The eNotes Blog Writers Spaces, Places, and Advice AboutWriting

Writers Spaces, Places, and Advice AboutWriting It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.   ~  Stephen King,  On Writing Pictured above is Stephen Kings own attic writing space at his home in Bangor, Maine.   In contrast to his statement above, his desk does appear to be in the middle of his room, but surely he means corner to be taken metaphorically; that is, any place that is quiet, that is yours; the place where  you  sit  to write  your  work.   While there are some writers who purportedly can write in the midst of chaos, most of us require a place of retreat. I believe it was J.K. Rowling who said that she cleared out a walk-in closet, put a desk and a lamp in there, and sealed herself off from the rest of the family while she was composing her first  Harry Potter  novel. Here are ten intriguing places where writers write, along with some advice for all who write: 1.   Neil Gaimans Gazebo/Cabin 8  Good Writing Practices Write. Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down. Finish what youre writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it. Put it aside. Read it pretending youve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is. Remember: when people tell you somethings wrong or doesnt work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving. Laugh at your own jokes. The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, youre allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But its definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. Im not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter. 2.   Edith Whartons view from The Mount in Lennox, Massachusetts Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive. 3. Dylan Thomass Boathouse at Laugharne, Wales Go on thinking that you dont need to be read and youll find that it may become quite true: no one will feel the need to read it because it is written for yourself alone; and the public wont feel any impulse to gate crash such a private party. 4.   Ernest Hemingways Home in Key West, Florida â€Å"Writing is something that you can never do as well as it can be done. It is a perpetual challenge and it is more difficult than anything else that I have ever done.† â€Å"There’s no rule on how it is to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly. Sometimes it is like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.† â€Å"Ordinarily I never read anything before I write in the morning to try and bite on the old nail with no help, no influence and no one giving you a wonderful example or sitting looking over your shoulder.† 5. Rudyard Kipling:  Dummerston, Vermont â€Å"I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.† â€Å"I never made a mistake in my life; at least, never one that I couldnt explain away afterwards.† â€Å"If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.† 6. Ian Flemings home, GoldenEye, in Jamaica â€Å"All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards  their  goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders all maniacs. What else but a blind  singleness  of purpose could have given focus to  their  genius, would have kept them in the groove of purpose. Mania is as priceless as genius.† 7.   Norman Mailers Fourth Floor Apartment, Brooklyn Heights, New York Ive written at times about the spooky element in writing. You go in each morning, and theres a blank page. Maybe it takes five minutes, maybe it takes an hour. Sooner or later you start writing, and then the words begin to flow. Where does that come from? You cant pinpoint it. You always wonder, Will it all stop tomorrow? In that sense its spooky. In other words, youre relying on a phenomenon thats not necessarily dependable.   (Norman Mailer Interview, The Academy of Achievement, June 12, 2004) Over the years, I’ve found one rule. It is the only one I give on those occasions when I talk about writing. A simple rule. If you tell yourself you are going to be at your desk tomorrow, you are by that declaration asking your unconscious to prepare the material. You are, in effect, contracting to pick up such valuables at a given time. Count on me, you are saying to a few forces below: I will be there to write. 8.   Virginia  Woolfs Writing Desk at Monks House, Sussex, England Mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it. It is our business to puncture gas bags and discover the seeds of truth. To write weekly, to write daily, to write shortly, to write for busy people catching trains in the morning or for tired people coming home in the evening, is a heartbreaking task for men who know good writing from bad. They do it, but instinctively draw out of harms way anything precious that might be damaged by contact with the public, or anything sharp that might irritate its skin. Arrange whatever pieces come your way. 9. John Steinbecks Summer Home in Sag Harbor, Maine The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.   Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.   The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty. In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable. 10.   Roald Dahls The Gipsy House,  Buckinghamshire, England Dahls Advice on Writing 1.   You should have a lively imagination 2. You should be able to write well.   By that I mean you should be able to make a scene come alive in the reader’s mind.   Not everybody has this ability.   It is a gift, and you either have it or you don’t. 3.   You must have stamina.   In other words, you must be able to stick to what you are doing and never give up, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week, and month after month. 4.   You must be a perfectionist.   That means you must never be satisfied with what you have written until you have rewritten it again and again, making it as good as you possibly can. 5.   You must have strong self-discipline.   You are working alone.   No one is employing you.   No one is around to fire you if you don’t turn up for work, or to tick you off is you start slacking. 6.   It helps a lot if you have a keen sense of humor.   This is not essential when writing for grown-ups, but for children, it’s vital. 7.   You must have a degree of humility.   The writer who thinks that his work is marvelous is heading for trouble.

Examples of the Null Hypothesis

Examples of the Null Hypothesis The null hypothesis- which assumes that there is no meaningful relationship between two variables- may be the most valuable hypothesis for the scientific method because it is the easiest to test using a statistical analysis. This means you can support your hypothesis with a high level of confidence. Testing the null hypothesis can tell you whether your results are due to the effect of manipulating ​the dependent variable or due to chance. What Is the Null Hypothesis? The null hypothesis states there is no relationship between the measured phenomenon (the dependent variable) and the independent variable. You do not​ need to believe that the null hypothesis is true to test it. On the contrary, you will likely suspect that there is a relationship between a set of variables. One way to prove that this is the case is to reject the null hypothesis. Rejecting a hypothesis does not mean an experiment was bad or that it didnt produce results. In fact, it is often one of the first steps toward further inquiry. To distinguish it from other hypotheses, the null hypothesis is written as  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹H0  (which is read as â€Å"H-nought,† H-null, or H-zero). A significance test is used to determine the likelihood that the results supporting the null hypothesis are not due to chance. A confidence level of 95 percent or 99 percent is common. Keep in mind, even if the confidence level is high, there is still a small chance the null hypothesis is not true, perhaps because the experimenter did not account for a critical factor or because of chance. This is one reason why its important to repeat experiments. Examples of the Null Hypothesis To write a null hypothesis, first start by asking a question. Rephrase that question in a form that assumes no relationship between the variables. In other words, assume a treatment has no effect. Write your hypothesis in a way that reflects this. Question Null Hypothesis Are teens better at math than adults? Age has no effect on mathematical ability. Does taking aspirin every day reduce the chance of having a heart attack? Taking aspirin daily does not affect heart attack risk. Do teens use cell phones to access the internet more than adults? Age has no effect on how cell phones are used for internet access. Do cats care about the color of their food? Cats express no food preference based on color. Does chewing willow bark relieve pain? There is no difference in pain relief after chewing willow bark versus taking a placebo. Null Hypothesis Examples

Writing evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing evaluation - Research Paper Example Overall, this article was clear and well-written, and laid out in a way that made sense, but it could have been a little more in-depth than it was in its research of previous articles. Generally speaking, the article was written at a level that made it fairly easy to understand, but which did not try to dumb things down. The authors use scholarly language, but try to be clear and most of the time they succeed. The article is also laid out well, and a lot of its data is presented in tables which make it easier to understand. The authors also use lists sometimes to make their case, as in their introduction. In this case, they set up the outline of the entire article by describing exactly what they will cover and in what order. The article does cover a lot of ground, with almost thirty articles used in the references section as expected of a literature review. While all of these articles did come from established journals so far as I could tell, I think the study might have been improved by looking at articles written over a slightly longer period of time. All of the articles were written between 1990 and 2007 (Taylor, Gibson, & Franck 3084). While that might usually be a good thing for nursing articles, in the case of a literature review it seems like the article will provide a narrow view of the literature as a result. More articles from earlier periods could have shown changes in how people are treated that might help nurses in treating young people with chronic illnesses. Despite the possible problem with the method the authors use, their article is quite good. They use language in a clear and convincing way, and organize their points well. Also, the review of existing literature is thorough, at least in terms of describing the articles used. However, I do still think the authors could have changed their work for the better if they had used a wider range of articles. Overall, though, the authors present a convincing,

Principlies of Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principlies of Humanities - Essay Example Jubal, the seventh descendant of Adam was the father of them that play upon the harp and the organs (Renehan 2). Music falls into the natural subdivisions of Uncivilized, Semi-civilized or Civilized depending on the people it is associated with. Uncivilized music is primitive in form and exists among races that have not reached the point of artistic organization (Pratt 18). Semi-civilized music falls into two distinct groups, one for people existing now for example, Chinese and Hindus and the other for ancient people for example, Hebrews and Egyptians both of whose music has a real system not relating to our own (Pratt 19). Civilized music falls into three groups marked by centuries namely, Greek and Roman, Mediaeval and Modern music (Pratt 19). This paper covers the song â€Å"Amazing Grace† by English poet turned Clergyman, John Newton. Although born to a religious mother, Newton always abandoned the Christian faith in pursuit of his own interests. At some time in his life, he commanded an English slave ship that he owned and would supply for slave trade. The song dates back to a time between 1760 and 1770 composed in Olney. Newton wrote it after experiencing a tumultuous life in slavery and brutal abuse that led to his conversion. Unpredictable events in his life included, the early death of his mother, adolescent passions, seizure by naval press gang, servitude in Africa, disaster and deliverance at sea, tales of whippings and sudden deaths, climatic religious conversion, romance, an epileptic fit, unemployment, a succession of job opportunities, failed attempts to enter the ministry and so on (Hindmarsh 2).After his experience he got to believe in God and sought Him. The song was originally a poem with its basis derived from works of the New Testament in the Bible. The first verse for example, is derived from the parable of the prodigal son. â€Å"‘My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate

Domestic Terrorism Essay Example for Free

Domestic Terrorism Essay According to Section 802 of the Patriot Act, the definition of domestic terrorism is one that encompasses acts committed within the borders of the United States, and is one where a person or organization commits an act that is: â€Å"dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of a state or the United States, if the act appears to be intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping† (ACLU, 2002). It is safe to say that the face of terrorism has always been changing, and domestic terrorism is not something new in the wake of 9/11; rather it is now run by smarter operations, elaborate infrastructures, and with perhaps strong connections to international terrorism groups and organizations. Domestic and internationally based groups have come to realize they can help one another in achieving their goals, or aiming at specific targets. Their common enemy is US Policy – be it domestic or foreign – and both types of organizations have made attacks at government agencies and bodies. The most notable of recent domestic terrorism attacks, is perhaps that of McVeigh and Nichols and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Their target was the FBI headquarters, and there has been circulated discourse on the foreign connections Nichols had prior to the bombing. It has been also cited that he had domestic militant group connections, in particular Posse Comitatus: â€Å"He attended meetings in Michigan of the Posse Comitatus, a militant, right-wing organization founded by Col. William Potter Gale and headed by James Wickstrom. Members of Posse Comitatus, according to legal documents released prior to McVeighs trial, have for years been in contact with Iraq and other rogue Arab nations that share a hatred of Israel† (O’Meara, 2001). Another such example of domestic terrorism is â€Å"They Army of God† and their crusade against gay night clubs, anti-abortion clincs, and doctors. They have been known to bomb clinics and nightclubs, having taken claim for 1997 bombings of a clinic and a nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia. It was also suggested, that the 2001 anthrax letters could have been connected to the group: â€Å"That letter spoke of the ungodly communist regime in New York and called for death to the New World Order and bore the nom de guerre signature of accused abortion-clinic bomber Eric Rudolph. In addition to the letters sent to Daschle and Brokaw, more than 100 abortion clinics also received letters containing white powder, of which a handful made reference to the Army of God, an extremist antiabortion group† (2001). There is a connection of Rudolph with the Aryan Nation, another organization who has been referenced to have foreign connections. What is significant in these examples is the opportunist attitudes of the domestic militant groups, and arguably, vice versa. The chief element is fear when it comes to how both domestic and international terrorism groups work, and in this way they certainly help each other. Domestic terrorism, however, is not just based on right-wing militants with political agendas. Left-wing and environmental groups aimed at ‘protecting’ society are often overshadowed by their right-wing counterparts. â€Å"Notable early participants in left-wing terrorism were various socialist and anarchist groups from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Leon Czolgocz, who shot President William McKinley in 1901, embraced anarchist beliefs, though no anarchist group would accept him for membership† (Knight, 2004). However, it is perhaps religious- and social- militant groups labeled under â€Å"right-wing† that have been of more concern in recent times, despite heavy protest often seen by environmental and anti-globalization groups. With the changes in the Patriot Act, and the steady advancement of technology, it is little wonder that the Internet be considered such a powerful tool in the fight against terrorism; as well as the fight for terrorism. Many militant and terrorist groups freely use the Internet to advertise, broadcast and relay messages to one another. It is no surprise, then that monitoring Internet usage should spark such a controversy. FBI and law enforcement should monitor activity of known militant groups, but it is such a hazy area in regards to First Amendment rights. Were monitoring to become a daily occurrence on the Internet, no doubt there would be another means of communication and way to incite violence – as there was in the decades prior to the Internet. â€Å"In August, 2004, the Electronic Frontier Foundation compiled a best-practices list for online service providers (OSPs) wherein it recommended that OSPs set policies to minimize data retention to limit their liability risks, avoid the high cost of having to search through all their data upon the receipt of a subpoena, and protect the privacy of their users† (Gardella, 2006). The Internet is the embodiment of First Amendment rights, with the exchange of ideas and the ability to converse freely at the heart of its ongoing success. Should legislation make Internet monitoring an acceptable practice, it could undermine the fabric of society and only force groups to work more underground than they already are. The innocent civilian would still be the victim. The grant-funded Hamm Report evaluated and compared the methods undertaken by domestic and international terrorism groups. Predominantly, it highlighted the different means favored by each organization and uncovered that: â€Å"International jihad groups are statistically more likely than domestic right-wing groups to commit aircraft and motor vehicle-related crimes; violations of explosive materials; and firearms violations. Right-wing domestic groups are more likely to commit mail fraud; racketeering; robbery/burglary; and violations involving machine guns and destructive devices† (Hamm, 2005). What this largely suggests is that, not only are domestic groups more ready and able to work within the infrastructure of the country, but are prepared to commit small-scale â€Å"warfare† on national targets. International groups, given distances and so forth, were more liable to commit terrorism acts of a larger scale, though not any less devastating than their domestic counterparts. What was also significant in the report was the â€Å"type† of person which domestic groups would recruit: â€Å"Unlike the jihadists, domestic right-wing groups recruit individuals specifically for their criminal skills. Typically headed by charismatic leaders, domestic groups are most successful at acquiring false identity documents, manufacturing illegal firearms, armored truck and bank robbery, and murder. They are surveillance experts, often spending weeks taking into account every moment in the taken-for-granted order of daily routines in and around their targets† (Hamm) It is logical to consider, if not also alarming that many right-wing groups have branches and feelers within the penal system and arguably do a lot of recruiting from the inside. International groups, as noted in the Hamm Report, do not rely heavily on specialists for mundane tasks, however there is prestige considered in both groups – it is an honor to be chosen. The concept of terrorism is two-fold: the act itself, and the fear of an act occurring. It is in this sense that domestic and international terrorism wave the same banner and are equally responsible for devastating lives – be it from bombing a nightclub, to an underground network behind car bombings. It is the threat that it could happen that has become imprinted in people’s minds. Arguably though, perhaps the more concern should be placed on domestic terrorism and the measures used to not only prevent it but to track the groups involved. They are using the system – from the postal system, to recruitment through the penal system – and this is as dangerous if not more so as an international group â€Å"training† overseas. The threat, as they say, is in our own backyard and we can not combat other threats if we are unable to contain the ones running rife within our own borders. References _. â€Å"How the USA PATRIOT Act redefines Domestic Terrorism† ACLU, 2002 (http://www. aclu. org/natsec/emergpowers/14444leg20021206. html ) Gardella, T. M Beyond Terrorism: The Potential Chilling Effect on the Internet of Broad Law Enforcement Legislation. † St. Johns Law Review. Spring 2006. (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3735/is_200604/ai_n17173795 ) Hamm, M. â€Å"Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups: Theory, Research, and Prevention† Department of Justice, NCJRS, September 2005 (http://www. ncjrs. gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/211203. pdf ) Knight, J. Terrorism, Domestic (United States). Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security. (2004). (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_gx5211/is_2004/ai_n19126728 ) OMeara, K. P. Iraq connections to U. S. extremists Nation: Domestic Terrorism Cover Story. Insight on the News. Nov 19, 2001. (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_43_17/ai_80309410 )

Determination and Instinct in the Brothers Grimms Cinderella Essay

As children, most of our life lessons are acquired through the simplicity of fairy tales. Subliminal messages taught us to always believe in true love and in the eternal victory of good over evil. This is the case in the Brothers Grimm’s â€Å"Cinderella†, a popular fairy tale embodying a classic folk tale myth-element of unjust oppression followed by triumphant reward, where true love conquers all and eventually sets the world right. Cinderella is a fallen princess who finally meets with tough reality, bearing headstrong grit and perseverance. She proves that by entrusting one’s self and instincts, one can then achieve anything they put their minds to. She demonstrates such boldness when dealing with her step-family, sorting out the good lentils from the bad, and finally when making a sudden and unexpected appearance at the ball. At the very beginning of â€Å"Cinderella†, written by the Brothers Grimm, the narrator clearly states that the central character’s name is only descriptive instead of being a proper name. â€Å"And as on that account she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella† (70). This allows us, the readers, to identify with the protagonist. Abandoned by her father and enslaved by her stepmother, Cinderella proves that kindness will get a person farther in life than hatred ever can. Cinderella manages to overcome her obstacles with the help of her animal friends. These creatures of nature surround Cinderella because she is kind and loving, while the only animal that would even approach the evil stepmother and stepdaughters was their angry spoiled cat. Nevertheless, Cinderella still deals with them with nothing but patience and virtue. She is always the better person and never stoops down to their level. ... ...balls, knowing that her step sisters were literally dying to be in her shoes. By keeping to herself and trusting her instincts, Cinderella winds up marrying the Prince and living happily ever after. Cinderella differs from other princesses in any other fairy tale. She can be portrayed as a heroine in the eyes of the young, as well as the old, which is what makes her such a great and unique character. Cinderella overcomes numerous barriers, never accepting defeat and is kind to all, even those who do not reciprocate her goodness. She deals with her evil stepmother and stepsisters in the best behaviour, and in the end, she is able to obtain what she had worked so hard to achieve. For all these reasons little girls as well as grown women alike can relate to Cinderella in their hardships and can draw power and trust in their own selves from her inspirational tale.

Point of sale and inventory documentation Essay

Point of Sale and Inventory System is a process wherein the business could monitor the movements of the products as well as the sales transactions. It is important for the company to take account inventory of the products as well as the sales. Inventory refers total amount of goods and/or materials contained in a store at any or factory at any given time (Inventory, 2011) Even though technology is available, still many companies use manual system. Operating manual inventory is a time-consuming task, lots of paper works and slow date processing (Hamlet, 2011). It also problematic in terms of communication streams. Each update or removal from the inventory must be updated daily (Cruz, 2010). Manual sales and inventory process was prone to errors that required time to rectify discrepancies (â€Å"Inventory†, nd.). Since manual inventory consumes a lot of time and is susceptible to errors, it would be helpful to build a system that will automate the transactions from acquisition of the product description to updating the inventory database. Work efficiency of employees is defined as how productive they are in their work (â€Å"Inventory†, nd.). The causes of the discrepancies in the records are many, and some of the commonly observed ones are: stock loss; transaction error, inaccessible inventory, and incorrect product identification. Stock loss, also known as shrinkage in industry, includes all forms of loss of the products available for sale. One common example is theft, which can be committed by both shoppers (external theft) and employees (internal theft). With these problems of manual inventory system, businesses emerged with computerized Point of Sales and Inventory System. It tracks purchases and sale transactions thought an organization. Point of Sale and Inventory System is a tool used by retail businesses such as stores, supermarkets, and restaurants. It can register the purchase and keep track of inventory. It also records information on the purchase including time and store location. It also manages the sales of retail goods. It makes a business much more efficient, lowering the costs of running the business while improving customer service and making the business more pleasant to work in (Smith &  Harris, 2011) According to Hendeson (2011), that effective tracking of inventory is an imperative component to a small business successful operation. By having up-to-date data regarding all needed stocks for sale, the organization will drastically increase its bottom line. The amount of time that can be saved by the company is the biggest benefits of using a computerized point of sale and inventory system. Another benefit of a computerized point of sale and inventory system is the accuracy it ensures. The companies operation will be more effectively. The business owner or the manager can ensure that the reports, purchased order and other documents related to sales and inventory are uniform regardless of two created the reports (What are the benefits of Computerized Sales and Inventory, n.d.). According to ruffling (2009), senior director of retail services for BBK Ltd., the trends in Sales and Inventory System are not just inventory accuracy but the use of pricing models to allow for markdown management. Based from the problems encountered in a manual point of sales and inventory system, developers come up with this computerized point of sales and inventory system. Developers have chosen Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa started its operations in the year 2012 by Mr. Randy S. Quiniones. It is located at Sierra Heights Place, Sierra Madre St. Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City. The company is currently using a manual inventory system but aims for improvement to be competitive. In small businesses, inventory system is still applicable because of the advantages it provides the management. Inventory system makes the management of stock levels mush easier and more organized. It improves profits by accurately identifying the flow of stocks. The developers have come up with an idea developing a system that will improve the process and at the same time comes up with an idea developing a system that will improved the process and at the same time comes up with an efficient result of Inventory. The developers aim to eliminate possible problems due human errors that might occur during manual handling, like erroneous tallying and recording of items and other products during the actual inventories. The proposed project entitled â€Å"Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa Point of Sale and Inventory System† deals with the tracking of regular costumers, supplies and delivery’s inventory system. This system will be made actually for the management to reduce their work with concrete and consistent handling of data. Also it  aims to build a consistent inventory system for the company that will surely help the company for stability and profitability. Statement of the Problem Sales and Inventory has always been an issue in the part of manual procedures. Thus, the study seeks to answer the following: 1. How to Design, develop and implement a Point of Sale and Inventory System? 2. How to develop a module that will be used for keeping and storing the entire item’s information? 3. How to develop a module for counting all the sales of the sold items? 4. How to develop a Computerized Point of Sales and Inventory System that will lessen time spent in processing of the payment? 5. How to generate reports faster on-time? Objectives of the study The developers aimed to designed, developed and test Point of Sale and Inventory System for Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa, for them to become more competitive and to attract more customers specifically, it sought to answer the following objectives. 1. To identify the existing processes in terms of a. Sales and b. Inventory 2. To determine the software and hardware requirements of the system. 3. To enumerate the features of the system; and 4. To test the acceptability of the system. Significance of the Study The system will bring innovations and modernization for Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa, and an effective way in providing a means of convenience and faster service. The following will be the beneficiaries: Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa. The system will give the company another asset to be used for them to attract customer by providing better services with regards to their improved point of sale system. Also it increases the company’s competitiveness among other competitors. In this way, it may able to improve the Thirsty Teddy Refilling  Station and The Sierra Spa image and professionalism through a better and well organized business. Manager. The system will help the manager perform more efficient ways to operate the business. The manager will receive reliable and accurate reports on inventory status and sales report. Through these reports the manager can create a good business decisions, determine products that contribute to sales and create new business strategies and enhancement. Inventory Clerk. The clerk will be more productive in checking the stock-in and stock-out of the company. It will also help the inventory clerk in doing reports for the system will generate stock reports Cashier. Upon implementing the system, the cashier will be more productive and efficient in doing work, providing reliable reports for manager and giving the customer quality service. The cashier will not worry about doing manual calculations, for the system will generate sales reports. Developers. In creating the system, developers will be able to apply knowledge acquired in school and discover new facts and ideas that will be a big help in the long run being in the world of business particularly in a system and software development. Other Developers. This will serve as the great significance to other developers that will have similar studies. These developers may further improve and revise the outcome of this research. Scope and Limitations The study focused on the manager and cashier’s requirements. The proposed system included only stocks monitoring process. The System is able to provide inventory reports and sales reports. There were two modules aim to developed- the administrator or manager module and the cashier module. In the Manager module, the manager can view, edit and delete user account as well as supplier accounts, view inventory as well as reports such as the stock in and stock out and the list of suppliers that can provide the stocks needed. The manager can also view stock that needs to be purchased as well as the status of each purchase order. In the Clerk module, the inventory clerk can add and edit information of stocks being delivered by the supplier. The said module enables the generation of information on the status of stocks, the bad orders, the stocks needed to be purchased and the suppliers that can provide the stocks. Inventory clerk is not allowed to delete supplier’s information. In the Cashier model, sales transaction  receipt generation and purchase order is also included as one of the features of the system. The cashier can only view and add transactions, but is not allowed to delete and edit information made by the manager and the inventory clerk. Security measures were also included. The user will simply login the user name and password to gain access in the system. Conceptual Framework The developers aim to use Input-Process-Output (IPO) to present paradigm of the study that illustrates the relationship between the input and output. The paradigm of the study exhibits the skeletal framework of the research study. The input consists of existing process of Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa in terms of inventory and sales. Problems of the existing process are also needed in the development of the system. The developers also identify the features of the system and test the acceptability of the system. The phases of Waterfall Model will be the basis for the development of the system. This includes the following phases; requirements, analysis, design and implementation. The output of this system is Thirsty Teddy Refilling Station and The Sierra Spa Point of Sale and Inventory System. Figure 1.1 in the succeeding page, shows the paradigm of the study to be conducted, to come up with the output of the propose system.

Behavioral Problems with Budgeting and Beyond Budgeting Model

All organizational Managers have to do certain management functions such as planning, control, coordination, staffing, motivation, leading, communication and organizing.These functions differ from organization to organization due to different organizational cultures, nature of activities and its complexity, size, staff profile in terms of values and skills, internal political activity its intensity and is level external environment in which they exist in terms of social, political, legal and environmental issues they face and its nature in terms of stable or dynamic and the Management philosophy of the senior and executive level of management.The traditional Budgeting is a tool for planning and control activities such that it enable the organization direction as well to coordinate activities and compare actual performance with Budgets so that to identify variance and investigate the causes and determine whether they are controllable or uncontrollable and revise plans if the organizat ion cannot achieve the panned performance because of uncontrollable factors. The traditional budgetary process has many advantages.The advantages are that it forces managers to formulate detailed plans for achieving the targets for each department and operation, promotes coordination and communication, clearly defines the areas of responsibility for the achievement of the budgets, enables remedial action to be taken as variance emerge, motivates employees by participating in the budgetary process of setting or formulating the budgets, improves allocation of scarce resources. Economizes management time by using the principle of management by exception. However they have serious drawbacks, They are mostly of a behavioral type. Page: 2The drawbacks of the traditional Budgets are that budgets may be perceived by the lower level managers and employees as it is imposed by the senior management and thus affects labor relations as well it may also tend to have inaccurate record keeping, In addition budgets may increase conflict over the resource allocation or they may blame others if they don’t meet the targets as well in practice it is difficult to reconcile individual goals with corporate goals and the plans cannot be accurate in a dynamic environment and detailed planning consume considerable time and resources of managers and they mayPerceive it as a futile activity. The budgeting also may induce mangers to spend all what they get even though they can spend less because of the attitude â€Å" we better spend it or we will lose it†. In the traditional Budget as a plan and control tool managers can also over estimate expenditure because of the fear they will be blamed if expenditures are not within the budgets and sales budgets will be under estimated for the reason that the sales people may fear if they don’t meet the sales target and for the fear of losing performance pay if such a rewarding system exists.In a global economy in the current 20t h an 21st century the changes in technological economic social and political climate have become more rapid and dynamic as well unpredictable than ever before and the competition has increased mostly in all industries at least in advanced industrialized countries and in some parts of Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and in Middle East. In this context if organizations are not adaptive and responsive in a timely manner to meet customer needs compared to its competitors and Page: 3have products tailored to satisfy these needs organizations must react quickly and its planning and decision making mechanisms must be flexible and managers must be able to make decisions and must have the authority and responsibility to react quickly and organizations must devolve power to managers of profit centers and decentralize organizations and performance measured in general terms relatively measured comparing different profit centers and be customer focus culture at all levels in general terms an d allow managers to make decisions to make returns on equity more than its competitors by satisfying customer needs profitably and have an information system to assist such process rather than plan in detail which is traditionally done which may stifle innovation and flexibility of the organization in a dynamic environment. The Beyond Budgeting Model is a model to address the limitations and behavioral disadvantages of the traditional budgeting in organizations. As well it is not a new planning tool but it is a new management idea. That is to change the organizational structure and organizational culture from a hierarchical organization to a network organization and decentralize decision -making and to devise a management information system, which enables mangers to share knowledge and instill new ideas and empower managers to make decisions to respond to unexpected events and to create an entrepreneur culture.That is to make the organization to become more flexible and adaptable an d create systems processes and products, which satisfy customer needs profitable, compared to its competitors and monitor emerging needs and respond quickly Page: 4 to satisfy the emerging needs more effectively than its competitors and benchmarking its processes and products on a continuous basis. There fore the success or failure of Beyond budgeting depends on how the model is introduced in the organization and the phase of its introduction and how management has overcome resistance to change and how mangers are trained and the phase of overcoming competitive culture and become a more co-operative and team culture and the possibility of this happening in the organization.So in effect the success or failure of Beyond Budget Model itself depends on how it is implemented and whether the managers perceive this as another method imposed by the senior management and how senior management can overcome such behavioral constrain. If this can be done given the managers profiles in terms of their entrenched management practices and the senior managements effectiveness and their leadership qualities to change behavior Beyond Budget may become a more adaptive process and may overcome some grave disadvantages of the traditional budgeting system. That is in other words to be a workable model the Beyond Budget Model must have the appropriate culture and structure introduced effectively. In practice it is not an easy task and there is no silver bullet. However in practice it has been implemented in some organizations particularly in large, small and medium organizations.But the number of organizations adopting this model is very small even in large organizations. As well this model is mostly applicable to knowledge industries mostly than other organizations and the traditional model with good budgeting practices may work effectively than the Beyond Budget Model. For example Sevenska Handelsbanken a Swedish retail bank with Page: 5 branches all over Northern Europe and in Gre at Britain have had no Budget since 1970. (http://www. juergendaum. com/news/02_24_2003. htm). As well other examples of Beyond Budget model implemented successfully are Toyota an Automobile manufacturer, Aldi a German Retailer, South West Airlines, the American Airlines. (http://www. 12manage.com/methods_fraser_beyond_budgeting. html). In addition there are also other less well-known examples adopting Beyond Budget Model. They are Ahlshell, the Swedish materials wholesaler, ISS, the International Danish facilities service group, World Bank and small non-profit Sight savers International, a UK charity. (http://www. 12manage. com/methods_fraser_beyond_budgeting. html). As mentioned above in page 4 these examples demonstrates the Beyond Budget Model can be successful in any size however it is mostly applied by Knowledge Industries and the examples are very few this may be due to the fact this model is a recent model and it may increase in the future.However there are many organization s using the traditional budgeting model indicates the traditional model at least to be perceived by these organization to have some value to them as well it may be effective for many organizations or they adopt good budgeting processes. In summary it can be argued that the Beyond Budget Model certainly can overcome some behavioral problems in budgeting. However it has its own behavioral issues to be resolved to be more effective and in some circumstances it may not be effective and traditional budgeting process may work more effectively than Beyond Budget model as discussed Page: 6 Above. Its effectiveness is dependent on many factors as well as discussed above. Applying these behavioral issues as discussed above to the scenario one must assume about the organizational culture and organizational structure.If suppose one assumes the organization is a centralized organization and the top management believes in the beyond budgeting process and value the usefulness of budgeting and mana gers want to compete with other managers with resources and there exist considerable political activity then it can be argued it is very difficult to implement by top management the beyond budgeting model due to excessive conflict and empire building processes which may inhibit the successful implementation of the new Beyond Budget model. Any new model will have resistance due to changes in the status quo and managers may resist changes to protect their power and turf in the organization.There fore if the senior management does not have the leadership to influence and overcome resistance and change behavior and introduce the model in a phase which, is perceived by the managers and staff as imposition it may affect their performance and effective implementation, That is the top management must consider behavioral issues involved in introducing Beyond Budget model because it is a radical change from the traditional model and the culture may resist such change and it may be counter pro ductive and may not reap benefits theoretically expected by introducing this model. As well even if managers in this scenario do not like detailed budgets they may not have the skills and motivation and hindsight to plan and if the organization is a centralized organization not a decentralized organization the beyond budget model may not work in such circumstances. In effect management must consider Page: 7 the behavioral implications and behavioral issues of this model before considering this model and not considering good budgeting processes and use of technology and tools for budgeting as the traditional budgets have several advantages to organizations as well to its own behavioral limitations.As discussed above the Beyond Budget Model do not overcome all issues in Budgeting and even it addresses some issues it has its own behavioral issues to be resolved to be effective in all organizational circumstances and the behavioral issues may vary from one organization to another. It is also necessary to recognize to change a culture takes time and any culture cannot be changes in short time. This is a very important to consider because the Beyond Budget model is a radical change in culture and insists and based on considerable behavioral modification and change. This is a very important limitation of this model in practice and management must be aware of this before planning to introduce this in to organization without giving prior considerations of the complexity and the radical nature of its model in terms of behavioral implications, which is very difficult to predict.

Free Essays on Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Use Of Rhetorical Strategy

Martin Luther King Jr. professed peace and brotherhood between people of all races. At the time when Malcolm X delivered his â€Å"Ballot or the Bullet† speech, he was an orthodox Muslim preaching the equality of all races, but that blacks must help themselves. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Six months and one day later, in Washington Heights, Malcolm X warned his audience of their dwindling abilities to gain freedom; that they needed to use the power of their votes in order to gain equality. These two men had a similar goal in their minds, but the paths in which they would each preach to attain those goals in their speeches varied with great distinction. While the content and underlying ideas of the speeches may have inconsistencies with each other, they both use many common literary devices and rhetorical strategy. King is best known for his peaceful protests and his non-violence movement. The underlying purpose of the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech is to compel his audience to strive for equality among blacks and whites. King had two audiences in mind; he gave his speech during the march on Washington of that year where he had thousands of people listening to him as he addressed the masses crowding the Washington memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. King knew, however, that people everywhere would be listening, mostly black, but also whites. He had attained a status in society that made people listen to him. Malcolm X was delivering his speech during the height of the black suffrage movement. He was a key player in gathering support by his audiences of primarily black people to whom he spoke. This is important when understanding some of the language that both Malcolm X and King used in their speeches. The way in which King spoke directly reflects his acknowledgement of his audience. Throughout his speech, King created a sense of comr... Free Essays on Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Use Of Rhetorical Strategy Free Essays on Malcolm X And Martin Luther King Use Of Rhetorical Strategy Martin Luther King Jr. professed peace and brotherhood between people of all races. At the time when Malcolm X delivered his â€Å"Ballot or the Bullet† speech, he was an orthodox Muslim preaching the equality of all races, but that blacks must help themselves. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Six months and one day later, in Washington Heights, Malcolm X warned his audience of their dwindling abilities to gain freedom; that they needed to use the power of their votes in order to gain equality. These two men had a similar goal in their minds, but the paths in which they would each preach to attain those goals in their speeches varied with great distinction. While the content and underlying ideas of the speeches may have inconsistencies with each other, they both use many common literary devices and rhetorical strategy. King is best known for his peaceful protests and his non-violence movement. The underlying purpose of the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech is to compel his audience to strive for equality among blacks and whites. King had two audiences in mind; he gave his speech during the march on Washington of that year where he had thousands of people listening to him as he addressed the masses crowding the Washington memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. King knew, however, that people everywhere would be listening, mostly black, but also whites. He had attained a status in society that made people listen to him. Malcolm X was delivering his speech during the height of the black suffrage movement. He was a key player in gathering support by his audiences of primarily black people to whom he spoke. This is important when understanding some of the language that both Malcolm X and King used in their speeches. The way in which King spoke directly reflects his acknowledgement of his audience. Throughout his speech, King created a sense of comr...

Business Writing Style Tools

Business Writing Style Tools (Issue 27: April, 2010)This issue offers a strategy reminder and a tool to measure your business writing clarity.Good strategy is summarized by Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and even the A-Team's Mr. T.: "I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English - it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in." - Mark Twain "It is not enough to write so that you can be understood; you must write so clearly that you cannot be misunderstood." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "Don't gimme none o' that jibba-jabba!" - Mr. T A good tool is the Readability Measurement within Microsoft Office and Outlook. By default, the "Spelling Grammar Check" feature is enabled, and of course you should always run it to check for typos and errors. It is not infallible, but it will flag many errors. The Readability Measurement must be enabled, and will assess: 1. Words per sentence (average) 2. Percentage of passive sentences 3. Flesch Reading Ease score 4. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.Why paying attention to these four readouts can improve your writing:Words per sentence - In general, the longer the sentence, the harder it becomes for your reader to follow along. That's not to say you should always write in short sentences. Instead, strive for a variety that makes for interesting and engaging reading.Percentage of sentences written in the passive voice measures the readability of your text as the ratio of passive sentences over active sentences.The lower the score, the better. Active sentences are nearly always easier to read and understand, thus making your message clearer and more persuasive. Aim for a score less than 20%.The Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) is the standard test of readability used by the U.S. Department of Defense for its documents and forms. It indicates how easy it is to read a given document.The results can be between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier it is to understand what you have written. For example, a typical issue of Reader's Digest earns an FRE score of around 65 while Time Magazine scores in the low 50's. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address scores a 74.2. One way to score higher is to use shorter sentences. The results can be interpreted as following: * 0-29 - very confusing hard to read * 30-49 - difficult to read * 50-59 - fairly difficult * 60-69 - standard * 70-79 - fairly easy * 80-89 - easy * 90-100 - very easyRecommendation: A score of 60 or more. Higher is better. Even for business documents, a score of 60 is very achievable and it takes only a few edits to obt ain it.Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) measure translates the Flesch Reading Ease measure to a grade level. The grade level means the number of years of education generally required to understand a text. For example, a score of 9.4 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in the 9th grade. Most newspapers in the U.S. are written at a seventh to eighth grade level.Recommendation: 8.0 to 10.0 is a good target, but lower is better because it reflects language clarity, not content complexity.In business writing one should "write to express, not to impress." This does not mean you should dumb down your ideas and concepts. Instead, it requires you to express them with clean language.These measurements are not perfect. They only assess the textual structure of your document, not content. But, they will provide snapshot measurements to diagnose the textual clarity in your documents.

Fashion Police - Flint Cracks Down on Sagging Essay

Fashion Police - Flint Cracks Down on Sagging - Essay Example Flint The essay "Fashion Police - Flint Cracks Down on Sagging" gives a detailed information about photographies of fashion and provides a critique on the trends in them. The pants are not being used for the purpose that they were made for. As for the third picture, in which not only underwear is showing but so is the butt, the image is offensive, which is to say that the male the image is depicting is offensive. Private parts of the body should be covered up and not on display for everyone to see. Furthermore, both the pants and the underwear no longer serve their purpose of keeping those areas covered up. As for the comments based on each picture, stating that the picture in which the pants sag but still remain above the butt, are correct. At least in this first image the male is merely sagging his pants, showing a little bit of underwear, which is something that can happen to someone who is not even wearing saggy pants. Though I disagree that the second image where the male has hi s pants below the butt is considered disorderly conduct. He is showing much more of himself than he needs to be, and therefore this should be considered indecent exposure, just as the third image is considered. After reading the article that accompanies the photograph, the purpose behind the â€Å"criminal offense† system of sagging pants seems almost as ridiculous as the sagging pants themselves. Arresting people simply because their pants sag a little too low seems like a cheap way for a police officer.