Gender Inequality in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Inequality in the United States - Essay Example More than 50 percent law graduates are women but less than 25 percent are law firm partners. Women gets more than 70 percent of masters, doctoral and professional degrees collectively but holds less than 20 percent of full time positions as university professors. US is ranked 85th in the world on the basis of share women hold in national legislative body. Only 9 percent of the largest cities in US have female mayors. He further mentions with grief that out of 500 fortune companies more than 25 percent had no female executive officers. Even in the film industry only one out of 4 female nominations for the best director won the Oscar, whereas; 77 percent of Oscars were gone to men. Williams further highlighted women as higher scorers on the scale of various leadership traits designed by Pew Center study, Social and Demographic Survey. In his view; despite of better grades, traits, potential and creativity the conditions of women are diminishing day by day in every industry and sector o f US. Pozner’s View Jennifer Pozner, founder of Women in Media and News, is a feminist who has channelized all her education, expertise and energy in enlightening the status of women especially in media. She is of the view that; women are treated as â€Å"second class citizens† in TV channels. ... eep trenches settled by male dominated society, though women have gained a humongous visibility in the media but still they lack those decision making positions which enjoy the authority of crafting people’s mind. Pozner said; â€Å"Control of the media is the single most important issue of our time, the corporate-controlled media shape and inform our collective ideas about people, politics, and public policy, the corporate-dominated mass media are the key to why our fast-moving culture is so slow to change, stereotypes are so persistent, and the power structure is so entrenched† Pozner believes that Media has the power to change minds and attitudes bus since the decision making power resides within the masculine community thus; males decide what to inject in the minds of people. The vibrant visibility of females in the news room of TV channels and increased female reporters and correspondent corps is a buzz view created to portray that there exist no ceilings for women and women are given equivalence in all the industries and sectors. To Pozner, media world is a â€Å"big lie† and it is spreading a false feminist death syndrome by creating an impression that women are getting what they deserve to get which is unfortunately not the case. Russo’s View Russo said in his speech; â€Å"We're so busy putting out fires right now, that we don't have the time to talk to each other and strategize and plan for the next wave, and the next day, and next month and the next week and the next year. And, we're going to have to find the time to do that in the next few months. And, we have to commit ourselves to doing that. And then, after we kick the shit out of this disease, we're all going to be alive to kick the shit out of this system, so that this never happens again.† According

The WACC of the Nike Inc Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The WACC of the Nike Inc Company - Essay Example The cost of the debt is the effective rate paid by a company on its current debts. It is calculated based on the ratio between the amount of interest paid annually and the market value of the debt. It is used to ascertain the cost the company will incur in servicing the debts. The method used to calculate the cost includes the tax because interest is tax-deductible, thus, it will reduce the tax liability (Binsbergen & Graham 2010). The formula requires the use of the annual interest rate paid and the market value of the debt to estimate the cost of debt. Based on this, the figures are obtained from the income statement and the balance sheet respectively. The cost of retained earnings is the rate of return shareholders require on the firms common stock. The company should earn on its reserved earnings at least as much as its shareholders themselves could earn on other investments of equal risks (Pandey 2010). This method was chosen as the beta of risk could not be ascertained from the financial information. The method uses the expected dividend and the market value of the shares to arrive at the cost of retained earnings. The cost of common stock is the proportion of dividend paid to the shareholder as compensation for the money they have invested. It is calculated as the fraction of the amount paid to them in form of dividends in comparison to the value of the share in the market (Jones 2010). A student will be able to analyze the company and understand its return while a market analyst will be able to know the returns from the company and its viability as an investment opportunity. It shows the return of the money that was initially invested and what it cost the company in paying that dividend.

Technology Forecasting And Strategic Planning In Dell

Technology Forecasting And Strategic Planning In Dell The prediction of technology can be described as foreseeing where technology is going to be in the future. Steps must be observed when a statement of a project is made. The choices and resolution ought to be gritty at the establishment of the plan succession in order to foresee the future and be aware of the technologys to apply. In addition due to the other alternative technology options, forecasting is required on a regular basis for companies, if possible the forecast result may be enumerated earlier and changes can occur. These results can be measured and this will approximate the level of the transformation needed. Another feature of technology forecasting is doubt about the impacts of technology in this world, for example inflation. Inflation is a decline in the power of money; it has influenced technology both in good and bad ways. Creditors will lose money and debtors will gain money when an unexpected inflation occurs. Tools such as field testing, interviews and prototype ar e been used together with forecasting to obtain assurance in the marketplace. Any organization that is capable of putting into practice valuable prediction will be more prepared to look for the stability between handling demand for goods or services and the ability or facility to meet this demand. The capability of utilizing this distinctive stability helps an organization to utilize this as a benefit for competition over its competitors. Strategic planning is the method of approach used in making choices and assigning its supplies to follow this approach. It provides the basis and structure of a business arrangement. Organizing the strategic plan of a business is an effective requirement for business success, without this plan most business will probably be unsuccessful. Analysis technique which dells employs for strategic planning is SWOT analysis refers to the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threat that a company undergoes Strategic planning questions involve a number of of the following enquiries: -What do we produce? -What do the customers want? -How can we satisfy this want? Once the objectives and goals of the company are defined, strategic planning and forecasting have to be put in place to achieve this. The objectives or aims of an organization are basically a more visible declaration of the idea or vision identifying the undertakings to be attained if the vision becomes a reality. The set out goals are more recognized proclamation of the exact or precise activities necessary to realize the goals beginning from the present or existing position. At this stage, preparation developed should cover the following issues: Vision, Mission, Value, Strategies and Programs. The aim of this essay is to illustrate and demonstrate the various ways the company dell applies forecasting and strategic planning to its business operations, how they interact with each other and method used. The objective of this essay is to critically evaluate the concept of success of this company, followed by organisation factors researched on this topic. Methodology. Information was collected from Internet sources, Academic books and journals. History of Dell. Dell was founded by a man named Michael Dell in 1984.His aim was to designs and customizes its computers according to the needs of the customer. Michael Dell was still a student of University of Texas and the company was still called PCS limited. The year after Dell produced its first computer of its own specification and named it Turbo which had eight megahertz processor. What makes dell different is the fact that it allowed individuals to customize their products when ordering. Michael Dell made a change in the ways computers were been sold. Product line today includes desktops, laptops, and servers. The company make profit of 73million dollars in the first year of trading. In 1988 the company went PUBLIC giving shares for 8.50 a piece and changed its name to Dell. The first dell laptop made its appearance in 1991 and in 1933 dell company became one of the top fives company companies in the world. In 1996 their products were sold through the website. It grew between the 1980s and 1 990s to become the largest seller of computers. Operations carried out by dell include customizing hi tech products like laptops, desktops and servers. In 2010 dell has topped HP and Acer in the production of computers. Dell says the customer comes first and that is an integral part in the companys structural heritage and hierarchy is creating long-lasting partnership and working with them to provide their needs and provide solutions that support their success. The concept of solution being driven to address the specific customer challenges. Michael Dell said we are becoming the pc outstanding company not just the pc supplier (Hedrick and struggles,1997) in 2005 it took first place among the ranking of most admired companies issued by Forbes magazine. Dell has undergone a series of past events. one of which was achieving an increase in dual numbers in sales done yearly. The vision statement is to operate hand to hand with partners and supply readily products at all times including t he supply of quality customer encounter in the market place. Dells main opponents are HP and Acer. In the marketplace and small industry it encounters contestant from fellow direct vendor, gateway. As dell progresses into new service business such as creating of none computing products like television, it faces new competition such as LG. Dells achievement stayed through the subsequent years though could not completely stay away from the universal disaster of the PC business of the new millennium. Dells enlargement speed has drop down, ensuing in a decrease in its store value. On the other hand, Dell has been able to remain a triumphant business, as its increase speed persists to outpace the entire business. Distant from this, Dell has been determined to go into fresh marketplaces and, therefore make bigger its merchandise assortment servers, desktop, PCS also flat-screen TVs. Dell transformed its name in 2003 as of Dell Computer Corporation into Dell Inc., so as to reflect the growth of the business from a PC producer to a business that make available a broad selection of technology equipments Strategic Process of Dell. The strategy of Dell is crumbling income margin all through the PC market, a terrible growth for competitors who cant continue. Dell is charging its mechanisms not so much such as modern inventions except for airline tickets and little margin in products. Capability in Dell is quite rigid with many large computer suppliers like Toshiba and Sony. Societal issues also influence the commerce surroundings of Dell. Companies that sell computers have to recognize that in the Chinese tradition, individuals are still unconfident about credit card sales because of the enormous cost of computers in China. Corporations then must put in door-to-door or facial contact procedures to increase consumers reliance and consumers believe in the corporation and its merchandise. Dell also has attained the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS). Dell aspires at product plan, moving of goods and many more. Since part of Dells ISO 14001 EMS, the association put into operation of achievements where b y the aim is to make it get better inner trade environment performance in a nonstop development procedure which is applied to contribute to achievements all way through the company. Dell has placed to expand its product name further than ordinary computer merchandise by influencing its status as head of e-commerce. Dell began to re-identify in year 2000, as the corporation that is acquainted with how e-business work. It has contributed to its online transaction expertise with a small number of large clients as they build up their own E-commerce abilities. Dell features a few energy from its opponents; in the case of Information Technology as the EDI tool offer extremely efficient prospect in decreasing costs and it can launch the rigid connection involving Dell with its providers and Dell with its clients. Dell began trading its own kind of handheld computers, named the Axim, at little amount which can be regarded as high prospective and CEO, Mr. Michael Dell mentioned how Dells accomplishment lay in making it as simple as possible for a person to buy a computer. There are a number of applications that are presently life form utilized by Dell and they are essential to the important procedures of Dell production and the Dell direct which are its functional reasons for achievement. A few application are presently being made use of by Dell are important excluding the fact that they are not regarded for certain significant achievement. Mission DELLS STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. Objectives Situation Analysis Implementation Control Key success factors for Dell includes: -Product customization for business and consumer customer -Economical prices -Better connection with suppliers -Produce customization for Business and Consumer client -Superior customer deal Outstanding cost arrangement Activity Large business and government Industry, home offices and small business Customer recognition and attainment Telesales supported by direct sale force in local offices Publicity and promotion Asset Open account and third part listing Credit cards and third party leasing logistic Manufacturing to order and shipment through third party carriers Manufacturing to order and shipment through third party carriers Business strategy: Dells Companys success is the connection among all of its competencies. The direct sale is dependent on the built-to-order system, and the built-to-order system relies on the supplier integration system. Hence a dell pc is intended to reduce human touches in making, contractor are certain to make sure high product excellence, contractor are physically included into making and the whole charge accomplishment process id run by a stylish mixture of inner and outer information A benefit of direct sales and build-to-order making is that costly catalogue doesnt put up in the path and doesnt gain its value earlier than it can be put on the market and fresh goods can be brought in not having to remove older inventory in the path. Dell know so much information about the end user, information such as: what product was bought from dell, how many products were bought, where the product was delivered to and so on. The following discuss how the company achieved success, the process involved. -Direct sales -Build to order -Supplier integration Direct sale Michael Dell said this direct association assemble important information concerning the client, therefore Dell is familiar with its clients, details that allow Dell to propose add-on products and services, and remain, in wide-ranging, closer to the client. this make available Dell with assets of promotion and manufactured goods growth idea. Michael Dell states that there are two major services which bring Dell closer to its clients: Premier Pages and Platinum Councils. Premier Pages, now called Premier.Dell.com, are modified IT procurement and help websites for big customers, which allows them choose and control their acquisition from Dell, hence leaving to salespeople a more review task. Premier.Dell.com stands for a personalized auction place and as Dell has discovered how important that is, it has enlarged the amount of Premier Pages from 1000 in 1998 to 50,000 in 2000 Platinum assembly are local gathering of Dells major clients, where management, salespeople and technicians talk about their practice with Dell and their requirements and prospect from the technology. in addition, Dells client understanding proposal, Dell meeting, the Direct2Dell blog and the Idea Storm demonstrate the significance that Dell set on its client interaction This model called the direct sale model has been in existence for ages. Dell Company produced almost all its products after an order was made by a customer. Presently, Dell is among on the few computer makers that builds their own personal product. This type of process has successful over the years. Its a competitive advantage over competitors, while also selling its products at a lesser price. Dell also managed to offload much of the financial burden of manufacturing to suppliers, and its manufacturing efficiency is legendary, because of this model dell has grown faster than its competitors HP and Acer. Final customer dell suppliers Build to order The original trading model that Dell has initiated within the PC business has broken the we contain to build up the whole thing existing vision of the globe and has administered to draw attention to constituent gathering as a deferential important action of a pc business, The build-to-order plan takes this accomplishment more advanced. Dell select dealers who are knowledgeable, understanding and the capability to transport products on time and their presentation is frequently assessed against pre-settled method. In fact, quarterly Dell gets together with its dealers to give straight response on presentation and upcoming prospect. The presentation is assessed with the help of a scorecard that evaluates each dealer with its rivals based on price, superiority, dependability and delivery. As compensation, Dells executed dealers are endowed with guidance and help in order to advance their progression. The method Dell used in developing maintenance for the 100 percent construction ability, importantly to enhance its need in planning and company appropriate performance, order to minimize the time taken in ordering delivery of services and improve the customers service. They went into partnership with Accenture to rapidly produce an innovative, high-performance chain of supply and development resolution. Because of usage of this model dell has grown faster than its competitors HP and Acer Presently, in Dells foundations is all over the world and the program paid an excess. The company has the ability to become accustomed more quickly and efficiently quickly varying technologies, and also keeping up with its reputation as a high-performance industry. Dell is a ruler provider of products and services required for customers to construct their technology infrastructures. The company was originated in 1984 and presently has about 34,400 employees in 34 countries, worldwide marketplace contribute in surfeit of 15 percent, and yearly revenues of almost $32 billion. Supplier integration Traditional computer companies had to be vertically incorporated and developed the many gears of the computer themselves. When Dell first started off, the traditional process could not be afforded. Instead, Dell leveraged savings finished by others and decided on the release of answers and system to clients, which is the mind of the direct business model. This has allowed Dell influence their relationships with both its suppliers and customers. Though the small amounts of dealers of Dell are the correspondent of associates and are treated as if they were actually a fraction of Dell. This partnership will last as long as each partner maintains its leadership in technology and of course quality. The dealers of Dell are given precisely what the daily needs of the company will be, thereby making it possible for the open access of information which is mutual sharing among Dell and its supplier. Technology boosts the economic incentives of such type of association due to the fact that it s peeds time to market and creates respect that is shared among purchaser and vendor This type of partnership, thus posses the challenge of change on focus from how much inventory there is as well as how fast it is moving and is calculated by inventory velocity, which has Dell functioning with dealer to repeatedly decrease inventory (stock) and increase its speed. The channel plan used by dell: The act of deciding a channel supply chain is an essential and effectual strategy which is very compulsory. The supply chain master can make a influential new channel that decreases its contestant s access to vital aim financial records and the marketplace area. There are battles between the producers, distributors and competitors over client possession by means of inter company supply chain associations. The success of this supply chain associations are the explicit ideas. The internet also opens new prospects and extent for enhanced customer deals. However the companies newly produced channel should retain the fit among a companies business form. in the premature period of a technology produce life cycle, distributors are significant for following innovative adopters. An improvement straight channel scheme gave dell these fundamental basics of its supremacy packed business model. The main suppliers of dell come mainly from pc makers who are of the same group. For example, IBM for t he hard drives as well as Intel which it has used for its sole source of its microprocessors. A decision which was imposed to simplify its product development but if INTEL is unable to meet its market demand as it was in the late 1999 and early 2000 then it would cost more. The manufacturing of dell is done in the united state but about 70% of its procurement is completed in the Asia appeasing area. Between 1992 and 1997 dell condensed its figure of supplier by 75%, plus about fifteen of these are its key suppliers who provide 85% of its materials. In other to reduce its complexity of managing its supply chain, Dell is in conjunction with these contractors in multiyear preparation as well as negotiating. Customer comment Market insight Extremely crisp product life cycle evolution Capability to manage costs on a actual basis Dell toiled at length to create an helpful supplier running function in command to cut down module guide times and uphold unconditional excellence standards necessary by the procedure. Objectives of Dells Strategic Plan: Swot Analysis: SWOT analysis which is part of strategic planning is used to determine the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats involved with Dell. This analysis identifies and specifies the issues which are positive or negative to dells business objectives. First the strength of the company which is been used to achieve the objects of dell, then weakness which includes factors affecting the business ,and then opportunities which will aid the achievement of these objectives, finally threat includes environmental or external factors which affect performance. The process of identifying these swat analysis is very important for businesses such as dell as it involves steps involved for achievements of objectives and development. Strength and Weakness relate to matters concerning the following resources: sales of a product, operations efficiency, product services, and cost productivity. -Strength: Dell is the Worlds biggest PC creator their products are one of the best globally, by providing customers with the best effective way to meet their needs. Dells proficiency is their cost strategy. They sell their products directly to customers thereby reducing consolatory. -Weakness: New product market on corporate clients. The company gets their suppliers from other countries that can cause the company some embarrassment. In the year 2004 Dell had to recall 4.4 million laptop adapters because of a fear that they could overheat, causing electric shocks or fires. -Opportunity: Bringing new products to the marketplace at an affordable price. Also introducing new products such as printers and also non-computing goods. Dell is selling low cost products to retailers in the United States of America. They rebrand for other companies gives the company new market segments. -Threat The competitors of computer companies pose a big threat in the market place world wide. rivals such as Acer and HP deduce the growth of the company. Dell gets product components from far regions like India where the work cost are really cheap, but this information is available to competitors, so they can apply the same process. Also as Dell been a global company, it is open to instability in the global exchange market. Variation in currency rate could leave the company exposed to possible loss in part of its supply chain. Technology changes is also a treat because of advancement of technology in the economy Monitoring the Strategy The help of digital nervous system nevertheless the CEO might find out what is going on the tactic front and on all other sides. This is one of the major strategic problems, can you supervise tactics and their results at any time they want or anywhere you want. The solution cannot be positive unless the nervous system is widely spread giving optimistic answers to a dozen other significant questions. 1. Has e-mail developed into the main internal message system? 2. Is it possible to get trade data information on-line? 3. Do they use PCs for trade study? 4. Do individual use the digital system to get rid of paper and official procedure? 5. Have you improved procedures to abolish single-task work for multi-functional tasks? 6. Does monitoring the system improve excellence and competence? 7. Do customers have feedback on-line? 8. Clients association are they put up into the system? 9. Do you converse by means of the digital system with all contractors and associates with the endeavour of restricting cycle times and hastening processes? 10. Is the middleman eradicated, replacing of deliverables? Getting right and accurate answers from the questions above has so many advantages and having wrong answers minimizes the companys efficiency. It requires no knowledge of technology and business awareness. The right answers underpin the efficiency of the strategic plan. Distribution Planning Strategy Demand planning includes push and pull system, understanding the customers demand on cost matters, positioning of goods at appropriate distribution centres all this to reduce working the working capital, a key to control inbound logistics with contractors and agreed maker. containing the fraction it requires at the accurate time to gather a pc, dell needs contractors to embrace record in store in a 15-30minute compel of its plant. Dell then notifies the warehouse when components have to be stocked up and they are taken to the plant, where they are towed off the truck according to their requirement. Dell prepares mechanism awaiting customers instruction (push) and it decides on the capability of gathering plants on customer order starting point (pull), it needs demand forecasting for these two issues. Both pull and push methods require future demand of customers. Customer order and manufacturing cycle Push and pull of Dells supply chain. Procurement cycle Pull processes Push processes Customer order arrives Supply chain strategy of dell: Supply chain management is becoming significant in this day trading globe. In addition in todays supply chains there is perpendicular breakdown of manufacture, signifying that businesses are liable to focus on their core capability and subcontract their logistics and less important procedures just to keep capital. Delay is a common run through, where there is a setback in result construction and particularly in developing of a produce, ensuing in improved forecasts about the end manufactured goods requirement over time Michael Dells calculated selection and his efficient method of understanding them have taken part in an important role in Dells victory tale. The major constituent of his winning company model of the corporation is its supply chain management; for this reason, a lot of theorists of Supply Chain Management tried to examine Dells SC approach, and quite a lot of businesses have tried to duplicate the business model, without accomplishing it yet. This detail illustrates the difficulty of Dells SC tactic and its exceptional method of positioning it to training. The important fundamentals of Dells business form are its direct sales model, built-to-order and supplier integration. A supply chain is made up of all parts concerned, in satisfying a client demand . In other words, a supply chain (SC) includes all organizations that collaborate in order to produce and deliver a finished product to the final customer, as well as the customer himself. Supply chains may be dissimilar in dimension, difficulty of dealings among the members and sharing of material existence. The supply chain of Dell includes: The client Dells website Dells gathering plant Dells dealers. Supply chain reaction: React to broad variety of quantities demanded Attempt to meet short lead times Handle a wide variety of goods construct high inventive goods Handle delivery doubt Responsiveness of the supply chain implementation High Low Cost High Low Separate from the direct model and build-to-order supply chain scheme, forecasters have treated with previous matters which will add to Dells accomplishment. point out, Dells undisclosed formula relating to its supply chain is suitable combination of procedure and individuals fundamentals from Michael Dells statements that our RD centre of attention on procedure and excellence development in developing and one of our main confrontation is looking for directors who can split and act in response to quick changes .The solution of supply chains is individuals, because they introduce the Supply chain into existence Support the Supply Chain Strategy with the Business Strategy Generally businesses build up a SC plan later than when business strategy has already been definite. At the same time as this advancement can distribute some worth, it does not maintain the combination into the business strategy enlargement of very prevailing SC model choices; this possibly will considerably advance the business strategy. The supply chain strategy has to at all times sustain the objective of the business strategy Forecasting Companies who are capable of putting into practice valuable forecasting methods and the capability of using this distinctive technique makes a will be at a greater advantage over competitors. A range of forecasting models to select from, Dells uses forecasting method to make decisions and plans about its future. Future researchers examine and identify the best alternative future features. It makes it possible for people to alter or be prepared for whats ahead of them in the future. No matter the type of forecasting we apply, there will be an issue about uncertainty and blind spots will occur. Dell uses long term forecasting method which is usually less precise than short term methods. The future is however filled with doubt. Information of the past makes available the raw materials from which the brain then constructs ideas of the future. The accuracy of dells forecast was between 70 to 75 percent due to its accurate account selection. Whenever there is an uncertainty in the company dell manager raises the forecast on high-end products because it is way better and much easier to sell up and high-end had a more extensive shelf life. Demand Forecasting Methods At the moment job environment gives professionals the face up to meeting the clients request instantly. Demand and Lead times are the most fearful numbers for many SCM professionals as they pose to stay elusive. This route gives you the environment of Demand and supply management, a variety of procedure as well as constituent of cost, procedures to put together, estimate and purify data and the statistical proficiency to apply different forecast models to maintain your company Steps of forecasting methods include the following: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Choose on the type of forecast à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Decide on the things to be forecast à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Decide the period prospect of the forecast à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Past demand for products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Current state of the economy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Collect the forecast information à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ put together the estimation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ validate and apply findings Benefits of Forecasting -Enhance clients contentment -Decrease stock-outs -Programme inventions more resourcefully -Subordinate security stock needs -Decrease produce obsolescence expenses -Supervise delivery improvement -Improve pricing and promotion management -Settle better-quality conditions with contractor Difficulties in using Forecasting Technology: The rate at which the advancement of technology is growing makes it impossible to fully predict technology characteristics. Sometimes when the truth is staring right as us, we find it hard to accept it due to repercussion which may take place after. It takes guts and nerve to accept this allegation of the judgment .Nevertheless opposition to change is a normal human feature, it is tremendously tricky to endeavour ahead of our autonomy of approval in forecasting innovative technologies. The Future of Dell Dell continuously processes its business scheme, by ingoing into new marketplaces such as electronics so as to raise profits. The business has placed insistent income objectives approximately twice the received income at the moment. To assemble these objective, altering trading surroundings and the business usually changes its supply chain strategy. This is not only to make sure that the supply chain is strategy aligned with the business strategy, but also to keep ahead of the competition. According to CEO Rollins, Dell directs the important series in a more enhanced way than someones else on the globe; the single one close to us may be Wal-Mart. Outsourcing In the late 1980s companies in the United States began to concentrate on their core competencies. This started a move to outsource functions that werent related to a companys main line of business. Outsourcing business has grown manifolds and the present market is estimated to be around US$ 500 billion (M. Lacity, 2002). Outsourcing phenomena has caught the interest of academicians too and the academic researchers have analyzed this phenomenon in various perspectives. As an offshoot of this IT outsourcing, companies in the late eighties started to experiment with offshore sourcing to varying extent. Research has also been done in the overseas outsourcing of IT work to a limited extent. There has been a great deal of interest in the trade publications on off shoring than in the academic publications, for reasons such as adverse skill availability, cost savings and quality. Dell doesnt have significant amount of resources tied up in physical facilities dedicated to wining the first to market battle For each consecutive invention of techno

New technologies dismiss social relationships Essay examples -- Tech

In this fast-changing world, new technologies have become essential in societies and have an impact on everyone’s life. This process of â€Å"technologization† has grown exponentially since the nineties and the beginning of the Internet, which has significantly decreased boundaries of communication. Some expert agreed that new technologies would make communication and exchange easier, and thus give an incentive to communicate with other people. However, those change have caused communication to change and people have totally change their way to communicate. Ever since people have become increasingly dependent on those technologies because they only see their advantages and convenience for everyday life. New technologies dismiss social relations; due to the way people use them. This paper will argue that an excessive use of new technologies can damage people’s social interactions, which in term might cause numerous social issues. To support this argument, three reasons will be approached: the first part will explain how new technologies make people more selfish and individual by explaining online communication issues; second, people rely so much on new technologies that there has been an increase in technological addiction which turn people into technological aliens. To finish, advanced technologies change people’s behavior in their everyday life; here, the fact that virtual life comes over real life will be developing. This research will demonstrate how new technologies dismiss social relationships by comparing and analyzing different academic sources. In order to proceed, the word communication needs to be defined. According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, communication is the process by which people exchange... ...umà ©riques, Des Enfants Mutants ??" Sciences Humaines [France] Oct. 2013: 35-37. Print. Kelion, Leo. "Hannah Smith Death: Father Says Daughter Was Victim of Cyberbullies." BBC News. BBC, 08 June 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Kudler, Amanda. "Video Games Timeline." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2007. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Netburn, Deborah. "The Business and Culture of Our Digital Lives." N.p., July 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Soong, Jennifer. "When Technology Addiction Takes Over Your Life." WebMD. WebMD, June 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Tong, Krystel. "Social Networking Leads to Social Isolation." Prezi.com. Prezi.com, Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Turkle, Sherry. "Sherry Turkle: Connected, but Alone?" TED: Ideas worth Spreading. TED, Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Young, Kimberley. "Gà ©nà ©rations Numà ©riques, Des Enfants Mutants ?" Science Humaines [France] Oct. 2013: 52-55. Print.

Climate Change, Deforestation and the Media Essay

Various factors exist that are causing a negative impact and damaging the natural ecosystem. Various emissions from motor vehicles and different industries and chemical plants, processes like deforestation and various other activities continuously contribute to the deterioration of the well-being and livelihood of individuals and the ecosystem. Various researches conducted worldwide have detected various changes in the terrestrial ecosystems marked with the various activities propagated by the actions of human beings towards the environment (Midori, 2014, p 105). The alterations that exist have been attributed to climate change as opposed to any other types of activities and factors that may have arisen. There are various marked causes and effects of climate change towards the natural terrestrial organisms and all the other substances that consti0tute to the natural ecosystem. For instance, different animal, plant and biomes ranges have undergone shifting. The different timings in which various organisms and plants take to perform various activities such as flowering have been altered (Maxwell, 2013, p 779). The migration of animals has also been shifted since the prediction of the climate which facilitates there movement has significantly been altered. There have been instances in which the scotching sun has led to the development of various wild fires. Moreover, various amphibians, for instance seventy-five different frog species have been driven to extinction because of the climate change. Projections and various statistics have it that the various greenhouse emissions may lead to an overwhelming supply of various poisonous gases into the atmosphere hence altering the natural adaptive mechanisms of various organisms in the ecosystem. If the situation were left unmonitored and uncontrolled, vast areas would turn into ASALS thereby contributing to the alterations of the biochemical cycles that are experienced worldwide (Maxwell, 2011, p 779). Aquatic Ecosystems The aquatic ecosystems form a very functional and important role in the interrelation and existence of the global environment. Apart from playing a key and functional role in the ecological productivity and their contribution towards biodiversity, they play a very important role to the human beings. However, they face direct threats from the activities of human beings either in a direct or indirect manner. Climate change has an impact on the aquatic environment in the sense that an increase in the temperature of water significantly alters the basic ecological process facilitated by the marine life and the aquatic life species geographical distribution. The marine life may show tendencies of migration to various suitable habitants but various human activities may hinder their respective migration (Brulle et al, 2012, p 182). They may be unable to migrate thereby leading to their extinction of the various treasured species. Climate change influences the precipitation patterns. Moreover , the surface run off may have been contaminated by various gases that exist in the atmosphere thereby influencing marine life. Agriculture Agriculture forms a vital component of many economies. Agriculture is a composition of various cash crops, domestic livestock and various aquatic fish species, which are consumed or reared for commercial and consumption purposes. Climatic conditions highly influence the existence of fish and various agricultural produce. The effect of climate change on agriculture can be viewed from various dimensions since various factors exist that favor the process of agriculture while some hinder growth and production (Christensen et al, 2012, p 201). The excess existence of temperature and release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contribute to increase in productivity and synthesis of various crops. However, for these conditions to have a positive impact on the various crops, various other factors such as the correct soil pH, the availability of water, moisture content of the soil, and other factors must be met. Massive periods of droughts and excess floods are always a challenge to various farmers. Moreover, when the temperature of water that harbors the aquatic life becomes warmer, the fish may migrate or die hence influencing the ecosystem (Corner et al, 2012, p 470). Crops are influenced by warm temperatures. They hasten the growth levels but reduce on the quantity of the yields produced. Moreover, an increase for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also increases the amount of yield that is expected from a given type of crop. The growth process of crops is hindered by the existence and presence of extreme occurrences of rain and temperatures. The occurrence of drought and foods hinder crop growth since the crops become washed away and wither (Doherty et al, 2011, p 265). Human Health Human beings are affected by the occurrence of various climate change processes. These effects vary from the influence and diverse effects of heat waves, extreme weather events, air quality and occurrences of climate-sensitive diseases. Instances of hydration and the occurrences of heat strokes are prevalent and major causative agents of weather-related ailments and deaths. The impact would be a shift in the population patterns. Weather events, which are extreme, may contribute to various challenges that may be faced by human beings (Dotson et al, 2012, p 69). For instance, there would be a general reduction of water supplies and food in various parts of the country. Various health care services and communication utilities may be interrupted. Storms and various other factors may contribute to the excess concentration of carbon monoxide gas, which is poisonous to the human life. Climate change can therefore be seen to have various diverse effects on the natural ecosystem and if not pr operly controlled can lead to the extinction of various life forms and species. Mitigation of climate change Mitigation of climate change refers to the various actions adopted with the aim of reducing the affect of the natural ecosystem. Framing Issues The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change consists of a numerous enrolment of countries that have united to adopt various measures and practices to curb climate change. The principle aim of UNFCCC is to ensure the stabilization of various concentrations of atmospheric gases as a block of various human related activities that would contribute to the interference of the atmosphere (Fahey et al, 2013, p 134). Some of the main activities involve the control of emission of green house gases into the atmosphere. There was a universal consensus to the fact that the level of green house emissions should be limited to 1.5 to 2.0 degrees and below. Governmental and intergovernmental action Majority of the countries are adopting various policies proposed by various organizations such as the Green Belt Movement to extensively use clean technologies in their daily business operations. The mitigation process is promoted by the action that may be adopted by the various firms. Many countries aim at reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere (Hajer et al, 2012, p 300). The government aim is to ensure reduction and minimization of emissions containing carbon into the atmosphere, the utilization of renewable energy and a boost in the efficiency of energy that is being consumed in the industry. The adverse effects of climate change are always felt greatest in nations, which have a low economic status. There exists the Commitment to Development Index, which analyses the various policies adopted to curb rising instances of emission of gases to the atmosphere. There are various activities that majority of the countries engage in that may be seen to contribute to the emis sion of gases in top the atmosphere. Activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and various emissions always influence the emissions. Therefore, the effective regulation of the particular emissions facilitates control of the climate change. Various strategies have been formulated with the main aim of curbing the spread of the adverse effects of climate change. These strategies include the Kyoto protocol, which remains to be the existent international agreement with the sole purpose of curbing climate change. Non-governmental policies These refer to policies that are aimed at reducing the extents of climate change through the effective funding from private investors and other business entities. They may also take the form of various environmental groups, which are seen to promote personal initiative when it comes to the process of fighting crime (Christensen et al, 2013, p 12). The non-governmental bodies also thrive through the encouragement of various personalities to adopt various effective means of using energy for instance the lowering of cooling usage and house heating, the effective use of renewable energy sources, minimization of exhaust fumes from vehicles through finding of means of transaction and operations that do not involve mobility with a vehicle. Apart from the road transport, various researchers have also expressed concern about the emissions produced by the air travel (Dotson et al, 2012, p 76). Various emissions are produced by the air travel, which may influence the atmospheric balance and the resultant ecosystem. The non-governmental bodies therefore aim at finding methods and means through which the emissions can be minimized to maintain an eco balance to the environment. Implications of climate change for sustainable development in rural areas. Rural areas have been known to hold and be a major backbone when it comes to agricultural production. The main occupation of majority of the people who reside in these regions is farming. Majority of the climate alterations because of climate change are diverse in urban areas, which are populated by industries. Rural areas experience constant and predictable rainfall patterns (Fahey et al, 2013, p 143). However, the effect of climate change resulting from various emissions to the atmosphere can easily alter the weather and climate patterns of a vast area of land. It therefore becomes important to note the fact that the sustainable development of rural areas whose people’s livelihood is dependent on the main economic activity which is agriculture. Rural areas are known to consist of vegetation that regulates the atmospheric gases in the atmosphere. They play an important part in balancing the ecosystem (Takahashi, 2011, p 249). Therefore, the efficient regulation of climate change may result to increase in various product output with a rise in production due to the occurrence of precipitation and adequate rainfall to facilitate growth of crops and the existence of livestock and fisheries. Coverage of Climate Change by the Media The media has played a pivotal and vital role in the influence of international, personal and national actions and efforts to address the issue of climate change. The mass reporting off climate change has been predominant in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The level and extent of climate change is hugely attributed to the massive reports and collaborations with the Scientific Consensus on Climate Change. The media hit the sky during the early 2007 when featuring the Al Gore documentary and the Fourth Assessment Report on Climate change (Sheppard et al, 2012, p 235). Media reporting was also heightened in the year 2009 when the world held a conference on climate change organized by the United Nations. It was referred to as the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Consequently, another forum was referred to as the Climatic Research Unit email controversy that had been held earlier in November. Besides the USA and the UK, various other countries have shown massive efforts in the reporting of climatic changes and sensitizing the world on better policies to be adopted to minimize the effect and extent of the climate change. Countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Sweden, New Zealand and India have shown particular interest in climate change and this has been made possible through the media coverage that is received (Segerberg et al, 2011, p 201). The media has also been though t to attribute the findings of climate change to the public opinion and politics. Through the reporting, various governments have held numerous sittings with the aim of coming up with climate policies that various industries such as transport and manufacturing industries should adopt with the principle purpose of maintaining the ecosystem. The media has largely contributed towards the sensitization of the public to be able to know what happens when industrial chemicals and toxins are thrust into the sky (Olausson, 2011, p 290). For instance, a survey conducted indicates that when people were asked about the urgency of control of climate change and whether it was a problem or not, the following responses were obtained: It is not a problem 8% It is a future problem 14% It is a present problem 41% It is an immediate problem 36% I do not know 1% Climate change remains to be an eminent threat to the existence of natural and human beings. Campaigns by all media types and other institutions should be encouraged. The governments should come up with stringent climate change policies to curb the spread of acidic rain, drought, floods and any other extreme weather conditions (Dotson et al, 2012, p 80) References Aoyagi, Midori. â€Å"Climate Change Governance and Media: Media Exposure, Public Opinion and â€Å"the Most Important Issues,† By the Japanese Public.† In XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014). Isaconf, 2014.Boykoff, Maxwell T. â€Å"Public enemy no. 1? Understanding media representations of outlier views on climate change.† American behavioral scientist 57, no. 6 (2013): 796-817. Boykoff, Maxwell T. Who speaks for the climate?: Making sense of media reporting on climate change. Cambridge University Press, 2011.Brulle, Robert J., Jason Carmichael, and J. Craig Jenkins. â€Å"Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the US, 2002–2010.† Climatic change 114, no. 2 (2012): 169-188. Christensen, Miyase, Annika E. Nilsson, and Nina Wormbs. â€Å"Globalization, Climate Change and the Media: An Introduction.† Media and the Politics of Arctic Climate Change: When the Ice Breaks (2013): 1. Christensen, Miyase, Annika E. Nilsson, Nina Wormbs, Sverker Sà ¶rlin, Dag Avango, Per Hà ¶gselius, Henry Huntington, and Ralf Dà ¶scher. â€Å"When the Ice Breaks: Globalization, Climate Change and the Media.† (2012). Corner, Adam, Lorraine Whitmarsh, and Dimitrios Xenias. â€Å"Uncertainty, scepticism and attitudes towards climate change: biased assimilation and attitude polarisation.† Climatic change 114, no. 3-4 (2012): 463-478. Doherty, Thomas J., and Susan Clayton. â€Å"The psychological impacts of global climate change.† American Psychologist 66, no. 4 (2011): 265. Dotson, Devin M., Susan K. Jacobson, Lynda Lee Kaid, and J. Stuart Carlton. â€Å"Media coverage of climate change in Chile: A content analysis of conservative and liberal newspapers.† Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture 6, no. 1 (2012): 64-81. Fahey, Dan, Paras Patel, John Rawlins, and Meiko Peng. â€Å"Climate Change Podcast Series-The Media and Climate Change.† (2013). Hajer, Maarten, and Bart Strengers. â€Å"Who speaks for the climate: making sense of media reporting on climate change.† Cambridge Review of International Affairs 25, no. 2 (2012): 298-300. Olausson, Ulrika. â€Å"â€Å"We’re the ones to blame†: Citizens’ representations of climate change and the role of the media.† Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture 5, no. 3 (2011): 281-299. Segerberg, Alexandra, and W. Lance Bennett. â€Å"Social media and the organization of collective action: Using Twitter to explore the ecologies of two climate change protests.† The Communication Review 14, no. 3 (2011): 197-215. Sheppard, Stephen Richard John. Visualizing climate change: a guide to visual communication of climate change and developing local solutions. Routledge, 2012.Takahashi, Bruno. â€Å"Framing and sources: a study of mass media coverage of climate change in Peru during the V ALCUE.† Public Understanding of Science 20, no. 4 (2011): 543-557. Source document

Behaviorism, Constructivism and ICTs for Education

Education nowadays is not what it used to be around 50 years ago. The introduction and development of technology has taken education to an entirely different level then it was previously. These innovative tools are covered under the broad category of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). There has been research work on development of theoretical models that can facilitate educational learning. These theories and more additional helpful tools have not only facilitated the gaining of education but also improved the quality of education system.Behaviorism and constructivism are two of these main revolutionary concepts in education. The three terms â€Å"behaviorism†, â€Å"constructivism† and â€Å"ICTs† would first be explained separately and then it would be seen that how they fall together in a picture and facilitate educational learning. Behaviorism Behaviorism is that school of thought which is of the opinion that it is learning process that inculc ates learning by the acquisitions of new behaviors in surrounding of environmental conditions.Behaviorists believe that learning does not regard any mental activities rather it can be achieved by behaviors which according to them are systematic and observable. They believe that the process of â€Å"conditioning† facilitates the acquisition of behavior which ultimately facilitates learning. Conditioning is categorized in classical and operant. Classical conditioning is the process in which the object is conditioned as such that it he would response in a specific manner to a certain stimulus. We see this often in educational setting in form of fear conditioning that children are so much fearful of failure in exams or tests.Operant conditioning is the conditioning in which a response to a stimulus is reinforced by either rewarding or punishment. This concept is also very much applicable in educational setting as we see teachers rewarding and punishing to get desired behavior fro m students (On Purpose Associates n. d. ). Constructivism Contrary to behaviorism is the school of though of constructivism. They are of the opinion that knowledge is a consequence of one’s personal experiences. According to constructivists, humans generate knowledge and formulate their own understanding model through reflection of their experiences.Human mentality makes sense of the experiences and therefore learning takes place when proper shape is given to these experiences in mentality. In educational setting, constructivism comes into play as it focuses on promotion of customized syllabus in accordance with student’s knowledge. This is achieved by giving students hand on problems. Apart from that, teachers conduct assessment in the form of assigning open ended questions to the students and conduct dialogues and debates amongst students which lead to the open mindedness of students.The students are therefore able to conceive and manipulate information in a better w ay (Bruner n. d. ). ICTs ICT is acronym of Information Communication Technology. The three words are very meaningful and together they form ICT which has been the pulse of the developmental changes in all fields in years behind. The concept is very vast but in short we can say that ICT comprises of all innovative tools of digital technology which has helped in all the fields to save, extract, communicate and interpret the information in a digital manner.This has been made possible by digital electronic aids such as computers, laptops, emails, robotic machines and many more. ICTs have enabled the people to come together and form intercultural and inter communal links to share ideas and experiences together. The ICTs have plenty scope and potential in education field. ICTs and its tools has facilitated education by coming up with tools and equipments that have improved both the earning and the teaching. ICTs focus is to create awareness in the students of the usage of computers and ot her technological devices that may enhance the acquisition of knowledge for them.Learning by Doing Learning by doing as the name suggests is the way that a person learns any action or activity by actually doing it himself. There is always a first time but that has first time has to be DONE as only then a person learns and is able to see where he is faulty and through this he can learn. The examples can be given simply as when the child is learning how to walk, the parents are there just to support him and keep him out of danger. It is the child himself who tries again and again and learns how to walk. Similarly, a more business oriented example can be that of starting a new business.The businessman approaches his business with his own ideas and therefore learns the business. The theories of behaviorism can come here that a person who will do an action comes across a negative consequence then he would still be learning and would avoid the repetition of the same incident again. Constr uctivism is applicable here to as they emphasize on experiences. When a person BEHAVES he does an activity i. e. he interacts with the environment and as a result conditioning takes place. This conditioning gives him an experience may it be good or bad.Through these behaviors and experiences he is able to formulate his own understanding model. Therefore this shows that both behaviorism and constructivism are active when a person is learning by doing (Engines for Education 2008). Role of ICTs, Behaviorism and Constructivism in Education The use of ICTs has promoted the teaching and learning and made it superior. If we just take computer as an example of educational technology we see that it has been devised for students and humans to address to their needs and problems. ICTs address to the problems of both students and teachers.Though the effects of the use of ICTs in schools and educational settings are good but we see that the facilities are inadequate. The effects of ICTs are good as they enable the students to use educational software through which they are able to get activity based learning in a better technologically equipped learning environment. This environment and educational software have given opportunities to the teachers to change their teaching ways and make it more comprehensive with the use of these tools. Effective teaching automatically ensures effective learning as well.These tools of educational technology have enabled the teachers and students to identify systematic problems and then discover systematic solutions for it. Constructivism school of thought complements educational technology. They say that students should be taken away from the standardized curriculum and their thinking skills need to be developed by experiential learning. If the students are given a proper educational environment which hold high relevance then they would interact with the environment to generate the desired experiences.These experiences take form of personal sets of meanings and information framework for a separate student. In educational setting, student gains knowledge either through interaction with environment or by the intervention of school in form of curriculum imposed on students. Usually the learning is resultant of mix of both these sources. Constructivism also focuses on bringing out prior knowledge of students out. Effective use of ICT by the students would give teachers an opportunity to know the prior knowledge of the students (Newhouse 2002).There are many different types of ICTs and tools which are helpful in educational setting and can explain how people learn through them and how teachers effectively use them for teaching. One example can be Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs). This device is operated with the help of a projector and a PC. This board is placed in the front center of the class and is connected to the PC and projector. Through equipments like keyboard, mouse, pencil and other devices students are able to ach ieve interaction with it.It facilitates the teacher to teach the whole class easily keeping in view the discipline of the class along with teaching. The research has proven that the introduction of IWBS have enhanced the thinking of the students, facilitated the teaching methods of teachers and therefore ultimately lead to effective learning (Newman n. d. ). We see that both Behaviorism and Constructivism do not apply similarly in every learning environment. It varies. In some environment which is behavior oriented and which requires high motivation level of people then we see that behaviorism is in action.Such environment has the need of people to be reinforced and requires there behavior to be aligned for efficient performance. In learning environment that promotes learning through experiences and acquisition of skills through interaction with environment, constructivism is in action. This rationale is well justified but usually we see that successful schools and educational setti ngs take both the approaches together along with ICTs. Conclusion Education has revolved with the development in technology. Tools of ICTs facilitate the acquisition of education.There have been many theories that have also supported educational cause. Two main theories are Behaviorism and Constructivism. They are both used contrary to each other. Behaviorism believes in learning through conditioning whereas Constructivism focuses on experiential learning. We see that these theories apply with the ICT tools and they result in effective learning and teaching system. References Bruner, J. n. d. , Constructivist Theory. Viewed July 15, 2010, retrieved from http://tip. psychology. org/bruner. html Engines for Education, 2008, Learning By Doing. Viewed July 15, 2010, retrieved from http://www.engines4ed. org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-120-pg. html Newhouse, C. Paul 2002, Literature Review: The Impact of ICT on Learning and Teaching. Viewed July 15, 2010, retrieved from http://www. det. wa. edu . au/education/cmis/eval/downloads/pd/impactreview. pdf Newman, n. d. , Types of ICT: Interactive Whiteboards. Viewed July 15, 2010, retrieved from http://www. newman. ac. uk/Students_websites/~shugufta. nazir/typeict. htm On Purpose Associates, n. d. , About Learning: Behaviorism. Viewed July 15, 2010, retrieved from http://www. funderstanding. com/content/behaviorism