Binders Bookstore essays

Binder's Bookstore essays As partners of Binders Bookstore, we have collectively chosen to automate our business. There is a need for our company to be computerized; the manual approach is not cohesive. We need to investigate our needs and evaluate the products available to suit our company. It is imperative to move our bookstore into the technological age due to the high volume of sales, and competition. The management team at Binders will create an information system that will more than double the productivity and revenue. Dont be caught unaware. In todays business world, being on top of things is the name of the game-and online competitive intelligence is the winning play. (Carroll, 2002) Binders Bookstore is at a major crossroads with their business practices. After being in business for 15 years, they need to reevaluate their current situation in regards to office automation. The three owners have chosen to create a business plan to facilitate this process. As a planning tool, the business plan guides you through the various phases of your business. A thoughtful plan will help identify roadblocks and obstacles so that you can avoid them and establish alternatives. (SBA) In the first phrase of planning, Binders identified its background, business needs, purpose, constraints and assumptions. Currently, the second phrase captures the business requirements that include: inventory; customer database and marketing. Binders vision will aid in the success of reaching projected revenue targets while competing with the large retails. We opened Binders 15 years ago with a vision, to provide our local customers an inviting atmosphere and a variety of reading material. We know our customers by name and can always suggest new arrivals. However, our staff of three and our manual cash register can just not keep up with the business any longer. We need to do more than revamp; we need to i...

Xenosmilus - Facts and Figures

Xenosmilus - Facts and Figures Name: Xenosmilus (Greek for foreign sabre); pronounced ZEE-no-SMILE-us Habitat: Plains of southeast North America Historical Epoch: Pleistocene (one million years ago) Size and Weight: About five feet long and 400-500 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; muscular legs; relatively short canines About Xenosmilus The body plan of Xenosmilus doesnt conform to previously known saber-tooth-cat standards: this Pleistocene predator possessed both short, muscular legs and relatively short, blunt canines, a combination that has never before been identified in this breedthough paleontologists do believe Xenosmilus was a machairodont cat, and thus a descendant of the much earlier Machairodus. (The unique skull and tooth structure of Xenosmilus has inspired a peculiar nickname, the Cookie-Cutter Cat.) Its as yet unknown whether Xenosmilus was restricted to southeast North America, or was more widely distributed across the continent (or, for that matter, ever made it down as far as South America), since the only two fossil specimens were unearthed in Florida in the early 1980s. The most striking thing about Xenosmilus, besides its cookie-cutter bite, is how big it wasat 400 to 500 pounds, it was just shy of the weight class of the largest known prehistoric cat, Smilodon, better known as the Saber-Toothed Tiger. Like Smilodon, Xenosmilus clearly wasnt suited to stalking or pursuing prey at high speeds; rather, this cat would have lounged in the low branches of trees, pounced on slow-witted megafauna mammals as they passed by, dug its cookie-cutter teeth into their bellies or sides, and then let go and leisurely followed them as they slowly (or not-so-slowly) bled to death. (The bones of peccaries, a type of pig native to North America, have been found in association with Xenosmilus fossils, so we at least know that pork was on the menu!)

Multicultural Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Multicultural Education - Essay Example The school principal is Lisa Nelson deputized by Brooke Newell. The school has 57 staffs and 694 students. The school neighborhood is surrounded by resources that are of the essence in the promotion of multicultural education. Some of the resources that promote multicultural education in the Pearland community are local parks, restaurants, school community centers and neighborhood libraries. Pearland community has among the best parks in Texas State. The parks provide residents with a place to walk and enjoy. Centennial Park is located at 3219 McLean road Pearland, TX77581. It is one of the resources that tend to boost multicultural education. People from different social standings, culture and race meet here. They talk to each other and learn a lot from the others. Students too from various schools meet here during holidays and is, therefore, a wonderful place to get to know about other people in the neighborhood. Shadow creek ranch nature trail located at 1801 kindly Drive Pearland, TX 77584 is another resource that is so vital among the people in the Pearland community as it tend to attract many families especially during weekends. It provides an opportunity for them to share their experiences and achievements. People get to know each other and learn from one another, hence promoting multicultural education. Families should be able to visit such a place and get to explore their world ( Pearland Focus Magazine).

Digital rights management (only the written part) Essay

Digital rights management (only the written part) - Essay Example This is all great for sharing various works and ideas, publishing content cheaply, etc. but there is a problem here as well, and that is what were going to discuss - the issue of Digital Rights Management or DRM for short, with a focus on music files. One of the consequences of files spreading so easily is that â€Å"intellectual property owners lose control of distribution† (Kumik, 2003) and usually don’t get paid regardless of the time, cost, and effort that may have gone into producing it. The music industry has been particularly affected (Peitz et al, 2005). This puts off many from publishing on the Internet, but as a distribution channel, nothing else can compete, so it is attractive as well. Among end users also, there is an issue of privacy (Feigenbaum et al, 2002). Firstly, let me explain precisely what is DRM. According to Subrmanya (Subramanya, 2006), DRM broadly refers to â€Å"a set of policies, techniques and tools that guide the proper use of digital content†. It is clearly â€Å"rooted in and driven by business interests and legal concerns† as pointed out by William Rosenblatt and others in their book ‘Digital Rights Management: Business and Technology’ (Rosenblatt et al, 20 01). Technology enabled the digital revolution to take place, but many content owners are therefore now eager â€Å"for more intelligent, efficient, and effective management of their content† (Hilts, 2003) as well. If we break down the whole process of content flow from ‘packaging’, through transmission, tracking, and delivery, and of course, redelivery, protection measures can be applied at each stage. Already, we have digital watermarking, the protocols for content syndication, rights expression languages, etc. (Becker et al, 2003) But it is not straightforward because in the fast changing world we live in, implementation is still an obstacle as is the legal side, business models change, and

What Motivates Employees To Work Effectively Business Essay

What Motivates Employees To Work Effectively Business Essay In the era of economic development, many people are employed in variety jobs in society; therefore, employers should find way to motivate their employees. In addition, with the improvement of living standards, there is a growing emphasis on good working conditions. According to the Douglas McGregors Theory X and Theory Y (1957), on the one hand, Theory X said people are very lazy and dont want to work. If the people of Theory X can do not have work, they will avoid to work. On the other hand, Theory Y said people work very seriously because the environment will motive the workers work. If employers give the comfortable environment to employees, employees will do their best in their job. Consequently, employers need to develop motivational states to meet their different staff needs and work output. This reserved focuses on motivating in the food service industry, different restaurants motivate their employees in different way so their employees how treat the customers will. This essay will analysis the Theory X employee in Norwich restaurants, second analyses the Theory Y of employees in Norwich restaurants, and finally analysis which motivational method leads to have effective workers. Literature Review (by Li Yu Xuan) F.W. Taylor think that the maximize income is the most important thing to motivate them. It means money is the only thing can motivate them. This led to Taylors belief in a differential piece-rate system of payment. This meant staff can get the wage by each unit of output at a standard piece rate. (p.14, F.W.Taylor) And another famous person who named Frederick Herzberg said that: split workers needs into two categories hygiene and motivators. Hygiene factors are concerned with the environment in which the job takes place working conditions, relations with the boss and co-workers pay. Motivators are factors that relate to the job itself-sense of achievement.(p.15, F.Herzherg) in this persons view, we can see the working conditions and working environment are very important for the workers. When the workers satisfied with these two factors, they will work more hand. Some people have anther view, From a staff effectiveness point of view, there are times when you want to be Theory X: f or instance, in health safety issues the rules will be rigid; there will be serious penalties for not following them. But if the issue is how best to handle a piece of new business, then results are likely to be far better if all involved have been consulted, their issues taken into account and an agreed best process determined. Collaborative working will favor Theory Y approaches. These people think workers in different situations prefer the different theory. The theory X and theory Y are all have advantages to the staffs. From these, we can see different people have different opinions to the two theories. Researches these two theories are important to the managers, understand them and know how to use them can help managers make the right decisions and motivate their workers in right way. Main body: Theory X (by Zhang Cheng Cheng) In theory X, people are assumed only working for money and security. Workers do not like to work and would try to work as little as possible if they can. Workers in the company or organization are lack of ambitions and hope to avoid responsibility. According to McGregor theory X is really based on the assumption that a) laziness is the human nature; and b) people only work for money. The perception of human laziness has long been recorded in religion history. In religion, Catholic declares humans seven SINS, one which is the lazy. Human beings are divided into two groups, most people are afore-mentioned lazy, only a few people can restrain themselves. To most people, working is a kind of burden to human rather than enjoyment. As far as they are concerned, they only need to do minimum work to survive. Theory X therefore has argued that as a result of this human nature most employees in the organization do not have ambition. Their personal goals and objectives are self-centered and not associated with the companys goals. They lack confidence and consider the personal safety is important. They do not want to be a leader and content to be just a follower who prefers to be led by others. Under the theory X management approaches range from hard to soft. With hard approach to deal with humans laziness the model of theory X management must rely on outside force strict control in order to achieve organizational goals which is so called hard approach. The management believes that workers need to be closely supervised and comprehensive systems of controls developed. A hierarchical structure is needed with narrow span of control at each and every level. By exerting the external force, command, control and punishment the theory X management will ensure their employees to feel threats so that their employees can make proper efforts to achieve the objectives of the organization. With soft approach theory X management appears to be lack of disciplines and to be permissive and only seek harmony with hope that in return people will cooperate when asked to do so. McGregor has argued neither hard nor soft approaches are optimal management approach because assumptions in theory X are incorrect. At one extreme, management is strict, peoples behavior methods include forced and intimidation, strict supervision. At the other extreme, management personnel is mild, peoples behavior, peaceful methods include tolerance. Severe may result in employees to against pressure and hostile while The gentle way may often lead to abandon management. The optimal management will be between hard and soft approach. We agree with McGregor that the management model should be the carrot and stick. On one hand, they stimulate employees effort to meet the organization objectives by offering money. On the one hand, they enforce the tight control and supervision and punishment for the organization work force. In conclusion, the carrot and stick incentive theory in certain circumstances can be reasonably functional. This management model above is an example which on the one hand offered money in order to buy and stimulate employees working enthusiasm, on the one hand, used the strict control, supervision and punishment for the organization work force. Main body: Theory Y (by Shih Chia Chi) In contrast, McGregors theory Y mentions that managers tend to be democratic as they conduct their workers. This is because employees enjoy work actively and accept responsibility. In this theory, employees are motivated efficiently by many different factors. Unless workers have proper conditions in many ways such as working environment, welfare or salary, workers do not argue about their job. They are satisfaction and committed. This is because Managers of Theory Y believe both employees have ability to control themselves in accomplishing targets and they are enjoyment of doing a job. Therefore, managers will provide more authority and power to their employees so that they have an opportunity to incentive their aggressive of the work. It is believe that they are full of ambition to pursue their aims. Thus, this type of workers not only has an excellent creativity but also contributes at work which helps them to figure out whole problems. These people always have clearly life achieve ment, so they always work hard and most of them interested in their jobs and try doing their best. All of the reasons are to improve productivity in order to increase more profit in every company. This is why McGregor create this theory, and many managers use it to organize their employees. As a result, workers who are belong to theory Y have a higher achieved then theory X. Theory Y which is a more people-centric management style applies to the human relations and human needs approaches(Bruce Jewell,2006). Findings (by Shih Chia Chi) We conducted a survey in Norwich by random sampling of people in the city centre restaurants. This survey search the reasons for what motivate employees efficiently in the service industry, and fit into McGregors theory X and Y. This purpose is to find an optimization method for managers to administer workers. According to the table (figure 1, page 11), most male are satisfied with the salary nearly 13 percent and working environment around 8 percent; otherwise, female are satisfied with holidays less than 15 percent and personal reason more than 12 percent. Therefore, the amount of men and women do not want to promote to a higher position by 25-28 ages in Norwich. (Figure 2, page12) Even though most people belong to theory X, a few workers are part of theory Y. Approximately 5 percent of whole data in working environment is more essential than other reasons as well as women. (Figure 3, page 13) A few people about 8 percent want to have a higher position from 25 ages to 28 ages. This sort of people is self-motivation, so they suit for using soft management style and power-sharing in McGregors theory Y that they are easy manage. Moreover, in the theory Y, most workers have high level job, e.g. professional servicers, knowledge worker- managers and the high educated workers. Those results can apply McGregors theory X to prove this finding, so managers of service industry must use strict management or give them reward. This finding will help companies to find the best way of classification people in order to enhance the efficiency of effort and output. Conclusion (by Huang Tan Yun) It has emerged that the large amount of employees were belong the Theory X, who avoided to work in their job and the small amount of employees, who belong the Theory Ys persons, can work seriously by the work environment. According to our survey, manager should give the Theory Xs staffs more money and seriously management way to work effectively and also the manager should make the great work environment to let the Theory Ys staffs bring into the talent in their job. In order to solve the problem which is the Theory X or Theory Y in the Norwich restaurants, renewable management policy has changeable. Although, this essay just only has examined the motivations in the Norwich restaurant, other areas have the different motivations to affect their employees. There are a number of factors which contributed to the different effective motivations are happened in different people, therefore, the policies in employers are created. In addition, the employees in work areas have the Theory X of people or the Theory Y of people so they have the different motivated effectible causes. That was why the policies have the serious management and soft management for employees. Generally, the good way of aim in the working areas will accord to the Theory Xs staffs to improve their factors for their work effectively. Bibliography (by Zhang Cheng Cheng) Douglas MÂ · Mc Gregor (1957) The Human Sideof Enterprise in Management Review, US http://baike.baidu.com/view/499453.htm Viewed: 11/03/2010 Smallbizguru (29/01/2010)Leadership in recession for small business- John Adairs Action- Centred Leadership in Business Ideas http:// smallbizguru. WordPress.com/ Viewed 11/03/2010 Jewell, B(2006) McGregors Theory X and Theory Y in Tricky topics:6-7 Taylor, F.W(2006) High-street motivation in BUSINESS Review: 14-15 Herzberg, F(2006) High-street motivation in BUSINESS Review: 15

Book Review: Train to Pakistan Essay

Khushwant Singh opens his novel Train to Pakistan in a seemingly peaceful village on the countryside of Punjabi. Although the small village is fictional, it is important to note the historical significance this village, its people, and the time period represent in the novel. Revered as a one of the finest and best-known renditions of the Indian tragedy of partition, Train to Pakistan embodies more than a fictitious community. The following literary analysis will depict the consequence of human calamity by analyzing the political history of India, the social and cultural struggle of the people, and the moral message and character development. It is evident that Singh did not want to make this novel a political recount because he shies away from describing the political role of the British and the Indian people in much detail. However, to understand the novel’s progression, it is essential to examine the historical background. Singh bases his relatively short novel in the year 1947 in India; in other words, in the midst of the India Independence Act of 1947 which resulted in the dissolution of the British Indian Empire. Unfortunately, the British withdrawal did not lead to a unified, free India, but instead divided into two, struggling, newly instituted states of India and Pakistan. At midnight of August 15 of 1947, the two governments of India and Pakistan simultaneously declared independence, officially trying to separate Muslims from Sikhs. This violent divide between the two governments lead to the displacement of approximately 12.5 million men, women, and children and a death toll between several hundred thousand to one million. The violent nature of partition created an atmosphere of mutual hostility and suspicion that still hangs in the air between the two sides today. Singh, who was thirty at the time of partition, published one of the few first-hand accounts of this human tragedy that is now fading into history. Nevertheless, he captivates his audience in the retelling of a major human dispute. This leads into the social and cultural struggle determined by the setting of Train to Pakistan. In the brief novel, we, as the reader, get the chance to know many of characters in great detail. Examination of these varied groups of people not only increases cultural and social understanding of that time and place, but also shows that the blame could not be placed on any one group; everyone was responsible. In fact, in the opening sentences of the book Singh writes, â€Å"Muslims said the Hindus had planned and started the killing. According to the Hindus, the Muslims were to blame. The fact is, both sides killed. Both shot and stabbed and speared and clubbed. Both tortured. Both raped† (1). From a reader’s stand point, it is important to note this passage’s significance. Singh wanted to make it clear that blame must be shared for these inhumane acts. As I stated before, Singh opens his novel by recreating a tiny village in the Punjabi countryside called Mano Maj ra. Set next to a railway line that crosses the rising Sutlej River, the lives of the inhabitants of Mano Majra would fatefully change one summer season. The fictional village on the border of Pakistan and India is predominantly made up of Sikh farmers and Muslim tenants. Singh depicts how the residents of Mano Majra lived in an almost ignorant seclusion, surrounded by mobs of Muslims who hate Sikhs and mobs of Sikhs who hate Muslims; however, in the village the people had always lived harmoniously. Villagers were unaware about the happenings of larger scope than the village outskirts, which Singh depicts in the mystery of the trains full of murdered people. This obliviousness made them especially vulnerable to outside views. In fact, the most heart-rending passage in the book comes out of the people’s cluelessness when the government makes the decision to transport all the Muslim families from Mano Majra to Pakistan. One Muslim said, â€Å"What have we to do with Pakistan? We were born here. So were our ancestors. We have lived amongst [Sikhs] as brothers† (126). The dumbstruck villagers are overtaken by events as a small joint army convoy, containing one unit of Sikh soldiers and one of Baluch and Pathans, arrives in the village and orders the Muslims to board within ten minutes. They do so with the barest minimum of their meager belongings. The Muslim officer politely shakes hands with his Sikh colleague, and sets off with his caravan to Pakistan, leaving the non-Muslim families without a chance to say goodbye. After the Muslims flee to a refugee camp from where they will eventually go to Pakistan, a cluster of religious agitators come to Mano Majra and instill in the local Sikhs a hatred for Muslims and convinces a local gang to attempt mass murder as the Muslims leave on their train to Pakistan. This entire scene takes place after we are familiar with the characters, and it is painful at many levels: the poverty in which these people live; the terrible uncertainty they are suddenly cast into; and at least temporarily, the eclipse of people’s humanity. To continue, if these groups of people (i.e. government workers and ordinary citizens) are scrutinized on a closer level than their religious affections, a more detailed social structure emerges. First, government officials were corrupt and manipulative of villagers. They could arrest anyone they chose for any reason, more often than not for their own benefit. They did just enough in terms of dealing with the dispute so that nobody could say that they did not do anything, as I will point out later with Iqbal and Juggut. The law enforcement was completely at the whim of the local government, meaning that in practice, there was no law. Also, small amounts of educated people trickled in and out of villages, trying to instill in people democratic, communist, or other western ideologies, though the common people were turned off and confused by their dissent. An example of this is when a villager explain, â€Å"Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians—or the Pakistanis† (48). More than midway through the novel, Singh depicts a scene in which the villagers learn that the government was planning to transport Muslims from Mano Majra to Pakistan the next day for their safety. To better understand the situation surrounding the Partition of India, Singh provides information about both religions involved. The book sheds light on the various religious practices of both Sikhs and Muslims in rural India, including daily life for individuals from both practices. For example, the practice of prayer for Muslims is described in the novel: â€Å"The mullah at the mosque knows that it is time for the Morning Prayer. He has a quick wash, stands facing west towards Mecca and with his fingers in his ears cries in long sonorous notes, Allah-o-Akbar† (4). Singh points out practices of Sikhs as well, â€Å"The priest at the Sikh temple lies in bed till the mullah has called. Then he too gets up, draws a bucket of water from the well in the temple courtyard, pours it over himself, and intones his prayer in monotonous singsong to the sound of splashing water (5)†. These daily routines are not necessarily provided to exemplify the differences between the two religions, but more so how they rely and have a friendly tolerance for one another and the unfortunate changes the compatibility would undergo. In addition to giving an understanding of human actions and pointing out that everyone was responsible, Khushwant Singh sketches his characters with a sure and steady hand, and we come to know quite a cast. Foremost, Hukum Chand is the regional magistrate, and the most influential character in the story for many symbolic purposes. It becomes noticeable that he is a morally conflicted man who has probably used his power over the years with much corruption. He is often described with a dirty physical appearance which is important emblematically because it is as if he is overwhelmed with unclean actions and sins and is trying to wash himself of them. Hukum Chand’s ethical issues are also shown in one of repeated encounters he has with two geckos. Allegorically, we can likely infer that these geckos represent Muslims and Hindus in conflict and on the verge of fighting one another. When the geckos start fighting, they fall right next to him, and he panics. The guilt he gets from not helping when he has more than enough power to do so literally jumps onto him: â€Å"Hukum Chand felt as if he had touched the lizards and they had made his hands dirty. He rubbed his hands on the hem of his shirt. It was not the sort of dirt which could be wiped off or washed clean† (24). Alcoholism is another tool Hukum Chand uses in attempt to clean his conscience. He feels the guilt of his actions by day but is able to justify them with alcohol and visits from the teenage prostitute Haseena, a girl that is the same age as his deceased daughter. In all his conflictions, Hukum Chand is able to acknowledge that what he is doing is bad, but is still unable to promote good possibly inferring to the weakness of the human will or at least of those in power. The two other main characters featured in the novel are Iqbal Singh and Juggut Singh, and they are likely meant to be contrasted. Iqbal is described as a slightly effeminate, well-educated and atheist (which is symbolic as his ambiguous name makes his family religion unidentifiable) social worker from Britain who thinks politically and cynically. Iqbal can easily represent modernity as he has purposely forgotten his traditional Sikh heritage and culturally adapted to the Western life style by cutting his hair and going through circumcision. Juggut, conversely, is a towering, muscular, and uneducated villager who places action over thought and is known for frequent arrests and gang problems. When the Hindu money-lender is murdered, it is as if the novel is warming Iqbal and Juggut up for comparison, as they were both arrested for the same murder they did not commit and were placed in adjacent cells. In that time, a train pulls up full of dead corpses, obviously symbolic and representative of the violence and torment the two sides, Muslim and Sikh, placed upon one another. Upon the prisoners’ release, they learned that a gang was planning to attack the train taking Mano Majra’s Muslim population to Pakistan. They each had the potential to save the train, though it was recognized that this would cost their lives. Although Singh leaves us questioning who the heroic figure of the novel is, it is easy to place Juggut in the role of martyr. He acts on instinct after he found out about the fiasco that was going on, and then sacrifices his life to save the train. Iqbal, on the other hand, spends pages wondering to himself whether he should do something, revealing a moral irony: â€Å"The bullet is neutral. It hits the good and the bad, the important and the insignificant, without distinction. If there were people to see the act of self-immolation†¦the sacrifice might be worth while: a moral lesson might be conveyed†¦the point of sacrifice†¦is the purpose. For the purpose, it is not enough that a thing is intrinsically good: it must be known to be good. It is not enough to know within one’s self that one is in the right† (170). The questions of right versus wrong which Singh poses throughout the book are numerous, including those of what one should do when one has the opportunity to prevent something bad, when an act of goodwill is truly worthwhile, and how much importance is the consciousness of the bad. Train to Pakistan represents what one calls an â€Å"eye-opener.† Many times people block out or remain ambivalent to difficult circumstances surrounding them, but Singh writes, with multiple gruesome and explicit accounts of death, torture, and rape for the public to read, to make the case that people need to know about those improbable dangers.

Use Of Illusion And Hide Reality Plays A Heavy Role On...

The use of illusion to hide reality plays a heavy role in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello†. Illusion is used frequently throughout the play in relation to love, friendship and character personalities. Some characters, especially Othello, cannot see through the illusion and assume what they see as reality. Iago, however, uses this to his advantage by creating multiple illusions to manipulate the other characters for power and revenge. Iago is seen by most of the characters as an honest and trustworthy man who is always willing to listen and give advice. Cassio, one of the characters who is fooled by the illusionary personality Iago has created, says I never knew/ a Florentine more kind and honest (III.i.38-39). The audience however knows that this is not the case, since at the beginning he says â€Å"I am not what I am† (I.i.62), meaning that he has created an illusion of himself to fool others into believing he is trustworthy. Iago states â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him† (I.i.39), meaning that he only pretends to be loyal to Othello, acting as a good servant so that when the opportunity arises, Othello will not suspect him of sabotaging his marriage. Throughout the entire play, he pretends to be Othello’s friend, feigning reluctance in voicing his suspicions about an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. He gains Othello’s trust by being a good friend who is honest enough t o tell him such horrible news. Iago creates the illusion of the affair by filling Othello’s mind