How to Measure Employee Business Writing Skills

How to Measure Employee Business Writing Skills One of the challenges of improving business writing in an organization is actuallymeasuringbusiness writing skills. "Good business writing" is a coveted skill for every analytical and collaborative employee. But, "good business writing" is also an fuzzy concept and tough to codify and measure. How then, can we measure "good business writing" skills? STEP ONE - Separate the measurement of content and analysis (the substance of a document) from thelanguageof the document (the syntax). Substance and syntax must be measured separately, because they are two distinct aspects unique to business writing. Business writing requires a keen analysis of the audience and decisions about matching the right document content to that particular audience. If this is wrong,syntax improvements will never correct content gaps or repetition or jumbled content. If the content is wrongly matched to audience needs, polish alone will never fix it. So, to first measure business writing skills, we have to separate the substance of documents from the syntax. STEP TWO - Analyze the substance of typical employee documents to measure what is working and what is not. Define the goals of the documents your employees need to write. What do you want a reader to know or do after reading this document? Then assess the skills required to achieve the document purpose. Every business document requires five core requisite skills. The first four are related to substance, while the last is related to syntax: Audience awareness Appropriate content Content logically categorized Content logically sequenced Syntax and grammar that is clear and correct and interesting The key is to identify the desired business outcome of key documents, and then break down the writing skills into measurable components. This will give you the content measurements you need to truly measure what is working, and not working. CLIENTS ONLY: Please contact us for templates you are welcome to use for your assessments. STEP THREE - Working with the same representative documents, next analyze the syntax. Good news. Syntax is much easier to evaluate than substance. And, syntax errors are very easy to fix. Typically, strong analytical employees, who likely work in finance, business analysis, technology, engineering, and energy, may not love business writing as part of their work only because they didn't write much in college. They preferred other courses. So, they may mistakenly feel their writing skills are weak. In fact, they possess the critical analytical skills so important for substance. I'm guessing you didn't hire a financial analyst for his or her ability with commas. You hired him or her because of keen analytical ability in finance! hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '934718b3-251a-45d6-8853-a7f94e43b92c', {}); Here are 2 resources to help you assess syntax in your employees' documents: 1. Syntax Measurement Resource #1 Microsoft's Readability Index. Run the documents through this tool, which will provide actual measurements for passive vs. active voice, and simplicity of sentence structure. This is an excellent tool to assess the all-important element of clarity since it reports on: 1. Words per sentence (average) 2. Percentage of passive sentences 3. Flesch Reading Ease score 4. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Words per sentence - In general, the longer the sentence, the harder it becomes for your reader to follow along. That's not to say you should always write in short sentences. Instead, strive for a variety that makes for lively reading. Percentage of sentences written in the passive voice measures the readability of your text as the ratio of passive sentences over active sentences. The lower the score, the better. Active sentences are nearly always easier to read and understand, making your message clearer and more persuasive. Aim for a score less than 20%. The Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) is the standard test of readability used by the U.S. Department of Defense for its documents and forms. The results can be between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier it is to understand what you have written. For example, a typical issue of Reader's Digest earns an FRE score of around 65 while Time Magazine scores in the low 50's. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address scores a 74.2. One way to score higher is to use shorter sentences. The results can be interpreted as following: * 0-29 - very confusing hard to read * 30-49 - difficult to read * 50-59 - fairly difficult * 60-69 - standard * 70-79 - fairly easy * 80-89 - easy * 90-100 - very easy Recommendation: A score of 60 or more. Higher is better. Even for business documents, a score of 60 is very achievable and it takes only a few edits to obtain it. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL)translates the Flesch Reading Ease measure to a grade level. The grade level means the number of years of education generally required to understand the document. For example, a score of 9.4 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in the 9th grade. Most newspapers in the U.S. are written at a seventh to eighth grade level. Recommendation: 8.0 to 10.0 is a good target, but lower is better because it reflects language clarity, not content complexity. Remember: these measurements only assess the syntax of documents, not content. But, they will provide useful snapshot measurements to diagnose the clarity and syntax in employee documents. Here are the Readability Scores for the article you are reading now: Passive voice is very low, so that's good. The Flesh Reading Ease score is just a bit above standard, which is fine since this is a complex topic and you, my fine readers, are smart business leaders! The Flesh-Kincaid grade level score assures me that even though the concepts in the article are complex, the language is easy to understand. 2. Syntax Measurement Resource #2 Microsoft's Grammar Check. It is not infallible, but you can use simple Grammar Check to discover the actual grammar errors presenting in employee documents. Then, summarize those errors. It's ineffective - and let's admit it's boring - to present general grammar training. Instead, address the actual errors presenting. This is much more productive. Consolidate and Analyze Your Measurements See where the gaps in content are occurring. The usual gaps for content are in audience targeting and content. We all tend to write a subject from our understanding, instead of what our reader needs. Categorizing content logically is another very common issue in analytical writing. The usual gaps in syntax are clarity and engaged tone. Grammar errors vary across organizations. Knowing what is working, and not working, in your employees' business writing is the first step in truly improving business writing. Armed with real measurements, you can then provide employee feedback and request business writing training that addresses actual gaps.

Classical Music on Public Radio essays

Classical Music on Public Radio essays All of the music I listened to for this assignment came from www.allclassical.org. All classical 89.9 KBPS-FM is a Portland, Oregon area classical radio station that broadcasts music on their website as well. The first day I listened to the music was Monday, October 18 at 10:00 p.m. The name of the program was "Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin." Although the program had a host, the only time he came on the air was to introduce the one piece of music that was played during the hour. The composer of the piece was Edward Strauss Delius. The piece name was Polka Schnell, "Ohne Burmese," Opus 238. This music was longer than I had bargained for, about 1 hour and 3 minutes to be exact. This music sounded just as it was named, polka. A very fast polka beat, and it sounded as if it was meant to be a dance polka if there is such a thing! The composition of the music was very elaborate, and the music was well-played. Me not being a big fan of polka, I did not enjoy this piece all that much, although I did stick it out and listen to the entire piece. My second listening experience took place on Monday, October 25 at 5:00 pm. The program had no name, but the name of the host was John Pitman. Once again the host of the show proved to be one of the most boring men on the planet because the only time he came on the air would be to announce the name of the music. In this hour of listening, I heard a total of four pieces of music. In order, they are Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Opus 33. Mozart – Symphony No. 24 in B-Flat Major, K.182. Mendelssohn – String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major. Vivaldi – Trio for Violin, Lute, and Continuo in C-Major. In these pieces of music, all the composers were familiar to me thanks to my excellent Music Appreciation teacher, Mrs. Bradley. I enjoyed all this music completely because it was all familiar music of the past chapters we have studied in class. I beli...

Working with Leading People for a Business to Be Successful Essay

Working with Leading People for a Business to Be Successful - Essay Example For instance, many giants succumb to poor management hence losing their client base and impact in a market. Therefore, the recruitment process is very delicate, as it becomes a company’s navigating factor and foundation. In essence, improvement on the standard level of Delicious food entails the application of various influential factors. Majorly, effectiveness and competency in the selection process are inevitable, as the overall task requires utmost sobriety. In addition, the process needs to be vigorous with every shortlisted candidate aiming to outdo the other for them to get the managerial position advertised. Primarily, the experience possessed by these candidates will not be very substantial during the selection procedure. The most suitable candidates will be those with high prospects of bringing fresh and innovative ideas on the expansion of Delicious Food’s market presence will be high. The objective of this paper shall be to state the selection process by givi ng all that is required in order for the company to achieve its ultimate objective. Steps in the selection process Recruitment a) Job advertisement: Do you possess what it takes to be a team player? Are you the result-oriented kind of leader? Then Delicious Food Company is looking to collaborate with you to venture in to wider markets. If you have these attributes kindly, send your application and resume to our recruitment desk for your chance to be part of this great process. Remember you need to stand out for us to notice that you have what it takes us to bring you aboard our stable. b) Question segment: i. Describe yourself in a way that another person would view you. ii. Kindly discuss a situation in relation to your previous job responsibility as to how you were a team player and not a boss. iii. Do you have any firsthand experience in the development and oversight of new projects? iv. How would you adapt to changes in the event that they occur and how will you spearhead your t eam in to smooth adaptation of the change? v. How would you handle a member of staff whose output adds little value to the company? In line with Delicious Food Company’s mission of rolling out new branches countrywide, the managers will have to prove to the recruiting body that they are capable of building a project from scratch then nurture it to maturity. The task will be enormous, as it will entail them to begin a branch and ensure that it realizes profit. In essence, each will have to give a detailed plan of the steps that they intend to follow ensure that their individual branches realize profit. Therefore, for the recruitment department, it will be more on innovativeness rather than value addition. Competition among the shortlisted individuals will assist the department in identifying those who are most viable and able to perform. Ideally, effectiveness of the process will rely on giving each candidate the opportunity to exhibit his or her full potential hence making it a credible process. Legally, it would be risky to enroll the services of individuals without conducting intense background checks. Subsequently, the Human Resource department will scrutinize whether these candidates have acted out any form of fraud or whether they are on the police’s list of the most wanted. Essentially, doing this check will save Delicious Food Company from being in any legal suit. In addition, the shortlisted individuals should point out what their intended pay will be to avoid any legal confrontations once in office. Ethically, the moral aspects set by society have to come into play by carefully factoring the candidates’ states and conditions. Emphasis should be on avoiding any form of discrimination during the process as it may attract unintended lawsuits. Arguably, the

Garbology in Marketing Strategies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Garbology in Marketing Strategies - Term Paper Example Neuromarketing refers to the application of technology to determine the consumer’s brain activity so as to assist in developing products and communications (Zurawicki 211). The technique is founded on the idea that consumer purchasing behavior is formed in split seconds. The technique also holds that buying decisions are made within the brain’s subconscious and emotional part. The technique is also based on the premise that that by being able to clearly understand what consumers like, do not like, or fear as shown by the reactions of the brain to brand stimuli, marketers can be able to brand their products and communicate with them in a manner that best meets the market needs, by influencing consumers to buy the products. All these fundamentals are based on neuromarketing is based on neuroscience, which involves the study of how the brain enables human to think, perceive, and feel emotions, make decisions and communicate (Guardian News and Media Limited Par. 3). The tec hniques applied are based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), psychophysics, electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) as noted by Moore and Pareek (195). Neuromarketing research is said to have triggered significant amount of interest among many marketers and companies. Proponents of the technology argue that it could be the next big thing in the marketplace (Guardian News and Media Limited par 6). In this regard, they argue that by using science to locate the ‘buy buttons’ of consumers, it would be easy for marketers to open the black box of the consumer’s mind. Research reveals that neuromarketing is good for application in different areas especially in predicting behaviors, understanding the ads that the majority of consumers can easily remember. It can also be applied in choosing the media formats that can easily be understood by consumers. Other areas of application according to Moore and Pareek are in understanding why most consumers differ from what they inform the focus group (196).

Sample case studies Essay Example for Free

Sample case studies Essay Ans: The given case consists of the product named Burnol which was owned by Boots pure drug co. private limited. The case deals with the failure of the brand in the market. Previously in the 1940’s the sales of the product were huge and at its peak but slowly and steadily as time passed by and the world came up with new technologies the sales of the product started diminishing. Earlier in kitchen housewives used charcoal ovens to cook and often used to have burns while cooking and thus since the color of the cream was yellow similar to turmeric paste the sales of the product was huge and the product was extremely reliable. The first advertisement was also an eye catching one. But from the 60’s new technologies started coming and people started using gas and the rate of accidents and burns fell down. People still now remember the brand Burnol which is used in burns but do not use it. The main issue is that the marketers tried to reposition the brand like an antiseptic or first aid product but failed miserably. It stood nowhere when compared to dettol and other strong products. Finally now the brand is owned by Morepen and is on the way of its success. Q2: What is the consumers involvement in such a product strategy? Ans: The consumers play a very important role in every product strategy because end of the day it’s the consumers who are using the product and the company is making profit. In case of Burnol the repositioning of the brand failed miserably. One reason being that the brand image of the product. The brand had high value in the mind of the consumer but as a burn cream and not some other antiseptic cream. E.g.: Can we ever think of a product like HARPIC MOUTHWASH? Never†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Similar products in the markets failed like Lux Shampoo, Clinic Plus hair oil, etc. All this is due to the mind set of the consumers towards a particular product. We cannot think of a brand except for some particular products. Q3: What strategies would you recommend to change consumers attitude towards the brand? Ans: A brand like Burnol whose brand image is very strong in the mind of the consumers the marketers should come up with new ideas of developing the brand in its same criteria rather than reposition it. Advertisements can be made but not showing a housewife but a teenager getting burnt while working in the chemistry lab or small kids burning themselves while burning crackers during the Diwali festival. People cannot imagine the brand to be something else besides a burn cream and trying to do so will result in only failure. Q4: Why have attempts to reposition the brand failed? Has it anything to do with the consumer’s attitudes or appropriateness of communication messages? Ans: As mentioned earlier the brand image plays a very important role in creating a position or perception in the minds of the consumer. Consumers have different kinds of perceptions in their minds regarding certain products. E.g. A person driving a Mercedes Benz drives it not merely because he has the need of a 4 wheeler but to actually show off his or her status. Therefore if Mercedes ever comes up with a small size car the brand might succeed but. Therefore if Mercedes ever comes up with a small size car the brand might succeed but model Mercedes Benz will terribly fail because that image of having a status able car will no longer will be there. Similarly no one will ever imagine Nike coming up with a Cosmetic product, if so then will miserably fail. These are the various kinds of perceptions people have which are basically known as brand personalities. Similarly in the case of Burnol the attempts made of repositioning the brand failed not because of miscommunication of messages but because of the position the brand had in the minds of the consumer. Case 2: Q1: What significant culture/ sub-culture factors have led to the introduction and sales of the new Colas? Ans: The introduction of the new cola i.e. the Mecca-cola has evolved due to the Islamic culture and their protest against US foreign policy. As we all are aware of the wars between Iraq and US the amount of innocent people dying in the wars. Thus this new cola is introduced to fight against the US. The name Mecca clearly signifies the holy shrine of Muslim religion by their founder Mohammed Hazrat. Coca cola being an American product was not liked by the people since it went against their feelings since the profit from it went entirely to the Americans. But this drink gave the people a feeling that they are not consuming an US product and thus the product was a great success especially in the African and middle east countries. Q2: In your view what significance this development may serve as a pointer for many consumer products? Ans: The main significance the product serves for the consumers is the level of satisfaction since it’s not a US product and secondly the name of the product is related to their religion. People especially who are orthodox are very particular and would not go even an inch against their religion and consuming a product of a country who is killing their own people would be of great offence for them on their part. Thus this development would lead to turning point for many products who would in the future time may come up with more number of products who are religiously related especially in a country like India where people of various races inhabit. Q3: Discuss the impact of cultural factors that may strongly influence product choice. Would they be equally true for high-involvement products as well? Ans: Yes, the impact of culture has always been of great influence on product choice. E.g. their was a baby food product which was of immense success in the United states of America. The company started marketing the product in various other countries but was seen to miserably fail in many parts of Africa. The reason behind the failure was not known. After conducting large number of surveys a point was discovered that generally in Africa the packaging of products especially food products was done in such a way that the ingredients of the products being used are shown in the outside cover. The baby food product by US showed a picture of a baby on their packet and therefore the sales when immensely down not because that the people dint know that there was practically no baby used inside the food their mentality and psychology has become like that which stopped them from buying the product as soon as they saw the baby on the cover. Thus there is a great impact of culture, religion, way of living and many such factors which affects the buying behavior of the consumers. Case 3: Q1: Would marketing in foreign countries require study of a popular country’s culture aspects and buyer behavior before marketing Khadi there? What aspects would need to be studied? Ans: Marketing khadi in foreign countries will undoubtedly require their culture but not to that extent as it would have been needed in India. Mainly because khadi is a word that is related to our nation’s father mahatma Gandhi and emotionally touched with us. The emotional touch is not so much linked with the people outside India. May be the culture aspect would be required for the Indians living abroad but other than that the aspect that needs to be concerned about would be quality, tactics of proper marketing and to make people aware of the value khadi has ands how effective it would be for their used. Q2: Suggest an approach to make Khadi garments popular among Indian youth. Ans: The Indian youth is unaware of the sacrifices our freedom fighters and people like Mahatma Gandhi have done for our freedom, the tortures the British people have made on us. The best way to make the youth aware of Khadi garments would be to make them aware of the sacrifices and the amount of hard days Indians have faced. The way our own gandhiji came up with the concept of khadi so that we don’t use the materials provided by the british. End of the day we are Indians and hence after being aware of all these facts and after realizing the fact that this free life we are living today is all because of such great people the youth will certainly move towards khadi garments. View as multi-pages

Burroughs Not Marinettis Futurist Essay -- Literary Analysis

The potentials of the new technology created in the early twentieth century created a variety of reactions with in society. Some people embraced the changes, others resisted the developments, and still others fell somewhere in between. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s piece, â€Å"The Futurist Manifesto†, embraces the rapid transformation of society. His world is composed of fast, powerful machines and strong, young citizens. The Manifesto also depicts an aggressive, violent, and unjust world that is devoid of any morals. Edgar Rice Burroughs is another author whose work, A Princess of Mars, addresses the future and its possibilities. It is the story of John Carter, an American Civil War Veteran, who is mysteriously transported to Mars or Barsoom and goes through a series of trials and triumphs with the different Martian natives. It may initially appear to fit Marinetti’s vision of the future because it takes place on another planet, there is advanced technology, and the violence is prevalent on the planet. However, Burroughs is actually critiquing the very qualities that Marinetti praises. For instance, Burroughs discredits the use of violence for violence sake and the lack of a family unit. He also recognizes destructive potentials of technology, which is something that Marinetti does not take into consideration for the future. After careful analysis, it can be determined that Burroughs is not one of the Futurists that Marinetti describes. Upon first inspection, Burroughs’ mindset seems in accordance with Marinetti’s Futurist world. Burroughs’ protagonist, John Carter, appears to physically fit Marinetti’s ideal Futurist because he is large at six feet, two inches, he is strong, and he remains relatively young at thirty years old. Yout... ...†, Marinetti does not express uncertainty; rather he presents a future with limitless possibilities. In contrast, it was very unsettling for many people to not know what was going to happen in the future. In modern times we have experienced the advances of technology that Marinetti mentions, such as exploring space, but we have also seen its destructive capabilities in the atom bomb. Today, there isn’t as a great of a feeling of uncertainty because of inventions like the Internet. Alas, with the diminishing feeling of uncertainty also comes the waning experience of wonder and intrigue of what the future is going to hold for us. Works Cited Burroughs, Edgar Rice. A Princess of Mars. 1917. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Marinetti, Filippo Tommaso, â€Å"The Futurist Manifesto†. 1909. Italian Fascisms. ed. Adrian Lyttleton. London: Cape, 1973. pp. 209-215.

Statement Of The Problem

The analyses presented here are based on data representing a diverse group of mainly 18- and 19-year-old college students. The study was conducted in February and March of 2007 at the University of Illinois, Chicago, which is a U. S. urban public research university. 1U. S. News and World Report (2006) ranked this campus among the top 10 national universities as regards campus ethnic diversity, suggesting that this school offers an ideal location for studies of how different kinds of people use online sites and services.The project had the support of the First-Year Writing Program at the university, ensuring that a representative sample of the school’s undergraduate student body would participate. The writing course offered through this program is the only course on campus that is required of all students; thus, enrollment in it does not pose any selection bias. Out of the 87 sections offered as part of this course, 85 took part in the study, constituting a 98% participation r ate on the part of course sections.Overall, there was a final response rate of 82% based on all of the students enrolled in the course. In order to control for time in the program, this article focuses on students in the first-year class. The survey was administered on paper instead of online. Relying on an online questionnaire when studying Internet uses could create a bias toward people who spend more time online, given that they may be more inclined to fill out the questionnaire and also, perhaps, more inclined toward higher rates of participation on the sites of research interest.The average survey completion time was approximately 30 minutes. The survey included detailed questions about respondents’ Internet uses (e. g. , experience, types of sites visited, and online activities) and their demographic background. Basic demographic information was measured using standard modes of operationalization. Students were asked their year of birth, and this information was used to calculate their age, which is included in the models as a continuous variable.Male is the base gender category (male = 0, female = 1). Information about race and ethnicity was collected using the U. S. Census Bureau (2000) questionnaire format, and dummy variables are used in the statistical model, with White as the omitted category. Consistent with work by others, parental education was used as a measure of socioeconomic status (e. g. , Carlson, Uppal, & Prosser, 2000; Lamborn, Mounts, Steinberg, & Dornbusch, 1991; Stice, Cameron, Hayward, Taylor, & Killen, 1999).Since asking about household income has limited utility with such an age group (both because students do not know their parents’ income and because those who live in dorms may not know how to interpret â€Å"household†), and since educational level is constant in this group (every respondent is in the first year of college), parental schooling is a helpful measure. This information is included in the model a s dummy variables, with some college education (but no college degree) as the base.Both the question about living at home with parents and the question about having access to the Internet at a friend’s or family member’s house is included as a dummy variable, where 1 signals yes to that question, and 0 stands for no. Finally, figures for both hours spent online per week and number of years a respondent has been an Internet user are logged in the analyses, given that an additional hour or year, respectively, likely has diminishing returns as the values increase. The analyses first consider only the core background characteristics of the user (age, gender, race and ethnicity, parental education).Then, a second model includes information about context and experience with use supplementing the core demographic variables. The 1,060 first-year students included in these analyses represent a diverse group of people. 2 Fifty-six percent of the respondents are female, 44% are m ale. Almost all are 18 or 19 years old, with a mean age of 18. 4 and a median of 18. Fewer than half are White and non-Hispanic. Slightly less than 8% claim African or African-American descent, almost 30% are of Asian or Asian American ancestry, and just under one-fifth are of Hispanic origin.These students come from varied family backgrounds. Over a quarter of respondents have parents whose highest level of education is high school, with an additional 20% whose parents do not have a college degree. While it may seem that sampling from a college population assumes a highly educated group, 25% of first-years at this university drop out of college by their second year (Ardinger et al. , 2004) and fewer than half (43. 6%) will graduate within six years of enrollment (University of Illinois-Chicago, 2004).Unlike many U. S.  colleges, over half of the students at this university commute from home and live with their parents (53. 1%). Baseline access and use statistics (Table 1) for the sample suggest that the Internet is not a novel concept in most of these students’ lives. On average, participants have access to the Internet at over six locations and have been users for over six years. When asked how often they go online, the vast majority report doing so several times a day. They estimate spending 15. 5 hours visiting Web sites weekly (excluding email, chat, and VoIP).While there is certainly some amount of variation in access and use, there are no basic barriers standing in the way of these young adults accessing the Internet. Limits may be put on their uses due to other factors (e. g. , the need to share resources at home, limited hours of access due to employment), but they all have basic access. This suggests that traditional concerns about the so-called digital divide do not apply to these students as regards basic availability of the Internet. Thus looking at such a wired group of users allows us to hold basic access to digital media constant and f ocus on differences in details of use instead.

Festives of Pakistan

Festivals in Pakistan. Shab-e-Barat  :* Religious festival celebrated on 14th of Shaaban, the 8th Islamic month. Prayers, fire works, exchange of sweet dishes and visits. Eid-ul-Fitr*  : Religious festival celebrating end of fasting month on 1st of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic   Calendar. Special prayer after sun-rise, exchange of sweet dishes, visits. Sibi Festival:  (Last week of February) At Sibi (Balochistan). Traditional sports, handicrafts exhibition, folk music and dances. Sindh Horse & Cattle Show:  (Last week of February) At Jacobabad (Sindh). Similar activities as in Sibi Festival.Jashan-e-Larkana:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Last week of February)  At Larkana (Sindh). Traditional sports, exhibition of handicrafts, folk music and dances. Bassant With the advent of spring Basant Festival is celebrated with pomp and show in mid February every year in Lahore. In other words this is the spring festival. Alleging that kite flying is a Hindu event is also sheer ignoran ce. The sport originated in China about 5000 years ago, when Hinduism was in non existent. Why single out kite-flying then, especially when it is a source of joy for the old and the young men and women?The simple reason is that Hindu at Basant Festival fly kites for enjoying Basant. With times Muslims who were living together with Hindus in the sub-continent also join them in kite-flying. Since then Muslims are taking participation in just kite-flying at the time of Basant connotating it as Pala Urant. Now a days people of Lahore enjoy it by kite flying competition and by visiting the shrine of saint Madho Lal Hussein, where they assemble to pay their benediction. Lahore is becoming the main focal point for the celebration of this festival in Pakistan. People traditionally fly kites on the roofs of their buildings.It is commonly observed that rest houses, hotels and house of relatives of the participants are fully packed with guests from all over the country. Moreover some five star hotels also arrange this function on their roof top for foreigners and other high class gentry. They also arrange variety of dishes with musical concert. Sometimes Lahorities on this occasion become emotional and in this state create law and order problems for the administration. Some of them use metal thread for kite-flying. Their such a deed oftenly imposes, besides life threat, a serious problem for WAPDA when the thread touches the live wires.In spite of the fact Basant Festival which has no links with the Muslim culture is becoming very popular and being celebrated in Lahore regularly every year with zeal and fervent. Nauroze:  Ã‚  (21-23 March) Celebrated only in Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chitral. Polo, foot-ball, volley-ball and hockey matches, folk dances and music. Pakistan Day *:  Ã‚   (23 March) Commemorating the anniversary of Pakistan Resolution passed on March 23, 1940. Military parade at provincial capitals and Islamabad. Mela Chiraghan (Festival of lamps): (Last week of March) Held for 01 week outside Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.Horse & Cattle Show: (End of March till 1st week of April). At Dera Ismail Khan. Local games, folk dances, music, cattle races and exhibition of local handicrafts. Jashan-e-Shikarpur:  (In April for 01 week) At Shikarpur, Sindh. Cultural activities, local sports and handicrafts exhibition. Eid-ul-Azha *  : Religious festival commemorating the great sacrifice offered by Prophet Abraham. Celebrated on 10 Zilhaj, 12th month of Islamic Calendar. Collective prayers after sun set, sacrifice of   goats, sheep, cows or camels and distribution of meat among relatives, friends and poor. Joshi or Chilimjusht:  Ã‚   (14-15 May)Kalash festival of welcoming spring, held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Folk dances, music and exchange of dishes. Shandur Polo Festival Traditional polo tournament between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit is being held on the highest polo ground of the world – The Shandur Pass (Chitral dist rict). Allied activities include fold music, folk dances and other competitions. A tent village along Shandur Lake will be set up in cooperation with the local administration. Utchal:  (15-16 July) A harvest festival, celebrated by Kalash people in Kalash Valleys, Chitral. Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi *:Birth Anniversary of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (P. B. U. H). on 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal – the 3rd month of Islamic Calendar. Independence Day *:  (14 August) Meeting, processions, rallies, decorations and illustrations all over the country. Defense of Pakistan Day:  Ã‚   (06 September) Parades and exhibitions of military equipment at Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. Visits to the war memorials. (No national holiday except Armed Forces) Air force Day:  Ã‚  (07 September) Display of latest aircraft of Pakistan Air force and air shows at Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.Phool:  (20 – 25 September) Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Reaping grapes and walnuts, dancing and singing. Lok Mela:  (1st week of October, for one week) Folk Festival held at Islamabad. Folk Music, songs, music contests, folk dances, craftsmen at   work, exhibition and sale of handicrafts. The festival presents a unique opportunity to watch the culture and craft of the whole country at one place. Chowmas:  Ã‚  (18-21 October) Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Welcoming of winter with first snow-fall. Activities restrict to indoor. Karakoram Car Rally:A colorful closing/award giving ceremony was held in Hunza Valley. Prizes, shields, certificates were distributed among the ralliers. SAF-International Karakoram Car Rally was also planned for year 2001, but it was postponed. International Karakoram Car Rally has been proposed to be held during the month of November in 2002 as part of the International Year of Mountains celebrations Birthday of Allama Muhammad Iqbal:  . (09 November) National Poet * . National Industrial Exhibition Islamab ad: Exhibition and sale of Pakistan’s industrial products and handicraft items National Industrial Exhibition Lahore: 3rd week of November for 15 days) Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Exhibition and sale of industrial products and handicrafts of Pakistan. National Horse & Cattle Show Lahore: (3rd week of November for 05 days ) Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Cattle races, cattle dances, tent-pegging, tattoo show, folk music, dances, bands, cultural floats and folk games. The show has been described as an eloquent expression of Pakistan's heritage and an authentic account of its agricultural and industrial achievement's. It is held in Lahore Fortress stadium at the end of February or at First week of March.The fortress stadium, the venue of the show is thronged by active participants, foreign visitors and peoples who watch the festival with great enthusiasm, verve and aplomb. A large number of them are interested in watching and appreciating the best breeds of livestock. M any derive pleasure by watching other activities such as display parade of animals, dances by horses and camels, polo matches, tent pegging, dog shows and their races, vaudeville acts of stuntmen, mass display of military band, rhythmically physical exercise by the children. Tastefully decorated industrial floats and torch light tattoo shows.Additional attractions include a subtle interplay of lights to weave enticing patterns at night and breath taking acts by foreign groups. The show began as a modest exhibition organized by the army to project the cattle wealth of the country in the early fifties. Today it is an international event to which come dignitaries from abroad and visitors and foreign tourists. The organizing committee comprises representatives of a number of agencies including army, rangers, LMC schools, the police, industrialists and the art councils. Christmas and Birth Anniversary   of Quaid-e-Azam  *: (25 DecemberA

security on the Internet essays

security on the Internet essays Internet has become an essential tool for daily tasks. The options people have nowadays are limitless: banking, shopping, booking reservations, chatting, and so on. However, several drawbacks have arisen that are of concern to all of the internet users. Unfortunately, incidents of auction fraud, the sale of illegal items, and criminal trespassing are booming in the e-commerce market. The nature of the Internet and the ease of gaining anonymity on it, has made crime easy and catching criminals much more difficult. Many cases of fraud have occurred: people who collect payments from buyers and never ship the goods to them. Earlier in the summer, for example, former eBay seller Robert Guest pleaded guilty to mail fraud. Prosecutors had accused Guest of collecting approximately $37,000 from bidders for items he never shipped. 1 Cases like these are a real drawback for e-commerce. The lack of tangibility has been a major obstacle in doing transactions online and these cases only serve to destroy the little confidence that consumers have gained so far. Many people are hesitant to shop online, for example, and when they hear of fraud cases it only serves to confirm their initial fears. That is why organizations such as The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are educating consumers to protect themselves. These agencies know that thousands of consumers are taking advantage of the opportunity to shop from the comfort of their homes via personal computers. A person can b uy anything and avoid crowded malls, long lines and busy parking lots. Furthermore, the Internet is always open: 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. In order to actually benefit from online shopping, certain things must be taken into consideration. The BBBs Web site contains a section that offers tips on What You Need to Know About Cybershopping. 2 The tips are the following: When dealing with a new merchant...

Mark Twain as a Realist Writer

Mark Twain as a Realist Writer Considered one of the great American Realist  writers, Mark Twain is not only celebrated for the stories he tells but also the way in which he tells them, with an unmatched ear for the English  language and sensitivity to the diction of the common man.  To flesh out his stories, Twain also drew heavily on his personal experiences, most notably his work as a riverboat captain on the Mississippi, and never shied from portraying everyday issues in starkly honest terms.   Dead-On Dialects Twain was a master of conveying the local vernacular in his writing.  Read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for example, and youll immediately hear the distinctive Southern dialect of that region.   For example, when Huck Finn attempts to help Jim, a slave, escape to freedom by paddling a canoe down the Mississippi, Jim  thanks  Huck profusely: Huck yous de  bes  fren Jims ever had:  en  yous de  only  fren olde Jims got now. Later in the story, in chapter 19, Huck hides while he witnesses deadly violence between two feuding families:   I staid in the tree till it begun to get ​dard, afraid to come down. Sometimes I heard guns away off in the woods; and twice I seen little gangs of men gallop past the log-store with guns; so I reckoned the trouble was still agoing on. On the other hand, the language in Twains short story The Celebrated  Jumping Frog of Calaveras County reflects both  the narrators upscale Eastern Seaboard roots and the local vernacular of his interview subject, Simon Wheeler. Here, the narrator describes his initial encounter with Wheeler: I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the bar-room stove of the old, dilapidated tavern in the ancient mining camp of Angels, and I noticed that he was fat and bald-headed, and had an expression of winning gentleness and simplicity upon his tranquil countenance. He roused up and gave me good-day. And here is Wheeler describing a local dog celebrated for his fighting spirit: And he had a little small bull pup, that to look at him youd think he wans worth a cent, but to set around and look ornery, and lay for a chance to steal something. But as soon as money was up on him, he was a different dog; his underjawd begin to stick out like the focastle of a steamboat, and his teeth would uncover, and shine savage like the furnaces. A River Runs Through It Twain became a riverboat cub- or trainee- in 1857 when he was still known as Samuel Clemens. Two years later, he earned his full pilots license. As he learned to navigate the Mississippi, Twain became very familiar with the language of the river. Indeed, he adopted his famous pen name from his river experience. Mark Twain- meaning two fathoms- was a navigational term used on the Mississippi. All of the adventures- and there were many- that Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn experienced on the Mighty Mississippi relate directly to Twains own experiences. Tales of Abuse And while Twain is rightly famous for his humor, he was also unflinching in his portrayal of abuses of power. For instance,  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court,  while absurd, remains a biting political commentary. And for all his pluck, Huckleberry Finn is still an abused and neglected 13-year-old boy, whose father is a mean drunk. We see this world from Hucks point of view as he attempts to cope with his environment and deal with the circumstances into which he is thrown. Along the way, Twain explodes social conventions and depicts the hypocrisy of civilized society. No doubt Twain had a terrific knack for story construction. But it was his flesh and blood characters- the way they spoke, the way they interacted with their surroundings, and the honest descriptions of their experiences- that brought his  stories to life.

Discuss the two major approaches to stress management. Identify and Essay

Discuss the two major approaches to stress management. Identify and describe one example of each strategy - Essay Example This approach is not encouraged since it creates a vicious cycle of stress, which leads to usage of more medication and ultimately more psychological deterioration. The non-medical approach takes care of three components, the body, the spirit, and the mind. It is a holistic approach and ensures that all aspects of the stressed individual are treated starting from identifying the source of stress, the extent, or severity of stress and ultimately taking charge or control of the problem. The various techniques used include psychotherapy where an individual undergoes sessions of counseling in order to restore positivity encouragement and hope during tough times. Other natural alternatives include aromatherapy, homeopathy, massaging, and reflexology. In addition, positive self-talk, making time for fun for the stressed individuals, relaxation, exercise, and healthy feeding habits are other alternatives. Worth noting, different people respond differently to stress and there is no classical or single method for all. People are therefore encouraged to experiment the different available strategies of stress

Analyze the companys cost structure (e.g., variable vs. fixed costs, Essay

Analyze the companys cost structure (e.g., variable vs. fixed costs, manufacturing vs. non-manufacturing costs, direct vs. indirect costs, job costing or process costing, etc) for starbucks - Essay Example When allocating the rent of the Starbuck store rent it is advisable to divide the rent by the number of coffee bags sold (Maryanne, 109). Manufacturing and non manufacturing costs: Manufacturing costs are indirect factory related costs that are incurred during the manufacturing process. The cost of manufacturing overhead cost must be assigned to each unit produced so that inventory and cost of goods sold can be valued. For the case of Starbuck Company non manufacturing costs include direct material and direct labor. Again the non manufacturing costs represent manufacturer’s expenses that occur apart from the manufacturing function. These expenses are not product cost and are reported in a financial statement as expenses incurred. They include interest on business loan, marketing and advertising costs, taxes and salaries of the staffs (Maryanne, 110). Job costing and process costing: Job costing is a way of determining the cost to a company for each unit of item. This is done by taking each job as independent and how much each job cost to produce a number of units. This allows manager and executives to calculate the amount of profits made from each job. The Starbuck Company for each type of drink it delivers a certain price. This is an effective way of controlling the price of a product. Process costing is a process in which the company come up with long term statistics to know how the price keep on changing over time (Maryanne, 112). It also simplify record keeping hence allowing the company to when changes need to be made. Direct and Indirect Costs: Material, labor and other expenses which are directly or easily traceable to a product, service or job are known as direct costs. In the production of coffee, materials are purchased, wages are paid to workers and certain other expenses are incurred directly (Wiley & Sons, 34). All these take an active and direct part in the manufacture of a product and are, therefore, called direct