Best Fit Vs Best Practice Essay

Amazon.com In 1994, with a handful of programmers and a few thousand dollars in workstations and servers, Jeff Bezos set out to change the retail world when he created Amazon.com (ticker: AMZN). Shel Kaphan, Amazon’s first programmer, assisted by others, including Paul Barton-Davis, used a collection of tools to create Web pages based on a database of 1 million book titles compiled from the Library of Congress and Books in Print databases. Kaphan notes that â€Å"Amazon was dependent on commercial and free database systems, as well as HTTP server software from commercial and free sources. Many of the programming tools were free software† [Collett 2002]. In July 1995, Amazon opened its Web site for sales. Using heavily discounted book prices (20 to 30 percent below common retail prices); Amazon advertised heavily and became the leading celebrity of the Internet and e-commerce. Sales and Relationships Amazon made its initial mark selling books, and many people still think of the company in terms of books. However, almost from the start, the company has worked to expand into additional areas—striving to become a global retailer of almost anything. Some of the main events include: 1995 books, 1998 music and DVD/video, 1999 auctions, electronics, toys, zShops/MarketPlace, home improvement, software, and video games [1999 annual report]. By the end of 1999, the company had forged partnerships with several other online stores, including Ashford.com, Audible, Della.com, drugstore.com, Gear.com, Greenlight.com, HomeGrocer.com, Kozmo.com, living.com, NextCard.com, Pets.com, and Sothebys. Of course, most of those firms and Web sites later died in the dot-com crash of 2000/2001. Amazon also established partnerships with several large retailers, including Target, Toys ‘R’ Us, Babies ‘R’ Us, and Circuit City. Effectively, Amazon became a service organization to manage the online presence of these large retailers. However, it also uses its distribution system to deliver the products. The Circuit City arrangement was slightly different from the others—customers could pick up their items directly from their local stores [Heun August 2001]. After Circuit City went under, the relationship ended. By mid-2003, the Web sales and fulfillment services amounted to 20 percent  of Amazon’s sales. Bezos points out that most companies realize that only a small fraction of their total sales (5 to 10 percent) will come from online systems, so it makes sense to have Amazon run those portions [Murphy 2003]. In 2001, Amazon took over the Web site run by its bricks-and-mortar rival Borders. In 2000, Borders lost $18.4 million on total onli ne sales of $27.4 million [Heun April 2001]. Also in 2001, Amazon partnered with Expedia to offer travel services directly from the Amazon site. However, in this case, the Amazon portion consists of little more than an advertising link to the Expedia services [Kontzer 2001]. The deals in 2001 continued with a twist when Amazon licensed its search technology to AOL. AOL invested $100 million in Amazon and payed an undisclosed license fee to use the search-and-personalization service on Shop@AOL [Heun July 2001]. In 2003, Amazon launched a subsidiary just to sell its Websales and fulfillment technology to other firms. Bezos noted that Amazon spends about $200 million a year on information technology (a total of $900 million to mid-2003). The purpose of the subsidiary is to help recover some of those costs—although Bezos believes they were critically necessary expenditures [Murphy 2003]. With so many diverse products, and relationships, it might be tempting to keep everything separate. However, Amazon perceives advantages from showing the entire site to customers as a single, broad entity. Yes, customers click to the various stores to find individual items. But, run a search and you will quickly see that it identifies products from any division. Additionally, the company is experimenting with cross sales. In 2002, the Project Ruby test site began selling name-brand clothing and accessories. Customers who spent $50 or more on apparel received a $30 gift certificate for use anywhere else on Amazon [Hayes 2002]. By 2004, 25 percent of Amazon’s sales were for its partners. But, one of Amazon’s major relationships took a really bad turn in 2004 when Toys ‘R’ Us sued Amazon and Amazon countersued. The complaint by Toys ‘R’ Us alleges that it had signed a ten-year exclusivity contract with Amazon and had so far paid Amazon $200 million for the right to be the exclusive supplier of  toys at Amazon.com. David Schwartz, senior VP and general counsel for Toys ‘R’ Us stated that â€Å"We don’t intend to pay for exclusivity we’re not getting† [Claburn May 2004]. Amazon’s initial response was that â€Å"We believe we can have multiple sellers in the toy category, increase selection, and offer products that (Toys ‘R’ Us) doesn’t have† [Claburn May 2004]. The lawsuit counters that at least one product (a Monopoly game) appears to be for sale by third-party suppliers as well as Toys ‘R’ Us. A month later, Amazon countersued, alleging that Toys ‘R’ Us experienced â€Å"chronic failure† to maintain sufficient stock to meet demand. The court documents noted that Toys ‘R’ Us had been out of stock on 20 percent of its most popular products [Claburn June 2004]. Although the dispute sounds damaging, it is conceivable that both parties are using the courts as a means to renegotiate the base contract. Small merchants accelerated a shift to Amazon’s marketplace technology. By 2007, Amazon was simply the largest marketplace on the Web. For example, John Wieber was selling $1 million a year in refurbished computers through eBay. But increased competition and eBay’s rising prices convinced him to switch to direct sales through Amazon. Similar small merchants noted that although the fees on Amazon are hefty, they do not have to pay a listing fee. Plus, eBay shoppers only want to buy things at bargain-basement prices (Mangalindan 2005). In 2010, Target ended its contract with Amazon and launched its own Web servers. Amazon does not report sales separately for its partners such as Target, so it is difficult to determine what impact the change might have on Amazon. However, Amazon has many other sellers who offer similar products. Digital Content Amazon has been expanding its offerings in digital content—in many ways extending competition against Apple, but also leading the way in digital books. Although it was not the first manufacturer, Amazon is reportedly the largest seller of e-readers with the Kindle. Amazon does not report sales separately for the Kindle. Amazon also noted in 2011 that ebooks for its Kindle reader have overtaken sales of paperback books as the most popular  format. The e-books had already exceeded hard-cover books the year before [Wu 2011]. For many of these reasons, Borders, a bricks-and-mortar competitor to Amazon went under in 2011. Amazon is also working to expand sales of music. The Web site has relatively standard pricing on current songs, but often offers discounts on older albums. By 2011, Amazon was also trying to expand into video streaming. Customers who pay $79 a year to join the  Prime program gain faster shipping, and also access to a library of digital movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, with limited ties to the movie studios, the offerings initially were relatively thin. However, other video streaming sites, including Netflix and Hulu, were also struggling to develop long-term contracts with studios. In September 2011, Amazon announced a deal with Fox to offer movies and TV shows owned by the studio. At the same time, Netflix announced a similar deal with the Dreamworks studio. It will take time for studios to determine strategies on streaming video services and for consumers to make choices [Woo and Kung 2011]. In late 2011, Amazon released its own version of a tablet computer. The company continued to sell the Kindle e-book reader, but the tablet focused on audio and video, using a color LCD display screen with a touch interface. Although it lacked features available on the market-leading Applet iPad, the Kindle table carried a price that was about half that of the iPad and other competitors ($200). The obvious goal was to provide a device that encourages customers to purchase more digital content directly from Amazon [Peers 2011]. Sales Taxes Sales taxes have been a long-term issue with Amazon. The Annual Report notes that several states filed formal complaints with the company in March 2003. The basis for the individual suits is not detailed, but the basic legal position is that any company that has a physical presence in a state (â€Å"nexus† by the terms of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling), is subject to that state’s laws and must then collect the required sales taxes and remit them to the state. The challenge is that the level of presence has never been  clearly defined. Amazon argues that it has no physical presence in most states and is therefore not required to collect taxes. The most recent challenges are based on Amazon’s â€Å"affiliate† program. Amazon pays a small commission to people who run Web sites and redirect traffic to the Amazon site. For instance, a site might mention a book and then include a link to the book on the Amazon site. Several states have passed laws claiming that these relationships constitute a â€Å"sales force† and open up Amazon to taxation within any state where these affiliates reside. In response, Amazon dropped the affiliate program in several states, has initiated a legal challenge in the state of New York, and in 2011, negotiated a new deal signed into law in California [Letzing 2011]. In the California deal, Amazon obtained a delay in collecting taxes for at least a year, in exchange for locating a new distribution center in the state and creating at least 10,000 full-time jobs. Amazon is also asking the U.S. Congress to create a new federal law to deal with the sales-tax issue. However, because the state sales tax issue is driven by the interstate commerce clause in the U.S. Constitution, a simple law will not alter the underlying principles. However, if Congress desired, it might create a Federal Sales tax law with some method of apportioning the money to states. But, do not be t on any major tax laws during a Presidential election year. Information Technology In the first years, Amazon intentionally kept its Web site systems separate from its orderfulfillment system. The separation was partly due to the fact that the programmers did not have the technical ability to connect them, and partly because the company wanted to improve security by keeping the order systems off the Web. By 1997, Amazon’s sales had reached $148 million for the year. The big book database was being run on Digital Alpha servers. Applications were still custom written in house. By early 2000, the company had over 100 separate database instances running on a variety of servers—handling terabytes of data. In 2000, Amazon decided to overhaul its entire system. The company spent $200 million on new applications, including analysis software from E.piphany, logistics from Manugistics, and a new DBMS from Oracle. The company also  signed deals with SAS for data mining and analysis [Collett 2002]. But, one of its biggest deals was with Excelon for business-to-business integration systems. The system enables suppliers to communicate in real time, even if they do not have sophisticated IT departments. It provides a direct connection to Amazon’s ERP system either through programming connections or through a Web browser [Konicki 2000]. About the same time (May 2000), Amazon inked a deal with HP to supply new servers and IT services [Goodridge and Nelson 2000]. The new systems ran the open-source Linux operating system. Already by the third quarter of 2001, Amazon was able to reduce its IT costs by 24 percent from the same quarter in 2000 [Collett 2002]. By 2004, the supply chain system at Amazon was a critical factor in its success. Jeffrey Wilke, Senior VP of worldwide operations, observed that â€Å"When we think about how we’re going to grow our company, we focus on price, selection, and availability. All three depend critically on the supply chain† [Bacheldor 2004]. Almost the entire system was built from scratch, customized to Amazon’s needs. When a customer places an order, the system immediately connects to the distribution centers, determines the best way to ship the product, and provides the details to the customer in under two minutes. The entire process is automatic. Dr. Russell Allgor moved from Bayer Chemical to Amazon and built an 800,000equation computer model of the company’s sprawling operation. When implemented, the goal of the model was to help accomplish almost everything from scheduling Christmas overtime to rerouting trucks in a snowstorm. Allgor’s preliminary work focused on one of Amazon’s most vexing problems: How to keep inventory at a minimum, while ensuring that when someone orders several products, they can be shipped in a single box, preferably from the warehouse — the company had six — that is nearest the customer [Hansell, 2001]. Dr. Allgor’s analysis is simple, but heretical to Amazon veterans. Amazon should increase its holdings of best sellers and stop holding slow-selling titles. It would still sell these titles but order them after the customer does. Lyn Blake, a vice president who previously ran Amazon’s book department and now oversees company relations with manufacturers, disagrees with this perspective. â€Å"I worry about the customer’s perspective  if we suddenly have a lot of items that are not available for quick delivery.† Amazon’s merchant and MarketPlace systems are powerful tools that enable smaller stores to sell their products through Amazon’s system. Amazon continually works to improve the connections on those systems. This system caused problems in 2001—the main issue was that the data on the merchant Web sites was being updated only once every eight hours. The merchant’s link to Amazon’s main database servers, and internal applications transfer the data onto the displayed page as requested. As customers purchased items, the inventory quantities were altered in the main servers, but the current totals were not transferred to the display pages until several hours later. Consequently, customers would be told that an item was in stock, even it had sold out several hours ago. To solve the problem, Amazon installed Excelon’s ObjectStore database in 2002. The system functions as a cache management server, reducing the update times from eight hours down to twoà ‚  minutes. Paul Kotas, engineering director for the Merchants@Group noted that â€Å"with the growth of this business, we needed a zero-latency solution† [Whiting 2002]. In 2003, Amazon added a simple object access protocol (SOAP) gateway so that retailers could easily build automated connections to the system. Data is passed as XML documents and automatically converted to Amazon’s format [Babcock 2003]. One of the most successful technologies introduced by Amazon is the affinity list. When someone purchases an item, system makes recommendations based on similar items purchased by other customers. The system uses basic data mining and statistical tools to quickly run correlations and display the suggested products. Kaphan notes that â€Å"There was always a vision to make the service as useful as possible to each user and to take advantage of the ability of the computer to help analyze a lot of data to show people things they were most likely to be interested in† [Collett 2002]. The system also remembers every purchase made by a customer. So, the Amazon programmers created the Instant Order Update feature, that reminds customers if they have already purchased an item in their cart. Bezo notes that â€Å"Customers lead busy lives and cannot always remember if they’ve already purchased a particular item.† He also observed  that â€Å"When we launched Instant Order Update, we were able to measure with statistical significance that the feature slightly reduced sales. Good for customers? Definitely. Good for shareowners? Yes, in the long run† [2003 annual report]. Capital expenditures for software and Web site development are not cheap: $176 million, $146 million, and $128 million for 2010, 2009, and 2008 respectively (2010 Annual Report). But, in comparison, in 2010, net income tax provisions were $352 million. New Services Amazon requires huge data centers and high-speed Internet connections to run its systems. Through vast economies of scale, Amazon is able to achieve incredibly low prices for data storage and bandwidth. Around 2005, the company decided that it could leverage those low costs into a new business selling Internet-based services. The company offers an online data storage service called S3. For a monthly fee of about 15 cents per gigabyte stored plus 15 cents per gigabyte of data transferred, any person or company can transfer and store data on Amazon servers [Markoff 2006]. Through a similar service (EC2), any company can use the company’s Web servers to deliver digital content to customers. The company essentially serves as a Web host, but instead of paying fixed costs, you pay 10 cents per virtual server per hour plus bandwidth costs. Amazon’s network can handle bursts up to 1 gigabit per second. The system creates virtual servers, running the Linux kernel, and you can run any software you want [Gralla 2006]. By 2011, the company had several locations providing S3 and EC2 Web services. It also offered online relational database services using either MySQL or the Oracle DBMS. Anyone can pay to store data in the DBMS, with charges being levied per hour, per data stored, and per data transferred. The point is that Amazon handles all of the maintenance and other companies avoid fixed costs. Even government agencies are adopting the benefits of storing data in these cloud services—including those run by Amazon. For example, the U.S. Treasury Department moved is public Web sites to the Amazon cloud. [Pratt 2011]. Perhaps the most unusual service is Mturk. The name derives from an  18-century joke where a â€Å"mechanical† chess-playing machine surprised European leaders and royalty by beating many expert players. The trick was that a human was hidden under the board and moved the pieces with magnets. Amazon’s trick is to use human power to solve problems. Companies post projects on the Mturk site and offer to pay a price for piecemeal work. Any individual can sign up and perform a task and get paid based on the amount of work completed. Amazon takes a 10 percent commission above the fee. For example, the company Casting Words places audio files on the site and pays people 42 cents to transcribe one minute of audio files into text [Markoff 2006]. The Amazon EC2 and S3 services suffered some problems in the summer of 2011. A configuration error during an upgrade in the East Coast facility triggered a cascade that delayed all services in the facility. Internet services including Foursquare and Reddit that used the facility were impacted by the problems for almost a week [Tibken 2011]. Amazon engineers learned a lot from the problems and the same issue is unlikely to occur again [http://aws.amazon.com/message/65648/]. But, the outage points out the risks involved in any centralized system. Ironically, the main problems were caused by algorithms designed to copy data to multiple servers to reduce risks. On the other hand, with multiple facilities, Amazon provides the ability to spread content and risk across multiple locations. Adam Selipsky, vice president of product management and developer relations at Amazon Web Services observed that â€Å"†Amazon is fundamentally a technology company; we’ve spent more than one and a half billion dollars investing in technology and content. We began by retailing books, but it was never in our business plan to stay with that† [Gralla 2006]. Financial Performance When Amazon started, it spent huge amounts of money not only building infrastructure, but also buying market share. It took Amazon nine years to achieve profitability. And the profits started to arrive only after the company changed its pricing model—focusing on retail prices for popular items and smaller discounts for all books. In the process, the company lost almost $3 billion. It was not until 2009 that Amazon had generated enough profits to cover all of its prior losses (ignoring interest rates and debt). The company’s financial position has improved since 2000. Most of the improvement is due to increases in sales—which is good. But, those sales increased largely by selling products for other firms, and from one more twist. Amazon no longer discounts most of the books that it sells. In fact, it is generally more expensive to purchase books from Amazon than to buy them from your local bookstore. For competitive online pricing, check www.campusi.com, which searches multiple Web sites for the best price, but the selection might not be as large. Another source of increased sales is the international market (largely Britain, Europe and Japan). Notice in the table that media sales (books, audio, and movies) are higher in the International market than in North America. More products are sold in North America, but clearly the growth path is the international market. Out of curiosity, where did all of that money go? In 2003, Bezos noted that $900 million went to business technology; $300 million was spent on the fulfillment centers; and $700 million on marketing and customer acquisition [Murphy 2003]. That last part largely represents selling books at a loss or offering free shipping while trying to attract customers. Those numbers add up to the $1.9 billion debt, but what happened to the other $1 billion in net losses? Interestingly, according to the 2010 Annual Report, Amazon still runs a loss on shipping. In 2010, the company declared shipping revenue of $1.2 billion, against outbound shipping costs of $2.6 billion, for a net loss of $1.4 billion! Amazon continues to expand aggressively. In 2011, Amazon estimated revenue increases of 28-39 percent but increased operating expenses by about 38 percent. Tom Szkutak, Amazon’s finance chief noted that â€Å"When you add something to the magnitude of 23 fulfillment centers, mostly in the course of the second half of last year, you have added costs and you’re not as productive on those assets for some time,† [Wu 2011]. For the longer term, Amazon’s leaders clearly indicate that they are aware of the stiff competition—both from bricks-and-mortar retailers and from online rivals including small start-ups and established rivals including Apple and Google. Case Questions 1. Who are Amazon’s competitors? 2. Why would customers shop at Amazon if they can find better prices elsewhere? 3. Why did Amazon create most of its own technology from scratch? 4. If Amazon buys products from other firms and simply ships them to customers, why does it need so many of its own distribution centers? 5. Will other retailers buy or lease the Web software and services from Amazon? Can Amazon make enough money from selling these services? 6. Write a report to management that describes the primary cause of the problems, a detailed plan to solve them, and show how the plan solves the problems and describe any other benefits it will provide. Additional Reading Babcock, Charles, â€Å"Amazon Makes Online Merchandising Easier,† Information Week, September 15, 2003. Bacheldor, Beth, â€Å"From Scratch: Amazon Keeps Supply Chain Close To Home,† Information Week, March 5, 2004. Claburn, Thomas, â€Å"Amazon.com And Toys ‘R’ Us Are On The Outs,† Information Week, May 31, 2004. Claburn, Thomas, â€Å"Why Amazon Is Suing Toys ‘R’ Us,† Information Week, June 29, 2004. Collett, Stacy, â€Å"The Web’s Best-seller,† Computerworld, September 30, 2002. Goodridge, Elisabeth and Matthew G. Nelson, â€Å"Update: Amazon Drops Sun, Compaq For HP,† Information Week, May 31, 2000. Gralla, Preston, â€Å"Computing in the Cloud,† Computerworld, December 21, 2006. Hansell, Saul. â€Å"A Front-Row Seat as Amazon Gets Serious,† The New York Times, May 20, 2001, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/technology/20AMAZ.html. Hayes, Mary, â€Å"CDs, High Heels, Flannel Shirts,† Information Week, November 4, 2002. Heun, Christopher T., â€Å"Amazon, Borders Team For Superior Customer Service,† Information Week, April 16, 2001. Heun, Christopher T., â€Å"Amazon Loss Shrinks; AOL Buys Amazon Search Service,† Information Week, July 24, 2001. Heun, Christopher T., â€Å"Amazon Plugs Into Circuit City In Profitability Drive,† Information Week, August 27, 2001. Konicki, Steve, â€Å"Amazon Taps Excelon To Redo Supply-Chain System,† Information Week, October 30, 2000. Kontzer, Tony, â€Å"Amazon Teams With Expedia On Online Travel Store,† Information Week, September 26, 2001. Letzing, John, â€Å"Amazon Wins Reprieve on California Tax in Exchange for Jobs,† The Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2011. Mangalindan, Mylene, â€Å"Threatening eBay’s Dominance, More Online Sellers Go It Alone,† The Wall Street Journal, June 22, 2005. Markoff, John, â€Å"Software Out There,† The New York Times, April 5, 2006. Murphy, Chris, â€Å"Amazon, The Services Firm,† Information Week, June 10, 2003. Peers, Martin, â€Å"Launching New Tablet, Amazon Plays With Fire,† The Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2011. Pratt, Mary K., â€Å"Feds Race to the Cloud,† Computerworld, July 13, 2011. Tibken, Shara, â€Å"Amazon Cloud Snafu Disrupts Websites,† The Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2011. Whiting, Rick, â€Å"System Overhaul Boosts Amazon’s Inventory Update Time,† Information Week, February 19, 2002. Stu Woo, â€Å"Expenses Eat at Amazon’s Profit,† The Wall Street Journal, January 28, 2011. Stu Woo and Michelle Kung, â€Å"Netflix, Amazon Add to Movies,† The Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2011.

Human Computer Interaction and User Interface Design Essay

The two interfaces chosen for this project are two book selling sites – LinkedIn. com and Orkut. com. The two websites are social networking sites. While Orkut. com brings together friends and is more personal in nature, LinkedIn. com is more professional. Social networking sites being highly popular, I chose to select these interfaces for comparison. LinkedIn has over 40 million professionals using it to: †¢ â€Å"Exchange information, ideas and opportunities† †¢ Connect or re-connect with and stay informed about their contacts and industry †¢ Find inside connections to find a new job or business opportunity †¢ Find the people and knowledge required †¢ Have a controlled online professional identity Orkut, on the other hand, lets you connect with people you already know in your personal life (friends and family) while at the same time allowing you to make new friends through friends of friends and communities. It allows sharing of videos, pictures as well as your passions with friends and communities. 2. Norman’s principles for good design Norman has suggested the following principles to ensure that a website has a good design: †¢ Visibility–The designer should ensure that the state of the possible actions can be easily understood by the user. †¢ Conceptual model–All operations should be consistent in nature and the user should be able to easily understand how the site works and what options are available to the user. †¢ Mappings–The user should be able to easily map actions with their results such as between controls and possible actions that can be taken on a control or between the system state and visible indicators like change of color or image. †¢ Feedback–Users should continuously get feedback on the results of their actions helping them understand whether they have taken the right step or not. 3. User Interface overview 3. 1. LinkedIn LinkedIn requires your name and email address to open an account post which you need to provide your current employment details. These two pages are simple, similar to the Google search page look. Once the registration is completed, LinkedIn takes you to your LinkedIn page. The homepage is divided into two sections – the top section that consists of main links to search people, jobs, answers and companies with comparatively big bold letters and is separated from the bottom section by a blue line. On the right corner, quick links to the account and its settings, help language and the option to sign out are available. The top section has blue font with a white background all through. This section also consists of a search option to search people, job, companies, etc. using a drop down box. The search option automatically changes to reflect the section it is in i. e. it says â€Å"Search People† when in the Contacts page and â€Å"Search Groups† when in the Groups page. The bottom section has a grey background and is divided into three parts. Each section individually has a white background and the sections are floating in the grey background. The bottom section represents the main work area consisting of the details regarding the user profile, contacts and groups. The left hand side frame provides options personal to the user which includes viewing various lists such as groups joined, profile, contacts, inbox, and applications that help improve user experience with LinkedIn. These links are provided with images as well. These links further provide links to options available such as My Groups, Groups Directory and Create a Group for the Groups menu. The submenus are not visible but can be seen on clicking the menu item or clicking on the + symbol on the right side. The submenus can be collapsed by clicking the – symbol that now appears instead of the + symbol. The link for the current page is highlighted with a blue background. In Home page, the words Home have a blue background unlike the others with white background. At the end of the menu, there is a button to add new connections. The button is of green color and attracts the attention towards it. Below this section is another small section that is an assessment of profile completeness along with a photo and name. The profile completeness is expressed in words as well as a status bar is shown that reflects the actual status. The name draws the attention with its bold font along with the status bar. The right side section consists of several modules – the main module being the â€Å"Build your network† in a green colored box that provides different options to find your contacts. The options include searching using web email contacts, address book contacts, or using email addresses. For web email contacts, again several options are provided as radio buttons. Since each of these options require different inputs, selecting one shows a box with an arrow pointing towards the option selected and the inputs required are within this box. All buttons on the page have a light orange color which changes to blue on moving the mouse over it. All links within this module also have an icon associated with it. In the extreme right, there are several modules one below the other starting with ads by LinkedIn Members. The remaining modules include featured application on LinkedIn, Reading List by Amazon, Events, Answers and Jobs. The headings in these modules are in white color on blue background. Text within these modules is in black color whereas links have blue color. Important words like subheadings, Member names, event names, etc. are appropriate made bold to highlight them. The events are represented with the date put in a box with grey background and the month above it in smaller font with orange background. Each module heading also consists of an edit link and an ‘X’ to remove the module. At the end of these modules is the option to add other applications as required. Here again a plus symbol is used to indicate the adding of a new application. The arrow at the end can be clicked to show a list of applications available to be added but the arrow is too small and can be easily missed. These modules can be customized as required, adding, editing or moving them around to suit an individual’s preferences and needs. At the bottom, there is a tip available in a box. More tips can be seen with the help of arrows. Here arrows that are commonly used to move to next or previous tip are used. Clicking on Profile or Edit My Profile or + symbol next to Profile brings one to the Edit My Profile page. The Profile text in the menu now has a blue background indicating the current page. The centre module that consisted of Build your Network is now replaced with the profile details with a heading Profile in navy blue background and two tabs – Edit My Profile and View My Profile. The current tab is in white background whereas the inactive tabs are in grey background with text in blue. The module background is now blue with different subsections in white background. At the top the main details about the user is provided i. e. name, current position and company, location and industry. The last two details are shown in grey color. The links are maintained in blue color, headings and subheadings in bold blue and a + symbol to indicate adding detail in any subsection. An Edit link within square brackets follows all text that can be edited. On the extreme right, a profile completeness status bar is shown but also lists tips on how one could complete the profile along with how much percentage difference it makes to the profile completeness status bar. This module is very helpful, especially for someone new to social networking sites. Clicking on View My Profile tab shows the profile with the same details except that there are no Edit links or + symbols to add further details. The status bar is not seen in this view. Clicking on Contacts section leads to three tabbed page – Connections, Imported Contacts and Network Statistics. The connections are shown listed alphabetically. On the left side, the alphabets are listed and can be clicked to jump to the connections with names starting with that alphabet. Brief details about each connection is provided including email, current position and company and also includes a circle that indicates the number of connections that person has, indicating the network you could be having. The Groups link leads you to the Groups page with four tabs – My Groups, Following, Groups Directory and Create a Group. The list of Groups is presented in a clean manner with an icon representing the group, quick links to discussions, news, updates, members, settings, etc. At the bottom of the list, there is an option to change the order of the groups and how many groups can be displayed at any one time. The order can be changed by writing the numbers or using arrows. On the right side of the list, two blue-colored boxes provide you information on Groups Directory along with a button to find a group as well as option to create your own group. The buttons change color when a mouse moves over. While there are many more functionalities available, the user interface remains the same: 1. Blue color for all links 2. Bold for all headings and subheadings 3. Icons/images to represent major menus or data 4. Tabs for sub menu information 5. Links provided to ease selection 6. Provision to add, remove, edit, or move extra modules around to ease access and utility. 7. Feedback to the user in terms of background color change for links and button color change for buttons 3. 2. Orkut To log into Orkut, one needs to have a Google Account. The page for creating Google Account is simple – a form with a blue border requesting for information like name, email and password with a line marking the end of this subsection. The next subsection begins with a word verification and terms of services provided in a blue scrollable box with grey background. The button for accepting the terms is simple and consists of full text â€Å"I accept. Create my account. † rather than simply saying â€Å"Accept† which makes it clear for new-to-internet users. The login page is simple with two main sections – the top section consisting of all the details and the empty bottom section with bluish grey background. The major left part of the top section consists of orkut selling points with magenta color highlighting the main words. The empty white space surrounding the text gives it a simple, non-cluttered and pleasing look. The top menu bar in dark blue color remains accessible across all pages. Below this is a section with various modules in white background floating in a light blue background. On the extreme left is the menu starting with photo, name, status and other details of the user. Below it is the menu leading to various pages such as profile, scrapbook, etc. Each of these menu items also have an associated icon that is easy to relate to the name of the menu. This is followed by Apps and other menu items. The profile, menus, apps and other menus are separated by a blue line. All text is also in blue. It is noteworthy that all the menu names are in lower caps. Below this module, there is a module to invite friends using their email address or more. All through the page, all links are in blue and when a mouse moves over a link, there is no change in background color or image except an underline below the text. Friend suggestions is another good option since it not only provides you potential friend list, but also shows photos so that one can confirm if he/she is the same person one knows. It also provides quick links to view the profile or add as a friend. An X at the top of the photo can be used to remove it from the list quickly and arrows can be used to navigate through the list. The arrows change to light grey color when one can’t go further on either side. Below this is Updates from my friends section that provides a list of updates on the friend profile. On the extreme right is the â€Å"my friends† section with a count of total friends. It lists around 9 friends along with their photos and there is a link to view all friends, manage them, or find more friends. It also allows for searching friends. To meet the space crunch issue, the text box for searching itself has the caption rather than placing it outside. On clicking inside the text box, the caption clears and the user can add their text to search. Once the profile is filled up and many friends added, the home page can seem cluttered with a lot of information. This is followed by advertisement which is followed by â€Å"my communities†. The layout of this is similar to â€Å"my friends†. Clicking the profile link shows the profile details. Three tabs – social, professional, and personal are provided to add details about different areas of the user. The social tab is further divided into sections separated by a broad white area which also consists of an edit button. Alternate coloring pattern is used to make it easy to read each line and each detail of the profile. â€Å"My scrapbook† page provides all scraps from friends. By default, one can view 10 scraps on one page but a drop down box provides other options as well. Navigation links to move to first, last, next and previous pages are also provided as links. Each scrap is in its own blue box with photo of friend provided along with friend’s name and message. Options to reply and delete the message are also available. Once a conversation has been done through more than one response exchanged, there is a new link â€Å"View this conversation†. Clicking this link grays out the page and opens a new box consisting of the conversation details along with provision to delete. Again, the background is white with each scrap in a light blue colored box. To close the conversation box, an image with an X is provided as well as a close link. A new scrap can be typed in easily through a text box. Again there is no title or caption for the box but the same is seen as content in grey color within the text box. The scrap can also be written in different languages which can be conveniently chosen from the drop down list. Adding a community and managing it is similar in working to adding and managing friends in Orkut. 4. User survey 4. 1. Task description The users are required to do the following: 1. Register themselves 2. Sign In 3. Enter their profile details 4. Search for a friend/professional known to them 5. Add to friend list 6. Search for a community 7. Add themselves to that community 8. Sign out 4. 2. Success criteria The user should be able to create a profile, add contact(s) and join a community/group. 4. 3. User Profile User 1 is an active internet user and has prior online social networking experience. User 2 is new to computers and internet, this being amongst his first experience with social networking. User 3 uses internet mostly for surfing and finding information and has not been a member of any social networking site yet although understands the common functionalities of such websites such as registering, logging in to the site, searching, etc. 4. 4. User experience Due to his prior experience using social networking sites, user 1 had no problem registering for either of them, adding contacts, searching and registering for a group. User 1 found both sites equally easy to register, add contacts and join community; however, he was impressed by the ability to add, remove, edit and move modules in LinkedIn and was looking for similar options in Orkut. Also, searching friends in Orkut listed several names and finding the right one was difficult. While user 2 was able to create the profile and add contacts, the user sometimes felt lost in Orkut once the contacts were added and found it difficult to get back to home page. User 2 also found it difficult to easily search the friend and wished there was an easy way like LinkedIn. User 3 was also able to register easily, add contacts and join communities/groups. User 3 was not concerned about the difficulties in searching friends or professionals and looked at this as an opportunity to make new friends. 5. Suggestions Once a user becomes an active user or has many friends/professional contacts, the information shown on home page can be too much. Suggestion is to show the information partly and provide a link to further information or simply provide links to go to information. By making certain information like school or college details mandatory, orkut can help ease the search process that currently requires searching a friend from a list of hundreds with the same name.

Primary and Support Activities of Value Chain Essay

Raytheon Company has created new software that improves the logistics system of the company by providing constant tracking data of all products in the inventory, which has saved the company nearly $9M. MTrak is a web-based system that includes the Microsoft . Net technology, which is used to capture bar-code scans and combines it with information from the mainframe computer to provide tracking of all inventories anywhere within the company. A lot of stuff got lost, company had to have multiple people sitting by the phones to take the calls asking where the parts were. The creation of MTrak brings Raytheon online with its competitors in the industry. While the system does not create a competitive advantage to Raytheon, it does negate the disadvantage of a bad supply control system. The creation of MTrak contributes to the entire value chain by tracking the products from the beginning of the chain at Inbound Logistics, through Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing and Sales, through to the end of the chain at Service. The Technology and Competitive Forces The major problem at Raytheon was lost inventory. The suppliers were not to blame because they were able to account for every piece of property they supplied through their fully automated supply chains. From the beginning, the goal was to create a system that would track all materials used by Raytheon such as resistors, capacitors and customized computer chips from the time of order through receiving, testing, placement in inventory and final use in a military field radio, handheld motion sensor or some other Raytheon product . Whenever Raytheon received calls for a missing delivery personnel would physically search the area to see if the product was still there. In some cases, if the item couldn’t be found the employees would reorder the item so production schedules could be met.. The MTrak is a web-based system that includes such technologies as Microsoft . Net and Biz Talk 2004. These technologies, which captures bar-code scans and other information on incoming deliveries, combine it with other information from the mainframe system such as purchase-order inventory, anufacture-scheduling data. The integration of the MTrak and mainframe computers is possible through the use of software provided by WRQ Verastream. This system lets employees track the status and movement of parts throughout the entire company from a web browser. Competitive Forces-Value Chain The Value Chain consists of five Primary Value Chain Activities and four generic categories of support activities. The primary value chain activ ities are supported by the generic categories. In this case the primary chain activities that are being supported are the Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, and Marketing and Sales. The supporting category is Technology Development. Raytheon created this technology in-house with publicly available software. Even though integrating the software into the daily business of the company did not create a competitive advantage, Raytheon was able to save money in many areas including lost inventory, delayed production, and outsourcing software development. Supporting the Company The MTrak tracking system provides a state-of-the-art software package that provides Raytheon with the means to track its entire inventory throughout the entire company from a web browser. This technology improves the value chain of the entire company. Though the use of this technology, Raytheon will be on a level playing field with other companies in the industry. It may even spur Raytheon an advantage in the future as the company continues to grow.

Leader ship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leader ship - Assignment Example In Robins & Judge (2010) for proper discharge of companies’ services to their clients, the management should focus on excellence of their products, ensure their clients are contented with their products and give their employees inducement in order to maximize their productivity. Leadership Theory In any business environment the management should ensure proper coordination of activities right from the organization to the clients. For the management to achieve this level of operation, they should ensure they are focused and be able to control other activities of the organization. According to management theory the leaders of any organization have a task to ensure that all other components in the organization are well coordinated (Robins & Judge, 2010, p.567). On the other hand, relationship theory requires the organization leaders to give their workers stimulus in order to ensure proper coordination of activities within the organization. The managers should ensure that workers a re aware of the organizations objectives in order to pursue them. They should also ensure that all appropriate resources are available for the worker in order to promote efficiency in the organization. ... This streamlines communication within the organization hence enabling the company’s management to effectively make their objectives known to the employees and work with a common interest of achieving the set goals. This will also simplify the problem of delegating tasks to the workers. The management practicing this theory in their organization will be interested with the collective prosperity of the individual’s advancement. Motivation Giving incentives to both workers and consumers plays a magic in the performance of the organization (Gorman, 2004, p.57). The management can give their employees incentives of various forms such as increasing their salaries, offering them an opportunity to advance their careers, or just appreciating them for their good work in the presence of other workers. This enables the workers to identify with the organization and feel encouraged to work and achieve management objectives. Organizational leaders should also encourage the employees b y giving them challenging tasks in the organization and avoid public condemnation even when they have gone wrong. The management should also establish training programs in order to assist the workers to upgrade their skills (Gorman, 2004). This enables the workers to increase their efficiency and confidence of performing their duties hence increasing their output in the organization. The workers will be able to interact with their clients freely and offer them excellent services. Providing products and services to the consumers is of paramount importance to the organization because it will help to create consumer trust on company and their products. When worker provide exemplary services to the customers, the

How to develop a culture of safety in health care organizations Essay

How to develop a culture of safety in health care organizations - Essay Example Unfortunately, this culture led to many incidents not to be reported. To combat this problem, health-workers are encouraged to report problems instead of hiding them, so that they can be solved in time. To develop a culture of safety in health organizations, cultures are accessed occasionally so as to make amicable changes where necessary. Additionally, teamwork is highly recommended so as to avoid the occurrence of blame games and negligence of risky incidents. Most organizations also advocate the participation of the patient in the treatment process so as to create good communication system between healthcare personnel and patients (Duke University Medical Center, 2005). Additionally, involvement of patients in the treatment process leads to physicians observing rules and regulations to the later so as to minimize the occurrence of accidents within health-centers. Routine check-up and update of healthcare systems have also been found effective in developing a culture of safety in health organizations. Thus, many healthcare organizations not only maintain, but also update their systems in order to catch up with technological advancements that aid in enhancing patients’ safe ty. Additionally, most health organizations also advocate openness among its employees so as to enhance patients, workers, and personnel safety within healthcare environment (Duke University Medical Center, 2005). Rule of accountability has also been found effective in developing a culture of safety in healthcare organizations. It achieves this by ensuring all the healthcare providers do their respective jobs

Article analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Article analysis - Essay Example To build his argument he mentions the positive side of Fox stand. However, Bauder does not forget to mention the need of airing news that is unpleasant to the ears of its audience. He leaves the reader wondering about his stand on the debate when he takes on the opponent’s side. Towards the end of the article, Bauder takes the proposing stand to argue out his point in the article. Bauder gives support to his argument in several ways. Throughout the article, Bauder uses questions to drive his argument. Further, the use of quotation helps the reader to identify the stand of Bauder in the article. Rhetoric statements characterize the argument pointing out the cause of disagreement in the article. He compares the airtime given to Iraqi war by other channel using statistics. He sites 20% by CNN, 18% by MSNBC and 6% daytime news hole. It is probable that figures are assertive than mere use of words. He manages to use contradictory statements to exemplify his forth and back framing of his argument. This might challenge a reader who does not follow the argument. Bauder’s uses illustrative statement throughout the article to attest his argument. For example, ‘’certain folks don’t want bad news† helps to illustrate his point. This is a strategy since it sparks emotion of the reader, thus influencing readers stand on the point of argument. Another strategy that he employs in his article is the frequent use of questions to influence the stand of the reader. â€Å"So how to explain the divergent priorities?† The use of questions probably points the need to have a divergent view over the news to put in air. He effectively illustrates a situation of divergent views in the society. Moreover, he argued it is less rewarding to dwell on negative things. The central idea in his argument is the audience of they intend to serve. He points out that their intention is to give priority to the likes of their viewers. He believes

Blog Reflection Post for personal branding Research Paper

Blog Reflection Post for personal branding - Research Paper Example Lewis presents five classification in conformity as far as branding is concerned. They are: Fearing Breed conformity, Buck the norm, questioning everything, Running away, and lastly, embracing risks (Lewis, 2014) Conformity has affected the way marketing is carried out in this age. Customers indulge purchase practices to the acceptable groups in society. Many business ventures opt to follow this practices and this has played a role in eradication of the innovative spirits in entrepreneurs. Personal branding therefore steps in to make a careful study and manage such consumer perceptions to ensure success in marketing. (Rampersad, 2009). According to Lewis 2014, of which is true, his idea of ‘screaming louder’ is very costly. It will require lots of funds to finance. The world of marketing has also become so competitive and personal branding should embrace unique ways which ought to be less costly. Hence it’s a key factor to do a careful analysis on consumer preference. Business ventures should embrace ways to stand out as unique but not drifting away from the expectations of their customers. Montoya 2002, notes that personal branding is an asset to the business venture and ensures excellence. Conformity is still a major setback to customization. Lewis 2014 quotes that three-quarters of the individuals in a group conform to a phenomenon at the first instance. This presents a critical viewpoint that marketers ought to take so as to achieve their sales targets without compromising their customers. Lewis presents three tips, which are agreeable to me: first is to make a comprehensive analysis of industry’s best performers, then to analyze market norms and lastly to take in the aspect of rick and insurance. The business can then be confident to take a different route cautiously having in mind that its customers will ‘feel better’ going in that direction. Effective branding in a corporate environment seeks to

Analyze life in America or Europe during the Roaring 20s as depicted Essay

Analyze life in America or Europe during the Roaring 20s as depicted in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald or Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example The improvement in the field of women’s rights and increased social freedom produced a new type of a modern looking short-haired, sexually liberated woman. Americans had more leisure time and literature, as well as art, became a national pursuit for them. Among the dazzling heroes of the Roaring Twenties was F. Scott Fitzgerald who had the talent of describing the high life he himself was a part of and simultaneously detached from as an observer. Though he was not recognized as a gifted writer during his lifetime, his somber side was recognized by very few readers. It was not until after Fitzgerald’s death that the readers recognized his worth. He used to write amateur lyrical comedies while attending Princeton University which he left without attaining a degree. The true depiction of the pleasure seeking generation of the Roaring Twenties was seen in his first novel â€Å"This Side of Paradise† followed by a similar novel â€Å"The Beautiful and Damned†. Some of his collections of short stories such as the â€Å"Flappers and Philosophers† and â€Å"Tales of the Jazz Age† also increased his reputation. Fitzgerald’s masterpiece â€Å"The Great Gatsby† did not receive as much fame as the ones written before but this story was uniquely moralistic revolving around a wealthy bootlegger Jay Gatsby. It seemed Fitzgerald could see the moral bleakness that the American society confronted in the 1920s. The characters that Fitzgerald chose in his works were very close to the flaws of real life which he was depicting in nearly all his novels. The Roaring Twenties brought with it a chaotic lifestyle of the Americans with heavy alcoholism common in most of the households. Fitzgerald himself was a part of this fast moving generation and it has been widely known that his personal life marred his career as a literary writer. His work was not much appreciated during his lifetime but critics agree that after his death most of his works got

Injectronics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Injectronics - Essay Example The initials IM stand for innovative mechatronics. This was the new name that was taken up since the year 2012. The merger involved four organizations namely RAE ignition and sensors, DAT equipment, Injectronics and MAP- mechatronic auto parts. Initially, Injectronics used to remanufacture and repair automotive products for resale. They then started manufacturing of automotive equipment and also embarked on extensive testing equipment to ensure they have the widest range of products in stock ready for sale. They were the first automotive company in the southern hemisphere to be given ISO 9001 accreditation. The IM group has lived up to the same expectations regardless of the mergers and still remains the only automotive organization in the southern hemisphere that is ISO certified. The remanufacturing process follows the step of a customer trading in already used automotive equipment or perhaps even a car. This equipment will be remanufactured and then the customer will be able to pu rchase the remanufactured equipment or new equipment depending on their choice. The MAP (mechatronic auto parts) is a new and exciting brand that was recently added to the IM group; it is aimed at providing unique and high quality automotive products to the southern hemisphere. ... These key rubbers usually do not have a replacement but the MAP products effectively do the trick. These products come with a duly explained replacement user manual thereby making it easy for the user to change. RAE ignition and sensors is another branch of the IM group, which deals with ignitions and sensors. They present different ignitions for various makes of vehicles in the industry, which are ISO certified. These are also replacements for defective or faulty ignitions and sensor systems. The Injectronics branch of IM group continues the initial trade of the original Injectronics. This is the initial business of buying of used automotive parts and selling of new automotive parts. DAT equipment is yet another branch of the IM group that deals with automobile diagnostics. Such equipment includes gadgets that show faults or confirm the state of vehicle parts and their efficiency. Equipments are electronically tested, with ignition spark tester being an excellent example. This elect rically checks for the ignition sparks performance. All the above products of the IM group have played a big role in finding the break -even point for the firm thereby making it continuously viable. The emergence of the above subsidiaries led to a lot of change in the market share for the firm; this played a big role in making top-level management to change the company name from Injectronics to the name Innovative mechatronics. The name innovative mechanics well suits the organization as it only deals with a very special niche in the automotive field. Not many automotive companies are exploiting the above niche, which is well favored by the Australian population. IM group however, also exports her products to other countries. This is also another avenue of

Regional Integration Essay Example for Free

Regional Integration Essay The Pacific Forum region seeks a region of peace, harmony security, and economic prosperity. The diversity of its peoples seek value, honor in their cultures. The Pacific Region’s objectives include obtaining respect for its governance, sustainable management of its resources and its democratic values. The partnerships with their neighbors, to improve communications and secure a sustainable economy for all are the primary objectives for its members. Established in Bangkok, Thailand on August 8, 1967 the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. ASEAN is now comprised of 10 members including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (ASEAN, 2013). An important and landmark agreement that ASEAN entered into was the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. The region in which the ASEAN- China Free Trade Agreement will reach is about 1. 9 billion people. This agreement will surely test not only the members of ASEAN, but China as well. The region in which the ASEAN- China Free Trade Agreement will reach is about 1. 9 billion people. This agreement will surely test not only the members of ASEAN, but China as well (ASEAN, 2013). Positive Influence of the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement January 10, 2010 marked a ten year negotiation with China, when the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area Agreement became effective. Tariff reductions between China and six ASEAN members Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, will experience more than a 90 percent of products with a drop to near zero in both parties’ tariffs. The agreement was established with the idea that ASEAN countries’ natural resources and China’s large market would both benefit (Shamsi, 2010). Countries like Cambodia and Laos will benefit from the ASEAN-China agreement with zero tariffs on over 7000 goods from China, which will benefit these under developed countries tremendously. Less developed countries especially those with no stock market system will welcome this agreement and benefit greatly (Shamsi, 2010). The ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement is China’s first free trade agreement and the first negotiated agreement ASEAN has been involved in with another country. The importance of this agreement will be seen when ASEAN nations being to use China’s currency Yuan. This can drive China’s Yuan to become a major global trading currency. This agreement is important in the movement for the regional economic environment (Shamsi, 2010). Negative Impact of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement The economic head of ASEAN is Indonesia. The idea of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement is not beneficial to ASEAN countries and should be re-considered. Indonesia has pointed out that the economy of China has recently increased and become powerful in global terms. The exemption from custom duties for Chinese goods ill challenges the local business survival with an influx of less expensive Chinese goods (Shamsi, 2010). Bankruptcy is a real possibility for industrial areas in the small and medium sized zones according to the chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association. The automotive industry in Malaysia is also wary of this agreement in that the impact on local auto industries could be hit hard. The view from many ASEAN members is that the agreement much more benefits China than the ASEAN countries. China in size alone has a large market for domestic consumption and ability to export on a grander scale than that of ASEAN countries (Shamsi, 2010). The overall feelings in most ASEAN countries are that of mixes feelings, but mostly worry concerning the agreement. The population of China with 1. 3 billion people compared to the 600 million combined of ASEAN region is notable differences in terms of markets. The concept that took ten years to come to light, seems that with the changes seen in the economy of China, that the agreement still has the same fruitful benefits initially anticipated (Shamsi, 2010).

An Analysis Of The Ub Group United Breweries Marketing Essay

An Analysis Of The Ub Group United Breweries Marketing Essay The inception of UB Group dates back in the late 19th Century in the year 1857. When beer was being distributed using bullock carts in casks and the largest number of customers were the defense personnel. Positive evolution has been undertaken in the company as United Breweries is manufacturing and delivering beer around the whole world fulfilling the customers wants across generations and continents. Today, UB Group records remarkable success over the last 94 years of operation. UB Group is a large Holding Company that majorly owns five companies; United Spirits Limited (USL), United Breweries Limited (UBL), Kingfisher Airlines, Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (MCF), UB Engineering that have seen the company lead in market share worldwide. The companies, United Spirits and United Breweries have attained landmarks with revenue shooting beyond one hundred million. In the same line United Spirits has developed into close proximity to the planets major distiller. United Breweries also has recorded increase sales for the first moment in time that surpass half of market share control in the exceedingly cutthroat brewing space. Other companies too have performed outstandingly well. Propelled by the countrys endeavored growth trajectory growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as by quantification of poverty reduction, the company is geared towards attaining higher goals and objectives. The company is led through corporate Governance in light of transparency of high principles through substantial promoter holding constituents of the Board which include four directors. The company enjoys endowment of knowledgeable and distinguished individuals who supplement external and internal perspectives that offer great support to the Board. UB Group reserves a wealth of employee with specialized skills and an undeterred commitment to their jobs allocated. The Group is led by the chairman Mr. Vijay Malaya, who succeeded his father position. He has a wide experience and skill in management having trained in several courses. He is remarkably the foremost Indian to be holder of formula one team. He is the Groups Chairman in India and USA. Consumer diversity is increasingly evolving and businesses have looked for different ways to identify their needs and subsequently satisfy them. Market analysis techniques have intensively and extensively looked into consumer behavior and trend in the market to identify the marketing opportunities and explore them by meeting the desires of customer in a more profitable manner. UB Group has achieved to amass the biggest share of the market in India and the world as well. A deep analysis of the market analysis techniques used by the company will be undertaken to realize the opportunities that the company had realized in its various investments and enhanced service delivery (Kress Snyder, 1994). Market segmentation involves three basic steps in developing a market entry strategy. Although in essence it just groups the market by common features of certain groups with a focus to demography, these steps help in citing the differences correctly. First the customers are grouped according to their needs and reactions to as to categorically know what type of products the market want, how much by what group of customers. This will forge the way forward in the design of the product (Nelson, 2010). UBLs market is projected to expand significantly owing to the fact that Heineken Internal is signing a shareholder agreement, but most contributing factor is the leverage Heinekens distribution strength that will spearhead the marketing of Kingfisher Beer in the chosen International Markets. Second, after determining the wants you determine the segment which you are to deliver your products. Thirdly, you have to lie down and come up with a product portfolio so as to be able to gauge the trend, cost and extent of the product in terms of distribution. Demand has to be looked into in the first steps. Market segmentation gives a more precise data and analysis which to the business is significant in making projections while identifying the real opportunity in the market. There are different means however of how to achieve through a market segmentation, it is fundamentally through the company capability that this can be effectively be achieved. The Group is committed in its involvement in corporate social responsibility. Over the years the company has been keen to endeavor in dealings in the area of Life Sciences that have led to the development of Mallya Hospital at Bangalore that has a touch to the underprivileged in the community by offering them subsidized service. The hospital has owned the reputation of using exceptional medical equipments that translated into quality medical care and the most excellent medical consultants. The hospital has registered significant improvement and development, today, the initially 150-bed hospital has been turned into a 450-bed hospital of which an estimated of 50 beds are set aside to specifically care for seriously ill patients. The company boasts of this community extension service owing to the fact that it was the first Indian Hospital to be awarded ISO 9002 certification. Group Company has taken aggressive exportation as a market strategy for marketing its products rather than partial exportation bearing in mind that it produces different brands, it does not wait for orders but goes to look for them. It has extensively built branches in many parts of the world, other than India, so that it stores its products as it seeks or attends to the demand already identified in the market. The SWOT analysis is a useful tool for understanding markets and subsequent decision making for all sorts of available opportunities in the market. Determination of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats are critical in getting a good review of strategy and direction of a company proposition of investment in a market. However, in order to increase on the reliability of the SWOT analysis it is critical that one completes a PEST analysis first. PEST analysis is a fundamental tool in understanding the market opportunities and growths attached to it after ones investments. The acronym stand which implies a critical brainstorming review of the market Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors has proved to be fundamental in assessing organizations markets. It gives the indicators of the challenges and advantages both in political, social and economical aspects of the market. Group Company proved to have ventured in their market through critical review of this using this method as reflected in the success factors and the choice of the countries it has invested in. Its investments in USA for example, was due to their political and economic stability, and an extended hand in the purchasing power of the customers which was intriguing, as reflected in the high success of USL and UBL in America. SWOT on the other hand restrained the company from setting up its manufacturing companies because of the fluctuating economic status of the county. Group Company were able to assess their markets using Porters five forces model that enabled them gauge the markets competitive strength and position. Bearing in mind of the stiff competition, the company innovatively increased its number of brand and ventured into aggressive exportation of its products. It got into partnership with its promoters so as to increase the sales turnover and turned threats of technology obsoleteness by engaging its UB Engineering Company in time to time plant installation and upgrading of plants. The company recognized the existing competitive challenge with its competitors, fully evaluated the threats of the new market identified and the purchasing power of the consumers and threats in terms of the immense range of products in the market, and associated changes in prices that might plunge the company into a loss or closure. The company has the biggest market share because of its accrued single window ventures to invest in the global market. Holding Company of the Group manages stakes in UB group leading companies which are United Spirits Limited (USL), United Breweries Limited (UBL), and Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Each major investment is prevailing leader in their own market because of their fast increasing segment response to current emerging customer trends. Other than the three above major successful investments, other group ventures in setting up of industrial plants through its engineering company, and in the manufacture pharmaceutical and fertilizers are improving at a gradual rate. This was reflected in the analysis of the size of structure and success of each investment which confirmed a relative relationship to their respective market share. The analysis of the market share of the above investee companies was as follows: The UB Group, being one of the forefronts in terms of branded customer group as indicated above, has dominated the industry in three of its consumer driven investments: alcohol and beverages which is its leading in market share with 30%, dominated in spirits associated with the different brands quality that today it controls 40% of the market shares, and the aviation which is also leading with 45% of the market share. However, UBE, MCF and AVENTIS might indicate less market shares as compared to the former three of 28%, 22% and 15%, but it is also proud to realize such market shares by the company put it among the top service and products providers in their respective markets. United Spirits Limited (USL) has been the leading and the worlds second largest spirit company with consistent domination and a market share of 40%. Offers a wide variety of brands, over 140 and has specialized in a twenty percent of the brands going for multimillionaire ranging from whisky, Brandy, Rum to Vodka and Gin. In the year 2009, the company recorded a turnover of over 90 million in sales revenue. The company has been able to the global market and wins most customers that led to it being voted as the best company and attracted awards across all fields and categories. For instance, instance in June the company was able to win over 108 awards, in all the international wine and spirit contests. The company is thus associated with innovation, the best market entry strategy and market analysis and enjoys being the first single diet whisky manufacture in the whole world. Kingfisher Airline Limited is among the biggest international airline operators serving over 400 flights a day in India and over 2500 flights internationally. KAF constantly dominates 45% of the market with a wide destination networks. Its services range from regional to long-haul internal destination suiting majority of airline customers. Apart from the stylish red interiors in the aircraft that customers enjoy, they are also satisfied with the in-flight entertainment, not to mention the reliable smartly dressed crew and ground staff that meet ones needs on request. For instance, in May 2009, KAL recorded a total of one million international passengers that saw the company realize the highest market share. UB Engineering is has been renown in the market for turning construction investments and building dreams into a reality. The company has strongly focused on, but not limited to, projects in industrial installation, power, fabrication, fire fighting, and agrochemicals. However a deep concentration on erecting plants with speed and efficiency saw its competition on flexibility realize an increased market share. The companys undeterred commitment to compete on quality made it achieve the award on ISO 9001:2000 certification. It has widely built its reputation for effective operation covering fitting, gauging and maintenance of mechanical projects (Janssen, 2004). Today UB engineering records substantial turnovers of Rs. 150 Crore with a rapidly increasing trend, the last realized was Rs.275 Crore. One of the leading International engineering companies in the field of installation of industrial plants that is deeply focused on Trunkey Division for developments in Power generation, Fertilizer quality improvement and manufacture, Fire Fighting, sewage Treatment, Agrochemical production among others. Obstacles The Group Company therefore has been able to win most markets and realize aggressive growth. Its ability to change its products in line with the customers preferences was because it had mastered the market so well. In the 1950s, it expanded from single production of beer to production of spirits and even went ahead to acquire more acquire companies for production. This notwithstanding, the company in 2003, increased its brands and acquires more business for the production of liquor. It was at this time that the company released its most selling brand the Kingfisher. The company has the biggest market share because of its accrued single window ventures to invest in the global market. Holding Company of the Group manages stakes in UB group leading companies which are United Spirits Limited (USL), United Breweries Limited (UBL), and Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Each major investment is prevailing leader in their own market because of their fast increasing segment response to current emerging customer trends. Other than the three above major successful investments, other group ventures in setting up of industrial plants through its engineering company, and in the manufacture pharmaceutical and fertilizers are improving at a gradual rate. This was reflected in the analysis of the size of structure and success of each investment which confirmed a relative relationship to their respective market share (Janssen, 2004).

Maya Deren and Her Successful Integration of Dance and Film :: Biography Biographies Essays

Maya Deren and Her Successful Integration of Dance and Film The topic of dance films could not be discussed without mentioning Maya Deren. A dancer, ethnographer, philosopher, and â€Å"visual poet†, Maya Deren is said to have given birth to the American avant-garde film movement. Born Eleanora Derenkovskaya on April 29, 1917, in Kiev, Ukraine, (the year of the Russian Revolution), she was a revolutionary innovator from the start. She was born to her beloved mother Marie Fiedler and father Solomon Derenskovsky. In 1922 her family left the Soviet Union for America. They settled in Syracuse, New York. By 1928, her father had shortened their name to Deren. Maya’s childhood name was Elinka. As a young girl, Elinka hated her legs. She had a rather stalky build for American standards, and because of this, she loved to wear boots. At age ten she gave herself the nickname of â€Å"Bootsy.† Little did she know where those stalky legs would take her. Deren attended Syracuse University to study journalism. This is where her interest in film was first sparked. During this period, she began to write poetry, served as the national secretary of the Young Peoples Socialist League, and met her first husband, Gregory Bardacke. Although her marriage did not last long, Gregory helped her to develop a strong interest in politics, an area in which she would continue to participate. Deren completed her B.A. at New York University in 1936. She then went on to earn an M.A. in English literature from Smith College in 1939. It was her next move that introduced her to the world of dance. She found a secretarial job working for African American dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. With Dunham, Deren toured with the road show of Cabin in the Sky. While on tour, she met her next husband and life long inspiration, Czech filmmaker, Alexander Hackenschmied, later known as Alexander Hammid. It is her union with Hammid that allowed her to combine her interests and begin to create films. From an inheritance she earned from her father, she bought a second-hand 16mm Bolex camera. With this camera, Deren and her husband created her first and most famous film Meshes of the Afternoon in 1943. By this time, Elenora had shortened her name to Maya, the word for â€Å"veil of illusion† in Hindu mythology. Deren went on to create many more avant-garde films integrating dance, mise-en-scene, and the art of montage.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases :: essays research papers

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually Transmitted Diseases STDs, a.k.a venereal diseases, infectious diseases passed from one person to another during sexual contact. STDs are the most common infections known. More than 12 million people in the United States, including 3 million teenagers, are infected with STDs every year. The United States has the highest STD rate in the world about one in ten Americans will contract an STD during his or her lifetime. People who do not know they are infected risk infecting their sexual partners and, in some cases, their unborn children. If left untreated, these diseases may cause pain or may destroy a woman's ability to have children. Some STDs can be cured with a single dose of antibiotics, but AIDS cannot be cured. Those most at risk for contracting STDs are people who have unprotected sex—without using a condom, people who have multiple partners, and people whose sex partners are drug users who share needles. Static’s show that A mericans between the ages of 16 and 24 are most likely of catching STDs than older adults, because younger people usually have multiple sexual partners than an older person in a long-term relationship. Teenagers may be embarrassed to tell their sexual partners they are infected Teenagers may also be embarrassed or unable to seek medical attention for STDs. This means that they only more likely to pass the disease to other young people and have a greater risk of suffering the long-term consequences of untreated STDs. STDs are transmitted by infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and single-celled organisms called protozoa that live in warm, moist parts of the body, like the genital area, mouth, and throat. Most STDs are spread while having sex, but oral sex can also spread disease. Some STDs are passed from a mother to her child while pregnant, when the disease enters the baby's bloodstream, during childbirth as the baby passes through the birth canal, or after birth, when t he baby drinks infected breast milk. AIDS can be transmitted by blood contact such as open wounds, between people who share infected needles or received through an injection of infected blood. Some people believe that STDs can be transmitted through shaking hands or other casual contact, or through contact with inanimate objects such as clothing or toilet seats, but they can’t. Chlamydeous, is from trachoma is bacterium, is the most commonly transmitted STD in the United States.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay -- The Crucible Arthur Miller Essa

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Arthur Miller was an American playwright who was born in 1915. He grew up in New York to a Jewish family. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938 where he began to distinguish himself as a playwright. His first plays were Honors at Dawn (1936) and No Villain (1937) which won the University of Michigan Hopwood Awards. His Death of a Salesman won the Pulitzer prize in 1949. Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 during the McCarthy period when Americans were accusing each other of Pro-Communist beliefs. Many of Miller’s friends were being attacked as communists and in 1956, Miller himself was brought before the House of Un-American Activities Committee where he was found guilty of beliefs in communism. The verdict was reversed in 1957 in an appeals court. Miller married Marylin Monroe in 1956 but divorced her in 1961. The Crucible is set against the backdrop of the mad witch hunts of the Salem witch trials in the late 17th century. It is about a town, after accusations from a few girls, which begins a mad hunt for witches that did not exist. Many townspeople were hanged on charges of witchcraft. Miller brings out the absurdity of the incident with the theme of truth and righteousness. The theme is conveyed through the struggles of Miller’s main character, John Proctor. Summary Act one begins with Reverend Parris praying over her daughter, Betty Parris, who lies unconscious on her bed. Through conversations between Reverend Parris and his niece Abigail Williams, and between several girls, the audience learns that these girls, including Abigail and Betty, were engaged in occultic activities in the forest lead by Tituba, Parris’ slave from Barbados. Parris caug... ... became more pure than the common Puritans, dying as a martyr like the original apostles. He learned what truth meant through his suffering. Through Proctor’s struggle, Miller displays the struggles within each of our own hearts. Many times we have witnessed some wrong happening to some other person and wished not to get involved. However, sometimes, like Proctor, there might be something that forces us in. Would we be quit after only saving our wife like Proctor could have done, or would we go for the entire community as Proctor did? Conclusion The story reminds its readers of an ugly blemish on human history. It reminds us that man is not perfect, and that we can make mistakes. However, even with these mistakes, we can cleanse ourselves and purify ourselves by making what is wrong right. The sufferings become to the sufferer like a crucible.

From Discussions and Material Presented Essay

From discussions and material presented during lectures, write an essay to demonstrate your theoretical understanding and practical application of Marketing. Each student is to select one of the essay topics below and write an essay of 1500 words, to be submitted in Week 5. The essay must be referenced with relevant up-to-date sources. Choose one of the topics mentioned below: 1. Segmentation, targeting and positioning are interrelated activities which are important to achieving a successful Marketing Mix. Discuss these concepts in theory and give practical examples of how they can be applied to one industry of your choice. Examples of an industry you might choose: fashion for men, or personal care products (shampoo, shavers etc), or pet products, or toys, or vehicles, or furniture, or fashion for women, or financial services, or beverages, or baby products, or snack foods or another industry. 2. Marketing is all about delighting the customers. Discuss the theory and then give practical, real examples of how various products or services are delighting their customers today. Also provide your own ideas of how these products or services could further improve in the future. 3. Discuss the concept of perceived value and its importance to consumer behaviour and marketing. Discuss the theory and then give practical examples of how customers perceive various brands and how this impacts on their behaviour. 4. Good market research and environmental scanning forms the basis of success for other related marketing activities. Discuss the theory and then give practical examples of what types of market research and environmental scanning a company like Domino’s Pizza should do and explain why. . Why is it important to do market research and adjust the marketing mix when entering into a foreign market? Explain the theory and then give practical examples of how some companies have already adjusted their marketing mix in foreign markets. Also, explain what advice you would give the marketing team of â€Å"Vegemite† – if they wanted to launch this pr oduct in a foreign market such as South Africa (or a market of your choice), where people do not know the product/brand.

Evils of War Essay

There is no doubt that war is an evil one. It is the greatest catastrophe that can befall human beings. It brings death and destruction, merciless slaughter and butchery, disease and starvation, poverty and ruin in its wake. A particularly disturbing side of modern wars is that they tend to become global so that they may engulf the entire world. But though war is an evil, we must recognize the fact that it is a necessary, inescapable evil. A glance at the past history of the world will show war has been a recurrent phenomenon in the history of nations. We have had wars of all types wars lasting for a year or so and a war lasting for hundred years. Clashes of arms have always occurred. In a world war has ways been waged. War has indeed, been such a marked feature of every age and period. This has come to be regarded as part of The normal life of nations. Poet and prophets have dreamt of a millennium – an utopia in which war will not exist and eternal peace will reign on earth, but these dreams have not been fulfilled. The occurrence the Second World War however, conclusively proved that to think of an unbroken peace’s to be unrealistic and that no institution or assembly can ever ensure the presence of peace. The United Nations Organisation, with all the good work that it has seen doing, is not proving as effective as was desired. A large number of wars, The most recent ones behind the one in Vietnam, the other between India and Pakistan, or Ind-China war, Iran-Iraq war or Arab Isreal war. The fact of the matter is that, fighting is a natural instinct in peace. It is, indeed, too much to exact so many nations to live in a state of eternal peace. Besides, there will always be wide differences of option between various nations, different angle of looking at matters that have an international importance, radical difference in policy and ideology and they cannot be settled by mere discussion so that resort to war becomes very necessary in these cases.

Participant Observation Essay

The two research methods in sociology are Quantitative and Qualitative. Quantitative research is typically about numbers and graphs. The purpose is to predict and classify results and create graphs and models to explain the results. The researcher is detached from the subject matter and knows exactly what they are looking for. This type of research method can begin with a thesis and is best utilized towards the end of an experiment. Qualitative research is almost the opposite. It is about the expression of the results in words or visual aids. The researcher is heavily involved in the subject matter and only knows roughly what they are looking for. This research method is best utilized towards the beginning of an experiment because the intrinsic evolutionary quality about this method (Neill, 2007). Both methods of research can be philosophically justified because they actually would work great hand in hand in one experiment. However, the practice of Qualitative research has a rich quality about it. This form of study gives leeway to freedom in experimentation. Not knowing exactly what you want to find out or learn in an experiment and a research process that is flexible is desirable to many researchers. Two research methods in anthropology are Participant Observation and Survey Research. Participant Observation involves a researcher fully immersing themself in a culture for an extended amount of time in order to experience that culture â€Å"from within† (Donohue-Lynch, 2014). This requires the researcher to participate in daily activities to gain understanding of what it means to be a native. This type of research method allows the environment and subject matter to direct the method of research. Survey Research consists of surveys, interviews, and questionnaires that give insight to a large population. It is important to consider the audience when formulating a question. The researcher must consider culture, language, and age among many other things because the question can be easily misinterpreted. Interviewing the subjects ask direct questions and leads the experiment. There are several methods of research in anthropology; however, Participant Observation appears to have some weight to its method. It seems that the best way to gain knowledge about a specific population would be to live like they do rather than question them about it, or see it in the media, or reference history. The best way to lend yourself to discovery is by fully immersing yourself in it and letting go of control, let the data uncover itself through intrinsic experiences. Each of the previously mentioned research methods is valuable to scientific study. Anthropological and Sociological research methods differ in that they aim to discover something different; they have different goals. Quantitative and Qualitative methods differ from each other in that the first utilizes a thesis and is better utilized at the beginning of an experiment and the latter does not have a clear set goal and is better utilized at the end of an experiment. However, they are the same in that they accurately examine a group of people or social group and are able to extrapolate information specific to their population through their research methods. Participant Observation and Survey Research differ in that the first uses visual aides and immersing oneself into a culture to gain knowledge about the subject groups habits and experience what it is like to be part of that group by becoming a member and participating in daily activities, the latter focuses on questionnaires, verbal or written, in order to gain information about a specific group of people by communicating and directing them to provide information that you desire, the process is more rigid and requires more technology than participant observation. However, they share a likeness in that they both reach a specific group and are effective in retrieving desired information. References Donohue-Lynch, B. (2014). Cultural anthropology: Methods. Retrieved on September 5, 2014 from http://www.qvctc.commnet.edu/brian/methods.html Neill, J. (2007) Qualitative versus quantitative research: Key points in a classic debate. Retrieved on September 4, 2014 from http://wilderdom.com/research/QualitativeVersusQuantitativeResearch.html.

Divergent Minds

Divergent character or Divergent personality Thesis Statement on Personality vs Character: Even though society may have an impact to change our character, our decision is the ultimate factor that changes as we accommodate in the environment we live in. While parents have a major influence in our life at young age, what they instill is what has been created by their parents and their surrounding. We grow up with certain types of personalities from our parents but our characters are challenged or molded within our lifetime and who we are behind closed doors have made us to be divergent with society.The book â€Å"Divergent† by Veronica Roth shows how society can have an impact on ones personality but a persons character may never change. While parents have a major influence in our life at young age, Should our characters be challenged or molded by our surrounding? because I believe that personality traits and character traits are misunderstood. while personality is the first thi ng we see in a person such like a mask that someone would wear, we downsize the fact that a persons character is really who they are under pressure or alone in there room from the unseen eye of society.Personality perceives personality but who we are is rooted in our hidden character which are uniquely shaped by the surroundings in life, society, and culture we live in and Ironically, research has shown that personality traits are determined largely by heredity and are mostly immutable. Character traits, as opposed to personality traits, are based on beliefs (e. g, that honesty and treating others well is important—or not), and though beliefs can be changed, it's far harder than most realize.

Country differences in curriculum designs (something like that ) Research Paper - 1

Country differences in curriculum designs (something like that ) - Research Paper Example However, after 1988, the ministry of education allowed the schools to use textbooks from various sources. The education system in China emphasized in the preparation for examination as a way of evaluating the performance of the student in schools. However today China does not put more effort on the test; instead it put more emphasize on the reformation in the curriculum. The curriculum system of China dwells on eight spheres of learning unlike before where it dwelled on very many disciplines. These are Language and literature, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, technology, arts, physical education and practical. The average class size in China has 50 students depending on the location of the school. The teachers chiefly relied on the scheme of work. Moreover, there was consultation with the teacher. Learning was also expected to take place outside the class. Furthermore, students are expected to participate fully in class work through the engagement of the teacher. For the evaluation of performance, learners take an examination that will enable them to be promoted to the next level of learning. The teacher training institution in China at the secondary and higher education category is responsible for the delivery to the students in all the institution of learning that include over 200 million student without the preschool pupils. Conventionally, the teachers in China who handled the student at grades 1- 12 were supposed to teach students in the subjects that they were trained in the training colleges. In China, the class teacher is charged with the responsibility of teaching only a single subject to either one class or more while other teachers are handling other issues. Such a practice is common from grade 7- 12. The teacher who begins handling a particular subject to a class of student takes them through Grade 9 where they take Regional examination to decide their fate for example whether they are joining college or vocational

Applied Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Applied Law - Essay Example Some of the U.S. laws include making all information clear to the customer ensures that no information is hidden. The company must be registered by the government, and that the data collected from the users (their personal information) must be used for the purpose it was collected. Laws regarding digital rights and online advertising also apply (Wilson, 2003). Yes, virtual space can be profitable. Targeting as many potential consumers as possible via the internet has now become easy (Wilson, 2003). The business is not restricted to a particular geographical location; instead it is widely spread and reaches to international customers. If the revenue from sales is unsatisfying, then the advertising revenue on the virtual space may cover the costs. Joining ventures with the other similar business and sourcing out for cost-effective products may help too (Wilson, 2003). Not only this, the overheads are also minimized hence it is, indeed, possible to yield a profit from the virtual space. No, I think the considerations would be similar for any business operating online or offline. These include diversification and / or capitalization (Wilson,