Tuesday, November 26, 2019

A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Different Types of Retail Jobs

A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Different Types of Retail Jobs if you’ve ever worked in retail, you know how challenging it can be. we live in a consumer-centric society, and dealing with consumers can be†¦well†¦not fun. but if you’re on the front lines in stores and customer service, you have some of the most versatile skills around: handling payment and conducting transactions, selling products, and dealing with people of all stripes. it’s a field that calls for odd hours (and possibly thanksgivings spent watching people tussle over discounted tvs), and it’s not the highest-paying field. but it pays the bills, and it happens to be the most common job in the united states. basically, wherever there are people buying things, there are retail employees there to help facilitate those sales, and provide a good customer experience. if you’re interested in different retail jobs, let’s take a look at some of the  opportunities  out there in this crucial service industry.1. retail salesperson2. cu stomer service representative3. retail sales manager4. merchandise displayers and window trimmers5. stock clerk6. cashierretail salespersonthe job: as a salesperson, you’re the front lines in the retail war. you are likely responsible for selling merchandise in a large or small store, helping customers, processing payments, and providing direct customer service.the skills: in your job as a retail salesperson, these skills will serve you well.people skillscommunication skillscomputer skills (especially point-of-sale, or pos, systems)organizational skillsbasic math/financial skillsteam player skillsproblem solving skillsenergy and enthusiasmbeing detail-orientedtrustworthinessthe requirements: there’s no formal education or training for a retail salesperson, though some employers may require a high school diploma. stores typically provide on-the-job training for new employees, and some may have a probationary period while the employee is training.the pay: the median hour ly pay for retail salespeople is $10.60, and the median annual salary is $22,040. jobs may be full-time, part-time, seasonal, or contract (temporary) positions. per the u.s. bureau of labor statistics, about 1 in 3 retail salespeople worked part-time in 2014.the outlook: retail is a very solid bet: there are approximately 5 million retail salesperson positions out there in the u.s., and the field is expected to grow about 7% by 2024. the demand for more retail salespeople is a pretty continuous one.customer service representativethe job: as a customer service rep, you’re often in charge of damage control, working with customers to improve (or redeem) their experience with your store. you are likely responsible for fielding customer queries and complaints, providing information, processing or changing orders, handling transactions, and ensuring a good customer experience. customer service representatives can be found in just about any industry that provides goods or services.t he skills: as a customer service representative in retail, you’ll need skills like the following:people skillscommunication skillscomputer skills (especially pos systems)organizational skillsbasic math/financial skillsteam player skillsproblem solving skillsenergy and enthusiasmbeing detail-orientedtrustworthinessthe requirements: there’s no formal education or training for retail customer service representatives, though a high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required. stores usually provide on-the-job training for new employees, making this a good entry-level option.the pay: the median hourly pay for retail customer service representatives is $15.25, and the median annual salary is $31,720. jobs may be full-time or part-time. per the u.s. bureau of labor statistics, about 1 in 5 customer service representatives worked part-time in 2014.the outlook: this is a fast-growing field, as retail expands via traditional stores and e-commerce. the u.s. bureau of lab or statistics predicts that demand for customer service representatives of all kinds will grow by at least 10% by 2024.retail sales managerthe job: as a retail sales manager, you supervise and coordinate retail salespeople and associates. in addition to supervising employees, you may also be responsible for customer service and administrative functions like purchasing, budgeting, merchandising, accounting, and personnel management.the skills: as you work your way up the chain as a manager, you’ll need these skills.leadership/management skillspeople skillscommunication skillscomputer skills (especially pos systems)organizational skillsstrong math and financial skillsteam player skillsproblem solving skillsenergy and enthusiasmbeing detail-orientedtrustworthinessthe requirements: there are no formal educational requirements to be a retail sales manager, but you will need retail experience, as well as strong management and organizational skills. this is a job that calls for the ability to keep the ship steady in any storm, so the more experience and demonstrable skills you bring, the better.the pay: the median hourly pay for retail sales managers is $20.63, and the median annual salary is $42,900. retail management roles are typically full-time positions.the outlook: as with most retail positions, the demand for managers will remain steady. there are currently about 1.5 million retail sales managers in the u.s.merchandise displayers and window trimmersthe job: as a merchandise displayer/window trimmer, you’re responsible for planning and creating appealing displays of goods and products to attract customers and entice them to buy. if your favorite part of school projects was making dioramas, this may be the retail path for you.the skills: these skills will serve you well as a merchandise displayer/window trimmer:creativitycommunication skillsorganizational skillsteam player skillsproblem solving skillsenergy and enthusiasmbeing detail-orientedthe re quirements: a high school diploma is usually required for this kind of position, and vocational training is usually seen as a plus in hiring. previous experience is also a plus, but not necessarily required. on-the-job training is often available for new employees.the pay: the median hourly pay for merchandise displayers is $14.32, and the median annual salary is $29,790. jobs may be full-time, part-time, or on a contract basis.the outlook: merchandise displayers/window trimmer positions are expected to keep pace with overall retail growth by 2024.stock clerkthe job: if you’re a stock clerk, you can probably save some money on that gym membership- you’re the brawn of the operation, often working behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly. stock clerks receive inventory and move it as necessary, checking for damage, record keeping, and working with in-store computer systems. you may be responsible for filling shelves, tracking inventory, and set up sales di splays as well.the skills: as a stock clerk, these are the skills that will help get you in the door.people skillscomputer skillsorganizational skillsteam player skillsproblem solving skillsenergy and enthusiasmbeing detail-orientedcustomer service skillsthe requirements: there’s no formal education or training for retail stock clerks, though a high school diploma (or equivalent) is typically required. stores usually provide on-the-job training for new employees, making this a good entry-level option for those interested in retail and strong enough to move heavy objects and stay on your feet for periods of time.the pay: the median hourly pay for stock clerks is $12.47, and the median annual salary is $25,940. jobs may be full-time or part-time. per the u.s. bureau of labor statistics, about 1 in 5 customer service representatives worked part-time in 2014.the outlook: the number of stock clerks is likely to stay relatively flat, per the u.s. bureau of labor statistics, but ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s a field with a strong amount of turnover, so job openings are fairly consistent.cashierthe job: as a cashier, you’re holding a lot of power- the money- in your hands. as a front-line customer serviceperson, you’re responsible for handling customer purchases, working with payment systems, and maintaining scrupulously accurate transactions.the skills: as a cashier, you’ll need these skills:people skillscommunication skillscustomer service skillscomputer skills (especially pos systems)organizational skillsbasic math/financial skillsteam player skillsproblem solving skillsenergy and enthusiasmbeing detail-orientedtrustworthinessthe requirements: if you’re just starting out or need a job with little prior experience in retail, cashiering is a good option. employers may require a high school diploma (or equivalent), but there’s no specific educational requirement for retail cashiers, making this a good entry-level option. trustworthiness and acc uracy are key, so those are skills that you really want to emphasize as a prerequisite to working as a cashier. stores typically provide on-the-job training for new cashiers.the pay: the median hourly pay for cashiers is $9.18, and the median annual salary is $19,310. jobs may be full-time or part-time.the outlook: because of advances in automated checkouts and online sales, the outlook for cashiers is a little slower than most retail positions: about 2%, according to the u.s. bureau of labor statistics.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy

The Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy John Kennedys inaugural address is one of the most memorable political speeches of the past century. The young presidents reliance on biblical quotations, metaphors, parallelism, and antithesis recall some of the powerful speeches of Abraham Lincoln. The most famous line in Kennedys address (Ask not . . .) is a classic example of chiasmus. In his book White House Ghosts (Simon Schuster, 2008), journalist Robert Schlesinger (the son of historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., a Kennedy adviser) outlines some of the distinctive qualities of John Kennedys oratorical style: Short words and clauses were the order, with simplicity and clarity the goal. A self-described idealist without illusions, JFK preferred a cool, cerebral approach and had little use for florid expressions and complex prose. He liked alliteration, not solely for reasons of rhetoric but to reinforce the audiences recollection of his reasoning. His taste for contrapuntal phrasingnever negotiating out of fear but never fearing to negotiateillustrated his dislike of extreme opinions and options. As you read Kennedys speech, consider how his methods of expression contribute to the forcefulness of his message. The Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy (January 20, 1961) Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedomsymbolizing an end, as well as a beginningsignifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago. The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globethe belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americansborn in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledgeand more. To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can dofor we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is requirednot because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge: to convert our good words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of supportto prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weakand to enlarge the area in which its writ may run. Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present courseboth sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankinds final war. So let us begin anewremembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce. Let both sides unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of Isaiahto undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free. And, if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavornot a new balance of power, but a new world of lawwhere the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved. All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin. In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. Now the trumpet summons us againnot as a call to bear arms, though arms we neednot as a call to battle, though embattled we arebut a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation, a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort? In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibilityI welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for youask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth Gods work must truly be our own. NEXT: Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Unnecessary care in nursing homes Research Paper

Unnecessary care in nursing homes - Research Paper Example According to a 2006 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 23.5% of nursing home residents were hospitalized for unnecessary reasons. In 2010, the World Health Organization revealed that up to 17% of the imaging services prescribed for nursing home residents are unnecessary. This review documents literature on the different aspects of unnecessary care in nursing homes. Ouslander & Berenson (2011) researched on how to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations among nursing home residents. Their study sought to answer the research question of the ways of reducing unnecessary hospitalizations of nursing home residents. The study used a descriptive study design. They found that on-call physicians who are not familiar with the conditions of nursing home residents send them for x-rays that cost Medicare up to $ 10,000 when they would have cost $ 200 only. They concluded that on-call nurse practitioners who visit nursing homes regularly can help reduce misdiagnosis on the conditions of nursing home residents further reducing unnecessary hospitalization among of these residents. Rollin et al (1997) investigated the necessity of imaging services in nursing homes. This was an analysis that sampled individuals who had ever been residents of nursing homes. It sought an answer to the question of whether there are imaging services that are unnecessary. The study found that twenty five percent of all (electrocardiographic services) EKGs conducted in nursing homes in the United States in 1994 in were unnecessary. This cost Medicare a total of $ 8.4 million all of which could have gone to other medically necessary procedures. These authors found that physicians can order for and interpret EKGs for selfish reasons. They concluded that physicians should be checked whether they routinely bill for unnecessary care services. Ashcraft and Champion (2012) investigated the symptomatology that makes physicians

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Hospitality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Hospitality Management - Essay Example se international portfolio requires a dynamic leadership and operational team who are well-versed in contemporary theories of consumer behaviour and are able and willing to respond to the needs of fluctuating market preferences. With the aforementioned in mind, it would appear that Hilton Hotels must actively scrutinise the internal and external market environment, determine their internal capacity to fulfill these identified service requirements and deliver on the promise of providing excellence in all aspects of business; both domestic and foreign. Being able to deliver on such promises requires a sophisticated team of service professionals, suggesting that Hilton brands must provide adequate training and development programmes geared toward service excellence and create quality systems to deliver these services and to respond to issues of service recovery to gain customer loyalty. Such systems require a flexible leadership team who remain focused on continuous improvements in the hotel industry. This project focuses on three specific elements which currently exist at Hilton Hotels, including their training and development systems, the inter-connected nature of staff behaviours and customer interaction as well as an analysis of the systems currently in place to manage issues of service failure and subsequent service recovery. Brand and service differentiation are two primary strategic objectives of Hilton Hotels, which involves creating the perceptions of high-quality facilities uniquely tailoured to fit the needs of a diverse consumer market. Hilton maintains a wide variety of four-star accommodations across much of Europe and North America, as well as less-affluent facilities designed for the busy traveller or family-oriented tourist. As the majority of Hilton brands are full-service facilities, including restaurant, banquet and conference catering and regional tourism packages, this would suggest that Hilton employees are fully interactive in virtually all

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Online Dating Service and Long-term Relationship Essay Example for Free

Online Dating Service and Long-term Relationship Essay In the last couple of weeks, eHarmony, a dating website that promises to help you find a long-term relationship for a relatively modest monthly subscription fee, has been offering a free trial: 10 days of free communication. This marketing campaign is designed to attract new customers and convert some of the existing ones to become paying members (currently it claims more than 20 million registered users). This seems like a reasonable growth strategy: more paying customers will help eHarmony grow and improve its bottom line. As with any platform business, eHarmony relies on having lots of people in its database. Having more people to choose from makes it more likely that the site will find a good match. Clearly, offering a free trial period is a good way to attract more people to the site. But in fact, for reasons my colleague Misiek Piskorski and I study (pdf), it may not be good for eHarmonys business. eHarmony is not your usual online dating site. Unlike Match. com or OkCupid, users do not get to browse tons of profiles to see if there is someone they might like. Instead, eHarmony does the choosing for you, sending you a limited number of compatible matches — candidates the sites proprietary algorithm thinks will make a good match. The company also differs because it aims at people who are looking for long-term relationship or even marriage, not those who look for casual dating. To successfully match people who are looking for a long-term relationship, eHarmony needs not just a lot of people in their database, it also needs people who are ready for a long-term relationship. This seems self-evident, but cluttering up the site with those looking for something else will increase the noise-to-signal ration and make matching harder. In its everyday business, eHarmony does an excellent job by discouraging potential customers who may not be so serious about dating. They ask potential members to complete a very long questionnaire of more than 250 questions. And if the answers suggest that you are not serious enough, they reject you. eHarmony also charges more than Match. com — up to a 25 percent premium. As a result, only people who really care about establishing a long-term relationship will end up at the site. If the value youre offering your customers rests on exclusive membership of similarly minded relationship seekers, what happens if you make it easy for others to get in for a while? You might get a lot of people who dont care that much about a serious relationship, or who are looking for a different product, like a quick adventure. When such people roam around your site, they create a negative externality for your core members, who may discover that its more difficult to find a long-term relationship — the very service they had paid a premium to get. In a nutshell, when you lower the barriers to entry, you threaten your core value proposition to your most valuable customers. So promotion strategies that work well for Match. com or other platforms — like job-hunting sites — may be dangerous for eHarmony, as they may unintentionally undermine the sites core value proposition. Fortunately, eHarmony didnt really get it wrong. It has instituted a number of safeguards that prevent not-so-serious people from getting on the site even during the free trial. People who want to try the site for 10 days still need to complete the long questionnaire, and may still be rejected if their answers suggest they are not serious enough. Only after jumping this major hurdle can the potential members enjoy the free trial. And if they are not serious enough to pay the membership fee after the 10th day, they will exit the pool of potential matches. This tension between a seemingly natural marketing tactic and a companys value proposition may not be obvious, but it does affect many companies that operate platforms similar to that of eHarmony. Increasing the size of your tent isnt always in your companys best interest. It pays to ask, Who is your customer and what product do they want from you?

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Bloody Night :: essays research papers

William Shakespeare once said, â€Å"For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright, who art as black as hell, as dark as night.† Deception plays a big part in the play Macbeth. The play is about a king who is murdered by one of his most trusted men trying to gain power. During the play Shakespeare heightens the mood by using various accounts of imagery. The blood and night imagery that Shakespeare uses adds to the evil, darkness and deception surrounding the play. Night has a role of great importance during the play. Lady Macbeth beckons, â€Å"Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry "Hold, hold!" Without the obscurity of night, she would not have urged Macbeth to kill the king as she did. The night, however, gives her the impression that Macbeth can indeed kill King Duncan with no one uncovering his contemptible crime, the same idea that Macbeth had when he said, "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires" It seems as if the whole plot revolves around the night and the many roles it holds throughout the play. Shakespeare often uses darkness and storms to depict that evil happenings are occurring or are about to take place. There are at least three examples of this in Macbeth. Most of the evil things that Macbeth does in the story occurs in the nighttime. Lennox states, "... the obscure bird Clamored the livelong night. Some say, the earth Was feverous and did shake," in reaction to Macbeth's first evil act, killing the king of Scotland. "The night has been unruly: where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say, Lamentings heard i’ the air; strange screams of death,..." "Three score and ten I can remember well; Within the volume of which time I have seen Hours of dreadful and things strange, but this sore night Hath trifled former knowings." Both these quotes are talking about the night of Duncan’s death. They are showing the comparisons between the natural unruliness and the unusual disaster. In the play, the word â€Å"blood† is mentioned numerous times. Shakespeare’s use of this particular word is significant; he uses it to develop the character of Macbeth and the unfolding events of the drama.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Asher Farms Essay

Political – In class the major political topic that we focused on was possible affects on the industry if immigration laws became stricter. This industry is highly dependent on cheap labor. If all of a sudden there were not enough workers in the industry there would not be enough chicken available to meet the demand. Economic – Evident from the case, the chicken market is heavily influenced by currency fluctuation. This is because 15% of the total poultry production is exported and therefore changes in the price of the dollar can make chicken much more expensive in other countries or it can have a reverse effect. Social – Over the past couple of decades there has clearly been a shift in the amount of different types of meat products that are consumed. Those who watch their what they eat are more likely to eat chicken for the high protein benefits and minimizing some of the harmful affects of red meat. Technological – There had been a strong push for more efficient technology to be produced in this industry. The technology developments range from the machinery that does some of the work to new genetic engineering of the food that the chickens eat. These advancements allowed for the growth of the chicken industry without and slowdowns. Legal – Animal rights advocates have had major impacts on the ways that chickens can be processed. The conditions that the chickens live in could cause some legal problems in the future in different animal rights groups wanted to make changes. Environmental – Spread of disease always seems to be a major concern in the food industry. Contamination is very possible and could potentially cause huge problems. The FDA would like to minimize the possible affects of any type disease from spreading such as salmonella or other bacteria’s that are harmful. I feel that all of the business risks identified in question 1, the PESTLE acronym, all have the same potential to impact the risk of material misstatements on the financial statements. These business risks would all put revenue, cost of goods sold, wage expenses, and certain discloses at risk for being misstated. This would require more substantive tests to provide more reliable evidence that the financial statements are correctly stated. Obtaining knowledge about the client’s industry helps to highlight practices unique to that industry that may have an effect on the client’s financial statements. The auditor should obtain knowledge relating to the client’s business before commencing the audit. Understanding the client’s business provides information regarding events and transactions that may affect the client’s financial statements. Just like an auditor is not responsible to provide absolute assurance that the financial statements are correct, an auditory does not have the responsibility to identify or assess all business risks because it would be not efficient, timely, or costly to do so. As discussed in question 1, some examples of business risks that should be considered include; immigration concerns, currency fluctuation, health changes, technological development, and the spread of disease. An example of a business risk that might not lead to a risk of material misstatement in the financial statements that we discussed in class was opening new locations and growing the business.