model is executed; while others may wish to intervene to a greater extent in designing the entire decision making process and the execution order to suit, or to a lesser extent in specifying a particular solution method. There are a variety of reasons as to why a human intervention is warranted and needed from the perspective of an experienced user. However, it is interesting to note that the type of guidance may have an adverse effect on decision model selection and ultimately the decision outcome. It is unreasonable and impractical to expect decision makers to operate a different decision making system for each decision and to comprehend the full effects of the consolidation and integration from these decisions. A decision making process is not necessarily about concentrating on the decision itself, but should emphasize the ways in which decisions are made. Therefore, users should be able to choose an optimizing approach and solution as well as a satisfying approach and solution, and not be limited to only one approach and solution that is traditionally incorporated in decision systems. Due to the frequency and complexity of interrelated decisions, some users may recall an existing scenario as input to another scenario, or recall several existing scenarios for comparative purposes. Decision systems need to be built in a flexible way so that decision models and components can be easily assembled and/or integrated together to create new scenarios and specific scenarios can be built and tailored to meet the needs of particular user groups. With all these issues in mind, the framework and architecture of an ideal decision system should have independent components that enable components to be easily assembled and integrated together to form a decision scenario. They should be flexible enough to serves various types of users and accommodate various types of decision making processes. They should also be sufficiently versatile to handle decision problems regardless of paradigms and/or domains under consideration. Good decision making frameworks must therefore be in place f or system framework and architecture to exhibit modeling flexibility, component independence, and versatility in domain and/or paradigm. To overcome the issues and fulfill the requirements discussed above, we first propose a converging decision analysis process, an optimizing?satisfying decision model, and a cyclical modeling lifecycle. Normative decision making processes Decisions can evolve and converge into a concluding decision over time. This can occur within re-evaluating a decision problem, or evaluating across multiple decision problems that are similar. This iterative decision making process is known as the convergence process. As decisions evolve and refine over time, decision makers are able to concentrate on essential factors and eliminate nonessential ones in order to narrow down the scope of the decision problem. Such attention-focused method provides a cut down version of the problem. A decision is subsequently made from these remaining factors of the reduced problem. Such decision-focused method provides an actionable result from the given problem. Since there can be many decisions within a decision problem, several iterations of attention-focused and decision-focused methods are applied while intermediate decisions within the decision problem are made and converged. Such revision and refinement occur irrespective of paradigms and doma ins. This notion of applying the attention focused and decision-focused methods within a convergence decision making process are depicted in Figure 1. Figure 1. Converging decision analysis, as in an 1D-CSP scenario One-Dimensional Cutting Stock Problem (1D-CSP) was used for illustrative purposes in order to design and implement the proposed framework and architecture. 1D-CSP is about cutting strips of raw material into desired sizes according to customer order widths. We often do not have unlimited supplies of raw materials and would therefore need to formulate and decide on which cutting patterns are used. 1D-CSP is a resource management problem with a traditional goal of minimizing wastage. Besides wastage, there may be other objectives that must be considered. For example, minimize machine setups through the changing of cutting knives, minimize machine setups through reducing the number of cutting patterns used, or minimize the number of disruption in the sequence of cutting patterns used. Even though 1D-CSP is considered to be a simple problem in pure mathematical terms, it becomes a reasonably complex decision problem once one considers all the real world constraints and objectives, and th e interrelated decisions involved within its decision making process. The 1D-CSP can be used as a decision problem to illustrate the converging decision analysis process, as depicted in Figure 1. The first decision is a pattern generation heuristic that generates combinations of cutting patterns. This decision concentrates only on generating those cutting patterns that are relevant to the decision problem under consideration (an attention-focused method). The second decision is determining which cutting patterns among the generated ones should be retained or discarded (a decision-focused method). This can be based on specific rules such as an allowable number of cutting knives per cutting pattern. It can also be based on the decision makers personal experience on whether certain cutting patterns should be discarded. The third decision is the creation of linear programming constraints that identifies the feasible area of the problem under consideration (an attention-focused method), while the fourth decision is finding an optimal point within the feasib le area (a decision-focused method). Neither of the focused methods has to produce an optimal or a satisfying solution necessarily. It is entirely up to the decision maker to decide on what sort of solution is desired at the time. Each decision and solution can be encompassed within a decision model that consists of both the optimizing model and satisfying model, as depicted in Figure 2. In a decision problem that consists of multiple interrelated decisions, the result from one model may be fed into another model continuously until an ultimate result is reached, and the result from a model can take on a different solution option. Each decision model may return to itself for refinement, or return to the previous model for additional processing, or feed to the next model for further processing. This return may be due to an infeasible solution, or a better understanding of the model which eventually leads to a change in the parameters of the model. The 1D-CSP can be used to illustrate the optimizing?satisfying decision model, as depicted in Figure 2. The first decision model pattern generation heuristic is a satisfying model that produces only those cutting patterns that are relevant and desirable to the decision problem under consideration. The second decision model is also a satisfying model in selecting or deselecting among the cutting patterns already produced. The third and fourth decision models are optimizing models that optimize using the linear programmings simplex method. Figure 2. Optimizing?satisfying decision model Decision modeling lifecycle The approach of Simon to the decision making process in terms of intelligence, design, and choice is very decision-oriented. However, as Glob has suggested it is about the way in which we model the decision. Therefore, we propose to integrate Simons proposal with MS/ORs modeling proposals that attempt to support every phase and aspects of decisions and modeling lifecycle. Such a design approach is crucial to support the modeling and decision environments and ensure that non-predetermined decision making processes and interrelated decisions characteristics can be modeled. This proposed modeling process is cyclical and iterative, and enables continuous adjustment and refinement especially in storing and retrieving decision problems as decision scenarios, as summarized in Figure 3. Despite the fact that the modeling lifecycle progresses step-by-step in a cycle, it can return to any earlier steps and not just the previous one, and can skip some steps in the later iteration if it has already gone through that particular step earlier on. It is however more difficult to represent these possible movements visually in the modelling lifecycle and is therefore not illustrated in Figure 3. The lifecycle is valuable not only from the point of view of modeling the decision itself but especially for highlighting the role of the system components of the decision, whether it is a data, model, solver, or scenario. Once a problem is understood it can be represented in the form of a model which is then instantiated with data and integrated with solvers so that it can be executed. Such a model is especially beneficial if it is storable and retrievable for later use and comparison. Once a model is represented, a solution can be derived through analyzing and investigating as well as comparing with various model instances. The derived solution is then reviewed and validated. If it is considered unsatisfactory such information can be used to modify and reformulate the decision model. Figure 3. Cyclical modeling lifecycle Even though the decision system will progress through the entire modeling lifecycle in producing the end result, it is important to note however that not all users will execute all the steps of the modeling lifecycle. Depending on the competencies of the decision makers and their permissions, they may interact with certain steps in the modeling lifecycle. For example, the inexperienced decision maker may interact with only step 2; the average decision maker may interact with steps 2, 3 and 4; whereas the experienced decision maker may interact with all 6 steps in the modeling lifecycle, as shown and contrasted in Figure 4. This decision modeling lifecycle provides a sound basis for the decision support and modeling framework and architecture. Figure 4. Interaction between 3 types of user groups and the modeling lifecycle Intelligent Decision Support Systems While IDSS (Intelligent Decision Support Systems) have been receiving increasing attention from the DSS research community by incorporating knowledge- based techniques to provide intelligent and active behavior, the state-of-the-art IDSS architecture provides little support for incorporating novel technologies that serve useful DSS information, such as the results from the knowledge and data discovery (KDD) community. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery In recent years, the terms knowledge discovery and data mining (commonly referred to as KDD) have been used synonymously. They both refer to the area of research that draws upon data mining methods from pattern recognition (Tuzhilin, 1993), machine learning (Han et al., 1992) and database (Agrawal et al., 1993, 1994) techniques in the context of vast organizational databases. Conceptually, KDD refers to a multiple step process that can be highly interactive and iterative in the following (Fayyad Uthurusamy, 1995): the selection, cleaning, transformation and projection of data; mining the data to extract patterns and appropriate models; evaluating and interpreting the extracted patterns to decide what constitutes ?knowledge?; consolidating the knowledge, resolving conflicts with previously extracted knowledge; making the knowledge available for use by the interested elements within the system. A number of KDD systems are similar to IADSS data miner agents in spirit and in technique. Such work in designing and implementing practical KDD systems is crucial to our research in the sense that their results provide solid KDD pragmatic technologies ready to be integrated into our IADSS architecture. However, the current state of using KDD techniques for decision support remains in its infancy, as preliminary applications that use exclusively KDD techniques. It is our point of view that such isolated applications have limited scope and capabilities, while future KDD techniques will play an integral role in complex business systems that incorporate a wide range of technologies including intelligent agents, multimedia and hypermedia, distributed systems and computer networks such as the internet, and many others. From a DSS perspective, a simple DSS architecture that consists of a single decision maker with single information source knowledge discovery functionality lacks the ability to deal with complex situations in which multiple decision makers or multiple informatio n sources are involved. Most existing DSSs with data mining and knowledge discovery capability fall into this category. Intelligent Agents The concept of intelligent agents is rapidly becoming an important area of research (Bhargava Branley, 1995; Etzioni Weld, 1994; Khoong, 1995). Informally, intelligent agents can be seen as software agents with intelligent behavior, that is, they are a combination of software agents and intelligent systems. Formally, the term agent is used to denote a software-based computer system that enjoys the following properties (Wooldridge Jennings, 1995): Autonomy: Agents operate without the direct intervention of humans. Co-operatively: Agents co-operate with other agents towards the achievement of certain objectives. Reactivity: Agents perceive their environment and respond in a timely fashion to changes that occur. Pro-activity: Agents do not simply act in response to their environment; they are able to exhibit goal-directed behavior by taking the initiative. Mobility: Agents are able to travel through computer networks. An agent on one computer may create another agent on another computer for execution. Agents may also transport from computer to computer during execution and may carry accumulated knowledge and data with them. Furthermore, there has been a rapid growth in attention paid to developing and deploying intelligent agent-based systems to tackle real world problems by taking advantage of the intelligent, autonomous and active nature of this technology (Wang Wang, 1996). Intelligent Decision Support Systems Intelligent decision support systems (Chi Turban, 1995; Holtzman, 1989), incorporating knowledge-based methodology, are designed to aid the decision-making process through a set of recommendations reflecting domain expertise. Clearly, the knowledge-based methodology provides useful features for the application of domain knowledge in decision making. However, the knowledge stored in the knowledge bases is highly domain-oriented and relatively small changes in the problem domain require extensive intervention by the expert. Powerful information communication channels, such as the internet (information superhighway), are continuously changing the decision making process. When decision makers make decisions they not only rely on brittle domain knowledge but also on other relevant information from all over the world. As a result, the challenge of discovering and incorporating new knowledge with existing ones requires us to introduce new techniques (such as intelligent agents and knowledg e discovery) into DSSs. Research into IDSS includes the work by Rao et al. (1994), who presented an intelligent decision support system architecture, IDSS, that stresses active involvement of computer systems in decision making, on the other hand, the work by Sycara at CMU LEI (Laboratory for Enterprise Integration) proposed the PERSUADER (Sycara, 1993), which incorporates machine learning for intelligent support of conflict resolution and the work on NEST which incorporates distributed artificial intelligence (DAI) with group decision support systems by Fox and Shaw (Shaw Fox, 1993). The proposed IDSS architecture is similar in substance to our proposed IADSS, which incorporates distributed artificial intelligence and incorporates the principles of co-operative distributed problem solving in the decision-making process. However, as we have pointed out above, it is necessary for the incorporation of data mining technology which extracts important information from vast amounts of or ganizational data sources in order to provide additional information that may be crucial for the decision-making process. IADSS architectural configuration As we have pointed out in our introduction, there exist numerous obstacles that remain to be overcome in today?s DSSs to fully achieve the vision of IADSS. The integration of intelligent agents with DSSs will be able to address most, if not all, of the articulated issues. However, even within the application of an intelligent agent-based architecture, there exist two different forms (or configurations) of the decision-making process that the particular architecture will be able support: Single decision maker-multiple miners and multiple decision makers-multiple miners. Single Decision Maker-Multiple Miner DSS Processes We have argued in the previous section that a possible configuration of IADSS architecture, namely the single decision maker-single miner form, has severe limitations when it comes to extendibility and the ability to be integrated into an overall organizational decision support framework. However, in many real life cases, the single decision maker situation is still of importance. In today?s organization, there may exist a myriad of organizational information sources on which useful data relationships and patterns may be discovered to support the singular decision maker?s decision process. As a result, the IADSS configuration of a single decision maker with multiple data miners warrants attention and analysis. Under IADSS, the architecture of such a single decision maker, multiple knowledge miners assisted DSS is shown in Figure 5. Figure 5. Multi-Agent-based DSS Figure 6. A Multi-Agent-Based GDSS There are three classes of intelligent agents (we call them decision support agents or DS agents) contained within this architecture: Knowledge miners that discover hidden data relations in information sources, user assistants that act as the intelligent interface agents between the decision maker and the IADSS and a knowledge manager with repository support that provides system co-ordination and facilitates knowledge communication. Further details about the functionality and internal structure about each type of agent is elaborated in the next section. Multiple Decision Maker-Multiple Miner-Assisted GDSS Process The single decision maker configuration discussed above can be easily extended into a group decision support system (GDSS) architecture (as seen in Figure 6. by the introduction of additional user assistants for each additional decision maker). Compared to the single decision maker configuration in Figure 5, each user assistant agent is further augmented to provide support for group-based communication between different decision makers. It is important to observe that with the introduction of each additional DS agent; only an extra knowledge communication channel between the new DS agent and the knowledge manager is needed. This enables a manageable linear increase in the number of knowledge communication links corresponding to the increase in the number of agents in the IADSS system, rather than the quadratic increase in the number of direct communication links in a direct agent-to-agent fashion. Furthermore, our proposed IADSS is an open architecture with potential for the integration of future technologies by the incorporation of additional classes of intelligent agents. IADSS architecture at a glance Intelligent Decision Support Agents As described above, there are three types of intelligent agents in an IADSS system: Knowledge miners, user assistants and knowledge managers. This section will provide a more detailed description of such agents and their internal architectures. Knowledge Miners. The role of knowledge miners in IADSS is to actively discover patterns or models about a particular topic which provides support in the decision-making process. There are four components in a knowledge miner. The IADSS interface component manages the communication between the miner and the knowledge manager. When a knowledge miner receives messages that are represented in a common representation, the IADSS interface translates these messages into the local format based on the common vocabulary. On the other hand, when the knowledge miner sends messages out, the IADSS interface translates them into common format first, then sends them to the knowledge manager. In order to carry out the mining task, the necessary control knowledge as well as domain knowledge is kept in the knowledge base component, while the data interface component serves as a gateway to the external information sources. The knowledge discovery is usually done by discovering special patterns of the d ata, i.e. by clustering together data that share certain common properties. For instance, a knowledge miner may find that within this week, a number of stocks are going up. There are two different types of knowledge mining agents, event-driven knowledge miners and tusk-driven knowledge miners. The event-driven knowledge miners are agents that are invisible to the decision makers, and their results may contribute towards the decision-making process. Based on the specification of the IADSS, such event-driven knowledge miners start when the IADSS starts up. When a particular event comes, an agent will start its knowledge mining. Events may be temporal events, e.g. every day at 1 a.m., every hour, etc. Or, events may be constraint-triggered events, e.g. every 10,000 customers, when a certain type of customer reaches lo%, etc. Usually, such event-driven knowledge miners work periodically. They follow a sleep-work-sleep-work cycle and will be destroyed when the entire IADSS system termina tes. On the other hand, task-driven knowledge miners are created for particular data mining tasks based on requests originated by the decision makers. After a knowledge miner completes its task, it sends the mining results to the knowledge manager and is then terminated automatically. From the view point of decision support, knowledge miners play the role of information extractors which discover hidden relationships, dependencies and patterns within the database, whether the information is discovered by an event-driven knowledge miner or a task-driven knowledge miner, which may be utilized as evidence by decision makers within the GDM process. User Assistants. Interaction between a particular decision maker and the IADSS is accomplished through a user assistant agent. The architecture of a user assistant contains four components. The multimedia user interface component manages the interactions with the decision maker such as accepting requests for a task-driven knowledge miner, while the IADSS interface manages the knowledge communication with the knowledge manager. The necessary knowledge such as the common vocabulary, decision history and others are kept in a local knowledge base component. All three components are controlled by an operational component that provides the facility of differencing, multimedia presentation and collaboration. With regard to the role the user assistant plays in the decision process, it enables the decision maker to view the current state of the decision process and to convey his or her own opinions and arguments to the rest of the decision making group. It also enables the decision maker to i ssue requests for task-driven knowledge miners to attempt to discover some particular type of organizational knowledge from business data. The user assistant will then relay the request to the knowledge manager and interpret the mining result if it is deemed appropriate. Knowledge Manager: The knowledge manager provides management and co-ordination control functions over all the agents in the IADSS architecture. The internal component-wide architecture of the knowledge contains four Components: The decision maker interface, the operational facilities, the miner interface and the agent knowledge base that provides support for localized reasoning. From the functional standpoint, the knowledge manager provides the following functionality in the IADSS architecture: Makes decisions concerning the creation and termination of knowledge miners as provided by the miner interface component of the knowledge manager. Mediates requests from user assistants through the decision maker interface, analyzes these requests through the localized knowledge and inference engine and then initiates an appropriate group of task-driven knowledge miners to collaboratively perform the requested task through the miner interface. Mediates the discovered knowledge from knowledge miners (whether it is an event-driven or a task-driven miner), stores the knowledge into the repository for possible future usage and forwards the relevant knowledge to interested decision maker users through the decision-maker interface. Manages and co-ordinates the knowledge transactions with each individual decision support agent such as common vocabulary, available decision topics, existing mining results and strategic knowledge, as provided by the operational facilities component. Manages the synchronization between the collection of decision support agents such as the progress of the task-driven knowledge miners and the notification of the decision makers when crucial knowledge is discovered. Mediates all other types of communication among decision support agents including the communication among user assistants and supports the retrieval of appropriate evidence from the repository by user assistants. In terms of the decision support process, the knowledge manager plays the role of manager and mediator between two decision makers, between the decision maker and the corresponding task-driven miners and between all decision support agents and the repository to address the issue of knowledge sharing. Current prescription process at the hospital The prescription process is shown in Figure 7. This description is based on interviews (questions 1?3 in the interview guideline, Appendix A) and observations by the first author. Figure 7. Current prescription process in the Ekbatan and Boras Hospital (UML activity diagram) The process starts as the physician in charge takes the patients history, performs physical examinations, and reviews available medical documents, including progress notes, laboratory findings, and imaging. These data sources guide the physician(s) to a set of differential diagnoses or a definitive diagnosis, which help the prescriber(s) to select appropriate treatment for the patient. The prescriber will then register medical records

Free College Admissions Essays: FBI Agent :: College Admissions Essays

FBI Agent In all respect I've always had a fascination with becoming an F.B.I. agent. As my interest grow during my educational progression, I'm learning how my personal attributes with help me in my given field. First of is the size of my physical build, which I believe will help me with any possible altercation I my encounter. My positive attitude toward life will also be helpful. I also have a good decision making skills, with out letting let and kind of prejudice entering my mind. The reason I am so positive about this is I've had such a variety of friends. I've had friends of different races, ethnic background, and religious beliefs. I've also have a vary strong emotional barrier due to all the tragedy I've gone though in my life. I've lost three of my closet friends in the last four years. Through all those years I was the person who was strong to help my entire friends threw our losses. When I get into the field all the knowledge I've acquired in my education will in all intent be usel ess. How do I know this you ask? Several people I know in several justice fields have told me that the real education comes in the field. Their have several movies such as "The Siege", Silence of the Lambs" witch have inspired me to follow in this possible life style. The T.V. show cops is the most instamental to me, due to the way they always explain how to dissolve every encounter, and what would happen to the perpetrator. These movies and T.V. shows give a positive outlook on my possible life in handling these issues. I would not leave out the possibility of becoming a scout leader. The reason I think I could handle this job is because I've always had an attraction to teaching children. I have been babysitting children for seven years, for my next-door neighbors and my aunt. Any other person besides their parents or me could always never control the three boys next door. Then there are my two cousins who were both girls. I always loved watching children; I just get along with the m so well. I believe I could make a difference in their lives. Free College Admissions Essays: FBI Agent :: College Admissions Essays FBI Agent In all respect I've always had a fascination with becoming an F.B.I. agent. As my interest grow during my educational progression, I'm learning how my personal attributes with help me in my given field. First of is the size of my physical build, which I believe will help me with any possible altercation I my encounter. My positive attitude toward life will also be helpful. I also have a good decision making skills, with out letting let and kind of prejudice entering my mind. The reason I am so positive about this is I've had such a variety of friends. I've had friends of different races, ethnic background, and religious beliefs. I've also have a vary strong emotional barrier due to all the tragedy I've gone though in my life. I've lost three of my closet friends in the last four years. Through all those years I was the person who was strong to help my entire friends threw our losses. When I get into the field all the knowledge I've acquired in my education will in all intent be usel ess. How do I know this you ask? Several people I know in several justice fields have told me that the real education comes in the field. Their have several movies such as "The Siege", Silence of the Lambs" witch have inspired me to follow in this possible life style. The T.V. show cops is the most instamental to me, due to the way they always explain how to dissolve every encounter, and what would happen to the perpetrator. These movies and T.V. shows give a positive outlook on my possible life in handling these issues. I would not leave out the possibility of becoming a scout leader. The reason I think I could handle this job is because I've always had an attraction to teaching children. I have been babysitting children for seven years, for my next-door neighbors and my aunt. Any other person besides their parents or me could always never control the three boys next door. Then there are my two cousins who were both girls. I always loved watching children; I just get along with the m so well. I believe I could make a difference in their lives.

Is Alcohol Harmful To Our Life? :: essays research papers

So much information about adverse effects of alcohol is known. Yet, a large number of people condone what is known to them. Overlooking the negative effects of alcohol can turn the alcohol into a deadly weapon. Alcohol can cause deaths, diseases, and family problems. Alcohol can end your life in a matter of a second. According to,  ¡Ã‚ ° Alcoholism: New Insights on Old Problem, ¡Ã‚ ± more than 100,000 Americans die from alcohol related causes (1). In fact, alcohol related deaths are five times greater than the number killed by all illicit drugs combined. When a person imbibe an alcohol, he or she becomes disoriented. When people drive under this condition, they expose themselves to a great danger. In addition, women become more easily intoxicated from alcohol than men more (2). In result, women get themselves killed from an alcohol than males. Alcohol can also cause many diseases. When you drink too much of an alcohol, you get hallucinations and memory losses. Alcohol specifically affects the control centers of the brain (Valiant 337). If people do not get help for alcoholism, the condition could be debilitated. It could eventually lead to Korsakoff ¡Ã‚ ¯s syndrome of which symptoms would be mental confusion, hallucinations, and paralysis of hands and feet (Blum 337). This disease can get worse than they already have. Finally, alcohol can lead to poor family relationship.  ¡Ã‚ °Alcohol and Family ¡Ã‚ ± states that American research found that 49% of child abusers were drinking of the time of the offense and 34% were heavy drinkers (1). Alcoholics tend to abuse children just to make themselves feel better. In 1997, Institute of Alcohol Studies estimated that there are likely to be one million children in Britain living with a parent whose drinking has reached harmful levels (2). These innocent children get beaten everyday without knowing what is going on. There are many other things that have not been mentioned. There are more diseases caused by the alcohol which we still do not know today. The death rate on an alcohol is climbing every day.

The Road Essay examples -- Literary Analysis, Cormac McCarthy

The Road Named one of the four major novelists of his time, Cormac McCarthy has won numerous awards such as the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and the 2009 PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, which places him in the highest rank of American literature. His tenth and latest novel, The Road (2006), known as his most traumatic yet intensely personal work, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature Award in 2007, as well as the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (2007,) and the Quill Book Award (2007.) The Road is one of three novels that have been made into a film and was featured in theaters in 2009. Nominated for various cinematography awards, and winner of the Pulitzer Award, The Road is a profoundly shocking in-depth way at looking at the flailing annihilation of the human civilization. The Road is a post-apocalyptic story of a journey taken by a father, the man, and his young son, the boy, â€Å"each the other’s world entire† (McCarthy, p. 6). The man and boy, sustained by love, travel through bleak and grim America some years after an immense unexplained cataclysm destroyed nearly all humanity, and environment. The land is covered in ash, is extremely dark, and cold with recurrent rain, gray snow, and earthquakes. Throughout the novel the boy calls the man â€Å"Papa,† and they both refer to themselves as the â€Å"good guys† who carry the fire; â€Å"the â€Å"bad guys† being other human survivors who have turned cannibalistic. The man, haunted by dreams and reminiscent due to flashbacks of his childhood and his wife who committed suicide at the time of the world-wide destruction, protects his son from starvation and attacks, even though he himself realizes that he is dying. Both father and son rumma... .... Looking at these effects, it is obvious that they revolve around how the intestate demise of the world affected humanity. The journey the man and the boy traveled through depressing America in truth unlocks the reality of a Judgment Day. All of us come from unpredictable societies, and unfortunately we poison all we come in contact with, and simply don’t care when it comes to our environment. â€Å"On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world. Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was† (McCarthy, p. 32)? This quote gives an idea of what kind of catastrophe might have struck the world, and that the prophets are gone, taking the world with them. Whatever happened to humankind in the novel, The Road, was completely destroyed along with the moral principles that man and the boy, even we value.

Science Fiction: A Genre based on Imagined Future Scientific

Science fiction is a genre that is based on â€Å"imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes† that can challenge and disrupt traditional perspectives of morality and behaviour. Each science fiction text explores but one of the numerous possibilities of the speculative and extrapolative ideas, with the author’s own views being placed throughout the text both intentionally and unintentionally. The genre concerns itself with the understanding of both past and present societies, with the futuristic visions being the outcome. These futuristic ideals are projections of our societies throughout time and space, given that science fiction also deals with varied contexts along the space time continuum, depending on which sub-genre the text belongs to within science fiction. The genre disperses into various types of science fiction including hard-core science fiction, social science fiction, and heroic science fiction, just to name a few. The sub-genre discussed throughout this critical reading is cyberpunk, â€Å"a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology. This sub-genre gives us a wide viewpoint as to the challenging of traditional perspectives, particularly in regards to morality and behavior. Numerous science fiction texts delve into the understandings of morality and behaviour, with the ideas within challenging traditional perspectives of the aforementioned aspects. Neuromancer, by William Gibson, is just one of these texts that explore s technology – or in this case, the controlling, and parenting attributes of technology – through the embodiment and disembodiment of the main characters, Case and Molly. Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson’s Neuromancer by Benjamin Fair, as well as The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates by Daniel Punday, are two articles that have supported the ideas of technology parenting the human race, the glorification of disembodiment, as well as the desire to become something more. The articles explore the experimentation with these ideas to extend on a person’s understanding of how science fiction challenges and disrupts traditional perspectives. Technology has driven the human race to the point that it has become a necessary part of our existence, influencing our morals and behaviour throughout every day life. Neuromancer demonstrates this, with the human body being a dystopia for Case. â€Å"A sense of disembodiment is the ideal† for the man driven to achieve his â€Å"homecoming that brings him back into contact with a network of human information,† the Matrix. Throughout Neuromancer we are shown the ways in which Case bases his identity on â€Å"an alienating system that the Matrix represents and enacts,† with his â€Å"distant fingers caressing the desk, tears of release streaking his face† when finally he is able to reintegrate with the systematic database he has been denied so long. The idea that we have become dependant on technology resonates through Gibson’s novel, with Case’s addiction to reconnecting with the Matrix driving the anti-hero to serve others while keeping his own motives in mind. Case has an urge, a need, to leave the body and connect solely with the Matrix, with this desire being positioned deep in self-loathing. This self-loathing passion for disembodiment fuels the idea of technology, and drives the anti-hero to demonstrate the ways in which technology has become a leading power within our lives, influencing our morals and behaviour, whilst challenging our traditional perspectives. Juxtaposing this fulfilling desire of disembodiment, however, we have a â€Å"reference to embodiment that affirms [physical identity] as the source of [Case’s] power. Despite the original idea of the human body being a hindrance to the technologically advanced society, we eventually see â€Å"the prison of [our] own flesh† inverting its role and becoming a source of empowerment. This gives us an overwhelming sense of self-actualisation; achieving realisations in ourselves through these experiences of embodiment and disembodiment, and freeing ourselves from the me taphorical prison of our own body. Gibson challenges the traditional perspectives of morality and behaviour through not only the affirmation of embodiment, but also the near-glorification of disembodiment. By experimenting with these bodily states, science fiction allows us to understand the challenging and disruption of morality and behaviour’s traditional perspectives. The idea that technology has become a parent figure to the human race is reiterated when Case â€Å"reflects on his involvement with larger political and social powers. † These understandings put the individual in such a position that they become a â€Å"kind of parasite within the parent organism,† which then takes the role of disassociating the individual who does not agree with, or support the goals, values and ideals of the larger system to which they belong. Gibson’s Neuromancer presents positive ways in which individuals made into the minority â€Å"retain freedom by virtue of their position on the margins,† as seen through Case’s refusal to follow structured daily life styles, and instead living his life in order to correct his bodily functions (or rather, non-bodily functions) and reintegrate with the Matrix. The human body eventually becomes a sanctuary, a safe haven from the technological advancements occurring in the outside world, â€Å"a place of security and belonging – self-acceptance – in contrast to the insecurity and alienation of cyberspace. The body becomes one’s own space, as the â€Å"issue in question is the urges behind the ideals promoted by those who find the body inadequate. † Molly exemplifies this idea as she exposes herself to numerous technological ‘enhancements,’ just one being the procedure which allows her hands to hold â€Å"ten double-edged, fo ur-centimetre scalpel blades. † These bodily adaptations echo the need to further our development both behaviourally and morally as humans, as we attempt to extend out abilities from that of humans to that of something more powerful. This desire to become something more can be understood through â€Å"the novel continually returning to the uneven spaces where the parts of individuals are assembled into some whole. † The idea of one part trying to do many jobs is clearly not going to be as efficient as many parts focusing on one role, and fulfilling that purpose extremely well. By adding onto our existing beings, we allow ourselves to grow and have more components added to our original form. However, the more additions we make, the more chances of the final form falling apart, as demonstrated in Gibson’s novel when â€Å"[Case] watched [Linda’s] personality fragment, calving like an iceberg, splinters drifting away. † Similar to a machine, if you add too many components, it is easier for one to malfunction, bringing the remaining crashing down. Despite this knowledge being instilled in humanity, we still experience needs to be something more powerful that what we already are. This in itself is humanity’s greatest downfall: the knowledge that while becoming more powerful, we are becoming more likely to fail. This drive for power challenges the traditional views on morality, with the desire overcoming our righteousness in some cases, leading us to be an anti-hero in our own lives. Reinforcing the idea that we are made of distinct, individual parts, Gibson has Peter Riviera recreate a holographic representation of Molly, â€Å"visualizing some part of her, only a small part, if [Riviera] could see hat perfectly, in the most perfect detail†¦Ã¢â‚¬  then he could understand that the â€Å"process of assemblage depends on a fundamental tension between the physical and the imaginative. † These contradictory ideas represent the ideas behind an object, with each perfected product, be it human, object, material or notion, there is an imaginative idea that led to the production or design. Obviously this does not need to refer only to a product, h owever. A person’s identity is made up of an imaginative idea combined with a physical ‘shell,’ and one without the other leaves an uninterpretable chaos of thoughts or actions. This imaginative idea is what influences our very life, guiding our moral compass as we endeavour to live with experimentation in our morals and behaviour. Science fiction is a genre that challenges ideas of present societies, and projects them into the future, creating texts that reinforce themes that disrupt traditional perspectives of morality and behaviour. Through the exploration of technology parenting the human race, the glorification of disembodiment, as well as the desire to become something more, the articles (Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson’s Neuromancer by Benjamin Fair, and The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates by Daniel Punday) have increased the understanding of how science fiction experiments with morality and behaviour to challenge traditional perspectives. These ideas have been collected from William Gibson’s, Neuromancer, and been studied and explained throughout the aforementioned articles. The essentiality of technology is enforced, while the juxtaposition of disembodiment is discussed in detail throughout the articles, as they also bring up the issue of technology parenting the human race, complimenting the desire to become something more than what we are. The idea that we are made up, created and maintained of distinct individual parts is again explored throughout the entire novel, with references being placed within the text. These ideas challenge and disrupt traditional perspectives, while increasing one’s understanding of the text, Neuromancer, by William Gibson. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. New Oxford American Dictionary, Third Edition [ 2 ]. ibid. [ 3 ]. William Gibson (1995): Neuromancer, Paperback edition [ 4 ]. Benjamin Fair (2005): Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson's Neuromancer, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, pp. 92-103 [ 5 ]. Daniel Punday (2000): The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates, College English, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 194-213 [ 6 ]. Benjamin Fair (2005): Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson's Neuromancer, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, pp. 98 [ 7 ]. Daniel Punday (2000): The Narrative Construction of Cybers pace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates, College English, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 200 [ 8 ]. Benjamin Fair (2005): Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson's Neuromancer, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, pp. 8 [ 9 ]. William Gibson (1995): Neuromancer, Paperback edition, pp. 69 [ 10 ]. Benjamin Fair (2005): Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson's Neuromancer, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, pp. 98 [ 11 ]. William Gibson (1995): Neuromancer, Paperback edition, pp. 12 [ 12 ]. Daniel Punday (2000): The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates, College English, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 201 [ 13 ]. ibid [ 14 ]. ibid [ 15 ]. Benjamin Fair (2005): Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson's Neuromancer, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, pp. 99 [ 16 ]. ibid [ 17 ]. William Gibson (1995): Neuromancer, Paperback edition, pp. 37 [ 18 ]. Daniel Punday (2000): The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates, College English, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 202 [ 19 ]. William Gibson (1995): Neuromancer, Paperback edition, pp. 16 [ 20 ]. William Gibson (1995): Neuromancer, Paperback edition, pp. 67 (ellipsis in original) [ 21 ]. Daniel Punday (2000): The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates, College English, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 203 [ 22 ]. Benjamin Fair (2005): Stepping Razor in Orbit: Postmodern Identity and Political Alternatives in William Gibson's Neuromancer, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, pp. 92-103 [ 23 ]. Daniel Punday (2000): The Narrative Construction of Cy berspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates, College English, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 194-213

Mr Bean

Mr Bean is a series of fourteen shows based around the character of Mr Bean, a grown man who seems to have been born yesterday. The character is played by the versatile comedic star Rowan Atkinson. The programmes were filmed between 1990 and 1995, with the franchise also spawning a number of short specials, an cartoon version, and two feature-length films. Bean is supposedly a grown man but is outstandingly childish; his juvenile behaviour brings him into trouble with alarming regularity.He bumbles along in life with great abandon and seems oblivious to the havoc he causes. Moreover, in a childish way, everything is exciting, and everything must be played with. Even (especially? ) those things that he shouldn't, like the Christmas displays in Harrods! Whilst he rarely speaks (visual humour being the main strength of this sitcom), his occasional vocal offerings expose his voice to be as socially unacceptable as his behaviour, and as amusing as his trademark tweed blazer.Bean's residen ce alters between different episodes, but he never progresses beyond a small, one-or-two room grubby flat, which he shares with his sole friend; Teddy, his teddy bear, who rather worryingly Bean seems to think can communicate with him! He also has a long-term (and long-suffering) girlfriend, Irma Gobb (although whether or not he understands the concepts of romance and intimacy is uncertain).Other people he encounters, he tends to quickly worry with his eccentric behaviour. Indeed, the title sequence might suggest that he's an extra-terrestrial; he finds it difficult to cope with everyday situations, and seems to be learning how to live life each time he does something which to most people would be quite simple (like sit an exam; go to church; stuff a turkey etc. ). The fact that his presence disturbs TV reception would support this theory.The thing which makes Bean so worrying to those who encounter him, and so intriguing and hilarious to we the viewers, is that it's very difficult to work out who he actually is; it could, of course, just be that he lacks social skills, but we don't know what actually motivates him; what his hopes and dreams and fears are; what makes him tick. The fascination as we watch this peculiar specimen go about his daily existence is often captivating and constantly hilarious.