Stakeholders In Singapore Education Education Essay

Stakeholders In Singapore Education Education Essay Education is an area of great importance in Singapore. Thus, most parents have very high expectations of educators. In this essay, I will talk about what are some of these expectations and how I can harness them as a force to enhance students learning. The traditional expectation of an educator is that he must be responsible for the academic welfare and/or excellence of the child. Do parents also expect teachers to play a part in developing the whole person, in areas such as character development? Discipline, must then be part of character development. How much do parents agree to the whole person development? To what extent do parents want teachers and schools to discipline their children? What methods are acceptable and which are not? Recent events shed some light to the amount of expectation there is of schools and teachers and raises some interesting questions too. The Nan Chiau fiasco for example shows the expectation of the public of school discipline and in particular corporal punishment. It is difficult to bridge the gap between those who agree to what the principal did and those who did not. They did however agree to the basic tenet of discipline but not the style. This highlights to us the changes in societal views on methods of discipline. Do these changes in expectation restrict us in achieving our goal in developing the whole child? How do we work with these changed expectations Increasingly, parents are expecting to play a more active role in schools in the form of Parents Support Groups (PSG). In these committees, they may take on different projects and be in charge of their organisation. These projects can be in the form of enrichment programmes for students which may help in the disciplining if appropriate programmes are organised. The issues related to increased parental involvement are legion. What are parents motivations? Will parents expect something in return for their services? What kind of incentives can school offer to encourage parents to participate? Will it lead to inequity? Parents might feel that if they do not contribute as much, their children will be disadvantaged. Will they then see the PSG as an added workload to themselves? Will it disadvantage those students who come from a poor family background Methods to harness them as a force There are some possible solutions in the bid to harness parental support as a force. Schools can package the services that parents can offer. Since parents have different strengths and resources, they can contribute to schools in various ways, such as financial aid, time or talent. When seen in this way, parental support can be of great value to schools. In order to encourage greater participation in the PSG among parents, schools will need to market them. Schools need to be careful not to promote elitism by valuing certain skills above others. They need to ensure that parents do not feel that their contribution is insignificant. How can these be done? One proposal is that schools first identify the schools and parents needs and then communicate and match these needs. On a volunteer basis, parents who feel they can help may come forward to contribute. Schools can also explore the possibility of forming parent-parent groups instead of parent-teacher groups. This is to give greater autonomy to parents and to allow for self-regulation and organisation. It also saves teachers from extra responsibilities. As for questions pertaining to the organisation of the PSG, it has been suggested that cluster superintendents run them, so that they can come up with a model for the cluster of schools, instead of individual schools coming up with their own models. However, the drawback is that cluster superintendents are not at ground level, they do not really understand the actual situation of each of the individual schools. Different schools might have different needs, strengths and weaknesses with regards to parental support, willingness to be involved and resources that they can contribute. Cluster superintendents may then not be a good person to deal with the PSG. Principals have also been identified as a possible person to do the organisation. However, constant changes of principals make it difficult to establish a strong PSG. Also, there is the perennial problem of principals being overloaded with work. Beyond all these issues, we can see that it is important to harness parents expectation as a force to enhance student learning. In involving parents in school in various enrichment and discipline committees, parents will have some degree of control to meet their own expectations Teachers are a bridge between students and parents. We must find a way in which we can harness the negative energy of these parents and use it for beneficent purposes. The challenge for us teachers is to harness them in the correct manner. There are two possibilities to help remedy this. As the world changes, so do the families that make up the smaller blocks of society. Consequently, the second remedy is to heighten the awareness of these parents that the responsibility of their childs development does not fall solely on the shoulders of the teachers and the education system. We thus agreed that as teachers and educators, we must be acutely aware of these societal changes and react to them accordingly and hence the teacher group decided that teachers should be the bridge between students and parents. This is a relatively new trend in humanitys history. It is a reflection of the systems desire to acknowledge and incorporate parents as stakeholders in the education system, and allow these parents some say in how the school is being run . However, it must be cautioned that parental-teacher-school relationships should form a symbiosis for the benefit of students. Hopefully this will motivate them to create a more conducive environment for their children to develop and excel in. Most often this is due to the fact that parents now are better qualified and thus expect a lot more from teachers the education system and their children themselves. This highlights the issues of single parent families. All these factors play an important part in any childs educational process. The consequence of this is that the children of these dual income families spend less time with parents. In addition, the teacher group took into consideration the ubiquity of Singaporean households, where both parents work at their respective careers to provide for a decent standard of living in an increasingly costly city-state. Research has shown that parental involvement makes a differences in the future of the child. On the other hand, students whose parents are not involved are more likely to drop out of school. In conclusion, research has shown that the most accurate predictor of a students achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which the students parents are able to: create a home environment that encourages learning; communicate high, yet reasonable, expectations of their childs achievement and future career; and become involved in their childs education at school and in the community.

Secret History or the Horrors of St. Domingo Analysis

Secret History or the Horrors of St. Domingo Analysis Analysis of Leonora Sansays Secret History; or, The Horrors of St. Domingo Leonora Sansays Secret History; or, The Horrors of St. Domingo provides a personal historical narrative surrounding the Haitian Revolution. A manuscript in this manner can offer historians a voice to elements of the Revolution that would otherwise be lacking or silent when studying other writings of the period. The manifestos of the revolutionaries, writings of the dominant class and government/military documents often provide the primary materials for research and historical text; however, it is the personal narrative that illuminates certain moods and philosophies that can be overlooked or when emphasising the dates and names surrounding an event. Sansays narrative takes the structure of an epistolary novel, a novel containing a series of letters, written by an American, Mary, to her personal friend Aaron Burr, who at that time was the vice president of the United States. Mary traveled to Saint Domingue in 1802 with her sisters French husband, St. Louis, in hopes of salvaging an estate lost during the early years of the Haitian Revolution. As a secret history, the novel has its foundation in the dawdling relationship between, Leonora Sansay, and Aaron Burr. Like the protagonist in the novel, Mary, Sansay was a close friend of Aaron Burr; and like Marys fictional sister, Clara, Sansay was married to a French officer from Saint Domingue, Louis Sansay. Demonstrating that, the novel is generously based on Leonora Sansays experience in Saint Domingue during the final years of the revolution, 1802-03. On the first reading, Sansays novel seems to give scarce attention to the devastating events of the Haitian revolution. The politics of race and colonial power, and the often horrific scenes of warfare that took place during the very years of the novels account are behind the scenes. Indeed, given Sansays weakness for descriptive accounts of, for instance, the â€Å"innumerable lustres of chrystal and wreaths of natural flowers ornamented the ceiling; and rose and orange trees, in full blossom (Sansay,74) transported aboard a French naval ship in the harbour of Saint Domingues Le Cap Franà §ois to form the backdrop of the Admirals ball, it would be easy to dismiss the novel and its characters as exemplary of an aristocratic temperament. But it is this temperament of the French colonials that makes the document so interesting and important. Michael J. Drexlers introduction to Sansays novel touches on how Secret History has been viewed in the past, and how these views changed with the scholar Joan Dayan. Dayans text Haiti, History and the Gods, was the first serious scholarly use of Sansays writings, â€Å"[f]or Dayan, the novel is both a social history of French decadence and a glimpse of trans-cultural, or trans-racial, mimicry, fantasy, and desire† (Sansay, 26). What this means is, the novel would seem to focus on the excesses of a French colonial regime that is wilfully removed from the life and death brutalities of the colonial slave system that brought about the revolt occurring outside the doors of its gilded fantasy world of extravagance and indulgence. The question that arises, with the knowledge of the how the book has been overlooked in the past by other historians, is how would Sansays work be of use to a young historian? Having a fundamental understanding of the concerns, causes and conclusion of the revolution in Haiti, assisted in a greater understanding of the novel. In Secret History the politics of French colonial warfare are displayed within the hidden, private desires that flow through the characters. The secret history conjectures a structural relation between the public and the private: each genre privileges a different pole as the primary location of meaning, but both foreground the necessary conflict and reliance of one set of meanings upon the other. This understanding of the characters relations to each other and their surroundings sets a mirror upon the countrys complex interactions. Metaphorically, then, love is colonial warfare. However, the love plot assumes more essentially violent dimensions when St. Louis imprisons Clara in their house threatening to kill her if she attempts to leave. When the armed forces of General Jean-Jacques Dessalines draw near Le Cap, Rochambeau takes advantage of the occasion to invite Clara to safety aboard a French vessel; an offer she declines out of fear of incurring her husbands wrath. The more horrifying truth for Clara, than the soon-to-be-realized threat of the massacre of all the white residents of Le Cap by Dessalines black revolutionary forces, is the menace of being murdered at the hands of her white husband. Yet colonial warfare ultimately offers Clara a surprising escape route from her husband: as Le Cap falls under siege, Mary writes, All the women are suffered to depart, but no man can procure a passport (Sansay,105). Mary and Clara are able flee Saint Domingue and break away from from St. Louis by traveling to Cuba and later Jamaica in the company of other women displaced by the revolution and scattered across a colonial Caribbean landscape. The cruelty of patriarchy in the novel is clearly interrelated to that of colonialism and race politics, a pairing underscored by the formation of a quasi-utopic community of husbandless Creole women at the close of the novel. This novel does possess a certain amount of fictional material, just as any fictional historical narrative will, but there is not a wealth of biographical information available about Leonora Sansay. Michael Drexlers introduction to Secret History provides a useful and comprehensive account of Sansays career. The narrative itself provides quasi-autobiography of Sansay, which discerning historians will find useful. On top of this, Sansay does grant her audience with a believable and accurate backdrop. The Haitian Revolution began in 1791 and ended with the establishment of the first free black republic in the west in 1804. During which time, French and Spanish troops, in a dizzying number of shifting alliances and oppositions, fought white Creole populations, free persons of color, and slave factions, vying for control of the country. By 1800, the black leader, Toussaint Louverture secured control of the island as a whole, but in 1801, the French General Leclerc, who was dispatched to Saint Domingue by Napoleon to reassert French control, captured Toussaint and sent him to France. In Sansays novel, Mary and her sister arrive in Le Cap Francais while Leclerc is in command; thus basing her novel in a sound and accurate setting, proving valuable for scholars. At the outset of our examination of Secret Historywe discussed how a personal narrative can provide a unique voice to any historical event. The opening sentence of Sansays epistolary novel outlines an antagonism between the life of the physical body and that of the Haitian social body: We arrived safely [in Saint Domingue] after a passage of forty days, during which I suffered horribly from sea-sickness, heat and confinement; but the society of my fellow-passengers was so agreeable that I often forgot the inconvenience to which I was exposed (Sansay, 61). The reader can note the difference between the first half of the sentence, which describes the travails of a sea voyage of biblical length and duress, and the second half, which casually dismisses the pains of the flesh in favour of the pleasures of sociability. An inappropriateness of empirical registers marks the opening of the novel, and while this incongruity asserts itself as slightly jarring initially, it becomes increasingly pronounced as the novel unfolds. Indeed, the contrast embedded within the opening sentence augments the intentional exaggeration throughout the novel such, that within a few short pages we find scenes of bayoneted bodies intermingled with blushing glances exchanged at balls in the colonial palaces of Saint Domingue. However exaggerated the text may seem it still opens a precious gem of information that cannot be overlooked or undervalued.

Free College Admissions Essays: Multifaceted Background :: College Admissions Essays

Multifaceted Background-- University of Illinois Writing a self-reflective tirade is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks to perform. I have found myself pondering this topic for an unusually long time; no one has ever asked me to write about my culture-- the one thing about myself which I understand the least. This question which is so easy for others to answer often leads me into a series of convoluted explanations, "I was born in the U.S., but lived in Pakistan since I was six. My brothers moved to the US when I was thirteen" I am now nearly twenty, which means I have spent half my life being Pakistani, the other half trying to be American, or is the other way around? I do not consider myself Paki-American. I am too "Americanized" to be Pakistani. (although by birthright, I am American), and I am not quite up to par with the American way of life. So what does all this have to do with my culture, what does a label really matter to cultural identity? It matters much. I believe that this seemingly trivial confusion over labels reveals the even greater confusion that surrounds my cultural identity: Am I a bridge between these two multifaceted cultures, or have I become a mosaic displaying colors from here and there, and elsewhere too? Perhaps both, and I could be a colorful bridge, or perhaps neither. Whatever the case, I cannot seem to separate these absolutely disparate realities within me. Their forces are still clashing, coming together within me, creating a wonderful confusion out of me. I believe that to truly analyze my culture, the roots of this confusion must be explored. In the span of this essay, I must try to encompass the widths of two wo rlds, their unique interactions within me... which I hope constitute what is called culture. I am an alien of sorts. I am an alien in my own country... but what is my own country? I am an alien wherever I go. In Pakistan, my somewhat eroded Urdu reveals my American leanings. In the U.S., my slight accent and appearance mark me as a "minority." Being bi-cultural has placed me in a perplexing portal between two separate worlds, with their own unique ideology, thinking, traditions and

Computer-Based Training :: Business Essays

Computer-Based Training Computer-based training can be found in almost all segments of business and education today. "Virtually every major corporation has turned to computer-based training for teaching employees everything from company regulations, to compliance, to factory operations (Rothfeder 1998) Candice Harp (1998) adds that "Corporate spending for training has risen to over $40 billion each year and a recent survey of Fortune 500 companies found that in some industries, companies dedicate as much as 5 percent of their information system budgets to training" (Harp, Taylor et al. 1998) For one thing, the economics make sense. "Employees can be trained at their desktops no matter where they're based, without incurring travel, hotel and meal costs, and there’s no lost productivity from the time spent traveling" (Rothfeder 1998) But exactly what is computer-based training and what are the various forms it takes? Background In general, computer-based training consists primarily of occupational training for adults, as opposed to computer-aided instruction used mainly in educational settings with younger populations. Training refers to any means of delivering information to people so they can do their jobs better. Computer-based training is delivered using computer tutorials in place of live instructors in a classroom format or video taped instruction. Computer-based training is usually interactive, self-paced, learner-directed, and offers immediate feedback to learners. The various forms of computer-based training currently available include interactive CD-ROM tutorials, multimedia simulations, and most recently, internet and intranet-based programs. Some of the numerous examples where computer-based training has been successfully implemented include instruction for bankers regarding corporate policies, Marine Corps fire teams, airline baggage handlers, MBA’s learning economics, and hostage rescue situations. One of the more sophisticated programs even simulates business war games where profits and losses vary based on management-trainee decisions. Advantages "Adult learning theory postulates that adult learners prefer a high degree of learner control. Computer-based training provides more learner control than other forms of training because it allows the learner to select the appropriate time to engage in learning and which topics will be covered" (Harp, Taylor et al. 1998) Another factor in adult learning theory suggests that adults are motivated by relevance of information to their current needs. With computer-based training, "on-demand training is possible for such instances as mechanics using animated, multimedia reference manuals to learn how to correctly install a new part in a car (Bowman, Grupe et al. 1995) Since most of computer-based training is aimed at adult populations, this advantage is a key factor to its popularity.

Society?s Arthurian Variety :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Writers have reflected the differences in society and individual opinions over many years in their writing by slightly altering the plot of Arthurian Romances to appeal to the interests of their community. Arthurian Romances, at early times, were written with themes of magic and violence whereas legends from later times attributed critical turning points in the plot to the power of love and were more involved, containing a long list of characters. Also affecting the differences in the times are the writer’s nationality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Earlier Arthurian Romances were written by Celts. Their warrior mentality led the writers to depict gruesome and violent legends. The beginning of The Wife of Bath’s Tale (Canterbury Tales) blatantly describes a knight, who is supposed to uphold the strict regiment of chivalry, violently raping a virgin at first glance. Such an occurrence commonly appears throughout Celtic Arthurian Romances and is a reminder of the life of war that they led. The rest of The Wife of Bath’s Tale has mystical pretences, signifying the Celt’s belief in the gods of good and evil. The answer to the question of which the malicious knight was questing for was held by a deceptive witch, who appears to be a rich young woman after gaining the knight’s respect. The writing style of the Celts also makes the tale appear to be more mysterious by their to-the-point storytelling by leaving out the details which make tales seem real to the audience, in many cases not ev en giving their characters names instead of positions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the French perspective, Arthurian Romances took on a whole new profile. Many intertwined characters with elegant names such as Lancelot and Gwenyvere, from Excalibur, promote honor and a strong reverence of love. Whereas knights commonly took advantage of their animal instincts in the Celtic tales, they upheld a strict code of honor, chivalry, from the French perspective. The struggle within Lancelot and Gwenyvere to discover why their hearts wanted to make the wrong decision when they already had the right and best situation shows that the French did not totally understand the nature of love and believed it to be unpredictable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arthurian Romances have been depicted in many different ways to tell the same story in the end, but the contrast between the Celtic and French versions sticks out like a sore thumb.

Car Rental Business plan Essay

The purpose of this business plan is to raise $300,000 for the development of a car rental agency while showcasing the expected financials and operations over the next three years. The Car Rental Agency Inc. (â€Å"the Company†) is a New York based corporation that will provide the rental of economy, standard, and luxury automobiles in its targeted market. The Company was founded in 2009 by John Doe. 1.1 Products and Services As mentioned above, the Car Rental Agency will be actively engaged in the rental of economy class, standard, and luxury vehicles for tourists and vacationers within its targeted market. A bulk of the Company’s revenues will come from the daily rental charges for vehicle usage. The business will also recognize revenues from the sale of insurance services and gasoline charges to customers. At the onset of operations, the Company intends to have a leased fleet of 30 vehicles. The third section of the business plan will further describe the services offered by the Car Rental Agency. 1.2 The Financing Mr. Doe is seeking to raise $300,000 from as a bank loan. The interest rate and loan agreement are to be further discussed during negotiation. This business plan assumes that the business will receive a 10 year loan with a 9% fixed interest rate. 1.3 Mission Statement The Car Rental Agency’s mission is to become the recognized leader in its targeted market for renting affordable vehicles to the general public on a daily basis. 1.4 Mangement Team The Company was founded by John Doe. Mr. Doe has more than 10 years of experience in the automotive industry. Through his expertise, he will be able to bring the operations of the business to profitability within its first year of operations. 1.5 Sales Forecasts Mr. Doe expects a strong rate of growth at the start of operations. Below are the expected financials over the next three years. 1.6 Expansion Plan The Founder expects that the business will aggressively expand during the first three years of operation. Mr. Doe intends to implement marketing campaigns that will effectively target individuals, tourists, and business travelers within the target market. 2.0 Company and Financing Summary 2.1 Registered Name and Corporate Structure The Car Rental Agency, Inc. The Company is registered as a corporation in the State of New York. 2.2 Required Funds At this time, the Car Rental Agency requires $300,000 of debt funds. Below is a breakdown of how these funds will be used: 2.3 Investor Equity Mr. Doe is not seeking an investment from a third party at this time. 2.4 Management Equity John Doe owns 100% of the Car Rental Agency, Inc. 2.5 Exit Strategy If the business is very successful, Mr. Doe may seek to sell the business to a third party for a significant earnings multiple. Most likely, the Company will hire a qualified business broker to sell the business on behalf of the Car Rental Agency. Based on historical numbers, the business could fetch a sales premium of up to 4 times earnings. 3.0 Products and Services Below is a description of the car rental services offered by the Car Rental Agency. 3.1 Daily Car Rentals The primary source of revenue for the business will come from the direct daily rental of the Company’s fleet of approximately 30 vehicles. The Company will have three tiers of rentals including economy, standard, and luxury. Management expects that 75% of all rentals will fall into the economy or standard class. A limited number of luxury vehicles will be held on the lot for wealthy tourists and business travelers. Daily charges to clients will range from $49 to $99 per day depending on the type of vehicle they intend to rent. 3.2 Insurance Fees and Ancillary Services In addition to daily charges made to vehicle renters, the Company will earn secondary streams of revenue from the sale of additional insurance. This is an important secondary steam of revenue for the business as sales of additional car insurance will generate substantial gross margins for the Car Rental Agency. Additionally, the Company will charge substantial fees to customers that do not return the vehicles with full gas tanks. Approximately 25% of the Company’s aggregate revenues will come from the sale of insurance and gas fees. 4.0 Strategic and Market Analysis 4.1 Economic Outlook This section of the analysis will detail the economic climate, the car rental industry, the customer profile, and the competition that the business will face as it progresses through its business operations. Currently, the economic market condition in the United States is in recession. This slowdown in the economy has also greatly impacted real estate sales, which has halted to historical lows. Many economists expect that this recession will continue until mid-2009, at which point the economy will begin a prolonged recovery period. However, Car Rental Agencies typically operate with a strong degree of economic stability as business travelers will continue to need vehicles for their business trip needs. 4.2 Industry Analysis Within the United States, there are more than 5,000 companies (that operate one or more locations) that provide daily car rental services to the general public. Each year, these businesses aggregately generate more than $20  billion dollars of revenue and provide jobs to more than 120,000 people. Aggregate payrolls in each of the last five years have exceeded $3.1 billion. This is a mature industry, and the future expected growth rate is expected to equal that of the general economy. As mentioned above, despite the currently high gasoline prices, the industry will continue to remain profitable as business travelers will continue to require rented vehicles during their business trips. 4.3 Customer Profile In this section of the analysis, you should describe the type of customer you are seeking to acquire. These traits include income size, type of business/occupation; how far away from your business is to your customer, and what the customer is looking for. In this section, you can also put demographic information about your target market including population size, income demographics, level of education, etc. 4.4 Competitive Analysis This is one of the sections of the business plan that you must write completely on your own. The key to writing a strong competitive analysis is that you do your research on the local competition. Find out who your competitors are by searching online directories and searching in your local Yellow Pages. If there are a number of competitors in the same industry (meaning that it is not feasible to describe each one) then showcase the number of businesses that compete with you, and why your business will provide customers with service/products that are of better quality or less expensive than your competition. 5.0 Marketing Plan The Car Rental Agency intends to maintain an extensive marketing campaign that will ensure maximum visibility for the business in its targeted market. Below is an overview of the marketing strategies and objectives of the Car Rental Agency. 5.1 Marketing Objectives †¢ Establish relationships with airports and travel agents surrounding the target market. †¢ Implement a local campaign with the Company’s targeted market via the use of flyers, local newspaper advertisements, and word of mouth advertising. †¢ Develop an online presence by developing a website and placing the Company’s name and contact information with online directories. 5.2 Marketing Strategies Mr. Doe intends on using a number of marketing strategies that will allow the Car Rental Agency to easily target tourists and business travelers coming to the target market. These strategies include traditional print advertisements and ads placed on search engines on the Internet. Below is a description of how the business intends to market its services to the general public. The Car Rental Agency will also use an internet based strategy. This is very important as many people seeking local services, such as car rental agencies, now the Internet to conduct their preliminary searches. Mr. Doe will register the Car Rental Agency with online portals so that potential customers can easily reach the business. The Company will also develop its own online website, which will include functionality for people to book and pay for vehicle rentals directly through the Company’s online platform. This marketing feature is common to most companies that rent cars to the general public. The Company will also place advertisements on major travel portals such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. Mr. Doe will also develop relationships with local travel agents that will make arrangements for rentals among people that are traveling through the target market. 5.3 Pricing In this section, describe the pricing of your services and products. You should provide as much information as possible about your pricing as possible in this section. However, if you have hundreds of items, condense your product list categorically. This section of the business plan should not span more than 1 page. 6.0 Organizational Plan and Personnel Summary 6.1 Corporate Organization 6.2 Organizational Budget 6.3 Management Biographies In this section of the business plan, you should write a two to four paragraph biography about your work experience, your education, and your skill set. For each owner or key employee, you should provide a brief biography in this section. 7.0 Financial Plan 7.1 Underlying Assumptions †¢ The Car Rental Agency will have an annual revenue growth rate of 16% per year. †¢ The loan will have a 10 year term with a 9% interest rate. †¢ The Owner will acquire $300,000 of debt funds to develop the business. 7.2 Sensitivity Analysis In the event of an economic downturn, the business may have a decline in its revenues. However, among business travelers, renting a car is a necessity. As such, the Car Rental Agency will be able remain profitable despite a drop off in tourist activity. 7.3 Source of Funds 7.4 General Assumptions 7.5 Profit and Loss Statements 7.6 Cash Flow Analysis 7.7 Balance Sheet 7.8 General Assumptions 7.9 Business Ratios Expanded Profit and Loss Statements Expanded Cash Flow Analysis

Management Information Systems in Restaurants

Introduction Restaurants are built of complex systems for buying, storing, preparing and selling food. The well-being of a restaurant depends on its management information systems, which coordinate everything from scheduling personnel to customer service. Restaurant management systems can help to create an ambiance. Restaurant management information systems should make a restaurant more profitable as well as a better place for customers to eat. The manager must be able to determine prices and schedules, make forecasts, perform an ongoing audit of inventory and other company assets, and monitor performance. More and more managers are turning to the computer to provide this information on a timely basis DFD for restaurants The restaurant uses an information system that takes customer orders, sends the orders to the kitchen, monitors goods sold and inventory, and generates reports for management. 0-Level DFD: The Restaurant Management system must consists of the following modules to implement a efficient and reliant MIS. 1. General Ledger The General Ledger module is the center of the accounting system. It is a powerful yet easy to use module that can accommodate a single unit restaurant as well as a large multiple unit operation. The General Ledger is automatically updated from all other modules being operated. Both 12 and 13 period accounting are supported. The Trial Balance Report and General Ledger Report provide the necessary documentation and audit trails required of a professional accounting system. Financial Statements can be designed to your specifications by you within the General Ledger module. The optional Management Report Writer gives you the added ability to print complex financial statements that consolidate or compare multiple time periods and units if necessary. Account budgets may be set up and used in forecasting and comparisons to actual activity. 2. Accounts Payable The Accounts Payable module is designed to allow you to better manage your vendor invoices and payments. Inventory purchases that are entered will be automatically updated to the Inventory, Recipe, and Sales Analysis modules without any additional work. Invoices may be entered in summary, detail, or a combination of the two. By entering invoices, you are creating the capability of accumulating unpaid invoices easily at any time. A purchase history by vendor is also maintained, and check payment can be accomplished easily in a method that is convenient for your operation. This module lets you stay on top of your outstanding invoices so that invoices are never paid for twice. 3. Payroll The Payroll module is designed for time entry, printing payroll checks, general ledger distribution and year-end W-2 forms. It can operate on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly basis with all input verified, copied, and employee records updated during the End-Pay-Period procedure. Other useful options are included such as payroll history inquiry, earnings summary report, employee payroll history, tip allocation, tip reporting and is integrated to the optional Federal Magnetic Media Reporting module. The module is easy to use due to its one-step nature. After set-up with a General Ledger file and initial data entry, payroll tracking becomes relatively easy. Time is entered, then the register is printed. If corrections are necessary, they can be made to the appropriate entries and the register re-printed. After everything balances, checks and reports are printed and then the pay period can be closed. This module is designed to operate in conjunction with other modules that may be installed. Programs are explained as if the General Ledger module were included. Information is transferred to all integrated modules as a function of the End-Pay-Period procedure or is transferred each month through the End-of-Month posting procedure. 4. Bank Reconciliation The Bank Reconciliation module is used to manage your bank accounts. It is automatically updated as checks are written and deposits are entered. A simple method of canceling checks allows you to reconcile the account to the bank statement in very little time. Multiple bank accounts can be maintained simply and easily. A historical check register is maintained for up to five years for your review. 5. Inventory Control The Inventory Control module is designed to allow you a fast and easy way to keep track of your inventory. You are able to track what you have purchased and what prices you are paying from various suppliers for any length of time. In-house batch production items can be processed along with multiple location transfers. Inventory is first categorized into major classifications that you choose such as meat, dairy and produce. Inventory can be kept on a perpetual basis by entering your purchases for those items and taking a physical count monthly or as frequently as desired to get your actual usage on each item. Inventory may also be kept on a periodic basis which does not require entering all your purchases. The periodic method allows for entry of a physical count and last cost at any point in time and will automatically extend the inventory for you. Both methods provide inventory count sheets by specific storage location and fast inventory count entry methods. The two methods can also be combined to allow detailed control of high cost items and less detailed control of less significant items. 6. Recipe Control The Recipe Control module works hand in hand with the Inventory Control module. It provides you with an organized method of entering your recipes. You can take advantage of the ability to monitor your costs at all times before cost increases erode your profit margins. Unlimited levels of sub-recipes can be maintained very easily. Recipes can include a plate cost for items that you may not want to set up. Recipes can be costed in seconds at Last Cost or Average Cost and can be printed or displayed on the screen. Each recipe can also have detailed preparation instructions set up for use as a training manual. 7. Sales Analysis The Sales Analysis module completes the operations triangle. Both Inventory and Recipe Control are related heavily to Sales Analysis. Menu items are set up and defined at this point. A menu item can refer to a recipe or directly to an inventory item. Daily sales can be entered manually or transferred from a point of sale device if one is available. Sales history is maintained on a daily basis for any number of years. Entering your sales will generate your potential or optimal use of each inventory item and will give you an actual versus potential usage variance. Sales trends can be tracked in a wide variety of methods using the Management Report Writer. Sales Analysis gives you the capability to stay on top of your margins and control them before they can hurt you. 8. Management Report Writing The Report Writer module allows the creation of custom reports wanted by individual companies. The flexibility and adaptability of this module allows for seemingly unlimited variations of report types. This module is limited only by your imagination. Thirty-six columns are available for mathematical and statistical computations (only limited by your printer's capability). Data to be printed on these reports can be drawn from a variety of sources. The most common source is General Ledger and the Report Writer is particularly suited to producing complex financial statements. Reports can also be produced based on data from Sales Analysis or from the Statistics section of the Management Report Writer.