Cheap and Simple Desk Hacks That Will Boost Your Productivity [Video]

Cheap and Simple Desk Hacks That Will Boost Your Productivity [Video] A clean and clear desk makes for a clean and clear mindwhich, in turn, makes for better work. It sounds like nonsense, but theres no denying that clutter is distracting–if not to you, than to the people around you.Be respectful to your colleagues as well as yourself by trying out some of these no-cost desk hacks from BuzzFeedYellow.

Cocaine Facts and Description

Cocaine Facts and Description Cocaine is benzoylmethylecgonine, a crystalline alkaloid from the coca plant. It acts as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, and anesthetic. Crack cocaine is another form of cocaine, a derivative of cocaine hydrochloride. Here are some useful cocaine facts and answers to common questions: What Does Cocaine Look Like? Powdered cocaine is a fine white powder. Street cocaine is cut with other substances to increase profit, so its appearance may be slightly different, depending on the type of impurity. How Is Powdered Cocaine Used? Powdered cocaine is most commonly snorted through the nose, though it may be dissolved in water and injected. Snorted cocaine produces a high within 3-5 minutes after use. Injected cocaine produces an effect within 15-30 seconds. Crack cocaine usually is smoked. Why Do People Use Cocaine? Cocaine is used because it produces euphoria, is a stimulant, suppresses appetite, and can be used as a pain reliever. It is highly addictive and leads to tolerance sometimes after one use, so increasing doses of cocaine are needed to achieve a high. What Are the Effects of Cocaine Use? Users typically feel a rush followed by a sense of alertness and well-being. Cocaine increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and increased movement. When the pleasant effects of cocaine wear off users may feel down or depressed, more than before taking the drug. Some users report being unable to duplicate the intensity of the first exposure with subsequent use. The stimulant effects of cocaine can lead users to feel anxious, restless, and irritable. What Are the Risks of Using Cocaine? Cocaine is highly addictive. Cocaine users are at risk for dangerously elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature, risk of seizure, stroke, and cardiac arrest. Injecting cocaine can involve a risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases. Where Does Cocaine Come From? Cocaine is derived from a paste from the coca plant, a species which grows in South America. Street Names for Cocaine BlowCNose CandyPowderNose PowderWhite PowderAspirinAuntBirdie PowderBolivian Marching PowderBouncing PowderCandy SugarDevils DandruffFast White LadyFlakeFlaveFoolish PowderFriskie PowderJoy PowderMarching PowderParibaPowder DiamondsShakeShrileSnowballSoftStar-Spangled PowderSugar BoogersUptownWhite BoyWhite DragonYao

New Media College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

New Media College - Essay Example As the discussion stresses one major way in which everyone has been affected by the wave of new media is that, now the media does not present information and entertainment to us but with us. People are not passive audience of the media but actively participate in all the media related activities, as new media is highly interactive in nature. The audience decides what it wants to see or listen. Media is no longer controlled by companies but by its audiences. According to the paper findings people do not just read content but make content too. It has become so interactive that people are using the older media to connect to the revolution brought in by the newer media. One’s voice on the web can be put up with ease. Just get it recorded and it’s on the web passing your message to the people you wanted to interact about every possible issue. One to many communication is becoming a thing of past. One–on-one communication is the trend that is building up so in future the role of journalists will be limited. This threat has resulted in many improvisations in the way the journalist’s present information. In an attempt to sustain the competition from new media, they have become very interactive. They no more look as media people, but people among us catering to our requirements of infotainment. The blog trend is catching up. In the coming 10 years we will turn to blogs for news in virtually every field of interest. Wh ether it is business, politics, or other social issues, the blog is going to become credible first-hand vehicle of information. Similar to the blog small content management system, self-publishing, systems integrating audio and video publishing etc. would be the source of information in the next decade. The computer is becoming an integral part of all activities in virtually every thinkable area of our growth process. To improve corporate collaborations, the business leaders are turning to wikis and blogs. These two have the potential to make emails a part of the traditional media. In fact emails have been started being treated as snail mails. It has been observed in the journal 'Information Age' (2006, p. 27) that " wikisare easier to manage than hundred of emails. The theory is - much like open source software development -

Mobile Phones Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Mobile Phones Marketing - Case Study Example As wireless technologies evolve the coming mobile revolution will bring dramatic and fundamental changes to the world. This revolution has already begun and is gaining momentum. The revolution will impact numerous facets of our daily lives and the way business is conducted and will provide important data in real time to assist decision makers exert great influence on communications between businesses and their customers and transform the way we live our lives. The challenges facing mobile services, such as changes in business strategies, investment risk, limitations in mobile devices, networking problems, infrastructure constraints, security concerns, and user distrust in mobile applications and these provoke the researcher's issues such as killer applications, usability, user interfaces, mobile access to databases, and agent technologies. To remain competitive, mobile-device vendors, developers, and network operators must provide end users with a rich and satisfying experience. Mark eting have a great role in promoting wider and broader concept of IT business. Now we should see what are Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry Smart Phones and what all concepts and business models have been used by both. Data is mainly collected through secondary sources. Collection of information is called a data. Data is of two types. They are primary data and secondary data. Primary data are those which are collected a fresh and for the first time and thus happen to be original in character. Secondary data are those which have already been collected by someone else and which have already been passed through statistical process. Secondary data may be published or unpublished data .For this particular study secondary data used is "Market led strategic change" of Prof. Nigel F. Piercy, which is used as marketing tool and its concept. Secondary data is used for preparing company profile, and previous reports. Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry: With all of the millions of iPhones already used by highly satisfied users including many corporate executives Apple has been pushed to add features to the iPhone to make it easier for IT staff to manage and integrate into the existing systems. This will enable iPhone users to gain access to server updates pushed from Exchange as they are updated on the server, rather than requested by the client at regular intervals like a typical email program. "When Apple announced that the iPhone would incorporate Exchange support through ActiveSync, they specifically pointed out some shortcomings of RIM's server-based system." (Kim 2008). Apple also highlighted the thousand of existing web-based applications that already work on the iPhone. One major challenge Apple faces in bumping the iPhone up to 3G is that it will require more battery power to operate and the iPhone already has significantly shorter battery life than comparing with other phones. So the company will need to improve the device's battery life but for the current users frequently need to recharge their battery every day. "Apple has given technology managers their iPhone wish list in full in an effort to make its phone more business friendly. The mission: Lure enough enterprises to the iPhone so Apple can hit its 10 million unit goal by the end of 2008." (Dignan 2008). Apple IPhone is the multimedia mobile phone, which enable internet connectivity with touch screen, virtual keyboard, camera phone and portable media player (ipod) along

Factors that affect the communication process Essay Example for Free

Factors that affect the communication process Essay There are various factors that affect the communication process. Among many of the factors some are very important and play a very important role throughout society, cultural, ethical and individual ways of perspective and communication. Throughout life people have and/or will be faced with the challenge of playing out these roles in society. For example, there are different cultures around the world. In some culture women are to be covered up at all times and are married off to as trade for cattle or money to their father. Where in cultures women are free to dress and marry by there choice. These two women will experience culture shock while communicating with each other. Culture is the values, attitudes and morals, someone is thought that carry over into their social lives. By taken the time to make sure we as people can cultural communication it can keep down most of the confusing in workplace, school and just maybe the world. Ethnical identify also is an important factor that affects the communication process, because of what is taught cultural and/or in people homes. The ethnicity plays in how two co-workers from different and same cultures interact with one another. For example, in the United States of America during slavery most White Americans where taught and believed they were superior when communicating with African-Americans so the communication was only a one direction channel. When African-American communication between each other back then where thru songs and marking. Ethnical identify is a very touchy subject all over the world and causes  racial profiling among all Ethnical groups. The most important factor that these minority races consider are their backgrounds. Ethnical issues can arise due to terminations, promotions, and bonuses. The individual identity is also an important factor that impacts communication. An individual communicates with others depended upon their own social imagination. This can play a role in which supervisor is admired in the workplace and willing to work with you, or who is most resented. Once others realize this they accept it, and find ways to work around with but  remove themselves from the person outside of a work environment. This includes someone’s own personality traits and how they esteem themselves. Finally the last factor to be discussed is societal identity. This references the roles others play in society. Some people may object to others actions, because they have different backgrounds. In the workplace younger works are said to be better at handle the rapid pace of how things change with technology in the workplace than older worker. This is not a true statement; however this is the depiction of society. The roles people paly such as a supervisor. It allows us to present ourselves a certain way towards our supervisors. I for one have taught and seen older coworkers take the time to learn and catch up with the pace of the change in the workplace.

The Gift Tax Essay -- Accounting

The Gift Tax   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the taxes that we went over in class was gift taxes. This is a tax that is implied when property, personal items, or money with a value of over 10,000 dollars is given from one person to another. There are a few exceptions to this law such as giving to non-prophit organizations or the donation is going towards an education or tuition. I feel that this is a good tax to have because it will keep greedy people from transferring their money around to evade paying taxes on it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gift tax is will make sure that all citizens pay their fair amount of taxes which is decided by their income. This tax is collected and responsible to the donor. This person must file a gift - tax return with the Internal Revenue Service. There are little ways to ex...

Swot Analysis of Mercury Drug Store

Questions ON PROBLEM 1 a. Determine the depreciation associated with the new equipment, as well as the unused depreciation on the old equipment. b. Determine the cash inflows (after depreciation and taxes) associated with the new equipment. c. Determine the cash outflows associated with the equipment. Show each of the items that would appear in the T-account. Then show both the cash inflows and cash outflows in the T-account. d. Determine (1) the net present value, (2) the profitability index, (3) the internal rate of return, and (4) the payback period of the proposed project. DEPRECIATION USING MACRS TABLE (NEW EQUIPMENT) ST YR 75,000. 00 X 33. 33% = 24,997. 50 2ND Yr 75,000. 00 x 44. 45% = 33,3337. 50 3rd Yr. 75,000. 00 x 14. 81 % = 11,107. 50 4th yr 75,000. 00 x 7. 41 % = 5,557. 50 DEPRECIATION USING MACRS TABLE (NEW EQUIPMENT) 1ST YR 50,000. 00 X 33. 33% = 16,665 2ND Yr 50,000. 00 x 44. 45% = 22,225. 00 3rd Yr. 50,000. 00 x 14. 81 % = 7,405. 00 4th yr 50,000. 00 x 7. 41 % = 3,705 . 00 16,665. 00 + 22,225. 00 + 7,405. 00 = 46,295. 00 16,665. 00 + 22,225. 00 + 7,405. 00 = 46,295. 00 50,000. 00 – 46,495 = 3,705. 00 Unused Depreciation on old equipmentCASH INFLOWS/CASH OUTFLOWS FOR NEW EQUIPMENT 1ST YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 30,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 24,997. 50 Freight Expense 5,000. 00 Working Capital 3,000. 00 32,997. 50 Income before Tax ( 2,992. 500 ) VVVVVVVVVVVV 2nd YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 30,000. 0 Less: Depreciation Expense 33,337. 50 Working Capital (30,000 x 12%) 3,600. 00 36,937. 50 Income before Tax ( 6,937. 50) Vvvvvvvvvvv 3rd YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 30,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 11,107. 50 Working Capital (30,000 x 12%) 3,600. 0 14,707. 50 Income before Tax 15,292. 50 Income Tax (15,292. 50 x 30%) 4,587. 50 NET INCOME 10,705. 00 VVVVVVVVV 4TH YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 0 Less: Depreciation Expense 5,557. 50 Working Capital (20,000 x 12%) 2,400. 00 7,957. 50 Income before Tax 12,042. 50 Income Tax (12,042. 50 x 30%) 3,612. 75 NET INC OME 8,429. 5 VVVVVVVVV C A S H FLOW _____________________________________ CASH IN : CASH OUT 30,000. 00 : 75,000. 00 30,000. 00 : 5,000. 00 30,000. 00 : 3,000. 00 20,000. 0 : 3,600. 00 : 3,600. 00 : 4,587. 50 : 3,612. 75 Totals 110,000. 00 : 98,400. 25 Vvvvvvvvvv vv vvv vvv NET PRESENT VALUE: P 1,500. 00 SINCE MACHINE IS FULLY DEPRECIATED PROFITABILITY INDEX/INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN 1ST YEAR – NONE ND YEAR – NONE 3RD YEAR – 10,705. 00 / 30,000. 00 = 36% 4TH YEAR – 8429. 75 / 20,000. 00 = 42% Payback period starts on the 3RD YEAR†¦.. QUESTIONS ON PROBLEM 2 a. Determine the depreciation associated with the new equipment, as well as the unused depreciation on the old equipment. b. Determine the cash inflows (after depreciation and taxes) associated with the new equipment. c. Determine the cash outflows associated with the equipment. Show each of the items that would appear in the T-account. Then show both the cash inflows and cash outflows in the T-a ccount. d.Determine (1) the net present value, (2) the profitability index, (3) the internal rate of return, and (4) the payback period of the proposed project. DEPRECIATION USING MACRS TABLE (NEW COMPUTER) 1ST YR 83,000. 00 X 20% = 16,600. 00 2ND Yr 83,000. 00 x 32% = 26,560. 00 3rd Yr. 83,000. 00 x 19. 20 % = 15,936. 00 4th yr 83,000. 00 x 11. 52 % = 9,561. 60 5TH YEAR 83,000. 00 X 11. 52% = 9,561. 60 6TH YEAR 83,000 X 5. 76% = 4,780. 80 TOTAL P 83,000. 00 DEPRECIATION USING MACRS TABLE (OLD COMPUTER) 1ST YR 97,000. 00 X 20% = 19,400. 00 2ND Yr 97,000. 00 x 32% = 31,040. 0 3rd Yr. 97,000. 00 x 19. 20 % = 18,624. 00 4th yr 97,000. 00 x 11. 52 % = 11,174. 40 5TH YEAR 97,000. 00 X 11. 52% = 11,174. 40 6TH YEAR 97,000 X 5. 76% = 5,587. 20 TOTAL P 97,000. 00 UNUSED DEPRECIATION OF OLD COMPUTER IS 5,587. 50 CASH INFLOWS/CASH OUTFLOWS FOR NEW EQUIPMENT 1ST YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 16,600 Electrical Wirings 2,300. 0 Working Capital 3,500. 00 22,400. 00 I ncome before Tax ( 2,400,00 ) VVVVVVVVVVVV 2nd YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 26,560. 0 Working Capital (20,000 x 14%) 2800. 00 29. 360. 50 Income before Tax ( 9,360. 50) Vvvvvvvvvvv 3RD YEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 15,936. 00 Working Capital (20,000 x 14%) 2800. 00 18,736. 0 Income before Tax 1,264. 00 Income Tax (1,264. 00 x 35%) 442. 40 NET INCOME 821. 60 VVVVVVVV 4thYEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 9,561. 0 Working Capital (20,000 x 14%) 2800. 00 12,361. 60 Income before Tax 7,638. 40 Income Tax (7638. 40 x 35%) 2,673. 44 NET INCOME 4,964. 96 VVVVVVVV thYEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 9,561. 60 Working Capital (20,000 x 14%) 2800. 00 12,361. 60 Income before Tax 7,638. 40 Income Tax (7638. 40 x 35%) 2,673. 44 4,964. 96 vvvvvvvvv thYEAR TOTAL SAVINGS 20,000. 00 Less: Depreciation Expense 4,780. 80 Working Capital (20,000 x 14%) 2800. 00 7,580. 80 Income before Tax 1 2,419. 20 Income Tax (12419. 20x 35%) 4,346. 72 NET INCOME 8,072. 48 VvvvvvvvC A S H FLOW _____________________________________ CASH IN : CASH OUT 20,000. 00 : 83,000. 00 20,000. 00 : 2,300. 00 20,000. 00 : 3,500. 00 20,000. 00 : 2,800. 00 20,000. 0 : 2,800. 00 20,000. 00 : 442. 40 : 2,800. 00 : 2,673. 44 : 2,800. 00 : 2,673. 44 : 2,800. 00 : 4,346. 2 Totals 120,000. 00 : 112,936. 00 Vvvvvvvvvv vv vvv vvv NET PRESENT VALUE: P 4,500. 00 SINCE MACHINE IS FULLY DEPRECIATED PROFITABILITY INDEX/INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN 1ST YEAR – NONE 2ND YEAR – NONE 3RD YEAR – 821. 60 / 20,000. 00 = 4% 4TH YEAR – 4964. 96 / 20,000 = 25% 5TH YEAR – 4964. 96 / 20,000 = 25% 6TH YEAR – 8072. 48 / 20,000 = 40% Payback period starts on the 3RD YEAR†¦.. Enmar (NICO) P. Matuguinas BSBA_Marketing Management 3rd

Ict in Supermarkets

IT in the Supermarket Information systems are used widely in shops and in the distribution of goods and one area in which their use is particularly important is supermarkets. Computer systems are used in a variety of ways in the modern, large supermarket, from stock control to maintaining temperatures in fridges and freezers. In this section we will look in more detail at these systems in one particular large supermarket, which is part of a national chain. The supermarket uses several computers which are located in a room known as the system office and form the upermarkets own Local Area Network. These computers are used to control the stock and are connected to the checkouts. These are the ‘branch computers'. The computers are multifunctional, and each can access the data, which gives the management a number of access points. Admin and stock control staff now have access to hand held computers, SEC (Shelf Edge Computers). These are used for price changes, creating stock pictur es (information on stock totals) and for forecasting deliveries. Like many companies, they have experimented with giving customers hand held scanners to enter their own shopping.The experiment has been discontinued due to huge stock losses, staff called them ‘Shop and Rob’ rather than ‘Shop and Go’. The company is currently looking at developing a better system to get round these problems. Each product to be sold must have an identifying code number which is different from that of every other product. Different sizes of the same product even need different code numbers. These code numbers are printed onto the labels or packaging of the product in the form of bar codes. Located at each checkout is an ELECTRONIC POINT OF SALE ( EPOS ) till. ThisEPOS till comprises a keyboard, a digital display, a scanner which reads bar codes, a set of scales, a printer, a credit / debit card reader and a till drawer. Each till also has its own base to which all of the above is attached. It is the base unit which is connected by cables to the branch computer in the supermarket's system office. Bar codes are made up of a set of black lines and white spaces. Look at the bar code. You can see that it is split into two halves, and each half is contained within two thin black stripes. The diagram shows the pattern of lines for each digit on the bar code.Notice that the pattern for a digit on the right hand half of a bar code is the opposite of the one on the left hand half. Many bar codes today use the European Article Number or EAN. This is a thirteen digit number which can be used to uniquely identify a product. Using the bar code shown as an example : a) The first 2 digits represent the country from which the company producing the product comes. 50 – U. K. b) The next five digits represent the company which produced the product. 00208 – Lyons Tetley Ltd. c) The following five digits represent the product. 02100 – 80 Tea bags. ) The la st number is a check digit. This is used to make sure the bar code has been read correctly. So 5000208021000 is the EAN for a box of 80 Tetley tea bags. The bar codes on products are read by the EPOS tills at the checkouts. This is achieved by using a scanner, which sends out infra-red laser beams via a set of mirrors, enabling the bar code to be read at most angles. When an item is passed over the scanner, the black and white parts of the code are detected by the laser, as the black parts reflect very little light whilst the white parts reflect most of the light.This is converted into electrical pulses which are sent along the cables to the branch computer. The branch computer then searches its stock file for the product matching the EAN number. When this record is located the price and description of the product is extracted and sent back to the EPOS till at the checkout which then shows this item and price on the digital display, prints them on a receipt and adds the price to the total. At the same time, the branch computer records that one of this item has been sold. We will look at how this is used for stock control on other pages.When a bar code has been correctly scanned, the scanner emits a bleep. If no such sound is made, the item can be passed over the scanner again until it has been correctly read. The keyboard is used to enter codes of products that will not scan, for example reduced price items. The scales at the EPOS till are also linked up to the branch computer. All loose fruit and vegetables are weighed at the checkout. Each product has a code number which, when typed in at the keyboard, gives the customer a description of the product on the receipt along with the weight and price of the purchase.The weight of the product is also deducted from the stock file. As well as printing an itemised receipt, the printer attached to the EPOS till can also print the name of the supermarket, the date and the amount owing on cheques and debit / credit card vouchers. This lessens the chance of mistakes as well as minimising the amount of time a customer has to spend at the checkout. Not every customer pays by cash or cheque though. Many now opt to pay by a debit card such as Switch or Delta. In these cases the customer’s card is swiped through the card reader which reads the information ( such as the account umber and date of expiry ) held on the magnetic strip on the back of the card. The latest in store development has been the arrival of smart card readers at the EPOS. A debit card with a smart chip is placed in the reader and the customer then enters their PIN to authorise the money being taken out of their account. This is much more secure than signing a docket as it cannot be forged. This information is then added to the details of how much the customer has spent and, after checking that sufficient funds are present, used to transfer this amount from the customer’s bank account to that of the supermarket’s.T his process is called ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER and works even if the supermarket's bank is different from that of the customer. PRICING The price of a product, as we have seen, is sent to the EPOS terminal when the product’s bar code is read. In the past, every single item had a price sticker attached and when a price change was required, new labels had to be placed over the old ones. This was a time consuming task, as every single item on the shelves of the product requiring the price change required a new label. Mistakes were sometimes made and customers over or undercharged. Nowadays there are no price labels ttached to products, neither does the packaging of the product show the price. The only reference to the price of a product is contained on a label attached to the shelf where that product is situated. These shelf labels are produced by the branch computer and are printed out in different sizes according to the size of the shelf display for a particular product. Tech nology. As bar codes are scanned, the branch computer looks for items which are on special offer and discounts the prices where necessary. STOCK CONTROL There are, in fact, six branch computers linked to the EPOS terminals at the checkouts.They all record information about items sold and provide backup for each other. If only one computer was used and it broke down, the supermarket could not function. These branch computers are linked via the satellite links to a large main computer housed at the supermarket's head office elsewhere in the country. All branches of this supermarket are also linked in this way to the main computer and this is an example o an extranet. Special offers such as Multibuy – â€Å"Buy two and get one free† or LinkSave – â€Å"Buy one product and save 50% on another† could not be offered before the introduction of InformationAfter the supermarket has closed at the end of the day, the following happens : 1) The branch computer sends the details of every individual sale to the main computer at the Head Office. 2) Using this information, the main computer system updates its record of the number in stock of every item in the store. The SEC allows managers to get a real time stock picture and allows a manager to escalate stock deliveries from nothing to 72 hours to 48 hours. It also gives a better picture of stock losses and improves the service the shop can give its customers 3) Using a forecast of sales along with other factors ( uch as the weather and the time of the year etc. ) the system automatically orders the correct amount of stock required by the store for the next available delivery 48 or 72 hours ahead. 4) The main computer also transmits these orders to computers in the distribution centres (large warehouses storing products ready for delivery to stores ) across the satellite link. 5) These distribution centres then deliver the required stock to the stores immediately. 6) Price changes and prices of ne w products, special offers etc. are sent back to branch computer in the supermarket. ) New shelf labels are printed and the night staff of the supermarket place these on the shelves ready for the following day. The company also uses computers for staff recruitment. New applicants can fill in an application form over the Internet and have it vetted by the Head Office. This saves time at branch level and serves to get rid of some applicants. If an applicant fills in a form at the branch, this can be scanned in and then uploaded to the Head office. JUST IN TIME v STANDARD METHOD OF STOCK CONTROL In the standard method, a shop selling cookers etc, keeps it stock in a shop and in an attached warehouse.When stock in the shop are runs low it is replenished from the warehouse. A check is kept on how much stock is in the warehouse. When the warehouse needs new stock, an order is placed with the appropriate suppliers – or with the organisation’s main warehouse – and the g oods are delivered. In addition to being used for stock control, the information from scanning is collected on the main computer at the Head Office to build up a ‘profile' or description of the way in which its customers shop. For example, the ratio of customers who use a washing powder to those who use a liquid detergent an be calculated from the sales of washing detergents in any particular store. From this sort of information, the amount of shelf space to be given to a product can be calculated. OTHER USES The stores are also big users of email. Each store is connected to each other, to every depot and to the Head Office. The email is used for area initiatives, promotional planning, quality control issues, head office bulletins, warning about shoplifters and banning letters. The ‘just-in-time’ system takes advantage of a stock information system. As products pass through the electronic points of sales (EPOS), the relevant data is sent to a atabase containing in formation about stock levels. When stock falls below a set level more is ordered. Thus only a bare minimum of necessary stock is ordered and there is no need to maintain a large, fully stocked warehouse. In some cases the system is fully automated, working out how what stock is needed and electronically processing and communicating the order. Advantages †¢ Money is saved because less warehouse space needs to be purchased and maintained. †¢ Economies can be made in regard to labour costs, i. e. fewer staff are needed. †¢ The business is more aware of and more responsive to hanges in supply and demand Disadvantages †¢ If there is disruption to the transport system, shops and businesses will quickly run out of stock. †¢ Shops can still be caught out by sudden changes in buying patterns. In such cases they often find themselves without the stock the customers are asking for. †¢ An ICT system can be costly to set up and maintain, and expertise – which may also be costly – will be needed to run it. INTERNET SHOPPING Some supermarket companies now have websites which allow you to shop over the Internet, this has allowed them access to different markets i. e. people who do not have ransport to get to the store. Businesses have recognised that the Internet allowed people to interact with each other in a different way, and it gave the potential for creating new markets and in reinvigorating old ones. Businesses began to use the Internet in different ways: †¢ As a means of communicating information about the products and services they offer; †¢ As a ‘virtual shop’, allowing customers to purchase goods and services online; †¢ As a free service which makes money by advertisers to use the site; †¢ As a subscription service, e. g. allowing subscribers access to valuable information such as might be ontained in research papers; †¢ As an interactive site that encourages customers to give them fee dback on their products. Steps in interactive shopping 1. The customer views the company’s products via a website and selects the object(s) for purchase. 2. The customer enters his order, together with credit card details, via an on-screen form. 3. An encryption system or secure link is used to protect the transaction and to ensure credit card details are not accessible. 4. The order is received and sent to a database. 5. The information in the database is communicated to a distribution centre where rders are made up. 6. The order is delivered to the customer. Advantages to the customer †¢ Customers do not have to travel long distances to the shops and struggle through crowds to make their purchases. †¢ It can be beneficial to those customers who are disabled or who, for some other reason find it difficult to travel to shops. †¢ New, smaller, more specialised businesses present themselves on he web, thus widening the range of goods and services available. Advan tages to the business †¢ Overheads can be cut. A web-based business does not necessarily need a high street shop and staff to run it.Small specialised concerns have therefore been able to establish themselves on the web with very little capital outlay. †¢ Many new businesses have been created via the Internet; some have been successful some not. The overall effect, however, has been to invigorate the business environment by introducing healthy competition. Some difficulties †¢ Despite assurances by business that their sites are secure, many people are anxious about giving out their credit card details online. There have been sufficient examples of Internet-based credit cards fraud to justify this fear. †¢ Anybody can set up an online business and some ebsites are not run in an honest and reliable manner. Customers have ordered and paid for goods that hve never arrived. †¢ Shopping is not just a functional act. It is also a social activity. People go shopping to be with their friends and enjoy the atmosphere of towns and cities. Computers are also used to control the freezers and chillers throughout the store. In the warehouse, the large freezers have to be kept within a certain temperature range. This is achieved by having temperature sensors inside each freezer which monitor the conditions and switch the cooling motor on or off.On the floor of the supermarket are many freezers and chillers which are used to store and display a wide variety of products such as fresh meat, dairy produce and frozen goods. CONTROL SYSTEMS Different products have different requirements in terms of temperature. Fresh meat, for instance, may have to be kept at 4 C whilst ice cream has to be stored at -15 C. The freezers and chillers therefore are kept at many different temperatures and, in the past, an employee of the supermarket had to check the temperature of the chiller every hour. Now every freezer and chiller is linked to a computer in the branch office .A temperature sensor in each freezer or chiller constantly MONITORS the temperature, sending data back to this computer which sends signals back, when needed, switching the individual freezer / chiller motors on or off, thus maintaining the correct temperatures. A display on each freezer / chiller shows the temperature to customers. the build up of ice but without defrosting the food. Any breakdowns are detected immediately, minimising the risk of food thawing and therefore being wasted. ADVANTAGES The advantages of using Information Technology in supermarkets can be broken down into two sections, the enefits to the customer and the benefits to the supermarket and its management. It must be remembered that changes and improvements come about over a period of time, for instance, while the introduction of Information Technology may save the supermarket chain money eventually, it requires a good deal of investment, both in terms of resources and training, initially and throughout its development. This is called a ‘closed loop control system'. As can be seen from the diagram, the freezer can be either on or off ( the PROCESS ) which leads to the freezer being a certain temperature ( the RESULT ). The temperature of the freezer s then either too high, too low or alright and this FEEDBACK is used to change the process if necessary (turns the freezer from off to on, or on to off. ) Every three or four hours, each freezer has to be defrosted and the computer controls this process as well, turning the freezer off long enough to stop To the customer * faster and more efficient checkout services. * itemised till receipts. * products more tailored to their needs. * fresher goods due to low stock levels held by supermarkets. * special offers. * benefits to the supermarket passed on in the way of lower prices or increased customer services. * various methods of payment. chilled or frozen food kept at the correct temperature. To the supermarket and its management * ef ficient stock control, less chance of goods being out of stock. * more efficient checkouts, less chance of errors by staff. * ability to use sales forecasts and ‘profiles', leading to more efficient use of shelf space. * little warehouse space required in each supermarket due to distribution system. * ability to monitor the performance of checkout staff. * shelf pricing more cost effective than labels on products. * ability to use electronic funds transfer improves cash flow. * effective management of chilled and frozen goods.

Can You Take the SAT Without Geometry

Can You Take the SAT Without Geometry SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The math section of the SAT covers four main areas: number /operations, algebra, data analysis /statistics, and geometry. If you've never taken a geometry class or feel it's not your strong suit, is itstill possible for youto score highly on the SAT math section? This article will let you know how much geometry is actually on the SATand how well you can score with little or no previous knowledge of the subject. First, how many of the math questions actually ask you about shapes and angles? How Much Geometry Is On the SAT? About 25% to 30% of the math questions are considered geometry questions. This equates to about 15 of the total 54 math questions (44 multiple choice and 10 grid-ins). These approximately 15 questions may cover a number of concepts. What Concepts In Geometry Are Covered? The questions may cover Area and perimeter of a polygon (triangles, squares, pentagons, and so forth) Area and cirumference of a circle Volume of a box, cube, and cylinder Pythagorean Theorem and special properties of isosceles, equilaterla, and right triangles Properties of parallel and perpendicular lines Coordinate geometry Geometric visualization Slope Similarity Transformations Below isan example of an SAT geometry questionabout surface area and volume of a polygon of medium level difficulty. If you're familiar with how to calculate surface area and volume, then it basically turns into an algebra problem where you solve for x. The correct answer here, by the way, is (C) 60. Do any of the above conceptssound familiar? If not, what's the highest score you can hope to achieve on the SAT math section? What Score Can You Get Without Geometry? If you skip all of the geometry questions and answer all of the other math questions correctly, then the highest score you can achieve is a 620. Of course, this isn't a particularly realistic scenario. You can't guarantee you'llanswerall of the other questions perfectly, nor will you necessarily be unable to answer any geometry questions just because you haven't taken a geometry class. Self-studying can go a long way, and some of the geometry questions may even be intuitive and easy for you to figure out. To give you a deeper understanding of how well you can score on the math section, let's review exactly how it's scored. First, you get a raw score that consists of one point for every correct answer, 0 points for skipped answers, and -1/4 point for wrong answers. If you answered every single question right, for instance, your raw score would be 54 (one point each for 54 correctly answered questions). This raw score is then converted to a scaled score between 200 and 800 by a process called equating, which takes into account the scores of everyone who took that test, along with a number of other variables. A raw score of 54 would equate to a perfect scaled score of800. So where did I get that number, 620? This chart shows how raw scores converted to scaled scores on last year's SAT. If you were to get15 geometry questions wrong, and the remaining 39 math questions correct, then your raw score would be 39. As you can see in the chart, a 39 equates to a 620. Again, since this isn't a very realistic scenario, this chart can give you a better idea of what scores you can aim to achieve on the SAT with little or no knowledge of geometry. I cut it off at 420, but as you know, the lowest score on the math section is a 200. Raw Score Scaled Score Raw Score Scaled Scored 54 800 35 590 53 790 34 580 52 760 33 570 51 740 32 560 50 720 31 550 49 710 30 540 48 700 29 540 47 690 28 530 46 680 27 530 45 670 26 510 44 660 25 500 43 650 24 490 42 640 23 480 41 640 22 470 40 630 21 460 39 620 20 450 38 610 19 440 37 600 18 430 36 590 17 420 These exact conversionsmay vary slightly from year to year, but they stay roughly the same. If you're curious about how the Critical Reading and Writing sections are scored (all the sections are a littledifferent)you can check out the scoring charts here. Now that you have a sense of what topics are covered and how the math section is scored, what can you take away from this information? SAT Math Section Takeaways At 25% to 30%, geometry concepts make upa significant part of the math section on the SAT. If you haven't taken geometry in school, it's definitely a good idea to try to learn some of the concepts on your own through your SAT prep. The geometry questions usually aren't too advanced, so you might be able to get a lot of them right with just a basic knowledge of the concepts and some practice. Seek out some representative questions and you should be able to anticipate and prepare yourself for the ones that will show up on your official SAT. SAT Questions of the Day can be a great introduction, and full length practice tests are very useful once you have some familiarity with the concepts. With some review of geometry on your own, you can probably enhance your overall math score a great deal. What's Next? When are you planning to take the SAT? Depending on your grade, you will likely be aiming for different target scores. Read about what makes a good score for 9thgrade, what's good for 10th, and what's a good score for your final SAT score for colleges. Are you figuring out your study plan for the SAT, or not sure how to fit in test prep with all the other things you've got going on in your life? This article helps you set target scores and plan out a study schedule so you can achieve high scores on this important test. Are you eventually aimingto get a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT? This article by a full scorer breaks down how to achievethat elusive 800. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Hamstrings and Hamstringing

Hamstrings and Hamstringing Hamstrings and Hamstringing Hamstrings and Hamstringing By Maeve Maddox A frequent injury among athletes is that of the hamstring: Dixon suffers hamstring injury Stewart suffers Hamstring injury Brandon Johnson suffers hamstring injury According to the orthopedics article at About.com, The hamstring muscle is a group of large, powerful muscles that span the back of the thigh, from the lower pelvis to the back of the shin bone. The hamstring is the important muscle that functions to extend the hip joint and flex the knee joint. In horses and other large four-footed animals, The hamstrings are a group of three muscles that go from the very top back of [the leg] to the stifle [The joint at the junction of the hind leg and the body that corresponds anatomically to the knee in man]. The hamstrings’ primary action is to extend the hip. They also aid in lateral movement and kicking. Like human athletes, horses can suffer hamstring injuries. If they’re not too severe, the horse can be treated. In severe cases, the animal is destroyed. As a verb to hamstring means to cut the hamstring muscles in order to lame or disable a person or an animal. Hamstringing one’s enemy or captured animals goes way back. Bible heroes Joshua and David practiced hamstringing: Joshua did to them as the LORD had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots. Joshua 11:9 (New International Version) David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses. 2Samuel 8:4 (New International Version) About 800 years later, during a battle between Romans and Carthaginians in 216 BCE, fleeing Romans were hamstrung as they ran. The Carthaginians concentrated on the Romans who were still fighting and went back later to kill the crippled soldiers at their leisure. According to this quotation found on many forums, hamstringing is being used as a tactic of war in Zimbabwe: The latest atrocities, as seen on CNN, are mutilations committed by the dissidents to serve as a warning to farmers not to return. Dogs are hung alive from hooks on farm gates, childrens pet ponies are having one of their front hooves chopped off and cows and sheep are being hamstrung. Used figuratively, to hamstring means â€Å"To disable as if by hamstringing; to cripple, destroy the activity or efficiency of.† Fortunately, it’s this figurative use that is seen most frequently: Hamstrung by Bobby Kennedys laws against interstate traffic in gambling, the illegal horse parlor is vanishing The regulators are hamstrung. NZ farmers hamstrung by world economy Citigroup Shares Hamstrung Since Report Hamstrung by stodgy storytelling Hamstrung by a crisis of leadership Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?Round vs. Around30 Words Invented by Shakespeare

The role of divorce and single-parenting in creating poverty among Essay

The role of divorce and single-parenting in creating poverty among children - Essay Example The task of deciding how to engage fathers with their families is primarily under the purview of the provinces. Most provinces offer classes, mediation, and information for fathers and mothers on how fathers can maintain contact and be a positive influence in the lives of their children even after a divorce. Most provinces also offer such things as mental health services for children of separated or divorced parents. Although unstated, the policy of most provinces seems to be to try to keep the father mentally and physically involved with children even if they are not married or in a relationship with the mother. Unfortunately, the services offered to fathers seem to be almost an after-thought. Especially given the uphill battle unmarried fathers face in the Divorce Act. The primary target of the various departments is the single mother. Like most social welfare programs, the target of these policies is poor families. The Divorce Act complicates the relationship of poor faterhs with their children because poor fathers are more likely not able to meet the demands of their divorce or child-support decrees. At the same time, while not having a father affects all children, the results are especially damaging when the mother is poor. Similarly, tax benefits and allowances at the national and local levels (e.g. Canada Child Tax Benefit and national Child Benefit Supplement) are exclusively for the primary custody holder of the child. Meaning that although he is financially responsible for his children, fathers, even the very poor fathers, do not receive any support in trying to care for their child. This paper will show that while these efforts at engaging fathers are good and noble, the programs don't go far enough in encouraging parental involvement or assiting fathers who want to do the right thing for their children. Furthermore, those policies that try to encourage fathers to be more involved with their children are targeted primarily toward poor families, when in fact children of all economic classes would benefit from having fathers who better knew how to parent. Method In order to figure out provincial policies on educating and engaging fathers in the parenting process, I looked at reports published by various local governments. I also looked at what services were available to parents and specifically to fathers and to divorcing or separated families. There is a large amount of literature in the journals on the role of fathers in contributing to or helping to eliminate child poverty. The literature nearly universally agrees that the financial and parental contributions of a father are one of the most effective ways or reducing the number of children in poverty. Some of the literature is strongly in support of marriage, suggesting that the way to bring down the numbers of children living in poverty, it would be best to encourage unmarried mothers to marry and to help couples that are married stay that way. Others suggest that it would be far better to teach fathers how to be good parents and to provide them with support so that they can help provid e for their families whether or not they live with them. The governments seem to take this line. While many of the provinces offer some sort of marriage counseling, the vast majority of the services offered do not take into account whether or not the parents are married. Issues Addressed by the Policy The primary issue addressed by