Laterality Differences in Native Arabic Speakers and English Speakers Article

Laterality Differences in Native Arabic Speakers and English Speakers - Article Example This first for example tests whether an English speaker is able to give right ear preference in hearing Arabic sounds and vice versa. This was then extended to include the other categories. Although the majority of tests showed no significant differences for left or right ear perception i.e. showed no suggestion of lateralized perception, at least one from each of the 4 categories of objectives did show evidence of a significant difference at the 5% level of significance. In the first set of tests in which all participants were exposed to both native and non-native sounds to observe any lateralized perception, it was found that each group of speakers had lateralized perception for their own native language but not for the non-native language. That is, the lateralized perception was evident amongst Arabic speakers during the Arabic language test, and amongst English speakers during the English language test, but not during the language test that was in a foreign language for each group. The significant finding was that in these cases, the average scores for right-ear perception was greater than the average scores for left-ear perception. Furthermore, in a comparison bet ween the two tests, the average score on the Arabic language test was significantly greater than the average score on the English language test for right-ear perception in the case of Arabic language speakers, and left-ear perception in the case of English language speakers. Whereas the above was as expected, when the three factors of handedness, gender, and native language were studied, the results were more interesting, and lateralization was evident in one of the 4 instances for each factor. In the English language test, gender was the only significant factor whereas, in the Arabic language test, the other two factors rather than gender were significant.

Literature ans society Essay Example for Free

Literature ans society Essay The literature of an age, and its social set up keeping and reacting one over the other. Literature influences the society; society is reflected in Literature and in this way, in all languages and at all times there has been a close interaction between the two. Literature of any age cannot escape the influence of the social scene and therefore is found reflecting the society of the age when it is created. The poet, the dramatist, the novelist, the essayist are all the product of their age and their-age openly and clearly gets imaged in their compositions. That cannot be helped, it so seems. Take  the example of two literatures — English and Hindi. Chaucer is called the father of English poetry and actually English literature in its form and language which kept on developing and improving, begins from him. His most representative work is the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales and then the Canterbury Tales. All the characters painted in these tales are the true representation of the types of such people as they were in his times. While Chaucer is a reflector of those characters and their types of his age — he is virtually and truly described as the chronicler of his age — his characters whether a  Knight; the Prioress; the monk, the fat fryer, the sailor, the squire, the priest — all are truly the representatives of their types in the contemporary society as they actually were. Chaucer is a painter as well as a critic of his society. Shakespeare — the greatest dramatist of English language — one of the greatest of all languages brings in ‘ghosts’, ‘witches’, and ‘courtier’ and ‘fools’ in his plays which were as per the liking of his audience and a part of the English Society of his times. That is what is rightly said about Shakespeare that in addition to the normal three ‘unities’—  Time, Place and Action in drama, he brought about the fourth unity — ‘unity with the people’. That encomium clearly Shakespeare being influenced by the society of his age and in his plays he, though never gave any message or pronounced any philosophy, but that is always there — the triumph of the good over the evil. This was the message that was most needed to his age after all that had happened earlier — Henry VIII —the king having been killed, Mary Tudor — a despotic, arrogant, a cruel ruler and then a benevolent, all embracing middle-path follower queen — Queen Elizabeth. As is the king so are the people — is an old but true saying and Shakespeare reflects that hilarious sometimes, but somber and philosophic at the other in his plays. Hulton was very much the product of his age. A truly puritanical person; a deeply religious man, he gave to his age which was battling with belief and disbelief — the message of God’s triumph over Satan. The Eighteenth century of English literature is a true product of the age. The social scene had degenerated into debauchery and license after the Restoration of Charles II who brought along with him all that he had enjoyed during his exile and adjourns in France and the literature of that period reflects all that was happening in the society. Alexander Pope’s ‘Rape of the Lock’ is a reflection of the so-called lascivious high society of and pungent satire too, on all that was too much too bad for the society. Thus Pope is a reflector as a corrector of his age. So are Addison and Steele as essayists. Balzac, Zola, Maupassant of France had cast their influence on every Wycherley, conserve and later Restoration dramatists who had gone to the lowest depth in describing social disparity and this is how literature reflected the age. The French Revolution — a very significant political and social event of Europe had as its basic tenets — Equality, Fraternity and Liberty — and these tenets and the revolution did cast its spell all over Europe and England and the English poets could not escape that influence. Wordsworth was moved by the humanitarian aspect of the revolution in the earlier phase but later its bloodiness and violence disillusioned him and all this is reflected in Wordsworth’s poetry — ‘poet of man’ and in his later poetry. Shelley was moved by the revolution’s ‘spirit’ of revolution and Byron by its fighting spirit. Tennyson was a true representative of the Victorian age and sang of the glories of the Empire while his nature poetry gets influenced by the advancement of Science in the later nineteenth century. He did not remain a ‘priest of nature’ as Wordsworth was because where science advances religion declines. Charles Dickens saw the backside of industrialization — the poor getting Poorer and the rich richer — the sufferings of the poor are ignored and his novels reflect all this. The First World War (1914-19) created a group of who sang of the glories of war, of chivalry and  Sacrifice for the nation and then there is the post w poetry and post-war drama — Bernard Shaw dramatist known for his pungent satire, pricking the balloon of romanticism associated with war heroism and love in his ‘Arms and the Man’. Eliot comes on the literary stage to deal with the utter disillusionment of the age in his ‘Wasteland’ all this about English Literature. Similarly in Hindi Literature, when Prithvi Raj Chauhan was fighting valiantly with Mohammad Gori Chandrabardai — the warrior poet was singing of the glories of war and his hero in his ‘Prithvi Raj Raso’. Then came the Bhakti Kal — the period of Bhakti — the country and the nation had fallen under the Muslim yoke and there were class conflicts on the basis of faith and religion. There came on the literary scene, Kabir, who preached anti-fanaticism; pricked the bloated balloon of superstitions and blind faiths and admonished both ‘mullahs’ and ‘Pandits’ and showed the way of God. Tulsidas found the Hindu society divided into factions ‘Shaivas’ and ‘Vaishnavas’ and showed the path of love, brotherhood and mutual respect for all Gods and presented the ideals of a son, a brother, a wife, and a devotee. The triumph of Ram — the incarnation of the Good over Ravan, the symbol of Evil is an eternal lesson given by him to the society — whose lessons remain revered even till today. The period of comparative social peace created a set of poets who indulged in pleasing their patrons — the Kings — as their courtiers and songsters. Their poetry is full of amorous sports in which they make Krishna a Radha and the Gopis their actors — a very wrong a vitiated depiction — unbecoming of those great. This was done just to gratify their patrons — the sensuous and sensual kings. This is how the social scene was reflecting itself in literature. Then, comes the modern age. The British were ruling India and there were classes close to the ruler and classes suffering at the hands of the officials and at the hands of the so-called elite of the society. There were classes created — the superior, the downtrodden — the imperialists and the nationalists. Prem Chand — the great novelist unravels this class fight in his novels and thereby, not only reflects the society of his times but gives a lesson too. His novels, his short stories — all have a lesson to give. There was Bhartendu Harishchandra — the poet the harbinger of the modern age and thought, who successfully caricatured the classes — social and religious — thus reflecting the social scene with a point to reform it. Thus goes on the scene. Maithili Saran Gupta — the Gandhian poet sings of the glory of Ram, of the glory of Lord Buddha, of the glory of other mythological heroes his thrust throughout being to awaken the masses and enlighten them into cordial social contacts. The national fervor reverberated through the veins of the Psyche under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and poets  after poets, writers after writers sang of the of our ancient land and its culture. Jai Sanker rasad, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, the poets; Dharmvir Shrilal Shukla — the novelists brought into focus the inequalities and imbalances that plagued the social scene and through their thoughtful and sometimes highly satirical way brought to the fore the social and political malaise through which our present generation passing. This true presentation has been with a purpose — to awaken the social conscience to the problems that dog the people. Literature thus has been holding the mirror up to Nature on one hand; reflecting all traditions,  trends and tendencies while rising up the finger of caution too to guard against all that goes against the basic values of life. Literature and Society have remained and shall remain ever intertwined and the more they so remain, the more solid would the foundations be laid for a sustained growth; a well-coordinated growth and a corrected social order Literature has to play its part as a reflector and a corrector of society and society has to inspire men of letters to keep themselves on their guard towards their mission of social good.

History Of Air Asia

History Of Air Asia Air Asia was established in 1993 and commenced its operations on 18th November 1996. This airline was originally founded by a government owned conglomerate DRB-Hicom. However, on 2nd December 2001, the heaviliy indebted airline was purchased by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandess company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit. Fernandes proceeded to engineer a remarkable turnaround, turning a profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in KLIA at breakneck speed which undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as one ringgit. In 2003, AirAsia has opened a second hub at Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru which is near Singapore. And, it launched its first international flight to Bangkok. AirAsia has therefore started a Thai subsidiary, added Singapore to the destination list, and it commenced flights to Indonesia. Also, flight to Macau was started in June 2004 and flight to Mainland China and the Philippines started in April 2005. In addition, the flight to Vietnam and Cambodia is in the year 2005 while to Brunei and Myanmar is in 2006. With a strong yet simple slogan Now Everyone Can Fly, AirAsia has effectively placed its brand in customers mind when comes to selection of flight. In Malaysia, AirAsia is the second powerful national airline. Also, it was the first successful low cost and ticket-less airline in the Southeast Asian region. It is main based in the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). And, AirAsia has a registered office in Petaling Jaya, Selangor and its head office is on the grounds of KLIA in Sepang, Selangor. In addition, AirAsia is one of the successful businesses that have adopted cost leadership thoroughly through effectiveness and efficiency of the operation management. AirAsia has broken the travel norms around the world speedily and has become the worlds top airline. Beside this, AirAsia also has a route network that spans more than 20 countries; therefore it continues to pave the way for lower cost aviation through innovative solutions, more efficien t processes and a passionate approach to the business. The vision of AirAsia is to be the largest cost airline in Asia and for the purpose of serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity as well as high fares. There are 4 missions such as to be the best company to work for where the employees are treated as part of the big family in AirAsia, to create a ASEAN brand which is being recognized globally, to attain the lowest cost to make sure everyone in the world can fly with AirAsia, and to maintain the highest quality product by embracing technology in order to reduce cost and enhance the service levels of AirAsia. Apart from that, together with the associate companies such as AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, AirAsia is set to take the low cost flying. AirAsia X was established in 2007 in order to provide high frequency as well as point to point networks to the long haul business. Its cost efficiencies are derived from maintaining a simple aircraft fleet and a route network based on low cost airports. Hence, guests will continue to enjoy the low fares through cost savings that AirAsia pass on to the guests. Moreover, AirAsia X franchises the brand name of AirAsia, Asias largest low cost carrier which uses a common ticketing website, uniform, uniforms, and management style with AirAsia. AirAsia X is also affiliated with Virgin Group and Air Canada. Reasons for Adopting Information Technology (IT) There are some factors that contributed to the adoption of IT for AirAsia. As we know, airline companies involved in helping people move from one place to another. And, there are billions of people in this world. Without IT, airline companies will not process smoothly and it might lead to serious confusing among the customers and the company. Also, people in this society are having the same problems such as traffic jam, working pressure and time pressure. They are busy with their works and they focus more on efficiency and effectiveness. They do not want to spend extra time on irrelevant things such as queue up to buy something or waiting for long hours. Therefore, most airlines including AirAsia do offer online reservation for the flight as well as hotel rooms in order to save their customers time as well as enhance customer satisfaction. Apart from that, the technology is getting in advanced in this modern era. There are many companies who have adopted Information Technology (IT) in doing their business. And, this IT has helped in enhancing a better management of the operation of the companies. Also, people in this society are concern more on company who has adopted IT and how this IT will help in making their life better as well as decision making in some tasks. AirAsia therefore choose to adopt IT in its business as to follow up the current IT trend as well as fulfilling the demand of the people in this society. They also implemented different systems to enhance their overall operation which will lead to efficiency and effectiveness of AirAsia. IT Strategy AirAsia has some strategies initiatives which involve IT solutions in order to build its company share and reputation. In order to make its operation effective and efficient, AirAsia has implemented few IT systems in its marketing and sales activities. As you know, E-Commerce in nowadays has become a business tool and it is also a vital strategic management that allows a company to sell, advertise, purchase, supplies inventory tracking as well as sharing of information. Therefore, E-Commerce does become a major success to Airline Company that lead to effectively and efficiency in their business. AirAsia is one of the airline companies that implements E-Commerce and maximizes their information technology usage to manage their company effectively and efficiently including make low cost possibly in their business. In order to maximize their IT, AirAsia has implemented current IT systems, for examples, Yield Management System (YMS), Computer Reservation System (CRS), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). These systems have indirectly generated extra revenues and build customer loyalty for AirAsia. Yield Management System (YMS) which also known as Revenue Management System (RMS) is the process of understanding, anticipating as well as influencing consumer behavior to maximize revenues or profits from a fixed perishable resource. Moreover, there is an important component in this system which is the use of overbooking where sometimes there must be a chance that a customer may not appear during that day. As a good example, it might be possible for a customer to book a ticket for a flight but did not turn up for the departure. And, this may cause the airline to end up flying an empty seat which will then cause lost in revenue for the airline company. But, in order to solve this problem, most airlines routinely overbook their flight. And, if there is an unusually large proportion of the customers show up, the company will be forced to bump some customers to another flight. Second, AirAsia using Customer Reservation System (CRS) which is an integrated web based reservation and inventory system. This includes Internet, airport departure control, call center, as well as others. This system is a direct sales engine that rid off the travel agents effectively and the need to pay for the sales commissions to them. And, CRS is totally customer friendly as the customer can buy or reserve a ticket directly via online without come to the ticket counter. This has brought more customers to use the website often thus reduce the extra costs of customer such as transportation costs. CRS also include Open Skies and New Skies. First, the Open Skies system is a built-in web enabled reservation as well as inventory system. The solution is built expressly in order to satisfy the distinctive needs of airlines that either implements a low cost business or in the process of making their business to more efficient streamline operations. Also, this system can be used either individually or combined yet it is depending on the persons needs. Open Skies helps some low cost airlines in worldwide to become a high performance business that continue to grow widely. On the other hand, New Skies is a next generation of reservation and distribution system. And, it is designed for the worlds fastest growing airlines which include newly launched airlines as well as rapidly growing hybrid airlines such as AirAsia. This system is a comprehensive airline passenger sales and management solution that provides capabilities for integrated online booking, call center reservations, inter-airline and alliance code-share itineraries, departure control as well as travel agency global distribution connectivity. Also, New Skies is based on the Navitaires Open Skies reservation and distribution system that have been used by over 40 of the worlds successful airlines. It represents a giant leap forward in quick deployment, speed to market with the new features and enhancements. New Skies has completely integrated departure control and real time reporting to keep your operation runs smoothly. Also, it is easy to use, change as well as customize. Third, AirAsia implements Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It is a packaged of business software that integrates organizational processes and functions into a unified system. It helps business management executives with a comprehensive overview of their complete business execution which may influence their business decisions indirectly. There are some examples of functions: Human Resource, Supply Chain Management, Finance and Logistics. These all are stand alone software and has their applications and database. But, with ERP System, all of this individual software can work under one umbrella. And, all the departments can share information easily and it helps to save time and cost. The workflow that has taken place between different departments becomes more automated. The customers also get better services as the person who is using the customer facing applications can access to every bit of information that regarding each relevant process. For an instance, a person who is w ork under sales team can access to the customers product which is still under manufacturing. In addition, ERP system helps to reduce the need to carry large inventories which will increase the operational and labor costs. And, this system is implemented in AirAisia thoroughly. Experience Resulting From The IT Implements Utilization of Information Technology (IT) have directly contributed to the promotional activities, enhance brand equity, and keep the cost as low as possible by enable the customer to direct purchase the ticket online or through sales offices. This has helped the customers to save airline agent fees. The systems that have been implemented by the AirAsia have a significant change to their company. First, AirAsia has used the Yield Management System (YMS) for taking the operating costs and in helping themselves to optimize the price as well as allocate the capacity for maximizing expected profits. For an instance, seats are revenues for AirAsia and other airline companies. Every seat is considered as a profit for them. Therefore, AirAsia has introduced a plan whereby seats are available at different prices in various points of time. Hence, reservation that has done in later time will be charged more compared to one who has reserved earlier for the same seat. As a result of this system, this has enabled AirAsia to understand the behavior of their respective customers and implement effective strategy to generate expected revenues with lowest cost. Second, AirAsia has implemented Computer Reservation System (CRS). AirAsia has used Open Skies to centralize customer data and this has helped AirAsia to track booking and the schedule of flight activities in real. Open Skies booking system which provided by Navitaire performed almost flawlessly on every single occasion and it managed to handle the most demanding requirements of AirAsias flight booking operations. On the other hand, on July 2010, AirAsia has successfully completed the implementation of its new reservation system which called New Skies. This booking system has replaced the previous system, Open Skies. Furthermore, this New Skies gives the customers a new experience as well as providing a greater convenience and generate more savings for the customers. New Skies booking system has make the procedure of booking more efficiently. This New Skies ensure the airlines to maximize the distribution channels and dynamics packaging that emphasize on direct Internet sales. For distribution, New Skies gives AirAsia the control that they need over how quickly they deploy sales fares, special promotion, discounts and electric vouchers to stay ahead of the competitors. This is wise useful for AirAsia in this modern era. It also eliminates the need to maintain multiple databases associated with paper and e-tickets which indirectly increase the operational costs. Same with Open Skies, this New Skies enable the customers to continue booking online and the AirAsia sales offices, counters as well as the call center. They also can normally self check in via the web, mobile and kiosks at the airport together with the self manage options online such as adding check in baggage weight, pick a seat and pre-book meals. However, there are some differences between the Open Skies and New Skies booking system. With the new reservation system, the customers can look for the new feature which is Low Fare Finder. It helps the customers to view the lowest fare available according to their selected destination and date for travel. Also, the customers now are able to book their seats for multi-cities in just one transaction only. For an instance, if the customer plans to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Perth to Singapore and return, the respective customer do not have to make two separate bookings which is only provided by the new reservation system only. In addition, this New Skies booking system is able to support characters such as Mandarin, Japanese and other languages whereby the Open Skies system was able to support alphanumeric characters only. Hence, AirAsia can target multilingual customers globally and stay ahead in the airline industry. Lastly, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is implemented by AirAsia as this enables AirAsia to successfully maintain process integrity, reduce the financial month-end closing processing time, and speed up the reporting as well as data retrieval process. Every department such as financial, marketing and sales are unified into a single IT system to allow the employees to make decisions by viewing enterprise wide information on all airline operations. And, this system helps AirAsia by focusing on capturing transactions in daily operations therefore it helps to save operational costs and this indirectly increase the efficiency and effectiveness in its operation management. Comments on the Outcome of This Adoption of IT

The Unknown Prevalence of Youth Gambling Essay -- Gamble Winning Win E

The Unknown Prevalence of Youth Gambling A child’s motivation to begin gambling is obvious. Even at an early age children are trained to idolize winning. They are taught the tortoise is the best because he wins the race. From this elementary lesson, children develop a tendency to idolize the winners and discount the losers. Children observe gambling and have an inclination to see the player raking in armfuls of chips, not the player across the table slowly losing a week’s pay at the black jack tables. They see Las Vegas portrayed in the media as a place to go to win money. They do not see the gamblers who leave the town with an empty bank account and a potential inability to provide for their families. By looking at the gambling culture in this idealized way, children are inclined to gamble when the opportunity presents itself. They may begin innocently by entering into their father’s office pool or wagering on baseball games with their friends, but the fact is many of these children will find t hemselves facing a gambling problem in years to come. I began gambling when I was thirteen with sports pools and friendly wagers with friends. Only four years later I found myself immersed in the culture of gambling; risking my money four nights a week in poker games. When I had started gambling, the stakes were only fifty cents, but now thirty and forty dollars were up for grabs. By the time I was eighteen, even these stakes were no longer enough for me. I decided that the casinos in Atlantic City were the only venues with payoffs large enough to satiate my hunger for gambling. On nothing more than an impulse I set off on a three hour drive, bound for certain victory. I found a seat at the black jack tables in Bally... ...tions. However, the nation will not take action any time soon, not without a push. As members of a society we must do our part to increase awareness about this issue. We must make an effort today to see the adolescents don’t gamble their tomorrow away. Works Cited Eckart, Dennis. Advancement of an Emerging Science. 2003. National Center for Responsible Gaming. 10 Sept. 2003 . Moiduddin, Adil. Gambling Impact and Behavior Study. 2003. The National Opinion Research Center. 10 Sept. 2003 . Willenz, Pamela. Pathological Gambling More Prevalent Among Youths Than Adults, Study Finds. 2003. American Psychological Association. 11 Sept. 2003 .

Practice Math

1. The nth term of an arithmetic sequence is given by un = 5 + 2n. (a) Write down the common difference. (1) (b) (i) (ii) Given that the nth term of this sequence is 115, find the value of n. For this value of n, find the sum of the sequence. (5) (Total 6 marks) 2. A sum of $ 5000 is invested at a compound interest rate of 6. 3 % per annum. (a) Write down an expression for the value of the investment after n full years. (1) (b) What will be the value of the investment at the end of five years? (1) (c) The value of the investment will exceed $ 10 000 after n full years. i) (ii) Write down an inequality to represent this information. Calculate the minimum value of n. (4) (Total 6 marks) 3. (a) Consider the geometric sequence ? 3, 6, ? 12, 24, †¦. (i) (ii) Write down the common ratio. Find the 15th term. (3) Consider the sequence x ? 3, x +1, 2x + 8, †¦. IB Questionbank Maths SL 1 (b) When x = 5, the sequence is geometric. (i) (ii) Write down the first three terms. Find the co mmon ratio. (2) (c) Find the other value of x for which the sequence is geometric. (4) (d) For this value of x, find (i) (ii) the common ratio; the sum of the infinite sequence. (3) (Total 12 marks) . Clara organizes cans in triangular piles, where each row has one less can than the row below. For example, the pile of 15 cans shown has 5 cans in the bottom row and 4 cans in the row above it. (a) A pile has 20 cans in the bottom row. Show that the pile contains 210 cans. (4) (b) There are 3240 cans in a pile. How many cans are in the bottom row? (4) IB Questionbank Maths SL 2 (c) (i) There are S cans and they are organized in a triangular pile with n cans in the bottom row. Show that n2 + n ? 2S = 0. Clara has 2100 cans. Explain why she cannot organize them in a triangular pile. 6) (Total 14 marks) (ii) 5. Ashley and Billie are swimmers training for a competition. (a) Ashley trains for 12 hours in the first week. She decides to increase the amount of time she spends training by 2 hou rs each week. Find the total number of hours she spends training during the first 15 weeks. (3) (b) Billie also trains for 12 hours in the first week. She decides to train for 10% longer each week than the previous week. (i) (ii) Show that in the third week she trains for 14. 52 hours. Find the total number of hours she spends training during the first 15 weeks. (4) (c)In which week will the time Billie spends training first exceed 50 hours? (4) (Total 11 marks) IB Questionbank Maths SL 3 6. The diagram shows a square ABCD of side 4 cm. The midpoints P, Q, R, S of the sides are joined to form a second square. A Q B P R D (a) (i) (ii) Show that PQ = 2 2 cm. Find the area of PQRS. S C (3) The midpoints W, X, Y, Z of the sides of PQRS are now joined to form a third square as shown. A W Q X B P Y S R Z D C (b) (i) (ii) Write down the area of the third square, WXYZ. Show that the areas of ABCD, PQRS, and WXYZ form a geometric sequence. Find the common ratio of this sequence. 3) IB Questi onbank Maths SL 4 The process of forming smaller and smaller squares (by joining the midpoints) is continued indefinitely. (c) (i) (ii) Find the area of the 11th square. Calculate the sum of the areas of all the squares. (4) (Total 10 marks) 7. Let f(x) = log3 (a) x + log3 16 – log3 4, for x > 0. 2 Show that f(x) = log3 2x. (2) (b) Find the value of f(0. 5) and of f(4. 5). (3) The function f can also be written in the form f(x) = (c) (i) Write down the value of a and of b. ln ax . ln b (ii) Hence on graph paper, sketch the graph of f, for –5 ? x ? 5, –5 ? y ? , using a scale of 1 cm to 1 unit on each axis. (iii) Write down the equation of the asymptote. (6) (d) Write down the value of f–1(0). (1) IB Questionbank Maths SL 5 The point A lies on the graph of f. At A, x = 4. 5. (e) On your diagram, sketch the graph of f–1, noting clearly the image of point A. (4) (Total 16 marks) 8. Let f(x) = Aekx + 3. Part of the graph of f is shown below. The y-inte rcept is at (0, 13). (a) Show that A =10. (2) (b) Given that f(15) = 3. 49 (correct to 3 significant figures), find the value of k. (3) (c) (i) (ii) (iii) Using your value of k, find f? (x).Hence, explain why f is a decreasing function. Write down the equation of the horizontal asymptote of the graph f. (5) IB Questionbank Maths SL 6 Let g(x) = –x2 + 12x – 24. (d) Find the area enclosed by the graphs of f and g. (6) (Total 16 marks) 9. Consider the function f(x) = px3 + qx2 + rx. Part of the graph of f is shown below. The graph passes through the origin O and the points A(–2, –8), B(1, –2) and C(2, 0). (a) Find three linear equations in p, q and r. (4) (b) Hence find the value of p, of q and of r. (3) (Total 7 marks) IB Questionbank Maths SL 7 10. Let f (x) = 4 tan2 x – 4 sin x, ? a) ? ? ? x? . 3 3 On the grid below, sketch the graph of y = f (x). (3) (b) Solve the equation f (x) = 1. (3) (Total 6 marks) IB Questionbank Maths SL 8 11. A city is concerned about pollution, and decides to look at the number of people using taxis. At the end of the year 2000, there were 280 taxis in the city. After n years the number of taxis, T, in the city is given by T = 280 ? 1. 12n. (a) (i) (ii) Find the number of taxis in the city at the end of 2005. Find the year in which the number of taxis is double the number of taxis there were at the end of 2000. (6) (b)At the end of 2000 there were 25 600 people in the city who used taxis. After n years the number of people, P, in the city who used taxis is given by P= (i) (ii) 2 560000 . 10 ? 90e – 0. 1n Find the value of P at the end of 2005, giving your answer to the nearest whole number. After seven complete years, will the value of P be double its value at the end of 2000? Justify your answer. (6) (c) Let R be the ratio of the number of people using taxis in the city to the number of taxis. The city will reduce the number of taxis if R ? 70. (i) (ii) Find the value of R at the end of 2000.After how many complete years will the city first reduce the number of taxis? (5) (Total 17 marks) IB Questionbank Maths SL 9 12. The function f is defined by f(x) = 3 9 ? x2 , for –3 < x < 3. (a) On the grid below, sketch the graph of f. (2) (b) Write down the equation of each vertical asymptote. (2) (c) Write down the range of the function f. (2) (Total 6 marks) IB Questionbank Maths SL 10 13. Let f (x) = p ? 3x , where p, q? x ? q2 2 + . Part of the graph of f, including the asymptotes, is shown below. (a) The equations of the asymptotes are x =1, x = ? , y = 2. Write down the value of (i) (ii) p; q. (2) (b) Let R be the region bounded by the graph of f, the x-axis, and the y-axis. (i) (ii) Find the negative x-intercept of f. Hence find the volume obtained when R is revolved through 360? about the x-axis. (7) (c) (i) Show that f ? (x) = 3 x 2 ? 1 ?x ? 2 ?1 ? 2 ?. (8) (ii) Hence, show that there are no maximum or minimum points on the graph of f. IB Questionbank Mat hs SL 11 (d) Let g (x) = f ? (x). Let A be the area of the region enclosed by the graph of g and the x-axis, between x = 0 and x = a, where a ? . Given that A = 2, find the value of a. (7) (Total 24 marks) 14. Two weeks after its birth, an animal weighed 13 kg. At 10 weeks this animal weighed 53 kg. The increase in weight each week is constant. (a) Show that the relation between y, the weight in kg, and x, the time in weeks, can be written as y = 5x + 3 (2) (b) (c) (d) Write down the weight of the animal at birth. (1) Write down the weekly increase in weight of the animal. (1) Calculate how many weeks it will take for the animal to reach 98 kg. (2) (Total 6 marks) IB Questionbank Maths SL 12

Frito-Lay It Strategy Essays

Frito-Lay It Strategy Essays Frito-Lay It Strategy Paper Frito-Lay It Strategy Paper Frito-Lay in the mid to late 1980’s was looking to change its way of doing business. As with many large companies, decisions were made on a corporate level, with field operations carrying out the business plan. This model, though efficient in terms of use of resources on the corporate level, did not allow for the kind of flexibility that the snack foods market demanded. The outgoing CEO, Willard Korn, had set forward a micromarketing strategy where each field office would be responsible for identifying demand, conducting promotions and other marketing activities and ordering replenishment. The problem with this approach was that Frito-Lay lacked the technological framework to make it happen in an efficient manner. (Frito-Lay, 1992) Overlap Between IT and Corporate Strategy Frito-Lay’s corporate strategy, set forward by the new CEO, Michael Jordan, was to initiate the micromarketing strategy begun by his predecessor, but do so in a way that will allow the company to retain overall control while allowing regional decision making to adapt to market changes. Essentially, Mr. Jordan was implementing the same strategy, but his approach was to garner much more success. The key to success would be to use technology to improve the flow of information to and from production, sales, marketing and the corporate level. The IT strategy would center on understanding the information needs of the business and designing and executing a technology solution that will help achieve corporate goals. Overlap Between IT and Functional Area Strategy The central problem Frito-Lay was experiencing was that information gathering and decision making was most efficient when closest to the consumer process, or â€Å"where the rubber meets the road†. : Given variations from region to region, different marketing efforts needed to be developed and no corporate marketing plan would allow for the most efficient use of resources across the entire company. To achieve this, IT strategy would center on developing an efficient and usable system to allow the free flow of information from consumer purchases up to regional sales offices. The primary tool that would be used in this effort would be the handheld computer (HHC). This tool would allow field representatives to gather restocking information, sell-through and other sales data when visiting each store that sells the product. This information could then be sent, in real-time, to the regional office for ordering replenishment and marketing analysis. (Frito-Lay, 1992) The functional area strategy is the plan for Frito-Lay to implement the new IT and corporate plans on the operational level. Obviously, any well-laid out corporate and IT strategy is useless if it isn’t implemented properly in the operation of the business. Strategic Plan Items Needing Review Obviously such a large change in operating procedure would require review of the plan by management of both the IT process and business processes. If a review is not conducted, then money and resources may be spent on projects that end up not working as intended, thereby wasting those resources. (Turban, 2010) The first thing that should be reviewed is the overall business strategy and whether the plan will achieve the objectives of moving operational and marketing decision making downstream, closer to the consumer. This includes the following items: 1)Will the sales force be able to use the information quickly? 2)Will replenishment be more efficient than under the current model? )How will marketing decisions be made and what influence will the corporate strategy have on them? Secondly, the IT strategy must be analyzed to determine if the technology solutions will meet the business need: 1)Can the HHCs be used by the current workforce without a significant investment in training? 2)Will the regional sales offices be able to make accurate and timely decisions based upon the information gathered? 3)Can the corporate offices aggre gate the information into usable analytics? 4)Is there any potential for cost or time overruns? What is the critical path? Justification of Key Components 1)Will the sales force be able to use the information quickly? – A central goal of the business strategy is to allow decentralized, micromarketing to be done in each of the 32 regions. Since the gathering of data is done in each vendor store, the lead time will be dependent upon operations. For example, if a given region has several large stores and dozens of smaller ones, is the replenishment done on a regular basis in all of them? If the larger stores order new inventory less often, it may result in a delay in pertinent sales data. )Will replenishment be more efficient than under the current model? – Obviously gathering restocking information â€Å"at the store shelf† is very efficient, but can that be translated into just-in-time inventory? Can the information be used to accurately forecast demand in the future? On a smaller, regional scale, activities by the consumer can affect demand. A good example of this may be a parade in a given town. If more people have taken to the streets to celebrate, they may purchase more snack food? How will this scenario affect stock and sales? 3)How will marketing decisions be made and what influence will the corporate strategy have on them? – Armed with more timely information about regional sales, the micromarketing strategy will allow regional managers to decide the best marketing mix to use in order to meet goals. What portion of the decision should be theirs? How will the local efforts align with national advertising campaigns? 4)Can the HHCs be used by the current workforce without a significant investment in training? Aside from the regional sales force, the biggest change in job functions under the new strategy will be the field representatives. Where before they used essentially pen and paper to order new inventory, now they will be confronted with an automated computer system in an age when computers were generally a luxury item for most people. What kind of training must be done? Will the new system have a negative effect on efficiency in the short run? What will the cost of that be? 5)Will regional sales offices be able to make accurate and timely decisions based upon the information gathered? On the back-end of the HHCs will be a new decisions support system, which will assist management in making decisions that are aligned with the corporate goals. Can the staff be trained in its use? Will managers previously accustomed to independent decision making will now be confronted with a computer telling them the best course of action, which will not always seem most evident. This can lead to implementation problems much like the HHC and the field staff. 6)Can the corporate offices aggregate the information into usable analytics? On a national level, the data gathered regionally will be used to decide the best impact for advertising dollars. How will the data differ from the old method, which had a much longer lead time? Can this improvement in timeliness be leveraged at the corporate level? A good example would be a news story about tainted corn supplies. Obviously this may lead to a drop in sales of corn-based products across the country. How will the company respond? Can they measure the drop effectively and decide the response in time? )Is there any potential for time or cost overruns? What is the critical path? – Lastly, Frito-Lay needs to look at the overall schedule and ensure the implementation is done in a way that will put all relevant departments on schedule. A clear understanding of the schedule of the project and its critical activities will ensure that the company gives priority to those that will result in delays. A delay on this scale could significantly hurt profits, since executive management needs to know completion in order to have an accurate business plan. Turban, 2010) Effective Communication Strategies Communicating an IT strategy to executives is a challenge because of the different background they often come from and the different way of looking at the business. While any business perso n can understand cost savings and extended costs over time, the unique nature of technology requires that each detail be explained in the context of the overall initiative, in this case, the transition from central decision making to regional offices supported by a strong information systems infrastructure. The best method for communicating the overall IT concept to executives is an in-person presentation with supporting analysis in the form of a chart or graph. This allows the executive team to look at the big picture in a format that will allow questions and feedback. It also summarizes the scenario without providing so much detail that the presentation will be mired in questions and discussion. A second approach is a cost analysis report with full detail. While not as personal or interactive as a presentation, the full report will give every detail of the project with upporting data. (Turban, 2010) Communication of a new initiative to senior management may take on a similar approach as executive communication, but with additional detail on implementation plans and less â€Å"big picture† numbers such as extended costs, IT hardware investment, etc. Senior management will want to know the schedule of the rollout and any required modifications to workflows from other departments in order to plan effectively for resources and budgets in their own areas. When one looks at the team level of communication, a different approach is needed. Since this level isn’t making large scale decisions, but instead carrying out an objective set forward by management, documentation is more effective. While all teams could be placed into a large meeting to go over the proposed changes, the best way of conveying the changes are in written form, either via email, internal memo or even posted to a company intranet. This allows each team member to read about the changes independently and understand what needs to be done. These team members can then work together to achieve the objectives. Evaluation of Effective Communication Strategies In the context of the Frito-Lay case study, communicating IT strategies becomes much more important. In the mid-1980’s, the average level of technological understanding was lower among everyone, including executives. Technology was just starting to be leveraged to realize internal cost savings through improved efficiency in the 1980’s. Because of this, it was far more unproven than it is today. The most effective approach would probably be to do both of the aforementioned methods in order to communicate the plan to management. A detailed report with complete numbers should be provided to the executive team days to weeks in advance of the presentation. This allows them time to review and formulate questions and concerns to bring up in the discussion following the presentation. Senior management would need a slightly altered presentation compared to executive management. This is because senior management will be concerned with budgeting, resource allocation and project planning for the new initiative instead of information required to make a decision. This also means that any reports presented before or after the in-person presentation should focus on smaller operational level numbers instead of larger market data. Team-level communication, in the form of a meeting followed by emails/memos is effective for this group because of the need for detailed information about the processes that will be changing, new workflows, changes in organization, new equipment, etc. This can then be followed up with additional training as required for each functional area. For example, only the team level would need to learn how to use the handheld computers, so only they would really need the documentation for the HHCs. Differences in Communication Needs Between IT Staff and Executive Staff As mentioned before, the executive team is unlikely to understand the details of the technology being deployed. A person with a traditional business background looks primarily at a small number of factors in making a decision. Questions they will ask include: What is the up-front investment cost? What are the extended costs over time? What is the payback period? These are all business indicators that involve the profitability of the company and the costs versus benefit. IT staff is much more likely to look at the scalability and utility of the technology as opposed to the business bottom line. While cost is still a concern, the IT professional is likely to have a longer view of the costs, in the scope of years as opposed to quarterly budgets. Further, the communication may take the form of a more detailed analysis of the standards of the hardware being purchased and whether those standards are expected to change in the future with contingency planning for a migration. For this purpose, a full report may be more useful than a presentation. (Turban, 2010) Strategic Framework that Aligns IT Strategy with Business Strategy The best approach Frito-Lay could use to align its IT and Business strategies would be Business Service Management. Under this methodology, each component of the project will have a key performance indicator (KPI) to determine its impact on the business as a whole. In addition to IT having a KPI, the business side of the company will also have a complimentary KPI. This approach is useful because in a project of this size, a constant measure of the impact and progress must be done to ensure the company is meeting its goals. By setting forward the plan ahead of time and determining what areas must achieve goals and to what extent, the project can be kept on track with an eye to the bottom line. In this case its even more important because of the large investment required of Frito-Lay. A poorly executed initiative could badly damage the profitability of the company. IT Assistance to Business Unit Strategy Development IT can help develop strategy in a number of ways: )A robust and widespread data mining and analytics system will allow business managers to understand where the maximum impact for their investment is being made, thereby allowing them to maximize those dollars. Moreover, the ability to trend out sales data in real time based upon real figures allows each business unit the ability to understand where they are going based upon where the y have been. 2)A well designed decision support system will allow different managers in different business units to make decisions that are complimentary to one another and align with the company goal. While the facts available to one area of the business may signal a given course of action, the decision should be made with an eye to the overall objective as well as what other business units are doing. The further use of an automated decision support system (ADS) will further assist management in ensuring that the BU strategy aligns with the overall company direction. 3)A final area where IT may help business strategy is in understanding the trends in the technology itself. This can include internal infrastructure and technology trends in general. For example, Frito-Lay may have looked to invest in a company network to link each regional office. This would have required a big investment. As of the late 1990’s, the internet as we know it wasn’t yet around for the general public. A few years later, it was established, and that investment would not be needed. ? References: Frito-Lay, (1992) Frito-Lay Inc, A Strategic Transition (Abridged) Turban, Efriam. (2010). Information technology for management: improving performance in the digital economy, 7th edition . Manoa, HI: Wiley.

Growth of the Internet Essay

Growth of the Internet Essay Growth of the Internet Essay This is a free sample essay on Growth of the Internet: The Internet opens up new worlds accessible to anyone with a computer and an Internet server. The Internet can provide the user with a new means of communication, entertainment, shopping and possibly even the answers to the most rhetorical questions on the planet. For instance, Delaware is a small state that relatively few people know much about. Currently there is a Internet site insisting that Delaware is not really a state. The creators of the site say Delaware may not actually be a state at all, but a huge spaceship that crashed eons ago. Maybe, it also is an alien breeding ground or a government test site for intergalactic engines. Whatever the question, whether informative or senseless, the Internet has an answer. Search engines such as Yahoo and Excite are todays card catalogs. Search engines perform millions of queries each day. Whatever the theme, search engines can usually locate up hundreds, if not thousands of topics, all in matter of minutes. Not so long ago, this required many hours of research at the local library. The Internet contains thousands of images on file. Unlimited information and services are easily accessible. The diversity of materials available on the net goes far beyond the scope of the traditional library. Buying a house is a less complicated task with the help of a computer. Companies such as ERA, Prudential, and Patterson-Schwartz have Web sites. Real estate Web sites show properties in desired price ranges and locations. Properties are viewed from the convenience of one’s home. Mortgage companies also have Web sites. To compare interest rates is simple. Computing mortgages based on salary, insurance rates, and taxes require just a few keystrokes. Online banking services are a relatively new service. Banking customers can save an extraordinary amount of time performing such tasks as updating balances and making transfers between accounts. Bills are paid without writing checks or licking stamps. Scheduled monthly payments such as loan payments and utility bills can automatically be paid. Computer processed loans have cut processing time from weeks to hours. Computers have cut down on one of banking’s costliest mistakes, that of human error. Banking online is accurate, convenient, and accessible. No longer must customers wait in long lines. Every day financial institutions add new services for online customers. The Internet will be the banking of the future. Retail companies now use the Internet to reach consumers. Every day millions of computer users are inundated with computer generated ads. Millions of potential customers are reached when computers are turned on. Companies such as Lands End electronically mails customers every week with their latest sale items. Egghead Software Company sells computers and computer software by Internet, and has closed all of its traditional retail stores. Products from Egghead are now only available from its online store. Internet stores provide twenty-four hours a day access. Consumers are no longer bound by traditional retail hours. Retail companies have expanded the customer base. Potential profits are enormous, all being accomplished with a few keystrokes. The computer has revolutionized communication. The use of Local Area Networks, Wide Area networks, satellite links, and the Internet, the user can now send electronic mail or data across an ocean. This takes less time than it takes to address an envelope. Internet telephone service allows subscribers to talk long distance without incurring charges associated with conventional long distance service. Today it is possible not only to hear a person over long distance lines, but to see them as well. Computer technology has created a world at our fingertips. The Internet is opening new doorways for any user with access to an Internet server. The number of Web sites increases daily, with the services provided growing larger each day. Companies now must be accessible to the Internet to be competitive. Computers are like the televisions of the 1940s when few people had them. Today, televisions are a part of everyone’s lives. Five years from now, it will be unheard of not to have a computer with access to the Internet. ______________ is a professional essay writing service which can provide high school, college and university students with 100% original custom written essays, research papers, term papers, dissertations, courseworks, homeworks, book reviews, book reports, lab reports, projects, presentations and other assignments of top quality. More than 700 professional Ph.D. and Master’s academic writers. Feel free to order a custom written essay on Internet from our professional essay writing service.

Harald Bluetooth, Former King of Denmark and Norway

Harald Bluetooth, Former King of Denmark and Norway Harald Bluetooth (c. 910–c. 987), otherwise known as King Harald I of Denmark, was best known for three major achievements. First, he completed the work of unifying Denmark under a single ruler. Second, he conquered Norway- an event which had major historical consequences. Finally, he converted the Danes and Norwegians to Christianity. The dynasty he founded went on to rule over an increasingly large kingdom that, at its height, included much of the British Isles and parts of Sweden. Fast Facts: Harald Bluetooth Known For: King of Denmark and NorwayAlso Known As:  Haraldr Gormsson, Harald Blà ¥tand Gormsen, Harald IBorn: c. 910 in Jelling, DenmarkParents: King  Gorm the Old  and Thyra  DannebodDied: c. 987, probably in Jormsborg in the northern part of modern PolandSpouse(s): Gunhild, Thora  (Tova) the daughter of  Mistivir, Gyrid OlafsdottirChildren: Thyra Haraldsdatter, Sweyn Forkbeard, Haakon, Gunhilde Early Life Harald Bluetooth, or Harold Bluetooth, was born around 910, the son of the first king in a new line of Danish royalty, Gorm the Old. His mother was Thyra, whose father was a nobleman of Sunderjylland (Schleswig). Gorm had established his power base in Jelling, in northern Jutland, and had begun to unify Denmark before his reign was over. Thyra was inclined toward Christianity, so it is possible that young Harald had a favorable view toward the new religion when he was a child, even though his father was an enthusiastic follower of the Norse gods. So fierce a follower of Wotan was Gorm that when he invaded Friesland in 934, he demolished Christian churches in the process. This was not a wise move; shortly after that he came up against the German king, Henry I (Henry the Fowler); and when Henry defeated Gorm, he forced the Danish king not only to restore those churches but to grant toleration to his Christian subjects. Gorm did what was required of him but died a year later, leaving his kingdom to Harald. Haralds Reign Harald set out to continue his fathers work of unifying Denmark under one rule, and he succeeded very well. To defend his kingdom, he strengthened existing fortifications and built new ones. The Trelleborg ring forts, which are considered among the most important remains of the Viking age, date to his reign. Harald also supported the new policy of toleration for Christians, allowing Bishop Unni of Bremen and Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Corvey to preach the gospel in Jutland. Harald and the bishop developed a cordial working relationship, and although he did not agree to get baptized himself, Harald appears to have supported the spread of Christianity among the Danes. Once he had established internal peace, Harald was in a position to take an interest in external matters, especially those concerning his blood relatives. His sister, Gunnhild, fled to Harald with her five sons when her husband, King Erik Bloodaxe of Norway, was killed in battle in Northumberland in 954. Harald helped his nephews reclaim territories in Norway from King Hakon. He was met with serious resistance at first and Hakon even succeeded at invading Jutland, but Harald was ultimately victorious when Hakon was killed on the island of Stord. Haralds Christian nephews took possession of their lands and, led by Harald Greycloak (the eldest nephew), they embarked on a campaign to unify Norway under one rule. Unfortunately, Greycloak and his brothers were somewhat heavy-handed in spreading their faith, breaking up pagan sacrifices and despoiling pagan places of worship. The unrest that resulted made unification an unlikely prospect and Greycloak began to forge alliances with former enemies. This did not sit well with Harald Bluetooth, to whom his nephews owed much for his aid in obtaining their lands, and his concerns were borne out when Greycloak was assassinated, ostensibly by his new allies. Bluetooth took the opportunity to assert his rights over Greycloaks lands and was able to take control of Norway not long after. In the meantime, Christianity had been making some notable headway in Denmark. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great, who professed a deep devotion to the religion, saw to it that several bishoprics were founded in Jutland under papal authority. Due to conflicting and unsubstantiated sources, it is not clear exactly why this led to war with Harald; it may have something to do with the fact that these actions made the dioceses exempt from taxation by the Danish king, or perhaps it was because it made the territory appear to be under Ottos suzerainty. In any case, war ensued, and the exact outcome is also unclear. Norse sources maintain that Harald and his allies held their ground; German sources relate that Otto broke through the Danevirke and imposed strictures on Harald, including making him accept baptism and evangelize Norway. Whatever burdens Harald had to deal with as a result of this war, he showed himself to retain considerable clout in the following decade. When Ottos successor and son Otto II was busy fighting in Italy, Harald took advantage of the distraction by sending his son, Svein Forkbeard, against Ottos fortress in Slesvig. Svein captured the fortress and pushed the emperors forces southward. At the same time, Haralds father-in-law, the king of Wendland, invaded Brandenburg and Holstein and sacked Hamburg. The forces of the emperor were unable to counter these attacks, and so Harald reclaimed control of all of Denmark. Death In less than two years, Harald had lost all the gains he had made in Denmark and was seeking refuge in Wendland from his son. Sources are silent as to how this turn of events came to be, but it may have had something to do with Haralds insistence on converting his people to Christianity when there was still a considerable number of pagans among the nobility. Harald was killed in battle against Svein in or around 987; his body was brought back to Denmark and laid to rest in the church at Roskilde. Legacy Harald was by no means the most Christian of medieval kings, but he did receive baptism, and he did do what he could to promote the religion in both Denmark and Norway. He had his fathers pagan tomb converted to a Christian place of worship. Although the conversion of the populace to Christianity was not completed in his lifetime, he did allow a fairly robust evangelization to take place. In addition to constructing the Trelleborg ring forts, Harald extended the Danevirk and left a remarkable runestone in memory of his mother and father in Jelling. The modern Bluetooth technology used to connect electronic devices was named for the ancient Viking king. According to Jim Kardach, one of the founders of Bluetooth SIG: â€Å"Harald had united Denmark and Christianized the Danes! It occurred to me that this would make a good codename for the program. At this time I also created a PowerPoint foil with a version of the Runic stone where Harald held a cellphone in one hand and a notebook in the other and with a translation of the runes: Harald united Denmark and Norway and Harald thinks that mobile PC’s and cellular phones should seamlessly communicate. Sources The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. â€Å"Harald I.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 4 Apr. 2018.â€Å"The Jelling Stone.†Ã‚  National Museum of Denmark.â€Å"Legendary Harald Bluetooth King Of Denmark - Who Made The Danes Christian.  Ancient Pages, 16 May 2017.â€Å"Bluetooth: Why Modern Tech Is Named After Powerful King of Denmark and Norway.†Ã‚  Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, 20 Jan. 2017.

Contracting and Procurement in Project Management- Phase 2 DB Essay

Contracting and Procurement in Project Management- Phase 2 DB - Essay Example ACME Development Corporation (ADC) wants to buy the scheduling tool from any software company. The first step in creating a contract is to make sure that both companies are talking regarding the identical deal, in this way when they would consequently have the same opinion to enter into the contract they would mutually agree to the similar thing. When the ACME Development Corporation (ADC) and software development company had a "meeting of the minds" as to the contract, they have to trade something of value in order to turn out a contract. Frequently Software Developer Company offers its services in exchange for the cash of the ACME Development Corporation. But forethought can take a lot of other forms, as long as every company is giving up something of worth to it to convince the other company to go into the agreement. Once both ACME Development Corporation and Software Developer Company understand the deal and recognize what kind of deliberation will be substituted by each company, then they would be ready to prepare a contract. Typically the companies disclose that negotiations are ended and a contract would be attained when the companies sign the contract. In this section I will try to incorporate contracting and procurement activities into an overall project cost and schedule. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) established six procedures/states for the Project Procurement Management and contracting between our company and Software Developer Company will discuss in the proceeding section in relation to our buying scheduling software and other above stated equipment. This is the first process in which we will determine the software development organization’s services and purchasing process plan. We also select the type of contract through which we will deal with other company. In the next phase we will place our contract details for purchasing the equipment and services and

Drugstore Cowboy Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Drugstore Cowboy Film Analysis - Essay Example In â€Å"Drugstore Cowboy† the weakness of the hero is drugs. The film as the title indicates is on drug abuse, but is not a â€Å"say no to drug† sort of a slogan mongering publicity campaign film. The film tells us about the generation of the early seventies who took to drugs. But the film produced in late eighties tells the story of the life of that generation of the seventies when America was almost obsessed with anti drug sentiment bordering on the verge of hysteria. The late eighties were the times of the winners. Only they counted. But this film is telling us about the losers belonging to the generation just earlier, who got lost in drugs and unreal hallucinatory lives. The film tries to understand that generation, while showing how comically meaningless and desperate the life of the addicts were. The border between medicine and drug is wafer thin. The change of meaning is only in how the human beings relate to it. Like drug abuse there is abuse of medicines; thi s is an issue raised by the traditional medical practitioners like the Ayurvedic doctors against Allopathic practices. To quote Angus Bancroft: A drug is a substance used in a drug-like way, a medicine is the substance applied to cure, and a poison the substance used to kill. The end point is that any object or relationship to an object is only formed by the way humans relate to it. Psychoactive substances become ‘drug’ only when they take on socially active characteristics, which incorporate human agency. (Drug Intoxication & Society, PP.176) PERSONEL BUT IMPASSIONATE: The film is based on the unpublished novel by James Fogle. This writer is one who had served imprisonment for drug abuse crimes. Thus the account of the life of the drug addict depicted here is very intimate and personal. It is something like an insider story. But the positive feature of the film’s handling of the issue is that it is not romanticizing drug addiction, in spite of it being an insider narrative. At the same

Timeline of Historical Events, Movements or Individuals (History of Research Paper

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HR Strategy Achieving Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Strategy Achieving Quality - Essay Example However, in order to make it more official, they will request the employers to consent to it in case of employee violation, or the labor unions could sue the employer. (Deming, 1986) In the event that the 14 principles are against the requirements of a given union, the unions can instigate the push for legal action in an area that concerns the interested parties. In the case of an employer, the trade union will not support that which is against the rights of the workers. Similarly, union can also hinder the principles if through them the employer will be violating the rights of the employee’s participation in a trade union. (Deming, 1986) To begin with, is if the union supports the principles intended to benefit both parties (employers and employees); second, are the principles opposed by the union positive or negative; third, are unions willing to deliberate on a matter to come to an agreement; fourth, does the union address the needs of the members; finally, does union negatively or positively affect the employers or employees. (Deming,

Effective leaders_WK4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Effective leaders_WK4 - Research Paper Example Furthermore, given that majority of transportation infrastructure investments are federally funded even though locally implemented, such a piecemeal method halts constrains smooth assimilation of local and state policies with those of the federal government. This then hinders the President and transportation secretary to offer synergies across projects. Furthermore, the existing federal NextGen transportation policies, are steered by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU), which does not help the President to deal with the utilization of economic analysis for the transportation decision-making (Weiner, 2013). Given that the transportation program does not have a greater standardization or lucidity, the President cannot be able to come up with an executive-level modification without substantive legislation. Najeeb Halaby is an example of an effective leader in public administration, since in 1965 as administrator of the independent Federal Aviation Agency; he proposed the creation of Department of Transportation (2013). He saw this as a means of securing decisively the US transportation policy expansion. Thanks to his efforts, the agency has done tremendous job over the years by being part of the executive departments which integrated other administration transportation programs. Secondly, Samuel K. Skinner, a former transportation secretary appointed by President Bush senior, initiated the formation of the National Transportation Policy, as well as the extension of the department responsibility in crisis management reaction. Hence, the handling of subsequent natural and human induced disasters, such as Lockerbie plane bombings in 1988 and Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 were made easier by his policies of maintaining and developing the national transportation system, and to ensure that it

Bates Motel Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bates Motel Analysis - Essay Example Given that monopolists have control over price, quality, and output, they therefore maximizes on the economic returns. In the short-run, monopolists enjoy supernormal profits given that they are price makers. Monopolists are profit maximizers and choose their equilibrium level of output and price at the point where marginal revenue equals to marginal cost (MR=MC) (Stackelberg, Bazin, Urch, & Hill, 2011). A practical example of industries that enjoy monopoly power is the electricity and power generation industries. The energy sector enjoys patent rights and protection that give it monopoly power. Therefore, the industry only prices at the point where marginal cost of production matches marginal revenue generated from the sales. Under perfectly competitive market, the equilibrium prices are naturally determined by the market forces of demand and supply with no single player having power to influence the prevailing prices, hence no price exploitation (Goldberg, 2000). Secondly, this market structure is characterized by production and allocative efficiency since they produce at the point where price equals marginal cost (P=MC) and produces quality products that are homogeneous in nature (Stackelberg, Bazin, Urch, & Hill, 2011). This market structure therefore produces a pareto optimal level of output and price that eliminates dead weight loss to both consumers and suppliers. One of such markets includes textile manufacturing industry that is characterized by free entry and exit. Given many buyers and sellers, consumers therefore benefit from high quality cloths and clothes at relatively affordable prices as no seller will benefit by increasing price above the equilibrium market rates. Monopolistic Competition is a media form of market structure that is dominated by advertising. This owes to the fact that monopolistic competition market structure deals in

HR Strategy Achieving Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Strategy Achieving Quality - Essay Example However, in order to make it more official, they will request the employers to consent to it in case of employee violation, or the labor unions could sue the employer. (Deming, 1986) In the event that the 14 principles are against the requirements of a given union, the unions can instigate the push for legal action in an area that concerns the interested parties. In the case of an employer, the trade union will not support that which is against the rights of the workers. Similarly, union can also hinder the principles if through them the employer will be violating the rights of the employee’s participation in a trade union. (Deming, 1986) To begin with, is if the union supports the principles intended to benefit both parties (employers and employees); second, are the principles opposed by the union positive or negative; third, are unions willing to deliberate on a matter to come to an agreement; fourth, does the union address the needs of the members; finally, does union negatively or positively affect the employers or employees. (Deming,

Bates Motel Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bates Motel Analysis - Essay Example Given that monopolists have control over price, quality, and output, they therefore maximizes on the economic returns. In the short-run, monopolists enjoy supernormal profits given that they are price makers. Monopolists are profit maximizers and choose their equilibrium level of output and price at the point where marginal revenue equals to marginal cost (MR=MC) (Stackelberg, Bazin, Urch, & Hill, 2011). A practical example of industries that enjoy monopoly power is the electricity and power generation industries. The energy sector enjoys patent rights and protection that give it monopoly power. Therefore, the industry only prices at the point where marginal cost of production matches marginal revenue generated from the sales. Under perfectly competitive market, the equilibrium prices are naturally determined by the market forces of demand and supply with no single player having power to influence the prevailing prices, hence no price exploitation (Goldberg, 2000). Secondly, this market structure is characterized by production and allocative efficiency since they produce at the point where price equals marginal cost (P=MC) and produces quality products that are homogeneous in nature (Stackelberg, Bazin, Urch, & Hill, 2011). This market structure therefore produces a pareto optimal level of output and price that eliminates dead weight loss to both consumers and suppliers. One of such markets includes textile manufacturing industry that is characterized by free entry and exit. Given many buyers and sellers, consumers therefore benefit from high quality cloths and clothes at relatively affordable prices as no seller will benefit by increasing price above the equilibrium market rates. Monopolistic Competition is a media form of market structure that is dominated by advertising. This owes to the fact that monopolistic competition market structure deals in

Traditional Japanese History Essay Example for Free

Traditional Japanese History Essay Japanese literature spans over a large period of time for writing. Earlier literature work was greatly influenced by Chinese literature, but after opening its ports to Western trading, Japan eventually developed its own style and quality of literature. Like most literature around the world and through history, we can learn a lot about Japans history through its literature. The Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa periods are the time period in which we see the development of a Japanese culture that resembles less Chinese culture than the time periods we see in the previous period in Japanese history. The Heian period was between 794 and 1185 and was named for the location of the imperial capital. This time period within Japanese history is characterized by the flourishing culture of the court aristocracy, which actively pursued aesthetic refinement which led to new developments in art and literature (Heian Period). From one of the groups I chose â€Å"The Tale of Genji† because it is a great record of life for the nobility during this time period, it also considered some of the best literature in the world. The Tale of Genji† displays the complex relationship between the literary past and its later transformation from the material you find within the story (Janet Emily Goff, 1982: p. 144). To the poets in Japan during this age, the Tale of the Genji epitomized Heian court life in its depiction of the life of Prince Genji and his affairs with various court ladies, while the inclusion of nearly eight hundred poems had offered poets a guide to proper poetic expression on a wide variety of occasions. The Tale of the Genji falls under the category of ancient literature and is considered to be one of the world’s first novels. The book is just full of poems between men and woman during the Heian period and how they communicated among each other (Web Page Template). Court life was able to flourish during this time period because of the development of the shoen, large estates of land that were owned by the kuge, the court in Kyoto, but were run by managers sent money to the kuge and this is what the Tale of the Genji tells us historically about Japan (Web Page Template). During this time period, women could not be seen or communicated with except during certain occasions, like festivals, so many woman wrote poems and in journals to communicate to men. This means that by looking at literature during this time we can find out a lot between the gender roles and how men and women communicated during this time period, which in turn can be very important when studying a culture and how life was on a day to day basis, because primary documents within the study of history are the most important documents you can find. Another documents that I looked at was the â€Å"Kagero Nikki† which is an autobiography narrative that covers the years 954 to 974, part memoir and part dairy, written by the second wife of Fujiwara no Kaneie who was a high official of the Heian court. The author who is Mitchitisuna no Haha’s intention of the writing was to give readers and alternate, more realistic view of the life of a lady of the Heian court. Her goal was to capture on paper, the elements of a real social situation without evasion or idealization (Motivations of the Author of the Kagero Nikki). In a general sense though, the dairy is in a way her protest against the marriage system of the time, and supports the idea that men are beasts. But what is important is that we see a time period where woman are able to write literature and become educated, but they must write this literature in Japanese because it is forbidden that they do it in Chinese like the men. What we can see from this is a beginning of Japanese literature that strays away from the Chinese influence and also a literature that is not dominated by men, The next period to take place in Japan after the Heian period was the feudal periods which were the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The Kamakura period began with the transfer of power from the imperial court to the Kamakura shogunate and this time period is also considered the medieval age for Japan. The third piece of Japanese literature I look at was â€Å"The Tale of the Heiki† which is Japans most famous war story. The war story was composed during the 14th century and is an account of the Genpei War which was the war that ended Heian period which makes the literature so important when taking a look into Japanese history from that time period (Oyler, Elizabeth). The story portrays the war as a heroic clash between two great warrior lineages, the Minamoto and the Taira. This literacy work is important within Japanese history, because it is believed to be the first to reach people of all social classes in that you didn’t have to know how to read in order to hear or understand the story. Even those who could not read could listen to the tale because it was sung in public areas and performers often spread the tale and traveled around Japan in order to do so (Oyler, Elizabeth). In today’s world, the tale is often viewed as both a source of stories about Japanese history and also as a eulogy for the spirits of the dead. The tale was also a great source for medieval and early modern codes of warrior behavior which is very similar to the westerns worlds’ idea of Knights chivalry during their medieval age. During this time period, Buddhism was also prominent due to the ongoing large influence of Chinese culture, and central to Buddhism is the impermanence of life. Buddhists according to Robert Oxnam see a need to announce worldly attachments to escape the sufferings of human existence, and that Japanese literature reflected these beliefs. The literature work of Kamo no Chomei called â€Å"An Account of My Hut† can give us a good outlook on the life of a Buddhist during this medieval time period within Japan, along with the transformation in Buddhism, since the book is Kamo no Chomei’s own transformation into the religion and beliefs of Buddhism as a Buddhist monk. Within the literature, Kamo no Chomei describes of the most disastrous periods for any important city in history. He describes the great fire, the Whirlwind, the moving of the capital, the famine, and the earthquake, all while civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans is going on (Hojoki). The late medieval period of Japan was considered a time of the development of a number of Buddhists and the influence it had in Japan. This is what I believe makes this literature so important when reflecting on the Japanese history because it gives us a outlook on the perspective a Japanese Buddhist during this time period that turned out to be quite disastrous. The literature of the time reflected the unsettled nature of the period and we can see this perfectly within An Account of My Hut because it describes the turmoil of the period in terms of the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and the vanity of human projects. So both of these Japanese works of literature: The Tale of the Heike and An Account of My Hut both reflect on the Warrior spirit within the medieval time period of Japan along with its distress and cause, which both define the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The next piece of Japanese literature I looked into was â€Å"Hizakurige† which is considered the most humorous and entertaining book in the Japanese language by some. It is story of two irrepressible men from Edo along the Tokaido, the great highway between Kyoto and Edo. It is considered by many that the literature of the Tokugawa period is inferior to earlier achievements by Japanese writers (Japanese Literature). The literature during this period was much more peaceful than the Japanese literature we would find during the Japanese medieval period and this was because there was a lack in war now and there was a rise in of the working class within Japan and the country had lost a bunch of money, and I think that this is what defined this period for Japan. And we can see that the literature from this time period represents the economic struggle in which Japan was having. The last piece of Japanese literature I looked at was The Love Suicides at Sonezaki which is the most famous and best loved play by Chikamtsu. It was based off of real events and instantly became a big hit during its time. The play also reflects the cycle of Buddhism, in that the numbers of suicides that take place during the play reflect the subtle cycle of Buddhism. Buddhism by the Edo period or late Tokugawa period was widely established and practiced under the acceptance of the Tokugawa government. The Love Suicides at Sonzaki also reflect on the marriage customs during that time for the Japanese people The connection that I see during these historical phases of Japan is that all three have some emphasis on literature and the beginning and continuing of separating Chinese and Japanese literature. But in reality I think that each period is very different. For example the medieval period of Japan was full of chaos and war while the ancient period of Japan was considered much more peaceful. The rulers and government rulers changed by period also. During the Heian Period, the Fujiwara family controlled the political scene (Japanese History: Nara, Heian Periods). But the Fujiware family rule came to an end when the Tiara family took charge until they were beat out of rule by the Minamoto Yoritomo family. During the Kamakura period the ruler was Minamoto Yoritomo who would be replaced by Ashikaga Takauki for the start of the Muromachi period. And during the Edo period the head of government were the shoguns and the government was considered the Tokugawa shogunate. Japanese literature is important within its culture and we can learn a lot from any counties or cultures literature. As I reflected on these literary pieces by Japanese I found that they all reflected on some kind of event that was taking place from within Japan, and what makes these pieces so useful for historians is that they are the insight from someone who was there during that period. It is obvious that a Japanese citizen will look at these periods differently than a Japanese citizen that is living today. Each period has its own effort and growth put into Japanese literature to make it what it is today.

Project Report On Wipro Limited

Project Report On Wipro Limited Scope Though Wipro Limited is a group of companies, our main focus in this report will be on the IT services business segment of Wipro Limited. IT Services account for more than 70% of Total Revenue and more than 90% of Operating Income for the Wipro Limited. Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) is amongst the largest global IT services, BPO and Product Engineering companies. In addition to the IT business, Wipro also has a profitable presence in niche market segments of Consumer Products, Lighting, Furniture, Eco Energy, Water treatment and Hydraulics. The company has been listed since 1945 and started its technology business in 1980. Today, Wipro generates USD 6 billion (India GAAP figure 2009-10) of annual revenues. Its equity shares are listed in India on the Mumbai Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange; as well as on the New York Stock Exchange in the US. With more than 100,000 associates from over 70 nationalities and 72 plus global delivery centres in over 55 countries, Wipros products and services span financial services, retail, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare services, energy and utilities, technology, telecom and media. Wipros focus has been on business transformation with innovation in service delivery and business models. More than 800 active clients that include governments, educational institutes, utility services, and over 150 Global Fortune 500 enterprises have benefited from this approach. Strategy Wipro is in more than one line of business, so it has got a Corporate Level Strategy. This corporate level strategy has identified following business lines for Wipro. http://www.wipro.in/img/comp_org_wipro_heading.gif Each of the above business lines has its own Business Level Strategy. The business level strategies, that determine the products and services that each division offers and the customers it caters to, are listed for each division below. Wipro Technologies Wipro Technologies is the global IT services business division of Wipro Limited. With over 20 offices around the world, Wipro Technologies is a provider of integrated business, technology and process solutions on a global delivery platform. Wipro Infotech Wipro Infotech is the strategic IT partner for companies across India, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific offering integrated IT solutions. Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, a business unit of Wipro Limited, has a profitable presence in the branded retail market of toilet soaps, hair care soaps, baby care products and lighting products. Wipro Infrastructure Engineering Wipro Infrastructure Engineering was Wipro Limiteds first diversification in 1975, which addressed the hydraulic equipment requirements of mobile original equipment manufacturers in India. Over the past 25 years, the Wipro Infrastructure Engineering business unit has become a leader in the Hydraulic Cylinders and Truck Tipping Systems markets in India. Wipro GE Medical Systems Limited Wipro GE Medical Systems is a joint venture between Wipro and General Electric Company. Wipro GE is Indias largest exporter of medical systems. Wipro GE manufactures Ultrasound and Computed Tomography systems in India and is a supplier for all GE Medical Systems products and services in South Asia. Now that we have the knowledge of various business units of Wipro Limited, we will analyze the strategy pursued by Wipro using Contemporary Strategy-Structure Theories. We will use following three theories to analyze the strategies of Wipro. Miles and Snows Four Strategic Types Porters Competitive Strategies Millers Integrative Framework Miles and Snows Four Strategic Types If we use Miles and Snows four strategic types to analyze Wipro, its evident that Wipro uses Analyzer strategy. It seeks to minimize risk and maximize opportunity for profit. Knowing that Cloud Computing is becoming the trend and vendors such as Amazon, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google have invested heavily, Wipro too partnered with leading providers like Salesforce and Microsoft to provide professional and system integration services for enterprises. Wipro did so only after the risk and profits associated with cloud computing was clear to it. Wipro has the ability to respond to the lead of key prospectors. At the same time, it has maintained operating efficiency in its stable product and market areas. With enhanced business performance at the core of its deliveries due to its strong RD and Innovation focus, Wipro gets 95 percent repeat business. Its operating margin has been more than 20% in the IT Services business for last couple of years. Wipro has a structure made of components that provide it both flexibility and stability. It has clearly identifiable verticals dedicated to different industries like banking, automotive, energy, manufacturing, etc. These verticals are highly standardized and they use routine technologies for efficiency. Wipro has different RD and Practice Centers dedicated to new and emerging technologies. They provide the much needed flexibility whenever Wipro enters into new undertakings. Porters Competitive Strategies As per Porters competitive strategies, Wipro follows the differentiation strategy. It emphasizes heavily on the quality, innovation, and its technological capabilities. It is worlds first SEI CMM Level 5 Company. One of the worlds largest third party RD services provider, Wipro has been a pioneer in adopting and adapting several improvement methodologies like Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, etc. to further the efficiency of its processes. Wipro was the first to adopt Six Sigma in IT delivery in 1998. Lean methodology was adopted from the world-class Toyota Production System for improving the efficiency of the delivery engine in the year 2005. All these things have clearly set Wipro apart from its Indian counterpart who has been lagging behind Wipro in their RD services and highest standard of certifications. Millers Integrative Framework As per Millers Integrative Framework, Wipro fits best with the strategic dimension of marketing differentiation. Wipro draws its competitive advantage vis-Ã  -vis the other Indian IT service providers from five specific differentiators. Technological Excellence The biggest differentiator for Wipro against its Indian competitors is that Wipro entered IT services through the engineering route, given its entry into hardware in the 80s and then later to positioning itself as an engineering lab for hire to the IT multinationals that entered India in the 90s. The lab-on-hire business was eventually scaled up and today accounts for one-third of Wipros revenues, making it one of the worlds largest third party RD provider. Innovative Solutions Wipro offers its clients customized innovative technological and process solutions. In 2000, Wipro set up an Innovation Initiative with an internal innovation council, which worked like an internal venture capital fund. Today there are more 800 people working on such innovative ideas. This approach has helped the company to position itself as an innovator rather than a commodity provider of technological products. Operational Excellence Over time Wipro has come to stand for operational excellence. The commitment to quality has been a critical part of Wipros product offering. The company is very process-oriented and focused on operational excellence. Today, Wipro has built up its reputation and credibility by being a stickler for process excellence and delivering on quality commitments is a key brand benefit. Global Footprint with Emerging Market Knowledge Wipros global footprint is also an important differentiator among its Indian rivals, especially given its higher portfolio split towards emerging markets. The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region contributes to $1 billion in revenues and is considered to be a key differentiator vis-Ã  -vis Infosys. Company Culture of Linking Values to Business Performance Wipros cultural fit with its clients is also important in the self-selection process. Wipros company culture is less flashy and less aggressive than some of its Indian rivals. This culture resonates with Wipros clients in the manufacturing and retail sector who prefer a more laid-back approach at building a relationship. The companys cultural tone has been set right from the top, with Chairman Azim Premji often being quoted as saying that the brand Wipro is all about humility. We can see that above three theories, Miles and Snows Four Strategic Types, Porters Competitive Strategies, Millers Integrative Framework, clearly indicate that Wipro is practicing differentiation strategy. Structure Wipro has been constantly restructuring itself based on the differentiation strategy that it follows. It has been getting projects in different verticals like insurance, banking, securities, retail, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, consumer electronics, energy, medical devices, government, etc., so it restructures itself to deliver the projects as per customers specifications. Now, we will analyze the level of complexity, formalization, and centralization that exists in Wipro. Complexity Wipro ranks high on overall complexity. Complexity is the degree of differentiation that exists within an organization. As described earlier, Wipro operates multiple business lines and each business line has its own verticals depending on the industry it provides products and services in. Horizontal Differentiation Nature of the tasks performed by the employees of IT Business unit is different from task performed by the employees of the Infrastructure unit employees which is different from the task performed by the employees of Consumer Care Lighting unit. So, each unit requires specialized knowledge, skills, and trainings. There are more than 20 verticals in the global IT Business Unit of Wipro itself each requiring different functional and social specialization. Due to this high number of specialization, Wipro demonstrates high horizontal differentiation. Vertical Differentiation As can been seen in the figure given below, vertical differentiation is moderately high because of more levels of hierarchy. Average span in Wipro is about 5 to 6 i.e. a manager can direct 5 to 6 subordinates effectively. Spatial Differentiation Wipro has more than 72 global delivery centres in over 55 countries and it employs citizens of more than 70 nationalities. Considering this fact, it can be easily observed that Wipro ranks very high on spatial differentiation. Formalization Jobs within the Wipro are highly formalized. Employees of Wipro Technologies use Wings Within, a job portal for existing Wipro Technologies employees to look for another job within Wipro Technologies itself. Other business lines provide similar job portal for their employees. MyWipro is the intranet portal available to the employees of Wipro Technologies. Clearly defined procedures covering work processes in the organization are available on this portal. These work processes include career progression policies, financial policies, leave policies, attendance policies, timesheet information, etc. Wipro has a well established recruitment policy. Selection of employees is done by the certified interviewers. These interviewers are from the Band C or above and they have passed certain examinations to be an eligible interviewer. Talent Transformation is the training division of Wipro Technologies. It has dedicated full time trainers in almost all domains and technologies Wipro Technologies operates in. This division provides one to three months of induction training to campus recruits. It also provides training on demand. Centralization Centralization in Wipro is moderate. Each business unit in Wipro Technologies has many accounts. Each account acts as a development centre for a dedicated customer and gets a business target from its corresponding business unit. Decisions on what projects to work on are taken at the account level. Decisions on how to work on the projects are taken by the project managers, team leads, and team members. So, concentration is not at a single point in the hierarchy. So, we can see that the high complexity, high formalization and moderate centralization support the differentiation strategy of Wipro. Organizational Design Design Components These are the five basic components of the organisational design at Wipro. The Operating Core The operating core at Wipro consists of the various professional and technical experts relating to the different 24 verticals of the Wipros business. These are highly trained specialists working in various fields such as Aerospace, Automotive, Banking, Business Consumer Services, Communication Service Providers, Computer Peripherals, Computer Software, Computing, Consumer Electronics, Consumer Packaged Goods, Energy, Government Healthcare, High-Tech, Hospitality Leisure, Insurance, Manufacturing, Media, Medical Devices, Mobile Devices, Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Public Infrastructure, Retail, and Securities Capital Markets. The Strategic Apex It consists of one Chairman, 2 Executive Director Joint CEO, IT Business, 1 Executive Director CFO. And apart from this, there are 8 independent non-executive directors forming the strategic apex of the company. The Middle Line This part consists of the team of highly motivated individuals who anchor the organization to relentlessly provide world class IT and business solutions. The management team comprises global leaders, with excellent domain knowledge and across-the-board cross-functional experience, who nurture successful relationships with the client community. It includes 7 business unit heads, 8 service line heads and 6 geographical heads. The Techno Structure However, this part has very small role to play at IT Business line of Wipro but in the consumer care and other business lines of the Wipro it forms the core part, hence giving rise to machine bureaucracy type of organisational design. And here we are referring to the organisational analysis of the Wipro Technologies and Wipro Infotech. The Support Staff This part consists of the supporting functions of Wipro which handles the general management functions and administrative functions to smoothen out the working of the various business units. There are 7 functional heads under it such as technology, quality, information, financial, marketing, global delivery (logistics) and human resources. Internal Complex Clustering and Inter-Relationships At Wipro, Business divisions are highly overlapping, so the add on growth and problems arising from the uncertain environment add to the complexity of inter-relationships between these 5 components. And specially the business units (service wise and geographical), verticals in each and the functional heads are having overlapping projects and relationships are thus complex. Domination of Operating Core Analysing the various components of organisational design, we found that most of the technical capabilities to perform the various projects is with the operating core. However, the decisions flow from top but there is considerable amount of autonomy with the operating core in view of their highly specialized and professional knowledge. This is what is in the fashion or trend in the IT industry as a whole. Also it has become internally consistent and hence selected out naturally as most sustainable in the field of IT. The Organization Design (Present) The Professional Bureaucracy Professional bureaucracy fits well for Wipro Limited as a group of organization. It is consistent with its requirement of high formalisation/standardisation and moderate to low centralisation. Wipros vertical structure divides the company into units such as Telecom Service Providers, Product Engineering Solutions, Finance Solutions, and Enterprise Solutions. These units further cater to industries such as banking, insurance, securities, and so on. Each vertical is like a self-contained business. It is like a mid-sized company even by U.S. standards, because each vertical generates about $300 million in annual revenues. Though they work under a common structure, with resources such as Finance, HR, Quality and Marketing, each vertical has people who represent these functions. So, in effect, each vertical is like a separate company. There is intention to delegate more authority and responsibility to these self-contained companies. Matrix in Functional Terms (For IT Business Only) Wipros organizational design is complex and sometimes baffles outsiders. The IT business has two organizations Wipro InfoTech and Wipro Technologies. The latter handles the global business while Wipro InfoTech serves India, West Asia and Asia Pacific. In functional terms, the company has a matrix structure with three verticals and two horizontals. The verticals are the $1.06 billion technology business (which is in the product engineering and the telecom service provider space); the $1.4 billion enterprise business (targeted at manufacturing, healthcare, retail, etc.); and the $799 million financial services business. The two horizontals are the $1.1 billion global practices business (testing, package implementation and technology infrastructure services) and the $290 million BPO (business process outsourcing) operation. Major Transformations: Radical Changes and Transformation in the Organization Structure in 2005 After Mr. Vivek Paul left the company, the then CEO, the company went through major transformation process. The reorganization, tried to bring Wipros leadership closer to the customer. In the process, there was de-layering the organization and empowering business leaders with a much higher degree of PL and growth responsibility. The reorganization also brought the mainstream of the company, which is really our global technology business, closer in alignment with the original corporate staffs, which has now become our business staff. Leadership at this level speeds things up and gets decisions made faster. It empowers people more, and it allows them to further empower those who report to them, because their jobs have suddenly become much more responsible. Future Prospects for Organisational Design and Structure The 21st Century Virtual Corporation! With more supply of products and services than there is demand, the customer is in a position to demand an ever changing array of tailored products and services. In order to be successful, businesses need to be much more client centric and far more agile and flexible than ever before. Wipro is responding to this need for radical change by taking an objective approach to the matter. By lending a patient ear to clients and analyzing dozens of outperforming companies, Wipro has realized that businesses must become far more customer centric and develop a highly flexible value chain that can sense and respond with new products and services quickly as market conditions change. The changing needs of the 21st Century Virtual Corporation demands new business designs that facilitate faster and more extensive collaboration on a global scale. Given this demand, Wipros mega alliance strategy of 360Â ° relationships is a unique differentiator. Environment The environment is the set of forces surrounding an organization that have the potential to affect the way it operates and its access to scarce resources. Wipros transaction with its environment can be analyzed based on the forces in specific and general environment. Specific Environment The specific environment consists of forces from outside stakeholder groups that directly affect an organizations ability to secure resources. Forces in specific environment, that affects Wipro and how it handles these forces, are described below. Competitors As has already been described in the section on Millers Integrative Framework, Wipro draws its competitive advantage vis-Ã  -vis the other Indian IT service providers from five specific differentiators. They are technological excellence, innovative solutions, operational excellence, global footprint with emerging market knowledge, and company culture of linking values to business performance. Customers Wipros customers remain cautious after the downturn prevalent in western economy about technology spending, with budgets flat to slightly higher as they look for transformational projects. Customers are taking a lot more time making decisions than spending. A geographic breakup of Wipros revenues from customers: Wipros US based customers decision to spend less has forced Wipro to divert its effort towards some other areas like knowledge management. The company is now more focused on building technical competencies in its work force. All its employees below band C are mandatorily required to successfully clear the assessments mapped for them in a particular appraisal year. Customers are also demanding more robust Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for their accounts operating off shore. This led Wipro to launch an organization wide BCP revamping plan. Emphasis was more on the Banking, Finance, Securities, and Insurance (BFSI) customers as they are the most vulnerable verticals of Wipro due to the inherent nature of their businesses. For Wipro, changes in customer information technology budgets year on year ranged from flat to an increase of 4%. Company is increasingly focused on technology projects that yield long-term changes in their operations, such as cloud computing, as opposed to those that merely made existing processes more efficient. Today Customers are looking for partners versus suppliers. Wipro has started a new initiative that is aimed to build better client understanding, business alignment and consultative selling in large accounts, called the Client Engagement Manager (CEM). It has already delivered incremental growth in existing accounts and the increased sales in these accounts are a sign of the success of the initiative (rolled out in 52 key accounts). Wipro plans to move beyond the market perception of a low price bidder to occupy a position that is viewed as operating in multiple models to offer assets to clients through professional service. The company is also orienting towards providing more business value for clients, consulting led account development. Wipro is also creating Customer Satisfaction Leaders. In 2009, Wipro also undertook a key initiative to strengthen the consulting and customer management skills of our frontline employees by running an academy. The Customer Leadership team of CHRD in conjunction with Enterprise Application Services (EAS) business, in its drive to create world-class consultants launched the EAS Consulting Academy. Suppliers Distributors As Wipro diversified into different sectors it has changed its distributors and suppliers as it best suited for business development. Being an old company, having its presence in India since independence, it has developed a good network of suppliers and distributors all over the country. As the time passed by, based on the need of the business, efficiency and the nexus the company has created; it went for different strategies of distributing its products like in case of its hydraulic products, Wipro has its own dedicated department which takes care of the distribution. Similarly after 2000 when it studied the use of internet and mobile in marketing and distribution sales, it started distributing its products online especially in case of products where customers prefer online transactions over retail if available like Baby care products. The network of distributors is based on the sales of products, for example in case of Santoor soap which is more sold in Southern part of the country, the distributors network is more dense here rather than in other part of the countries. In service sector as Wipro is acting as a mediator, using mediating technology, it does not have a dedicated suppliers or distributors, but it changes with the changing parties which are being served. Product Distributor SmartLite (CFL lights) Sales and Sales Lion Industry Inc Dentsply Infant hygiene products ( Baby soft soap and diapers) US2guntur.com (Online distributors) Farsons Marketing Company Personal Care Products (Santoor soap and talc) Wipro Consumers Care pvt Ltd (self organized distribution network) Hydraulic Products Wipro Infrastructure Engineering Ltd (self organized distribution network) Government Exchange Rate Falling exchange rate increases the exports and price of imports. Reducing the price of exports by decreasing the exchange rate makes them more attractive and competitive in export market. Hence demand for export increases. Same applies to It services industry as well. Hence by controlling exchange rate and appreciation for currency, government plays a role in dynamics of this industry. Outsourcing Policies President of USA Barrack Obama has proposed an anti outsourcing policy suggesting increasing the tax on the benefits gained from outsourcing the jobs from U.S. The idea is to provide lesser incentive to the companies to outsource their jobs. The policy mainly aims at creating and conserving jobs in US market but it has implications on Indian outsourcing industry as well. The policy will greatly affect the foreign companies that are operating in U.S. if this is applied it will mean that the foreign companies will have to pay heavy tax on the labour imported by them. WSJ and LA estimate a tax rate of 55% on foreign companies. That will be a setback for countries like India, which is the biggest player in outsourcing industry. A present slump in number of H1B visas taken up is also a reflection of the same. In the long term, it will hurt all the economies, since U.S investment is a big factor and reduced investment from U.S means reduced money in all the markets, especially India. But there is a high likelihood that comparative cost advantages that countries like India might still provide, would outweigh the loss incurred by the tax loss that the companies are going to face in the US. General Environment The general environment consists of forces that shape the specific environment and affect the ability of all organizations in a particular environment to obtain resources. Forces in general environment, that affects Wipro and how it handles these forces, are described below. Demographic and Cultural forces India Demographics Population:1,180,166,000 (2010 estimated) Age Structure: 0 14 years 31.1%; 15 64 years 63.6%; 65+ years 5.3% Languages: 14 official languages Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit (2001 census) Literacy Rate: 61% (2001 census) Per Capita GDP: USD 2941 (2009 estimate) Labour Force: 523.5 million (2008 estimate); 60% Agriculture, 12% Industry, 28% Services Number of colleges for general education 11549; number of colleges for professional education 4991; number of universities, deemed universities and institutes of national importance 350 (HRD Ministry, 2005-06) English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication Wipro reflects the Indian demographics. It has a young and experienced work force having average age of 24 to 25 years. 35% of the employees are having less than one year of work experience in Wipro. Average tenure of top 100 managers in Wipro is 11 years. Its workforce comprises of 66% of university graduates. 28% of employees are having master degree. Technology The study of effect of changing technological factors in the general and specific environment of Wipro led to the following analysis: Identification of Wipro technology on the basis of various theories proposed to understand the relation between technology and the structure of organization is given below, but due to the conglomerate nature of Wipro different businesses are analyzed separately to avoid any kind of confusion: Theory Infotech Technology Consumers and lighting Infrastructure Engineering Medical System Woodward Process Process Mass Mass Process Perrow Engineering Engineering Routine Routine Routine Thompson Mediating Long-Linked Long-Linked Long-Linked Long-Linked Future Technologies Technology Adaptive strategy/Structure Development of LED technology for domestic lighting As it is already in the domestic lighting sector, Wipro can definitely take advantage of this technical development by taking the first mover advantage, by being the first company to introduce LED based lights in India. Use or development of Mobile-phone based supply chain Would support in reducing the investment in IT, especially in distribution sector Virtualization software technology for reducing the power consumption Since Wipro is trying to produce environment friendly products, it would be a landmark effort if it introduces the virtualization software technology which combines various different machines into single virtual machine running on a single powerful base system. Political Forces In the near future, the Central IT spending is projected to grow positively. A positive overall growth in the macroeconomic environment of India projects an increase in the central IT spending. For instance, central IT spending is expected to reach about $75.5 billion in 2010. This total spending will consist of civilian agencies accounting for $41.5 billion and the defense department for $34 billion on IT goods and services. Indian political structure seems to be stable for IT industry but due to lack of clear majority in the parliament, fears of hung parliament are created leading to the change of consumer psychology in relation to investing and thereby reducing the capital for IT industry. The decision of Indian government to contract IT job to Indian IT companies will create more opportunities for the IT companies and the IT industry at large. With the growth of offshore outsourcing receiving increasing political and media attention there have been concerted efforts to enact new legislation to restrict offshore outsourcing or impose disincentives on companies which have been outsourcing. This may adversely impact Wipros ability to do business in these jurisdictions and c