Thursday, November 28, 2019

Las Cervesas Mexicana Essays - DraftBuenas Pintas, Bonny Cepeda

Danny Granger Spanish 2 Professor Daffor Las Cervezas Mexicana! La cerveza mexicana se invent? hace mucho tiempo atr?s. Todo comenz? cuando los aztecas usaban para preparar algunas bebidas alcoh?licas. Un ingrediente muy com?n usado en la cerveza mexicana es de ma?z. Una de las cosas malas que la gente sol?a decir de la cerveza era que no teine una buena sonrisa a la misma. La cerveza mexicana es famosa por ser uno de los primeros en poner un lim?n en la cerveza. Hay dos grandes empresas que se ejecutan en la industria cervecera, Grupo Modelo y FEMSA. Cuando la cerveza se introdujo por primera vez a la gente de M?xico dijo que comenz? a los malos h?bitos de beber. Hay cuatro grandes cervezas mexicanas que son muy populares hoy en d?a, Tecate, Dos Equis, y Corona Pacifico. Todos ellos son similares y diferentes en ciertos aspectos. La cerveza m?s famosa de hoy es Dos Equis. Es sobre todo conocido por el comercial con "el hombre m?s interesante del mundo." Una vez le? un libro con los ojos cerrados. La botella de Dos Equis se caracteriza por ser de color verde. Otra cerveza mexicana que es muy popular en los Estados Unidos es Tecate. Son bien conocidos por su botella marr?n. Que utilizan la botella marr?n, ya que protege la cerveza contra el sol. Es una creencia tradicional mexicano que el sol cambia la cerveza. La cerveza mexicana ?ltimo es probablemente el m?s popular, Corona. Esta cerveza es Knon por tener la botella transparente. Esta cerveza es muy popular sobre todo en Estados Unidos. La cerveza mexicana tiene una gran influencia en los Estados Unidos y sigue siendo m?s popular.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Abenaki Life essays

Abenaki Life essays The Abenaki placed their villages near large water sources. The villages were made up of cornfields, cemeteries, family residencesand specialized buildings and spaces (the main area), and special huts andcamps. Groups of trails connected thedifferent parts of the village together. TheAbenaki spent some of the year in the main village. Here there were many bark houses with fires inside and holes inthe top for the smoke to come out. Their furniture consisted of woven mats, braches covered with hides, andmany furs for bedding. The longhouseswere large multiple family dwellings which housed 30-60 people. They used someof the special buildings for rituals, the shamans hut, and the sweat lodge.They would spend winter here, and would hunt and gather to survive. Summer would also be spent here, improvingthe village. There were not manyproblems in village life until European invasions. Therewere many seasonal camps for the Abenaki. In the early spring, they would go to camps to collect different kindsof bark and other building materials. They gathered different types of wood and bark for roofs, weapons,tools, and other necessary items. Inmid-spring the Abenaki would go to fishing camps. Since many of the villages were close to large water sources,people could often go home after a day of fishing. There was always plenty of fish and the leftover ones were storedin the main village. When the leavesbegin to turn (at the beginning of autumn) the Abenaki went to huntingcamps. They used bow and arrow, knife,lance hunting dogs, and later rifles. They hunted moose, deer, and bear. The women would skin and prepare the animals and the men would hunt. Thespecialized areas in the village were the council house, the dance ground, theshamans hut, the sweat lodge, the cemeteries, fields, and rock chambers. The council house usually faced the dancingground. Outside the house was the chief...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Vincent by Don Mclean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vincent by Don Mclean - Essay Example He was residing in Massachusetts in an attractive federal designed residence. This house was referred to as the Sedgwick house. The Sedgwick household included an interesting individual whom Andy Warhol had worked with in the 60s, Edie Sedgwick. McLean composed the song in his dwelling that was filled with antiques. The motivation occurred to him one sunrise while he was on the veranda going through a work on Gogh. McLean discovered that a song about the artist could be composed out of Starry Night, the painting. The song makes use of the strings, guitar, vibraphone, and accordion (Whitburn 166). This paper will analyze the song, Vincent, by Don McLean, focusing on the lyrics, symbol, context, writing technique and how the music blends with the meaning of the song. The composer’s lyrics highlight his life situations. The lyrics of the song highlight how the writer comprehends what the difficulties of an artist are like. He asserts that the society does not know the reasons tha t make artists write or paint. McLean has experienced this situation himself. The writer of the song has come across the paintings of Vincent and has comprehended what Vincent was attempting to illustrate. The writer is attempting to communicate to the listeners that no individual would pay attention to what Vincent was attempting to say, and that individuals did not appreciate the correct meaning of the paintings because they perceived him as peculiar. The composer’s foremost point is that the society should become tolerant. The reiteration of the words, ‘starry starry night’, highlights the significance of the heavens. Vincent enjoyed night time and he had the ability to paint the skies with numerous stars. In the last chorus, Mclean asserts, â€Å"They would not listen, they are not listening still, perhaps they never will.† This shows how Van Gogh was not appreciated as a painter until he died (Whitburn 166). There is the use of symbol in McLeanâ€℠¢s song. The opening phrase, Starry Starry Night, is an indication of the painting, The Starry Night, by Van Gogh. The painting of Van Gogh and the song of Don McLean signifies what it feels like when an individual is not understood. The lines, â€Å"Paint your palette blue and gray† highlight the outstanding colors of Van Gogh’s painting, and they most likely are a testimonial to Van Gogh’s behavior of biting or sucking on his paint brushes during painting. The phrases, â€Å"ragged men in ragged clothes† and â€Å"how you tried to set them free† illustrates Van Gogh’s liking for the socially banished and humanitarian events. This is also highlighted in Van Gogh’s drawings and paintings. In addition, the lyrics, â€Å"They would not listen, they did not know how† signifies the family and a number of people who were significant of Van Gogh’s compassion to those presumed to be miserable (Whitburn 166). Finally, the line, â€Å"How you suffered for your sanity† symbolizes the schizophrenic condition which Van Gogh experienced. There are a number of situations that help in composing the song. McLean composed the song in his dwelling filled with antiques. The motivation occurred to him one sunrise while he was on the veranda going through a work on Van Gogh. McLean discovered that a song about the artist could be composed out of Starry Night, the painting. In addition, Van Gogh worked on his painting when he was experiencing one of his most trying times of his existence (Whitburn 166). During this time, he was put in prison in an asylum at Saint Remy. Van Gogh

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Management (Bounded rationality) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management (Bounded rationality) - Essay Example Emotions act on a wide range of situations causing biases and errors (Rabin 1998). In short this means that in certain circumstances the complex, human logical apparatus ceases to process rationality, which establishes grounds for the emergence of bounded rationality. "The other is that in interactive situations of complication, agents cannot rely upon other agents they are dealing with to behave under perfect rationality, and so they are forced to guess their behavior. This lands them in a world of subjective beliefs, and subjective beliefs Bounded rationality plays on suggestion. Bounded rationality could affect managers, because there is not enough information for the manager to make the rational decision. In such occasions, he has to rely on suggestive guesses and interpretations. This may create errors and mistakes in the strategic course that the organization is taking. Beach (1996) describes the implicit favorite model of decision making. First, the need for taking a decision is determined. Then, alternatives are identified and a selection for the implicit favorite alternative is chosen. Afterwards, criteria must be established to match the implicit favorite and alternatives a compared with the implicit favorite criteria. At the end the implicit favorite is confirmed and finally selected. ... The selection can be influenced by the salary, proximity of the office, extra working hours, business trips and job position. How could you utilize the intuition in making your decision And when The business world is a dynamic one and recently is has become less structured too. Thus, managers are forced to use their intuition in essential situations especially when there is lack of information. Intuition is often mistaken for emotions, though. Although intuition is formed in subconscious level, the intuitive decision making is a combination of quick qualitative and quantitative analyses (Quinn 1980). Intuition can help decision making, because it is based on past experiences and knowledge deeply rooted in your subconscious rational thinking. Thus, relying on our intuition can aid us in situations when there is little information available. Intuition can be used in situations when the circumstances are rapidly changing and there is no time for analyses. Intuition is needed also in expedient decision making when the problem is poorly defined and structured. If the deal is not structured, incomplete, there are conflicting points or ambiguity, intuition is required. Perceptual blinder is one of four reasons that increase the escalation of commitment, list the other three and elaborate on the Perceptual blinder We can define escalation of commitment as the tendency to invest additional financial resources in seemingly losing non beneficial projects, because they cost already lots of efforts, money and time. The perceptual blinder can influence the escalation of commitment on the bases of emotions - fears or anger. Staw and Ross (1987) summarized several reasons for the formation of

Monday, November 18, 2019

One area of my business that I would like to change. The necessities Essay

One area of my business that I would like to change. The necessities of staff change - Essay Example In order to stay in a competitive market, fine tuning of business strategies or implementation of changes are necessary. I am running a Honda cars sales outlet at present and I would like to change the sales staff completely to promote more sales. My existing sales staffs are not competent enough to capture more business in this ever changing competitive market. Majority of them are more than 45 years of age. This paper describes why I want to implement a staff change in the sales department. The necessities of staff change Traditional Sales Mind-set always delivers a strong sales pitch. New Sales Mind-set stops the sales pitch -- and start a conversation. Traditional Sales Mind-set always looks for closing the sale. New Sales Mind-set is always to discover whether you and your potential client are a good fit (Galper, 2011). Relationship building is accepted as the core of every business activity at present. In other words, building strong relations with the customers is necessary fo r the benefit of a company. In this extremely competitive world, the value of customers is increasing rapidly. No organization can sustain its operations if it fails to attract a substantial volume of customers. My sales staffs are following the traditional patters of sales management. They are more interested only in capturing business than servicing the customers after the sales. In their opinion, their duty is over once they bring enough sales to the company. I got many complaints from different customers about the reluctance of my sales staff in servicing them after the closing of sales. The mind-set of my existing staffs needs to be changed completely. Even though I tried to empower them with the help of modern training methods, it is difficult for them to change their traditional methods and attitudes. A new sales team with ample knowledge in modern sales management techniques may serve better than my existing sales team. With superior knowledge in modern communication channel s and technologies, a new sales team would

Friday, November 15, 2019

Reflection on Personal Development and Self-Awareness

Reflection on Personal Development and Self-Awareness The Voyage Introduction The title of this essay is The Voyage . Its a reflective essay, and I am using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988) as a template for this exercise. Its a critical reflection on the importance of personal development and self-awareness, which are necessary if one is successful in becoming, and remaining a councillor. In simple terms its a examination of ones outlook on life, from their own behaviours and to how they interact with other people. By self examination and peer feedback facilities me to become more aware about myself. Conscious of my privileges, prejudices, perceptions, core values, beliefs ,and behaviours. Aware of my strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. This development of self awareness, along with the ability to self reflect on ones life experiences, is viewed as not only necessary, but professionally ethical, as its practice enables a councillor and clients to remain safe and emotionally detached from future relationships they are trying to develop. Because its so easy for a counsellor to fall into the trap of forming a sense of identity or empathy while counselling clients. But its vital for both, especially the councillor, that they remain emotionally detached at all times. Being objective is the main difficulty when assessing our personal development and self awareness. How we see and think of ourselves can be quite different from what other people see us. Only by rigorous personal inventories and feedback from others can we find a yardstick which with we can measure our ethics, and our professional standards which are vital in providing a safe environment when forming a relationship with our clients. Its only by this sometimes painful process of becoming more self aware can we then embarque on our lifelong personal development, and be better equipped in dealing with the challenges presented by possible conflicts, and enable us to be more attuned and less vulnerable with our relationships with future clients. The Voyage According to Plato the famous philosopher Socrates once said The greatest good of a man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, andthatthe life which is unexamined is not worth living (Plato,Apology). This course, which is a diploma in the psychology of counselling, has contained within it a module on personal development and self awareness. This module challenges us to examine our core values, beliefs and prejudices and behaviours.. One of the requirements to becoming a good councillor is to know which way your moral compass points, and to be aware of any prejudices, privileges and blind spots, and to remain emotionally uninvolved. To achieve this one has to embarque on a new journey of fearless self analysis. We were advised to keep a journal, in which we could record events on one side and our feelings of these events on the other side. This has provided me with very valuable insights into my personality while compiling this essay. Also this paper is a reflective essay, and so we must immerse ourselves in self reflection. The goal of this exercise is to make us more self aware. Aware of our personality traits and prejudices, our core values, habits, emotions, and the psychological forces that dictate our behaviour. This comprises of all events, good and bad, acquired throughout our entire lifetime that shapes who we are as a person today, and what we have to offer any potential client. While our tutor explained the module in greater detail, warning us that it could be a emotional rollercoaster for some of us, I could sense the nervous atmosphere throughout the classroom. After all its not easy dissecting ones entire lifetime, reliving all the events, good and bad, questioning ones reactions, the lessons learned or forgotten, and most importantly how these events shaped our personalities, attitudes, and our behaviour. I could see the importance in such an exercise. To become a good councillor requires change, and the first step in making a change of any kind is to beawarethat a change is wanted or needed. This can only be achieved by getting to know oneself by immersing themselves in various scenarios, reflecting on past events, and questioning their reactions and what thoughts were felt at the time. This is the path to self awareness, and its only by self awareness one gets to know what are the strengths and weaknesses they poses that can achieve better results in their role as a councillor, and with their clients. Unlike many of my classmates I thought I had an advantage. The advantage in question is Im an alcoholic and a drug addict, thankfully in recovery, five years clean and sober. Ive been to rehab, several times. The most popular method of treatment used is called the Minnesota Model (Hazelden 1949) , this has developed into the more widely known twelve step program. Today there are many similar twelve step programs. But there is one important step common to all groups, that is step four, which reads: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves (The Big Book: April 10, 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc ). My feelings was that in my case it was already done and dusted. In overcoming my addiction I had to dig deep very deep. From my earliest childhood memories up to the present day. I didnt find it easy, but it changed the person I thought I was completely, and was a vital tool to my recovery. The life of a councillor will always be a work in progress, there is no such thing as perfection, but one should always be as self aware as possible, and continue completely and honestly with their personal development. This includes sourcing important feedback from superiors and colleagues, which proves valuable information as to how others view you. Like our tutor explained, the path to personal development and self awareness can be very difficult and emotional. The pain of dredging up memories long buried can be to some too much to endure. But the simple fact is just this, the pain one experiences while undertaking this difficult task, comes in not the journey, it comes by not having the courage to embarque on such a journey. Fear that one has to challenge and change some thought processes and behaviours that they have used and relied upon for some time. Often through various defence mechanisms that they may not be even conscious of. The journey of self discovery can be a difficult one, but I was first in line to buy a ticket, confident I had already been there, and if there were some omissions, I was eager to discover them. I viewed my life story as an open book, and was comfortable in disclosing any of my many shortcomings, to anyone at anytime. However I soon realised it was far from done and dusted. To maintain abstinence we have to always seek self awareness, and continue our personal development. In doing so we have to be completely honest and humble. Completing step four of a twelve step program is like looking at your reflection in a mirror. You only see your shortcomings through your own eyes. The fact that others may see you differently felt slightly uncomfortable, due to the possibility that I may be someone different to whom I thought I was. Over the next two months we sometimes engaged in groups to discuss and debate various topics. One of those being, what are the effects of modern society, and how people living in congested inner cities, with no community can lead to future mental health problems. I once thought of such people as scum. Undeserving of any free handouts. It would be true that I viewed these people as narcissistic parasites. Freeloaders who only existed by terrifying innocent and vulnerable people, and who should be locked up to protect decent honest people. However I began to realise that these same people were victims of a society that judged and condemned them, a society of which I was a part of. I realised that these people didnt have a choice as to which culture and society they were born into. A society which denied them equal access to education, sports and pastimes, marginalising them to such an extent that the easiest path to fill the vacuum they felt was through violence, crime, addiction, and most unfortunately suicide. I learned through enrolling in this course that it was they who were the victims. I grew convinced that the culture and society they lived in, was one we created for them. I soon formed the opinion that the root of these problems was a result of poor parenting. By poor parenting I mean stressed parenting. Stress caused by economic poverty, violence, unemployment, dysfunctional societies, abandoned mothers, poor housing, no access to education, crime, addiction etc. I argued that the problem started from birth, and possibility pre-birth as stress hormones in the mother has been proved as having a negative effect on the unborn foetus. (Verny & Kelly 1981). I was, and still felt that these problems were caused by poor or no attachment to any care giver because nobody cared. I also stated Bowleys opinion which was the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment, and that not to do so may have significant and irreversible mental health consequences ( Bowlby, 1951). I also argued that in my opinion it was a Self fulfilling Prophesy that a Mother, who herself never had any attachment or continuous relationship with her own Mother, while also experiencing possible mental health problems, would give birth to a child whose template of care will be identical to her own, thereby ensuring that the chain of dysfunction remains intact. Another example was related to colour, race, and privilege. We were shown a movie directed by Lee Mun Wha called (The color of fear 1994). This entailed of a group comprising of Eight men, two African American, two Latinos, two Asian American and two Caucasians. The discussion was about race, especially the racial experiences as seen through each others eyes. in America. The exchanges were often dramatic, and sought to clarify the pain caused by racism in North America. In this movie the people of colour expressed their racial experiences and problems in American society compared to the two Caucasians in the group. As the discussion developed one of the African Americans became quite animated if not abusive towards one of the Caucasians in the group. The reaction of the Caucasian was one of surprise. He stated that he often employed these people of colour, and that some of them were his closest friends. He was obviously surprised at being portrayed as a racist. The other coloured people also expressed similar views, though in a calmer fashion. My first interpretation was that the Caucasian in question was being harshly treated. After all it was he who employed and befriended people of colour. As the discussion developed I began to realise some privileges that Caucasians poses and may be unaware of. The structure of American society was built by white Caucasian people of European descent dating back to the colonization of the continent. Any other race such as people of African, Asian, Latino origin arrived later, either through slavery, immigration, or economic need. It was these later arrivals along with native Americans who had to comply with the status quo, which was created by the Founding Fathers (Brown Jul 1976). by white European decedents. I began to realise that the debate may not about hard racism like the violent protests in the US during the1960s human rights movement, (New World Encyclopedia contributors , 05/11/2014) which eventually led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (congresslink.org, 2014). My interpretation is that its more like passive discrimination, and that the real issue may be inequality rather than racism, especially economic inequality. The US is one of most unequal societies in the world. Its inequality is now at Great Depression levels (Saez & Zucman 2014) However theres another term called Colour Blindness ( Doob, 2012). The author describes this process as allowing whites to ignore the disadvantages of coloured or non-white population. Doob also argues that white people may believe they live in a world in which racial discrimination no longer exists, but their behaviour often consists of racialized practices. My final analyses of the movie is simply that the Caucasian in question was Colour Blind but was not conscious of the fact. This I believe is because he never discriminated against such people, while also knowing at the same time such practices are widespread. From the irate African American point of view I believe he was angry that Caucasians had the privilege of deciding to play the Race Card or not, while not having this privilege himself, he may have viewed it as a prejudice not evoked, rather than exercising a privilege to which the Caucasian was unaware of. This movie brought into my consciousness some privileges I was totally unaware of. Examples such as race, religion, education, strong family bonds, access to healthcare etc. are some of the privileges I enjoy that many of the people I referred to at the start of this essay dont have. This leads to the question, am I racist? When referring to members of the travelling community, who are Irelands largest ethnic minority, I, like many others are of the opinion that its the minority of travellers that cause the most conflicts. In my opinion it is these people who are responsible for the discrimination experienced by them. Regarding travellers, I have witnessed both sides of their behaviour and culture. For thirty years I was a rural publican. I served travellers on many occasions, not in large groups, but in small groups of two or three that I knew would cause no problems. But unfortunately sooner or later these would arrive in larger groups. These larger groups would include the troublesome minority mentioned above. This would always result in expulsion from the premises. Always my main complaint would be why dont these people take responsibility for the troublesome minority? Instead of attempting to dissuade these minorities they seemed to close ranks and support them. Because my regular customers, to whom I relied on to make a living, objected to their presence, I felt I had no choice but to impose a blanket ban on all travellers. I dont think Im racist towards these people. My decisions were based on pragmatism rather than race. Unfortunately this seems to be the norm throughout todays society, even though some self rightness people object, stating its illegal for this discrimination. But the fact remains that all businesses have the right to refuse service, without having to provide a reason. Since leaving the trade I have come into contact with many of these people and they have treated me with the utmost respect. They are quite aware of the predicament I faced, and understood why I had to be pragmatic in choosing my regular and loyal customers over their unwanted presence. I now see in them a strong moral code. They are deeply religious. But unlike many devout, they also have an unconditional faith to match. A faith to which I have a unconditional respect. However I still question why they dont call to account the small minority of trouble makers who tarnish all the decent members of their identity and culture. Conclusion The two subjects discussed above are just two examples of the advantage of applying Personal development. There are many other examples where personal development and self awareness would be beneficial. All types of counselling present new challenges, wither counselling for depression, addiction, anxiety, bereavement, suicide etc. The fact that when we examine these in greater detail it results in a change of our point of view, we become more aware of subtleties and inaccurate assumptions. We become aware of different views which people revile. In other words it enables us to be more self aware. Because only counsellors who are aware of their own skills and knowledge can successfully help a client, Personal development and self awareness are vital. Today the benefits of personal development and self awareness have become more widespread in society. Practices such as mindfulness, yoga, meditation and other eastern philosophies are now widespread. More and more people practice some disciplines above. People, especially I, now question the narcissistic nature of western capitalism. I question is this the path to personal wellbeing and happiness? I, for one think not. I will end this essay with a quote from ex US President Jimmy Carter. â€Å"Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but rather by what one owns.† To own ones soul is true freedom. Only self awareness and personal development makes this possible. The End Bibliography Bowlby, J.(1951) Maternal care and mental health, Pg 51 World Health Organization Monograph(Serial No. 2) Brown Richard D. (Jul 1976) The Founding Fathers of 1776 and 1787 A Collective View, pp.465-480. William and Mary Quarterly,3rd Ser., Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul. 1976). Dirksen Congressional Center. (2014) congresslink.org. Available at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_histmats_civilrights64text.htm [Accessed on 17/11/2014] Doob C.B., (2012) Social inequality and social stratification in US society. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2013. Print. Gibbs, G.(1988)Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods(London, Further Education Unit) Minnesota Model: Hazelden (1949)Available at http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/minnesotamodel.page [accessed on 17/11/2014] New World Encyclopedia contributors, (2014), African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)Available at: :http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955-1968)&oldid=985152 [Accessed on 17/11/2014] Plato,(Apology, section 38) Saez, E & Zucman,G (2014), Wealth equality in the United States since 1913, University of California–Berkeley & London School of Economics. The Big Book: (April 10, 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc ). The color of fear (1994) directed by Lee Mun Wha.USF Urban Education & Social Justice 1994. Thomas R. Verny T R & Kelly J, 1982, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, Published July 15th 1982 by Dell.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Help Desks :: essays research papers

Help desks must help themselves: With no relief in sight, help desks need to be given the right resources.(Industry Trend or Event)Author/s: Stannie HoltThe internal help desk has a precarious position in today's enterprise. Like Rodney Dangerfield, the help desk staff often gets no respect from its internal customers nor from executives who see them only as a cost center. But other times, like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, they're your only hope.Insiders say that even though information technology is essential to productivity these days, minding the help desk is a thankless job whose burden will only increase over the next few years as IT's size and complexity multiplies. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel: Better-designed applications, more effective integration, and more Web interfaces could cut down on the IT clutter and therefore the help desk workload -- but not for years to come."The trend for service centers [or help desks] today is we get more and more stuff to support and more and more [IT] complexity," said Renee Seay, senior manager for IT Customer Service at semiconductor maker AMD, in Sunnyvale, Calif.Analysts say most large organizations use 30 to 50 different applications and types of hardware. Some companies have separate help desks for different products, but most prefer the convenience of a centralized service desk.According to Kurt Johnson, vice president of service management at the Meta Group, in Stamford, Conn., in the past decade the number of calls to internal help desks has risen from one or one-and-a-half per employee per month to two calls, and is likely to hit three or more within a few years.There are several reasons for this growth, and they are not all bad, according to Johnson. First, there is "the continued proliferation of technology on the desktop," he said.For example, enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors such as SAP are trying to expand the scope of their manufacturing and financial- ori ented applications so a broader range of people can use them.Moreover, many ERP vendors are offering self-service features, such as letting all employees directly look up their available vacation days, which means everyone must have access to these applications, not just the human resources department, Johnson said.On the other hand, such self-service applications can also be a good way to cut down on calls by letting employees look up their own answers on a FAQ list or database, according to Cecil Lawson, director of executive services at Remedy, in Mountain View, Calif.