Having a busy life Essay

It’s funny how everyone is constantly going, getting stuff done. You go from the beginning of freshman year to sophomore year in the blink of an eye, where does the time go? When does the time matter? It feels as though once I get one task accomplished I’m expected to fulfill the next; it’s a never-ending cycle. With busy schedules that consist of wake up, get ready, go to school, go to work, eat, homework, clean, and so on, how could we have the time to simply just stop and think. By the time we have completed the lengthy list of daily tasks we are simply too exhausted or tired to sit down and reflect over our day. Some days I go home and honestly I couldn’t tell you what I had for lunch. On top of my classes I also participate in Dance, Robotics, and a full time job. One of my close friends has FFA, FCCLA, volleyball, Basketball, Track, and all A’s. We busy ourselves with daily schoolwork and extracurricular activities to the point that we are simply just trying to climb out of the mounds of papers and piles of athletic shoes just to crawl into bed out of pure exhaustion. What happened to the days where we had playtime? Would we even know what to do with it? If you sat our grade together in a room and took away our phones, homework, worries, sport practices, and all other distractions, what would we do? Honestly the last time I had absolutely nothing to do I just took a nap. That’s almost pathetic when I was little I was creative with my time I had a big imagination and was loaded with curiosity and energy, now I just nap. I remember the blankets draped over chairs to make forts and drawings cluttering the fridge. It’s sad to see that napping is the way I prefer to spend my small amount of unscheduled time. I’ve somewhat out grown hanging out with my friends ever since they got their cell phones we are together, but we aren’t, they text all the people they aren’t with; you get little time in between the pattern of ringers going off. Secrets are no longer kept they are sent through text to anyone willing to give them time. I am not just saying my friends do this I find myself guilty of this too but honestly I really wish it would just stop. I miss the time of late night sleepovers; giggling over boys and gossiping. In the midst of a society centered on technology how could we possibly just step away from it? The little things in life are a blessing and a curse at the same time. They can either make or break your day and there really is not an in between. In 5 seconds you could have a new inside joke with your best friend or you could trip and see half the school laugh at you. Some of the little things that happen throughout the day can make a big impact and only take a small amount of time. We need to reflect on these bits of time I don’t mean to fret over them, but just smile over them. It’s the small things that happen in a day that make our lives good, When you help a friend work out a problem or are there just to let them vent. When you smile and wave at all the familiar faces you see throughout the day. Simply reminiscing with a family member or friend, is one of those moments that you will remember a lot better than the busy daily routine you do have. If we could cut back on the extracurricular activities and put away our phones for a few minutes wouldn’t it make us better people? Stepping away from the glare of cell phone screens and pressures of school and just enjoy our last bits of time before being adults sounds wonderful. We just need a small amount of time to enjoy the smaller moments in life. Our time is cluttered with activities and social networking crammed into every waking moment, when does it ever end?

World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter

Introduction to E-Commerce Revenue Models Objectives In this chapter, you will learn about: Revenue models How some companies move from one revenue model to another to achieve success Revenue strategy issues that companies face when selling on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 2 1 Objectives (continued) Creating an effective business presence on the Web Web site usability Communicating effectively with customers on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 3 Revenue Models Mail order or catalog model Proven to be successful for a wide variety of consumer items Web catalog revenue model Taking the catalog model to the WebAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 4 2 Computers and Consumer Electronics Apple, Dell, Gateway, and Sun Microsystems have had great success selling on the Web Dell created value by designing its entire business around offering a high degree of configuration flexibility to its customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 5 Books, Music , and Videos Retailers use the Web catalog model to sell books, music, and videos Among the most visible examples of electronic commerce Jeff Bezos Formed Amazon. com Jason and Matthew Olim Formed an online music store they called CDnow Used the Web catalog revenue model An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 6 3 Luxury Goods People are still reluctant to buy luxury goods through a Web site Web sites of Vera Wang and Versace Constructed to provide information to shoppers, not to generate revenue Web site of Evian Designed for a select, affluent group of customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 7 Clothing Retailers Lands’ End Pioneered the idea of online Web shopping assistance with its Lands’ End Live feature in 1999 Personal shopper Intelligent agent program that learns customer’s preferences and makes suggestions Virtual model Graphic image built from customer measurements An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 8 4 Flowers and Gifts 1-800-Flowers C reated an online extension to its telephone order business Chocolatier Godiva Offers business gift plans on its site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 9 Digital Content Revenue Models Firms that own intellectual property have embraced the Web as a new and highly efficient distribution mechanism Lexis. com Provides full-text search of court cases, laws, patent databases, and tax regulations ProQuest Sells digital copies of published documents An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 10 5 Advertising-Supported Revenue Models Broadcasters provide free programming to an udience along with advertising messages Success of Web advertising is hampered by No consensus on how to measure and charge for site visitor views Stickiness of a Web site: the ability to keep visitors and attract repeat visitors Very few Web sites have sufficient visitors to interest large advertisers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 11 Web Portals Web directory A listing of hyperlinks to Web pages Portal or Web portal Site used as a launching point to enter the Web Almost always includes a Web directory and search engine Examples: Yahoo! , AOL, AltaVista An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 12 6 Advertising-SubscriptionMixed Revenue Models Subscribers Pay a fee and accept some level of advertising Typically are subjected to much less advertising Used by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 13 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models (continued) Business Week Offers some free content at its Business Week online site Requires visitors to buy a subscription to the Business Week print magazine An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 14 7 Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models Businesses offer services and charge a fee based on the number or size of transactions processed DisintermediationRemoval of an intermediary from a value chain Reintermediation Introduction of a new intermediary An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 15 Fe e-for-Service Revenue Models Fee based on the value of a service provided Services range from games and entertainment to financial advice Online games Growing number of sites include premium games in their offerings Site visitors must pay to play these premium games An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 16 8 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models (continued) Concerts and films As more households obtain broadband access to the Internet, companies are providing streaming video of concerts and films to paying ubscribers Professional Services State laws are one of the main forces preventing U. S. professionals from extending their practices to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 17 Revenue Models in Transition Subscription to advertising-supported model Microsoft founded its Slate magazine Web site An upscale news and current events publication Charged an annual subscription fee after a limited free introductory period Was unable to draw sufficient number of paid subscribers Now operated as an advertising-supported site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 18 9 Advertising-Supported to AdvertisingSubscription Mixed Model Salon. om Operated for several years as an advertisingsupported site Now offers an optional subscription version of its site Subscription offering was motivated by the company’s inability to raise additional money from investors An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 19 Advertising-Supported to Feefor-Services Model Xdrive Technologies Opened its original advertising-supported Web site in 1999 Offered free disk storage space online to users After two years, it was unable to pay the costs of providing the service with the advertising revenue generated Later switched to a subscription-supported model An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 20 10 Advertising-Supported to Subscription Model Northern Light Founded in August 1997 as a search engine with a twist Revenue model Combination of advertising-supported model plus a fee-base d information access service January 2002 Converted to a new revenue model that was primarily subscription supported An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 21 Multiple Transitions Encyclop? dia Britannica Original offerings The Britannica Internet Guide Free Web navigation aid Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Available for a subscription fee or as part of a CD package 1999 Converted to a free, advertiser-supported site 001 Returned to a mixed model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 22 11 Revenue Strategy Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribution channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation servicesIncrease the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals (continued) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing positive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle modelA dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U. S. Home page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 29 Profit-Driven Organizations (continued) Quaker Oats Web site does not offer a particularly strong sense of corporate presence Site is a straightforward presentation of links to information about the firm Redesigned site is essentially the same as the previous version An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 30 15 Quaker Oats Old Home Page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 31 Quaker Oats Home Page: 1999 RedesignAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 32 16 Not-for-Profit Organizations Key goal for the Web sites Information dissemination Key element on any successful electronic commerce Web site Combination of information dissemination and a two-way contact channel An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 33 Web Site Usability Motivations of Web site visitors Learning about products or services that the company offers Buying products or services that the company offers Obtaining information about warranty, service, or repair policies for products they purchased Obtaining general information about the company or organizationAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 34 17 Web Site Usability (continued) Motivations of Web site visitors Obtaining financial information for making an investment or credit granting decision Identifying the people who manage the company or organization Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 35 Making Web Sites Accessible One of the best ways to accommodate a broad range of visitor needs is to build flexibility into the Web site’s interface Good site design lets visitors choose among information attributes Web sites can offer visitors multiple nformation formats by including links to files in those formats An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 36 18 Making Web Sites Accessible (continued) Goals that should be met when constructing Web sites Offer easily accessible facts about the organization Allow visitors to experience the site in different ways and at different levels Sustain visitor attention and encourage return visits Offer easily accessible information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 37 Trust and Loyalty A 5 percent increase in customer loyalty can yield profit increases between 25% and 80% Repetition of satisfactory service can build ustomer loyalty Customer service is a problem for many electronic commerce sites An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 38 19 Usability Testing Companies that have done usability tests Conduct focus groups Watch how different customers navigate through a series of Web site test designs Cost of usability testing is low compared to the total cost of a Web site design or overhaul to E-Commerce An Introduction Winter 85, 39 Customer-Centric Web Site Design Putting the customer at the center of all site designs Guidelines Design the site around how visitors will navigate the links Allow visitors to access information quicklyAvoid using inflated marketing statements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 40 20 Customer-Centric Web Site Design (continued) Guidelines Avoid using business jargon and terms that visitors might not understand Be consistent in use of design features and colors Make sure navigation controls are clearly labeled Test text visibility on smaller monitors Conduct usability tests An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 41 Connecting With Customers Personal contact model Firm’s e mployees individually search for, qualify, and contact potential customers Prospecting Personal contact approach to identifying and reaching customersMass media approach Firms prepare advertising and promotional materials about the firm and its products An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 42 21 Connecting With Customers (continued) Addressable media Advertising efforts directed to a known addressee Also called mass media One-to-many communication model Communication flows from one advertiser to many potential buyers One-to-one communication model Both buyer and seller participate in information exchange An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 43 Business Communication Modes An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 44 22 Summary Models used to generate revenue on the WebWeb catalog Digital content sales Advertising-supported Advertising-subscription mixed Fee-for-transaction and fee-for-service Companies undertaking electronic commerce initiatives sometimes Form strategic allia nces Contract with channel distribution managers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 45 Summary (continued) Firms must understand how the Web differs from other media Enlisting the help of users when building test versions of the Web site is a good way to create a site that represents the organization well Firms must also understand the nature of communication on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 46 23

Essentials of Public Speaking Fifth Edition Cheryl Hamilton Tarrant Essay

Essentials of Public Speaking Fifth Edition Cheryl Hamilton Tarrant country collage-NE Campus - Essay Example This is because sometimes the government relies on certain citizens for contribution; chances to present a speech are almost unlimited. Not only does learning to present speeches is an advantage to the society, but also it helps to improve our careers, many companies have their speaker bureau of which they use them to release their message to the public (Hamilton 6). An example of public speaking includes announcements. When analyzing an audience, first, I conduct a poll that will determine if the audience is familiar with the topic of discussion. I have learnt that I should get to know the audience beliefs, morals, values, sex and age. Moreover, I have learnt to make sure to know what type of audience I have, and plan on how to make them listen to me and still remember. In addition, while researching, I make sure that I do it thoroughly and take notes. In addition, I have learnt to include names of author and page numbers where necessary (Hamilton 71). The best way to improve active listening as described in chapter two and three is by involving my audience (giving them an emotional stake) in what one is saying there are likely to listen attentively to your speech (Hamilton 57). Practice reduces speech anxiety because when one practices they feel more prepared. Speaker anxiety is a feeling of nervousness and uncomfortable while speaking before an audience. Most speakers that undergo speaker anxiety feel that it is almost awkward to get rid of, but the experienced speakers know how to overcome speaker anxiety. One can use negative emotions for example fear, guilt, shame or anger, but one can still use positive emotions such as joy, relief, hope or compassion. One must also make the audience feel there is something in our speech that will benefit them. If a speaker needs his or her audience to trust and understand the hummer and the information in their speech, they need to do the following; they

Understanding of virtue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Understanding of virtue - Assignment Example , n.d.) If this is correct, the virtue of a dressmaker is what enables her to sew beautiful dresses, or the virtue of a gardener is what enables him to produce a bountiful harvest, or etc.. In this aspect, virtue is different from person to person, but this does not give us a general description of a virtue. Mackenzie (1985), in her discussions of moral theories, said that Plato has a naturalist approach to evaluative qualities, and to relations which causes complexities. It is Plato’s reasoning that an object has a particular value to different persons at a different time and in a different relation, it is opposite. As digressed By Mackenzie, Plato values of an object vary subjectively, so that to be able to understand it, one must be able to assess and understand it, and that sometimes, these assessments are contradictory, since they are cognitively unreliable. Plato has made a conclusion, as Mackenzie pointed out, that â€Å"over and above sensible things, there exists ent ities that give absolute understanding of values, and these are the Forms which are cognitively reliable, pure instantiations, or absolutes, of value that provide us with the knowledge of what is best†. Plato’s representation is hard to follow, as in when he said that when we use a value term twice, it should have the same meaning, in mind. Plato has a view that for any given term, there should only be one Form that represents it all. (Mackenzie) There should be a universal term, but this thing is not possible because of complexity of meaning. Take the word beautiful or noble for example. This means, as I gathered from Plato’s discourse, a term may have different evaluative meaning like the words useful, fine and pleasant The first discourse In Plato’s dialogue about virtue and the question that lies beneath is whether or not virtue can be taught. His understanding of virtue in the book is that virtue is not a form of knowledge and that it has no clear definition. I cannot simply

Is History an art, a science or a craft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Is History an art, a science or a craft - Essay Example Cosmic, organic history and geologic developments are some of the events that are considered part of (human) history1. Meaning of art An art on the other hand is a study of creative skill or the study of a collection of disciplines which produce artworks which are driven by personal drive, in order to convey mood, a message or symbolism, for the viewer to analyse and interpret. Arts stimulate an individual’s emotions, thoughts, ideas and beliefs through the senses2. Meaning of science The phrase science derives its origin from the Latin phrase, scentia, meaning knowledge. As such, the phrase denotes science as a study of a systematic field of study which compiles and organises knowledge in the form of verifiable explanations and predictions concerning the universe and the life forms therein. Derry3 explains how classical qualifications such as the one passed by Aristotle conversely makes science the study of the body of reliable knowledge, or the study of knowledge which are r ationally and logically explainable. ... This may also involve the collection and transmission of knowledge about a craft. Because of this, guilds are inclusive of skilled amateurs, professional artisans and even beginners who may harbour specific interests in a given craft. There are series of tests to evaluate skills and provide frameworks for training new crafters. There has been a lack of consensus regarding the classification of crafts, with some academicians placing crafts as a hybrid between art and science, given that art relies on technique and talent, and science, knowledge4. How history ties in with the definitions above Interestingly enough, it is a matter of striking uniqueness that history ties with the definitions that have been advanced above. For one, one can see history as being tied to art since art is the study of creative skill or the study of a collection of disciplines which produce artworks which are driven by personal drive. The applicability of this standpoint to history is underscored by the fact that the creative skill mentioned above is critical for a historian to imagine a hypothetical problem, before he goes ahead to solve that specific problem by testing it. For instance, if a historian wants to establish the applicability and future of state competitiveness in international relations (as is envisioned in the theory of realism), then that academician my have to revisit the era between 1787 and 1990. This is because, it is in 1787 that the French Revolution took place, and thereby sparking the need for the Concert of Europe. The politics of Europe in turn triggered the World War I and II, before catalyasing the emergence of the Cold War. The definition of science partly qualifies history, given that science

Management in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management in context - Essay Example e union density is an expression of the proportion of eligible workforce which can be used as an indicator of the degree to which workers or employees are organized. Trade union density differ from geographical areas by the fact that it lays emphasis on level of organization of workers and not how they are distributed all over the world. Female are more likely to join trade unions because they have unique challenges that need to be address contrary to those facing the male employees. Such include maternity offs. Therefore they need such issue to be handled generally by trade unions. In servicing strategy, the members are like third parties to the trade union and they do not play active roles in them while in organizing strategy, the members are the union themselves by playing a very active role in it. Public sector employees are more likely to engage in industrial actions because they enjoy a lot of job security compared to those in the private sector. They are not under any risk of job loss even when they go on strike or other industrial

IT in Businesses. Week Six Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT in Businesses. Week Six - Essay Example It began with the Harvard Mark I electromechanical calculator in World War Two weighing five tons and 50 feet long. It was then replaced by the 30 ton Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, having 18,000 vacuum tubes and occupying a large space. The invention of the transistor in 1947 gave way for the development of smaller, powerful and more resourceful computers. Input-output tools changed to magnetic tape from punch cards, and new computer languages were developed to interact with the new technology (Laudon & Laudon, 2010). The second stage started in the 1970s when processors on chips and magnetic discs were built. They decentralized computing power from bulky data centers to smaller offices. Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak sold Apple II machines and Bill Gates founded Microsoft. IBM launched the Personal Computer in 1981 (O’Brien, 1999). The third stage involved embedding microprocessors in electronic products. As the complexity of technology grew and the costs reduced, the need for information sharing within enterprises also increased, giving rise to client/server era in which networked computers could access shared information on a server (O’Brien, 1999). The fourth stage of IT evolution originated from the US Department of Defense. It enabled high speed networks and coupled portions of the business enterprise together giving information access encircling the entire management structure. Universities linked up to this system and used it to deliver messages. The US National Science Foundation and several universities set up their own networks, leading to the onset of the popular World Wide Web and broadband (Laudon & Laudon, 2010). The fifth, which is the latest stage, is the wireless one and includes cloud computing. It incorporates the use of cell phones and wifi networks. It gives rise to high levels of mobility independent of location, configuration and nature of the hardware. This phase began with the invention of the mobile phone. It