Thursday, October 31, 2019

How can an understanding of nonverbal communication make business Assignment

How can an understanding of nonverbal communication make business communication more effective - Assignment Example Some common forms of nonverbal communication were also discussed which included gestures, glances, postures, body language, eye contact, tone of voice, and facial expressions. Nonverbal communication was included in the paper in order to know the significance of nonverbal communication in a workplace environment. Kinesics, proxemics and paralanguage were also discussed in order to get a deep understanding of nonverbal communication. After describing nonverbal communication in detail, effectiveness of nonverbal communication was discussed supported by some examples regarding use of nonverbal communication in a business environment. Examples were given in the last paragraph of the paper in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of nonverbal communication between the manager and the employees working in any specific company. Communication is a skill related to the transfer of knowledge from one person to another. Any individual needs to communicate with some other individual or group of individuals in order to transmit some information. Without communication, no knowledge or information can be transferred form one person to any other person. Communication needs the participation of at least two parties form which one party transfers the information while the party at the second end acts as the receiver of the information. Communication plays a vital role in each and every field of life because no activity can be performed by a person without having required amount of knowledge regarding that specific activity which comes through communication. Communication is of two types which are verbal and nonverbal communication. In verbal communication, a person makes use of tongue in order to transfer some information to another person whereas in nonverbal communication, gestures and body language play the role o f communication among the individuals. Sending and receiving of wordless messages or information is referred to as

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Working with and leading people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Working with and leading people - Essay Example Hiring the right person, for the right position, and at the right time is important as far as the success of an organization is concerned. Making mistakes during the recruitment and selection process might be extremely costly for the organization i.e. might destroy its reputation. Selection and recruitment documentation During the selection and recruitment of an employee, an organization must prepare some documentation and follow some procedures. The first step would involve preparation of a timetable. This entails allocating reasonable time to activities within the recruitment process i.e. advertisement for the position, short listing, and interviews among other activities. The second step would involve putting together the applicant’s park with some documents including a copy of the job description, the person’s specifications copy, an application form, as well as, the monitoring form. The third step would involve ensuring that the internal preparations are in place. For example, the recruiting personnel must ensure that there is a trained panel, as well as, making sure that there is an effective system for the short listing activity. The third step would involve advertising the post. The advertisement document must be effective in terms of attracting the best talents in the labor market to apply for the position. After the advertisement, the recruitment team should shortlist the qualified candidates. After short listing, the recruitment team should conduct the interviews and then select the best candidate for the position (Arthur, 2005). Legal, ethical, and regulatory implications in the recruitment and selection process In the recruitment and selection process, there are both legal and ethical implications that the recruitment team must put into consideration. Failure to comply with the legal requirements could be too costly for an organization, for example, it might result to litigations. Unethical practices, on the other hand, entails action s or activities that are morally wrong during the recruitment process. The recruitment team must implement key laws to ensure that the recruitment and selection process is equal and fair, absence of discrimination based on sex, age and ethnicity, and every applicant has the right to work in the country. For example, when the recruitment team is placing job adverts, it must ensure that it does not discriminate any applicant based on color or sex. There are sex discrimination laws, as well as, race relations laws. Other key laws include disability discrimination laws. On the other hand, there are unethical practices during the recruitment and selection process. For example, child labor is not only illegal, but also unethical. Some organizations utilize child labor because of the fact that it is less costly. This may hurt the organization i.e. destroying the reputation and legal penalties (Martin, 2010). The selection process The selection process entails choosing the best candidate fr om a pool of applicants. An effective selection process helps in the selection of the most suitable individual from the applicants’ list. The recruitment team must comply with all legal, as well as, ethical requirements. Screening during the selection process is critical as far as identifying the best applicants based on the job requirements. During the screening process, the recruitment team goes through the applicant’s documents i.e. the curriculum vitae to identify the academic and working history of a specific individual. If the recruitment team is convinced that a candidate is qualified it shortlists him or her for the assessment tests or for the oral interviews. At the assessment centers,

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Dissolving Aluminium Chloride in Water

Dissolving Aluminium Chloride in Water A controlled variable is a variable that stays the same throughout an experiment such as: adding a specific amount of water to test tubes filled with different amounts of ammonium chloride. An independent variable is the variable that is changed during an experiment, e.g. different amounts of ammonium chloride added to separate test tubes in an experiment. A dependant variable is a variable that changes because of the independent variable, e.g. the difference of temperatures when the first crystals begin forming in the separate test tubes filled with different amounts of ammonium chloride. In this experiment the controlled variable will be 10mL of water that is added to each test tube filled with ammonium chloride. The independent variable will be the different amounts of ammonium chloride put into each test tube. The dependant variable will be the temperature of the first crystals appearing in the test tubes filled with different amounts of ammonium chloride that are dissolved in water. Ammonium Chloride Ammonium chloride is a substance which has the molecular formula NH‚„Cl and is highly soluble in water. It was first manufactured during the 13th century in Egypt and Europe and was originally known as sal ammoniac. It is used for a variety of purposes. In medicine it is used as an expectorant, which clears the phlegm from the bronchi, lungs and trachea area. It is also used as a component in dry cell batteries, an ingredient in cough medicine and as a dietary supplement to maintain pH levels. (See http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ammonium-chloride.htm . Last Updated March 13th 2013.) Solubility Solubility is when a substance is dissolved in a solvent such as water. This is then measured in g/100mL to calculate the solubility of that substance in the solvent, e.g. The solubility of 50g of Ammonium chloride would be shown as 50g/100mL of water. Solubility is a method used to calculate how much of a substance can be dissolved in a solvent. This method can be explained in three different ways: a saturated solution, an unsaturated solution and a supersaturated solution. (See also: Study on Chemistry 1, page 295-96.) A saturated solution is where no more solute can dissolve in the solvent at a specific temperature.  [1]  An unsaturated solution is where more solute can be added to dissolve in the solvent at a specific temperature.  [2]  However, a supersaturated solution is where an unexpected amount of solute can still be dissolved in a solvent at a specific temperature. A supersaturated solution can only be achieved (with difficulty) by changing the conditions of the saturated solution.  [3]   In this experiment, the substance is Ammonium chloride and the solvent is water and when mixed together, the Ammonium chloride dissolves. Repeating this with different amounts of ammonium chloride gives us the solubility of Ammonium chloride in g/100mL of water. When adding more ammonium chloride, the max amount of the substance that can dissolve in the solvent is discovered, this is called a saturated solution. If a specific amount of ammonium chloride that always dissolves in g/100mL of water is used, it is called an unsaturated solution because more of the substance can be added to the solvent, to dissolve. If the saturated solution of the substance is reached but more of the substance is added and surprisingly dissolves in the solvent, it is called a supersaturated solution. This experiment can consist of a saturated or an unsaturated solution because the solubility of Ammonium chloride in water is unknown. (See also: URLs displayed in bibliography with a * next to it) Solubility Curve Solubility curve is a graph of solubility vs temperature. Solubility curves are used to predict the maximum amount of a substance that can be dissolved in a solvent at a specific temperature. Solvents A solvent is a substance that is either a liquid, solid or gas that dissolves a solute to create a solution. The maximum amount of a substance that any solvent can dissolve depends on the temperature of the solvent, e.g. If water can dissolve a maximum of 30g of ammonium chloride at 50 °C, but the temperature was increased to 60 °C it could dissolve more of the ammonium chloride. There are two categories of solvents: polar and non-polar solvents. A polar molecule has two sides; one is positive and the other negative, also known as a dipolar molecule. Polar molecules have polar bonds, though some can have polar bonds but are non-polar molecules. This is because the polar bonds are arranged in a way that they cancel each other out. The overall polarity of a molecule depends on the direction of the bond dipoles in a molecule which is determined by the shape of the molecule. Polar solvents can have a small electrical charge because of the shape of the compound. A compound such as water has the hydrogen atoms at opposite angles of the oxygen atom. The hydrogen atoms can create a small electrical charge because of the direction of the bond dipoles, which is determined by the shape of the hydrogen atom. A molecule may mix in a polar solvent if it has a polarity of its own. Salt and sugar both dissolve in water easily because their molecules are attracted to the small electrical charges of water. Non-polar solvents dont have an electrical charge and cannot mix with a polar solvent. Polar and non-polar solvents use a dielectric constant to provide a rough measure of the solvents polarity. Dielectric constants are the electrical properties of a solvent using a capacitor, in which electrical currents pass through. Non-polar solvents are considered to have a dielectric constant of less than 15. The polarity index measures the ability of a solvent to dissolve different polar materials. The results of both these tests are used in a table of common solvents and in future can be used for identifying solvents in chemical processes. (See also: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-polar-solvent.htm : Last Updated: 14th March 2013.) (See also: http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/pdf/solvent.miscibility.pdf : Last Updated 14th March 2013.) Polar and non polar solvents are related to this experiment because water is a polar solvent and ammonium chloride is a polar solute. This means that the two can mix together. If either one was a non-polar solvent or solute, they wouldnt mix because they dont have a positive or negative pole that binds them together. Endothermic Reactions An endothermic reaction is where a product absorbs energy from its surroundings, causing its surroundings to drop in temperature. In an exothermic chemical reaction the reactants have more energy than the products. However, in an endothermic chemical reaction the products have more energy than the reactants because it absorbs the energy from the reactants and the environment. If ammonium chloride is added in a beaker filled with water and dissolved, the beaker would become cold. This is because it is an endothermic reaction, where the ammonium chloride absorbs the energy from the solvent (water) and its surroundings. This is why we heat ammonium chloride, so that more of it can be dissolved in a solvent (water) and the temperature will not drop rapidly. (See also http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa_pre_2011/chemreac/energychangesrev1.shtml : Last Updated 14th March 2013.) What is being investigated? The idea of this investigation is to observe what happens when ammonium chloride is added in a test tube filled with a specific amount of water and heated. The next part of the investigation is to observe what happens when the product is allowed to cool. How is it being investigated? This experiment is being investigated by using a range of equipment. An electronic balance is being used to weigh the ammonium chloride and get an accurate result, and a burette to measure an accurate, 10mL of water which is added into a test tube with the ammonium chloride. An electric hot plate is then used to heat up this mixture, and dissolve it while in the process of heating. Next, a retort stand is used to cool down the mixture, so that you dont have to hold the test tube with your hand since it would be really, really hot! Finally, a digital thermometer is used to get a result of the temperature of when something happens in the test tube, when it is cooling down. These results of the experiment are written down and put into tables and graphs so that others may understand how the results were gathered using these equipment. How will the results be analysed? The results will be analysed by finding trends in the statistics that have been written down. These results will then be put into a table and graph. The table will be analysed to investigate if there are any results that dont fit in and if there is a reason why this result occurred during the experiment. The graph will be analysed by finding if there is a trend between the results on the graph (e.g. a constant) and how they match up. Next, the graph is analysed by checking if there is any inconsistencies or results that seem out of place. Finally, the graph is analysed by testing or checking the results to see if they are correct or incorrect. Materials solid ammonium chloride 2 retort stands 500 ml beaker Hand lens 250 mL distilled water burette burette holder large clean test tube electric hot plate spatula stirring rod digital thermometer 2 retort stand clamps heat mat electronic balance black card safety glasses Method 4gms of solid ammonium chloride was measured and the actual mass was recorded. The solid ammonium chloride was put into the large clean test tube. The burette was filled with distilled water till the level reached 10mL. This 10mL of water was added to the large clean test tube with the solid ammonium chloride. 300mL of hot water was added to the 500mL beaker. The beaker was placed on the electric hot plate. The beaker was heated up to boiling temperature and the large test tube was slowly placed inside with the water level in the beaker 3cm higher than the water level inside the test tube using the retort stand and clamp. The mixture in the test tube was gently stirred using the glass stirring rod until dissolved. The large test tube was removed from the beaker after the solid ammonium chloride dissolved and allowed to cool. The large test tube was stirred and watched using the hand lens and the black card to observe the first crystals form. The digital thermometer was used to measure the temperature of the first crystals forming. The mixture was then heated up again and using steps 7 -11 the process was repeated two more times to get the most accurate results of the crystals forming with 4gms of solid Ammonium Chloride. Steps 1 13 was repeated again using 5g, 6g and 7g of solid ammonium chloride. Discussion Trends The results in Table 1, 2 and Graph 1 all have one trend in common; as the temperature increases, the solubility of ammonium chloride increases. This trend shows that the results are reliable but not valid because graph 2, which is the accepted results, shows that the solubility curve of the two graphs do not match i.e. the values do not match but they follow the same pattern. Another trend in the results is the temperature, which shows that for the solubility of ammonium chloride, each gram that was tested roughly differs by 7 °C. This trend is neither reliable nor valid because they do not match graph 2 and the patterns in the graph are different. Saturated, Unsaturated or Supersaturated These results also indicate that this could be a saturated solution, unsaturated or a supersaturated solution because 4g of ammonium chloride dissolved in water at a temperature of 73.43 °C, though the 7g of ammonium chloride dissolved at a higher temperature of 94.56 °C meaning that it took longer to dissolve 7g than 4g. This, in turn, shows that if more ammonium chloride was added to the 7g of ammonium chloride it would have taken longer to dissolve and once it passed boiling temperature water would have evaporated till there was no solvent left and there would still be ammonium chloride. This would mean that 4, 5, 6 and 7g of ammonium chloride was an unsaturated solution. This is an error because it is completely different when compared to the result of graph 2. This error means that something occurred during the experiment which made the ammonium chloride at a higher temperature or simply a random error where the water was heated before the ammonium chloride was put into the beaker. This error has significantly changed the result as it has increased the temperature of dissolution when it should be a lot lower. Comparison (validity and reliability) Table 1 shows the 4, 5, 6 and 7 grams of ammonium chloride was tested three times to get the most accurate result. These three results were then divided to give an average. The average of the 6 and 7 grams of ammonium chloride in comparison to graph 2 is reliable because the solubility of ammonium chloride increases with the temperature. The average of the 4 and 5 grams of ammonium chloride in comparison to graph 2 could be reliable but the percentage of error is too high for this to be acceptable meaning that there was an error in the consistency of the experiment. Graph 1: Solubility of Ammonium Chloride shows the four averages of each test of ammonium chloride, with a trend-line that predicts the solubility of ammonium chloride between 0 °C and 100 °C. In addition the graph shows that when you keep adding more and more ammonium chloride the temperature for it to dissolve will increase, but only by a few degrees each time. Graph 2: Accepted Values Solubility of Ammonium Chloride are the accepted values of the solubility of ammonium chloride. In comparison to graph 1, both graphs have a curve, though graph 1 has more curve than graph 2, where the curve is very slight. Graph 1 and 2 do not match at all, meaning that there are errors and/or inconsistences in this experiment. Table 1, 2 and Graph Solubility of Ammonium Chloride all fit the theory that ammonium chloride dissolves in water. When we match up all the results in this experiment, they clearly do not match the accepted values. The accepted values are vastly different as graph 1 shows that 39.99 grams of ammonium chloride dissolves at 73.43 °C and graph 2 shows that 39.99 grams of ammonium chloride dissolves at roughly 28.12 °C. The results fit the theory because all four tests of ammonium chloride dissolved in water. The only factors that could have changed this outcome could have been the amount of substance in a solvent which is heated to a specific temperature. In the end graph 1 explains as the temperature increases, so will the amount of ammonium chloride that dissolves. Errors Possible errors that could have occurred during the experiment are: the solid didnt dissolve properly, temperature could have been wrong during the cooling down process, the recrystallization of the ammonium chloride in water was difficult to judge and malfunction of equipment could have caused errors. The reason why the solid might not have dissolved is because the temperature might not have been high enough or I didnt stir it enough. In the case of a random error the solid might not have dissolved but the eye might not have been able to see a very small particle even with a small magnifying glass. The reason the temperature could have been wrong is because when I stirred the mixture, the heat from the bottom of the test tube would have mixed with the cool temperature at the top of the test tube, meaning that when you saw the first crystals appearing the temperature could have still been changing. During the experiment the ammonium chloride solution from the first trials was recycle d to be used for further trials. This could have changed the purity of the ammonium chloride because it looked very different to the normal ammonium chloride. This could mean that while the weight did not present a problem, it may have not been completely dry which could affect the results. The malfunction of equipment could have occurred without my knowledge, such as the balance scale being inaccurate (e.g. the small empty cupcake cups on the scale did not balance at 0). Another malfunction could have occurred with the thermometer not working properly. The loss of ammonium chloride not dissolving could have lowered the solubility of the substance. The likelihood of the scale not working is very low and could be counted as a random error, but if it wasnt working the solubility of the substance would be lower than expected if there was less ammonium chloride and higher if there was more ammonium chloride. The recrystallization could have been the exact same as normal solid ammonium chloride or it could have weighted more or less. This would make the answer higher if the ammonium chloride weighed more than it should. Overall I believe the results and answers I recorded might have been a bit too high or even low, but I definitely know that they arent exact. One way to possibly improve the experiment is to use the exact amount of water and ammonium chloride to get a measurement of solubility (g/100mL). This would prove to be more accurate and would be better suited in a beaker, on top of the electric hot plate as the heat would be dispe rsed around the entire beaker. Further investigations that could be included into this experiment could be finding out the saturated solution of ammonium chloride at a specific temperature. This would be good because it is very likely that every group would get different results and have to explain more in their discussion about errors and if they think that their answer is valid or not. Improvements One way to possibly improve the experiment is to use the exact amount of water to get a measurement of solubility (100mL). This would prove to be more accurate and would be better suited in a beaker placed on an electric hot plate as the heat would be dispersed around the entire beaker. Further investigations that could be included could be finding out the saturated solution of ammonium chloride at a specific temperature. This would be good because it is very likely that every group would get different results and have to explain more in their discussion about errors and if they think that their answer is accurate or not. Conclusion In conclusion I discovered that 4, 5, 6 and 7 grams of solid ammonium chloride was soluble in water at different temperatures. The hypothesis that different amounts of ammonium chloride will dissolve in water at varying temperatures was answered. The results that I recorded werent valid because they did not match the accepted values, though the results were reliable in some cases as they did have a pattern and this pattern matched the accepted values.

Friday, October 25, 2019

My Brain Tumor :: Personal Narrative Essays

My Brain Tumor "I am not an animal, I am a human being!" - The Elephant Man I am different, so accept me. Even though I have physical disabilities I am still a human being. When I was four I had a brain tumor. The surgery left me with a paralyzed arm, crossed eye and a deaf ear. To make matters worse, the paralyzed arm was also my writing hand and I had to learn to be right-handed. When I was transferred from North Shore Hospital to Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation in New York City, I learned to use a wheelchair and was fitted for a brace that extended from my hips to my ankles. After a year of that imprisonment, I started school. At school, I saw the other kids walking and I knew that I had to be able to walk also. My therapist, Phil Koch, gave me a walker and cut the bars that connected the brace to my hips to enable me to walk. Over the years, I became a rebel and often disagreed with my elders. If I didn't like something, I fought against it until I won. One example, when I started Stewart School, I had to wear a helmet for protection. I hated it because I knew I could walk without it. From second to fourth grade, I protested wearing the helmet. I kept fighting, but I knew I needed an event that would show others the injustice of having to wear a helmet. That occurred on my fourth grade field day. I was about to run the one hundred yard dash when my aide, Mr. Maddan, insisted we had to go inside to get my helmet. When I came back, the race was over and I was mad. I refused to participate in the rest of the events in protest. When I got home, I called my neighborhood friends and asked them to come over to help me destroy the helmet. For twenty minutes we played baseball with the helmet and my metal crutch. We simply destroyed it. Events like this helped me to show people that I can be normal. I'm now entering my tenth year since the surgery, but its effects still live on. After eleven surgeries, I still look strange and my walk is affected, but I always try to be normal.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Online reservation of Eden spring resort Essay

RATIONALE OF THE STUDY The web has become an opportunity for the marketers to add value to products and services. The phenomenal growth and rising of the popularity of the internet and the World Wide Web has become a key to attract more consumers and businesses to engage the benefits of Electronic Commerce (E-commerce). This E-commerce is sited as any form of business transaction in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical exchanges or direct physical contact (Aldin, Brehmer & Johansson, 2004). This has transformed the traditional commerce and enhanced sales and exchanges of merchandise and information. It is not just considered as single entity of technology but a combination of technologies where applications, processes, business strategies are necessary to do business electronically. The availability of goods and services with the click of a mouse is changing the global setting. It is critical for companies to know how do they attract customers to their website, engage them to turn into paying customers and also retain them in returning to your website. Online communications techniques used to achieve goals of brand awareness, familiarity and favorability and to influence purchase intent by encouraging users of digital media to visit a web site to engage with the brand or product and ultimately to purchase online or offline through traditional media channels such as by phone or in-store (Chaffey, 2009). In the Philippines, e-commerce is mostly being implemented by major retailers and multinational corporations for bank-to-bank exchange. A number of Business-to-consumer transactions have emerged through the years such as auctions, online shopping, and online banking (Lacson, Pasadilla, 2006). This just shows that Filipino businesses welcome this new opportunity in selling goods since 16% of the population is using Internet. This new marketing strategy will not only benefit those big companies but also the small businesses who cannot afford to advertise their products. Just by creating a website in a very affordable cost would make the business grow in terms of sales and enhance the company image as well. As summer is fast approaching, everyone wants to relax and spend quality time with their family and have fun at the same time. One of these relaxation sessions that will come in mind is outing, nature-tripping and swimming. Eden Spring Resort was planned to be for private use only. Family gatherings, special occasion and some invited family friends. But as the time passed, they developed it and made it a business, a Resort, and as this resort started, many people may it be local or foreign appreciated the beauty of the resort. The nature, the view, the fresh air, the peaceful and quite environment enticed them so much that they want to come back and bring significant people from them to enjoy the same experience that they had. When their business started, we found out that the personnel of the Eden Spring Resort they’ve been using a manual reservation every time they have customers. we notice that the customer’s of the resort are having a hard time on how to reserved the resort like birthday parties, weddings, family reunion and different kinds of occasions. So our proposal is about the web based reservation of Eden Spring Resort. Through this research, we may be able to help the resort in the enhancement of their business in order for them to have many costumers and also they will have an organized filing of the different transactions. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Through this research project, we may be able to help the resort in their business and also to provide a hassle-free reservation for their customers. The aspects that are related to this research are the organized filing of reservations made by the customers, the level of the administrators’ computer literacy, assisting the management of the resort to be able to attain a smooth and systematic operation and procedures, to provide a dependable and accessible reservation system that will ensure their clients a quality service, the availability of management staff with related training and knowledge in modern information technology that will periodically update and improve service provider capability to sustain a quality and dependable internet connection. This study seeks to answer the following: 1. What are the possible transactions of the Eden Spring Resort that can be improved using the online reservation? 2. What are the needed information requirements of Eden Spring Resort in terms of: 2.1. Checking-In and out of  guests to rooms; 2.2. Reservation of different kinds of occasion (Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversary etc.). 3. What are the acceptance level of the developed online reservation of Eden Spring Resort in terms of: 3.1. Perceive of usefulness and 3.2. Perceive of ease of use? SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY Nowadays, computer plays an important role in our life, most especially to the people that are having their business. There are the people who will benefit on our research study: Owner. They will have an organized file with a complete data that they will be needed in the reservations. Employees. Their work will be much easier and faster. Present Researchers. This study will help them develop and improve their knowledge that they have learned and skills that they experience. This will also served as one of their requirements in passing this level. Future Researchers. This will serve as their additional reference for their research. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY This study focuses on the online reservation of the Eden Spring Resort. The researchers will interview the owner and the employees, and also we will give some questionnaires so that we can gather information’s that we will need. This study will be conducted in the Eden Spring Resort, located at Sitio Tab-ang, Barangay Pagatban, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental Philippines and this study is limited only for the year 2014–2015. The respondent of this study are the owner and the employees of the said resort. DEFINITION OF TERMS Electronic Commerce (E-commerce) – commonly known as E-commerce or eCommerce, is trading in products or services using computer networks, such as the Internet. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) – is an electronic communication  system that provides standards for exchanging data via any electronic means. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY The theoretical framework of this study will be anchored on the Rapid application development (RAD) of James Martin (1991). Rapid application development (RAD) is a response to processes developed in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method and other Waterfall models. One of the problems with these methodologies is that they were based on a traditional engineering model used to design and build things like bridges and buildings. Software is an inherently different kind of artifact. Software can radically change the entire process used to solve a problem. As a result knowledge gained from the development process itself can feed back to the requirements and design of the solution. The waterfall solution to this was to try and rigidly define the requirements and the plan to implement them and have a process that discouraged changes to either. The new RAD approaches on the other hand recognized that software development was a knowledge intensive process and sought to develop flexible processes that could take advantage of knowledge gained over the life of the project and use that knowledge to reinvent the solution. (Martin, 1991) As Shown in figure 1 there are four phases in RAD, they are: Requirements Planning Phase, user design phase, construction and cutover. Requirements planning phase combines elements of the system planning and systems analysis phases of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Users, managers, and IT staff members discuss and agree on business needs, project scope, constraints, and system requirements. It ends when the team agrees on the key issues and obtains management authorization to continue. During the User design phase, users interact with systems analysts and develop models and prototypes that represent all system processes, inputs, and outputs. User Design is a continuous interactive process that allows users to understand, modify, and eventually approve a working model of the system that meets their needs. The third phase is Construction phase which focuses on program and application development task. In RAD, however, users continue to participate and can still suggest changes or improvements as actual screens or reports are developed. Its tasks are programming and application development, coding, unit-integration and system testing. The last phase is cutover phase. This  phase resembles the final tasks in the SDLC implementation phase, including data conversion, testing, changeover to the new system, and user training. Compared with traditional methods, the entire process is compressed. As a result, the new system is built, delivered, and placed in operation much sooner. This approach will help us in developing our system that will help the Eden Spring Resort in their online reservations. FIGURE 1: Theoretical Framework of the Study CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY Instead of using manual system that can cause a huge compilation of data using file cabinet of which is time consuming for the personnel in searching and retrieving a certain file. The researchers therefore suggest the use of a system which will help the management in terms of their transactions. The conceptual framework of the Online Reservation of Eden Spring Resort is presented below. The first phase is the requirements planning phase, the first thing that the researchers will do is to differentiate the different transactions of the Eden Spring Resort. However, the researchers already observe the common problems occur in their current system before the actual study begins. Because of the problems identified, the researchers proposed a system that will help them. After the researchers identified the different problems and the different transactions, the researchers will identify the needed requirements on every transaction to be use in developing a system. The researchers will also interview the owner and the employees to know how their transactions are being conducted. The second phase is the user design phase, the information that the will be gathered in the requirements planning phase will be used in making the user design of the system. The information gathered will be the bases in determining the inputs and outputs of the system. Researchers will also include the flow of the information so that users will be guided upon using it. The third phase is the construction phase; the researchers will start creating the program for the system and documenting as well. The documentation will serve as a guide on how to use the system. System testing will be done also while in this phase. Users can suggest some changes or improvements while the system is being developed. The last phase or the forth phase is the cutover phase, researchers will let  the users test the program to observe some errors and eliminate them to make the system work successfully and to meet the needs of the user. Users can still suggest some changes or improvements while the system is being tested. After it will be tested and no more errors or bugs were found, the system will now ready for deployment. FIGURE 2: Conceptual Framework of the Study REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES The application of the Internet in the business world has become a major trend in practice and generated a hot stream of research in the recent literature. The Internet, as a collection of interconnected computer networks, provides free exchanging of information. Over 400 millions of computers or more than 400,000 networks worldwide today are communicating with each other (Napier, Judd, Rivers, and Wagner, 2001). As such, the Internet has been becoming a powerful channel for business marketing and communication (Palmer, 1999), and for new business opportunities – as it is often called as â€Å"e-business† or â€Å"e-commerce† today (Schneider & Perry, 2001). This new e-business or e-commerce virtual marketplace allows small companies competing with business giants by just having a better web presentation of their products/services. Under the same wave, online customers can enjoy a wider choice of products or services, more competitive prices, and being able to buy their favorite items/services from the sellers located thousands miles away. It provides communication between consumers and companies and through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), buyers and sellers can exchange standard business transactions such as invoices or purchase orders with remarkable ease. The role of website quality in attracting online bookings and empirically test their proposed model with potential lodging customers. Authors indicate that information completeness and ease of use are important determinants of website quality. (Jeong et al.2005) According to the study of airfare reservation system, airfare reservation systems over attributes like information quality, system use, system quality, services quality, and customer loyalty. Their results show that North American-based websites outperform Asian-based ones.(Law and Leung 2002) The online booking in the hospitality industry (including  Hotel/motel, airlines, travels packages, etc.) is increasing at a very rapid speed recently, especially at the lower rate end. (Deegan & Horan, 2003) The hotel industry is certainly full aware of this trend and fully willing to contribute its share in this effort. In fact, the industry has realized that during those early forays into cyberspace, the industry didn’t view e-booking strategically (many hotels simply considered online room bookings at the time as a way to pick up additional business by selling distressed inventory through those online travel agencies), and handed over too much control of inventory and pricing to those third party online travel agencies. Now the industry is in the unenviable position of trying to take back the reins after early shopping patterns have been established. While the pressure to sell their inventory rooms online will be continuing, the industry has developed its new online stra tegy striving to get a better grip on this emerging marketing channel. (Jiaqin Yang, Jan Flynn & Krista Anderson) Online hotel reservations are becoming a very popular method for booking hotel rooms. Travelers can book rooms from home by using online security to protect their privacy and financial information and by using several online travel agents to compare prices and facilities at different hotels. People can book directly on an individual hotel’s website. An increasing number of hotels are building their own websites to allow them to market their hotels directly to consumers. Non-franchise chain hotels require a â€Å"booking engine† application to be attached to their website to permit people to book rooms in real time. One advantage of booking with the hotel directly is the use of the hotel’s full cancellation policy as well as not needing a deposit in most situations. (John Burns) According to Stuart study entitled â€Å"International Reservations Systems – Their Strategic and Operational Implications for the UK Hotel Industry†, presented details of the method and results of an investigation of the role and influence of international re servations systems within the UK hotel industry. The research comprised three questionnaire surveys of the use of computer reservations systems and distribution services by UK hotels. These were analyzed and produced an indication of general use of systems and the contribution which these currently make to hotel groups and consortia. The work also included a study of developments in access methods and changes in buyer behavior as observed by representatives of computer reservation and  distribution system, travel agency, hotel representation and intermediary companies. (Stuart 1995) According to this study, the system allows the guests to do their booking online by them self. Some of task that the system can do are providing a query for arriving date and the length of staying, providing the number of On rooms, view all available rooms and provides user the ability to choose one or more of them, recording the number of on rooms, view all available rooms and provides the user the ability to choose one or more of them, recording kind of guests and how many going to be in the single room, providing the cost of booking, asking the users if they want additional service; such as, dinner or breakfast, storing the guests detail; like, name, address and telephone, asking the user for confirmation, final confirmation views with the detail of booking and the guests can review or cancel the booking. (Louw, Door Janne, 2006) 658 Apartelle Online Reservation System, short term base lodging is the main reason that a hotel has been established. In the Philippines, wherein many foreign people go and have a vacation, hotel is always their first destination to have relaxation after long hours of travel in an airplane. Because of the rapid increase of foreigners visiting the Philippines for a vacation, a common sight is the establishments ad sophisticated hotels for competitive advantage. The 658 Apartelle Online Reservation Management System is not only a database for guest list but also an online reservation system, where potential guest can have online reservation which will automatically be sent to the database of the 658 Apartelle. Based on the proponent’s observation and interview, they have found many problems such as time consuming logging of the guest list names to the log book, difficulties in making reservations and difficulties in retrieving information on their previous guests because of the papers that are scattered everywhere and misplacing of the guestless records. (Bituin Abi, August 2010) A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, where visitors are being attracted to take their holiday or vacation. It refers to places, towns or sometimes commercial establishments operated by a single company. On the other hand, a hotel is differentiated as an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Computer programmers are continuously developing a system  application to better serve resort or hotel guests because some hotels and resorts are becoming fully automated while others are still striving for the similar setting. The researchers introduce a â€Å"LAN-Based Reservation with Billing System for Hacienda Gracia Resort and Hotel† to improve its reservation and billing system. The advent of new technology gave rise to easy and hassle-free interaction between and among humans. This is why most hotel and resorts prefer to employ computerization in their business. (Lagman , September 2012) RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES This section includes research design, research environment, research respondents, and data gathering procedure, research instrument and statistical treatment of the study. Research Design The researchers used the descriptive method in which the employees and the owner are the respondents in the Eden Spring Resort.   This method will be used in acquiring the response of the questionnaire and interview as the main tools in gathering the desired information that is needed for the study and getting the responses of the respondents regarding the information for the development of the online reservation of Eden Spring Resort. Research Environment This study was conducted at the Eden Spring Resort that was located in the Sitio Tab-ang, Barangay Pagatban, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental Philippines. The owners of this establishment are Mr. Dominador Torillo Ortaliz also known as Dennis and Mrs. Elizabeth Nodado Ortaliz also known as Beth. Eden was a combination of the names of the owners, Elizabeth and Dennis. They started constructing the Eden Spring Resort in mid of February but they started their business on June 14, 2012. Research Respondent The owner and the employees will serve as our respondent of our study. They are the one who will be frequently using the system. Data Gathering Procedures After asking permission to the owner of the establishment, we will be giving the questionnaires to the owner and the employee, we will also conduct an interview to them about the different problems encountered by the resort. Research Instruments The tool used by the researchers to gather the information’s needed is the questionnaires. The questionnaires are used to gather some data to the management of the resort regarding the current reservation or different transactions made by the Eden Spring Resort. Statistical Treatment of the Study This research study will use weighted mean formula in determining the acceptance level of the developed computerized recording system. Where: WX = weighted mean f = frequency x = values n = total number of respondents ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY This study will have (2) parts. Part 1 contains the Thesis write up which consists of three (3) chapters. Chapter I presents the problem and scope of the study. This covers the Rationale of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Significance of the Study, Scope and Limitation of the Study, Definition of Terms, the Theoretical Framework of the Study and its Schematic Diagram, Conceptual Framework of the Study and its Schematic Diagram. It also discusses further on the Review of Related Literature and studies of the research problem. It explained the research methodology, which comprises the Research Design, Research Locale, Research Respondents, Research Instruments, Data Gathering Procedure, and Organization of the Study. Chapter II includes the Presentation and Analysis of the Data Gathered from the respondents. The Data were presented in tabular form which were analyze and used as basis were implications can be drawn. Chapter III was the summary of Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendation, after which the program design. Part 2 contains the System Design, Flow Chart, Data Dictionary, and System  Requirements.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Business Plan Name Course Instructor’s

A business plan is a written document stating the aims, mission, vision, objectives, and the general management, cost incurred and planning how you will achieve what you want (McKeever, 2008).It is a very important document for it will underline guidelines for future purpose of the organization and start to establish baselines for success (Abrams & Kleiner, 2003). A well written business plan should contain a three to five-year cash flow projection.This cash flow will aid the investors in deciding wisely about the business and make you to realize how much capital is required to start the running of the business. It should deeply define the business operation that includes marketing strategies, and procedures to be followed to attract the customers. It might also project various strategies that display the leadership styles to be portrayed by the leaders, which should be transparent and flexible.Business plans are established for various objectives for example an organization might be searching for finances from investors; a group would be in need of bank loan while others will want to plan organizations strategy to be sure the organization is successful. No matter the purpose all types of business requires a business plan.Steps in writing an excellent business plan:Lay down the main purpose of the business Collect all the needed data and information of the business purpose Focus on the purpose based on the compiled information Important factors of a business planA good business plan should always fit the business need – It is possible to establish a business plan that is so excellent but can only be understood by internal members while it is also possible to develop an excellent and well researched business plan that has no use. The business needs should be highly considered especially its aim, vision and mission statement (McKeever, 2008).It should be realistic – A business plan should have great ideas which can be implemented for example an exce llent, well researched and perfectly written business plan explaining about a commodity that cannot be established has no meaning. Conversely, plan that calls for millions of money just for investment but lacks management group that can be able to get such investment is a bad plan.It should be direct to the point – The entire business plan should be specific in nature that is it should state out duties, expiring dates, forecasts and metric. An excellent planning relies more on the subject, the concerned party, the day and the finances (Abrams & Kleiner, 2003). It should underline duties and responsibilities – One must be able to point out the duties for individuals. Any duty without an individual seems difficult to be implemented.It points out assumptions – Its very vital for most of the business plans appears to be wrong, they are written by people who deal with guess work and they might be wrong, hence every plan should display assumption up front for altered assumptions ought to direct to revised plans (McKeever, 2008).It should restrict people to be committed – Apart from planning, the plan should specify the various duties and responsibilities of an individual then the management should follow up so as to get the duties done by the concerned party, this will enforce commitment and a smooth running of the business.A good business plan should be kept moving by follow up and planning process (Abrams & Kleiner, 2003). Every business plan must carry the planning procedures with it, which means often check up and course amendment. There is no business plan that is excellent if it is inflexible. Planning doesn’t future predict only annually its steering and management that takes a process to often counter check and rectify the course (Pinson, 2001).