Free Essays on Workplace Production

No workplace is more productive than a company that is filled with motivated employees. What can an employer do to get and keep workers motivated? Here are a dozen tips: Hire people who have the skills and abilities for the job. Give employees the training they need to do the job right. Treat employees with respect and courtesy. Set and explain goals for each employee or team. The goals need to be meaningful to the employee. They need to be measurable. They need to be achievable. Show an interest in the work the employee is doing in achieving the goals from day to day on the job. Ask what you can do to help, and do it. Reward employees for achieving goals. Make the rewards something the employee values. Get employees involved in decision-making about things that matter. Provide positive feedback and say thank you. Remember that people are motivated by different things. Use what motivates the employee, not what motivates you. Keep the workplace interesting. Know when employees are ove rworked and do something about it. Resolve conflicts as they come up. Give employees authority and let them know you expect responsibility.... Free Essays on Workplace Production Free Essays on Workplace Production No workplace is more productive than a company that is filled with motivated employees. What can an employer do to get and keep workers motivated? Here are a dozen tips: Hire people who have the skills and abilities for the job. Give employees the training they need to do the job right. Treat employees with respect and courtesy. Set and explain goals for each employee or team. The goals need to be meaningful to the employee. They need to be measurable. They need to be achievable. Show an interest in the work the employee is doing in achieving the goals from day to day on the job. Ask what you can do to help, and do it. Reward employees for achieving goals. Make the rewards something the employee values. Get employees involved in decision-making about things that matter. Provide positive feedback and say thank you. Remember that people are motivated by different things. Use what motivates the employee, not what motivates you. Keep the workplace interesting. Know when employees are ove rworked and do something about it. Resolve conflicts as they come up. Give employees authority and let them know you expect responsibility....

Tricing Pendants and Lifeboat Rigging

Tricing Pendants and Lifeboat Rigging A tricing pendant is part of the rigging that allows lifeboats to be launched. The system to launch a lifeboat is complex and the tricing pendants play an essential role if the ship is heeling or laid over because of damage. The Mechanics of Launching a Lifeboat To launch a lifeboat the boats must first be freed from the cradle straps called Gripes. (Insert nautical gripe joke here.) Next small twin cranes called Davits are brought into the launch/recovery position. Each Davit is equipped with a powerful winch and emergency manual brake. These Davits are fitted with hoisting lines called Falls which attach to the lifeboat harness which is in turn fastened to the gunwales on opposite sides at the fore and aft of the boat. Lines attached to the bow and stern of the lifeboat are called Frapping Lines and are used to control the movement of the boat as it is lowered or raised. An additional line is attached to the bow of the lifeboat to keep it near the ship after all other rigging has been released. This line is called a Sea Painter. Under the boat, usually attached to the keel, is a device called a McCluny Hook which allows lines attached under the boat to be released remotely. The lines attached to the McCluny Hook are routed to the Tricing Pendants which are an apparatus used to pull the lifeboat to the embarkation station when the ship is at an abnormal angle. If lifeboats were lowered while the vessel is heeling over from the damage they will either slide down the side if they are on the high side or enter the water far away from the embarkation station if they are on the low side. Its very easy to be injured in a lifeboat. The Costa Concordia wreck off the coast of Italy is a prime example of the dangers of evacuating by lifeboat. At least two people died on the wreck because they attempted to swim to the rocky shore rather than risk the poorly deployed lifeboats. A tricing pendant is a device that is made up of three main components. The length of line or chain that is attached to the keel of the lifeboat via a McCluny Hook, a block and tackle system that increases mechanical force, and the lines and often winches that draw the lifeboat close enough for passengers to get aboard. Lifeboat Drills Under SOLAS There is an ongoing controversy surrounding SOLAS Conventions as they pertain to lifeboat training and drills. For safety reasons, SOLAS compliant vessels cannot have occupied lifeboats during launch or recovery. Lowering manned lifeboats is very hazardous to everyone involved and there are many deaths and injuries from lifeboat drills. Its a very different experience to lower a lifeboat with operators than it is to lower an empty lifeboat. This is true for the crew who will ride down in an emergency situation and for the crew running the Davit winches above and tricing pendant gear at the embarkation station. SOLAS is probably right to try and limit training injuries, but without realistic training that is used for emergency evacuation of the vessel, there is little hope for competent launch and recovery of lifeboats in a bad situation. Some ships continue to carry out lifeboat drills with a mix of skirting the rules and using allowed activities to replace prohibited training. This will result in some skills but not the best skills. To have the best training for your crew they must be exposed to the most realistic training available and that means manned lifeboat drills. If SOLAS is to be amended it will take many voices to overcome what is generally seen as a hindrance to safety training. Speak up directly to the IMO or email here and we will pass the comments along.

Wireless security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Wireless security - Essay Example The activities performed by user on the internet can be both casual and confidential in nature. None the less for any of the activities performed over the internet every user wants privacy and security. Security of the connection ensures the integrity and originality of the data and assures the user that his information is safe. Wireless connection employ the use of radiowaves for communication and flow of data between the devices. These radiowaves can easily be tapped, intercepted and the information can be read or stolen and even in some case altered and manipulated hence raising the concern of data integrity and originality. Facing the threats that came with the increasing and rapid growth in the number of users of wireless technology the requirements for development of measures for security and integrity of data and network also arose. Although number of people were lazy and most of them were unaware of the security threats they faced using wireless form of connections, such people were only concerned about the availability of the internet and were satisfied as long as they were able to operate the internet. Now to ensure security while using wireless connections various forms of security were developed which included WEP,WAP and WAP2 etc. WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy (or Wireless Encryption Protocol), was introduced as the first line of security to tackle the threats that were occurring. It was a weak option for security as it only had encryption to a basic level. After the passage of time a lot of weaknesses were found in it and did not remain as secure as it was thought earlier. It did not provide end to end protection as it only used at the two lowest layers of OSI. Later on it was found out that it didn’t protect packets from being intercepted and any hacker could get enough stream of packets which would be enough for him to extract the encryption scheme. After significant flaws were found in WEP another technology WPA

U.S. Imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. Imperialism - Essay Example The US possessed imperial power and had used it in controlling varied countries such as Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico as well as Philippines. The war between America and Spain had marked the access of the US for gaining control of many colonies. US supremacy over other main powerful countries which are Britain, Russia, China, France as well as Germany and the enmity among the nations resulted in two World Wars. The World Wars resulted in division of the world among these nations. The American expansionism is considered to be one of the major reasons for the growth of the US as the most commanding country in the world. The people moving westwards and acquiring land of varied territories helped in developing the economy of the country (Foner, â€Å"Give Me Liberty†). Thesis Statement The discussion emphasizes on the aspect of US imperialism and the relationship among American democracy and ideals of liberty. It also intends to discuss the expansion of the US and the effects of US poli cies on Native American tribes, Cuba, the Philippines as well as Puerto Rico. Discussion US imperialism was the outcome of American expansionism as it led to expanding its territories as well as exploiting natural resources for the economic development of the country. The US merchants as well as colonists started acquiring and investing in land around westwards for the purpose of developing the economy of the country. ... The west had favored for the development of the people of America for its developed colonies (Texas Digital Library, â€Å"Expansionism in the 1890s†). The foremost principle of the government of the US was liberty but later on the government realized the importance of defending the rights of the citizens. The power of the government for defending the rights of the people was admired for developing the economic conditions of the country. The two World Wars had immensely involved government for the development of the economic conditions of the citizens. The principle of the government was changed to democracy and had enhanced its power by a considerable extent. The government made most of the decisions with regard to the democracy principles whereas decisions on principle of liberty were diminishing. All these had led to the transformation of the American government to democracy from liberty (Holcombe and Arbor, â€Å"From Liberty to Democracy: The Transformation of American G overnment†). In the nineteenth century with Manifest Destiny people of the US moved westward for better development of the economy as well as culture. The expansion of the US in different territories had piloted to its imperial power. Manifest Destiny had developed major issues for the Native Americans as most of their lands were purchased which limited their land requirements. The main motive was to remove the Native Americans for the expansion and the development of the US. There was a war in between Spain and America in 1898 for the reason of intervention of America on the rebel’s side of Cuba against the Spanish Empire. After the war with Spain, Americans acquired Cuba as well as the Philippines along with Puerto Rico. These territories were conquered with the notion of developing colonies

Radical And Liberal Theories Of Inequality Essay Example for Free

Radical And Liberal Theories Of Inequality Essay Social inequality (as a general philosophical and social concept including, before all economic inequalities along with the modern racial and gender issues of disparity) has always been a characteristic feature of human society therefore it is not surprising that majority of ancient and contemporary social philosophers are involved into discussion of how the inequality came to be and what can be done to reduce it. As usually there is no single opinion on the issue. There is an attitude that inequality is an ingrained feature of our social structure so any attempts to reduce or eliminate it are self-defeating. Still there is another opinion: inequality emerged on a certain stage of development of human society when one group of people took advantage of all other people and captured the source of welfare – material goods. It is not yet clear which one is true. The problem of social inequality has a long tradition of analysis; at least since the times of Aristotle, the existence of social disparity appeared a key problem for democratic theory and practice. Nowadays several major philosophical paradigms study the nature of inequality, i.e.: conservative, liberal, and radical; each of them has different vision of the problem (Conservative†¦ 2004). We will focus on liberal and radical visions of the problem and contrast their approaches to view the problem. Libertarian approach before all concentrates on freedoms and social rights of individuals as the members of common society. The approach focuses on people and, contrasting radical outlooks of the problem could be described as the â€Å"individualistic† one. Radical approach, speaking critically, is a â€Å"collectivistic† paradigm that put a focus on social classes instead of people. Liberalists, in their turn, stay on the premises that everyone is before all an individual, and that all individuals have inalienable social rights guaranteed by the society (Kidder et al, 2004). The central value of liberalistic theory is, therewith, inborn freedom of people. Liberals believe that people are able to change their social status themselves and become prosperous in this life. Radicals, on the contrary observe people as foredoomed creature who can’t leave the measures of their social class. As a result, they could become equally treated only through revolutionary changes. Capitalists, observing radical philosophy of social inequality, use all resources available to make the rest of the society equal; therewith, capitalists appear the primary enemies of social inequality who victimize the average people. Liberals never expressed such radical ideas; instead they believe that it’s rather the role of capitalists and government to establish a welfare society. The core differences between liberal and radical approaches, comparing and contrasting ideas of Marx (Avineri, 1968) and Weber (1958), lie in their vision of the fundamentals of social inequality. While Marx stayed on the material premises and some objective reasons that people can’t change, Weber believed in people’s rationality and knowledge that help them to achieve social equality themselves. Weber’s ideas of liberalism are close to the vision of people from protestant religion perspective, while Marx’s ideals are, admittedly, closer to orthodox Christianity. The serious difference between radicals and liberals lies in their vision of key aspects of social inequality origin. Radical philosophers develop a theory of social classes where material aspect is considered to be the key one in people’s social inequality. While liberals believe that relatively few people are unequally treated in the modern welfare societies, radical philosophers and Marx (Avineri, 1968) first of all state that the inequality is to be observed in a wider context, first of all as a disparity between major social classes. Marx outlined five social formations; inequality did not exist in the first and the fifth formation. All people were equal during the epoch of Primitive Communism but gradually the situation changed. Asiatic or Ancient formation (slavery), Feudalism and Capitalism – other three formations – were based upon different modes of production and were characterized by great inequalities. Liberals don’t support the idea of social classes in which radical philosopher believe so blindly. Instead, they believe that the roots of social inequality lie simply in unequal share of commonwealth during the previous time periods. This unequal distribution is, as liberal philosophers believe, the principle factor in the emergence of social inequality. One of the first liberal philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1993; p. 84) exploring the problem of inequality came to the conclusion that it wasn’t a natural state of human beings; instead he claimed that people were born equal but voluntarily bonded themselves into the society that was evil in itself. As a result, apologists of this approach see the problem of emerged inequality as arising from societies where individuals were not listened to or treated equally. Standing on this ground, liberal philosophers criticize unlimited acquisitiveness as sheer greed, and do not agree that the market should be the arbiter of all values. As far as liberalists stay on the principles of equal freedoms and opportunities they criticize the permanent system of welfare distribution amidst the society. The fundamentals of liberal approach to social inequality could be described, in fact, as the civilized and humane ideals where all people possess individual freedom, moral and physical autonomy social equality, a set of inalienable human rights (i.e.: to life, to express own thoughts and opinions, religious worship etc), due process at law), private property, democratic participation etc. Individual rights and freedoms are therewith are at the top of liberals’ value scale. Liberals believe in democracy as the best way of human existence and states’ development and vote for equal opportunities for all people. They, however, don’t support the necessity of regimes’ changes as the radicals’ do. Radical philosophers, in their turn, vote for immediate and rapid changes of the society. At the same time, radical philosophers vote for rapid changes of society’s norms and traditions through revolutions. There lies the major though implicit difference between both approaches as liberals first of all want to fit unequally treated people to the standards of the others, radicals, on the contrary insist that the top of society must be pulled down and treated unequally. As a result, radicals don’t suggest a clear solution of inequality eliminating because in their model one social class shifts another while inequality isn’t reduced at all (the former USSR could serve here a good illustration). Liberals and radicals also differ in the vision of ideal society, while first one support regulated and humane capitalism, radical philosophers believe in socialistic society where are people have equal rights. This idea, however, turned to be utopist one judging from the USSR collapse example. Dislike radical philosophers, liberals observing Kidder (2004) never vote for the rapid and all-round changes in the society in order to reduce or eliminate inequality. Instead, they suggest the remedies for those, who became unequal in this society through no fault of their own. Therewith, liberalism as a philosophical and political system is targeted to defend people from any abuses by authorities or other people. To achieve relative social equality liberals suggest various social programs, labor units, reduction of taxes for those who are in need of such alterations. Liberalists, dislike radical philosophers, believing in the role of society and a state as a self-regulating mechanism that is helpful for every its member. In order to achieve this objective, the government is to regulate somehow market relations to protect public interests. Apologists of liberal approach believe that government can indeed play a constructive role in the society and don’t insist on its elimination as the radicals do. In a word, liberals want both business and government to be more responsible and responsive to the public interest. That’s achieved through corporate social responsibility and governmental regulation of businesses. Radical philosophers and politicians (Kidder, 2004) never presume the idea that a government or a state could abolish social inequality. Instead, only the unequally treated people could do this through revolutionary changes in the society having wiped out a ruling class and capitalists. The language of the radicals tends not to â€Å"convert† but to â€Å"repel† most people. Radicals, therewith, call for some drastic and fundamental changes in the economy including nationalization instead of private property, complete governmental regulation instead of partial intervention and equation of all salaries instead of mixed approach. Do you think American society is open now? Traditionally, American society is believed to be the most free and democratic one in the world. Comparing with the other states, even the democratic ones, we come to the conclusion that American society is quite open nowadays: that mean that all people are born equal and are provided with equal conditions for their life and development. At the same time American as probably no other society could guarantee its people the same financial welfare. Instead, provision of people with equal rights make them responsible for own social and financial development. At the same time, American society is not deprived of several serious drawbacks that slow down building of a completely open society. It’s first of all social discrimination and derogatory stereotypes that dominate over the minds of million Americans; protectionism and some other forms of inequalities that, however, tend to lessen in the modern society. REFERENCES: Avineri, S. The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx. Cambridge University Press, 1968. Conservative, Liberal, Radical Economic Philosophies (2004). Online article retrieved July 13, 2004 from http://www.tc.umn.edu/~smith097/articles/C.3.htm T. et al (2004). World Views on Inequality: Where Did It Come From and What Can We Do? Online article retrieved July 13, 2004 from http:/www.earlham.edu/~pls/ Rousseau, J.-J. The Social Contrast and The Discourses. [Translated by G.D.H. Cole]. London: David Campbell Publishers Ltd., 1993. Weber, M. (1958). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, trans. Talcott Parsons. New York: Charles Scribners Sons.

Influences on Emotional Expression Essay -- Psychology, Emotions

Emotions play a significant part in our daily lives, especially to our overall wellbeing whenever we share these experiences with other people. The ability to express and interpret emotions is an important skill that everyone can improve on that would greatly benefit their interpersonal communication. Our expressions accompany our emotions; they serve as windows that allow other people to know what we are feeling inside. There are several factors that influence how we communicate our feelings. The primary explanation for the differences in how people express their emotions rests on biology. First of all, our biological sex is the best predictor of the ability to detect and interpret emotional expressions (Swenson & Casmir, 1998). Our gender can shape how receptive we are of other people’s feelings, whether that person is of the same or different sex as us. Usually, people are generally better at recognizing the emotions of the member of the same sex (Adler, Rosenfeld, Proctor, 2007). The definition of being a man or a woman is also influenced by the culture one grows up in. Typically, most boys are taught to be tough even at a young age and are even encouraged by most fathers to play roughly with other boys their age. Crying is one emotion that is greatly discouraged because it is seen as a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it is acceptable for girls since society teaches them to be gentle and nurturing. This probably explains why males are usually more aggressive and competitive than females. These also go hand in hand with the social roles of men and women in society. Our occupations can also get in the way of expressing our emotions, as we are expected to act pleasant even though we don’t really feel that way. For example, ... ...t functions in our everyday life and relationships. Our culture is a good determinant of how we may act and show our feelings around people. The social conventions in our culture also serves as a guide as to what is supposed to be proper behavior when we are playing our social roles in the society we live in. There are times when people would choose to present artificial emotions because of the anxious situations that they are dealing with, hence refusing to disclose their feelings to others. A person’s personality also has huge influence on how they understand and convey expressions; just as our personality shapes our emotions, in turn our emotions also affect our personality. The people that we often socialize with can influence our feelings as we do the same with them. As has been noted, these are all the factors that influence the expression of our emotions.

Narrative Flow Of The Current System

Narrative Flow of the Current System GO Computers opens at 8:00 AM until 7:30 PM and is open from Monday to Sunday. The persons that are involved in the company are the Manager, Technician's and the Cashier. The Manager is responsible for the overall operation of the business. He is responsible for overseeing and supervising the company's activities and employees. He hires, train and evaluate new employees. He drives the work of employees in order to run the business efficiently and make a large profit. And specializes in marketing, public relations and sales.The Manager checks the Daily Sales Report kept by the Cashier to keep track Of the products sold in a particular time. The Technician installs hardware and software systems, maintain and repair equipment's, troubleshoot various computer or laptop issues and offer technical support on-site, setup PC's for home users or fix customers faulty equipment's and prepare the cost estimates for repair or new installations. The technician is responsible in opening the shop and should be present at all times in order to attend to customers entering to get their equipment's checked or repaired.The Cashier provides the last-desk customer service by taking payments from customers in exchange of goods or services. The cashier accept and processes cash, exchanges and managing the cash drawer. The cashier is also responsible in registering products in the inventory and in making and encoding the customers receiving slip. And before the closing time, the cashier is the one who makes the Daily Sales Report. The company's workplace is divided into 2. One is the technicians repair area where all repair equipments used are found and product testing, preparing, assembling and troubleshooting takes place.Second is the cashiers work desk, it is where cash related topics occur like exchanging, purchasing and also in making the daily sales report for the profit acquired by the company on the specified date. In product registration, t he cashier opens the file document named GO Computers Inventory using Microsoft excel then encode the product's brand name, model and quantity and retail price basing in each products respective category. After encoding and finalizing the product registration, the cashier eaves the document in a specified location on the computer.For product purchase, the technician checks the unit or product and presents it to the customer to make sure that the item is working properly before leaving the establishment's premises. And makes sure that all parts included for the product to be purchased are organized and tested. On services, for customers who entered for their gadgets or equipment to be repaired by the technician they are given estimated time and cost of the repair after the checkup. If the customer agrees and go with the repair, the unit will be achieved using a receiving slip.The receiving slip is an already printed format to receive items of customers for repair. The slip has the cu stomers name, address and contact number, date of receive, number of the slip for the unit received, specifications of the unit in order to easily locate and make sure of the protection of the customers item and for organization, problem description, price and customers signature. The technician writes down using a ball pen the present date, specifications of the item with its corresponding serial numbers, description of the units problem and price given. Then the slip is handed to the customer to fill up the needed information.There are two papers used as receiving slips, one is issued for the customer the Other is for the company. The technician uses carbon paper in between both paper in writing down the needed information. Once the repair is successful, the technician burn tests the unit for the next few days to make sure the product is working properly. The customer will be contacted by the technician to inform if the repair was successful or not. If successful, the customer wil l be directed to the cashier for the receipt and moment of the service rendered. In customer payments, the company use BIRR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) cash invoice.The cash in voice is a small piece of paper used as receipt and is given to customers. Its format has the brand and name of product, quantity or the number of units, name of customer, and date of the specified time, and price of product and a blank space for cashier's signature. In encoding, the cashier writes down using a ball pen filling up all the information needed and is handed to the customer as proof that they purchased the item. And as for product warranty, the company provides a specified format to be used and given for the customer. It is called warranty slip.The warranty vary upon the category and price of the product or service. For purchased laptop or a computer set the warranty given is one year. For computer and laptop parts and accessories the warranty given is three months. And for items with price tags ranging below five hundred pesos are given two weeks of warranty. The warranty slip issued format has customers name, date, brand and name of product, products specification and serial number, quantity of product, detail price, price discounted, total price, signature of the cashier whom prepared the slip, approval signature of the technician or the manager and signature of the customer.The slip is encoded by the cashier in the computer with a file format of Microsoft excel. After filling up the required information the cashier prints out two warranty slip to be signed by the cashier, by the technician or manager present and the customer. Product exchange, the product bought by the customer will be checked by the technician. And the receipt together with the warranty slip given should be resented to the cashier in order to validate the complaint.If the product was found defective, it could either be replaced if there are available products or it would be sent back to the products r epair center to determine whether the product can be granted its warranty. And if not the product will be returned back to the customer. This privilege is available for laptops purchased only. Another option, is replacement for a new product as long as they are Of the same price and the warranty cover stated in the warranty slip is not void.For placement of product, the cashier takes the warranty and receipt of the customer and replaces it with a new receipt and warranty slip for the replaced item. But the warranty of the new product is still the same as the time when the defective unit was purchased. The inventory is divided into categories. One is name of product, retail price, quantity and date. In editing the inventory the cashier opens the file GO Computers Inventory which is in a Microsoft excel format. Then one by one adjusts the cells to add, edit and delete products. Encode number of units sold in a day in every cell.After finalizing, the cashiers saves the file document. A nd before closing, the cashier writes down the Daily sales report using a ball pen. The sales report has the present date, total profit from yesterdays report, income from services, accessories and down payment of customers, salaries and other expenses and the total profit earned for the day. In the sales report the cashier encodes the profit earned in the present day, salaries expenses, and the available cash. Then calls the manager after tallying to inform of the profit earned. After, then at 7:30 the technician closes the shop.

Chinese Architecture and Feng Shui: The Siamese Twins Essay

Chinese architecture and Feng Shui   are pronounced in the same breath as both have come a long way together since the last 4000 years, and now Feng-Shui (Air-Water, literally) has caught the mind all around globe. Feng Shui is, in fact, an ethnic philosophy of China dealing with the basic principles of living while extending its wings into astrology and other paranormal sources that people believe are associated with longevity and good luck. No wonder then, it continued to govern the Chinese society since its advent and also became evolved with time to match the stride of the civilization, thereby influencing the living of its believers in every strata. Off late, Feng Shui has been seriously considered as an important tool in architecture around the globe. INTRODUCTION Quin niao tse, an officer in the Yellow Emperor’s regime is believed to be the originator or the propagator of Feng Shui, and accordingly once it was called as the ‘Art of Qin niao tse’, though any documentation of his work is considered to be lost (Too, 1996). However, Feng Shui today   is known as the ‘art of placement’. The Feng Shui literature primarily describes the earth as a living being, having energy channels. They call them as the ‘veins of the dragon’ and earmark the convergence points of those channels as auspicious sites. It embedded Taoism[1]  on its journey, and as an effect, Chinese people accepted its explanation and concretized its foundation by practicing it in the various spheres of their living, of which architecture had been heavily influenced. Incubating Period Conforming with Taoism, it soon established two schools, viz., the ‘Direction School’ and the ‘Situation School’, with one complementing the other. They still exists, where The Direction School deals with the accurate alignment of the site and the building with the stars. It is based on the theory of five elements, eight characters of birth and eight triagrams of ‘I Ching’. The Situation School deals with the significance of shapes, height the mountains, speed and curves of the water bodies (Too, 1996). This twin aspects of Feng Shui became popular enough to be spread out not only in the whole of China, but also in its neighboring countries. This generated an extended interest on further study and development of the subject as a whole, and that resulted into the birth of another branch that started to work on the dimension of timing, based on the belief that every piece of land goes through a cycle of good and bad luck. This idea influenced the monarchy to such an extent that they became choosy even about their burial sites; as that, according to the new branch, had some bearing on the longevity of the ruling dynasty. Ming Tombs of Beijing still stands as a proof of such belief beheld by the rulers of the Ming dynasty. (1368-1644). Like every philosophy or idea, Feng Shui also had to face a great deal of upheaval. In its traced track of existence, it faced ban twice, once in the time of Yuan dynasty (Mongols invaders) and in 1949, when the communist government of China found it a superstitious practice (Traditional, 2006). But, as the wise says, old habits die hard; Feng Shui has gradually bounced back and at present is doing a roaring business all around the globe where the Chinese themselves have become a minor entrepreneur. Taking clue from the growing market, other ethnic ideas of China, like astrology or acupressure, have also been embedded with Feng Shui to create a   comprehensive living solution. How Feng Shui Influences Architecture Feasibility of certain requirements of living always determines the viability of any architectural project. At the first level it deals with easy accessibility to the site, height and shape of the land, easy availability of water, scope for proper sewerage, free flow of clean air etc. If the primary conditions prove conducive, then the architects emphasize on the second level, where they check and decide on the appropriateness of external and the internal structure of the proposed construction. After that come the factors related to aesthetics or special features, which could enhance the scope to exploit the surrounding environment. All these levels of considerations are equally important for both the intended dwellers of the proposed constructions and its surroundings. Since Feng Shui claims to have better prescriptions for all those three levels of consideration along with its huge list of advices on actual living principles,   it has tremendous influence of architecture industry, as that is being proved even today. The Basics of Feng Shui Feng Shui claims to assess and identify the positive and negative aspects of a place through its system based on a theory of Yin(the feminine force) and Yang(the male force), the two opposite yet complementary forces which are believed to be the cause of life and death, where Yin is considered as earth and   Yin as heaven. There is a symbolic representation of the duo as well, where a line of two dashes represents Yin and a continuous line denotes Yang, while each is being derived from a square and a circle, which represent the earth and heaven respectively.   Yin and Yang take a set of five elements like Earth, Fire, Metal, Wood and Water to assess and decide on the preconditions of living. Though it is difficult to summarize the huge connotation behind this dualistic philosophy of Yin and Yang, yet it can be said that it propagates to use the right quotient among divergent forces like Heaven, Human being, and Earth  to achieve balance and harmony in life. Yin and Yang theory is then joined by Bagua theory, which consists of eight triagrams, known by the names like Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kan, Dui and Gen. Combination of these are used to draw a hypothesis about possible future events to take place in the house. In the end Tao, Yin-Yang theory and Bagua theory work together to enhance and maintain ‘Chi’, the vital life-force behind everything (Too, 1996). Thus, encompassing the environmental, philosophical and spiritual factor, Feng Shui suggests about the best possible order and placement of the objects to attain peace or harmony or the other results as desired by the owner of a house. In the process it involves itself into further details like assessing the zodiacal placement of the prospective dwellers to present a tailor-made prescription for the design and lay-out for their house, covering both the interior and exterior of it. How It Works Feng Shui has a set of grammar to follow. It starts with prescribing the possible right directions of a site according to its surroundings (Fong). It identifies one direction as the attributors of certain elements and earmarks certain functions of the house-to-be to that direction. A quick glance on such a list would explain the subject further: North East: The Area of Education: represented by Earth element; North: The Area of Career Luck: represented by Water element; Northwest: Area of Mentor Luck: represented by Metal element; West: Area of the Descendants’ Luck: represented by Metal element; Southwest: Area of Love Y Marriage Luck: represented by Earth element; South: Area of Fame and Luck: represented by Fire element; Southeast: Area of Wealth Luck: represented by Wood element; East: Area of Health and Family Luck: represented by Wood element. Various shapes and colors are also believed to be associated with the above directions along with numbers; they are calculated on the basis of the of the owner’s gender and zodiacal data. According to Feng Shui, the productive cycle of the elements work out in the following directions: Earth > Fire > Wood > Water > Metal Lucky Talisman There are a few objects that are considered as the provider of luck and Chi according to the Feng Shui myths and legends (Tips, 2006). The most popular ones are: the artifacts like Three-legged toad with a coin in its mouth, bunch of Chinese coins tagged in a red ribbon, the wind-chimes, golden dragon fish, gem trees, crystal globe or other crystal artifacts, tortoises, fruit trees, ships, hens, Mandarin ducks, etc. They are advised to place in the strategic positions according to the need of the householders. CONCLUSION Applying calculations involving all these factors mentioned, Feng Shui determines the best possible living solutions for people. Starting from prescribing for a township, it can go down to the minutest details to determine even the placement of small items in a house. In all, Feng Shui’s utility value is great in the sense that creates awareness about healthy and prosperous living, which the modern world embraced and working on for the sustainable development of the societies across the globe. References Feng Shui Tips: 2006 retrieved March 14, 2007, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.lillian-too.com/fstips.php Fong, H.  What You Absolutely Must Know Before You Buy A House: pdf, retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚   March 14, 2007, from http://www.henryfong.com Too, L. (1996). The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui: How to Apply the Secrets   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Chinese Wisdom for Health, Wealth and Happiness.  Element Books Traditional Feng Shui: 2006, retrieved March 14, 2007, retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.traditionalfengshui.com/content/feng_shui_consultation.php [1]  Tao (pathway to life), ancient Chinese philosophy on understanding of cosmology, astronomy, and the astrophysics.

How To Write Landing Pages That Convert - CoSchedule Blog

How To Write Landing Pages That Convert Blog Writing landing pages is an art. Successful landing pages address a need, provide a solution, and (ideally) drive conversions. The challenge lies in getting your audience to convert or perform an action (sign up for a contest, subscribe to an email list, etc). Fortunately, anyone with writing skills can learn to write effective landing pages. That’s exactly what this post  will teach you to do. Download Your Free Landing Page  Resources Write better landing pages and track your performance with these three free  resources: Landing Page Writing Template Landing Page Performance Tracking Template Call To Action  GuideWhy Should You Be Writing Landing Pages? The purpose of any landing pages is to get your reader to perform a specific action. You may want your reader to complete an email sign-up form, register for an event, or start a trial for a service (just for a few examples). Whatever you consider to be your conversion step, everything write you should support that goal.  This should be the central focus of your writing. What Defines A Landing Page? By definition, a landing page is any page a user could "land on" from another page. According to Unbounce, In the purest sense, a landing page is any web page that a visitor can arrive at or â€Å"land† on. However, when discussing landing pages within the realm of marketing and advertising, it’s more common to refer to a landing page as being a standalone web page distinct from your main website that has been designed for a single focused objective. This means that your landing page should have no global navigation to tie it to your primary website. The main reason for this is to limit the options available to your visitors, helping to guide them toward your intended conversion goal. For our purposes, any solid landing page should have the following: A strong headline Body copy A call-to-action What Are Some Common Purposes  For Landing Pages? Any landing page should serve one clear defined purpose. Here are some common usages for standalone landing pages: Promote an event or webinar Gather email newsletter signups Promote a free trial Offer free coupon signup Drive signups to be alerted of a new product or feature launch Host a contest signup form How To Define A Purpose For Your Landing Page The first step is to decide what your landing page will be about. If you're promoting something specific, like an event or contest, then your topic is obvious.  In other cases, you may need to get more creative. If you're struggling to define a clear purpose for your page, try following some of these tips. Landing pages should have just one clear purpose.Identify  A Problem You Can Solve For Your Audience A great way to find a topic is to identify an issue and present your product or service as the best solution. The reason your audience is on your landing page is because they have a problem and need a solution, and that’s you! Here are some quick ways to determine what your audience could use help with: Twitter polls. Twitter's help guide can help walk you through how to set one up. Audience surveys. Tools like Polldaddy and Survey Monkey make it easy to run surveys. Quick questions posted on social media. Tweet a question for your audience asking what challenges they're facing. Then, create a page that presents a solution. Identify A Problem Your Business Needs To Solve Another approach is to start with a problem your business is facing. Unbounce did a great case study on New Balance. The shoe company's brick-and-mortar stores in Chicago weren't getting enough foot traffic, and they wanted to increase sales. So, they ran Facebook ads that directed to  landing pages promoting sales on shoes.  This approach increased sales by 200%. This is a perfect example of identifying a business problem, and solving it with effective landing page messaging. Next, Find Your Keyword If you plan on using SEO or PPC to drive landing page traffic, then it's important to properly select keywords. Selecting a keyword to target essentially means claiming territory on a certain phrase that is being searched. For example, if you’re trying to sell an ebook on how to master a job interview, you may want to target the phrase â€Å"successful job interviews.† There are great tools, both free and paid, that will help you find the traffic around any keyword. Start with these popular options: Moz Ubersuggest Google Keyword Planner Choosing a keyword goes back to your angle and topic. The content of your page should also match the search intent behind your selected keyword. You should also target synonyms for your topic and focus. TIP: In some cases, you may not need to do traditional keyword research. For example, if you're creating a landing page for an event, the name of the event would probably be your targeted keyword. Do what makes sense given how your page will be used. Do You Need An Angle? If you're writing a sales brochure-style landing page, consider your angle. Your angle  describes the perspective you're writing from. To find your angle here are some questions you can ask yourself before you get writing: What’s your unique perspective?  Showcase your original thoughts and ideas to your reader. Keep them engaged with your business’s individual view on your topic. What makes you different than your competitors?  Think in the perspective of your audience. Why would they choose you instead of your competition? Identify what makes your product or service uniquely the best solution. Catch Your Audience's Attention With  An Awesome Headline A good headline should hook your reader's interest immediately. When it comes to landing pages specifically, it should convey a clear benefit too. Whether the audience finds your landing page through social media, paid advertising, or organic search,  you need to give them a reason to care. TIP: Use our Headline Analyzer to make sure your headlines perform their best. Recommended Reading: How To Write Headlines That Drive Traffic, Shares, And Search Results Write Persuasive Body Copy Once readers get past your headline, they'll expect your body copy to deliver.  You need to follow through on the promises you made in your headline.  Writing good copy isn't easy, but following these steps should help. Start With  A Strong Intro Hook Writing an effective intro  is critical for keeping your reader on the page. It can be as simple as a sentence or two, or a full paragraph or more (depending on the legnth and style of your page). Any intro should do one thing, however: show your reader what's in it for them if they keep reading (or even convert). There should be absolutely no confusion as to what the reader will be getting from the landing page. A simple way to ensure that your audience knows what they’ll be getting out of the landing pages is to write clear value propositions. You can end your introduction by stating â€Å"you’re going to learn/see/find out how†¦.† and then list 3-5 things that the reader will get out of your landing page.  Take a look at one of our own  landing page introductions: What if your page isn't text-heavy enough to write this way?  Here's another example from WordPress.com that takes a different approach. Here, they have blocks of content, each one stating one clear benefit: The key is to hook your reader by making benefits immediately clear. Each of these six points solves a different problem, from the difficulty of building a site without knowing code, to getting customer support. It also shows they clearly know their audience. Someone using WordPress.com probably doesn't have a lot of coding skill. Therefore, all the copy here is focused on ease of use and community support.  And it's all conveyed to readers right away. Follow The Problem/Solution/Benefit Formula We've talked a lot about focusing on problems, solutions, and benefits. However, how do you actually  write in a way that conveys each of these points? Try following the Problem/Solution/Benefit formula. This isn't the only way to write copy, but it's an easy formula to follow if you're struggling. Establish a problem.  What's a common issue your audience has? Identify it and agitate it. Present a solution. Next,  state why  your product or service as the best solution to their problem. Ensure that your solution covers every detail of their problem. Show a benefit.  Now, you can  show your reader how much better life can be when their problem is solved. Here's a hypothetical example of all three of these pieces at work: Problem: Someone has  ants in their kitchen. Solution: A pest-control company offers non-toxic ant traps. Benefit: The customer won't lose any more groceries due to ant infestation. And here's a hypothetical example of what this copy could look like: "Stop letting ants ruin dinner. With BugCo's kitchen-safe ant traps, you'll be able to dine ant-free." Write better landing pages by focusing on problems, solutions, and benefits.This is obviously a rough example, but you can see the problem, solution, and benefit formula in action. TIP: Help your reader see how life could be better using your product or service. Make Your Call-To-Action Count The next step in creating your landing page is asking yourself, â€Å"What do I want readers to do?† The answer to this question should be  your call-to-action (CTA). Your CTA  is what prompts the reader to convert. For example, if you want your audience to sign up for a contest, your CTA could be â€Å"Enter to win this fabulous prize.† Your entire landing page copy would sell the reader on why they should care about you’re promoting enough to enter. Start your writing process by creating your CTA. From there, you can craft your landing page copy in a way that directs the reader to that action. Recommended Reading: How To Work With Designers (With Authentic Advice From 's Designer) 5  Landing Page Writing Tips As you plan and write your copy, here are some crucial pointers to remember. Use Clear And Simple Language Keep sentences short and clear. Focus On Benefits Your customer knows what their problem is. They probably know what kind of tool or solution they need too. Your job is to show benefits that illustrate why your solution is the best one for a given application. We keep hammering on this point, but that's because it's that important. Remember That Sometimes Less Is More Landing pages don't have to be long to be effective. Sometimes, all you really need is a headline, simple body copy, and a call-to-action button. Write as much as it takes to make your point and drive your desired action. That's it. Here's an example of a super short landing page from Pedal Train, a company that makes pedal boards for guitar players: A headline, a paragraph of body copy, and a button, all connected to one purpose (getting you to download an infographic). That's all the page needs. Analyze Performance (And Do Better Next Time) Writing high-converting copy often requires experimentation and refinement over time. As you write more landing pages,  look for the following: Which types of headlines perform best? What elements do your top-performing CTAs have in common? Does short or long copy perform best for you? Use the Landing Page Performance Tracking template included in this post to help with this task. Understand The Importance Of Message-Match If you'll be directing traffic to your landing page with PPC ads or social media ads, then you'll need to make sure your ad messaging matches your landing page messaging. Here's an example. I searched "what is kissmetrics" (an analytics software platform we use). Here's what the ad looked like: And here's the page it directs to: The headline, both on the ad and the landing page, tells us this is an analytics tool. The landing page intro  copy starts by stating benefits (the ability to monitor marketing performance across multiple digital channels). The body content blocks below go into more detail, further illustrating benefits. The call-to-action then gives us the opportunity to try it for ourselves. That sounds like this hits all the right checkboxes for a successful landing page. Make sure ad messaging matches your landing page messaging.3 More  Examples Of Awesome Landing Page Copy What do high-quality landing pages look like in the wild? Let's take a look at some examples. WordStream This sign-up page from Wordstream is fairly straightforward. It does quite a few things right though. The headline conveys a clear benefit (saving time and money). The "Start Your Free Trial" call-to-action button is bright, clearly designed, and encourages conversions from customers who might not be ready to buy yet. Scrolling down, this page also incorporates stats and user testimonials. These  help  lend authority to the page. Pocket This example is really straightforward, but effective. The headline clearly tells you what Pocket does. It also makes two different sign-up methods (re: conversion steps) clear. Square This page immediately conveys a benefit to the reader (they can start selling immediately). It then leads into more information they may want to know before making a decision to start a trial. The page continues communicating further benefits, leading readers to more information they might need: And then at the end, everything leads to their call-to-action: Analyze Your Landing Page Performance You’ve published your landing page. How do you know how successful they are? You’ll first want to decide on a (reasonable) goal for them. Start By Setting SMART Goals One great way to set goals is to use the SMART method: Specific: Clearly define your goal and ensure that it’s not vague. A good example would be â€Å"I want to have 2000 conversions this month† instead of â€Å"I want more conversions† Measureable: Make sure that you can track this goal. Attach a number to it. For example â€Å"I want my read time on my landing pages to increase by 30%† should be used instead of â€Å"I want people to spend more time on my pages.† Aspirational: Don’t sell yourself short. Push yourself. Realistic: Make sure you can still attain your goal. Take a good look at your resources and obstacles and ensure that you can manage them to meet your goals. Time-bound: Set a time you want to be finished by. Be specific, even down to the hour. Set a goal like â€Å"This will be done by 3 p.m on August 2nd† instead of â€Å"some point.† Set landing page goals using the SMART methodology.Measure Performance With Analytics Tools There are a number of analytics platforms you can use. Plus, landing page template services like LeadPages, Unbounce, and Instapage feature built-in analytics.  Google Analytics is also a must-use platform (but you probably already knew that). Here are four  key metrics to focus on: Bounce rate.  The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing only one page. Typically, marketers are trained to think high bounce rates are bad. However, landing page bounce rates are often high because they give your reader two options: convert, or leave. Time on page. Instead of worrying about bounce rates, pay attention to how long people stay on your pages. This is an important metric. The higher the time on your page, the more engaged your readers are. They’re more likely to convert if they’re engaged with what they’re reading on your page. A high time on page is a great metric to measure the quality of the content on your landing page. Conversion rate. This is one of the most important metric for landing pages. The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who convert directly from your page. The success of your landing page will vary differently through every industry, but the higher it is, the better. Total conversions. How many form completions is your copy driving? Find out by tracking goals  in Google Analytics. Now  Master The Art Of Writing Landing Pages There’s a definite science to writing successful landing pages. Once you’ve broken the steps down into smaller tasks and set your goals, you can write a landing page that will boost your conversions.

Quiz Do you have what it takes to become a virtual assistant

Quiz Do you have what it takes to become a virtual assistant Virtual assistants, also known as VAs; have become a popular option for people who want to work remotely. Despite popular belief, virtual assistants are not limited to just clerical work. In fact, the career varies depending on the company. Â  Some may require a VA with a specialized skill set that fitss the company and the tasks that are needed to get done. Others may not. If you are considering becoming a virtual assistant, but aren’t sure if you would be a good fit, Â  this quiz is the perfect test to find out!Source [Playbuzz]

Western Australia economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Western Australia economy - Essay Example The economy of Western Australia is rich in resources.The development of economy of this State has been highly influenced by resources boom since 1890s.During the past few years,the industry of Western Australia’s resources had enjoyed excellent conditions instigated by its prevailing commodities’ demand in the international market The objective of this paper is to evaluate the probable effect of the commodity market boom in the Western Australian economy’s sector of the iron ore. The iron ore production in the Western Australian economy explicates 97% of total production in Australia. Most of the iron ore produced in Australia is predominantly exported to Asian market. Following the speedy growth during the last ten years in mainland China, Australian iron ore’s export market has significantly developed in China. This information is evident from the export amount in the year 2010 that amounted to 70 percent of the total iron ore in Australia. The followin g diagram represents the export figures of iron ore from Australia to the Asian market as compared to the rest of the world2. Source: 2. Effect of Increase in Demand for Iron-Ore in Western Australian Economy The production factor of iron ore in the Western Australian economy is primarily dependent on the demand prevailing in the Chinese market for iron ore. Development in the Chinese construction and industry sector is the major cause of increased demand of iron ore in China. As a result of the demand prevailing in China for iron ore with the expectations of even higher demand in the near future, the prices in the Australian iron ore will attain all time high this year, i.e., in 2011. According to the market expectations in Australia, the spot market price on an average for iron ore in the year 2011 would increase to US$153-US$154 from US$146 in the year 2010. The expected price increase for iron ore is generated by the steel output in higher amount due to increasing demand in the growing economy of China3. Source:4 The above figure illustrates the production of crude steel on a monthly basis in different countries. The illustration reveals that the steel production in China has been the highest compared to other countries of the world. From meeting up the demand for iron ore from the Asian market, especially China, Australian manufacturers are producing iron ore by utilizing their maximum capacity for exports. In this scenario, production of the optimum level of output for satisfying the international market’s demand is a matter of concern for the Australian manufacturers of iron ore. As the demand at present in the Asian market is expected to remain constant or even increase in the coming 15 years, the only concern for Australian market is to bank upon the amount of production5. The theory of isoquants and isocosts is applicable for this Australian scenario regarding the production of the optimum quality pertaining to the prevailing demand in the Asi an market. A clearer prospect of the theories can be evolved after explanation of the input requirements in the commodity production with reference to the input demand and prices. The most important inputs for production of iron-ore in Australia are capital and labor. As the concern for the Australian market is to produce maximum amount of iron ore through finding the optimum combination of the inputs required for production, implementation of the concept of isoquants would be most helpful for the economy. An isoquant is that curve which depicts all efficient combination of inputs such as capital and labor by considering their technological efficiency. The quantity to be produced remains constant, but the combinations of

Retail world in 2020 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Retail world in 2020 - Essay Example The classic example of this is Apple Watch that was just recently launched. Apple Watch is not just a regular watch that tells time but could also send and receive calls via iPhone. It also has hundreds of apps (Stein) that could serve as a platform for retail when the technology is harnessed in the future. Thus time will come that wearable devices such as watches will not only tell time, receive and send messages but will also become a store where one can shop from fashionable clothing lines to high end items. In addition to digitizing fashion, the way that fashion will be processed and retailed will also become â€Å"greener†, sustainable and ethical. This means that ecologically damaging manufacturing practices will be shun by the buying public and will prefer the â€Å"greener† business whose practices are ecologically sound. This means that the use of furs and other materials that came from endangered species will be generally frowned upon by the market in the futu re. The traditional brick and mortar retailers in the future will not entirely vanished but will just become more efficient. This means that retailers in the future will have more sales per square meter of the store as â€Å"In-store mapping and smart navigation will become highly accurate . . . by effectively tracking the whereabouts of the shoppers† (Mehta). It will put retailers in a better position to effectively design the layout of their stores that would make the best route for customers to do their shopping.