Intertwined Themes of Margaret Atwoods Dancing Girls Essay -- Margare

The Intertwined Themes of Margaret Atwood's Dancing Girls  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dancing Girls is a collection of Margaret Atwood's short stories. Each story captures a different aspect of society, different people of different ages, culture and status, with different attitudes, emotions and behavior; all in different locations and life circumstances. Yet there are many connections between the stories and these links are primarily found in Atwood's portrayal of women. As Atwood says: By and large my novel's center on women...None of them are about miners in the mines, seamen on the sea, convicts in the jail, the boys in the backroom, the locker rooms at the football game†¦How come? Well, gee, I don't know! Maybe because I am a woman and therefore I find it easier to write as one.    Each story focuses on a different female character and explores her thoughts and her reactions to her social environment. Throughout the collection of stories there are a number of underlying themes that reveal Atwood's insight and understanding of why men and women are different. These themes include the questionable definitions of femininity proposed in society, the idea of escapism through fantasy and the conflict that exists between men and women. One concept Atwood explores to explain the differences between men and women is simply that there are biological differences between each gender. This difference is highlighted throughout a number of the stories, significantly in "Giving Birth". Atwood comments that for women there is some salvation from a male dominated society in that, through the process of giving birth a woman is allowed some connection with her body which men simply cannot experience. They still have some connection with their o... ... capable of seeing connections between apparently disparate circumstances. Ingersoll-Earl.G., Margaret Atwood: Conversations, Virago Press, London, 1992, pg. 195 Ibid., pg.17 Atwood-Margaret., Dancing Girls, Vintage, London, 1996, pg. 225 Ibid., pg. 227 Ibid., pg. 229 Ibid., pg. 229 Ibid., pg. 240 Ibid., pg. 239 Ibid., pg. 239 Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg.141 Ibid., pg. 142 Aspin-Lois.J., Focus on Australian Society, Longman, Australia, 1996, pg. 14 Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg. 102 Atwood-Margaret, op. cit., pg. 63 Ibid., pg. 69 Ibid., pg. 69 Ibid., pg. 69 Ibid., pg. 131 Ibid., pg. 138 Ibid., pg. 143 Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg. 32 Ibid., pg. 31 Ibid., pg. 245 Atwood-Margaret, op. cit., pg. 98 Ibid., pg. 98 Ibid., pg. 87    Intertwined Themes of Margaret Atwood's Dancing Girls Essay -- Margare The Intertwined Themes of Margaret Atwood's Dancing Girls  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dancing Girls is a collection of Margaret Atwood's short stories. Each story captures a different aspect of society, different people of different ages, culture and status, with different attitudes, emotions and behavior; all in different locations and life circumstances. Yet there are many connections between the stories and these links are primarily found in Atwood's portrayal of women. As Atwood says: By and large my novel's center on women...None of them are about miners in the mines, seamen on the sea, convicts in the jail, the boys in the backroom, the locker rooms at the football game†¦How come? Well, gee, I don't know! Maybe because I am a woman and therefore I find it easier to write as one.    Each story focuses on a different female character and explores her thoughts and her reactions to her social environment. Throughout the collection of stories there are a number of underlying themes that reveal Atwood's insight and understanding of why men and women are different. These themes include the questionable definitions of femininity proposed in society, the idea of escapism through fantasy and the conflict that exists between men and women. One concept Atwood explores to explain the differences between men and women is simply that there are biological differences between each gender. This difference is highlighted throughout a number of the stories, significantly in "Giving Birth". Atwood comments that for women there is some salvation from a male dominated society in that, through the process of giving birth a woman is allowed some connection with her body which men simply cannot experience. They still have some connection with their o... ... capable of seeing connections between apparently disparate circumstances. Ingersoll-Earl.G., Margaret Atwood: Conversations, Virago Press, London, 1992, pg. 195 Ibid., pg.17 Atwood-Margaret., Dancing Girls, Vintage, London, 1996, pg. 225 Ibid., pg. 227 Ibid., pg. 229 Ibid., pg. 229 Ibid., pg. 240 Ibid., pg. 239 Ibid., pg. 239 Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg.141 Ibid., pg. 142 Aspin-Lois.J., Focus on Australian Society, Longman, Australia, 1996, pg. 14 Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg. 102 Atwood-Margaret, op. cit., pg. 63 Ibid., pg. 69 Ibid., pg. 69 Ibid., pg. 69 Ibid., pg. 131 Ibid., pg. 138 Ibid., pg. 143 Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg. 32 Ibid., pg. 31 Ibid., pg. 245 Atwood-Margaret, op. cit., pg. 98 Ibid., pg. 98 Ibid., pg. 87   

Herzbergs Theory of Motivation and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs :: Papers Maslow Herzberg Essays Business

Herzberg's Theory of Motivation and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Mentioned Tables Not Included Among various behavioral theories long generally believed and embraced by American business are those of Frederick Herzberg and Abraham Maslow. Herzberg, a psychologist, proposed a theory about job factors that motivate employees. Maslow, a behavioral scientist and contemporary of Herzberg's, developed a theory about the rank and satisfaction of various human needs and how people pursue these needs. These theories are widely cited in the business literature. In the education profession, however, researchers in the '80s raised questions about the applicability of Maslow's and Herzberg's theories to elementary and secondary school teachers: Do educators, in fact, fit the profiles of the average business employee? That is, do teachers (1) respond to the same motivators that Herzberg associated with employees in profit-making businesses and (2) have the same needs patterns as those uncovered by Maslow in his studies of business employees? HERZBERG'S THEORY OF MOTIVATORS AND HYGIENE FACTORS Herzberg (1959) constructed a two-dimensional paradigm of factors affecting people's attitudes about work. He concluded that such factors as company policy, supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions, and salary are hygiene factors rather than motivators. According to the theory, the absence of hygiene factors can create job dissatisfaction, but their presence does not motivate or create satisfaction. In contrast, he determined from the data that the motivators were elements that enriched a person's job; he found five factors in particular that were strong determiners of job satisfaction: achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and advancement. These motivators (satisfiers) were associated with long-term positive effects in job performance while the hygiene factors (dissatisfiers) consistently produced only short-term changes in job attitudes and performance, which quickly fell back to its previous level. In summary, satisfiers describe a person's relationship with what she or he does, many related to the tasks being performed. Dissatisfiers, on the other hand, have to do with a person' relationship to the context or environment in which she or he performs the job.

Creatine and Androstenedione: Myth vs. Reality :: Steroids

Creatine and Androstenedione: Myth vs. Reality What if there was a drug you could take that guaranteed increased energy and strength? Not only that, but it came in an easy-to-swallow capsule, it could safely and naturally increase your level of testosterone, (the most potent of muscle building hormones), and it would be perfectly legal to buy and relatively inexpensive. The sellers of creatine and androstenedione (pronounced androe-steen-die-own) make these sorts of claims although there are no long-term studies of the effectiveness or safety of these drugs. Nevertheless, retailers can’t keep them on the shelves. Their popularity has been aided by high profile athletes. Both drugs are chemicals naturally produced in the body and found in minute amounts in food, mostly red meat. But that is where the similarities end. Creatine For many years, the world’s foremost studies of creatine and its effect on athletic performance were carried out in secrecy by communist Eastern-bloc countries. But after the fall of Communism, the training and experimental drugs used on Soviet and East German Olympic athletes was revealed. Aside from exposing the truth about illegal anabolic steroid use, there was the discovery of a "vitamin" called creatine, which was quickly introduced to the U.S. and marketed as an ergogenic, or energy-enhancing supplement. Creatine was not a vitamin, however, but a synthesized blend of certain amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The benefit creatine provides is increased energy for quick, anaerobic bursts of activity, such as are required in weightlifting. Athletes taking creatine can do more repetitions and sets of exercises than they could without it. Essentially, it speeds up the process of adding strength and size to the muscles by intensifying the workout. It has been compared to the way a marathon runner might saturate his muscles with carbohydrates before a race to provide endurance except that creatine strictly helps in anaerobic activities like muscle contractions. Creatine is made in small amounts by the body, and aids a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which controls all types of muscle contractions, from bench pressing 400 pounds to blinking an eye. To contract a muscle, the ATP molecule releases one of the three phosphate groups. Creatine comes into play by attaching to the free-floating phosphate and reforming into ATP. Thus, energy is provided until the creatine in the muscle is depleted. Thus, the effect of a creatine supplement is to provide the muscles with more creatine than the body can produce on its own and thus increase energy. Creatine and Androstenedione: Myth vs. Reality :: Steroids Creatine and Androstenedione: Myth vs. Reality What if there was a drug you could take that guaranteed increased energy and strength? Not only that, but it came in an easy-to-swallow capsule, it could safely and naturally increase your level of testosterone, (the most potent of muscle building hormones), and it would be perfectly legal to buy and relatively inexpensive. The sellers of creatine and androstenedione (pronounced androe-steen-die-own) make these sorts of claims although there are no long-term studies of the effectiveness or safety of these drugs. Nevertheless, retailers can’t keep them on the shelves. Their popularity has been aided by high profile athletes. Both drugs are chemicals naturally produced in the body and found in minute amounts in food, mostly red meat. But that is where the similarities end. Creatine For many years, the world’s foremost studies of creatine and its effect on athletic performance were carried out in secrecy by communist Eastern-bloc countries. But after the fall of Communism, the training and experimental drugs used on Soviet and East German Olympic athletes was revealed. Aside from exposing the truth about illegal anabolic steroid use, there was the discovery of a "vitamin" called creatine, which was quickly introduced to the U.S. and marketed as an ergogenic, or energy-enhancing supplement. Creatine was not a vitamin, however, but a synthesized blend of certain amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The benefit creatine provides is increased energy for quick, anaerobic bursts of activity, such as are required in weightlifting. Athletes taking creatine can do more repetitions and sets of exercises than they could without it. Essentially, it speeds up the process of adding strength and size to the muscles by intensifying the workout. It has been compared to the way a marathon runner might saturate his muscles with carbohydrates before a race to provide endurance except that creatine strictly helps in anaerobic activities like muscle contractions. Creatine is made in small amounts by the body, and aids a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which controls all types of muscle contractions, from bench pressing 400 pounds to blinking an eye. To contract a muscle, the ATP molecule releases one of the three phosphate groups. Creatine comes into play by attaching to the free-floating phosphate and reforming into ATP. Thus, energy is provided until the creatine in the muscle is depleted. Thus, the effect of a creatine supplement is to provide the muscles with more creatine than the body can produce on its own and thus increase energy.

Dysfunctional Organizations Are Like Dysfunctional Families

Quality, timing, and cost will all usually be less favorable than planned. Projects will be routinely delayed, costs will routinely be revised upward, quality will be at risk of being forgotten in the quest for profitability and timeliness, products will be at risk of many and/or severe defects, and customer satisfaction will lag behind more capable and less dysfunctional competitors. Similarly, a dysfunctional family will have parallel problems with achieving its goals.An imbalance of power is a frequent cause of dysfunction in families. Imagine: a family with several children embarks on a big project, a trip to Ocracoke Island, for xample. If one child is more demanding, needy, or otherwise exceptional, and the family has developed a dysfunctional behavior pattern centered on that child, things will be disrupted and plans will not work out. The child may have to stop at every rest stop, and take a long time getting back into the car, delaying progress on the trip.The father may kno w the ferry schedule for getting to the island, and know when the family needs to be at the dock, but he may not be able to change the child's behavior, nor the behavior of the mother who caters too much to the demanding child. Random and unanticipated delays caused by the child, who has no understanding of the constraints the father faces, make them late and they miss the ferry, incurring additional cost of a night's stay on the mainland. An imbalance of power is also a problem for large companies.I have worked for companies in which one top manager or one function, product styling, for example, can cause a nearly-perfect parallel to the dysfunctional family. The product styling group knows when they need to finish the design, but their Job is to make the product look attractive, and they have so any people involved, from multiple levels of the organization, that they can't get it done on time. Top managers come through the studio to look at the new design, but, many having been en gineers and designers in the past, they each see something they feel needs to be changed.Since they don't come through the studio until the design is supposed to be nearly complete, their suggestions set back the design process, and the design is late. The engineers who have to integrate the design with functional parts are left to play â€Å"catch-up† with their designs, involving late changes, vertime, and a huge amount of rework to recast financial fgures, get revised quotes from suppliers, re-time the plans, etc. , etc. The suppliers, too, have to change their plans and designs and renegotiate with their suppliers in turn, and are delayed as well.Packaging, marketing materials, sales and service training classes, and many other efforts are all set back. Even if top management is understanding and â€Å"lets well takes sa'. n. y management at the top, executives or parents, to limit dysfunctional behavior and keep things on track. In my five different careers I have seen this same asic pattern repeated over and over, becoming nothing more than the standard way of doing business for some organizations. The only mitigating force I know of is having really sa'. . y upper management who understand how such things happen and are willing to actively work to avoid them. A smart top manager can rein in the overzealous designers, for example, and understand the principles of diminishing returns and the need to understand when â€Å"roughly right† is good enough. Similarly, the skilled parent can understand the problems caused by favoring one child over nother, and carefully manage the behavior of the individuals in the family so that the familys overarching goals are met.Maybe it's Just my experience, but I have seen that such skill and savvy are all too rare. Ethnic or national culture can be a significant factor in instances of dysfunction. Interestingly, management sa'. n. y and parenting skill are heavily influenced by cultural factors. In Western cultures where there is a strong value placed on individuality, managers can acquire the â€Å"gunslinger† mentality, which makes them think they have to do everything themselves and be the best at everything.With such managers collaboration and communication can suffer and, while they may be stars in their own right, the organization can suffer from the conflicts and snafus that will result. Similarly, in a strongly patriarchic culture, the father, feeling like he must be the all-knowing authority, may ignore the small child who hears the tire rumbling as it starts to go flat, and as a result miss the ferry due to a shredded tire and the time required to fix it.Organizations can become dysfunctional by promoting those who do extremely well. Some businesses promote engineers and designers who create great products to high level management ositions, and then some wonder why the organization does poorly. I have often noted that many engineers take this career direction because they don't like dealing with people, and would rather â€Å"stick their head in a machine† and make it work as nearly perfectly as possible than negotiate with other people.To take someone who, by their nature, hews to Jobs that avoid interaction with people and put them in a Job that requires excellent people skills is asking for trouble. They will not only be uncomfortable and unhappy, but they may not understand interpersonal and organizational behavior well, struggle, and not do a very good Job. At the same time, to go back to engineering would be a terrible demotion and pay cut, so they are stuck, often for decades, in a position for which they are only marginally suited.Many parents, like many executives, were never suited or well prepared for their roles. Similarly, many parents become that by accident, perhaps through lack of proper attention to contraception, or through social imperatives – older family members who lobby hard for grandchildren, for example. S ome parents had tough childhoods, for example, and never had the chance to witness good parenting as children, yet they ften find themselves responsible for a family with children and (perhaps) a spouse, and even elderly parents that need their care.In a society with little focus on or cultural knowledge around good parenting, they will be severely challenged to run a family effectively or avoid the mistakes that were perpetrated on them as children. Dysfunction tends to stick around and follow organizations and families. Thus, in creep in over time, and propagate forward from one generation or regime to the next. It is for this reason that sometimes a board of directors of a corporation will dismiss ot only a CEO but many of his reports as well, and bring in fresh management talent from outside the company to try to instill a new culture.While this is drastic and difficult in a business organization, it is even more difficult and disruptive to a family, and usually involves social service organizations and courts intervening in ways that may or may not produce better long term results for the family members. In both cases the situation must be extremely bad before such changes can be Justified, and a majority of such situations probably are never very well addressed.

1776 Reading Review

Katie Cohen Ms. Kenny AP US History, Period 5 15 August 2012 Summer Reading Assignment David McCullough’s 1776 is an insightful and honest account of America’s first war; the Revolutionary war. In the book, David McCullough describes events and skirmishes that led up to the independence of the United States of America and the events that followed it. The book primarily focuses on the military aspects of the revolutionary war. The variety of firsthand account, quotes, and perspectives of both the Americans and the British make 1776 an extremely well crafted story made up of firsthand facts.To some 1776 may not be enjoyable or engaging, however, it is very precise and descriptive. David McCullough does an exceptional job of explaining the Independence of America in a way that does not bore the audience like most historical biographies do. Although it is clear from the beginning that David McCullough intentionally portrays America as the hero of the book, he allows the rea der to identify with the British and even the king of Britain at the time as well. Honest and unbiased accounts are given towards both the Americans as well as the British.Many candid and liberal accounts of the British and the Americans as put forward throughout the book. With much detail, David McCullough illustrates King George’s reaction to the rebellious American colonists as they begin to organize for freedom in the first chapter. He does not shed light on George Washington as a superior and more competent general than Howe. Both American and British forces are described in times of brilliance, luck, disappointment and shame. Not only is David McCullough unbiased, but he gives many in depth descriptions of his characters.The reader is able to become familiar with the characteristics, physical appearances, and biases of a majority of the characters. Joseph Reed is described as â€Å"a young man with a long jaw and a somewhat quizzical look in his eyes (44),† and J ames Grant, â€Å"a grossly fat, highly opinionated scot (71). † The descriptions of characters range from the British generals, to the American traitors. They make the book understandable and complex. Overall, 1776 is an enjoyable read, however, it could have focused more on he Declaration of Independence and the effects the war had on Great Britain. McCullough delivers the history as a story, while maintaining the attention of his audience. The usage of imagery is tremendous with few exceptions; all of the events were illustrated vividly. Quotes of the people who participated in the war are probably the most intriguing aspects of this book. I, personally, would recommend this book because it is intriguing and an easy way to learn essential information about the country in which we live in effectively.

None

The contributing factors that I found were caused for the rise of racism are â€Å"the exploitation relations that Europeans established with the peoples they conquered†, â€Å"an opposition between the colors white and black as cultural symbols was deeply rooted In European culture†, and â€Å"the Invention and diffusion of the concept of race Itself. † Today racism Isn't that big of a deal Like It was back In the colonial era, but It still can show up out of nowhere. We don't have separate water fountains, we don't make African Americans sit in the back of the bus, and we don't have laws prohibiting hem on what they can and can't do.A lot has changed from then and now and it's for the better. As we think back on how we treated African Americans I think most people can say how wrong and selfish we were. To bass some ones social status on the color of their skin is not right to any degree and the world has grown from the mistakes that happened. For my major, crim inal Justice, I will deal with many situations where someone will call me racist. It's not something that will go away because sometimes African Americans rely on It to get a point across or blame what happened on you In anyway necessary.There was a time where whites believed having black was symbolic for evil. They didn't think It was right to be a different color and wanted to blame all the wrong doings or plagues on the blacks. This resulted in the formation of the UK Klux Klan where they took African American's from their homes and hung them. They didn't have to do anything wrong per say, the whites Just believed being black was wrong. The whites wanted to make African American's feel fear so they made rules they had to follow so they â€Å"kept them in line† in a way. Racism doesn't Just focus on African Americans, it can connect with Asians, and Mexicans.Racism has exists for thousands of years and I feel it will never disappear because of how parents raise their childr en to believe what they were taught growing up. Parents telling their kids that blacks are bad and they always get into trouble Isn't something you want to teach them. Everyone Is different and Like some say â€Å"you can't Judge a book by Its cover†. I also don't feel Its right to tell your kids that the police are bad people who just want to hurt you. That's not true at all so to tell your kids straight if the bat that things are set this way and you should follow this, wont help them have an open mind.Immigration is always a big deal with the whole process to become a U. S. Citizen. Immigrants are viewed as people coming to steal their jobs because the Jobs that they usually go for are minimum wage and no benefits. It's usually Mexicans who come into the U. S. And find low paying Jobs and they usually work very hard for the little money they make. Like I said before, police officers have to deal with being called a racist almost every day because they have to use force or arrest someone for a warrant.Having to e that guy to put up with It Is harder because even though you've gone through It so many times and Just want to say â€Å"I'm not racist† Just wont cut It. Police officers are doing their job and if you happen to be African American or Asian then that's the way Being young and going to school as the only African American can be tough for some if their parents taught them blacks are bad like in the colonial days. It can also be because of the area you live in, such as more whites to blacks. The way people view each other and Judge the way they look will never change, but there's always something you can do to stop it. None The contributing factors that I found were caused for the rise of racism are â€Å"the exploitation relations that Europeans established with the peoples they conquered†, â€Å"an opposition between the colors white and black as cultural symbols was deeply rooted In European culture†, and â€Å"the Invention and diffusion of the concept of race Itself. † Today racism Isn't that big of a deal Like It was back In the colonial era, but It still can show up out of nowhere. We don't have separate water fountains, we don't make African Americans sit in the back of the bus, and we don't have laws prohibiting hem on what they can and can't do.A lot has changed from then and now and it's for the better. As we think back on how we treated African Americans I think most people can say how wrong and selfish we were. To bass some ones social status on the color of their skin is not right to any degree and the world has grown from the mistakes that happened. For my major, crim inal Justice, I will deal with many situations where someone will call me racist. It's not something that will go away because sometimes African Americans rely on It to get a point across or blame what happened on you In anyway necessary.There was a time where whites believed having black was symbolic for evil. They didn't think It was right to be a different color and wanted to blame all the wrong doings or plagues on the blacks. This resulted in the formation of the UK Klux Klan where they took African American's from their homes and hung them. They didn't have to do anything wrong per say, the whites Just believed being black was wrong. The whites wanted to make African American's feel fear so they made rules they had to follow so they â€Å"kept them in line† in a way. Racism doesn't Just focus on African Americans, it can connect with Asians, and Mexicans.Racism has exists for thousands of years and I feel it will never disappear because of how parents raise their childr en to believe what they were taught growing up. Parents telling their kids that blacks are bad and they always get into trouble Isn't something you want to teach them. Everyone Is different and Like some say â€Å"you can't Judge a book by Its cover†. I also don't feel Its right to tell your kids that the police are bad people who just want to hurt you. That's not true at all so to tell your kids straight if the bat that things are set this way and you should follow this, wont help them have an open mind.Immigration is always a big deal with the whole process to become a U. S. Citizen. Immigrants are viewed as people coming to steal their jobs because the Jobs that they usually go for are minimum wage and no benefits. It's usually Mexicans who come into the U. S. And find low paying Jobs and they usually work very hard for the little money they make. Like I said before, police officers have to deal with being called a racist almost every day because they have to use force or arrest someone for a warrant.Having to e that guy to put up with It Is harder because even though you've gone through It so many times and Just want to say â€Å"I'm not racist† Just wont cut It. Police officers are doing their job and if you happen to be African American or Asian then that's the way Being young and going to school as the only African American can be tough for some if their parents taught them blacks are bad like in the colonial days. It can also be because of the area you live in, such as more whites to blacks. The way people view each other and Judge the way they look will never change, but there's always something you can do to stop it.

Computer Information Systems Brief Essay

The currently technology standing of Kudler Fine Foods is lacking greatly. The current limited abilities cause a set-back to the potential that the Kudler Company is capable of reaching. Minimal shoppers are reachable, report preparation is time-consuming, and inventory control is not at its best. After identifying some of the downfalls of the current information system maintained by the company, suggestions will be offered that will help increase productivity as well as customer satisfaction. Current System Kudler Fine Foods appears currently to be a partially manual company. Many tasks that are performed as a manual transaction or entry could be handled through system automation with the right computer hardware and software. Various possible set backs exist because of the lack of an automated system. Manual record keeping can be costly due to the time it takes to manually document and reproduce company data. The need to constantly reproduce data records for different reporting purposes takes time and manpower. Another down-fall of the current manual system in place is the risk of human error. Common errors include calculation mistakes and the transposing of figures. Upgrade Options A few options exist for converting from a manual to a computer based. The lower end of computer automation would be the use of a general purpose software application package. One example would be Microsoft Office which is similar to the current package in place. This package includes word processing, spreadsheet, database management presentation graphics, and personal information management. The high end would be application specific programming. These programs are designed for the specific purposes such as business accounting, transaction processing, customer relationship management and resource planning (O’Brien and Marakas, 2008). Still even more specific would be custom software, prepared for the specific needs and desires of Kudler Foods. Benefits of System Conversion Currently all major business transactions outside of customer sales and training classes are handled by one individual. The fact that this one individual is responsible currently for three locations, with more to come soon, is an even greater reason to look toward full system automation. Using the right software program will allow the activities of all three current locations as well as any future locations to filter into one main database. Information gathered into the one database can then be used for analysis, comparison, and reporting purposes without the need to physically travel to the various locations. There are also financial and accounting benefits of moving forward with system automation. Accounting packages available offer automated reporting of receivables, payable, expenses, and revenue. There is even a useful tool of check printing, recording, and reconciliation. Through computer interfacing with the financial institutions that Kudler maintains its financial accounts reconciling information can be transmitted electronically via secure internet connections. The use of account and product codes would be an asset to the inventory capabilities of an automated system. Sales and other transactions of each individual store location would have a unique identifier code. Merchandise that is supplied by each location would have product codes. Each determined area of the locations would have and identifying department code, for example meat, produce, bakery, etc. Data collection using the various options of coding allow the system to collectively report any pertinent information, or individually report according to location, department, item, and so forth as defined by Kudler Fine Foods. An added benefit of computer hardware and software is mass communication capabilities both internally and externally. The use of groupware allows communicating to one or several individuals without the use of paper, pens, postage or other office supplies. Memorandums, spreadsheets, and other documentation can be distributed through email, thus cutting office supply costs and information delivery time. One example of groupware is Microsoft Outlook. Through the use of the internet information is electronically transmitted to various specified locations and users. Using the internet for some business transactions would allow for product orders and advertising. Internet marketing and advertising allows Kudler to reach a far greater population than local advertising such as school ads. In addition to above mentioned incentives, internet usage for business would open the door for e-commerce. E-commerce gives potential customers outside of the normal driving radius access to products of Kudler Fine Foods. Customers would have the ability to shop via the web, select items of choice, and pay for the merchandise prior to Kudler shipping the product to a customer specified location. Possible Threats of Conversion The use of the internet is a great tool. Some benefits were previously mentioned, but there are also some threats. Threats such as viruses, spyware, sniffing, malware and several more exist whenever the internet is used. Each of the threats mentioned is an attack on the security of the company. There are various defenses that can be used to safeguard against these threats. In conjunction with limiting employee access to the internet, other defenses include firewalls, intrusion detection systems, value-added networks and proxy servers (Bagranoff, 2008). These defense mechanisms help to fight off unwanted attacks and unauthorized access to company data. Security Defenses Security threats can be internal as well as external. This being noted, there are also database management system software. This technology can be used for development, access, and maintenance of the database of Kudler (O’Brien and Marakas, 2008). More specifically this type of software can specify what personnel have access to specific locations within the computer system. It can determine if the access granted is read only or if the specified end-user has update capabilities. Conclusion In conclusion there are various options available to Kudler Fine Foods for the advancement of its business and accounting procedures. Evolving to a more technological computer programming system opens the door to more proficient record keeping, more cost effective communications and financial reporting, and business expansion. Potential security threats exist, as with all types of systems, whether it’s manual, semi-automated or completely high tech automation. There are tools available that make securing data just as strong a force as the posed threats. Kudler’s decision to move forward with total automation would increase time management, information accuracy, consumer population, and customer service.