Saturday, September 7, 2019

Gambino Cleaning Products Salesman System Specification Essay Example for Free

Gambino Cleaning Products Salesman System Specification Essay A new system of calculating and reporting on cleaning products salesmen is to be designed and implemented. Cleaning products salesmen commission is based on a set of data which is the monthly sales of cleaning products sold by the salesmen. Objectives The new system must: * Be automated as far as possible, needing no thorough knowledge of spreadsheets, databases or any other software in order to operate it. * Have fitted controls to ensure precision and completeness of data input. * Take into account commission payments from monthly sales. * Print commission reports for each of the salesmen, and a summary report showing total paid to each salesman and overall total. * Include an option to delete commission records previous to a given date so that the file does not increase for an indefinite period. The proposed new system can be shown in a level 0 data flow diagram as follows: A level 1 Data Flow Diagram of the proposed system is as follows: User functions 1. The Commissioning Salesman in the Sales Department will be responsible for entering all details of new cleaning products salesman and new products. 2. An Accounts clerk will have special responsibility for the commission system. 3. The Accounts clerk will enter each month the sales of each product, giving quantity sold and gross sales value (i.e. quantity X cover price). 4. Every 6 months, the Accounts clerk will produce the Commission reports for each cleaning products salesman. This will show the commission that has been earned in the previous 6 months. A payment is then recorded and a cheque issued to each cleaning products salesman to whom commission is due, together with the Commission statement showing sales details, and the statement from the Accounts system the total amount due. Database specification Menu structure The many functions of the Commission System will be accessed by means of a front-end menu, which will have the following structure. The data model There are three main entities in this system related in the entity relationship diagram shown below. Because a many-to-many relationship cannot be applied in a relational database, an additional entity named Salesman/Product is introduced. The ERD can now be drawn as follows: The database for Gambino cleaning products salesman system specification will have the following tables: tblSalesman (SalesmanID, Surname, FirstName) tblProduct (ProductID, ProductName, SalesTeam, Price) tblSalesman/Product (ProductID, SalesmanID, StandardCommission, BonusCommission) tblSales (SalesNumber, ProductID, Date, QuantitySold, GrossValue) Name Type Meaning Range Where Used tblSalesman Table Salesman Table tblProduct Table Product Table tblSalesman/Product Table Salesman/Product Table tblSales Table Sales Table SalesmanID Text (5) Unique ID Primary key in tblSalesman Foreign key in tblSalesman/Product Surname Text (20) Salesmans Surname tblSalesman Firstname Text (15) Salesmans first name tblSalesman ProductID Text (5) Unique product code Primary key in tblProduct Foreign key in tblSalesman/Product ProductName Text (40) Product title tblProduct SalesTeam Text (40) All salesman who sell a product tblProduct Price Currency Product price tblProduct StandardCommission Number Percentage commission on each product sold 1-10 tblSalesman/Products BonusCommission Number Bonus percentage commission on each products sold 11-20 tblSalesman/Products SalesNumber Number 1=Standard commission 2=Bonus Commission 1 or 2 tblSales QuantitySold Number Number of products sold tblSales GrossValue Currency Data Dictionary Input Specification Three input forms will be required. frmProducts This will be used to enter product details. frmSalesman This will be used to enter details of a salesman and all products on which they receive commission. The commission percentages for each product will be entered in a subform of the main form. Validation methods: The Product ID will be selected from a drop-down list of existing Product IDs. Once a Product ID is entered, the product name will be automatically displayed. frmTransaction This form will be used to enter transactions. Validation methods: Only valid dates will be accepted. The Product ID will be selected from a drop down list of existing Product IDs. Once a Product ID is entered, the product name will be automatically displayed. Selecting a radio button so that only a valid alternative can be selected will choose the transaction type. Process Specification Commission Calculations To calculate the commission for a given transaction, a query has to be performed to combine attributes from tblTransaction, tblProduct, tblProduct/Salesman and tblSalesman. The calculation of the commission is performed as follows: If TransactionType = 1 (i.e sales) ThenRate = StandardCommissionRate ElseRate = BonusCommissionRate endif Amount = Rate * GrossValue These processes will be carried out in qryCommission. This query will be the source of both the commission report and the summary report. Maintenance Each year, transactions prior to a given date will be removed from tblTransactions. This prevents the transaction file from becoming too large and slowing down the system. The maintenance will be carried out as follows: Run a Delete query to delete records from tblTransaction. Test Plan Tests will be carried out using valid and invalid data and data at the extremes of acceptable values.

Friday, September 6, 2019

The Vindication of the Rights of Women Essay Example for Free

The Vindication of the Rights of Women Essay ‘In the Grass’ and The Vindication of the Rights of Women are two works which consider the woman and her relationship with men. This is the only way they are similar, because the lead woman of each one is very different in their ideals of their relationship with their man. In the poem, ‘In the Grass’ by Annette Droste-Hustoll, we find a woman who is mourning the loss of a beloved man, though one doesn’t know if it is her husband, father, or brother, it’s just a man who is very important to her. This woman is the perfect female of the family and unbelievingly domestic and ‘perfect’. A major issue is the repeated use of the word sweet. It seems to not only mean ‘sweet repose’, ‘sweet reeling’, and ‘sweetly laughter’, but sweet, devoted female. This poem is a sort of mourning remembrance of the perfect life where this woman was the little darling of the now gone man. The phrase ‘Sweetly laughter flutters down, dear voice mummers and trickles’, is a major phrase used to conjure up to the reader this perfect family life. It is an image of the ideal family, the man strong and ruling and the female soft and yielding. She reigns in her domestic sphere, giving the man a place of rest. But, now the man is gone, and she is remembering the good times. She is lost because she no longer has the only life she knew how to live. Finally, the last series of lines tells the only course left to her is to go with him, ‘Please, a soul, to fly with him’. She believes she no longer has a reason to live without her guide and protector. She was a queen, but only with him, and all she wants is to go with him and continue their happy relationship. She is not envisioning life on her own, perhaps she can’t. Is she an individual being or an extension of him like his arm or leg? When Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Right of Women, the woman in the poem, â€Å"In the Grass†, was the ideal. Women in Wollstonecraft’s class were supposed to be soft creatures that let their husband do the thinking while they discussed clothes and child rearing. Wollstonecraft was against this and preached women’s rights. For this she was called ‘a hyena in petticoats’, but she refused to be silenced. Remember how in the poem ‘In the Grass’, the word ‘sweet’ is repeated over and over to set the tone of a darling little women by her man’s grave? Wollstonecraft strongly rejects this, calling all those endearments given to women from men, ‘those pretty feminine phrases, which the men condescendingly use to soften our slavish dependence. ’ Slave was a harsh word to be throwing around, especially with slavery still existing in the US, but she wanted to shock. She was writing to shock women out of their dependence. Rousseau wrote that the only good virtues of a man are the ones he creates himself and not the ones he is told he should have. Wollstonecraft thinks this should be extended to women and she should be valued by her own worth rather than by the weak virtues men tell her she should have. She tells mothers, ‘The mother, who wishes to give true dignity of character to her daughter must†¦. proceed on a plan diametrically opposite to that which Rousseau has recommended. ’ In the end, perhaps it is safe to say each writer is creating a piece of literature that reflects the times they lived in. Droste-Hulsholl wrote during the Romantic Movement, when all things were idealized, including the relationship between men and women. Wollstonecraft wrote with Enlightenment ideals which encouraged the rights and the power of the individual to take hold of his/her life and change him/herself and the world. They created such different pieces because they saw the world in totally different ways.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Change management models and processes

Change management models and processes I) Three major model of change: 1) Lewins Change Model 2) McKinsey 7-S Change Model Let go through these each model in brief†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1) Lewins change model: Kurt Lewin projected a three stage theory of change generally referred to as Unfreeze, Change, and Freeze. Stage 1: The first stage of Lewins change model is unfreeze, the stage is about being prepared for change, the model is trying to show that change is essential ,and we have to ready for change by putting all our present comfort and habits. This stage is about to make ready ourselves and other before the change. By putting Unfreeze Lewins want to say following things: Its about to understand others that change is required and its an essential process. Change requires overcoming from failure and for achieving better things for organization. Stage 2: The second stage is called as Change or Transition, in this stage people start to change they have many doubts and fear in their mind relating to change which is going to be occurring, at this stage they need all support, in the form of learning training guiding and support that mistake are the part and elements of this stage. This stage is about: To make change by putting out all traditional and odd things To being prepare for change Providing support in the form of training, guiding in the processes of change Stage 3: The third stage is called as Refreeze: At this stage people starts to use to with the changes which occurs in second stage, they start believing in change, refreezing may be a slow process as transition rarely stop cleanly, but go more in fits and starts with a long tail of bits and pieces. There are good and bad things about this. The apparent signs of the refreeze are a steady organization chart, reliable job descriptions, and so on. The refreeze stage also wants to help people and the organization internalize or institutionalize the changes. This means making sure that the changes are used all the time; and that they are incorporated into everyday business. With a new logic of constancy, staff feel positive and happy with the fresh ways of working. Advantages of Lewins change model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. It is a very simple and easy model to understand, by giving example of ice-cube Lewin;s very simply tried to understood this model. He puts three different stage to understand each stage like first stage unfreeze in which he try to understand about essentialness of changes, second stage changes in which people start to change towards new ideas, like policy procedure, rules and regulation, and third stage in which changes starts to give benefit. ii) Process for implementing change†¦ The Kotters introduce 8-steps process for implementing change Step One: Create Urgency For change to take place, it helps if the entire company really wants it. Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change. This may help you spark the initial motivation to get things moving. This isnt merely a matter of showing people poor sales figures or talking about enlarged rivalry. Open an honest and credible dialogue about whats happening in the marketplace and with your competition. If many people start talking about the change you propose, the urgency can build and feed on itself. What you can do: Classify possible fear, and expand scenarios viewing what could occur in the future. Look at opportunities that should be, or could be, oppressed. Start straightforward debate, and give energetic and realistic reasons to get people talking and thinking. Demand shore up from consumers, outside stakeholders and industry people to support your argument. Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition Encourage people that change is essential. This may takes tough leadership and noticeable support from key people within your organization. Managing change isnt enough you have to lead it. In this step we can do following things Recognize the real leader in our organization. Work on team structure within your change coalition. To get know the different areas in which the team is weak, to find out the strength and its weakness.. Step Three: Create a Vision for Change In this stage, it is very essential to create a strong vision for change, to let people know why change is necessary, this is the process to about know what the benefits of change are, this clear vision will encourage them to prepare themselves for change In this step we have to do following things To make a clear and easy vision, to understand people the purpose of change To make a strategy for change. Step Four: Communicate the Vision Ones vision has been created its a essential to communicate that vision, means to watch out the plan, process and procedure properly working as per planning, things are going properly or not is the essential part of this process . We can do the following things in this step: Converse frequently about your change vision. Honestly and sincerely speak to peoples concerns and anxieties. Apply your vision to all aspects of operations from training to performance reviews. Tie everything back to the vision. Step Five: Remove Obstacles. In this step we have to identify the factors which are obstacles for change, to watch out all the activities in organization, to know whether things are going as plan or there is any barrier towards plan activity. Identify and reward people for making change happen. Recognize people who are resisting the change, and help them see whats needed. Take action to quickly remove barriers. Step Six: Create Short-term Wins Success motivates everyone, to make winning habits in staff, to make short term goal and try to achieve them first along with direction for long term goals To reward people for their achievement. To appreciate work To make weekly target instead of long term planning Step Seven: Build on the Change In this step we have to analyze the things, what went right and what went wrong in the process of change, to look after the area in which improvement is needed. After every win, examine what went correct and what requirements needed to improve. Set goals to continue construction on the impetus youve achieved. Keep thoughts fresh by bringing in new change agents and leaders for your change combination. Step Eight: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture Make persist efforts to make sure that the change is seen in each and every part of your organization. This will help give that change a solid place in your organizations culture. Consist of the change principles and ethics when hiring and training new staff. Publicly recognize key members of your original change coalition, and make sure the rest of the staff new and old remembers their contributions. Create plans to replace key leaders of change as they move on. This will help ensure that their legacy is not lost or forgotten. iii) Why people resist change†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1) Fear: The most important factor for which people resist change is fear, fear of unknown they dont know about changes, thats why they started to fear, for example if the labor company announce changes that now they will take more use of computers to improve their techniques it certainly creates fear on present employees who dont know how to use it and they start to resist about the changes. 2) Comfort: This is also one of the reason for which people resist change, because they do not want to leave their present comfort, they think that if change occurs than they have to work more hard for getting things done..for example if company announce that marketing department now have to achieve weekly sales target than certainly the present employees have to work more hard and hence they might resist it. 3)Lack of trust: This is one the reason people resist change, if people havent trust or faith on changes or idea than they start to resist changes, for example if the employees of the company do not have trust on their manager capability than they create doubts on employee mind and hence they do not trust him. 4) Dont know about changes: one of the reason people resists changes because people dont know about changes, they dont know about their importance, they dont know how they going to benefit them, they have not any kind of idea regarding to changes, for example †¦.if company announce incentive system for their employees instead of fixed salary than employee start to oppose it even they have a chances to get benefited by high incentive system, all these because of lack of knowledge. 5) Dont trust on their capabilities: This is one of the reason why people resist changes because they have doubts on their capabilities, they dont think that they will able to make adjustment. IV. I recommended Lewins change model is best to use for a change management model because of its simple description, by giving example in three stages Lewins very simply described about his three stage change model, the three stage process includes unfreeze, change, and refreeze. http://www.mindtools.com/media/Diagrams/Lewin.gif Reason for recommendation of above model: As we can see in diagram the lewins very simply gave example based on ice about three stage change†¦.figure one described as a unfreeze in which there is a picture of large ice cube by which Lewins try to say at first stage people are very use to their routine works and very happy to do work with their old and traditional techniques, even though if they know this techniques is not very useful or worthless for goodwill of the company, but as they very use to with that method of work they denied change, for example if a patient of village very use to with homeopathy and naturopathy treatment which is referred by doctor at old times than certainly that patient denied to do surgery and operation for his illness which was recommend by doctor at modern times so its hard to convince them about the benefit of latest technology of health improvement same the case applies here, in this stage the task is to convince people of change them and to tur n them to modern techniques which can be beneficial and useful to them. The second figure show that the large ice-cube turns to round shaped ice-cube, which change its shape, by this Lewins tried to say in this stage that this stage is about change, change from rigid structure towards the new one as we can see in the figure that ice-cube change its shape to round structure, so that people start to change themselves and have to come out with adapting new ideas, knowledge, and techniques which would be more beneficial and successful for both for organization and also for themselves. To start adopting new ideas ,and technology of work by coming out from old ones , like for example the company make change in their timing to start their work from 10 clock to early 8pm so that employee get more time to done their task and can achieve high incentive , which is profitable to both employees and the company as well but at a certain period of time employee also have to be aware of benefit from the situation otherwise it will create doubts on their mind regarding to changes like they have work more hard in lesser wages so might they dont prefer it, at this time they require more proper guidance, knowledge and training regarding to changes so this change can be worth full for the company, at this time people are learning new things and adapting new ways in their work so they require all the support , training from their supervisor. The third figure shows the stability from the 3rd figure we can see the steady ice-triangle by which Lewins try to show the refreeze model, means once the change has been made in second stage now the people accepted those changes as per their new routines and norm now they started to accept that changes as per their daily routine work for example they start to find them comfortable with the new timings , new incentive base system, new product and procedure of the company, things are going easily for them as they know what to do , so the task is to fellow this procedure and practice properly for easy going. Advantages and disadvantages of this model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Lewins change model is very simple and easy to understand, its shown in three simple stages, so the company till using this model. In unfreeze process Lewin,s show that company needs changes, which can be done by Motivating employee towards the change, which called sense of urgency towards change, it use Simple language. Role of leader in particular change model: The leader must have to make afford to motivate his employee towards new changes The leadership must adopt training and guiding process for employee in order to get them ready for change. They have to create an appropriate plan and to work upon that, like for example if they want to increase their sale than they have to work upon marketing and advertising skills so that they can achieve their sales target. Once the change has been made leader has use his techniques and qualities like providing training and guiding to their employee, so they can work well. Change strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The following steps are to be taken for change strategies Recruitment on the basis of qualification, for example if someone need in marketing sector than the guys must be take on the qualification base on marketing, the person who has marketing subject or degree on it, if needs in administration than prefer more to MBA student so this can create specialization which is good for a company. Use of the techniques which is essential for company , like if there is more administration work than there should more computer place in the company so that work flow can go easy and good To develop training programs for their new employee, to know about the company well to be aware of all its process and procedure so when they start their real work they dont feel unnecessary burden on them. Interview system, to modify it so that right people can select for right position, like for example if person have to select for account position than interview must conduct on accounting basis instead of testing his or her general knowledge.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Riding the Red Essay examples -- Literary Analysis, Nalo Hopkinson

â€Å"I've told her and I've told her: daughter, you have to teach that child the facts of life before it's too late† (Hopkinson 1). These are the first three lines of Nalo Hopkinson's short story â€Å"Riding the Red†, a modern adaptation of Charles Perrault's â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†. In his fairy tale Perrault prevents girls from men's nature. In Hopkinson's adaptation, the goal remains the same: through the grandmother biographic narration, the author elaborates a slightly revisited plot without altering the moral: young girls should beware of men; especially when they seem innocent. This modern fairy tale contains diverse characters but none of them are as important as the grandmother. In fact, through her narration the reader gets the basic information concerning the familial context. The story revolves around a grandmother, a mother and a granddaughter, which thus sets the point of view of the story, the grandmother is the narrator therefore the reader gets her perception. Besides the domestic context, the lack of other contextual clues, such as the time or the location of the story, gives room to her story and her final purpose: teaching and, at the same time, protecting her grand-daughter from risks represented by men here symbolized by a wolf. The way this unnamed grandmother reveals her life exemplifies two properties of fairy tale as mentioned by Marina Warner in â€Å"The Old Wives' Tale†: â€Å"Fairy tales exchange knowledge [using morals] between an older [most of the time feminine] voice of experience and a younger audience† (314). As s uggested in the text, fairy tales are a way to teach insights of life through simple stories directed to, most of the time, younger generations. Most of the time because fairy tales' moral work on dif... ...nt approach as â€Å"fairy tale was property and could be taken by its owner and read by its owner at his or her leisure for escape, consolation, or inspiration.† (Zipes 1999, 338). Hopkinson uses the narrator to spread a moral similar to Perrault's three hundreds year ago. Girls, especially when young and inexperienced, need to be careful when encountering nice and charming men due to its risk to ends in a completely undesirable situation. This is when the grandmother intervenes, she tries to complete her granddaughter's education by notifying her on that special affair and which will provides her advices to avoid the same experience. Indeed, fairy tale has an educational mission in addition of its entertainment. Hopkinson provides a moral to the reader through a modern and revisited tale, maybe more adapted to nowadays reader but without weakening its quintessence.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Intimacy in A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams Essay

Intimacy Tennessee Williams used his life experiences to write many successful plays. One of his most successful plays is A Streetcar Named Desire. In this play Williams relates the characters closely to his father, mother, and sister. William’s father was a gambler, a drunk, and very aggressive. Williams’s mother was a Southern Bell and looked down upon people that were not like her, and his sister was suffering from psychological disorders. Stanley is like William’s father, Blanche is like William’s mother and sister, and Allan, Blanche’s dead husband, is like Tennessee Williams. Suchitra Choudhury says that â€Å"Tennessee Williams’ plays are acknowledged to be substantially constituted of violence and victimization. . . . Williams’s plays very often end in what seems to be victimization.† The play A Streetcar Named Desire is a classic example of violence and victimization. Stanley is very violent and Blanche is the victim, her past h aunting her in the present. Throughout the play we see how Blanche evolves into what seems to be a psychotic breakdown at the end. We see how the need for intimacy ultimately causes her to become psychotic. Blanche struggles with the death of her husband Allan, and as a result she is constantly trying to create a reality of what she believes life should be like. How does the past affect Blanche in the present? Blanche strives to deny the past and build a new life for herself, one that she perceives to be what she deserves. Blanche’s promiscuity in Laurel is the result of her constant search for intimacy, not just sex. Blanche struggles with guilt that it is her fault her husband Allan commits suicide. Even though Stella and Stanley and even Eunice and Steve have what she thinks are horrible relatio... ...n, Leonard. The Tragic Downfall of Blanche Dubois, Modern Drama, Vol. 10, No. 2, December, 1967, pp. 24957. http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/servlet/LitRC?locID=maco12153&ADVST2=NA&srchtp=adv&c=6&stab=512&ASB2=AND&DT=Criticism_select&ADVSF2=tennessee+williams&docNum=H1100001574&ADVSF1=a+streetcar+named+desire&ADVST1=TW&bConts=514&vrsn=3&ASB1=AND&ste=74&tbst=asrch&tab=2&ADVST3=NA Choudhury, Suchitra. A Streetcar Named Desire. Great Neck Publishing http://proxygsu-mac1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=25997558&site=ehost-live">Literary Contexts in Plays: Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire". Williams, Tennessee. A streetcar Named Desire. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 9th Edition. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, Kelly J. Mays Ed. NewYork. W. W. Norton, 2005 (1539-1602)

Monday, September 2, 2019

Joshua (the Novel) :: essays research papers

Herm’s question, “Josh, what do you think of Religion?'; becomes the beginning of a period of both joy and conflict for Joshua as he is then often encountered with many related questions and, later, contradiction from the Church. These questions all lead to similar answers, in which Joshua expands on his ideas. And because of this further discussion, it’s important to read all of his responses throughout the book in order to understand his reply and to intelligently decide to agree or disagree. Therefore, my reaction to Joshua’s reply is based on everything he said concerning religion. The question arises from a discussion between Pat, Herm, and Joshua concerning his lifestyle. They are walking home from breakfast at the diner and the other two are interested in why Joshua doesn’t mind living alone. “Don’t you get lonesome living by yourself?'; Herm asks (72). But Joshua explains to them that he values the serenity of living alone. He tells them that he can peacefully enjoy the beauty of nature outside and the animals also keep him company at times. But the main reason why Joshua never feels alone is that God is always with him, loving him always, and will never abandon him: “No. I like being by myself… God is with us all the time'; (72). Pat and Herm agree but still can not imagine living alone without any feeling of loneliness and this discussion of God leads to Herm’s question. Joshua’s response is similar to a sermon or speech, and is over a page in length; he is firm in these beliefs and reiterates them several times throughout the book. He is very prepared for the question; before saying a word he asks, “the way it [religion] is or the way God intended it to be?'; (73). And when he is sure of the latter, releases everything inside him, as if he was just waiting to explain what people had been doing wrong. His main point is that Jesus wanted to free those under the pressure of rules in their religions and offered a comforting God who loved them, asking only for honor and worship in return. Joshua is also disappointed in the way the clergy preside over their congregations: “Jesus did not envision bosses… He wanted his apostles to guide and serve, not to dictate and legislate'; (74). Joshua feels that rules and traditions are blocking people from growing in love of God, that the people become unable to think for themselves and panic when changes are made.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Evaluating Areas of Knowledge

Music can affect us in many ways. It can evoke emotion or bring back a long-forgotten memory. It is present in nearly every aspect of life. Anywhere you travel, you come into contact with music. Whether it is on the radio in the car, in the supermarket, or on television, there is no escaping the constant presence of music. Music is composed for various reasons and purposes. Sometimes, composers are compelled to create a musical work to express their emotions, or even opinions. Music is also created to express the cultural aspects. Since there are so many reasons music is created and purposes it is used for, how is it possible to know music and in what ways can music be known? According to the International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge, there are several specific ways of knowing that allow knowledge claims to be evaluated. The infinitive, to know, can be evaluated by using reason, language, perception, and emotion. All of these ways can be utilized when evaluating the claim â€Å"I know this music. † Also, most of these mentioned ways of knowing can be applied to other areas of knowledge besides the arts. To begin, knowing music can be evaluated by using reason as logic. Obviously, if someone where to make this claim, he could simply be referring to the fact that he had heard it before. But logically, looking on a deeper level, the claim could mean that he had played through the music before. Often when musicians play a piece of music, or especially when it is performed, it has greater meaning to them and allows them to know it more intimately. When playing a piece of music, artists can put their own personal feeling into it. They can vary certain aspects such as tempo and phrasing. Not only does playing music speak to a listening audience, it speaks to the artist. This makes playing music a very psychological process, as it evokes certain feelings from listener and performer. Very gifted musicians are sometimes able to merely look at a piece of music, to analyze each note and rhythm, and be able to claim they know the piece. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was able to know music in this way. He would compose entire symphonies and concertos entirely in his mind before ever writing them down. And when he did write them down, he never changed a note. Mozart never had to physically hear a piece of music to know what it sounded like; he could hear it in his mind. Likewise, this was true for Beethoven, who composed and conducted his ninth symphony after becoming deaf. This process of knowing occurs on a much more intellectual level then actually playing music. However, both methods present knowledge of music. Besides using reason as logic, one can also consider the reason in the purpose of music in order to fully know it. Music is usually always created for some purpose. Composers are inspired and feel compelled to express their creativity. However, despite the composer's initial purpose for the music, its purpose to society may become completely different. For instance, many early classical composers were hired by courts and forced to compose music for the king. Often they would just write so as to get paid and to save themselves from poverty or execution. They would never have imagined that their music would, hundreds of years later, be listened to in the homes of middle class amilies as their children fervently practice the current assignment from the piano teacher. Music can be written to express opinions of society, culture, and authority. The popular rapper Eminem, constantly criticized for his outspokenness, articulates his views through his controversial lyrics. Similarly, the members of the heavy metal band Rage Against the Machine are known for their radical views of government and have even been arrested several times for protesting on the steps of the capital. Rage uses their music to communicate their opinions and speak to others who feel the same. Altogether, the purpose of music can be used to evaluate how it is known. Next, the claim can also be evaluated by analyzing certain aspects of language. Semantics is a term often applied to the study of meaning in language. In order to study language, one needs to consider two aspects of language: denotation and connotation. Denotation can be thought of as the way in which a word is defined, as in the dictionary. Connotation, on the other hand, is thought of as the color of the word, or what it implies. Therefore, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of the verb ‘to know' is: to perceive directly, or have direct cognition of, to have understanding of, to recognize the nature of, to recognize as being the same as something previously known, to be acquainted or familiar with, or to have experience of. The denotation of a word is very straightforward and differs from the connotation in that it lacks emotion. For example, when trying to explain love to a child, it does no good to give them a dictionary definition. On the other hand, the connotation of knowing can be explained in countless ways. For example, the word can infer that there is a strong emotional connection, whether it be positive or negative. The connotation also involves many other areas other than just the word, such as the tone of voice it is said in, or the context in which it is placed. When evaluating a claim, one cannot fully depend on a single aspect of semantics. Both denotation and connotation need to be taken into account in order to evaluate knowledge claims. In addition, perception is another way of knowing. Perception varies between all individuals. Perception makes each person unique. Therefore, it is difficult to make a generalized statement about perception besides the fact that it can drastically change the way identical events are interpreted. Perception can be influenced by many different factors such as culture, economic status, and religion. These factors can be described as filters through which the world is perceived. When applied to a knowledge claim, perception mainly varies between individuals' views of what it means to know something. Take, for instance, the individual making the knowledge claim, â€Å"I know this music. One person's perception of what it means to know could vary from the perception of the person being told. The only way to bridge this gap in perception, is to become tolerant of others' views. Applied to others areas of knowledge, these ways of analyzing knowledge claims are valid yet sometimes irrelevant. For instance, the methods work for theoretical, language, and creativity based areas such as politics and the arts. However, when applied to more factual areas like mathematics and the natural sciences, the above methods are not suitable. For these areas, processes such as proofs and the scientific method are used.