Consumer Buying Behaviour & New Product Development Essay

Purchaser Buying Behavior and New Product Development - Essay Example  Though it may be contended that the examples and phases of shopper buying are to some degree widespread, every individual purchaser keeps up various inclinations regarding evaluating, quality, just as the degree of utility offered by explicit items. The utility can best be characterized as a proportion of fulfillment that a buyer gets from having or devouring merchandise and enterprises (Boyes and Melvin, 2005). Thusly, buyers will in general settle on decisions that offer them most extreme utility. Nonetheless, all together for advertising substances to convey the items requested by shoppers, in the quest for amplifying utility and fulfilling corporate gainfulness desires, advertisers must consider the strategies by which buyers receive new items. Before a customer settles on the choice to buy another item, they should initially perceive the chances or issues with a real existence circumstance which needs improvement or adjustment. This is the principal stage in the purchasing choice procedure whereby the purchaser wants to give a change or a goals to an issue. For instance, the purchaser may perceive a particular issue: There is at present not a satisfactory flexibly of food in their fridge or the gracefully of food isn't adequate to their present tastes. When the customer perceives that an issue or open door for change exists, they set out to address the issue. During the second stage in the dynamic procedure, the buyer assembles the data important to accomplish an alluring answer for their perceived issue. This can be given as inner appraisals or looking through outside wellsprings of data. For example, the buyer may make a psychological audit of a past, positive involvement in a specific brand or kind of food product.â â

Drug and Alcohol abuse among teens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medication and Alcohol maltreatment among adolescents - Essay Example As at the year 2009, 11.98% of adolescents in Nevada mishandled tobacco items when contrasted with normal U.S.’s 11.52%. It had no huge factual contrast in the area level paces of tobacco fixation and misuse. While the normal U.S. liquor maltreatment among youngsters was at 14.66% in 2009, the level of adolescents influenced in Nevada stayed at 15.15%. This was, in any case, after a decline from 17.67% and 18.40% in 2003 separately. The pace of liquor misuse decreased by 3.01 percent, broadly, and 3.25 percent, in Nevada.In 2009, unlawful medication use among teenagers in Nevada was 12.57% of the complete contrasted with 9.65% for the all out U.S. high schooler populace. The utilization of maryjane among adolescents in Nevada was additionally somewhat higher than that of national insights at 16.4% versus 13.28% separately. Paces of medication initiated passings are higher than the national midpoints in the province of Nevada at 20.1% versus 12.7% passings per 100, 0000 teenage rs. From the measurements, it is apparent that Nevada’s insights are higher than the national insights. Basically all the correlations in misuse and effects patterns depict Nevada’s insights as being route over the national tally.Relationship between Cognitive capacities and Rational BehaviorWhile expanded psychological capacities may improve once capacity to reason and separate among great and terrible, the advancement may redundant stop them from being associated with untrustworthy conduct. Medication and liquor misuse is generally connected with a moderate dynamic compulsion.

A Simple Formula for Academic Writing

A Simple Formula for Academic Writing EP 50: A Simple Formula for Academic Writing EP 50: A Simple Formula for Academic Writing Academic writing is simple, really. It is simple to write essays if you know how to write them. Today on the show we will provide you with a simple formula for academic writing. Join Cath Anne on Episode 50 for a tried and true formula for writing academic essays. Use this formula on essay exams, in formal written essay assignments and even for college entrance exams. Looking for study tips, help with essay writing, or advice on how to be a better student? Welcome to The Homework Help Show, a weekly show where we teach, assist, and offer valuable insights for student life. From study hacks to writing tips, discussions about student mental health to step-by-step guides on academic writing and how to write a resume, weve got you covered. Want your questions answered? Write them below or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #askHHG TRANSCRIPT: Cath Anne: [00:00:00] Hi guys and welcome back to our channel. My name is Cath Anne and this is Episode 51 of The Homework Help Show hosted by Homework Help Global. Here on the show we provide you with valuable content for your academic and student life. We just recorded our fiftieth episode of the show and in order to celebrate we went back to review some of our favorite academic tips and put them into a little compilation video for you guys. As always, dont forget to connect with us on our social media platforms. All Of our information is linked and listed in the description box below and please let us know if you like this type of video. Jump into the comments section and let us know if this is something that you want to keep seeing more of as well. Maybe share with us one of your favorite academic tips as always. If you do like the video feel free to give it a thumbs up and make sure to subscribe to her channel so you dont miss out on any more of our content Today we will cover everything from writing and taking to problem solving and student mental. Lets jump in. Cath Anne: [00:01:23] Okay lets start with some writing tips from writing a thesis statement two youre doing a line to writing a strong conclusion. Cath Anne: [00:01:32] Dont use contractions. Now what are contractions? Again, this is for academic writing. Contractions are words like dont, cant, shouldnt, couldnt, wouldnt, isnt, havent, and hasnt. So these are the shorter forms of words like do not, cannot, could not, would not,, should not, is not, have not and has not. It is better to write out the word in full with the academic paper or in your business writing because it just looks more professional. Notice how for example with cannot. It is one word. Its condensed into ca-nn-ot whereas if you write do not, it still remains as two separate words so thats important to note when you are expanding contractions. This is a really important one because its something that can really slip your mind when youre writing an academic paper and its really important to be attentive to using tractions through your paper. So always make sure that you go over your paper before you get in and make sure that you are not using contractions befo re you handed in because this is one that professors really do not like. It makes your writing seem a little bit too kind of easygoing colloquial so make sure you are avoiding using contractions. Expand those words and sound more fresh. Cath Anne: [00:03:11] Avoid it there are or there is when we write we dont want our sentences to be too wordy or convoluted. We want our sentences to be concise and to the point so use it there are, it adds words that really dont need to be there. Theyre kind of redundant and are not required. Cath Anne: [00:03:32] So for example there are many issues that politicians face daily so that adding a little bit of time and words to your point. You really dont need there are at the beginning of this sentence. Instead you could just write politicians face many issues on a daily basis much more simple, its much more to the point. Cath Anne: [00:04:00] Avoid words like really, very, a lot, and so. So the reason for this is that it weakens your writing when youre using these words. You really do not need to use these words. When you use some of these words it makes your writing not as strong so it makes it come across as a little bit more amateur and you really dont need to use these words. Cath Anne: [00:04:25] Lets talk about what the differences between passive voice and active voice and Im going to use an example to do this. Immigration reforms were implemented by Trudeau that is written in the passive voice. Here we have the past tense of the verb to be. So we have were and we also have the past principle of the verb to implement so implemented and now we also have the word by which is usually something that indicates that we are speaking in the passive voice and as you can see it is just not a very strong sentence it doesnt. It takes away from what Trudeau has done it doesnt put him kind of front and center with the sentence so the sentence would be much stronger if it was written as Trudeau implemented immigration reforms. Cath Anne: [00:05:23] This strengthens the message of the sentence. So there is a difference between the strong verbs and weak verbs. Lets do another example a weak verb is he gave assistance to my friend. So here were using the word gave with the noun assistance. As you can see the word systems can be actually used as a verb. So a stronger way to say this would be. He assisted my friend. Its much more direct and much more straight to the point and the verb is much stronger. You get stronger sense of what the writer is trying to say when theyre using that type of fire. Cath Anne: [00:06:05] You want to explore other points of view and this is absolutely necessary when you are writing an academic paper because you dont only want to provide one view of a topic or one analysis of some research because you want to have a well-rounded analysis. So by presenting and exploring other points of view youre also going to have a stronger argument because youre going to understand what the other person or what the other group of people will say about the topic and you will be able to therefore strengthen your argument. Cath Anne: [00:06:43] One of the first things you want to do when youre beginning to write an essay is make sure you understand the topic and the question thats being asked. When youre doing an essay you really want to take the essay prompt and kind of deconstruct it deconstructing the essay question really helps to kind of frame what youre going to write. It is really important to structure your essay because this gives it a logical flow at one of the most basic and helpful ways to structure an essay is to use the five paragraph structure and because of. Five paragraph essay format is so common your professor will know or your reader will know what to expect. So if anyone hasnt heard of the five paragraph essay Im going to go through it a little bit more in-depth. But basically what it is, its an introduction, three body paragraphs, and then a conclusion. There are tons of templates that you can use if youre a type of person that likes to use a template. Certainly take out a piece of paper and write down your eight your topic and your research question or a thesis and then use three body paragraphs and your conclusion and that gives you a bit of an outline to work with. Cath Anne: [00:08:01] Many of us do not give ourselves enough time to edit. A lot of students do not edit their work but even if you are an incredibly amazing writer youre still going to be need to edit because youre gonna make mistakes. Its just the nature of human beings we all make mistakes so we all have to edit. So make sure that youre giving yourself a lot of time to edit and proofread. And again I know that it is best to save paper if we can, but in this case it can be really helpful actually to print off your essay and do the same thing that you did with the initial essay question just go through and highlight things underlined things cross things out and then you can go back onto your computer and type up and insert all of the edits that you made. Cath Anne: [00:08:56] Paraphrasing refers to the process of taking some language and reworking it in your own words but still capturing the same theme and you really want to make sure that youre not plagiarizing when you do this because it can be really tempting especially if somethings written very eloquently and you dont feel that you can do it justice to kind of copy it and think that no one will notice. That is not the case because we have programs now which can track whether things have been plagiarized or not. So it is likely that when your prof runs something through the plagiarism checker and it comes up as plagiarized then you could be docked for that. So make sure when youre paraphrasing really break down the concepts. In the same way that you did in the initial question really breaks down the concepts in that paragraph. If you think its a really strong paragraph that you want to include in your essay then certainly use it but you have to put it in your own words so make s ure youre going through underlining highlighting circling and then reworking it in your own words. And theres no shame in using a thesaurus or a dictionary to kind of flesh out and figure out new words to use that capture the same essence. Cath Anne: [00:10:23] Make sure you do your research prior to writing and sees the statement being familiar with the information out there will help you to find a legitimate argument and be familiar with the topic that youre discussing. It will make it way easier for you to write an effective thesis statement. Cath Anne: [00:10:43] Dont bury your thesis statement in the body of your first paragraph. You wanted to be at least. The second to last paragraph or the second to last sentence or the very last sentence in your introduction paragraph. Cath Anne: [00:10:57] Finally be creative and use your own words when you copy another persons opinion or argument. You are risking the Tanz of plagiarism. Writing a well crafted original thesis statement will get you good points with your professor and make you stand out as a student when you were writing a thesis statement. Cath Anne: [00:11:18] Make sure to avoid restating the that is given by the professor on the exam. This might be tempting because it just seems easier. However it is indicative of lazy and boring writing. This will only go to show your professor that you dont care very much about the essay question and it wont bode well for you on the exam when youre writing an essay for an exam. You want to be creative and show that you can think in a critical way and independently. Be creative. Use the notes that you have already written prior to your exam and draw on those to develop a well-rounded essay that is creative and interesting and engaging to the professor. Cath Anne: [00:12:02] End with a strong conclusion. Most writing guidelines suggest that it is best to restate the points that youve made through out as well as to summarize your essay in the conclusion. However this is also indicative of boring writing and its an ineffective way to end your essay. Think instead about synthesizing the various points that you have made throughout your exam as a question rather than just simply restating although youre not trying to prove a new point youre going to try to synthesize your points into a well-rounded argument that you have also shown in your essay. Think about it as a way to tie everything together at the end of your essay. Cath Anne: [00:12:48] Learning how to study is crucial for academic success and it is important to find methods that work for you. While everyone has their own study style try incorporating some of these tips into your study routine before you begin to study. Cath Anne: [00:13:04] Make yourself comfortable but not too comfortable. You dont want to fall asleep. Grab a snack a glass of water and a cup of coffee or tea. Always study in the same place every time. When you begin your exam recall the place that you studied this will help you with recall on your test and it will help you drum up some of the information that you studied in that specific place. Cath Anne: [00:13:34] Beware the forgetting curve when you begin to study. There is a tendency to forget very quickly this tendency is even stronger when you are studying new information. This tendency is referred to as the forgetting curve. Forgetting occurs naturally when there is no effort made to retain the information. A way to combat this is to review your notes regularly when you are actively studying. Review your notes every 20 minutes to increase your retention of new information. Cath Anne: [00:14:10] The Pomodoro Technique is a cyclical system. You work in sprints and then you take a break. Working in short sprints increases productivity and taking a break. Increases motivation and creativity. All you need to complete the Pomodoro Technique is a timer. First decide on the task you would like to complete for example if youd like to review all of chapter one that will be your task. Set your timer for 25 minutes and work for a 25 minute sprint. When the timer goes off. Make a checkmark on a piece of paper you have at the side of your desk. This will indicate that youve completed one pomodoro take a five minute break then reset your timer and begin a new 25 minute session complete four rounds of Pomodoro. Once you have completed the full four rounds take a longer break this break can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. Get up stretch walk around. And get something to drink. Once you have completed your longer break you will be ready to jump into a another four r ound session of pomodoro active learning is just as it sounds. Cath Anne: [00:15:35] In order to truly learn a new piece of information you must engage with it and trick your brain into working with it. This activates new neural pathways in the brain which creates new space in the brain for new information. There are a variety of ways that you can incorporate active recall into your study routine and Im going to give you a couple of steps about how to do that. Step 1 copy it all down so youre in class. The T.A. Professor instructor puts a question up on the board record that write that down in your notebook. Dont use a computer use a pen and paper or pencil. And dont worry at this point if you dont understand this is part of the process. Step number two. Start small. Start by breaking a problem down and go through step by step breakdown each component of the problem Ruyter equations drawing out all of the concepts that you have learned thus far right out formulas that you have learned and work diligently with the question, putting everything yo u know into the question. Even if you dont get the correct answer this is going to be a step towards your learning process. Step number 3 do active recall. Once you become familiar with all of the steps involved in solving this type of a problem, engage in active recall by taking a new problem and trying to figure it out from the ground up. You can still break it down into steps write out all the formulas and everything that you think you need to solve the problem and come to a solution. And again make sure you are not looking at the answer. The less you make use of those resources the better you are going to be able to adapt and to be able to do this process in a time crunch on an exam. Cath Anne: [00:17:23] So another way to do active recall is to really hone in on the information that you are learning. Let me explain. Have you ever become frustrated at another student because they seem to have spent a very small time in studying when you have been cramming for weeks and weeks and weeks. Well this is likely because they have honed in on specific information that they believe the professor will be putting on the exam and you may have been staying a bit too broad. So what you want to do when you are studying for an exam is to hone in on very specific information that you think will be on the exam and study that information. You can do this by asking the professor questions about what is going to be on the exam. You can look at key themes that arise throughout the course of this semester. If there is a topic that the professor keeps going back to it is a good bet that that will be on the exam. You can look through your textbook as I mentioned and look for practice qu estions because those tend to be the types of information that will arrive on the exam. You can consult with former students of that class and see if they remember anything that may have been on the test in a year before. Cath Anne: [00:18:46] Basically the reason flashcards work is that they promote something called active recall. This means that it helps you to exercise the muscle which allows you to actively retrieve information from the brain which is one of the most effective ways of studying because its helping you to exercise that muscle of retrieving information. And when you do that over and over and over again it actually strengthens that muscle. Cath Anne: [00:19:14] So it might be tempting to use someone elses cards because as I said they can be a little bit time consuming to make and if youre super busy and youre a student you might not want to take that extra chunk of time that it takes to create your own flashcards, but its really important for you to make your own flashcards because 1, you are going to retain more information if you make them and because one of the most important tenets of taking information is actually learning the information and working with it in your brain and that helps you to retain the information. So even though you might save some time using someone elses flashcards they wont be as effective for you if you do because you wont be as familiar with the content that youre creating. Cath Anne: [00:20:10] Exams are tough but we all have to get through them. Creating a pre-study routine and going into their exam with a positive mindset can help to improve your overall performance. Here are some tricks to incorporate into your study routine that will help you to ace your next exam. Cath Anne: [00:20:29] When you receive a multiple choice test, make sure to read it over thoroughly before you begin answering any questions. Review each question. Sometimes professors will provide hints throughout the test that will indicate the answers to other questions. Reviewing it in advance can help you to answer these questions appropriately. Cath Anne: [00:20:51] Answer the difficult questions first in a multiple choice test. This will allow you to use your brain power for the difficult questions to begin with. Then when you have less brain power you can focus on the easier questions. Cath Anne: [00:21:06] When you receive a multiple choice question, read it twice. Because multiple choice questions are seemingly easy to answer and usually quite short we might rush through them and answer them incorrectly. Take some time to read them over twice and this will enhance your chances of answering them correctly when completing a multiple choice test. Cath Anne: [00:21:31] Check your answers at the end of each page. This will allow you more time at the end of the test even if you do not have time to review the whole test in its entirety. You will be able to know that you have reviewed each page as youve got along when there are only a few questions such as on each page. It is easier to check a test for mistakes. Cath Anne: [00:21:57] Understand that its rare for consecutive answers to be the same on a multiple choice test. If youre trying to figure out the difference between a and b consider your last answer. If your last answer was a it is likely that this next dancer is not also say the same stands for true and false questions. If you are trying to narrow it down you can rely on the fact that it is rare for two consecutive answers to be the same. Cath Anne: [00:22:28] When all of the above or none of the above are present, they are correct 52 percent of the time. Cath Anne: [00:22:37] Although you may have the urge to cram before your test or study as much as you can getting at least 8 hours of sleep before your test is essential. Sleep is an active process where the brain works to heal the body and it produces hormones which are beneficial to repair and growth. This is obviously a major component of learning and processing. This is also time for the brain to reconsolidate memories and things that weve learned or studied during the day. So particularly when you are studying for a test youre going to want to make sure you are getting a good amount sleep so that your body can process everything that youve learned. Cath Anne: [00:23:23] When you wake up in the morning from your really good sleep make sure you are having a healthy breakfast but nothing that is too heavy. You want something a bit lighter because when you are digesting a heavy breakfast this can actually take blood flow away from the brain and youre going to need all the blood flowing to your brain. So you are able to piece that test. Also if you are a coffee drinker try to avoid drinking caffeine right up until the exam time. This will give you the jitters before the test and you are also already full of jitters. So you dont want to increase that in your body. Its fine to have a cup of coffee but maybe limit it to half a cup and make sure youre having it with your breakfast early in the morning and not right up until when your test is happening. Cath Anne: [00:24:09] Write down your anxieties and fears do a bit of a brain dumb. Research has shown that when you do this you can actually free up space in your brain and it will improve the grade that you get on your test writing things down will help you to understand your fears and manage them more effectively. Cath Anne: [00:24:27] Arrive at the test ahead of time. Give yourself lots of time to be there and be present for the test you will want time to mentally prepare and rushing or running late to the exam will certainly increase anxiety because you wont feel as prepared and your body wont be settled and ready to take a test. Cath Anne: [00:24:49] Make sure all your materials are ready to go. For example make sure that your computer is working properly that your calculator has batteries and then its turning on. You want to make sure that all of your pencils are sharpened and that your pens are working well as it will ease your mind when you are entering into the task and it will free up space in your mind so that you can focus on just taking the test. Cath Anne: [00:25:14] Develop some pre-test rituals consistent habits and behaviors can put you at ease in a stressful situation. So when your body is ready to be stressed out some of these habits that youve developed along the way can help to put your body at ease for example go for a short walk listen to some of your favorite music and visualizing your success on a on an exam are all strategies that you can use to put your mind and your body at ease before you go into a test. Cath Anne: [00:25:45] Do a short meditation. It doesnt have to be anything long just close your eyes and breathe deeply and relax your muscles. This might not be for everyone however it is an effective strategy. Ive used it myself before going into an interview and I can tell you that it truly does work. Do this for about five minutes you can do it for up to ten minutes. Set a timer on your phone. Think back to a time when you did really well on a test. You ace the test and you scored well that was you in your zone free capture feelings of what it felt like to be in your zone and experience that by recalling how you actually felt in that situation. Think about how you are calm your muscles were relaxed and your motivation to succeed was very high by visualizing success and by putting your body into that state. You were actually helping to manifest a better agree on your test and you putting your body into a state to be prepared for success. Cath Anne: [00:26:45] Avoid sitting or standing around anxious people. Were all familiar with the group of people prior to an exam who are standing outside the gymnasium or the classroom and they are not prepared for the test. So they are evidently swamped with stress. However standing around these people is not going to help you in the least if you know the room is crowded and you know the people are particularly anxious. Dont worry about being a loner. Find yourself a spot to go and just chill there. Think positive thoughts take deep breaths do your basic meditation and focus on your own preparation and your own future success in the exam. Cath Anne: [00:27:28] While academia will require you to study right and take lots of tests it will also challenge you in other ways from dreading group projects to critical thinking skills. Here are some tips that will help you to navigate the obstacles that you will face throughout your academic career. Cath Anne: [00:27:53] Lets talk about the five steps or the five stages in group formation. First we have forming the forming see what happens when the group first meets each other are introduced to each other they share information about their backgrounds and their experiences their interests they learn about the project and they start to gain an understanding of where they will fit within the group and what role they will take on as the group begins to work together. They move into what is called the storming stage. Unfortunately this state is unavoidable. Every group most especially a new group that has never worked together before will certainly encounter a storming stage in this stage. Group members compete with each other for status and they look for acceptance from the others in the group. They have different opinions on what should be done and how it should be done. And these all present challenges in group formation. This stage will come to a closure when the group becomes more accepting of each other and learns how to work together towards a common goal. Third we have the norming stage when the team moves into the norming stage they are beginning to look beyond their individual goals and towards the bigger picture and the larger project. Theyre no longer focused on individual tasks but rather theyre focused on working together. Theyve developed processes and procedures that will help them to work towards larger goal. They respect each others opinions and they value each others differences. Fourth we have a performing stage in the performing stage. Groups are highly effective. They focus on reaching the goal as a group. The team members have gotten to know each other. They work really cohesively. They trust and they rely on each other. Now I should mention that not every group is going to make it to the performing stage. They may just rest in the norming stage and this is completely fine particularly in cases where you are working with people that are in your class and it is just a small group project. Finally we have the adjoining stage in the adjoining stages. The project has been completed and team members are looking to go their separate ways. This stage takes on a new perspective and looks at the team wellbeing rather than the individual project itself. At this stage you will have completed your project and you may want an opportunity to celebrate what youve done together. Its always important to remember that every team every group regardless of what youre working on will follow these stages of development. Knowing the stages and understanding them will help you to navigate the different challenges you encounter. It will help you to understand where you are in the group process and why some behaviours might be coming out. It will also help you to understand your own role within the group and the different processes that your group members are participating in. Cath Anne: [00:31:00] One of the first tips that you can use to enhance your critical thinking skills in academia is to ask basic questions. So what are the day that is that as we know our social world is really complex and there is tons of information to take in and as students when were going through research and literature. It can often be overwhelming and seem very complicated and just be a little bit over our heads. However we can begin to simply by asking very simple questions. Cath Anne: [00:31:32] So a second tip to developing your critical thinking skills is to question your basic assumptions so particularly when youre running a paper or thinking through a problem you are going to be coming at it with your own biases and analyses from everyday life. We all of these basic assumptions and thats okay but that. Academic quality work must extend beyond out basic assumptions towards analysis and the synthesis of information we check our own assumptions at the door we can go into analysis with a clear head. And go into research with an open mind which is really important. Cath Anne: [00:32:15] Although you will evidently be drawing on academic literature and information when you do the research and write papers it is important to remember to think for yourself. While this does not mean incorporating your own opinion or biases into your writing it does mean that you must analyze the situation through a critical lens. So go back and ask. Basic questions as we discussed what is missing. Is there a gap in the literature. What is this research saying. Does it make sense in relation to other research that youve seen on the topic think through the literature using your own power of deduction. So although you will be drawing on resources to make your point you want to make sure that youre using your own critical thinking skills because youll be increasing that critical thinking muscle. Cath Anne: [00:33:05] Here are some steps to implement the Corson method into your routine. If you are facing a complex problem. Break it down into smaller components. If you get stuck ask yourself what is it that I do not understand. Right. Each small question down. And then ask yourself where are you getting stuck. Give yourself at least 15 minutes on each component of the question in order to understand exactly where you are going wrong or what you dont understand. Consult with other students after the 15 minutes. Maybe they have an idea of how to solve the problem that youre not thinking of. If you are truly stuck then go to your professor after the 15 minutes be able to show your professor exactly where you are getting stuck and ask them a very specific question about the problem you are having. What youre hoping to avoid here is going to the professor right away as soon as you get the question without taking the time to break it down and understand where you might be going wro ng or where there might be a misunderstanding. If you use the Corson technique you are strengthening your critical thinking skills. Cath Anne: [00:34:16] As we near the end of our 50 tips I would like to switch gears and move towards a life and side the classroom student life is stressful. It can be difficult to find a balance between doing well in school and everything you have going on outside of school. Too much stress can be detrimental to your health which is why mindfulness and self care are so important. Cath Anne: [00:34:42] So like you know yoga practice and meditation practice you also have to practice gratitude and thats why it here is that way because it is actually just something you have to work on. Many of us dont realize that our brains are not actually hardwired to practice habitude either. Sounds like a weird statement. Were actually hardwired to the other way and be preventive and look for the dangers in life so that kind of prevents us from naturally seeking thoughts of gratitude. So one of the ways that we can practice gratitude is to wake up in the morning before we even get out of bed. We can make a list in our heads of. Three or five things that were grateful for and then other ways to bring to your life is to look at your whole day through a lens of gratitude. So not just in the morning as we navigate your day. You look at things to be grateful for. So. Whereas. Sometimes we see the negative in life. So say were driving in traffic in Toronto and the highway is real ly bad. That can be a really negative experience but if we frame it through a lens of gratitude we might think Im grateful to have a car to be able to commute to work. I am grateful to be able to have the money to put gas in my car and then that gets you towards closer to a lens of gratitude and you approach life in a more graceful way. Cath Anne: [00:36:28] If meditation is not for you there are some other ways that you can navigate stress and overwhelm. So one of the ways its called 5 4 3 2 1, or 1 2 3 4 5, and its actually a mindfulness and awareness technique that you can use when youre trying to go to sleep and youre feeling restless. It will help them to calm down. If youre in a stressful situation it will bring you more mindfulness and just bring you into the present moment and stop any amazing thoughts. Having so what it is basically you start the number five and you and youre thinking of it as you go down. So you start with 5 and you say- you want to think of the five things they see so youre in a room and you might look at five things you see. So five things I see are my computer my phone my microphone my cup of tea and my glasses. And you literally nailed them out loud if youre a worker in class you may not want to hear anything to yourself but if youre in your car or somewhere alone or youre trying to g et to sleep it might be helpful to let me know loud say in your name. Five things you can see. And then you also want to name five things you can hear so I can hear the dripping tap. I can hear my computer fan running. I can hear the wind outside. I can hear my voice. I can hear the German track so you can name things again if you can. If you can only hear so many things. So the idea is that you want to name five things you can hear and then you want to name five things you can feel so I can feel my hands touching together I can feel my legs on the couch I can feel my feet on the couch I can feel the. I can hear the question. So you want the five things you keep getting calm just this process and then you want to do four things each and then three and then do one. And honestly every time I do this hows the vulnerably. So this is an amazing technique they can use. Its very calming and very mindful. It brings you in the present moment and it makes you not think about all that theres s omething going on in your head and also helps you be a little bit more observant. Cath Anne: [00:39:36] Make smart resolutions and what I mean by smart is S M A R T which is the acronym for making a smart goal. Dont make vague statements about your goals. A lot of times we will set goals but we wont be able to attain them because they are too vague. This is where the smart acronym can come in handy. Use the smart acronym to make defined and achievable goals. Lets go through what the smart acronym stands for. Make goals that are specific measurable attainable relevant and time bound. For example dont say I want to work out or say I want to work out three times a week. This is a very specific goal. Its not as vague as I want to work at more measures that will keep track of it and write down how many times you actually go to the gym within the run of a week. This will help you measure your goal and in the long run help you to be more successful. Make sure your goal is something that you are able to attain. So make sure it is attainable. Dont set a goal that is too l ofty. For example if you are not going to the gym at all now maybe dont make a goal to go seven days a week. Start out with 3 and if you get more. Thats great. Just make sure your goal is attainable. You also want to make sure that your goal is relevant. Is it something that means something to you. What does losing weight or getting fit. Going to the gym mean to you. Does it have meaning in your life. Your goals should have meaning because that will help motivate you along the way and if they dont have meaning then you will be less likely to achieve them. And finally you want to make sure that your goals are time bound. Three times a week that gives you a logical timeframe within which to work and it can help you along the way to being more successful. Cath Anne: [00:41:30] Prep your meals. Mealprep can help with time management. Each Sunday take a few hours to go grocery shopping and get everything you need for the week. Plan out a menu and make meals in bulk use a big pot or a crock pot. Make meals in bulk and then freeze them throughout the week so that you have something to quickly grab while you are trying to focus on school and you dont have to worry about meals smoothies are also a great option for breakfast grab and go make a batch of muffins and have them on hand free self in the morning so you can grab it and run out the door to take the bus or drive to school. Cath Anne: [00:42:06] Know your support network. When things get stressful at school it can be really helpful to know that you have some people in your life that you can fall back on and that you can rely on some students living at a distance from their families may not have these building connections so it can help to foster these relationships. Reach out to these people before you go back to school and ask if theyre willing to help with anything while you are in school. Do you need a drive to school when it is a big snowstorm and know someone that has a truck. Connect with them and see if theyd be willing to do this. Do you need a respite from school or being in the city. Maybe you have family living outside the city could you visit them on the weekend and just have some downtime to do some studying at their home. These are all ways to foster relationships but also to secure your support network so that you feel comfortable moving into a new semester and that you feel secure havin g that support network especially if youre living away from home. Cath Anne: [00:43:06] Stress is a normal part of life but there are times in our lives where we have more stress than other times. For example during exam period if you find that you are not responding to situations the same way as you always will. It could be due to stress. Take a step back articulate stress and find a way to manage and cope with stress. Cath Anne: [00:43:30] Be intentional about your time. Create a schedule that works for you complete difficult tasks during your highest energy times and leave simpler tasks to when you have less energy. If you are a morning person and you have a lot of energy in the morning spend your high energy times to complete difficult tasks leave easier tasks until a time when you have less energy. Figure out a schedule that works for you and for when you have the most energy keeping up on your schoolwork is an imperative aspect of managing your time and managing stress. When you let your schoolwork go it could cause undue stress. You will spend your time catching up and this will cause you more stress in the long run. Spend some time throughout the week finishing readings and completing tasks when you keep up on your schoolwork. You will also save yourself stress during exam time because you will be more familiar with the content of your course and you will require less time to study. Cath Anne: [00:44:36] Tip number fifty. Have fun. For some people you are only in college or university once. Make sure you have fun. Culture has time for new experiences a time to meet your friends and learn new things. Always focus on your studies. However make sure that you build in time to have these wonderful experiences get out into the community do some volunteering and spend time with friends. Cath Anne: [00:45:11] Okay thats it for me this week guys. This has been our 50 academic tips episode. We cant believe we just filmed our fiftieth episode and we look forward to providing you with more valuable content to come. So make sure you stay connected with us. We hope you found some tips that you can incorporate into your academic life. As always we love when you connect with us on our social media platforms and if you want to do so all of our information is linked and listed in the information box below. If you liked this video and you enjoyed this format make sure to give it a like and subscribe to our channel. If you have any questions jump into the comments below and wed love to hear some feedback about whether you liked this type of episode and whether youd like to see more. Let us know what your favorite academic tip is. Thanks so much for joining me you guys happy 51sr episode of The Homework Help Show and we will see you next week here on the show. Take care.

All About Sadie Hawkins Day

Sadie Hawkins Day is a holiday that turns the tables on male/female relationships as women take the lead in pursuing men. Named after a fictional character, Sadie Hawkins Day celebrates role reversal by sanctioning women to ask men out on a date or even propose marriage. Theres a common misconception that February 29th (better known as Leap Day) is Sadie Hawkins Day. Although that isnt the case, February 29th does hold significance for women thanks to an old Irish tradition called St. Bridgets Complaint, which granted women permission to propose marriage on that day. Sadie Hawkins Day is rooted in the story of Sadie Hawkins, a character created by Al Capp in the comic strip Lil Abner. Sadie Described as the homeliest gal in the hills, Sadie was unable ​to  get a date; so her father, a prominent citizen in the town of Dogpatch, named a day after her to help Sadie get a man. On Sadie Hawkins Day, a footrace was held in Dogpatch so the women could pursue the towns eligible bachelors. According to the Lil Abner website, Sadie Hawkins Day is an unspecified date in November which Al Capp observed in his comic strip for four decades.

Kite Runner by J. D. Sallinger - 1245 Words

The main character of the Kite Runner is an Afghan boy named Amir and his family, including his servants, Hassan and Ali. At the start of the book, Amir and Hassan are about 12 years old and live in a new, wealthier part of Afghanistan because Amir’s father (Baba) is a big business man in Afghanistan, so he is wealthier. Amir is a Pashtun, which means he is a Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara, which means he is a Shia Muslim. This means that the two would’ve been enemies most likely if they had not grown up together from the day they were born (not the same day, of course). Amir repeatedly says that Hassan is his brother because they were both nursed and breast fed by the same women, and that creates a special bond between two boys, even though Amir and Hassan are not biologically related in any way. Amir and Hassan grew up together the way that Baba and Ali (Amir’s father and Hassan’s father respectively) had a generation before them-they were brothe rs no matter the religion or history of violence between the two different groups of Muslims. Amir is literate and can read and write because he is Pashtun, while Ali and Hassan cannot because they are Hazara, so during the summer, spring, and fall months, Amir goes to school and Hassan stays home to do laundry, clean, and do other various chores. During the winter, it is kite flying season. Amir and Hassan used to build their own kites for the kite flying contests, but after they figured out that they weren’t really

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two Free Essays

string(26) " will take a bit of time\." Several hours later Grace was sitting in a chair in the corridor outside the dowager’s bedchamber. She was beyond weary and wanted nothing more than to crawl into her own bed, where she was quite certain she would toss and turn and fail to find slumber, despite her exhaustion. But the dowager was so overset, and indeed had rung so many times that Grace had finally given up and dragged the chair to its present location. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the last hour she had brought the dowager (who would not leave her bed) a collection of letters, tucked at the bottom of a locked drawer; a glass of warm milk; a glass of brandy; another miniature of her long-dead son John; a handkerchief that clearly possessed some sort of sentimental value; and another glass of brandy, to replace the one the dowager had knocked over while anxiously directing Grace to fetch the handkerchief. It had been about ten minutes since the last summons. Ten minutes to do nothing but sit and wait in the chair, thinking, thinking†¦ Of the highwayman. Of his kiss. Of Thomas, the current Duke of Wyndham. Whom she considered a friend. Of the dowager’s long-dead middle son, and the man who apparently bore his likeness. And his name. His name. Grace took a long, uneasy breath. His name. Good God. She had not told the dowager this. She had stood motionless in the middle of the road, watching the highwayman ride off in the light of the partial moon. And then, finally, when she thought her legs might actually function, she set about getting them home. There was the footman to untie, and the coachman to tend to, and as for the dowager – she was so clearly upset that she did not even whisper a complaint when Grace put the injured coachman inside the carriage with her. And then she joined the footman atop the driver’s seat and drove them home. She wasn’t a particularly experienced hand with the reins, but she could manage. And she’d had to manage. There was no one else to do it. But that was something she was good at. Managing. Making do. She’d got them home, found someone to tend to the coachman, and then tended to the dowager, and all the while she’d thought – Who was he? The highwayman. He’d said his name had once been Cavendish. Could he be the dowager’s grandson? She had been told that John Cavendish died without issue, but he wouldn’t have been the first young nobleman to litter the countryside with illegitimate children. Except he’d said his name was Cavendish. Or rather, had been Cavendish. Which meant – Grace shook her head blearily. She was so tired she could barely think, and yet it seemed all she could do was think. What did it mean that the highwayman’s name was Cavendish? Could an illegitimate son bear his father’s name? She had no idea. She’d never met a bastard before, at least not one of noble origins. But she’d known others who had changed their names. The vicar’s son had gone to live with relatives when he was small, and the last time he’d been back to visit, he’d introduced himself with a different surname. So surely an illegitimate son could call himself whatever he wanted. And even if it was not legal to do so, a highwayman would not trouble himself with such technicalities, would he? Grace touched her mouth, trying to pretend she did not love the shivers of excitement that rushed through her at the memory. He had kissed her. It had been her first kiss, and she did not know who he was. She knew his scent, she knew the warmth of his skin, and the velvet softness of his lips, but she did not know his name. Not all of it, at least. â€Å"Grace! Grace!† Grace stumbled to her feet. She’d left the door ajar so she could better hear the dowager, and sure enough, her name was once again being called. The dowager must still be overset – she rarely used Grace’s Christian name. It was harder to snap out in a demanding manner than Miss Eversleigh. Grace rushed back into the room, trying not to sound weary and resentful as she asked, â€Å"May I be of assistance?† The dowager was sitting up in bed – well, not quite sitting up. She was mostly lying down, with just her head propped up on the pillows. Grace thought she looked terribly uncomfortable, but the last time she had tried to adjust her position she’d nearly got her head bit off. â€Å"Where have you been?† Grace did not think the question required an answer, but she said, nonetheless, â€Å"Just outside your door, ma’am.† â€Å"I need you to get me something,† the dowager said, and she didn’t sound as imperious as she did agitated. â€Å"What is it you would like, your grace?† â€Å"I want the portrait of John.† Grace stared at her, uncomprehending. â€Å"Don’t just stand there!† the dowager practically screamed. â€Å"But ma’am,† Grace protested, jumping back, â€Å"I’ve brought you all three of the miniatures, and – â€Å" â€Å"No, no, no,† the dowager cried, her head swinging back and forth on the pillows. â€Å"I want the portrait. From the gallery.† â€Å"The portrait,† Grace echoed, because it was half three in the morning, and perhaps she was addled by exhaustion, but she thought she’d just been asked to remove a life-sized portrait from a wall and carry it up two flights of stairs to the dowager’s bedchamber. â€Å"You know the one,† the dowager said. â€Å"He’s standing next to the tree, and he has a sparkle in his eye.† Grace blinked, trying to absorb this. â€Å"There is only the one, I think.† â€Å"Yes,† the dowager said, her voice almost unbalanced in its urgency. â€Å"There is a sparkle in his eye.† â€Å"You want me to bring it here.† â€Å"I have no other bedchamber,† the dowager snapped. â€Å"Very well.† Grace swallowed. Good Lord, how was she going to accomplish this? â€Å"It will take a bit of time. You read "The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two" in category "Essay examples"† â€Å"Just drag a chair over and yank the bloody thing down. You don’t need – â€Å" Grace rushed forward as the dowager’s body convulsed in a spasm of coughing. â€Å"Ma’am! Ma’am!† she said, bringing her arm around her to set her upright. â€Å"Please, ma’am. You must try to be more settled. You are going to hurt yourself.† The dowager coughed a few last times, took a long swallow of her warm milk, then cursed and took her brandy instead. That, she finished entirely. â€Å"I’m going to hurt you,† she gasped, thunking the glass back down on her bedside table, â€Å"if you don’t get me that portrait.† Grace swallowed and nodded. â€Å"As you wish, ma’am.† She hurried out, sagging against the corridor wall once she was out of the dowager’s sight. It had begun as such a lovely evening. And now look at her. She’d had a gun pointed at her heart, been kissed by a man whose next appointment was surely with the gallows, and now the dowager wanted her to wrestle a life-sized portrait off the gallery wall. At half three in the morning. â€Å"She can’t possibly be paying me enough,† Grace mumbled under her breath as she made her way down the stairs. â€Å"There couldn’t possibly exist enough money – â€Å" â€Å"Grace?† She stopped short, stumbling off the bottom step. Large hands immediately found her upper arms to steady her. She looked up, even though she knew who it had to be. Thomas Cavendish was the grandson of the dowager. He was also the Duke of Wyndham and thus without question the most powerful man in the district. He was in London nearly as often as he was here, but Grace had got to know him quite well during the five years she’d acted as companion to the dowager. They were friends. It was an odd and completely unexpected situation, given the difference in their rank, but they were friends. â€Å"Your grace,† she said, even though he had long since instructed her to use his given name when they were at Belgrave. She gave him a tired nod as he stepped back and returned his hands to his sides. It was far too late for her to ponder matters of titles and address. â€Å"What the devil are you doing awake?† he asked. â€Å"It’s got to be after two.† â€Å"After three, actually,† she corrected absently, and then – good heavens, Thomas. She snapped fully awake. What should she tell him? Should she say anything at all? There would be no hiding the fact that she and the dowager had been accosted by highwaymen, but she wasn’t quite certain if she should reveal that he might have a first cousin racing about the countryside, relieving the local gentry of their valuables. Because, all things considered, he might not. And surely it did not make sense to concern him needlessly. â€Å"Grace?† She gave her head a shake. â€Å"I’m sorry, what did you say?† â€Å"Why are you wandering the halls?† â€Å"Your grandmother is not feeling well,† she said. And then, because she desperately wanted to change the subject: â€Å"You’re home late.† â€Å"I had business in Stamford,† he said brusquely. His mistress. If it had been anything else, he would not have been so oblique. It was odd, though, that he was here now. He usually spent the night. Grace, despite her respectable birth, was a servant at Belgrave, and as such privy to almost all of the gossip. If the duke stayed out all night, she generally knew about it. â€Å"We had an†¦exciting evening,† Grace said. He looked at her expectantly. She felt herself hesitate, and then – well, there was really nothing to do but say it. â€Å"We were accosted by highwaymen.† His reaction was swift. â€Å"Good God,† he exclaimed. â€Å"Are you all right? Is my grandmother well?† â€Å"We are both unharmed,† Grace assured him, â€Å"although our driver has a nasty bump on his head. I took the liberty of giving him three days to convalesce.† â€Å"Of course.† He closed his eyes for a moment, looking pained. â€Å"I must offer my apologies,† he said. â€Å"I should have insisted that you take more than one outrider.† â€Å"Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault. Who would have thought – † She cut herself off, because really, there was no sense in assigning blame. â€Å"We are unhurt,† she repeated. â€Å"That is all that matters.† He sighed. â€Å"What did they take?† Grace swallowed. She couldn’t very well tell him they’d stolen nothing but a ring. Thomas was no idiot; he’d wonder why. She smiled tightly, deciding that vagueness was the order of the day. â€Å"Not very much,† she said. â€Å"Nothing at all from me. I imagine it was obvious I am not a woman of means.† â€Å"Grandmother must be spitting mad.† â€Å"She is a bit overset,† Grace hedged. â€Å"She was wearing her emeralds, wasn’t she?† He shook his head. â€Å"The old bat is ridiculously fond of those stones.† Grace declined to scold him for his characterization of his grandmother. â€Å"She kept the emeralds, actually. She hid them under the seat cushion.† He looked impressed. â€Å"She did?† â€Å"I did,† Grace corrected, unwilling to share the glory. â€Å"She thrust them at me before they breached the vehicle.† He smiled slightly, and then, after a moment of somewhat awkward silence, said, â€Å"You did not mention why you’re up and about so late. Surely you deserve a rest as well.† â€Å"I†¦er†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There seemed to be no way to avoid telling him. If nothing else, he’d notice the massive empty spot on the gallery wall the next day. â€Å"Your grandmother has a strange request.† â€Å"All of her requests are strange,† he replied immediately. â€Å"No, this one†¦well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Grace’s eyes flicked up in exasperation. How was it her life had come to this? â€Å"I don’t suppose you’d like to help me remove a painting from the gallery.† â€Å"A painting.† She nodded. â€Å"From the gallery.† She nodded again. â€Å"I don’t suppose she’s asking for one of those modestly sized square ones.† â€Å"With the bowls of fruit?† He nodded. â€Å"No.† When he did not comment, she added, â€Å"She wants the portrait of your uncle.† â€Å"Which one?† â€Å"John.† He nodded, smiling slightly, but without any humor. â€Å"He was always her favorite.† â€Å"But you never knew him,† Grace said, because the way he’d said it – it almost sounded as if he’d witnessed her favoritism. â€Å"No, of course not. He died before I was born. But my father spoke of him.† It was clear from his expression that he did not wish to discuss the matter further. Grace could not think of anything more to say, however, so she just stood there, waiting for him to collect his thoughts. Which apparently he did, because he turned to her and asked, â€Å"Isn’t that portrait life-sized?† Grace pictured herself wrestling it from the wall. â€Å"I’m afraid so.† For a moment it looked as if he might turn toward the gallery, but then his jaw squared and he was once again every inch the forbidding duke. â€Å"No,† he said firmly. â€Å"You will not get that for her this evening. If she wants the bloody painting in her room, she can ask a footman for it in the morning.† Grace wanted to smile at his protectiveness, but by this point she was far too weary. And besides that, when it came to the dowager, she had long since learned to follow the road of least resistance. â€Å"I assure you, I want nothing more than to retire this very minute, but it is easier just to accommodate her.† â€Å"Absolutely not,† he said imperiously, and without waiting, he turned and marched up the stairs. Grace watched him for a moment, and then, with a shrug, headed off to the gallery. It couldn’t be that difficult to take a painting off a wall, could it? But she made it only ten paces before she heard Thomas bark her name. She sighed, stopping in her tracks. She should have known better. The man was as stubborn as his grandmother, not that he would appreciate the comparison. She turned and retraced her steps, hurrying along when she heard him call out for her again. â€Å"I’m right here,† she said irritably. â€Å"Good gracious, you’ll wake the entire house.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Don’t tell me you were going to get the painting by yourself.† â€Å"If I don’t, she will ring for me all night, and then I will never get any sleep.† He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"Watch me.† â€Å"Watch you what?† she asked, baffled. â€Å"Dismantle her bell cord,† he said, heading upstairs with renewed determination. â€Å"Dismantle her†¦Thomas!† She ran up behind him, but of course could not keep up. â€Å"Thomas, you can’t!† He turned. Grinned even, which she found somewhat alarming. â€Å"It’s my house,† he said. â€Å"I can do anything I want.† And while Grace digested that on an exhausted brain, he strode down the hall and into his grandmother’s room. â€Å"What,† she heard him bite off, â€Å"do you think you’re doing?† Grace let out a breath and hurried after him, entering the room just as he was saying, â€Å"Good heavens, are you all right?† â€Å"Where is Miss Eversleigh?† the dowager asked, her eyes darting frantically about the room. â€Å"I’m right here,† Grace assured her, rushing forward. â€Å"Did you get it? Where is the painting? I want to see my son.† â€Å"Ma’am, it’s late,† Grace tried to explain. She inched forward, although she wasn’t sure why. If the dowager started spouting off about the highwayman and his resemblance to her favorite son, it wasn’t as if she would be able to stop her. But still, the proximity at least gave the illusion that she might be able to prevent disaster. â€Å"Ma’am,† Grace said again, gently, softly. She gave the dowager a careful look. â€Å"You may instruct a footman to procure it for you in the morning,† Thomas said, sounding slightly less imperious than before, â€Å"but I will not have Miss Eversleigh undertaking such manual labor, and certainly not in the middle of the night.† â€Å"I need the painting, Thomas,† the dowager said, and Grace almost reached out to take her hand. She sounded pained. She sounded old. And she certainly did not sound like herself when she said, â€Å"Please.† Grace glanced at Thomas. He looked uneasy. â€Å"Tomorrow,† he said. â€Å"First thing, if you wish it.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"No,† he interrupted. â€Å"I am sorry you were accosted this evening, and I shall certainly do whatever is necessary – within reason – to facilitate your comfort and health, but this does not include whimsical and ill-timed demands. Do you understand me?† They stared at each other for so long that Grace wanted to flinch. Then Thomas said sharply, â€Å"Grace, go to bed.† He didn’t turn around. Grace held still for a moment, waiting for what, she didn’t know – disagreement from the dowager? A thunderbolt outside the window? When neither was forthcoming, she decided she could do nothing more that evening and left the room. As she walked slowly down the hall, she could hear them arguing – nothing violent, nothing impassioned. But then, she’d not have expected that. Cavendish tempers ran cold, and they were far more likely to attack with a frozen barb than a heated cry. Grace let out a long, uneven breath. She would never get used to this. Five years she had been at Belgrave, and still the resentment that ran back and forth between Thomas and his grandmother shocked her. And the worst part was – there wasn’t even a reason! Once, she had dared to ask Thomas why they held each other in such contempt. He just shrugged, saying that it had always been that way. She’d disliked his father, Thomas said, his father had hated him, and he himself could have done quite well without either of them. Grace had been stunned. She’d thought families were meant to love each other. Hers had. Her mother, her father†¦She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. She was being maudlin. Or maybe it was because she was tired. She didn’t cry about them any longer. She missed them – she would always miss them. But the great big gaping hole their deaths had rent in her had healed. And now†¦well, she’d found a new place in this world. It wasn’t the one she’d anticipated, and it wasn’t the one her parents had planned for her, but it came with food and clothing, and the opportunity to see her friends from time to time. But sometimes, late at night as she lay in her bed, it was just so hard. She knew she should not be ungrateful – she was living in a castle, for heaven’s sake. But she had not been brought up for this. Not the servitude, and not the sour dispositions. Her father had been a country gentleman, her mother a well-liked member of the local community. They had raised her with love and laughter, and sometimes, as they sat before the fire in the evening, her father would sigh and say that she was going to have to remain a spinster, because surely there was no man in the county good enough for his daughter. And Grace would laugh and say, â€Å"What about the rest of England?† â€Å"Not there, either!† â€Å"France?† â€Å"Good heavens, not.† â€Å"The Americas?† â€Å"Are you trying to kill your mother, gel? You know she gets seasick if she so much as sees the beach.† And they all somehow knew that Grace would marry someone right there in Lincolnshire, and she’d live down the road, or at least just a short ride away, and she would be happy. She would find what her parents had found, because no one expected her to marry for any reason other than love. She’d have babies, and her house would be full of laughter, and she would be happy. She’d thought herself the luckiest girl in the world. But the fever that had struck the Eversleigh house was cruel, and when it broke, Grace was an orphan. At seventeen, she could hardly remain on her own, and indeed, no one had been sure what to do with her until her father’s affairs were settled and the will was read. Grace let out a bitter laugh as she pulled off her wrinkled clothing and readied herself for bed. Her father’s directives had only made matters worse. They were in debt; not deeply so, but enough to render her a burden. Her parents, it seemed, had always lived slightly above their means, presumably hoping that love and happiness would carry them through. And indeed they had. Love and happiness had stood up nicely to every obstacle the Eversleighs had faced. Except death. Sillsby – the only home Grace had ever known – was entailed. She’d known that, but not how eager her cousin Miles would be to assume residence. Or that he was still unmarried. Or that when he pushed her against a wall and jammed his lips against hers, she was supposed to let him, indeed thank the toad for his gracious and benevolent interest in her. Instead she had shoved her elbow into his ribs and her knee up against his – Well, he hadn’t been too fond of her after that. It was the only part of the whole debacle that still made her smile. Furious at the rebuff, Miles had tossed her out on her ear. Grace had been left with nothing. No home, no money, and no relations (she refused to count him among the last). Enter the dowager. News of Grace’s predicament must have traveled fast through the district. The dowager had swooped in like an icy goddess and whisked her away. Not that there had been any illusion that she was to be a pampered guest. The dowager had arrived with full retinue, stared down Miles until he squirmed (literally; it had been a most enjoyable moment for Grace), and then declared to her, â€Å"You shall be my companion.† Before Grace had a chance to accept or decline, the dowager had turned and left the room. Which just confirmed what they all knew – that Grace had never had a choice in the matter to begin with. That had been five years ago. Grace now lived in a castle, ate fine food, and her clothing was, if not the latest stare of fashion, well-made and really quite pretty. (The dowager was, if nothing else, at least not cheap.) She lived mere miles from where she had grown up, and as most of her friends still resided in the district, she saw them with some regularity – in the village, at church, on afternoon calls. And if she didn’t have a family of her own, at least she had not been forced to have one with Miles. But much as she appreciated all the dowager had done for her, she wanted something more. Or maybe not even more. Maybe just something else. Unlikely, she thought, falling into bed. The only options for a woman of her birth were employment and marriage. Which, for her, meant employment. The men of Lincolnshire were far too cowed by the dowager to ever make an overture in Grace’s direction. It was well-known that Augusta Cavendish had no desire to train a new companion. It was even more well-known that Grace hadn’t a farthing. She closed her eyes, trying to remind herself that the sheets she’d slid between were of the highest quality, and the candle she’d just snuffed was pure beeswax. She had every physical comfort, truly. But what she wanted was†¦ It didn’t really matter what she wanted. That was her last thought before she finally fell asleep. And dreamed of a highwayman. How to cite The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two, Essay examples

The Life Legacy of Rosa Parks free essay sample

The woman who started a movement to end Jim Crow and allow African-Americans to have the same rights as any other American. The woman’s name is Rosa Parks. Thesis: This African-American civil rights activist’s refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus helped spark the civil rights movement of the 1950s. Preview: Today I’ll tell you about Rosa Park’s life before the bus boycott, what she did during the boycott, how her actions fueled the civil rights movement, and then the personal cost she paid for her actions. Credibility: Much of my information I’ll give you today came from Herbert Kohl’s book entitled â€Å"She would not be moved† as well as a Washington Post article called â€Å"Alabama teacher laid groundwork for civil rights activism. † (Transition: Just last week, America lost a brave woman whose impact began the civil rights movements. We will write a custom essay sample on The Life Legacy of Rosa Parks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Yet her story began in Tuskegee, Alabama. ) Body: I. Life before the bus boycott A. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913 B. Parks said, â€Å" Back then we didn’t have any civil rights. It was just a matter of survival, of existing from one day to the next. I remember going to sleep as a girl, hearing the Klan riding at night and hearing a lynching and being afraid that the house would burn down. † C. She attended Alabama State Teacher’s College D. She held a variety of jobs, in 1943 became one of the first women to join the Montgomery Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (also known as the NAACP) Parks wanted blacks to have opportunities that were not available to her, and in 1955 she did a simple act that shook a stronghold of segregation. ) II. The bus incident A. On Dec. 1, 1955 this unknown seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama refused to give up her bus seat in the middle of the bus to a white passenger. B. This was during the age of Jim Crow when front bus rows were for whites only. 1. Jim Crow also meant separate water fountains for white and colored people. 2. It also meant that blacks couldn’t eat at cer tain white restaurants. C. There were laws that required blacks to leave their seats when all the seats in the front rows were taken so that whites could sit down D. Parks refused to give up her seat to a white and so was arrested and fined for Violating a city ordinance requiring whites and blacks to sit in separate rows on buses. III. The Movement (Parks allowed black leaders to use her arrest to spark a boycott of the bus system. ) A. A young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was chosen president of an organization to run the bus boycott. B. Parks was surprised so many people felt like her- they were sick and tired of being treated like second-class citizens. C. For more than a year, 382 days to be exact, thousands of blacks refused to ride Montgomery buses. D. Blacks learned that when they supported each other, they had a voice. E. The boycott ended when the U. S. Supreme Court declared segregated seating on buses was unconstitutional. (But this landmark legal victory would not come without a personal cost to Rosa Parks) IV. After the Movement A. Parks lost her job as a seamstress as a result of the Montgomery boycott. B. She was heralded as a troublemaker by some, and heroine by others. C. In 1999 she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. D. She died Oct. 24 of this year. (In conclusion†¦) In conclusion, most historians date the beginning of the civil rights movement in the U. S. to the day, December 1, 1955 when a petite woman named Rosa Parks did a simple, but courageous act. This is why she’s called â€Å"the mother of the civil rights movement. Her contribution to help African Americans and in turn, all Americans to be treated fairly has been recognized throughout the world. Her funeral was attended by presidents and world leaders. In fact, she was the first woman in American history to lie in state at the Capitol, an honor usually reserved for presidents of the U. S. So if you ever wonder whether one person can make a difference, think of the 38-year-old seamstress who sparked the civil rights movement and you’ll know the answer. Rosa Parks’ life proves that one person can make a difference and shape the course of a nation.

buy custom The Historical development of labor Management movement essay

buy custom The Historical development of labor Management movement essay Developing a clear labor management systems have been an important tool for the effective management of work force, as well as continuous improvement of any given organizations. The need of labor management can be traced back to start of labor movements, where people came together to campaign for their rights from respective governments or employers. As noted from Ballot (1996), in most instances the turning point in labor management especially in US have been associated to instances of economic hardships. The great depression witnessed the establishment of a comprehensive federal legislations designed at protecting the rights of workers. The labor history describes history of organized labor and general history of working of people in US among other states across the world. The pressure that have dictated by the power and nature of the organized labor includes power and evolution of the corporation, private agencies aimed at controlling or limiting the unions, and the efforts of emp loyees (Commons, 2006). As a response to this, labor federations and organized unions have evolved, competed, merged or split against backdrop of the changing periodic federation interventions and social philosophies (Kovach, 2010). This paper critically traces the history of labor management movements in the chronological order 18th 19th 20th to the present. Labor management movements in 18th and 19th century The success of labor movements in US attributable to progressive movements, which attempted to cure most of ills faced by the society during great spurt of the industrial growth, especially in last quarter of 9th century. Later, some of the progressions included La Follette progressive of 1920s, Roosevelt progressives, Henry Wallace progressive among others (Commons, 2006). It is also worth noting that late 18th century witnessed increased state interventions on labor protests, thus leading to raised labor injunctions .First, there was Tudor Industrial Code that was a culmination of programs initiated in middle ages in assuring an adequate supply of skilled workforce, as well as good quality in manufacturing products (Kovach, 2010). In US, Local Trade Union of men first formed in late 18th century, while women organizations launched in 1820s. In 1827, The Mechanic Union of Trade found in Philadelphia was one of the trade unions, which were intended to tackle the hard working conditions for most of working class in Philadelphia. In 1843, some representatives from various trade unions were convened at NTU (National Trade Unions) convections that marked first substantial efforts of creating National labor organization in US (Forbath, 2001). In 1867, regional order of Knight founded and claimed more than 60,000, thus making it one of the largest unions in US, although it was poorly organized and soon it declined. By 1870s, there was a rapid consolidation and growth of large railway systems, leading to a union covering the whole nation (Ballot, 199). The key unions entails BLED (Brother of Locomotive Engineers), Brotherhood Railroad Trainmen among other notable groups. All these groups were not members of AFL (Americ an Federation of Labor) and fought off radical rivals, like Knight of Labor in 1880s and America Railroad Union in 1890s. In 1890, the US Federal Government developed the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 aimed at limiting monopolies and cartels. Later, in 1914, the US government passed the Clayton Antitrust Act, and added to the country antitrust law regimes seeking to avoid anticompetitive practices in US incipiency (Paterson, 2002). The act prohibited certain conduct, some of them were the three level enhancement schemes, remedial measures, the exemptions among others legislations. These competition acts were further enhanced by The National Recovery Administration, established by Franklin Roosevelt. It main purpose was to eliminate cutthroat competition, though bringing labor, government and industry to set fair prices and fair practices (Kovach, 2010). In the current times, the act still form basis for most of the litigation in US Federal Government. Later, there was creation of WMF (Western Federation of Miners) in 1893 (Commons, 2006). The union was frequently in competition with American Federation of Labor, thus spawned to several federations, such as Western Labor Union, IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). In 1893, there was development of NCF ( National Civil Federation), which favored modest progressive reforms, as well as resolving disputes that arises between organized labor and industries (Kovach, 2010). On 1914, Henry Ford announced a five-dollar salary plan to all the eligible employees, who were working for eight hours on daily basis. The Ford plan was viewed as a better plan to the employees, while most of employers viewed ford as a reckless person (Forbath, 2001). Organized labor between 1920-30s It is worth noting that 1920 marked periods of decline for labor movements in US. In 1919, approximately 21% of the work force (about 4 million workers) participated in 3500 countrywide strikes. In contrast to this, 1929 witnessed approximately 1.2 % of the work force stage only 890 strikes (Commons, 2006). Union activities and membership fell greatly in face of economic prosperities (Ballot, 1996). This was due to lack of leaderships within these movements and the anti-union sentiments from government and employer as well. Despite the back drop of economic prosperity, employers across US led a successful campaign against these unions (Paterson, 2002). It was known as American plan and sought to depict these unions as aliens to US individual spirits. In addition to this, some of employer such as NAM (National Association of Manufacturer) used tactics, such as Red Scare in discrediting the unions and connecting them to the communism activities. The courts in US were not hospital to th e union activities, as some forced to sign yellow-dog contracts, which indicated that they could not join, until these contracts were outlaweed in 1932 (Paterson, 2002). Labor management movements The Federal Government initially guaranteed the rights to bargain and organize the railroad workers with passage of Railway Labor Act of the 1926 (Ballot, 1996). NIRA (The National Industrial Recovery Act) was a part of new deal policies of the era of great depression aimed at protecting workers rights to unionize. The controversial part of Wagner Act was the section eight that prohibited unfair labor practices on part of the employees (Paterson, 2002). Under this section, employers could not have fired a worker legally for joining a union. Due to its shortcomings, NLRB (The National Labor Relations Board) was established in order to administer Wagner Act and remains a key agency in regulating labor relations in US (Commons, 2006). In 1930, there was formation of United Auto workers, which was labor union that represented workers in Puerto Rico and US. This union played a major role of anti-communist and civil rights movements among other notable duties. In 1933, there was creation of NLB (National Labor Board) with a sole purpose of handling disputes taking place under NIRA (Forbath, 2001). In 1947, the Traft-Hartley Act was established to revise the Wagner Act to take account of restrictions on the unions and general management. This was in line with response to demands for action, especially after wartime and post-war strikes in the Auto-Steel, among other notable industries. They were perceived to damage the US economy and threatened railroad called off prior to shutting down national economy (Kovach, 2010). The Act referred as Labor Management Relations Act amended the Wagner Act, thus known as National labor Relations Act of 1935 (Commons, 2006). In 1959, the labor management Reporting and Disclosure Act was developed by US government (Paterson, 2002). It was aimed at regulating internal affairs of labor unions, as well as relations with the employees. This highly helped to settle industrial cases amicably as win-win situation was upheld. With shutdown in economic growth coupled with intensified global competitions after the really 1970, a larger number of labor management cooperations program advocated for improved efficiencies of most of they US organizations (Forbath, 2001). In the early 1990s, Clintons administration established a commission to look at the future of workers management relations aimed at addressing broad range of issues. Some of them included labor management corporation programs and reforms of the United States labor laws. Conclusion From above information, it is evident that labor management through plans, such as five-dollar plans by Ford among others, has been vital for the success of labor movements across the world. Across the globe, labor movements have led to formation political parties, such as in Australia and United Kingdom. These political parties are largely popular due to their efforts to fight for the rights of workers in those countries. 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Helicoprion Facts and Figures

Helicoprion Facts and Figures Name: Helicoprion (Greek for spiral saw); pronounced HEH-lih-COPE-ree-on Habitat: Oceans worldwide Historical Period: Early Permian-Early Triassic (290-250 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 13-25 feet long and 500-1,000 pounds Diet: Marine animals; possibly specialized in squids Distinguishing Characteristics: Shark-like appearance; rolled-up teeth in front of jaw About Helicoprion The only surviving evidence of the prehistoric shark Helicoprion is a tight, curled-up coil of triangular teeth, a bit like a fruit roll-up, but considerably deadlier. As far as paleontologists can tell, this bizarre structure was attached to the bottom part of Helicoprions jaw, but exactly how it was used, and on what prey, remains a mystery. Some experts think the coil was used to grind away the shells of swallowed mollusks, while others (perhaps influenced by the movie Alien) think Helicoprion unfurled the coil explosively like a whip, spearing any unfortunate creatures in its path. Whatever the case, the existence of this coil is proof that the natural world can be stranger than (or at least as strange as) fiction! A recent fossil analysis, conducted with the aid of a high-resolution CT scanner, appears to have solved the Helicoprion enigma. Apparently, this creatures whirled teeth were actually housed inside the bone of its lower jaw; the new teeth gradually unfurled into Helicoprions mouth and pushed the older ones further away (indicating either that Helicoprion replaced its teeth unusually rapidly, or that it subsisted on soft-bodied prey like squids). In addition, when Helicoprion closed its mouth, its distinctive tooth whorl pushed food further into the back of its throat. In this same article, the authors argue that Helicoprion was not, in fact, a shark, but a prehistoric relative of the cartilaginous fish known as ratfish. Part of what makes Helicoprion such an exotic creature is when it lived: all the way from the early Permian period, about 290 million years ago, to the early Triassic, 40 million years later, at a time when sharks were only beginning to obtain a tentative toehold (or finhold) on the undersea food chain, competing as they did with comparably fierce marine reptiles. Amazingly, the early Triassic fossil specimens of Helicoprion indicate that this ancient shark somehow managed to survive the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, which killed a whopping 95 percent of marine animals (though, to be fair, Helicoprion only managed to struggle on for a million years or so before succumbing to extinction itself).

The Economic Role of R & D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Economic Role of R & D - Essay Example However, behind all these, Canada seems to have been a very quiet spectator seeming lagging on the development bandwagon. The country seems to have been a very quite neighbour, dwarfed by the gigantic research and development machinery of the United States. Sancton1 abhors the seemingly backwardness and lack of initiative on the Canadian government to invest in research and development comparing the cities’ innovations that are left wanting as well as the seemingly lack of political will to support such investments that will lead to economic development. However, it is quite unfair to match the two nations evenly since there is a large difference between the dollars allotted by Americans to research and development than Canadians. Hence, it is only fair for any country with lesser resources to allocate these much more intelligently and therefore focus of the much needed improvements that are essential for the betterment of their constituents. Thus, even governments and non-pro fit organizations have adopted the use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) postulated by Kaplan and Norton in order to be able to have a more strategically planned allocation of these resources. Of course these institutions work on a limited funding whereby there are the limitations of taxes and grants respectively2. Hence, in light of the aforementioned limitations, Canada cannot go toe-to-toe with its giant neighbour in terms of research spending. However, as Clark brings forward, the country has more consciously focused their research efforts in order to have more impact and to be able to bring in more economic developments given the limited amount of funding available3. A Parallel Flux There has been an increasingly similarity though on the forces that affect the two countries. The impact of the forces has steadily been having the same effect on the US and Canada whereby there has been an increasing similarity in the responses of the two countries as the effects of such forces affec t the two countries in almost the same way. However, as mentioned, the capability of the latter seem wanting as compared to the former4. Indeed, Canada needs to step up on the research and development area since the competition globally has likewise become stiffer. Of course Canadians will want to enjoy the same economic prosperity by the other countries, especially its peers among the advanced economies. There have been improvements that have crept at towards the close of the last century5. However, these changes have not moved fast when the speed of the global economy shifted to a higher gear when the technological innovations kicked in during the past decade. Indeed, the only effect of the housing crisis of the US in Canada was the dampening in the demand for housing needs, particularly lumber, which goes to show the extent to the disparity between the neighbouring economies. Focused Improvement In effect, the country has to really focus its efforts to improve their research and technology. Basically, economics is about allocating scarce resources and Canada knows that compared to its giant neighbour, their resources are indeed lacking. However, research truly involves more than funding since it also involves the intelligence of researchers and of course their creativity which cannot always be calibrated. But, given the realities, the

Internship report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Internship report - Essay Example The intern was also able to participate in market campaigns for the different products sold by Unilever. The intern performed duties such as communicating with agents and following up their progress in the market, emailing customers and sales agents, and helping in the daily activities of the department. The purpose of the internship was to expose the student to real life situations where one would be able to apply the theoretical principles learned in class. They were also expected to be creative and innovative and help the marketing department in designing market research and product promotion techniques. An intern was also supposed to apply reasoning and show high sense of responsibility. Marketing is both a theoretical and practical skill. After getting the theoretical concepts related to marketing and the market, it is important that someone gets access to a real market and apply the skills learned in class. This is very important and helps one to develop decision-making skills and get to know the challenges in marketing. This report covers the activities conducted by an intern during the internship period at Unilever Company. It covers what was accomplished during the internship period and the learning outcomes that were met during the internship period. This report also gives recommendations on what the company can implement to increase its sales and operations. It also gives tips that the company can adopt to give better internship to future interns. The report is basically based on the marketing of Dove and the related challenges as seen in the market. It gives the strategies used by Unilever to ensure high sales volume in their products. It also covers the str ategies used by Unilever to ensure that they compete favorably in the market. A number of marketing campaigns have been highlighted to show the activities the intern participated to boost sales and track

St. Francis Of Assisi Essay -- essays research papers

St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering. Francis joined the military at the age of 20. Prior to this date (1202), the favoured son showed his parents that he would like to follow his own life, not in the footsteps of his father. After his enlistment, he struggled heroically in one bloody battle, but his troop experienced defeat. Taken prisoner of war, he was held captive for several months, then released and sent home. His parents were joyful and made up to him for the long months of suffering by showering him with affection. Francis probably enjoyed receiving extra money the most from this. Being a prisoner of war did take a toll on Francis. His body became so sick that he almost died and it took over a year to recover. It was during this year that for the first time in his young life, he did some serious pondering. He explored the age old problems, "What am I?", "Where do I come from?", "Where am I going", "What is this world?" and "What is love?". St. Francis was an Italian Catholic and a talented poet. As an Italian, his heart moved naturally to deep affection, love and enjoyment. As a poet, he could see right through the outcome of those answers. One night during a dream, he saw his house turned into a palace. The walls of this palace were hung with glorious armory, banners, shields, and swords – all instruments of war. Suddenly he heard a voice, it explained that this was to be his palace, the gathering place for all his knights. The arms were theirs, the banners, and tokens of their countless conquests. To complete this wonderful dream, a gorgeous bride awaited him. St. Francis awoke charmed. A few days after that, he left Assisi to go to Southern Italy to enlist. He reached Spoleto, wh... ...Gospel with the greatest amount of individual liberty and the minimum of regulation. Cardinal Hugolino, the late Gregory IX, assisted Francis in the completion of the Rule of in 1223. All this effort took its tool on the health of Francis, he started realizing that he was nearing the end of his life. Since he believed he had lived like Christ, he pleaded to die like Christ. In 1224, accompanied by a few followers, he marched up the Alvernia Mountain, near Assisi to pray. At this time, Francis and Christ shared words with each other. Extreme exchanges were made between both sides. Francis told Christ about his request, to his wonder, the crucified figure of Christ surfaced to him. When Francis stepped back, he discovered that his body had wounds located in the same five areas that Jesus suffered on the cross. During the last two years of Francis’ life, his health was destroyed. He felt tremendous pain in his eyes, spleen, and liver, stomach and have contracted malaria. Francis knew his last days were nearing. He asked his attendants to sing to him, for Francis enjoyed the sound of music. St. Francis died on October 3rd, 1226, while singing his nature song, Canticle of the Sun.

Cemetery billing and mapping system Essay

1.0 INTRODUCTION Technology has grown over the years and has made the life of mankind much easier. Technology is all around us and shows no sign of disappearing. It helps enhance the quality of life and business by doing many of our everyday tasks, which leaves more time to spend on more demanding and tedious matters. Computers are a great aid for businesses in terms of making a system from different aspects faster, proficient, and reliable. Computerized systems can generate reports and records in a fraction of the time compared to manual methods. Today, many of the world’s successful companies use computers for record keeping and report generations. Only a few have yet to adapt to the idea of computerized systems and continue to use a manual method of writing and recording in logbooks. Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. is a privately owned cemetery located in Ampid II San Mateo, Rizal. Their main office is located at Door No. 12 Marietta Arcade MR Center, Marcos Highway, San Roque Marikina City. The cemetery first opened in November, 1973, by Mr. Romeo M. Liamzon. It is currently being led by their president Marietta Liamzon, the wife of the late Mr. Romero M. Liamzon. Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. offers memorial services and lots for the deceased. Having a computerized Billing and Tracking system will help provide a proficient way to record, organize, and store data, regarding the client’s information. The system will help lessen the time and workload of the companies’ employees by giving faster, organized, accurate, and reliable information and records. 1.1 Background of the Problem In today’s modern age, computer has become a way of life; it is very evident that a majority of the country’s businesses still have not yet adapted to high technology. Particularly in most independent companies, daily transactions are still done on paper or old computer practices. We all know that modern offices are now operating at great pace striving to serve as many clients as possible with the best of their abilities. Although, as the years roll by, the number of clients and customers have grown and various record cases arise from these manual methods of managing clients’ records. Paraiso Memorial Parks, Inc. is a private cemetery located at San Mateo, Rizal. It was formerly founded by Mr. Romeo M. Liamzon, the late husband of President Marietta Liamzon, on November 1973. It currently has more than 20,000 customers and still continues to increase. It has (28)twenty-eight hectares of lot which are classified into five different types of memorial lot (1) lawn lot, (2) court, (3)presidential, (4) family estate, and (5)apartments (see attachment D-all. ), and are classified into 3 kinds of lots which is (a)Regular lot (b)Special (c)Premium Special. Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. has surely grown over the years and along with it, its customers; the increasing numbers has been neglected over the years and therefore some of the processes of Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. are in need of modification or update. Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. is currently using a manual method of Billing and Tracking system. This manual method is prone to human errors and requires a considerable amount of time and effort. When computing the payments of a customer, wrong input into a ledger due to human errors can result in creation of a new entry, which consumes valuable time and effort. This leads to the delay of posting on the payments of a customer. There have also been cases where a page or the whole ledger is lost, damaged, or misplaced. It can be troublesome in finding the misplaced page or reproducing a damaged page. The filing of records is also a manual method of writing down information and then storing them into file cabinets. Records can be lost or misplaced from not being properly inserted into the file cabinets. If a request is made to view the record of a specific client, the employee must search through each folder of the file cabinet, which is very time consuming. Records and data lack security. Customer information is at risk to unauthorized viewing. Since there is no lock on the ledgers or file cabinets, anyone can gain access and view records or customer information. Once a customer has been issued a customer booklet, there have been cases where in a customer will forget to bring their customer booklet when giving a payment of installment. The employee will have a hard time finding the account of the customer since the contract number is unknown. They will search manually through each ledger, name by name. This becomes a problem since their ledgers are not organized in alphabetical order. In tracking a specific grave for customers, relatives, or visitors who do not know or remember the address of the lot, Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. will search through several blotters for the name or address of the requested lot. The blotters are not arranged in alphabetical order, so the employee must search thoroughly name by name. The tallying of the available lots in Paraiso Memorial Park can be strenuous with the large number of overall lots in Paraiso. In order to find out how many lots are still available for sale, employees must compile the information gathered from numerous blotters. 1.2 Overview of the Current State of the Technology Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. has valid agents that are authorized to assist old customers and especially new clients that are willing to buy. There are 20 transactions averaging per day and Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. has 20,000 customers (already fully paid) to serve. There are two ways to inquire a lot in Paraiso Memorial Park Inc.; these are the following; Inquiring to avail a lot in Paraiso Memorial Park First customers inquire through an agent in the park which is called â€Å"The Officer of the Day†. This agent usually holds a Plan of the Park, Pricelist of the kind’s lots in Paraiso Memorial Park, Sales Application Form, Individual Application for Creditor and Contract to Sell. Customers may then ask about the price of the lot, kinds and classification of lot, terms and condition of payments, and how the customer will pay (cash or check) and where. The Agent will occasionally accompany their client throughout the park if requested; if the customer is willing and agrees to buy the lot, the agent checks the lot plan if the requested lot is available or not, then double checking it by calling the main office located in San Roque, Marikina City. If the availability of the lot requested is confirmed available, the agent will then present the Sales Application Form and Customer Data Sheet, Application Form for Individual Application for Creditor, and Contract to Sell to be filled up by the customer. The said forms stipulate the policy of the company regarding lot utilization, rules, and regulations. The agent and the customer will begin scheduling a date and time for when they will go to the main office for verification of data and issuance of a deposit slip. This deposit slip will be presented to the bank (Life Saving Bank besides the main office) upon payment. Afterwards, they will return to the Main Office for the issuance of official receipt, and the customer booklet depending if customer is in installment basis. Inquiring to avail a lot in Paraiso Memorial Park Inquiry through the Paraiso Memorial Park main office; located in San Roque, Marikina City. There is also an agent there called â€Å"The Officer of the Day†. Customers inquire through this agent and follow the same steps and procedures as if at the park office inquiry, except the customer cannot survey the memorial lots. The checking of availability of the requested lot is also quicker, since the main office holds the blotter. Issuance of the â€Å"Certificate of Ownership† will be given within a month after the full payment to have it prepared and signed by the official signatory and a PHP500.00 fee will be charge. The Contract to sell will be given to the buyer once it is signed by the official signatory that is within a month of the first payment. Along with the Contract to Sell is the Perpetual Care Fund in a form of trust amounting to PHP 5, 500.00 to PHP 132, 000.00 depending on the lot. (See Attachment C-7) Paraiso Memorial Park accepts all kinds of Check, whether Post-Dated Check or Personal Check. When a customer gives a post-dated check Paraiso Memorial Park prints out in a paper the information on the post-dated check and signs it saying Paraiso Memorial Park Inc. receives the post-dated check. The Individual Application for Creditor is a form of Insurance wherein if the conditions are met, a PHP 20,000.00 will be deducted to the remaining balance of the buyer. (See Attachment C-3.) If the customer is unable to pay according to the payment terms, a penalty will be given depending on how long the customer is overdue. A three (3) month grace period is given before charging for the penalty interest. Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. offers up to six (6) terms of payment. (See Attachment C-21 and C-22). If the customer needs to use his/her memorial lot for burial purposes (Interment), she/he must pay in full or in cash in order for the lot to be used or utilized. Paraiso Memorial Inc. will provide an Interment Form which is only provided in the Main Office. The authorized (beneficiaries) customer will fill-out the interment form and apply for an interment. Issuance of deposit slip is also given by the cashier at the main office for paying the interment fees at the bank (Life Saving Bank beside the main office of Paraiso Memorial Park Inc.). After paying, the customer will then return to the main office for the issuance of Official Receipt. Then Information is now recorded into the interment sheet. When a customer is at-need (customer needs a memorial lot for immediate burial), he/she must pay in full or in cash in order for the lot to be used or utilized, take note that in this kind of transaction, the lot price is much higher than pre-need sales. The Sales Application Form, Customer Data Sheet and Contract to Sell are now manually recorded into two (2), one is the â€Å"Blotter† and the other is the â€Å"Subsidiary Ledger†. The Subsidiary ledger contains information about a single account, while the â€Å"Blotter† contains the information of the purchased memorial lot. The Tracking process or finding the availability of lots in Paraiso Memorial Park Inc. is done by manually scanning the lot plan and blotters. The lot plan is the map of Paraiso Memorial Park; this is categorized by Area and Garden, and is arranged by blocks/lots (see attachment C-25). Availability of the lot can also be seen here. The Blotter contains lot area, contract no., name of buyer, date availed and the remarks (if lot is fully paid or not). Paraiso Memorial Park, Inc. constantly updates their lot plan and blotters to remove the occurrence of double sales. The Park checks once a year the overall number of available lots up for sale. Currently Paraiso Memorial Parks has 25,000 lots. 1.3 Project Rationale A computerized billing and tracking system is very important in the succession of adaption on monitoring billings and customers of Paraiso Memorial Park Inc. This brings vast opportunities for development of Memorial Companies whereas data is already in their grasps. To the company, it is intended to take full advantage of current technologies that provide you with the ability to maximize your resources, increase productivity, improve accuracy and promote great cost effectiveness. To the employee, it is developed with functions which help save time and effort. It also provides an easy access to the authorized personnel only and performs automatic computation for billing. To the customer, the best information and services are ready to serve and a faster billing process is given, creating less hassle on paying bills. To the future researcher, this will guide them as a reference for their future subjects related in this study and can then be improved as technology and knowledge is growing. To STI College Marikina, this will serve as a reference to future students and will give them idea in creating or building a system of their own. This project aims to design and provide a methodology and its associated tools in order to support the integration of applications and process which have not necessarily been designed to coexist for memorial parks and competitive business.