Marks Spencer Operations Management Essay Example

Marks Spencer Operations Management Essay The Company- A journey from cave to modern civilized societies, Marks and Spencer from a single market stall to a giant international multi-channel retailer has travelled over 129 years to establish its deep roots all over the world with 766 UK and 418 international stores. Marks and Spencer stores are spread over 50 territories worldwide employing almost 82000 people. Marks and Spencer is a general retailer that sells clothes, gifts, home furnishings and foods. The UK turnover is split between Food (54%) and General Merchandise (46%). Marks and Spencer acknowledges the fact that consumer is the real king of market. This can be drawn from its founding values which consist of Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust; it also assures to work hard to ensure its offer continues to be relevant to its customers. The vision and mission of the company is to be the standard against which others are measured and to make aspirational quality accessible to all. This suggests that ‘Quality’ is at the heart of Marks and Spencer’s operations strategy (Marks and Spencer, 2013). International Expansion: Mamp;S has a clear and targeted strategy for its international growth. Henceforth it continues to build more new stores to expand in key locations across its priority markets, employing a mix of ownership models including partnerships and franchises (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Operations Strategy- An Overview- We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Operations Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Operations Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Operations Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Operations Strategy Perspective: The operations activities are aimed to achieve operations strategy of the business. Marks and Spencer’s operations management activities ensure that all its products are of high quality and the stores are located in the most convenient locations. This reflects that the operations strategy of Marks and Spencer is of a ‘top-down’ perspective where the business wants its operations to provide quality products with an easy access to all. The Top-down Strategy Hierarchy: Corporate Strategy: Mamp;S aims to be the world’s most sustainable retailer. Its eco and ethical programme, is at the very heart of how they do business. Mamp;S also aims to be a truly international, multi-channel retailer which can be accessible to even more customers around the globe (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Business Strategy: Mamp;S is reaching more customers across the new and existing markets through its online development. In order to dominate the competition, Mamp;S has facilitated its customers with ‘free next day delivery’ to its stores. Moreover, Mamp;S has also developed i-phone application to carry out its sales via mobile phones. Mamp;S has also encouraged the online sales to make it more convenient for its customers to shop with them (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Functional Strategy: Improved navigation, greater choice, exclusive ranges and offers have boosted the online sales by 16. 6% in 2013. The recent performance of the technology depicts that i-phone application has increased the sales via mobile phones by 200% this year. To carry out its operations efficiently, Mamp;S has developed a fully mechanised 900,000 square feet e-commerce distribution centre which is the UK’s largest. It has the capacity to process and ship up to a million products per week to customers’ homes and Mamp;S stores across the country (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Store Layout: Mamp;S has revamped its visual merchandising and window displays to do a better job of showcasing its products. The different fashion brand such as Per Una, Autograph, Indigo, Classic, North Coast, Blue Harbour, Cellezione and its core Mamp;S Man and Woman will have dedicated ‘shop in shop’ area so that the in-store environment communicates each brand’s distinctive values. In the food department, Mamp;S has refreshed the shelving with wood effect shelf edges to look less like a supermarket and more like a specialist (Baker, 2011). Mamp;S store is therefore a mix of functional and fixed position layout type where general merchandise and food department operates in a functional layout type and the restaurant being the fixed position layout type. Technology: Mamp;S understands the growing importance and contribution of strong IT function to operate efficiently in the multi channel world. The role of technology is changing at Mamp;S and as a result changing the company itself. Marks amp; Spencer rolls out ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager from Invatron Systems Corp. to 37 of its European stores to centrally manage its in-store deli and bakery department scales. ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager is a multi- vendor, multilingual, web- enabled solution that provides retailers with centralized control of in- store scales and printers accessible from any computer in the enterprise; this makes the operations much efficient and fast (Anon. , 2013). The internal team of software engineers of the company are developing new IT driven customer innovation projects that include 156 screens dubbed ‘Browse and Order’ – in store terminals where customers can buy Mamp;S’s entire online range across 63 stores. Moreover, Mamp;S has equipped 1500 customer assistants with i-pads to enable them to demonstrate to the customers, the store’s full range of the products, its availability and its sizes. The client- facing technology of Mamp;S includes virtual makeover counters, which allow customers to see how they would look on applying certain beauty products. On developing bid data strategy, Mamp;S will be able to drive its profitability and improve marketing and promotions by using data insights smartly. This technology will enable Mamp;S to send specific e-mails regarding promotions and offers to its customers based on their purchase history rather than sending bulk e-mails to all its customers which is of no relevance (Stein, 2013). All these advancements by the IT team of Mamp;S are aimed at encouraging customers to use technology to spend more money at Mamp;S. Supply Chain Management: It is very crucial for every business to have a strong supply chain network in order to satisfy its customers before the competitors do. Mamp;S though being one of the UK’s largest retailers is criticised by its Finance Director, Alan Stewart for under investing infrastructure for upwards of 20 years. He further adds that the way the company buys and distributes its clothing is inappropriate. Shoppers may be looking for the latest looks and demanding new ideas in stores and online every few weeks, but Mamp;S takes two to three weeks just to transport goods from UK ports to its stores. This is where Mamp;S is losing its competitive edge in the market because the other retailers have hi-tech systems to track stock. For example, one of the rival retailers, Hamp;M boasts that it can get designs from the drawing board to the store in a fortnight, while Mamp;S takes longer than that just to get its merchandise from the ports to its shops (Butler, 2013). For the businesses like Mamp;S where the life span of a product is very short- clothes due to change in fashion and food due to expiry, the business must develop strong bonds and ties with its suppliers. In order to increase the ability to respond quickly to the ever changing needs of customers, Marks and Spencer should work closely with its suppliers and integrate the supply chain so that both Marks and Spencer and its suppliers are working towards the same business objectives. Hence, there will be a win – win situation for both Mamp;S and its suppliers which will increase the operations efficiency and enable them meeting the market requirements on time. Logistics: Gist has a long history providing logistic operations for Marks and Spencer. Gist manages 100% of the storage and distribution of Marks and Spencer food products to their 700 plus stores, 24 hours a day and 7 day a week. Warehouses across the UK are operated by Gist employees who receive and pick store orders and then distribute to Marks and Spencer stores, including Simply Food, throughout the UK and Ireland, covering all their high street, forecourt and out-of-town stores (Gist, 2013). Outsourcing its storage and distribution would make Marks and Spencer’s logistics much faster and this will increase its efficiency in delivery to customers, increased sales and high customer satisfaction. Inventory Management: Inventory planning and control is an important aspect of operations management. In a market, customers demand certain quantity of products and services at a particular time. The role of operations is to supply and deliver the required quantity of products and services when demanded. Marks and Spencer in February 2013 was caught of having shortage in the stock of winter coats and woollens due to cold snap. The Chief Executive of Mamp;S, Marc Bolland said that Mamp;S sold 100,000 cardigans and jumpers from its core Mamp;S Woman collection in the fourth quarter but could have sold three times that number. Bolland insisted that the weakness was not down to having wrong fashions in its shops but there was just not enough stock of the right ones. The majority of Mamp;S’s knitwear is being made in Asia. Therefore, Mamp;S was unable to repeat orders fast enough and thus failed to meet the market demand (Wood, 2012). The above instance demonstrates the importance of demand forecasting in managing the inventory which was missing in this case. In a multi-echelon inventory system, effective communication between the different echelons is of high importance to deliver the products at a rapid pace. Mamp;S could have succeeded in minimising some of its losses had there been more flexibility in the supply chain and latest requirement updates in the inventories. Mamp;S Inventory and Technology: Marks and Spencer has chosen Quantum Retail technology, ‘Q’ to improve inventory management. This technology is able to forecast and make inventory decisions in real time while considering both inter-day and intra-day stocking. Quantum Retail’s software solution, Q manages the end-to-end inventory forecasting, replenishment and order planning needs (Quantum Retail, 2010). Quality Management: Mamp;S operates rigorous Quality Management Systems which have been developed with its suppliers. To ensure total quality, the systems operate on a precautionary principle and are supported by a range of on-site audits and product testing. Further, Mamp;S also ensures that its suppliers meet a range of quality, safety, environmental and social standards (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Mamp;S is renowned for its ‘quality and innovation’ and is often appraised by its customers for providing quality worth every penny spent at Mamp;S. The customers expect the best from Mamp;S products but recently, Mamp;S was in headlines for selling low quality and cheap clothing products. Fashion watchers, rivals and its customers insisted Mamp;S to abandon this practice. One of the rival retailers suggested Mamp;S that it should be aiming to be a premium brand rather than trying to compete on price (Watkins, at el. 2013). The company should stick to its set objectives and design its day to day operations in such a way that it leads to achieving its long term goals. The mission of the company is to provide aspirational quality that is available to all. The above discussed case is a clear case of Mamp;S’s deviation from its long term goals. To rectify this error, Mamp;S should rediscuss its company objectives and strategies with its suppliers to ensure guaranteed and rapid recovery. Plan A and Sustainable Operations: Mamp;S aims to become the world’s most sustainable retailer. Its eco and ethical programme is at the very heart of how Mamp;S carries out its business. Mamp;S claims to make its business sustainable by integrating Plan A into every aspect of its operations- including the products that they evelop and sell, the stores that they rebuild or refit and the way they work with their suppliers and engage its employees. Plan A’s success lies in its innovative thinking and ideas. With the help of Plan A Innovation Fund, Mamp;S has launched a number of promising projects. These projects include ideas for developing more sustainable clothing fabrics, original thinking about ways to improve labour standards in t heir supply chains and a joint project with the Natural Environment Research Council to improve the way they share knowledge and work with its suppliers (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Plan A Activities: CO2 Neutral Mamp;S is proud to be certified as CarbonNuetral  ® Company across its operations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Mamp;S also encourages its suppliers to reduce the greenhouse gas emission through actively developing various programmes aimed at this (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Zero Waste to Landfill Besides this, Mamp;S continue to work for reducing the amount of waste produced within its business. Mamp;S successfully fulfilled its commitment of sending no waste to landfill from its UK stores, offices, warehouses and construction activities (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Corporate Social Responsibilities: The Britain’s retailer has always cared about environment and society. Mamp;S knows that many of its customers as well do care about the environmental and social issues. So, it is of no surprise that Mamp;S customers donated a total of 3. 8 million clothes items through its Shwopping Scheme which raised ? 2. 3 million for Oxfam (Marks and Spencer, 2013). CSR activities at Mamp;S: Breakthrough Breast Cancer: The Company also carried out campaigns for raising money for Breast Cancer donations. Mamp;S has now generated ? 9 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 12 years (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Big Beach clean – up: In April 2013, around 5000 customers and 4000 Mamp;S employees worked with the Marine Conservation Society at over 160 beaches, riversides and canals, cleaning, clearing enough rubbish to fill 4000 recycle bin bags (Marks and Spencer, 2013). These activities suggest that Mamp;S has always taken very hands on approach towa rds its corporate social responsibilities. Recommendations: Customer Satisfaction – It is very necessary for Marks and Spencer to maintain high quality standards in all their products. The prices of the Mamp;S products are usually higher than that of its rival companies such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s in food and Primark and Debenhams in clothing. Therefore, Mamp;S needs to ensure that all its products are of high quality because their customers are paying that extra amount in hope that the products will be of a better quality than other rival retailers. The hidden benefit for Mamp;S satisfying its customers is reduced complaints and therefore less service costs of paying an employee to find out the cause of the issue and fix it. This will increase customers’ loyalty towards Mamp;S which would lead to positive word of mouth publicity to the potential customers. Supplier Satisfaction: It is Mamp;S’s best interests to keep their suppliers happy by paying them enough and on time. This would make its suppliers feel like a part of Mamp;S and would be encouraged to work keeping in mind the needs and objectives of Mamp;S. By working more closely with its suppliers, Mamp;S can ensure that their products are of great quality standards are delivered on time with no or less troubles. Word Count: 2431 References: * Mamp;S, 2013. Company Overview. [online]Available at: lt;http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/aboutus/company_overviewgt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Mamp;S, 2013. Our Plan. [online] Available at: lt;http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/aboutus/our_plangt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Baker, R. , 2011. Marketing Week, Mamp;S outlines new store strategy for brands, [online] Available at: lt;http://www. marketingweek. co. uk/ms-outlines-new-store-strategy-for-brands/3030044. articlegt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. Anon. , 2013. Marks amp; Spencer rolls out ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager from Invatron Systems Corp. to 37 of its European stores. Invantron Systems Corp. , [blog] 2013, Available at: lt;http://www. invatron. com/blog/main/press-releases/marks-spencer-rolls-out-eplum-enterprise-scale-manager-from-invatron-systems-corp-to-37-of-its-european-stores/gt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Stein, D. , 2013. CIO Interview: Darrel Stein, IT director, Marks and S pencer Interviewed by Angelica Mari , [online] on Computer Weekly. Available at: lt;http://www. computerweekly. com/news/2240179873/CIO-interview-Darrell-Stein-IT-director-Marks-and-Spencergt; , 20 March 2013, 17:15. * Butler, S. , 2013. Mamp;S boss under pressure amid race to upgrade supply chain. The Guardian, [online] 10 May 2013. Available at: lt;http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2013/may/10/marks-and-spencer-marc-bolland-technologygt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Gist, 2011. Marks and Spencer Excellence in food logistics. [online] Available at: lt;http://www. gistworld. om/en-gb/customers/case-studies/marks-spencer/gt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Wood, Z. , 2012. Mamp;S admits womenswear stock shortages hit sales. The Guardian, [online] 17 April 2012. Available at: lt;http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2012/apr/17/marks-spencer-womenswear-stock-shortagesgt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Quantum Retail, 2010. Marks amp; Spencer Selects Quantum Retail to Improve Inventory Management. [online] Available at: lt; http://quantumretail. com/2010/01/0 5/marks-spencer-selects-quantum-retail-to-i

The Narrative Voice Of Huck Finn Essays - Literature, Fiction

The Narrative Voice Of Huck Finn Essays - Literature, Fiction The Narrative Voice Of Huck Finn The Narrative Voice of Huck Finn Huckleberry Finn provides the narrative voice of Mark Twains novel, and his honest voice combined with his personal vulnerabilities reveal the different levels of the Grangerfords world. Huck is without a family: neither the drunken attention of Pap nor the pious ministrations of Widow Douglas were desirable allegiance. He stumbles upon the Grangerfords in darkness, lost from Jim and the raft. The family, after some initial cross-examination, welcomes, feeds and rooms Huck with an amiable boy his age. With the light of the next morning, Huck estimates it was a mighty nice family, and a mighty nice house, too(1335). This is the first of many compliments Huck bestows on the Grangerfords and their possessions. Huck is impressed by all of the Grangerfords belongings and liberally offers compliments. The books are piled on the table perfectly exact(1335), the table had a cover made from beautiful oilcloth(1335), and a book was filled with beautiful stuff and poetry(1335). He even appraise s the chairs, noting they are nice split-bottom chairs, and perfectly sound, toonot bagged down in the middle and busted, like an old basket(1335). It is apparent Huck is more familiar with busted chairs than sound ones, and he appreciates the distinction. Huck is also more familiar with flawed families than loving, virtuous ones, and he is happy to sing the praises of the people who took him in. Col. Grangerford was a gentleman all over; and so was his family(1338). The Colonel was kind, well-mannered, quiet and far from frivolous. Everyone wanted to be around him, and he gave Huck confidence. Unlike the drunken Pap, the Colonel dressed well, was clean-shaven and his face had not a sign of red in it anywheres (1338). Huck admired how the Colonel gently ruled his family with hints of a submerged temper. The same temper exists in one of his daughters: she had a look that would make you wilt in your tracks, like her father. She was beautiful(1339). Huck does not think negatively of the hints of iron in the people he is happy to care for and let care for him. He does not ask how three of the Colonels sons died, or why the family brings guns to family picnics. He sees these as small facets of a family with a handsome lot of quality (1339). He thinks no more about Jim or the raft, but knows he has found a new home, one where he doesnt have to go to school, is surrounded by interior and exterior beauty, and most importantly, where he feels safe. Huck liked that family, dead ones and all, and warn't going to let anything come between us(1340). Huck is a very personable narrator. He tells his story in plain language, whether describing the Grangerford's clock or his hunting expedition with Buck. It is through his precise, trusting eyes that the reader sees the world of the novel. Because Huck is so literal, and does not exaggerate experiences like Jim or see a grand, false version of reality like Tom Sawyer, the reader gains an understanding of the world Mark Twain created, the reader is able to catch Twains jokes and hear his skepticism. The Grangerford's furniture, much admired by Huck, is actually comically tacky. You can almost hear Mark Twain laughing over the parrot-flanked clock and the curtains with cows and castles painted on them even as Huck oohs and ahhs. And Twain pokes fun at the young dead daughter Huck is so drawn to. Twain mocks Emmeline as an amateur writer: She warn't particular, she could write about anything you choose to give her to write about, just so it was sadful(1337). Yet Twain allows the images of Emmeline and the silly clock to deepen in meaning as the chapter progresses. Emmeline is realized as an early portent of the destruction of Hucks adopted family. The mantel clock was admired by Huck not only for its beauty, but because the Grangerfords properly valued beauty and wouldnt took any money for her(1337). Huck admired the Grangerfords principles, and the stake they placed in good manners, delicious food, and attractive possessions. But Huck realizes in Chapter 18 that whereas

Corporate and business strategy in an international context Coursework

Corporate and business strategy in an international context - Coursework Example Michael Dell emphasized upon maintaining a flexible resource base so that rivals could not match the business model. The strategic focus of Michael Dell’s business model was managing opportunities. Dynamic capabilities enabled the company to meet this objective. Michael Dell converted other resources and capabilities into a distinctive competency by focusing upon adaptation and change. The industry in which Dell operated was characterized by a constant pace of change. Therefore the management needed to focus upon developing a sustainable future by continuously improving firm competency. To this end the dynamic theory was applied. The company maintained a reconfigurable resource base so that a flexible combination of uncertainty and commitment-intensity could be made feasible. In this manner, Dell was able to maintain its market leadership. Firm performance was characterized by the direct model which was different from the business models implemented by the competitors. Althoug h the competitors tried to implement Dell’s business model, they could not develop the same level of firm competency because Dell had already built an organizational capacity for response, reverse and contingency in this area. This allowed the company to maintain competence-generating strategic processes geared towards continuously renewing the competitive advantage. As a result Dell was well-positioned for changing future conditions. The PC industry was structurally attractive since it had the largest share of the industry. However the profit margin was not so great compared to those from microprocessors, software and services. Therefore Dell had to maximize its unit share in order to maximize profitability. This objective was met through tailoring the production system to customer requirements. The investments in online technology and JIT enabled the company to

Toxicology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Toxicology - Research Paper Example The ALAD gene may pose the danger of developing lead poisoning in humans, those who were exposed to ecological lead. Lead is a metal that takes on toxic properties, when someone inhales it or digests it. There are several lead exposure routes, from which any human can inhale or digest lead. Several health problems are associated with lead poisoning. They include; exposure where one has to work in an environment or facility that manufacture lead-containing products; lead paint which is usually indigested by young children as they tend to try to eat non-edible things; lead content in soil, from lead-containing gasoline; sometimes lead from the soil can end up in the surface water; and those animals, which are hunted with lead-based bullets. Problems associated with lead poisoning include issues relating to; the nervous system; kidney problems; blood; and the reproductive system of humans. References McGuire, M., & Beerman, K. A. (2009). Nutritional sciences: From fundamentals to food. Florence, KY: Brooks Cole.

Thermography detection on the fatigue damage of the specimen alloy Essay

Thermography detection on the fatigue damage of the specimen alloy - Essay Example Fatigue occurs when a material is subjected to periodic stress which is below its tensile breaking or yield stress but which is enough to cause permanent damage. The formal definition of fatigue as given by Wikipedia (n.d.1) is: [F]atigue is the progressive, localized, and permanent structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic or fluctuating strains at nominal stresses that have maximum values less than (often much less than) the static yield strength of the material. It is because fatigue happens so quietly and insidiously that makes it very dangerous even resulting in loss of life. Sadananda et al (2003) assert that "Fatigue is the principal cause of premature failure of engineering components". Many structures such as aeroplanes, oil rigs and bridges, to name just a few, are exposed to fluctuating stresses. The engineering approach falls into two broad categories of dealing with stress induced fatigue. The first part is prediction of the lifetime of a material under stress. This model will provide recommendations on how frequently materials have to be replaced. The second approach is to predict how far a crack can grow before failure happens. Detection and prediction of failure of cracks can mean the difference between life and death of users of these facilities. "The basic method o S-N Curves "The basic method of presenting engineering fatigue data is by means of the S-N curve, a plot of stress S against the number of cycles to failure N." ( Key to Steel, n.d.) The S-N curves enable prediction of how long a material will last in terms of cycles of loading. Figure 1. A S-N Plot for an aluminum alloy (Kelly, 1997) Kelly (1997) explains that cracks go through three stages of formation, propagation and failure. Stress Intensity factor K "Stress Intensity, K, is a parameter that amplifies the magnitude of the applied stress that includes the geometrical parameter Y (load type)" (Wikepedia, n.d.2). This factor measures the degree to which stress is magnified around a crack. The loading around a crack falls into three modes I, II and III. Figure 2. Three loading modes (Key to Steel, n.d.) The three modes are: Mode 1: opening or tensile mode (the crack faces are pulled apart) Mode 2: sliding or in-plane shear (the crack surfaces slide over each other) Mode 3: tearing or anti-plane shear (the crack surfaces move parallel to the leading edge of the crack and relative to each other) (Key to Steel, n.d.) The most common mode is mode I and this is what is used in most calculations. The intensity factor, K, determines the rate at which a crack will propagate and hence the lifetime of the material. The mathematical relationship is defined by Callister (1994, cited by Kelly(1997)) as: This equation relates the rate of growth of a crack to the change in intensity factor K. In this equation A and m are dependent on the materials and da is the change in crack length while dN is the change in number of stress cycles. The change in K is defined by: Where Kmax and Kmin are the maximum and minimum intensity factors respectively, Y is a constant dependent geometry of the material and is the applied stress on the material. When this equation is re-arranged and integrated it becomes: This equation gives Nf, the estimated number of cycles before

The Importance Of Smartphones

The Importance Of Smartphones The first ever cell phone was invented by Martin Cooper on April 3rd, 1973, that was only for two pounds. The height of that phone was 10 inches, depth 3 inches and the width an inch and a half (Motorcity, 2003). At that time it was the only way to communicate with each other. And at that time it was not available to the general population and it was used for the first time only businesses and government. In 1992, the first Smartphone invented by IBM, known as a Simon Smartphone. This was a big breakthrough in the field of technology and for the requirements of people. Because people want to connect with each other with in a small period of time. It becomes possible to send messages and sending email to each other with the help of Smartphone. To understand that one technological device could change culture of customer, style of living and the whole society. After the invention of Smartphone a sudden change came into being in the human life and finds the way to go ahead in the field of technology. It is not possible to find anyone without smart phone. The smart phone is very essential device because of this you can talk to your clients, family members and colleagues. In other words a smart phone is also known as Personal Computer (PC) with advanced capabilities and functionality. The Importance of Smartphone When discussing the topic of new media the importance of networks are very essential. With the help of networks the whole world is connected with each other. And this is the easiest way to connect with your family members, friends and clients. When someone is going to purchase a cell phone he will think about the service of his area, the size of the phone, about the price of the phone then you have to make a decision to purchase a phone. If consumer purchases a smartphone he will be very happy with the functions of smartphone than any other in the market. IT professionals are tasked with developing more applications for smartphones as worldwide consumption continues to grow in 2010 and beyond. When technology professionals design web-based and computer-based applications, they should consider compatibility with smartphones and other mobile devices. Many webmasters already create web content with mobile users in mind. For example, the Internet giant Yahoo! offers a Mobile Web for phones like the Blackberry and iPhone. Role of Social Media Social media is playing a vital role in the success of martphones, because of social media its possible to share data, videos, pictures, and other tasks. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are the example of social media. Social media and smartphones means to connect more and more people online even on mobile. Operating System of Smartphone In 2010 the market of smartphone operating system changed. For customer and businessmen the impoetance of smartphone is very essential. Because without smartphone its not possible to keep in cotact with each other, with clients and with family members and friends. Key features of Smartphone: Wi-Fi With the help of this feature you can connect wireless internet connection. Using Wi-Fi the speed of internet will be very high. Push Notification By push notification we mean that you can receive messages, emails and you do not need to log in to check your account. Social Networking Social Networking means those websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter by which we can communicate with each other individually and as well as groups and also can share photos, videos and album. QWERTY Keyboard QWERTY keyboard is the layout and this keyboard allows you to search and browse the internet and send emails and text. One may see a smartphone as one that offers a complete keyboard with internet and email functionality, and some may only view a smart phone as a phone with a full operating system (OS) and applications. A smartphone is a full-featured mobile phone that comes equipped with the personal computer like functionality. So it is the most efficient way of being mobile and carrying your office with you. Most of these phonescome with a camera that supports email capabilities and serves as a complete personal organizer. This is true that the smartphones are the helping hand of the several businessmens. Because of the technological features of mobile phones these are called smart phone. In these days smartphone is a basic demand of every businessman and company. By latest technology it includes to share his idea with their partners and colleagues. With the help of smart phone we can watch live match if you are somewhere else it does not matter, breaking news. We can get help from smart phone like human bodies. In next five years change will take place suddenly in smartphones. If we study last few years about phones we will understand that how quickly changes occurred from time to time, therefore in next few years the improvement in technology will take place. PC Replacements The basic change in smartphones in next few years will occur that it starts working like laptops. It means that in future those people who have smartphones they do not need to buy laptops and personal computers. So smartphones will replace PC in next five years. Joined Devices After long time finally its become possible to connect devices with each other like bluetooth in PC and in laptop can connect with smart phones. In next few years it will be possible to know about you that now where are you and what do you want to do because of smart phones. Smart phones will become a single device in next few years yes it is true because the smart phones are moving in a straight forward direction. There are alot of confusion because of the variety of mobiles phone and competency. If you want to have a great mobile than smartphone is the best choice among all. Smartphone is much better than any other mobile phone. If you have smartphone you can move your office with where you want so than you do not need to buy personal computer or laptop because in smartphone there is an operating system like personal computer and laptop, so nowadays most of smartphones are with their camera. Top ten Smartphone iPhone 3GS The iPhone 3GS continues to bring together three incredible products in one A revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod and a breakthrough Internet device with full web browsing and easy e-mail access. HTC Desire HTC have yet again outdone themselves with another superb smartphone, this time in the form of the HTC Desire! Powered by a monstrous 1GHz Snapdragon processor and displayed through a stunning AMOLED 3.7 inch full touchscreen. Samsung Wave The Samsung Wave mobile phone allows for a brighter, clearer and less reflective view with the Super AMOLED 3.3 inch wide display touchscreen. BlackBerry 9700 The BlackBerry 9700 is jam-packed with all the very best Blackberry features including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, HSDPA, full QWERTY keyboard, 3G technology and Push e-mail! BlackBerry 8520 Smart, sleek and classy the Blackberry 8520 Curve is here to entertain, organise and communicate. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 The first Android mobile phone from Sony Ericsson, the Xperia X10, has a stunning 4 inch touchscreen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and truly next generation features, such as Timescape and Mediascape. Sony EricssonVivaz The Sony Ericsson Vivaz mobile phone is here to deliver high performance, responsive touch control, multimedia, entertainment and connectivity, just how you want it. Memory Cards You can greatly improve the memory of your Smartphone by purchasing a memory card. This allows you to save and store more applications, music, photos, videos and more. Your Smartphone can become a multimedia entertainment centre! The best thing is, you can pick the size (or capacity) of the memory card to suit your needs or budget! Nearly all Smartphones are compatible with MicroSD memory cards and our memory cards range from 2GB to 8GB. Screen Protectors Protect the most expensive part of your smartphone the display, with a screen protector. This essential purchase is cheap but crucial and will greatly improve the protection from chips and scratches on your Smartphones screen. Screen protectors are extremely easy to attach to your Smartphones, and once fixed in place, are virtually unnoticeable. Bluetooth Headsets With a Bluetooth headset you can make and take calls on the move, wherever you are and keep your hands free! Using the Bluetooth connection on your Smartphone, a Bluetooth headset will allow you to talk without needing to hold your phone. This means your Smartphone can be safely stored in your laptop, purse, bag or pocket! Summary Smartphones are playing very vital role in the world. Without smartphines it is not possible to connect with each other even with members of the same organisation. So it is very clear if you have smartphone then it does not matter you can contact with relatives, friends, clients. And you can move your office any where in the world. As discussed above that smartphones have operating system so then you do not need to buy personal computer and laptop. Because the smartphone gives you that work which personal computer and laptop do. In next five years amazing change will occure in smartphones by the improvement of technology. Smartphone will replace personal computer because it has the complete keyboard and many other functions which personal computer has. So it is true that within the next few years smartphones will become the single most important digital device we own. Role of E-commerce in Ebays and Amazons popularity E-commerce is playing very vital role in the popularity of ebay and amazon. Because it is only possible to buy goods online from ebay and amazon. Without electronic commerce its not possible for ebay and amazon to reach at this top level. By the help of e-commerce everyone can buy things online without any problem. So it means that without e-commerce ebay and amazon can not acheive the goals and objectives. E-commerce or electronic commerce means purchasing and selling of goods and services and exchanges on the Internet. On Internet with a big success of ecommerce commonly we can say that it is shopping at World Wide Web. Simply we can say that when we do online shopping it is called ecommerce. Types of E-commerce B2B (Business-to-Business) Business-to-Business means that when company dealing with each other like wholesalers selling to retailers, and manufacturers selling to distributors. In this kind of business customer or client will not be included. B2C (Business-to-Consumer) In this kind of businesses selling is directly to consumer through cart software. C2B (Consumer-to-Business) In C2B business a consumer put his project online and then different organisation study the consumers needs and then try to get that project. And then consumer selects the company that can do the project. C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer) C2C business means that everyone is free to buy and sell from each other by online payment system. Like Amazone and eBay is alive examples of C2C business where alot of transaction take place everyday. Role of 2.0 technologies in Ebays and Amazons popularity Web 2.0 was introduced in 2004 and know as the second generation of the World Wide Web. It does not relate to a particular type of Web. Examples of 2.0 are listed below: Blogs: Blogs means that users can post and upgrade their profile of life on the Web. Wikis: It enables the users from the whole world to update and add online content. Social networking: MySpace and Facebook are the present examples by which people can interact with their friends and update their own profile. Web application: By the help of variety of new applications users can run programs directly in a browser. 1. Making money Of course. Since the first data-scraping and sniping tools well, wait, make that since eBay first opened its APIs to developers, the eBay development ecosystem has grown with the volume of eBay transactions. eBay sellers sold $60B last year, and the 80,000 developers who helped sellers research, list, and service all those transactions also received their cut. 2. Useful technology eBay has some of the greatest technology and data assets on the web. The technology of eBay and PayPal is useful on a massive scale. PayPal has 70 million users. eBay sees 150 million unique visitors per month, and supports 70 million sellers worldwide. The developer community that provides applications for eBay sellers and buyers uses the eBay APIs to drive as much as 60% of eBay transactions. 3. Accessible technology Mark emphasized the importance of mobile applications.The eBay iPhone application is a strong start. It is clear that he believes eBay should make a powerful effort to enable mobile usage. eBay and its third-party developers still need to make some breakthroughs to enable accessibility. 4. Technology adapted to you Today, your cell phone is a communications device, an entertainment center, a mall, and a social network. Tomorrow, it may also be your wallet. Already you can instantly repay a loan to a friend who has a PayPal account. Soon, In-N-Out Burgers may accept PayPal, and you will be able to pay for your burgers at the counter from your cell phone. PayPal is uniquely adaptable for this kind of use, because it is a single global payment network, with end-to-end transaction visibility, good risk protection and fraud detection, integrated with more than 15k banks. PayPal unifies the worlds disparate money systems to enable payments anywhere. The big news in adaptable technology is that the PayPal Developer Program is opening up later in 2009. Third-party developers will use flexible APIs for sending money to create mobile payments applications that will change the way people pay for things. 5. Open platform eBay released a new developer opportunity today.SM Apps lets developers embed seller applications in ebay.com, just as you can embed applications in Facebook. The difference is that with SM Apps developers can make money, charging a one-time fee or using a subscription model for use of their application. Because the SM Apps platform uses the Gadgets specification, applications built for eBay can also operate elsewhere on the web, including on other portal pages. The Selling Manager tool has 270,000 active, paying businesses operating in the U.S. alone. As Mark said, While other platforms are trying to figure out monetization we are set up for you [the developer] to take a cut, and we hope you will. Summary E-commerce and Web 2.0 technologies are the way of popularity of ebay and amazon. Everyone in the world knows about the role of e-commerce and amazon. So in this essay the importance of e-commerce and amazon are discussed in brief. Ebays and amazons popularities are connected with e-commerce and web 2.0 technologies. So it is not possible without e-commerce and web 2.0 technologies that ebay and amazon get popularity. Everyday there are alot of buying and purchasing occurred in daily life and these transaction are increasing day by day, by this we can say that these two are the key factors in the popularity of ebay and amazon.

Job Satisfaction Essay -- Job Mastery, Job Control

This research was conducted to assess the relationship between selected demographics, job mastery, and job satisfaction. A total 6,902 participants were gathered from the telephone and Internet provider BellSouth. A significant relationship was found between age and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was also significantly correlated with years spent with the company. Significant differences were found between gender and job satisfaction, as well as level of education and job satisfaction. These findings suggest that as age and years spent with the company increase job satisfaction also increases and job satisfaction may depend upon the level of education of the employee. The Relationship between Specific Demographic Variables, Job Mastery, and Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction serves as important factor in improving not only the general happiness of employees, but also enhancing the work performance. For these reasons, psychologists and employers alike have studied the factors that may effect overall job satisfaction among employees. For example, previous research has found a negative significant relationship between social stressors and job satisfaction (Harris, Harvey, & Kacmar, 2009). This research signified that as the social stressors of employment decreased the job satisfaction of the employee increased. Although this research was beneficial in the implication of increasing job satisfaction of employees, previous research in evaluating other factors effecting job satisfaction has not been as successful. Previous research evaluating the relationship between specific demographic factors and job satisfaction has been inconclusive (Scott, Swortzel, & Taylor, 2005). However, Harris et al. (2009) ... ... week, so that all employees would have a chance to complete the survey and the data could not be linked to the shift that the employee worked. Results Frequencies were preformed on call waiting, caller id, Internet, and multiple lines. Results indicated that 58.40% of employees did not own multiple telephone lines and 41.60% of employees did own multiple lines. Similar results were found for caller id and call waiting. Frequencies revealed that 48.40% of employees did not own caller id’s and 51.6% of employees did own caller id’s. Frequencies also indicated that 49.10% of employees did not have call waiting and 50.90% did have call waiting. The most surprising information provided by frequencies was the lack of employees who had Internet. Results indicated that only 26.10% of BellSouth employees had Internet, while 70.00% of employees did not have Internet.

Ethnic Drinking Subcultures Essay

Says : Cultures have been able to integrate drinking into a religious and symbolic context. Irish tend to have a serious drinking problem with drinking; Jews and Italians do not. There are two psychological explanations to be found for alcoholism-cultural and psychological. In a culture in which the demands for male supportiveness are high and there is low support for assertiveness in the male role, the author argues that drinking increases in men at least. The author also discuss the influence of drinking socialization on drinking patterns. Does : It provides the background knowledge required to understand the contents of the book. It introduces the proposition through specialized, concrete and qualitative premises. Chapter Three (Page 36-52) Says : Different cultures are evaluated on the he characteristics of power and support. The Irish and Italians are high on power and support, while the Swedes and Jews are low. Italians and Jews are high on support than are Irish and Swedes. On this basis, it can expected that the groups would rank themselves in terms of alcohol consumption in the following order : irish, Swedes, Italians, Jews. Thus, there is a striking difference in the drinking environment of each drinking group. Does : It provides reasons in support of the proposition. It provides concrete and qualitative examples. It also provides several descriptive examples and qualitative evidence. Chapter Six (Page 83-89) Says : The chapter examines whether the different ethnic groups may have different ‘addiction’ subcultures. The Irish may drink more because they have an ‘oral dependency’ subculture. While various groups do not differ enormously in their adolescent years in their levels of drug consumption, young people from the different groups seem to find their way into peer-group environments where the propensity to abuse alcohol and drugs is high. Does : It provides several specialized and concrete research findings. It introduces several implications of the proposition. Chapter Eight (Page 95-101) Says : There are different drinking subcultures among ethnic groups studied, which influence the drinking behavior and ones propensity to have drinking problems. These cultures are remarkably durable, persisting across generations. Does : It provides a conclusion for the book, and highlights the most important facts related to drinking and ethnicity.

Free Essays on Perks Of Being A Wallflower

In the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie, the main character, who lives in Western Pennsylvania in the early nineties, writes a series of letters to a person that he never reveals. He does not know the person, and does not let the person know who he is. Charlie is a freshman and while he is not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. He is a wallflower. He is shy, thoughtful, and intelligent beyond his years. Charlie doesn’t have many friends; in fact, his only friend Michael killed himself during junior high school. He is left with his mom and dad who do not pay much attention to him, his older brother; a star on the football team, his sister; one of the most popular girls in school, and the only person who ever made him feel special, his Aunt Helen. Charlie’s Aunt Helen died as well and Charlie was very close to her. He was crushed. Charlie loved his family a lot, but he needed something more in life, something normal and Charlie was by no means normal. Charlie also encounters many of the same struggles that most kids face in high school. Some of these struggles are how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, and experimenting with drugs. There really is not a main story line. It skips around to different situations at different times in his life. Charlie becomes friends with seniors Patrick and his sister Sam. They are his only friends and they know this and try to do the best to introduce him to new things and get involved in activities. Patrick is out-going and hilarious. Most of the popular kids in school admire him. His nick-name is â€Å"Nothing.† Sam is pretty and didn’t have the most â€Å"lady-like† reputation in school. She has brown hair and â€Å"very very pretty green eyes. The kind of green that doesn’t make a big deal about itself.† – p.19. From the moment that Charlie first meets Sam he falls ... Free Essays on Perks Of Being A Wallflower Free Essays on Perks Of Being A Wallflower In the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie, the main character, who lives in Western Pennsylvania in the early nineties, writes a series of letters to a person that he never reveals. He does not know the person, and does not let the person know who he is. Charlie is a freshman and while he is not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. He is a wallflower. He is shy, thoughtful, and intelligent beyond his years. Charlie doesn’t have many friends; in fact, his only friend Michael killed himself during junior high school. He is left with his mom and dad who do not pay much attention to him, his older brother; a star on the football team, his sister; one of the most popular girls in school, and the only person who ever made him feel special, his Aunt Helen. Charlie’s Aunt Helen died as well and Charlie was very close to her. He was crushed. Charlie loved his family a lot, but he needed something more in life, something normal and Charlie was by no means normal. Charlie also encounters many of the same struggles that most kids face in high school. Some of these struggles are how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, and experimenting with drugs. There really is not a main story line. It skips around to different situations at different times in his life. Charlie becomes friends with seniors Patrick and his sister Sam. They are his only friends and they know this and try to do the best to introduce him to new things and get involved in activities. Patrick is out-going and hilarious. Most of the popular kids in school admire him. His nick-name is â€Å"Nothing.† Sam is pretty and didn’t have the most â€Å"lady-like† reputation in school. She has brown hair and â€Å"very very pretty green eyes. The kind of green that doesn’t make a big deal about itself.† – p.19. From the moment that Charlie first meets Sam he falls ...

These books should be read by everyone.

These books should be read by everyone. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed This is a real treasure for real romantics! The book is about how to become a real person with a capital letter. And everything began very modestly. Cheryl Strayed began to write columns for a literary site online. She used the pseudonym "Sugar". The result surpassed all expectations. Soon the world saw a podcast "Dear sugar radio". And then it came to the collection of NY Times-bestselling book compilation. If you pay attention to the cover, you can immediately understand what the author wants to say. Cheryl shows that in any situation there is something good. In the most terrible situations, we can remain the best people. If you are in trouble, read this book, and you will be able to look at the world and the situation from a different angle. This book is a kind of anecdotal guidance, which is read in one breath. The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them by Meg Jay This book was written by a clinical psychologist with many years of experience in his field. This is a book for adults. Dr. MegJay tells about the success and how to achieve it. And literally in everything: personal growth, career, personal life, love, and romance... Of course, Dr. MegJay is not only a theorist but also a practitioner. She tells her story of success, the history of all life, from early childhood. This is a living example of how even the saddest story can be changed and get a happy end. The book motivates a person to realize their dreams and their potential. It will calm down any of your psychological fears. And it does not matter whether these fears are: fail in business or the fear of growing up. In fact, this book gives an incredible boost to every person. So strong push which your friends, career counselor, family, and therapist will not give you! The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer The book became the number one in the category "Emotional Mental Health" on Amazon. After that, the book became a bestseller of "The New York Times". Imagine this? Each of us has an inner voice that can’t stop all day. Sometimes because of him, we can’t even sleep. For example, you think, "I forgot to turn off the iron... Oh, I think I'll be late again!... My mother was probably upset because of what I told her yesterday... I'm so hungry... Where did Jim buy this phone? I also want one... My boss did not raise me. But he promised me, and not once! ". Thanks to this book you will learn how to get some space from this voice and easily cope with yourself and with your own thoughts. You will find your way to harmony and happiness. And for this, you will need the principles of the ancient philosophy of the East and modern psychology. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley Many people dream of learning how to cook. Or think that their wife or husband learn how to cook. But this is so great! You can save money for life, do not go to expensive restaurants. Your self-esteem will grow up! In fact, cooking is a functional and productive form of art, and you can practice this art every day. But you object that it is difficult to cook. That's why we recommend reading this book. This is a graphic memoir, reminiscent of an illustrated cartoon. Lucy Knisley will tell you and show you how to enjoy cooking with a prescription, buy only quality products and spices. It will help you figure out what you like in the kitchen (maybe it's even more important than what you like in bed?). While you are reading the book, Lucy Knisley seems to hold your hand and follow the way of culinary art with you. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff This book was read by Barack Obama. According to NYTimes, this is a bestseller with very interesting characters. Believe me, you will read this novel even at night! It tells about the family life of a man and a woman. And in the first part of the book the story is conducted on behalf of a man, and in the second - on behalf of a woman. You will learn that a person's life can improve over the years. And these improvements depend on your personality, the actions you do, and on how they change or don’t change during life. The book tells how important it is to maintain one's personality in partnership with a husband/wife.

Case study 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study 4 - Assignment Example e CNC Machine Maintenance Field Service Technician level will allow the employee that is hired to be able to take advantage of various offerings that make him or her more marketable in the present competitive job market. This quality of improved knowledgeability will greatly benefit the candidate as the engineering industry is constantly experiencing advances in various sectors. This means that engineer have to constantly be engaged in learning new skills or technologies in order to remain relevant. It also means that with the release of new operating systems in the engineering field, the workers have to be prepared to make constant adjustments to their thinking patterns. The candidate will be encouraged to embrace this process by being among a group of people that is invested in realizing the necessary changes. By working in the offered position, the candidate will also get a chance to experience what working with other people entails. Engineering can be challenging for people who are impatient. This is because they may have to cooperate with clients or co-workers who have not reached their level of expertise. Obviously, patience becomes an important skill that the engineer acquires in such cases. The candidate will also be able to benefit from the opportunity by acquiring better communication skills. This is particularly true where engineers, who work in remote areas, as do many field service engineers, are concerned. Effectively handling the task of remote support calls for a patient and understanding personal character. When out in the field, the engineers also have to be able to maintain communication in spite of differences of opinion or less than cooperative customers. The candidate screening process will be less concerned with computer recommendations and more based on face to face interviews. In the first stage, different recruiters will conduct prescreen calls in which they will speak with all the applicants about their backgrounds, and seek to

Summary and Analysis of Collapses Chapter One Essay

Summary and Analysis of Collapses Chapter One - Essay Example They book is highly influenced by the issues in ecology. One other reason of the book being a best-seller is that people perceive it to be a sequel of his book ‘Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.’ Collapse follows on the ideas presented in this book. Jared Diamond himself has been doing research in the field of evolutionary biology and was a student of it. His studied and researched many animals and birds in the natural places they lived. Because of the fact that he is an evolutionary biologist it is highly probable that while looking at the history of civilization he would be influenced by concluding something which is influenced by Social Darwinism. It has become an inherent predilection in evolutionary biologists. According to Jim Blaut, almost every major thing that has shaped humanity since the beginning of times has been because of changes in environment. To be more accurate, all the major distinctions among human societies, all those distinctions which allowed some of the societies to rise in the world and the others to falter was because of that particular society’s domestic environment or the geographical placement of those people on the globe. If the history is summarized then it represents these differences. Culture is not that important in this context because all the important occurrences in history are explained by the environment rather than the culture. Culture only produces marginal changes. Jared Diamond in a very organized and structured manner moves through the major parts of history and tries to reveal through evidence that how each part of history in a particular area can be explained by the forces of environment affecting that area. The end result of these phenomena is the supremacy of Europe (‘’Jared Diamond’s Collapse’’). In the first part of Collapse, the author gives his pessimistic views regarding the deteriorating environmental conditions in Montana in the Unite d States of America. He has used Montana as microcosm and as a useful test sample. Below the apparently clean and clear surface of the region of Montana there is a huge amount of dangerous toxic waste which is lying there. There are thousands of mines in Montana which have been abandoned and are full with dangerous chemical and industrial waste like arsenic and sulfuric acid. All of this goes into the rivers. This is not only harmful for the natural habitat in the area but for the humans dwelling there as well. The condition of forests and the animals residing there are not much better either. They are helpless which makes Diamond write that it was previously observed in the first chapter as to how Montana was undergoing environmental changes which were detrimental and were having economic consequences. The goals and values that have been outlined, if implemented would result in different ways of solving these environmental problems. These approaches are associated with different pr obabilities of getting the required results or failing in them. Currently there is a great difference of opinion regarding the success of even the best possible ways of solving these problems. It is unknown which approach would be chosen by Montana and whether it will be successful or not (‘’Jared Diamond’s Collapse’’). It is not a good thing that the American Indians are not mentioned at all in the initial pages of the chapter. This is surprising because if someone for example writes about the environmental problems prevalent in Alaska, how the indigenous population of Inuits could not be mentioned at all. This is all the more surprising because the author has been very interested in showing the fact that pre-capitalist societies were just as