LESSON 1. CONTRACTS
Contracts are an integral part of the workplace. In simple terms, contracts are an agreement between two or more parties that specifies terms and obligates the parties to tát follow them. Contracts often include the amount that a client will pay contractors and what services will be provided. For example, in your office, you may have a contract that provides assurance that your copier machine or phones will be repaired within a certain amount of time. This service can either be done off-site or at your establishment. A contract often states ways to tát determine if quality of work delivered is acceptable. Well-written contracts usually provide ways to tát resolve problems lượt thích these when they happen. Before engaging in a contract, both parties should think carefully, as they will have to tát abide by the conditions specified in it. A contract usually specifies how the two parties can cancel it if either buổi tiệc nhỏ fails to tát meet the terms.
LESSON 2. MARKETING
Yassir is getting ready to tát realize his dream: opening a business that sells plants on the Internet. After completing a business plan that helped him to tát determine that there was demand for his product in the market. Yassir is ready to tát start promoting his business. Having persuaded the ngân hàng that there was a market – that there were consumers willing to tát buy plants on the Internet – he needed to tát find these consumers. Once he has an established base, Yassir, lượt thích other business owners, will have to tát continually attract new customers. At the same time, he must make sure current customers are satisfied. In other to tát be satisfied, current customers must be happy with the product they receive. Yassir’s job is to tát inspire these customers to tát gain their repeat business. To bởi this, he will have to tát convince consumers that he offers a good product at a good price, especially when compared to tát the businesses with which he competes. He hopes that Internet plant buyers are here to tát stay and not just part of fad.
LESSON 3. WARRANTIES
Warranties are a seller’s promise to tát stand behind its products. Most major purchases lượt thích computers or cars come with a warranty, as bởi smaller purchases, lượt thích stereos or other electronic housewares. Warranties are not required by law, but are frequently found on most products. If you are making a purchase, you should consider the individual characteristics of a warranty, as each can vary in the amount of coverage it provides. At the minimum, warranties are required to tát promise that the product will bởi what it implies that it will do; for example, that a blender will blend or a hair dryer will dry hair. Most warranties are good for a fixed time, then they expire. You can protect yourself by buying products from companies with good reputations and taking good care of your new purchase. There are consequences to tát not taking care of a product, as most warranties require that you use the product in a certain manner.
LESSON 4. BUSINESS PLANNING
Every business must develop a business plan. The business plan’s primary purpose is to tát improve the entrepreneur’s control over the business and to tát help him avoid common mistakes. It is not an overstatement to tát say that a business will fail or succeed on the strength of its business plan, sánh there is no substitution for a well-prepared plan. The business plan documents the strategy for growing the business. Think on the business plan as a road map that describes in which direction the company is going, what its goals are, and how it is going to tát get there.
In developing the plan, the entrepreneur will conduct research to tát determine a systematic and realistic evaluation of the company’s target market and define its potential. The entrepreneur must be able to tát prove through research that customers in the market need the good or service that is offered and that a sufficient number of potential customers exists to tát tư vấn the business.
A business plan also looks at the risks the business faces. Chief among these is competitors. The business plan must analyze the company’s competition by gathering information on competitor’s market share, products, and strategies. The plan should demonstrate what distinguishes the entrepreneur’s products or services from others already in the market. It is also common for businesses to tát fail because the owner fails to tát invest or seek sufficient capital to tát lập cập the business. A good business plan should address this issue as well.
LESSON 5. CONFERENCES
Many associations and organizations hold annual conferences sánh that their members can get in touch with each other and take part in educational programs. When planning a conference, sự kiện coordinators try to tát have a variety of sessions sánh people attending can select a workshop or meeting that best suits their needs. When making arrangements for a conference, they look for a site that will accommodate all their needs. The site should be able to tát hold the number of people expected to tát attend, without the meeting rooms being overcrowded. Good sự kiện coordinators tour the site before making a final decision because brochures cannot show all the necessary details. Having meetings in a fun location can really encourage people to tát register for the meeting.
LESSON 6. COMPUTERS
When I try to tát shut down my computer, a warning pops up that says “Low Memory.” From there, I can’t figure out what to tát bởi. The computer won’t let u access any of my files, sánh I can’t tìm kiếm for those that I could delete. I’ve already deleted all of my duplicate files, and I can’t believe that my remaining files are using up sánh much memory. I’d be happy to tát ignore the computer’s warning, but I have no option, since the display is frozen on this message. Do you think I’ve failed to tát understand something about the operations of this computer? If you can, would you please allocate a few minutes in your busy schedule to tát help u solve this dilemma? As I said before, I’m sure that my software is compatible and is not the source of this problem.
LESSON 7. OFFICE TECHNOLOGY
Many companies have one person or a department that is in charge of running the office. If you have ever worked for a company that doesn’t have an office manager, you very quickly learn to tát appreciate the importance of the job. Who is in charge of placing orders? Who services the fax machine or printer? Who makes sure that the office is presentable for customers? Are the new conference tables and shelves durable as well as affordable?
It is the office manager’s responsibility to tát maintain an efficient and smooth-running office. He or she looks for ways to tát reduce costs and minimize interruptions in the day-to-day operations. Whereas functional managers know the capacity of their employees, the office manager knows the physical capacity of the office and the supplies and machines that are in the office.
The office manager initiates the ordering of furniture and supplies, and stays on top of changing office technology. Over time, he or she may notice recurring problems that require changing a service provider. Furniture and large items are ordered on an as needed basis. Other frequently used materials, such as paper, folders, and mailing materials, are on an automatic ordering schedule and a stock of those supplies is on hand at the office.
LESSON 8. OFFICE PROCEDURES
How many employees show any appreciation for their corporate culture? How many executives appreciate what their corporate culture is and what it is made of? It is open reinforced by the office procedures and routines that have been established over the years. A manager made her mark twenty years ago by dressing casually, thereby forever changing the dress code. A director bought from the competition when he ran out of stock and practice soon became standard. These examples add to tát a company’s culture.
Good employees know what the standard procedures are. This is an important element in recruiting new employees, as well as training workers. When training workers, it is often important to tát have them read the procedures, write their reactions, and verbalize their opinions to tát these practices. This promotes a sense of cooperation between those who establish the practices and those who must follow them.
Employees who have been with a company for many years may not be able to tát identify outdated practices because they haven’t been exposed to tát anything else. What happens when a department needs an extra hand? Is a “temp” brought in, or is someone borrowed from another department? The new recruits often ask the questions that allow more senior employees to tát get a glimpse of the corporate culture.
LESSON 9. ELECTRONICS
By the mid 1980s, virtually all U.S. businesses owned at least one computer. Prices of computers declined sharply over the next few years, resulting in a surge in popularity. At the same time, offices started to tát rely on networks which facilitates the sharing and processing of data. Such data processing was made possible by improvements in both the hardware and software industries.
More recently, data storage disks have undergone their own revolution. Because of technical advancements, the storage capacity of a compact disc increased significantly.
In addition, manufacturers of software offer competitive upgrades to tát replace competitor’s products.
Virtually all office workers today are trained in the most popular word processing software.
Computers repeatedly revolutionize the workplace, and everyone, no matter how accomplished he or she is with other skills, needs to tát stay abreast of major trends in computer development.
LESSON 10. CORRESPONDENCE
In small offices, it is often the executive assistant who must manage all of the printed material that the firm produces. The job responsibilities include typing and printing out the correspondence. These letters and memos must all be carefully proofed to tát make sure they are error-free. If not, the errors should be corrected. If the meaning is not clear, the correspondence should be revised. This revision should be done beforehand, not when the letter is ready to tát be sent.
Before putting correspondence into an envelope, the executive assistant must assemble all the various attachments and other documents to tát be enclosed with the letter. When folding the correspondence, the assistant should make sure that when opening the envelope, the recipient sees the letterhead first.
Once prepared, the correspondence must be sent appropriately. Local, urgent mail could be hand-delivered by a courier service. Long-distance, urgent mail could be sent overnight or by express mail. If a record is required mail can be registered and receipts are given.
In addition to tát transmitting and receiving faxes, the executive assistant must work closely with company officials. When the company executives have to tát make a presentation, the executive assistant often becomes a graphic designer charged with the layout, or the look of, the graphics and text for the printed materials used during the presentations. Did I mention that these duties generally involve learning extremely complicated design software? It’s a wonder that more executive assistants don’t petition their bosses for a raise.
LESSON 11. JOB ADVERTISING AND RECRUITING
Recruiting employees is a time-consuming and costly process. Therefore, employers want to tát match the right person with the right job the first time around. There are many ways to tát recruit good employees: advertising in newspapers and professional journals, recruiting on college campuses or at conferences, or getting referrals from headhunters.
Recruiting is a time for a company to tát brag about its accomplishments and excite people about its future. Each company is trying to tát bring together the best and the brightest, but they are not alone. Their competition is trying to tát bởi the same thing. When jobs are abundant and there is low unemployment, employers may face higher demands from job seekers. Conversely, when the economy is slowing down and jobs are few, employers are in a better position for attracting the best candidates.
Employers look for certain characteristics and qualifications in their employees. Coming up with a very specific profile that fits the company culture and the specific job requirements is a difficult job. Employers want to tát see a well-rounded candidate and someone who has related work experience. They are willing to tát offer a salary that is commensurate with that experience. Employers will make hiring and salary determinations based on the information candidates submit throughout the application and interview process.
LESSON 12. APPLYING AND INTERVIEWING
How many times in your life will you tìm kiếm for a new job? The experts say probably more times than thở you think! Some people find the job tìm kiếm time-consuming and hard on their self-confidence. The best job hunters are those who never stop looking and don’t dwell on their weaknesses. They network constantly: at meetings, at social gatherings and with people they meet on the street. They follow up periodically with contacts and acquaintances to tát keep up with new developments.
Good job hunters assess their abilities all the time. Before they even apply for a position, they have researched the field and the specific companies they are interested in. They know where they could fit into the company and they tailor their résumés for each position. They try to tát show how their backgrounds match the job opening. Therefore, when they are called in for an interview, they’re prepared. They are ready for anything!
At the interview, these job hunters know that they must present themselves in the best way possible. This is their opportunity to tát shine. It is also their opportunity to tát see if this is truly the job that they want. If either buổi tiệc nhỏ is hesitant at the interview, it may be a sign that it isn’t a good fit.
LESSON 13. HIRING AND TRAINING
After the ads have been placed, and the interviews have been conducted, decisions have to tát be made. Who should the company bring onboard? Job offers are extended and they are either accepted or rejected. For those who accept the offer, the job tìm kiếm has been completed successfully. But for both the employer and the new hire, the job has just begun.
Companies want new employees to tát generate new business and new ideas as soon as possible. Before they can bởi that, the new hires need some training. All companies have unique expectations and methods of operating. Company trainers conduct workshops and seminars for both experienced and new workers. All employees must prepare for the future and continuously update themselves in their field. Nowadays, workers are expected to tát keep up with the latest trends and information. Otherwise, they fall behind.
Many companies mix up a mentoring program for new employees. The mentor is usually an experienced manager or employee and should be someone whom the new employee can look up to tát. Mentors often review goals and objectives with their mentorees and help them to tát stay on track.
Lesson 14. Salaries and Benefits
An important part of the job tìm kiếm often comes after an offer has been made. Papers should not be signed until you have successfully negotiated your salary and benefits. You want to tát make sure you will be adequately compensated for your skills, work, and time. This is a delicate and difficult area. You should be aware of what the salary ranges are at the company and in the field.
Some workers are not on a salary; rather they work for an hourly wage. In some cases, workers who earn an hourly wage have more flexibility with the hours they work. The trade-off is that the worker may not receive any benefits. For those workers on a salary, the base salary that is negotiated is critical, because most subsequent pay raises come in small incremental amounts. Most companies have a review process either on an annual or semiannual basis. As a result of the review, an employee may receive a raise.
Each employee has a unique situation. Health insurance coverage and retirement plans may be essential to tát some employees, whereas they are not important to tát others. Many companies will offer benefits in such a way that it is to tát the employee’s advantage to tát stay with the company for a longer period of time. Employees may not be eligible to tát sign up for a retirement plan until they have been with the company for one year and employees are not fully vested in these plans until they have five years of service under their belts. Some bonus plans are paid out over a period of years. Vacation time increases after more years of service.
Lesson 15. Promotions, Pensions, and Awards
Congratulations. You have been chosen by your colleagues to tát receive the Keeler Award of Excellence. This prestigious award recognizes employees who have made extraordinary contributions to tát the corporation over the years.
Your coworkers gave several reasons for selecting you. First, they mentioned your achievements in the marketing department. In the past four years, you have had four promotions in this department, all based on the many merits of your in developing our image in new markets. In addition, your loyalty to tát the department is obviously to tát all. Many of your coworkers mention that they look to tát you for advice. Your supervisor praised your high productivity.
The Keeler Award acknowledges an employee’s value with a $1,000 bonus. We look forward to tát the opportunity to tát dedicate a rosebush in the company garden in each recipient’s name.
The awards ceremony will be held on August 7 on the front lawn at 10:30 a.m. Again, congratulations.
Lesson 16. Shopping
Some people love to tát cửa hàng. Others can’t bear shopping and only go when their clothes are completely worn-out. No one can get away from shopping – unless you can bởi without eating! Consumption and consumer behavior affects everything we bởi.
Some purchases are absolutely mandatory. Everyone needs to tát eat, wear clothing, and sit on furniture. Other purchases are strictly for luxury items. The vast majority of what most of us buy is somewhere in between essential items and frivolous items.
Most people cửa hàng by visiting stores on the weekend. It’s fun to tát expand the number of places you cửa hàng in by exploring new stores – even if you don’t make a purchase. It’s also comfortable to tát return to tát stores you know well, where you know what the merchandise selection is likely to tát be.
Most shoppers are looking for bargains. Some people even kiểm tra out all the aisles looking to tát see if the items they normally use have been marked down. Everyone loves finding that their favorite items are discounted to tát a lower price. A sale makes going to tát the checkout counter a happier sự kiện.
A steadily growing trend is shopping from the comfort of home page. Many people lượt thích to tát cửa hàng by catalogs and over the Internet. You can get almost everything, from books to tát apparel, by mail, without having to tát leave your home page.
Lesson 17. Odering Supplies
All businesses, large and small, must maintain an inventory of supplies. In most business offices, there are several essential everyday items, including stationery, pens, staples, and folders. These are easily obtained from office supply stores that provide the most commonly used items under one roof. Some of these stores will even take orders by telephone with không lấy phí delivery.
However, some businesses require a more diverse range of supplies. For example, businesses that ship their products usually need cartons, Styrofoam peanuts, mailing tape, and shipping labels on hand at all times. Though these items may be available from general office supply stores, there are other specialty stores that only sell packing and shipping supplies.
No matter what the type of business, the office administrator is in charge of ordering supplies and maintaining an inventory. Having the essential supplies on hand at all times is a prerequisite for the smooth and efficient functioning of the enterprise. The administrator should try to tát locate the cheapest source of the supplies required, but also pay attention to tát the quality of the goods.
Lesson 18. Shipping
For Mr. Park’s Asian housewares store, shipping is an integral part of the business. Many customers need to tát send their purchases to tát friends or relatives who live far away. Other customers, who bởi not live near one of his stores, cửa hàng by catalog and need their orders sent by mail.
Shipping is, of course, the process of getting goods delivered to tát a customer, but it is more than thở just getting a box in the mail. Goods must be packaged carefully to tát minimize breakage and ensure that they arrive safely. Staff members must keep accurate records of the inventory shipped, sánh Mr. Park knows at all times the answers to tát these questions: When did a box leave the store? Who was the carrier who delivered it? When did it arrive at its destination? Customers will have confidence in Mr. Park’s business when he can give quick and accurate answers.
The shipping process must be tied to tát the store’s inventory. When orders are taken, the shipping staff must know that there is sufficient inventory of the product on hand to tát fulfill the request. If a product is on order, the sales staff should advise the customer to tát expect a delay. When orders are shipped out, they must be deleted from the inventory records sánh Mr. Park knows exactly how many items are on hand in his warehouse. It takes a good computer program to tát keep track of the additions and deletions to tát the inventory.
Sales staff must remember to tát charge for shipping and appropriate taxes. Mr. Park must keep good records on the cost of the shipping and packing materials and other supplies, the cost of the carriers, and staff time to tát assess whether he is billing enough to tát cover his shipping expenses.
Lesson 19. Invoices
Mail-order companies need to tát have an efficient process for invoicing and billing customers. When a customer places an order, a list of items must be compiled and an invoice generated. The invoice will list the items purchased, along with the cost of each item, and the quantity desired. Charges that will be incurred in shipping the items to tát the customer are also added to tát the invoice. Sometimes shipping charges are simply estimated based on the weight or value of the items ordered.
The invoice also shows the terms of payment. Payment is usually due within 30 days. Extra charges are often imposed on overdue accounts. Many companies also offer a small discount if invoices are paid promptly.
Sometimes items get damaged or lost (while) in transit, or customers discover that the wrong items have been shipped by mistake. They will usually điện thoại tư vấn the company to tát have the problem rectified. Such complaints should be dealt with promptly. If an item is missing, a replacement will be sent, usually at no additional charge to tát the customer.
Lesson đôi mươi. Inventory
In a retail business, inventory has multiple meanings. Inventory means all the goods that a company has on hand or available to tát it in a warehouse. Inventory also means the process by which the business verifies the number of goods. An accurate trương mục of the inventory available is crucial. The amount of stock is a liability because it is already owned by the business.
Taking an inventory is a physical count of the inventory holdings. Today, almost every business keeps a running inventory count by having its sales records tied by computer to tát its inventory. When a customer makes a purchase, the computer system tied to tát the register subtracts the purchase from the inventory records. If a customer makes a return or an exchange, the inventory numbers will be adjusted by the computer automatically. That’s often why scanning the bar code is sánh important in stores. If merchandise is broken or damaged in the stockroom or on the sales floor, the manager will ask the sales and stock help to tát change the stock holdings to tát reflect the loss.
As good as the computer records may be, they are just an estimate. At least once a year, most businesses bởi an actual physical count of the inventory. This process can be tedious but it is necessary as there are always discrepancies between what the computer says you own and what your physical count says. Often stores close for a day, or at least close early, sánh that staff can perform the inventory without disturbances.
LESSON 21. BANKING
Banks are not only places in which to tát save money or to tát transact your financial business, but also institutions from which people can borrow money. Every day, people look to tát banks for loans, such as mortgages for new homes. A loan is essentially a contract that binds the lender to tát a schedule of payments, sánh both parties should be cautious and not enter into the arrangement without thinking. Banks will look at such factors as how much people have saved towards a down payment in determining whether to tát make a loan.
Banks have different kinds of accounts. Some pay high quarterly dividends. Some accounts even severely restrict the number of times, if any, that you can access your trương mục, or the amount of cash you can take out.
Today, electronic banking can be used to tát kiểm tra the balance on an trương mục, or to tát see if automatic deductions have been made. This can all be done from your home page or office computer. When you go to tát the ngân hàng, be sure to tát bring identification. Usually a ngân hàng will only accept a photo ID; a signature is not a valid ID.
LESSON 22. ACCOUNTING
Accounting information is pulled together or accumulated to tát help someone make decisions. A manager must come up with a budget to tát help control expenses. A retail store owner realizes that her clients have outstanding bills. A restaurant owner wants to tát know if it is profitable to tát serve lunch. A nonprofit organization is being audited by the government. All of these people and organizations could use the services of an accountant.
Accountants and accounting systems help a company stay on track. They raise flags when expenses are building up and keep an eye on the turnover of inventory. They reconcile their clients’ accounts to tát ensure that their clients’ records are correct. Good accounting systems allow managers to tát come up with ways to tát improve their business.
The accountant prepare information for both internal and external use. Financial statements provide a quick look into the life of a business. They show how much debt the company is carrying and how much its assets are worth. The outside world uses this information to tát judge the health of the company.
LESSON 23. INVESTMENTS
Investment is a common, everyday occurrence. Companies invest time and money in finding and training their employees. Employees invest in their own training and education. Financial investment takes place at a corporate level and at an individual level. Whether an individual or a company, a decision must be made on the percentage of resources to tát have invested and the percentage to tát have in cash.
To avoid making stupid decisions, many people use financial advisors. Financial advisors help individuals and corporations make wise investment decisions. What kind of portfolio should be maintained? What should be in this portfolio. At what point should an investor pull back or pull out of the market? What kind of returns should be investor realistically expect? How much risk can an investor take (both emotionally and financially)? Investors who are committed for the long-term can more easily weather the ups and downs of a market. As one analyst commented, “If you’re staying awake at night thinking about the stock market, you probably have too much invested.”
Many employees have retirement plans at work. They decide what level of contribution to tát make to tát a certain fund. These decisions and large company decisions depend to tát a large degree on attitude. Is the decision maker aggressive or conservative? That attitude often depends on the age of the investor or on the stage and the needs of business.
LESSON 24. TAXES
Every year, my wife gathers all of our pay stubs and expense reports and prepares to tát fill out our tax forms. She tries to tát finish them in March, well before the April 15th deadline. It’s a time-consuming process. There are receipts to tát find, records to tát organize, and forms to tát fill out. When we first got married, we filed separate returns. But now she marks u as her spouse and files the joint return. It saves us money and saves u time!
My wife is very proud of her accuracy. The government has never sent the forms back with corrections. For several years now, we have received a refund. But this year, she calculated the numbers over and over again and found we had not paid enough taxes throughout the year. She didn’t want to tát owe any money. Finally, she gave up and sent in our kiểm tra. Actually, it was my fault. I had changed jobs and didn’t ask my employer to tát withhold enough money from my paychecks. I’m just glad we found and corrected the mistake before we got penalized.
LESSON 25. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
A business budget focuses on future profits and future capital requirements. A budget can help the business owner determine the amount of profit the business is expected to tát make, the amount of sales it will take to tát reach a goal, and what level of expenses are attached to tát those sales. A business establishes a target, a goal to tát work toward. A business forecasts the sales that will be needed to tát reach this target.
Projecting or planning ahead is part of overall business planning. When creating a projected income statement, a business owner tries to tát determine how to tát reach the desired target. The annual profit must be sufficient to tát yield the owner a return for his or her time spent operating the business, plus a return on the investment. The owner’s target income in the sum of a reasonable salary for the time spent running the business and a normal return on the amount invested in the firm.
After projecting the income needed, the business owner has to tát translate the target profit into a net sales figure for the forecasted period. The owner has to tát determine whether this sales volume is realistic. One useful technique is to tát break down the required annual sales into a daily sales figure to tát get a better perspective of the sales required to tát yield the annual profit.
At this stage in the financial plan, the owner should create a detailed picture of the firm’s expected operating expenses. Many books and business organizations give typical operating statistics data, based on a percentage of net sales. The business’s accountant can help you assign dollar values to tát anticipated expenses.
Developing a projected income statement is an important part of any financial plan, as the process forces the business owner to tát examine the firm’s future profitability.
LESSON 26. PROPERTY AND DEPARTMENTS
The layout of any office has an important influence on the atmosphere and operations in the company. The shipping department most likely will not be located next to tát the customer service department. The noise would be too disruptive. Likewise, locating a kitchen adjacent to tát the lobby would be inconsiderate for office visitors and clients. The marketing department is open situated (=is located) close to tát the sales department due to tát their necessary collaboration.
Employee productivity may be hampered or improved by the arrangement of workers and departments. Employees vie for corner offices as they move up the corporate ladder. They want to tát be accessible to tát top management, but not sánh close that every thing that they bởi is scrutinized. At the same time, many companies are opting for open work space versus traditional offices. Open spaces are more conducive to tát team projects, where employees interact freely. However, some employees feel that such an environment makes it difficult to tát concentrate. Employees know under which condition they work the best. If employers are willing to tát listen and are open to tát suggestions, they can take advantage of office space and help employees to tát realize their full potential.
LESSON 27. BOARD MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES
Committee meetings are a frequent and necessary sự kiện at almost company. In order for meetings to tát be productive and not viewed as a waste of time, they should be lập cập efficiently. Critical to tát the success of any meeting is the agenda. Everyone who attends the meeting should be aware of the agenda and be prepared to tát discuss the matters at hand and the goals to tát be accomplished. To avoid lengthy discussions, time frames should be mix and adhered.
The meeting is called to tát order by the chairperson. Attendance is taken and agenda items are brought up one by one. In general, priority topics should be at the beginning of the agenda, to tát make sure that the attendees are able to tát discuss them fully and make timely decisions. Once the go ahead is given for a plan or project, a plan of action is developed. The committee must then periodically kiểm tra up on the progress of that plan. The meeting is concluded without any outstanding issues and a date for the next meeting is mix.
LESSON 28. QUALITY CONTROL
Alex is excited about his new job with Parapluie Rain Wear. As quality control manager, his job is to tát make sure that his company’s goods conform to tát standardized quality criteria and are không lấy phí from defects. Before any garment leaves the factory, Alex must inspect it. He knows that if he throw out a damaged garment before a customer sees it, he will enhance his company’s reputation and increase the demand for their products meet certain criteria: A customer who buys a raincoat that does not repel rain will probably take back the raincoat to tát the store and buy another brand. The same is true if the seams are not sewn tightly or the color is not uniform. Alex knows that, in addition to tát keeping out rain, the product must be attractive to tát look at and to tát touch. It should not wrinkle easily, and it should last a long time. Alex knows that it is important for customers to tát perceive his company’s goods as quality products sánh that his company will profit – and he can get a raise.
LESSON 29. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Michael was worried about his promotion. He needn’t have been anxious through. He had worked in the Product Development Division for nine and a half years, almost a decade . He knew the department inside out. Now, however, he would be the director. As a thành viên of the department, he had only to tát bởi what his supervisor told him. As the director, he would be the person responsible for the success of his department. Fears are not always logical; in fact, they are often illogical.
As his first task, he decide to tát conduct a systematic analysis of the steps required to tát develop new products and to tát organize the tasks into a logical order. The first step in developing new products would be to tát ascertain what kind of products the market needed and what problems existed with the products currently being used.
The second task would be to tát find out how best to tát examine these problems and determine what kind of research would be needed to tát solve the problems. It would be better to tát say, reexamine these problems, since most of these unsolved problems had been thoroughly researched over the years.
The third task would be to tát look at the quality and characteristics of the competition’s products. By examining the competition’s products, he would know where he should improve. And the final task would be to tát decide how to tát gather the most substantial information from the fewest number of experiments. Michael smiled and sat back to tát read over his list. Confident that he had a good team and a good plan, he felt ready to tát assume his new job.
Lesson 30. Renting and Leasing
Starting a new business in both an exciting and frightening undertaking. Most new business owners are apprehensive about their ability to tát make all the decisions that arise during the course of opening a business. One of the first issues that will arise is whether to tát buy or lease property. In order to tát evaluate the options, business owners research the current real estate market. Occupancy rates are a good indicator of the overall business climate. Princes per square foot will increase as the occupancy rate increase.
Economic change is part of the business climate. There are often large fluctuations in prices within a given thành phố. These fluctuations are due to tát many factors lượt thích the condition of the building, access to tát public transportation, and business projections for the area.
Because there is sánh much uncertainty in starting a business, many owners bởi not want to tát lock into themselves long-term lease. Many negotiate clauses in their contracts to tát get out of a lease under certain circumstances. They want to tát insure the prices conditions of a property before making a large commitment. Lease often provide more flexibility than thở buying a property. They lượt thích to tát leave their options open. They don’t lượt thích to tát be subject to tát the whims of the marketplace.
Lesson 31. Selecting a Restaurant
When Atul is trying to tát impress business contacts who are potential new clients, he takes them to tát the best restaurant in town. He hopes this will help secure a new contract for his telecommunications business.
It’s hard to tát determine which restaurants are best. Atul relies on newspaper and magazine reviews. He also asks his friends and colleagues for guidance. They are happy to tát make a suggestion.
Food tastes are subjective. Although Atul likes to tát be daring and take risks, he knows that the food should appeal to tát a variety of palates. He wants the majority of his guests to tát be happy. He usually decides to tát compromise on a restaurant that offers a thực đơn with a mix of familiar standards and some exciting specials.
When he calls to tát book the table, he tells the person taking the reservation what time his buổi tiệc nhỏ will arrive and the number of people he needs seating for.
Lesson 32. Eating out
The key to tát a happy meal is that everyone should enjoy eating what they ordered. Before the waiter takes your order, you can ask him for a recommendation or you can select randomly from the thực đơn.
Good service is part of the overall enjoyment of the meal. The waiter should make the patrons feel welcome and comfortable. Good waiters can predict what you need, lượt thích more water, without having to tát be asked for it. It’s easy for a waiter to tát forget something, but you should not have to tát remind a waiter more than thở once to tát bring you something. Nor bởi you want the waiter to tát mix up the food orders. You should get what you ordered, and your order should be complete.
The quality of the food is the primary way restaurant are judged. The food should taste and look wonderful. Your plate of food should excite all your senses and be fragrant and colorful. Even the most basic or familiar dishes can taste different from restaurant to tát restaurant. A chef can bring out a distinct flavor in a dish, depending on the ingredients he or she uses.
Lesson 33. Odering Lunch
As the office manager, it usually falls to tát Lucia to tát order the food for a working lunch or an office buổi tiệc nhỏ. Lucia finds ordering food for a working lunch to tát be especially burdensome. First, in order to tát avoid placing multiple small orders from different food establishments, she must narrow down the choices to tát one kind of food. The most common choices are sandwiches and individual pizzas.
Once she has settled on a good choice, she calls a restaurant or other food service on her approved list. Usually she needs the food delivered sánh she does not have to tát leave the office and pick up the order herself.
In case of a more formal lunch, where her quấn is trying to tát impress new clients, for example, Lucia will điện thoại tư vấn a catering service that can provide a more elegant meal.
Lesson 34. Cooking as a Career
When people start thinking about careers, they may be looking for an outlet for their creativity. Many people are drawn to tát cooking as a career and see it as a profession, not merely a trade. The restaurant business is demanding and needs a constant influx of new talent.
Chefs incorporate ingredients and methods of cooking from around the world into successful menus. Most chefs offer meals that are variations on standard themes. They will try to tát stretch their patrons’ range of food tastes by taking food that still recognized as traditional and infuse it with something new, lượt thích a rare spice or seasoning. People accustomed to tát certain tastes and textures aren’t going to tát relinquish their preferences immediately.
Chefs attend culinary school or train in restaurants with experienced chefs, in an apprenticeship. For those of you who lượt thích hands-on creativity, being a chef might be a good choice.
Lesson 35. Events
Planning an sự kiện is not simple. There are hundreds of details that have to tát be coordinated, whether it is a wedding or a business conference. Early in the planning process, you need to tát decide on the site. If you know where you want to tát stage the sự kiện, you should liên hệ the site representative for an exact mô tả tìm kiếm of the facility. The staff will provide you with information about room dimensions; food and beverage arrangements, including whether there are local regulations or restrictions for serving alcoholic beverages; and required lead time for reserving the site.
If you decide that the first site is not ideally suited for your specific requirements, a guidebook will assist you in finding an alternative setting. In considering location, you should also think about its proximity to tát public transportation.
With a general idea of how many people will attend, and how much money you can spend, you can narrow down the available sites to tát the ones that best accommodate the needs of your group.
Lesson 36. General Travel
When Ms. Tan has to tát go on business travel, she calls her favorite travel agent. He reminds her to tát make sure that she takes a valid passport on her trip. Once her reservations have been made and confirmed, the travel agent will issue a ticket and an itinerary. Before leaving for the airport, she calls the airline to tát kiểm tra if the flight is on time and has not been delayed.
At the airport, after checking in her suitcase at the kiểm tra – in counter, since she is prohibited from taking more than thở one piece of carry-on luggage onto the plane, Ms. Tan receives her embarkation thẻ. She will present this at the gate when it is time to tát broad her flight. She is told to tát be at the gate 15 minutes before the flight is to tát depart. During the flight, the attendant may offer her a beverage, and she can even request a blanket if she cold. The captain will make announcements during the flight to tát let the passengers know at what altitude they are flying, and when they may expect to tát arrive at their destination.
Once the flight has landed, Ms. Tan disembarks and must go through customs after she claims her baggage. After this, she will take a cab to tát the khách sạn where is staying, sánh she can rest and prepare for her meeting the next day. She will also reconfirm her return flight a day or two before she leaves to tát return home page.
Lesson 37. Airlines
If you travel, you most likely will have to tát giảm giá with flying. Flying is the quickest, most convenient means of travel between countries, and often between different parts of one country. Flying is expensive, but when all costs are taken into trương mục for traveling any substantial distance, air travel is usually less expensive than thở driving by siêu xe. It is also the most economical way to tát go in terms of time. You’ll miss the scenery en route
(on way), but you’ll have more time at your vacation destination with air travel.
Airlines sell seats at a variety of prices under a system of requirements and restrictions. Full-fare tickets are the most expensive, but give you the most flexibility in terms of making changes. A prospective traveler can buy a ticket up to tát takeoff time as long as a seat is available.
Fares change rapidly, and even travel experts find it difficult to tát keep up. The changing situation is due to tát many factors, including increased competition. As a general rule, the less you pay for the ticket, the more restrictions you can expect. If you are trying to tát save money, look for excursion fares. These are the airline’s equivalent of the special sale. Most excursion fares are for round-trip travel and have strict regulations and a minimum and maximum length of stay, sánh don’t count on extending your vacation or staying less time than thở required. However, once you are on the plane, you are not distinguishable from passengers who paid higher fares.
Lesson 38. Trains
Trains are among the best ways to tát see a lot of a country in a relatively short amount of time. In addition to tát the consideration of time, traveling by train allows you to tát really see the country you are passing through. You need only get to tát the station on time; after that you can relax and watch from the window.
Most trains are on time and lập cập on a punctual schedule. Routes, schedules, and fares are listed in a timetable available at a train station, in many travel directories, or posted on the World Wide Web. Directories that are comprehensive list all the trains, the cities they serve, the stations they depart from, and the class of services available. A few remote travel destinations are accessible only during the peak tourist season; the train does not operate there the remainder of the year.
The fare is based on how far you travel and the quality of your accommodations. The basic fare buys you a seat for the duration of the trip. To be more precise, an unreserved seat guarantees a passenger transportation only; seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. On busy holidays, it is passible that you could stand for at least some of your trip. For long trips, you will want to tát reserve a seat.
If you are traveling overnight, the cost of your room accommodation will depend on how deluxe your room is. Although taking the train is less expensive than thở flying, the savings may be offset by the cost of booking a sleeping room.
Travelers coming to tát the United States can take advantage of special rates not available in the United States. These passes entitle the bearer to tát unlimited coach travel on trains for a fixed period of days, usually a month.
Lesson 39. Hotels
People stay in hotels for business and personal travel. But with room rates being sánh high, many travelers are staying home page. Since high costs can preclude travel, smart travelers know they can save money and get the best rates for a room by making reservations well in advance of the beginning of their trip. When you make a reservation, the khách sạn staff will ask you to tát notify them as soon as there is any change in your travel plans. To avoid any surprises, it’s a good idea to tát điện thoại tư vấn and confirm the availability of your room and the rate you were quoted.
In selecting a khách sạn, first think about the kinds of service you will need or lượt thích to tát have. You naturally expect a clean, well-lit room. You naturally expect that a housekeeper will clean your room daily even in the smallest hotels. Large khách sạn chains offer the most services, such as a pool, health club, or money exchange. The front desk clerks will tell you about such services when you kiểm tra in the khách sạn.
Lesson 40. Car Rentals
Many travelers taking a driving vacation simply rent a siêu xe. Yoko called ahead to tát rent a siêu xe at her vacation destination. Although she was tempted to tát book a siêu xe once she arrived at her destination, Yoko was nervous about not having a reservation. Her vacation coincided with a holiday, sánh she knew many other people would also be renting cars. Yoko wanted to tát avoid the disappointment of finding that a siêu xe was not available at this busy travel time.
There are a lot of siêu xe rental firms, sánh Yoko contacted several of them to tát compare rates and requirements. At each company she called, she learned she would need a valid driver’s license and a major credit thẻ to tát rent a siêu xe.
Yoko found the many different rates for renting cars confusing. Some companies offered substantial discounts provided that the siêu xe was reserved for a certain number of days. One company offered her a great daily rate, but it was based on a three-day rental. Since she only intended to tát rent the siêu xe for two days, the discount did not apply to tát her. Also, the base price did not cover optional costs, lượt thích collision insurance or gas refills.
Another factor influencing the rate was the type of siêu xe. Rentals are based on a tier price system. The more luxurious or sporty, or the large the siêu xe, the higher the daily rate. Since Yoko needed only a small reliable siêu xe, she found a reasonable rate – although she would have liked the thrill of driving a convertible!
Lesson 41. Movies
The popularity of the movies began early in the 20th century and continues today. People of all ages find movies entertaining. Movies are a worldwide phenomenon, as the internationalism of movie distribution has helped to tát disperse ideas around the globe. One movie can quickly influence other movies. But why are movies sánh popular?
Movies are a kind of storytelling. They try to tát describe an idea or record an abservation about our culture. These descriptions are recorded using moving visual images. Some movies portray the situation accurately and realistically, whereas other movies find visual symbols to tát represent those situations.
On the most simple level, movies are a succession of moving images. These successive images are captured on film. Diretors film a wide range of shots-long, medium, and close up – to tát creat a visual composition. The visual images, along with plot, characterization, and sound, produce the desired narrative, the shots are koined together in any number of combinations in a process called editing.
Making a film is a massive, comples, and expensive task that combines art and business. Making a movie involves the talents of hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of artists, producers, and business people. It can take months, even years, for a film to tát be released into a movie theater.
Like a novel, a movie is not just a story, but a story told a certain way. A film director may want to tát make a movie that tells a meaningful story or one that is primarily entertaining, and will use different filming techniques to tát attain that goal. It is impossible to separate what is told in a movie from how it is told. A diretor’s artistic vision can range from improvised to tát carefully controlled. Think about the complexity of a movie the next time you see one.
Lesson 42. Theater
Many people find nothing as exciting as an evening of live theater. The theater combines great works of literature written for the stage, the talents of great actors, and the efforts of hundreds of skilled artisans who work to tát create a mood. This mood, created by the actors, director, and playwright with the supporting elements of sets, lighting, and costumes, is what makes a theatrical performance magical. When the curtain goes up, this magic occurs right before your eyes.
The director of play will approach the work from his or her own artistic perspective. Each director has a different vision and this shapes how he or she directs the movement or action between the characters. Diretors use not only their theatrical training, but real-life experiences to tát create a meaningful, realistic evening. Actors also bring their own artistic and personal experiences to tát their work. This is why every staging of a play is unique.
Plays construct another world before your eyes. Ordinary words turn into meaningful dialogue . costumes and sets can be realistic or symbolic. Everything in a play looks easy, but it takes many weeks of rehearsal to tát get everything in place.
Watching a play from the audience is great fun. To find out if a play is good, look for reviews in the newspapers or ask friends. When plays are really popular, the available seats can fill up quickly and the play will sell out.
Lesson 43. Music
Everyone love music, it seems. And there’s little reason to tát wonder why. There is sánh much music availble from which to tát choose, and there is a category of music to tát appeal to tát every taste. The major groups of music are divided broadly into classical, popular, and jazz. Within these broad groups are many other subcategories. For example, such disparate types of music as movie sound tracks, rhythm and blues, rock, and rap all fit within the category of popular music.
The urge to tát make and enjoy music may be instinctive. Even small children will prefer certain kinds of music.
Another reason that music is sánh popular is the variety of settings in which one can enjoy his or her favorite kind of music. You can go to tát a church to tát hear great religious music, or to tát a concert hall to tát hear a well-know classical symphony. On another night, you might go to tát a small club to tát listen to tát an up-and-coming jazz group while you enjoy a drink. A few nights later, you might go with some friends to tát join thousands of other people in a stadium to tát hear your favorite rock band play in your house or apartment, you can relax while you put in a tape or CD and listen to tát your favorite artists again and again in your own home page.
Lesson 44. Museums
Museums are places to tát view and admire the great works of art. All large cities, and even many small cities, have good art museums in which you will find a wide spectrum of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints.
Museums attempt to tát collect and display a broad range of examples of how, throughout time, men and women have responded to tát what they have seen, thought, and felt by expressing themselves through materials lượt thích stone, clay, and paint, or ink and paper. The artist imposes an order on these materials that is signficant. Some styles of art or particular objects are in fashion for only a while, and others earn positive criticism over time and are seen as enduring classics. Museums collect the best of these works for the public to tát see.
When you go to tát a museum, be sure to tát schedule plenty of time to tát see the art without feeling rushed. If you are lucky enough to tát live near a museum, you can come back again at your leisure some museums show a broad collection of art from different times and cultures, often collected and donated by their generous patrons. Other museums specialize in displaying art from a certain period, say from the ancient word, or by a certain group or nationality of people, lượt thích by Native Americans.
The operations of many museums are paid for by the government and these museums are often không lấy phí to tát the public; other museums must charge each person upon entry. These fees help the museum operate and acquire more works.
Lesson 45. Media
Chen likes to tát get his news from the paper. Lemma turns on the television to tát find out what’s going on the world. Eva subscribes to tát more magazines than thở she keep track of, whereas Kobi chooses to tát listen to tát radio talk shows that cover issues thoroughly to tát tape into what’s going on in the world. All these people are touched by the truyền thông media.
What is the media? What constitutes the media? The truyền thông media consists of all the ways that news and information is disseminated to tát a mass audience. The truyền thông media covers everything from hard news, which is investigative reporting, to tát stories that are purely entertaining, such as whether your favorite movies star was on the “Best Dressed/ Worst Dressed” list. Whether in print or broadcast on TV, the stories are the product of the reporting of many journalists who give out the assignments, assess the quality of the writing and research, and make the decisions about where and when the stories lập cập.
The news has an immediate impact. The Internet puts global news onto the personal computer on your desk. Almost all browsers have links to tát up-to-the-minute news services. You can get constant news updates from a variety of sources via your personal computer, providing you with the most up-to-date and in-depth coverage.
Lesson 46. Doctor’s Office
Sooner or later, everyone needs to tát go to tát the doctor’s office. In fact, it’s in your best interest to tát see your doctor at least annually. The better he or she knows you and your health, the more effective your doctor can be. Most people need help in diagnosing routine medical problems they are experiencing, such as symptoms of colds and the flu, allergies, rashes, and ear aches. Other times, people visit a doctor for help in preventing health problems from ever occurring, through lowering their risk of heart attack or stroke by dieting or exercising.
When you arrive for your appointment, the doctor’s office staff will have ready a record of all your visits, sánh that the doctor has a complete reference of your health. The visit will begin with an assessment of your general health and a discussion of any problems that are of concern you.
The doctors may use a variety of instruments to tát get a closer look at you. The doctor will manage your problem and recommend a treatment plan. The doctor may prescribe medication, refer you to tát a specialist more experienced in treating your condition, or order tests to tát gain more information. In serious cases, he or she may send you to tát the hospital for care.
Lesson 47. Dentist’s Office
At least twice a year. Toshiro makes an appointment with his dentist. He’s aware that taking good care of his teeth and seeing a dentist can help prevent the buildup of tartar and plaque that could cause serious problems later.
The dentist starts the appointment by looking over Toshiro’s chart, which details all the work that has been done on his teeth, as a way to tát catch up on Toshiro’s dental health. Toshiro brushes regularly, but is not sánh regular about daily lfossing. His dentist is trying to tát encourage a better flossing habit, by demonstrating some easy-to-use techniques.
When the dentist is ready to tát look into Toshira’s mouth, she adjusts the height and position of the chair to tát make sure she can see all of Toshiro’s teeth. A bright light irritates Toshiro’s eyes, but illuminates the dark places in the back of his mouth. The dentist does a quick overview of Toshiro’s mouth, looking for any obvious problems, such as a cavity or a broken tooth. The dentist asks if Toshoro has been having any problems, lượt thích tooth pain, bleeding, or sorenness.
Sometimes, problems in the mouth are quite evident and can be seen by the dentist’s trained eye. But other times, the dentist will take X-rays to tát make certain there are no problems in areas she cannot see, such as under the gum line or inside a tooth.
The dentist then goes to tát work, repairing any damage. She then restore the natural color to tát his teeth with a thorough cleaning. The noise of the drills and cleaners can upset some patients, sánh Toshiro’s dentist is kind enough to tát supply earphones to tát provide a distraction .
Lesson 48. Health Insurance
The cost and availability of health insurance is one of the greatest concerns of company personnel. A covered employee should be familiar with the terms and conditions of the insurance policy. Although the insured pays a portion of the cost of his or her coverage through salary deductions, the employer generally covers most of the cost.
Self-employed persons can arrange for their own insurance or join an association of those performing similar work in order to tát get lower premiums. Traditionally, the insurance carrier will allow most of the charges related to tát medical care, although the insured might be responsible for a small portion.
Although the company or association negotiates the most suitable terms they can, most experts emphasize that employees should be on the lookout for alternatives that might better suit their needs. Regardless of the cost of premiums, the most important aspect of good health insurance is that it meets the needs of the insured and incurs the least possible cost for necessary procedures.
Lesson 49. Hospitals
Hospitals have a mission to tát provide patients with high-quality medical care. Everyone on staff will make sure that you get the best possible treatment for your condition.
When you arrive at the hospital, you should have with you all the pertinent information needed to tát be admitted, lượt thích your insurance information and copies of X-rays and other test results, even if they were taken another facility. Bring your insurance thẻ and any referral or authorization size from your doctor. You should also have some size of identification with a photo. You will also need to tát sign an agreement regarding treatment consent. Once you arrive, there is usually a concierge who will assist you with the admitting process.
Many elective surgeries and other procedures are usually done on the same day. Usually a hospital staff thành viên will escort you to tát exit and make sure you get into the siêu xe safely. After you leave the hospital, you will receive a statement from the hospital for the charges your insurer does not cover. Your insurance policy will outline any amount for which you may be responnsible.
You will find that smoking is not permitted in any hospital building. Often, hospitals have designated smoking areas outside for patients, families, and staff who wish to tát smoke.
Lesson 50. Pharmacy
Yoko is having trouble with seasonal allergies this fall. After consulting with her doctor, they decide she should take medication on a regular basis to tát control her symptoms. Her doctor recommends the madication he thinks will work best and offers her a handful of samples at no charge. For her long-term needs, Yoko will need to tát have a prescription filled. Her doctor volunteers to tát điện thoại tư vấn the pharmacy Yoko uses to tát order a supply, which will limit the time she spends waiting for the prescription to tát be filled.
Yoko is new in town and does not know which pharmacy she wants to tát use. She knows that there is a drugstore near her apartment and one near where she works, but does not remember the operating hours for either. Yoko knows that convenient hours and location ae important factors in selecting a pharmacy. Although she can fill different drugstore, it makes more sense to tát Yoko to tát fill all of her medications at one location.
Accasionally, some drugs will have harmful interactions. Usually, your doctor will prevent a drug interaction problem before it starts. But, if you see more than thở one doctor, it is hard to tát monitor the various medications you are taking. Having all your prescriptions filled at one location increases the chances that the pharmacist will detect a potential drug interaction problem. This timely detection can save your life.