At the End of the Day

At the End of the Day At the End of the Day At the End of the Day By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked me to â€Å"shed some light† on the expression â€Å"at the end of the day†: I know it means after everything has been taken into consideration and it is an integral part of our everyday vocabulary but some of my colleagues seem to find it inappropriate in its function. Could you please help me understand this better? Clichà ©d expressions are a part of our everyday vocabulary, but some clichà ©s are more annoying than others. Most of us have no problem with the occasional â€Å"hard as a rock,† â€Å"old as dirt† or â€Å"crazy as a betsy/bessie bug.† These are venerable expressions that can convey just the tone we are aiming for. They blend unobtrusively into our speech because they add a specific meaning in a way that suits a certain style of speaking. Unlike idioms that are used conversationally among friends, newly fashionable clichà ©s find their way into print, in everything from speeches on foreign policy to product reviews. A â€Å"good† clichà © is one that does its job without irritating. A â€Å"bad† clichà © calls attention to itself. â€Å"At the end of the day† is a bad clichà ©. It’s bad because it’s wordy, it’s overused, and it has a common literal meaning. The following passages indicate the ubiquity of this phrase’s figurative use: Palestinians need to know that at the end of the day, their territory is going to be free of Israeli troops, that occupation ends.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œJohn Kerry, US Secretary of State, 2014. But, at the end of the day, presidents get elected to enact change. –Mark McKinnon, American political advisor. Im not suggesting that people go into space in a pedestrian way but at the end of the day, shes fighting for what every woman would fight for, and thats her baby. –Jay Bobbin, movie reviewer. At the end of the day, the owners are all about the business side of things. –Steven Lebron, sports writer. At the end of the day, I don’t think wanting education to be better is a right-wing or left-wing thing.† –Bill Gates, education reformer. But you know when you put lipstick on a pig, at the end of the day, its still a pig. –John Edwards, political candidate in 2004. but at the end of the day, your choice [of smart phone] comes down to either a smaller device to fit in your hand or a massive device with a screen nearly as large as a tablet’s. –Product review. The literal meaning of â€Å"at the end of the day† is â€Å"at the end of the day.† (Duh.) In the context of business and the workday, the â€Å"end of the day† is five o’clock or whenever the day’s business or work is done. Here are examples of the literal use of â€Å"at the end of the day†: In emergency situations, call your local law enforcement agency at the end of the day if the Division of Child and Family Services has not responded to your report. –Directions for the reporting of suspected child abuse. At the end of the day, the defense rested their case. The trial will continue Wednesday morning. –Herald-Democrat (OK). The best time to measure your feet is  at the end of the day  when your feet are largest.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œRecommendations for buying shoes. Here are some possible alternatives to the figurative use of â€Å"at the end of the day†: eventually finally ultimately some time at length one day in time sooner or later in the long run Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph Examples7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewHow to Style Titles of Print and Online Publications

Thesis Topics

Thesis Topics Thesis Topics Thesis Topics The essential part of the Master's and Doctoral students is to complete a thesis. But to find a potential thesis topic is rather difficult task. The following thesis writing tips will help you during your thesis writing. A thesis topic must grow from your own energies and interests. Start thesis writing with something you are familiar with or what you are interested, you should defined your general area of interest. Think about your hobbies, some efforts you have taken part in, etc. You also may write your thesis by means of elaborations or expansions of your successful junior papers. Before writing a thesis think about your earlier junior papers you have written in your previous courses. Finding a topic within an area of interest is more difficult. Your topic should be formulated as a question. But the questions can't be too broad, because a thesis's topic must have focus. It also doesn't mean that it should be too narrow because the goal of a good thesis is to express thoughts of g eneral importance through detailed analysis of a specific case or cases. Because the purpose of this process is to formulate provoke question, the best way to uncover topics in your area of interest is to begin posing questions. Read relative issues and literature to your topic. If your topic seems too broad, this reading will give you some ideas how to narrow your topic. If your question is too narrow, a selection of articles and books can lead you to the general concerns that relate to your interest. Parts of a Thesis Some research projects involve a practical component of experimentation, research in libraries which includes designing the methodology, then analyzing and reporting on the findings in the thesis document. Your plans would need to cover undertaking your research study, analyzing results, writing a preliminary paper on the project, doing further research with further analysis and publication, writing and submitting the thesis, and so on. These are important stages but you should also be thinking further ahead. It is important to keep in mind the final thesis structure and the time line for completing individual chapters. The presentation of thesis follows a standard order. Here is a list to help you during preparation: Preliminary material Title page Acknowledgments Dedication Table of contents Abstract or summary Glossary Preface Substantive material Introduction Literature review Other chapters Conclusion Final sections Bibliography Appendices References CUSTOM THESIS You are welcome to order custom thesis writing service at and professional writer will assist you with project completion.   We guarantee high quality and timely delivery.

Human Development in Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Development in Brazil - Essay Example Conditions are slowly improving for all Brazilians, as the Human Development Indicators(HDI) imply, though translating the figures into real progress is more difficult. The HDI is developed by the United Nations Development Programme to aid in determination of how well â€Å"countries turn income into health and educational opportunities†(UNDP). The 2006 report indicates that Brazil falls into the fifty-eighth place among one hundred seventy seven nations. The HDI is calculated by combining three sets of data: lifespan, knowledge and standard of living. The UNDP provides other indices such as the Human Poverty Index(HP1 and HP) and the Gender Related Development Index(RDI). HDI is the most inclusive and allows for a better understanding of overall data. Brazil is by no means a poor country, with abundant natural resources and $30 billion in foreign capital invested by 2002. However, â€Å"forty million live on less than $2 per day, while twenty million live on less than $1 pe r day.†(UNDP). Inequality of income is linked to gender, race and geographical region. The Northeast, where the greatest disparities exist, is comparable economically to nations such as Kenya. The UNDP has set a goal of lowering poverty to below ten percent by the year 2015. This goal seems fully attainable as the poverty rates fall from twenty percent in 1991 to roughly fourteen 2 percent by 2000. Obstacles such as slowing economic growth are identified as barriers to attaining that goal.

The history of ancient India. Harppan Culture Research Paper

The history of ancient India. Harppan Culture - Research Paper Example But excavations at Harappa and Mohanjo-Daro changed the complete viewpoint and old beliefs. Starting with the finding of Harappa, almost thousand conclusions with comparable characters have been exposed. Scholars named it ‘Indus valley civilization’ (Around the Indus in 90 Slides par. 1). Indus valley civilization developed at two centers-Harappa and Mohanjodaro. Harappa is in Montgomery district of the Punjab (now in Pakistan). Mohanjodaro is in Larkana district of Sind (now in Pakistan). Mohanjodaro means ‘the mount of the dead’. The distance between these two centers is 650 Kms. According to the famous archeologist Sir John Marshall, Harappan civilization is about 5000 years old. The town planning and material life of the Harappan culture were really great. Archeologist like â€Å"Mortimer Wheeler and Stuart Piggot believed that the Harappan towns had a remarkable unity of conception† (Unit 6: Material Characteristics 21). Each town was divided int o two parts. In one part, the citadel indicated where the rulers lived. In the other part of the town, the ruled, and the poor lived. â€Å"The most ancient paw marks of human actions in India go back to the Paleolithic Age, around between 400,000 and 200,000 B.C.

Religious and Ethnic Groups Essay Example for Free

Religious and Ethnic Groups Essay Buddhism is a religious group as depicted from the world’s history that began in the 6th century BCE, in today’s Northern India. Buddhism was founded by a wealthy man of Indian dysentery called Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama’s main concern was to teach people how to realize great spiritual development. These teachings focus on areas like tradition/customs, beliefs, ethics, meditation and philosophy and making people more enlightened; Buddha means ‘to awaken’. To the religious group boast of a huge following of about 300million across the world including 0. 7 percent of U. S. A’s religious composition based on U. S’s Census Bureau Document (Seager, 2012). Buddhism is a religious group that differs broadly from other groups in America. The difference is eminent in the way they carry out various practice. Some examples are worship, beliefs, culture, doctrines, and in other routine practices. Buddhism, unlike other religious groups, believes in the existence of only one Supreme Being ‘God’. In contrast to most groups, Buddhism spirituality is of personal discipline rather than faith in ‘God’. A lot of differences may be present when attempting to draw a comparison between Buddhism and the other religious groups in America. Buddhists Experience in America Buddhism has received its fair deal of mixed reception from other religious avenue. Some people have good perception and understand their teachings seek to uphold good morals and values. Buddhism also seeks a harmonious co-existence with other people in society even if they are not practicing the same religion. Others have perceived them as having a bizarre view deeming its operation as being mysterious. Buddhism is unique in conducting their routine religious practices and beliefs. Some religious groups have upheld Buddhism, not as a religion but merely a philosophy (Seager, 2012). They have even incorporated some practices like meditation as an art of realization physical and emotional well being as yoga in pursuit of reliving off stress. They have also sorted in some Buddhism cultural element and used them to perfect their own religions. Contribution and Discrimination of Buddhism Historically in American culture Buddhism has contributed adversely in development of America’s culture. Many Buddhists doctrine and daily routine practices are borrowed and used to blend America’s culture. Example of such practice teachings of how people perceive life and attitude, changed Buddhism has mentored Great America’s scientists and philosophers (Seager, 2012). They borrow ideas from Buddhism teachings. Some of the ways in which Buddhism is practiced in America include stress reduction treatment. In addition, famous movies and songs based on Buddhism, such as Seven Years in Tibet, Little Buddha, The Matrix, and Star Wars, has helped the advertisement industry. Another instance is the Master Card commercial that shows an image of Woman Meditating. There is an increasing number of Americans who visit the Buddhist temples and also practice meditation in privacy. Buddhist Fellowship organization is a very large group that promotes peace, environmental advocacy, and conducts homeless and prison outreach. Buddhism has experienced discrimination minimally compared to other religious groups. Discrimination happens within its own religion and culture primarily against Buddhist women. All Buddhist women are ordained to follow laws and disciplines such as bhikkhunis. However, Buddhist nuns have come together to fight for their rights. The source of this prejudice was because the Buddhist nuns have increased in number and they want to eliminate them from the religion. Buddhism has helped me learn about meditation which can be used in reducing stress and as a way of relaxing. Asian Ethnic Group The Asian American comprises of a 5% of the American population (Espiritu, 2011). In the recent years, the Asian ethnic group is considered among the fastest growing group in America. The Americans refer to subgroups such as the Chinese, Filipino, Indians, Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese. Most Asian Americans were born in America while others have been the immigrants who have settled in America. Asian differs from the other ethnic groups because from history Asians have continued to follow their religions, unlike many other groups. The Asian Americans are known for their diligence, strong family values and their respect for education, authority, and discipline unlike any other ethnic group in America. Asian American Contribution and Discrimination The Asian American has contributed greatly in the formation of American society. These contributions include constructions of railway, joining the military and protecting the Americans. Asians have also contributed in creating internet sites such as youtube and yahoo. The Asians have influenced other areas like fashion, religion, science and culture. For instance, the kung fu culture of the Chinese is greatly employed in Hollywood while creating action movies. Acts of discrimination towards Asian Americans in America are similar to other minority group. This racial discrimination bars the Asian American from participating in politics (Espiritu, 2011). The reason Asian Americans are discriminated against is Americans consider them foreigners. In conclusion, Buddhism is an Asian practice which the Asian have practiced almost all their lives, but this practice came to be known only in recent years. Discrimination of Asian Americans means that their religion, cultures, and practices are discriminated against. Buddhism is different from Asian Ethnic group because Buddhism is a practice done by the Asian communities. Discrimination should never be practiced in America because America is a multicultural society and the majority of people in America are citizens by birth. References Espiritu, Y. L. (2011). Asian American pan ethnicity: Bridging institutions and identities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Seager, R. H. (2012). Buddhism in America. New York: Columbia University Press.

Comparing Characterization in Alias Grace, Their Eyes Were Watching God

Characterization in Alias Grace, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Fools Crow      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood is a novel where the main character Grace is a sort of mystery character.  Ã‚   In the end she is at peace, but there are still many questions about her left unanswered.   Because Atwood's style of writing is informative, yet unclear at the same time, the audience is left to put the pieces of the puzzle that is Grace together themselves.  Ã‚   This leaves the reader guessing about her character.   Two other works that contrast the characterization of Grace Atwood uses in Alias Grace are Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and Fools Crow in Fools Crow by James Welch.   The characterization the authors use in these three novels determines how well the reader will get to know the main characters in terms of emotion.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Characterization is one of the main components of writing a novel.   Most of the time in a novel the attributes of the main character are well known.   By the time you've finished the novel, you feel as if you know all that there is to know about that person.   In the case of Alias Grace, Atwood leaves more to questions about Grace's character than are answered.   It seems as if the more you learn about her life, the more of a mystery she becomes.   It is the reader's job to take what is known about Grace and piece her together the best she can. In a review of the book, David Wiley states, "What unfolds is that no one will ever know Grace" (Wiley 3).   Her personality is never totally revealed, and the reader is left wondering who she is. One character, Dr. Jordan never finds out anything new about her personality than any of the other doctors who evaluated her before did.   She t... ...statement:   The characterization the authors use in these three novels determines how well the readers will get to know the main characters in terms of emotion. I.   Characterization of Grace   Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What role characterization plays   Ã‚  Ã‚   B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How well the reader gets to know Grace II.   Characterization of Janie   Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hurston's development of Janie   Ã‚  Ã‚   B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What the reader learns about Janie III.   Contrast of Janie and Grace   Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What makes the two characters different   Ã‚  Ã‚   B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contrasting views on love and marriage IV.   Characterization of Fools Crow   Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transformation made by his character   Ã‚  Ã‚   B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How his character is developed V.   Contrast of Fools Crow and Grace   Ã‚  Ã‚   A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Difference in the two character's emotions   Ã‚  Ã‚   B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reaction (emotionally) to different situations   

Fast food restaurant Essay

The fast food industry has been growing dramatically during the last few years. For this reason, we should try to find out what are the several factors why fast food consumption keeps growing among young people. Therefore, as we have seen, the popularity of fast food is spreading rapidly among many people due to the following three main reasons: good taste, convenient time, and price. â€Å"Over the last three decades, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society,† writes Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation. In the beginning, the fast food restaurant started with a cafeteria-style restaurant known as the â€Å"Automat† in New York on July 7, 1912. Then, in 1921, White Castle restaurants were started in Wichita, Kansas, selling hamburgers for five cents. By 1948, McDonalds was opened by two brothers from Nashua, New Hampshire, who developed the concept of selling hamburgers, French fries, shakes, coffee, and coca cola in disposable wrappings. So from its humble beginnings, the fast food industry has become an undeniable factor in our society. Certainly, with our ever increasing and busy society, eating at fast food restaurants has become the norm. Families that have busy schedules, such as taking their kids to various activities, attending church functions, and late meetings rely heavily on fast food as a meal choice. For example, about one-quarter of adults and a third of children eat at fast food restaurants on any given day. According to the American Journal of Public Health, consumers have spent $16. 1 billion in 1975 to $153. 1 billion in 2004 on fast food. People are generally drawn to good tasting food. With fast food, it couldn’t of ever tasted any better. No matter how unhealthy it is, we cannot deny that we have a love affair with the value meals, the fast service, home delivery and of course the drive-through. We no longer feel the need to slave away in the kitchen; we can just save so much time by satisfying ourselves with a relatively cheap McDonalds meal. It is ironic that in order to achieve the ever-increasing financial goals that we set for ourselves needed to feed our individual families, we must restrict ourselves from high quality food, the very diet that defines success, in favor of food that can be seen as more cost effective, and fast food fits the part perfectly. Moreover, the fast food industry has created many job opportunities for people who in normal circumstances would find work difficult to come by. Many young college students take on the challenge of working in a Burger King or Taco Bell kitchen in interest of supporting themselves financially. There are a countless number of students who decide to apply for jobs in the fast food industry to help them pay off their tuition. Working in the fast food industry can also be viewed as a potential transitional job for certain individuals. For in the present economy, many people have now found themselves jobless, while working in a fast food chain might not be desirable to them in comparison to their former jobs, it could be seen as a perfect temporary replacement while one searches for a new equally lucrative long term job. Some individuals go for fast food as they consider it to be a treat for themselves. There are many people who like fun and one of the best places that they can always get that is at the fast food restaurants. A part from just eating, they also find the places as socializing venues where they can make many friends. The fast food restaurants also offer a lot of entertainment zones that make their clients comfortable as they enjoy their meals; this is one factor that will make many people to prefer going there as opposed to cooking food for themselves at their homes. People also love fast food because there are so many of them next to their work place, their homes, on the side of the road or in any petrol station. That’s an important point to many people, because when they feel like having a fast food meal, they don’t waste a lot of time searching for a restaurant to eat from. They just find the restaurant near the place they are in. We cannot deny the world has undergone a â€Å"fast food revolution† over the past few years, and I believe there is good reason for the immense popularity of this â€Å"fast food culture† we are presently living in. It maybe greasy and unhealthy, but it is ultimately cheaper than home cooking and its convenience to the incredibly busy urban lifestyle is too significant to ignore. Fast food should be viewed as a positive aspect of our society as a result of the advantages it presents to us in our hectic lives, but we should not abuse it. In the words of actress Mae West: â€Å"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful†, however in this case it is quite the contrary.

Considering Your Audience Essay

The three views to wri? ng to an audience are classical, cogni? ve, and social views. They all vary in their own aspects, but all of them have great methods for wri? ng. Classical view is the same as classical wri? ng from our classical world. It is comprised of di? erent components: theory, analysis and imita? on, and prac? ce, classical view has to do with an audience that is iden able age, demographics, religion is appropriate for and audience that we do not know. It helps writers prac? ce gramma? cal, logical, and rhetorical skills, as well as  thoughts of imita? on and persuasive communica? on. A cogni? ve view has to do with the way a writer transfers his ideas together to an unknown audience. In this view, writers analyze how people process and read the informa? on presented to them, in term the writer uses his mo? va? on to consider the level of his audience. A good example would be reading a textbook, the ideas designed to teach or inform unknown audiences. There are highlighted ideas as if a textbook would have to help guide you through the book to make it a whole. Social view is more speci?  c and dependent on what one is wri? ng. Social view style comes from some type of interac? on, which is predominantly used to a%ract readers on a speci? c topic from talking about things that audience is interested in. I thinking that maybe a social view would be like wri? ng a biography. Alterna? vely, maybe social media? The view that I o’en use in wri? ng is normally cogni? ve. due to the fact that I serve in the military I like to develop my ideas and thoughts ? rst, then guide my audience through my process and possibly to my conclusion.

How To Get A High-Traffic Blog, Even If Youre Blogging Solo

How To Get A High-Traffic Blog, Even If Youre Blogging Solo Ive been solo blogging for over 12 years. I have seen the enemy. It is us. Yeah, I have come face-to-face with a few challenges in that time. And yes, you  are absolutely going to recognize these three core problems: Random and irregular publishing.  What to publish? When? Why? Whee. Publishing something worth reading. Havent published in a few weeks.  This crappy post will have to do. Letting other people know I just published something. Only my mother has commented on my post. No one is reading! You could say the same for team blogs, too, except with a team blog you have others to help publish, edit, designblame. When its just you, you have to make it all happen on your own. How Solo Bloggers Can Publish More Regularly Random and sporadic publishing results in much less traffic than you could have if you published more reliably (and more often). Have a look at this bar graph from seven days of traffic on my own blog. Which day do you think I published a blog post? Its not a huge difference, but it is a noticeable one. When you blog, more people come and read. You have to publish to get visitors.All the drafts, ideas, or SEO magic in the world wont help you if you do not publish blog posts.  Blogger Kevin Duncan recently (and humorously) shared his findings  on what happened when he blogged every day. What did he discover? No surprises here. He found that by publishing on his blog daily, he had: An 84% increase in the social shares of his blog posts. A 119% increase in comments on his content. A steady bounce rate (meaning he didnt trade low traffic for more visitors that left quickly) A 46% increase in traffic in general. Heck, publishing every day must be the solution! Maybe twice a day! Noooo. A team blog might be able to publish every day, but thats asking a lot of a solo blogger, particularly if youre really into long-form content. Maybe youre a real whiz kid, and you can pull it off, but most of us cant keep that kind of publishing schedule up on a regular basis, particularly if you have a full-time job or freelance clients to attend to. So no. This isnt an admonition to blog every day.  Please, lets not mistake the problem of  haphazard publishing with one demanding daily publishing. At the end of Duncans experiment, despite the increase in traffic and shares, he realized that kind of schedule was too demanding on him, and that it left him little time to promote or build social proof.  It is possible to publish regularlyonce a week. Or twice a week. In fact, regular publishing has no numerical definition. It just has two qualities that need to be met: 1. You publish on a regular schedule so people know what to expect. Do I know who my audience is? (distracted and want something new every few days vs. reading once a week is fine) Do I know what is expected or typical of my niche? (breaking news every hour vs. nothing changes in a decade) Have I created categories that I can regularly write on? (giving each category equal attention) 2. You publish on a regular schedule so you dont find yourself forgetting to publish. How much time do I have to create new content? (get a calendar, look at the clock, and do the math) How many words can I handle per post? (sit down, write a few posts without fussing, and see what your typical word count seems to be) Do I have a list of headlines ready to go? Have I brainstormed ideas before hand? (planning ahead is hard if you dont have anything to work with to put on your calendar) Regular publishing is for your audience and for you. The first is for building trust, and the latter is for building a habit. Planning to get things done is not the same as planning HOW  to get things done. How can help: is an editorial calendar, and editorial calendars are a fantastic way to set up this kind of regular blogging. You have to make the decision on how often youll blog and what about, but you can use an editorial calendar to help you make it happen. has features that seem geared towards teams, but I use them as a solo blogger with great effect when planning. For this stage, where Im laying out the plan to help me publish regularly, I use s tasks. They serve as reminders of things I need to do for each posts. I get email reminders and can track them in my account. Whichever tools you decide to use, an editorial calendar will help. Weve created a free comprehensive guide on how to use an editorial calendarwith printable starter sheetsand it works great for solo bloggers! How Solo Bloggers Can Publish  Something Worth Reading Pursuing great content is like pursuing the golden fleece. It is fraught with disagreement and terror. 1. Define what is worth reading. You're going to be frustrated if you don't know what you consider great content. Great content isn't what everyone else is doing, and frankly, great content isn't necessarily what gets shared the most on social media (headlines have a huge part in that). If you aren't into data or don't care for scientific research, don't go chasing after posts with headlines like "How To Choose The Best Diaper, Backed By Science." Determining this is similar to writing a mission statement for your blog. For my blog, I set up a rubric that goes something like this: Does it help or hurt people? Does it encourage or discourage people? (Sometimes helpful content, depending on how it is relayed, can be discouraging.) Will people feel something after having read it? (laugh, thoughtful, sad, etc.) Have I written the best I am able to at this moment? (I might be embarrassed a year from now, but I shouldn't be embarrassed now.) Is it original to the best of my ability? (i.e. not purposefully aping other bloggers) Is it somehow a part of my larger story? (for a personal blog, this is fairly easy) Am I being overly sensational or making linkbait? (after awhile, you'll get backlash) Come up with your own rubric. Define what you think is good writing for you and your niche. 2. Do good writing. The mechanics of your writing should be top notch. Your research (if it applies to your style of post) should be impeccable and from good sources. You should take the time to proof and edit your posts as best you can, even though you don't have a proofreader. You should be familiar with writing techniques, like storytelling or journalism, as best you can. 3. Don't forget the extras. Once the writing is in place, you have the extras, like graphics and photos. Because you don't have a team designer, you need to find a way to create images for your posts on your own. Use apps geared for non-designers and create graphics for your posts. Rethink how you use stock imagery and consider coming up with viable alternatives. How can help:  The comments section of each post works great with teams, but it's also fantastic for solo bloggers. I use it to store research, links, images, and ideas for posts. Often, post ideas come to me in a rush and while I don't have the time to write a full draft, I can at least write down the gist of the idea. I put it in the comments section, and whenever I decide to write the post, I have a strong foundation to build on. How Solo Bloggers Can Get An Audience You can publish regularly, and you can publish Pulitzer quality material, but you're not out of the woods yet. Merely publishing is only 1/3 of the solo blogging story. Search engines and the whims of fate and the kindness of your mom might bring some readers to your site, but it's not bringing in as many as you could be. The truth is that regular publishing brings more traffic, but that's often because we publicize our new blog posts on social media and that brings in traffic. This is why you don't have to blog every day, but you must promote every day.

Chinese Etiquette for Visiting a Chinese Home

Chinese Etiquette for Visiting a Chinese Home It is becoming more and more popular for foreigners to be invited into Chinese homes for dinner. Even business associates may receive an invitation to be entertained at their Chinese counterpart’s home. Learn the proper etiquette for visiting a Chinese home. 1. Be sure to either accept or decline the invitation. If you must decline, it is important to give a specific reason as to why you can’t attend. If you are vague, the host may think you are not interested in having a relationship with him or her. 2. At the entrance to many homes, you may see a rack of shoes. Depending on the home, the host may greet you at the door in slippers or even stocking or bare feet. If this is the case, take off your shoes. The host may give you a pair of slippers or sandals or you may just walk around in your socks or bare feet. In some homes, a separate, communal pair of plastic sandals is worn when using the restroom. 3. Bring a gift. The gift may or may not be opened in front of you. You can suggest the gift be opened in your presence but don’t push the issue. 4. Guests will be immediately served tea whether you want it or not. It is impolite to request a drink or request an alternate beverage. 5. The mother or wife is typically the person who will prepare the meal. Since Chinese meals are served course-by-course, the cook may not join in the feast until after all dishes have been served. Dishes tend to be served family style. Some restaurants and homes will have separate chopsticks for serving the dishes while others may not. 6. Follow the lead of the host and serve yourself, however, he or she serves himself or herself. Eat when the host eats. Be sure to eat plenty of food to show you are enjoying it but don’t eat the last bit of any dish. If you finish off any dish, it will signal that the cook has not prepared enough food. Leaving a small amount of food is good manners. 7. Do not leave immediately once the meal has concluded. Stay for 30 minutes to an hour to show you have enjoyed your meal and their company. More About Chinese Etiquette Chinese Business Meeting EtiquetteChinese Customs for Meeting New People

Have Information Systems Affected Competition Essay

Have Information Systems Affected Competition - Essay Example Helped by constant development and changes, information systems currently control the key operations in the business world from production, sales, processing and even marketing. However, it is important that any business intending to employ the use of this technology understand its implications in full, especially, its influence to output and resultant profits. When the issues are fully understood, organizations require tools to necessitate the implementation of the information systems technology. This should be in a manner that will enable them increase their strategy in competition within their market (Bogetoft & Olesen, 2000).   One way in which many organizations have viewed information systems over the years is through a pyramid that would show a certain hierarchy that is observed in the organizations. At the bottom are the systems involving transaction processing, systems used to manage information systems follows closely, above this are systems that support decision making a nd the highest ranked are the systems that are used to save executive information. This was the most rudimentary organization, yet the level of organization it brought to a company enabled it to grow and prosper than its competitors. In the recent contexts, there have been new technologies that have changed the basic framework to encompass the changes in the contemporary business environment. Some of the new improvements are enterprise systems, global information system (GIS), and enterprise planning using resource departments, data warehouses, global information systems (GIS) and the automation of offices (Neumann, 1994).   It is obvious that information systems have influenced the competition by companies over the past few years; this is seen from the fact that most managers have been forces to integrate the use of software technology in their offices, production and daily running of activities. This revolution has made the finance departments to be forced to locate funds to pur chase hardware used in managing information systems, training of these system’s personnel and encouraging capacity building through funding trainings and workshops. Some of the competitive advantages gained from the use of information systems are reduction in costs that are incurred when obtaining, transmitting and saving information within a firm and between different business groups (Armoni, 2000).   Information systems fall under the group of competitive systems. This is because it involves many services all of which have a contribution to how and when decisions will be made. In addition, information systems have the competitive advantage of enabling users to collect data from the primary resource center, and then analyze it on the spot using well defined pre-set programs. The systems of information will enable users to plan ahead of their competitors and know their intentions beforehand (Rainer & Cegielski, 2011).   In addition, fieldwork analysis will help the manage rs to know the changes that occur in the market, changes in customer requirements, how the structure of the industry has changed in such issues as social, physical, and the physical forces; this would be with the use of internet searches on the news sites. Furthermore, the continuous changes in technology within and outside the company’