A book for executive assistants, written by executive assistants along with renowned administrative expert and speaker, Joan Burge. Who Took My Pen . . . Again? offers practical, creative strategies for achieving success and building leadership attributes, compiled from the diverse experiences of high-achieving administrative professional in a wide variety of businesses and industrties. Overflowing with secrets, tips, and tools of the profession, you will become your very best and gain new insights.

In Indonesia, the past two decades have been a time of great progress but also massive transformations and abrupt setbacks. In this context, this book reviews the main characteristics of - and trends in - demand for skills in Indonesia. It seeks to document the existence of a possible skills mismatch between employer demands and the available supply, the contribution of the education and training sector to this mismatch, and possible measures to improve the education and training system s responsiveness to what the labor market and the economy need. In today s job market in Indonesia, there appears to be a premium on theoretical and practical knowledge of the job. While skills do not appear to be yet among the most important constraints for the economy, the situation is different for larger more export-oriented manufacturing firms. Subjective assessments of difficulties of matching needs with available skills provide evidence that skills are becoming an issue overall in Indonesia. The widest gaps across professional profiles are for English and computer skills followed by thinking and behavioral skills. Theoretical and practical knowledge of the job are also considered to be weak. There are important gaps in creativity, computing and some technical skills for young workers. English remains the largest gap. Five general skill related priorities can be highlighted for Indonesia. First, the country needs to improve skill measurement to get a fuller understanding of skill needs and gaps. Second, it is urgent for Indonesia to address the still unsatisfactory quality and relevance of its formal education, including higher education. Third, the country needs to set-up multiple pathways for skill development. Fourth, the country needs to develop an integrated approach to tackle skill development for youth. Fifth, Indonesia should also tackle labor market constraints which affect the skill matching process."

Speed Writing Skills Training Course: Speedwriting, a guide to faster note taking, an easy to learn alternative to shorthand Most people need a note taking system for work or study but few people have the time or inclination to spend a year or two learning shorthand. BakerWrite Speed Writing enables you to learn a new system in a matter of hours and become proficient within weeks. This book is laid out in 6 easy to follow lessons, that take about an hour each. Practical guided exercises, with full answers, in each chapter and each session is rounded off with a dictation passage (available from http: //www.UoLearn.com) Save time and become more efficient taking dictation, in meetings, on the telephone, in lectures or interviews. No strange squiggles to learn - just different ways to use the letters you already know. Your notes will be easy to transcribe. A terrific opportunity to save time and change your working practices - for the better What do people think of this speed writing system? "The principles are very easy to follow, and I am already using it to take notes." "BakerWrite is the easiest shorthand system I have come across. Having studied all the major shorthand systems and even other speed writing courses, I find BakerWrite a sheer delight." "I will use this system all the time." "Your system is so easy to learn and use." Heather studied Pitman shorthand at school and then at secretarial college in England; she later learned Teeline shorthand and now regularly teaches these. BakerWriteTM is based on her experience with these systems and 22 years as a secretary and PA - taking notes daily. She has been training and coaching secretaries, PAs and administrators since 2000. Please note there is an alternative edition of this book, Easy 4 Me 2 Learn Speed Writing. Heather had over twenty years' experience as a secretary and PA before setting up Baker Thompson Associates Limited in 2000. The company specializes in the training and development of secretarial and administrative staff, www.bakerthompsonassoc.co.uk She now travels all over the UK working with large and small companies to enable their office staff and PAs to work more effectively. She developed this speed writing system to fulfill a requirement by many companies for a quick and easy way for their employees to take notes. The course became very popular and she was often asked if there was a book with the basics of the system - so here it is To contact Heather please visit the speedwriting section of the publishers' website, http: //www.UoLearn.com I am 51 years old and have been a secretary more or less since I left school. I took the requisite Pitmans shorthand course whilst at school and have never been able to understand it, all those squiggles and lines. I have used my own speed writing version of words through the years and have managed to get by (as long as I dealt with the notes as soon as I had written them and the dictator wasn't too quick - so it was half memory and half being able to read my own shorthand version). But now, everything is so clear and makes complete sense. I take your book on the train every morning and even after the first reading it completely made sense and I could even remember most of what I had read in the first chapter and believe me my memory at retaining new info is not as it used to be. Even when I was reading your abbreviations I was able to see what they were in a lot of cases before I checked the meaning. I am thoroughly enjoying learning a new skill from a book that is so simple to understand and I have already started to implement my new dictionary of words when taking notes. A great big thank you for developing a system that is so easy to understand and completely workable and I looking forward to showing off my new skills when taking notes (which I will actually be able to understand) at the next board meeting. Ann

Why do you do what you do? Have you ever stopped to question yourself? Successful people are the ones who are willing to do what the unsuccessful can't-or won't. So don't do what everyone else is doing. Read about what you should be doing in "Common Sense is NOT Common Practice: How to Ensure You're ON THE RIGHT TRACK to Better Business Sense and Success." In articles like, "What NOT to Wear to Work," "Working in a Cube Farm," and "The Sense of a Goose," you'll find this a delightful read, enjoyable and entertaining. You'll laugh when you recognize yourself, and you will learn how to stand out from the crowd by following common sense instead of common practice!

A Series of Lessons in Isaac Pitmans's System of Phonography

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Language is the medium of business. To be successful, we need to communicate effectively in writing. That's true whether we are providing instructions to our colleagues, communicating with our customers, or advising our direct reports. We must be able to deliver clear, accurate messages that inform, persuade and motivate. Unfortunately, people lapse into habits that interfere with their ability to communicate. "The Language of Success" shows readers how to avoid these mistakes, and to write lucid, concise, and accurate e-mails, letters, performance appraisals, and presentations.Now anyone can master the lost art of clear writing and: eliminate ambiguities, jargon and grandiose claims; master proper paragraph structure so the message doesn't get muddled; avoid wishy-washy or misleading terms like 'world class' or 'state of the art' write clear concise sentences that follow the 'first time right rule'; use e-mail professionally; and, efficiently create career-enhancing reports. Honest and authoritative, "The Language of Success" will gives readers practical techniques to help readers cut through the fluff, guff, geek, and hyperbole, write exceptional business documents, and get their message heard.

The Iron Whim is an intelligent, irreverent, and humorous history of writing culture and technology. It covers the early history and evolution of the typewriter as well as the various attempts over the years to change the keyboard configuration, but it is primarily about the role played by this marvel in the writer's life. Darren Wershler-Henry populates his book with figures as disparate as Bram Stoker, Mark Twain, Franz Kafka, Norman Mailer, Alger Hiss, William Burroughs, J. G. Ballard, Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Northrop Frye, David Cronenberg, and David Letterman; the soundtrack ranges from the industrial clatter of a newsroom full of Underwoods to the more muted tapping and hum of the Selectric. Wershler-Henry casts a bemused eye on the odd history of early writing machines, important and unusual typewritten texts, the creation of On the Road, and the exploits of a typewriting cockroach named Archy, numerous monkeys, poets, and even a couple of vampires. He gathers into his narrative typewriter-related rumors and anecdotes (Henry James became so accustomed to dictating his novels to a typist that he required the sound of a randomly operated typewriter even to begin to compose). And by broadening his focus to look at typewriting as a social system as well as the typewriter as a technological form, he examines the fascinating way that the tool has actually shaped the creative process.With engaging subject matter that ranges over two hundred years of literature and culture in English, The Iron Whim builds on recent interest in books about familiar objects and taps into our nostalgia for a method of communication and composition that has all but vanished.

This work presents the Universal System of shorthand. Each principle is simply stated and profusely illustrated. When such explanation is desirable, the cautions to be observed in the use of that principle are explained. Exercises are introduced in each lesson at every point that requires application drill. These exercises consist of word lists, groups of sentences and brief business letters, all of which, in their construction, indicate a radical departure from the usual exercise matter, for special attention has been centered on the acquisition of a varied vocabulary, the development of ease in note-taking ability, and on the proper provision for a cumulative review of the theory.

In this book Michael Heim provides the first consistent philosophical basis for critically evaluating the impact of word processing on our use of and ideas about language. This edition includes a new foreword by David Gelernter, a new preface by the author, and an updated bibliography. Not only important but seminal, on the cutting-edge, furrowing new conceptual territory.-Walter J. Ong, S.J. A philosopher ponders how the word processor has affected language use and our ideas about it. Walter Ong, that maintains all changes in writing technology tend to change the way we perceive the world. His argument that word processing leads to fragmented thinking should be addressed and debated.-Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer The arguments range over all of Western philosophy (and some Eastern as well), from the ancient Greeks to contemporary phenomenology... Everyone who has used a word processor will find much to think about in Heim's ideas.-David Weinberger, Byte Fascinating, clear, and well-done ... stimulating and challenging.-Don Ihde, Philosophy and Rhetoric

Is this the right book for me? Gain a working vocabulary in Pitman 2000 in clear and easy stages Shorthand is a valuable asset to everyone, young or old, in private or business life and Pitman 2000 is a system designed for easy learning, with a speed potential to meet the demands of a modern fast-moving world. Get Started in Shorthand: Pitman 2000 is a beginner's guide to the basic theory and will give you a working vocabulary in Pitman 2000 in clear and easy stages. Each of the main sections contains a new set of sounds and rules, short forms, phrases and exercises, including audio exercises online. Review exercises give you the opportunity to consolidate material already covered, and a key to the exercises enable you to measure your rate of progress throughout the book. Written to make self-tuition both simple and stimulating and based on original Pitman Publishing material, this authoritative book is indispensable to anyone seeking a first or refresher course in Pitman 2000. Get Started in Shorthand: Pitman 2000 includes: Chapter 1: Basic strokes Consonants Vowels Position of outlines Circle S SES circle The suffix -ING Tick THE Punctuation Chapter 2: Consonants and vowels Seven more consonants Stroke S Past tense of regular verbs The consonant R Unstressed vowels Chapter 3: Halving strokes Halving to add T Halving to add D When not to halve Chapter 4: Common combinations The L hook The final syllables -TL or -DL L hook with circle S Plural -INGS Chapter 5: Third-place vowels Dots Dashes Chapter 6: Complex vowel sounds Dipthongs Triphones SES circle Chapter 7: S and T in combinations The ST loop The -STER loop M and N with a following T or D S and Z Diphones ZH H Chapter 8: The R hook R hook on straight strokes Stress rules Chapter 9: Hook N Final hook N to curved strokes Final N hook to straight strokes Chapter 10: Suffixes and compounds Suffixes Compound consonants Chapter 11: L and R hooks with curves Initial hooks to curved strokes Stress rules with R and L hooks Reverse forms of initially hooked curves Chapter 12: More hooks -SHUN hook F/V hook Chapter 13: Speed strokes Doubling CON- or COM- Chapter 14: Last words Figures Negative words Suffix -SHIP Disjoining Omission of a consonant Vowel insertion Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Not got much time? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. Author insights Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Test yourself Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Five things to remember Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. Try this Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it. Access the audio for this course for free by downloading it to the Teach Yourself Library app or streaming it on library.teachyourself.com

The best martial artists know what they want when they enter the arena, they know how to get it, and they're not afraid to go after it. The same could be said of great negotiators. This book uses the principles of martial arts to guide readers step-by-step, from basic techniques through advanced strategies, all the way to achieving their "black belt" in negotiating. Packed with quizzes, scripts, checklists, and even a Negotiating Rating Sheet for continual self-assessment, the book trains readers in martial arts-based negotiation fundamentals, including: * Don't Fear the Blow -- Black belts aren't afraid of being hit or they would never step onto the mat. Get over your fear of bargaining, and the fight is already won. * Identify Vital Striking Points -- Weaken others' positions by identifying what's most important to them...and bring down even the biggest opponent. * Read Your Opponent -- Counter an opponent's moves by honing in on what technique they're using -- and hit them with the perfect response. Grounded in authentic martial arts tactics, this book turns novice bargainers into black belt negotiators who can get whatever they want out of any situation.

Whether it's writing a proposal, motivating employees, or reaching out to customers, the Perfect Phrases series has the tools you need for precise, effective communication. Distilling complex ideas into specific phrases that diplomatically and honestly depict the concepts at hand, this invaluable series provides: The best techniques to communicate messages and goals in business letters and proposals Tips for bringing out the best in every employee in every business Dialogues and scripts to practice interactions with customers or employees-- tailorable to any industry or company culture Phrases for each step of the sales process

The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is a European-wide qualification that enables you to demonstrate your competence in computer skills. It covers a range of specific knowledge areas and skill sets, broken down into seven modules. It is becoming the most widely recognised qualification, in the UK and Europe, for work-related computer use.Springer's study guides have been designed to complement the ECDL syllabus. Each study guide contains a set of clearly defined objectives that directly relate to the syllabus, and takes you through all the knowledge areas and skills required to understand and pass the corresponding module of the ECDL syllabus. Written in clear, jargon-free language with self-paced exercises and review questions throughout, these books will provide you with an understanding of all the key elements which will prepare you for the ECDL tests.The seven study guides are:Module 1: Basic Concepts of Information Technology (ISBN 1-85233-442-8)Module 2: Using the Computer & Managing Files (ISBN 1-85233-443-6)Module 3: Word Processing (ISBN 1-85233-444-4)Module 4: Spreadsheets (ISBN 1-85233-445-2)Module 5: Database (ISBN 1-85233-446-0)Module 6: Presentation (ISBN 1-85233-447-9)Module 7: Information & Communication (ISBN 1-85233-448-7)The study guides are also available separately.