Global Commodity Chains Example

Essays on Global Commodity Chains Essay Globalization is a phenomenon that most people are unaware of. And yet, it extensively encompasses various aspects of our lives whether we are awareof it or not. It is in the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and yes, even the food we eat. Our political, socio-cultural, and economic relations with other countries are very much international and global in nature. Many events in the past two decades or so helped to open our borders to our neighbours. The end of the cold war and the birth of the internet are just some of the events that now shape our international relations. We are living in an era of globalization. Growing population and with it, difficulties in filling in growing economic needs, have made it necessary for many countries to import, to ‘outsource,’ and to contract out. As a result, commodity chains have infiltrated our economic system. Commodity chains are â€Å"[a] functionally integrated network of production, trade and service activities that covers all the stages in a supply chain, from the transformation of raw materials, through intermediate manufacturing stages, to the delivery of a finished good to a market. It consists of a series of events in the production line that ends up with the end-consumer getting the finished product† (Rodrigue, 2008). With growing demands from a growing population, many countries find it difficult to fulfil the needs of their consumer public. Their domestic resources are overly strained and greater production costs are needed to fill the demands of the consumers. Consequently, the necessity of outsourcing and importing goods and services became an option that many nations and multinational corporations explored in order to keep up with the laws of supply and demand. According to Rodrigue (2008), major commodity chains involve three major components—raw materials, semi-processed materials, and manufactured goods. He goes on to elaborate that, raw materials are grown in many developing countries because of more favourable environmental conditions. Some raw materials can only be grown in certain parts of the world. Incidentally, these raw materials are found and can be grown in many developing countries. However, these developing nations do not have the necessary capital to process their raw materials for distribution to a wider and larger market of consumers. Semi-processed products have been processed to a certain degree, and some value is added to them. â€Å"They involve metals, textiles, construction materials and parts used to make other goods† (Rodrigue, 2008). They are not quite ready to be distributed as end-products, but they are now ready for the next stage of the production process. Finally, manufactured goods have underg one processing and are ready for consumption. They are usually distributed in developed countries and some developing countries by multinational corporations. Autonomy has now been replaced by interdependencies among nations and economies. This integration has necessitated the need to produce an efficient transport system. This transport system is sustained by functional and geographical integration. Functional integration is the maintenance of the link between the consumer and the supplier. The consumer maintains the demand and the supplier keeps up with the demand. This process and system helps sustain the existence of commodity chains. Any and all means are explored to meet the demands of the consumer through the utilization of various transport processes like door-to door deliveries and other transport systems. Functional integration is carried out alongside geographical integration, where various networks in the international, regional, and local levels are utilized by global commodity chains in order to get the raw and finished products to the consumers, retailers, importers, and exporters. (Rodrigue, 2008) With the above process needed for global commodity chains to effectively function, the freight system has now become an integral cog in the processing chain. These freight transport systems exemplify qualities that are essential in the maintenance of the global economy. Different shippers and freight systems are needed for different products. There are now various choices available to many importers and exporters to choose from. These shippers and transport systems are required to deliver under time constraints. They are also expected to transport raw and finished products while considering the size, mode of transport, the type, and the preservation of the shipment. These freight and transport system standards are necessary to support and maintain global commodity chains. (Rodrigue, 2008) There are various global commodity chains that now exist in the global economy. Agricultural, chemical, metal, energy, wood and paper, are just some of the more popular commodity chains in our economy. Various aspects of their production and processing are taken and undertaken in different parts of the world at different points in time. One such popular commodity chain under the agricultural commodity chain is the coffee industry. â€Å"Coffee is an extremely powerful commodity, reigning as the worlds most heavily traded product, behind petroleum, and the largest food import of the United States†(Coffee Services, 2005). The finished coffee product goes through producers, middlemen, importers, exporters, roaster, and retailers before finally reaching the end consumer. According to Coffee Services (2005), about 20 million families in 50 countries work in the cultivation of coffee. They work in over 11 million hectares of land in their countries in order to fulfill the demands of the millions of coffee drinkers around the world. Arabica and Robusta are two of the popular blends of coffee in the market. Arabica is produced in Latin America, and Robusta is produced in Africa and Asia. Many importers buy the harvests of small farmers. These small farmers, who are eager to dispose of their harvests in favor of much needed income, usually do so under lower trading prices. These importers have the capital to purchase large inventories of coffee and have the necessary storage facilities to store and process the coffee for distribution to various roasters. These importers sell the semi-processed coffee to coffee roasters in different countries. In the United States alone, there are about 1200 roasters. These roasters then sell their blends to the large reta ilers like Maxwell House, Sanka, and Kraft. (Coffee Services, 2005) Importers profit greatly from this enterprise because they are able to avail of raw products at lesser trading prices. In areas where they have established coffee plantations, cheap labour is practiced by many importers and multinational corporations. They later sell their coffee products on standard market prices. Consequently, their profit is increased by their decreased production cost. Various anti-globalization groups have argued that many developing countries are being taken advantage of by multinational corporations via cheap labour and lower trading prices. They argue that globalization has greatly benefited developed nations and multinational corporations but have driven developing nations deeper and deeper into poverty. However, it is interesting to note that many poor countries favour globalization because, â€Å"[t]he total number of extreme poor (living on less than $1 per day measured at purchasing power parity) increased throughout history up to about 1980. Since 1980 that number declined by 200 million, while world population increased by 1.8 billion† (Dollar, 2003). Global commodity chains are widely popular in the global economy. It has managed to provide us with what we essentially need without it being sold at astronomical prices. It has also managed to provide many developing nations opportunities that 20 or so years ago were not available to them. Globalization has opened our borders to other nations who are eager to share with us their wealthy resources. Globalization has deeply penetrated many aspects of our economic, political, and social life. Commodity chains are just one among the many features of our global economy that are making our world, which seemed to be so big, now seem so small and accessible. Through globalization, we experience the fruits of labour and the products of the lands of people and nations halfway across the globe. Works Cited. Coffee Industry Commodity Chain (2005). Coffee Services. Retrieved 15 August 2008 from http://www.coffeeserviceplus.com/commod-chain.html Dollar, D. (2003) The Poor Like Globalization. Yale Global. Retrieved 16 August 2008 from http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=1934 Friedland, W. (2004) Agrifood Globalization and Commodity Systems. Ohio Online. Retrieved 16 August 2008 from http://www.ohioline.osu.edu/~hcrd/people/staff/friedland.2004.pdf Global Commodity Chains (n.d) Wiego.Org. Retrieved 15 August 2008 from http://www.wiego.org/program_areas/global_markets/WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION.doc Globalization, Identity Social Conflict (2005). Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved 16 August 2008 from http://www.sociology.mmu.ac.uk/globalization/globalchains.php Global Value Chains Concepts and Tools (2006) Global Value Chains.Org. Retrieved 15 August 2008 from http://www.globalvaluechains.org/concepts.html Rodrigue, J. (2008) Commodity Chains and Freight Transportation. Hofstra University. Retrieved 15 August 2008 from http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/conc5en/ch5c3en.html

Dining Feature Free Essays

It was an intelligent idea to go against conformity, and Open this kind Of restaurant – not a Korean dining place. Singling is a slang term for Singapore and Western (English). Its menu holds Asian cuisines that are not commonly around the metro and Western delicacies which the Filipinos are quite used to. We will write a custom essay sample on Dining Feature or any similar topic only for you Order Now The restaurant had a unique attack on food; it is the first to introduce Singapore dishes in the streets of Marking, and mind you, its menu is usually the mall-worthy and overpriced type of menu, but hey, they offer food at a very reasonable price. Walking along Lilac street, a residential and dining road in Barraging Conception Dos in Marking, it is quite noticeable that Singling Cafe is a newly opened cafe because for those who know the place, the stall they are now occupying has long been vacant, and with long, I meant really really long. Another is when you look from the outside, their accent of red and black details over light brown wooden furniture looks unique compared to the other 3 restaurants beside it. Entering the empty restaurant on a Sunday afternoon, what greeted me was an edgy and laid back interior design. All pieces of furniture are wooden, a few chairs and the frame of a huge mirror are wooden but are colored red. Their menu is along the counter and also on top of all tables. They also have a chalkboard menu that holds the drinks they have. I took a seat on the left side of the diner just across their gigantic mirror with red wooden frame. At my back is a wooden wall with white small frames with photos of food that they offer. The menu on the table is only printed in bond paper, but a clipboard holds it and makes it a little more presentable. I decided to order 4 dishes, ND below are my reviews on the four: MME Green (PH 168. 00) – The first dish that arrived is the MME Green, a Singapore dish. The dish looks kind of orange with noticeable bite-sized chicken, and it had a green accent because of the cabbages which are crunchy – fresh, indeed! It came out with a strong seafood and spicy smell, but when once tasted it, it turned out not too spicy and not too neutral. It is spiced just right. You can easily water down the spiciness. No wonder that the noodles are quite firm because they are fried yellow noodles. I was just mind of confused looking for shrimps and seafood pieces, but there were not any. I, then, wondered where the strong seafood smell might come from. The dish was so oriental because of the spices incorporated in it. Juicy Lucy Burger (PH 198. 00) – This dish is the shish in Singling. This burger is their best-selling Western dish. The burger bun was presented in a unique way. It was like joint panels formed like a flower. Outside the burger were cabbage strips, a tomato slice and a cucumber slice topped with Thousand Islands dressing. These vegetables were also in the burger, but the tomato ND the cucumber were doubled, and instead of cabbage strips, the burger had a whole crunchy cabbage leaf. The vegetables and the % pound beef patty are drizzled with mustard. The patty looks ordinary, but once you begin eating it, little by little you can notice the melted cheese inside it. It is not a usual patty, I swear, it was spicy and cheesy at the same time. The cheese compliments the spiciness of the patty (with spiciness I meant full of spices). Braised Pork Belly with Steamed Rice (PH 188. 0) – The Braised pork belly and the Rice were served separately. The dish looked plainly presented with pork Cuts, brown sauce and spring onions that added a green accent to it. Its sauce is brownish and smooth. It is quite salty and resembles the taste of Showing’s Sad Sauce. The pork was still quite tough making it hard to chew. The rice goes well with the dish because it helps lessen the saltiness of the sauce. Howe ver, it is disgusting that I have already swallowed the rice yet the pork stayed in my mouth because it was difficult to chew. Cereal Shrimp (PH 298. 0) -? Looking through the menu, this dish struck me cause I have not yet tried Shrimps with Cereals. The dish was served with 3 Fried shrimps and a significant amount of oats as topping. With the oats almost overwhelming the shrimps, the dish was significantly color light brown with orange and green touches because of the shrimps and the curry leaves respectively. Began peeling the shrimps and noticed that it looks well-cooked even from the outside, and I just verified it when I tasted it. It tasted like plain shrimp until I tried it with the oats. It tasted buttery, and the oats were crunchy. How to cite Dining Feature, Papers

Types of Information Systems and its Applications †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Types of Information Systems and its Applications. Answer Introduction Information system can be defined or explained as the organization of hardware, people, software, resources, networks of communications and several policies and protocols. The information systems are applicable in case of storing, managing, processing and retrieving information in the business organization. The most important aspect of information system is the communication of information throughout the organization in an orderly manner. There are several types of information systems that are required for the purpose of running a business. This report discusses about the various types of information systems that are available to the organizations. It points out the application of each of them in brief. It also focuses on the application of these information systems in the area of various types of business. In this era of technology, information system has become an essential and integrated part of the business. A business cannot run or grow with manual labor. This report also points out the essential requirements of information system in the continuity of business. Importance of Information System The importance of information system is very high (Al-Mamary, Shamsuddin Aziati, 2014). This generation of technology needs information system to keep the operational flow of the organization in a proper way. The efficiency of businesses is improved by utilizing the information system in an orderly manner. Several projects can use information system to improve the operational efficiency of the project. Suppose the amount of stock needs to be recorded without any error. This can be well performed by information system. New products and services can be easily developed with the help of information system. A new project can be completed at a much faster pace because of the information system. The project plan will be successful by deploying any information system because it will be very simple process to design and develop a new product or business model in an effective manner. The reason behind the success of any project or company is satisfied customers and satisfies suppliers (Bajdor Grabara, 2014). A company will be able to generate more revenue and profit because they have generated goodwill in a proper way. Before starting the execution of any project, a company must select a suitable information system. Information system will be able to provide better service to the customers and suppliers resulting in the success of the new project and company. The decision making ability of the company is improved. A company is able to make correct decision regarding any plan of the project as well as while selecting a project. Correct decision will lead to correct and better outcome. It will also help to save time and energy of the people of an organization. This will lead to the better productivity of the organizations and will help the business grow. The competitive advantage of the organization is improved. Any project will gain competitive advantage over the other projects that are being initiated at the same time. Suppose there are four projects. The one that uses information system will have a competitive advantage over the other three projects. The survival of any business or project is important. This can be possible by using information system. Banks have introduced ATM for making it easy for the customers to access the accounts. These are few of the benefits that information system provides. The importance of the information system is evident from the above mentioned points. Types of Information Systems The classification of information systems can be done on the basis of their functionality and operations. Different levels of the organizations need different category of information systems. The various types of information systems are as follows: Transaction Processing System: This type of information system keeps the track record of any type of activity that takes place in the operational level of the business. The daily transactional activities are maintained by the transaction processing system. The operational levels of the organizations need this type of information system in order to carry out the daily operations in an effective manner. Process Control System: There are several processes in an organization. A business needs to monitor the progress of any activity and also monitor the processes in order to develop a business and continue its activity (Rainer et al., 2013). This is a type of information system that comprises of several computer programs as well as devices. Office Automation System: This is also known as enterprise collaboration system. This is one of the most important and widely used information systems. This system is helpful for managers to keep a track of all the employees and their activities. The daily official works of the employees are also reduced by the help of office automation systems. There is no single level in the organization where this can be used. This information system has helped to automate the manual processes of an organization. The chances of error are less and the productivity is much better. Management Information System: This is a type of information system that collects data from various departments of an organization and integrates it. This integrated data in presented to the managerial level for helping them to take decisions (Laudon Laudon, 2016). It also helps in the process of operational management. This system summarizes the entire information of the organization and presents it in a well formatted manner to the various levels in order to make decisions and monitor the activity of the entire business firm. Decision Support System: This is a type of information system that is made for a particular group in the organization. This helps to solve a decision that is semi structured. This system helps to evaluate several options that are available and select the best option out of it (Zayadskas et al., 2012). It performs calculations, comparisons and selection of any option out of various choices that are available. Executive Information System: This is a type of system that helps the executives of an organization to access information from internal as well as external sources (Mayer Weitzel, 2012). They present data in a graphical format. They even have the capacity to provide information in a detailed manner. It gathers information from DSS and MIS also. Strategic as well as tactical decisions can be taken by using EIS. Expert System: Commercial applications can be built by using the expert system (Kidd, 2012). These are totally based on knowledge and they are responsible for providing advice to the managers in taking any decision. These systems try to emulate the process of human reasoning. They have set of instructions that enable the system to work like a human expert. Strategic Information System: This is a type of information system that helps the business to make new strategies for developing and designing new services and products (Galliers Leidner, 2014).This system helps to provide competitive advantage to the business over its competitors. Information System on the basis of functional departments: An organization consists of several departments. Each of the department has its own functions. Sales and Marketing: This department uses an information system that helps in the efficient and effective sales and marketing activities of the business. Manufacturing and Production: This department uses an information system that helps to keep track of daily record and point out any type of inefficiencies that exist in the organization (Kumar, 2013). Finance and Accounting: This department handles the financial data of the entire organization. The information system used in the organization assesses the cash, investment, shares of the company (Romney Steinbart, 2012). It helps in capital budgeting and making balance sheet in a fast and effective manner. Application of Information System in Projects Research Projects: These are the type of projects where the organization has to find out details regarding one specific area or topic (Bell, 2014). Feasibility study is required. Here management information plays a vital role. Information from various departments are collected and presented in an effective manner. Decision Support System is also required for making certain crucial decisions. Steel Production and Mining Projects: These types of projects require monitoring of the process that is taking place. Physical processes need to be under surveillance. This type of project requires process control systems. Software Development Project: These types of projects require strategic information system, management information system and decision support system (Laudon et al., 2012). These information systems are required for saving time and improving the efficiency of the project procedure. Executive information system helps the software developers to collect information from internal and external sources to come to a decision. New Product Development Project: The strategic information system plays the most important role in developing and designing any new product, service and business models. It helps to take proper decisions and make proper choices while developing products (Pearlson, Saunders Galletta, 2016). This is a type of information system that helps the business to make new strategies for developing and designing new services and products. This system helps to provide competitive advantage to the business over its competitors. Construction Project: This type of project requires the process control information system in order to carry out a safe and efficient construction project (Sears et al., 2015). System Installation Project: These are the types of projects that require the installation of an IT system or a telephone system. Strategic information system and process control system play a major role in this project (Peppard Ward, 2016). Transaction processing system and finance and accounting systems are required in every project. In the initial planning stage the budget of a project must be prepared (Stair Reynolds, 2013).The finance and accounting system allow the project management team to carry out this task in a simple and fast manner. Transaction processing needs to be done so that the record of every activity is done. Executive information system will help the employees to communicate in a proper manner so that it leads to an effective decision. Conclusion This report concludes that there is an essential requirement of information system in this era of technology. There are several benefits of information systems that help the organizations to develop and grow. This report has discussed about several types of information systems and their characteristic. It has also mentioned about the application of the information systems in certain number of projects like construction, software development and many more. This report concludes that information systems can be used in various types of projects. In this era of technology, information system has become an essential and integrated part of the business. A business cannot run or grow with manual labor. This report has also pointed out the essential requirements of information system in the continuity of business. References Al-Mamary, Y., Shamsuddin, A., Aziati, N. (2014). The Role of Different Types of Information Systems In Business Organizations : A Review.International Journal Of Research (IJR),1(7). Bajdor, P., Grabara, I. (2014). The Role of Information System Flows in Fulfilling Customers Individual Orders.Journal of Studies in Social Sciences,7(2). Bell, J. (2014).Doing Your Research Project: A guide for first-time researchers. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Galliers, R. D., Leidner, D. E. (Eds.). (2014).Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in managing information systems. Routledge. Kidd, A. (Ed.). (2012).Knowledge acquisition for expert systems: A practical handbook. Springer Science Business Media. Kumar, N. (2013). Implementing lean manufacturing system: ISM approach.Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management,6(4), 996. Laudon, K. C., Laudon, J. P. (2016).Management information system. Pearson Education India. Laudon, K. C., Laudon, J. P., Brabston, M. E., Chaney, M., Hawkins, L., Gaskin, S. (2012).Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, Seventh Canadian Edition (7th. Pearson. Mayer, J. H., Weitzel, T. (2012, January). Appropriate Interface Designs for Mobile End-User Devices--Up Close and Personalized Executive Information Systems as an Example. InSystem Science (HICSS), 2012 45th Hawaii International Conference on(pp. 1677-1686). IEEE. Pearlson, K. E., Saunders, C. S., Galletta, D. F. (2016).Managing and Using Information Systems, Binder Ready Version: A Strategic Approach. John Wiley Sons. Peppard, J., Ward, J. (2016).The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy. John Wiley Sons. Rainer, R. K., Cegielski, C. G., Splettstoesser-Hogeterp, I., Sanchez-Rodriguez, C. (2013).Introduction to information systems. John Wiley Sons. Romney, M. B., Steinbart, P. J. (2012).Accounting information systems. Boston: Pearson. Sears, S. K., Sears, G. A., Clough, R. H., Rounds, J. L., Segner, R. O. (2015).Construction project management. John Wiley Sons. Stair, R., Reynolds, G. (2013).Principles of information systems. Cengage Learning. Zavadskas, E. K., Vaini?nas, P., Turskis, Z., Tamoaitien?, J. (2012). Multiple criteria decision support system for assessment of projects managers in construction.International Journal of Information Technology Decision Making,11(02), 501-520.

Leadership in General Electric

Introduction General Electric (GE) is a large company that operates from the United States. According to Forbes Magazine, it is the second largest company in the world after JPMorgan Chase. Forbes compared the performance of GE with that of other companies in certain aspects like sales, market value and assets.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Leadership in General Electric specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More GE has different segments among them capital finance, energy infrastructure, consumer, technology infrastructure and industrial segments. In order to achieve its goals and remain competitive, GE requires sound leadership because without good leadership, the company would not be able to achieve its business goals. This essay focuses on leadership at GE. Importance of Leadership at GE It is agreeable that the importance of leadership in any organization cannot be overlooked because organizations require colle ctive effort to achieve their goals. Human nature is characterized by confusion and disagreements in the absence of a competent leader. This makes it difficult for organizations to achieve their goals. Since GE is a company that is comprised of many workers who work towards achievement of a common goal, some form of leadership is essential. Although the need for leadership in organizations has been in existence for many years, its importance has increased due to changes in business activities. For instance, production methods have become complicated while specialization has increased. A good and effective leader at GE would be like a dynamo. Such a leader would be responsible for generating energy that would enable workers to achieve organizational goals with ease. The success that GE has achieved so far is largely attributable to good leadership. Dynamic leadership is important because it plays an important role in boosting the morale of employees and ensuring that they achieve org anizational goals (Nelson 4). GE relies on good leadership to encourage workers to increase their performance through continuous efforts. The organization fully understands that forceful or authoritarian means are not suitable methods of achieving organizational success. Good leadership supports authority by creating influence and inspiring workers to take certain actions. It plays an important role in different managerial levels in the organization because without sound leadership, it is impossible for management to perform its functions. While organizational structures play an important role in ensuring that organizations achieve set goals, they do not offer all relationships that are required by workers in an organization. Employees who have common interests are not bound by formal relationships because they aim at achieving organizational goals.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF L earn More As a result, informal relationships effectively regulate and control the behavior of workers. Good leadership ensures that there is cooperation between management and workers. This enhances beneficial collaboration, which is aimed at achieving organizational goals. To achieve successful leadership, leaders should involve their subordinates in all decision making processes. This is because involving them in decision making processes makes them feel that their value in organizations is recognized. However, it is important for leaders to employ necessary powers in order to ensure that implementation of policies that have been designed is effective. Leaders should be able to give clear and understandable instructions to their subordinates in order to ensure that organizational goals are achieved. Impact of Good Leadership at GE Good leadership at GE would impact the organization in different ways. The first way through which good leadership would impact GE is that motivation of workers would be increased. Good leaders have the ability to inspire the people they work with. This is because they have a solid understanding of business activities that an organization performs and things that motivate workers. Good leaders use information about workers to design appropriate messages, meetings and other interactions to ensure that the workers work hard to achieve high results. This type of motivation helps organizations to achieve set goals because messages that are designed take into account workers’ needs (Iqbal 45). The second impact of good leadership at GE is that the organization would experience a decrease in conflicts. Groups that lack effective leaders are characterized by persistent conflicts. Employees engage in constant power struggles as they try to test the competence of leaders that are in charge of different operations. Effective leaders enjoy respect from other employees and this reduces unnecessary conflicts. In addition, good leaders possess excellent interpersonal communication skills, which enable them to resolve organizational conflicts. The third impact of good leadership at GE is that the ability of the organization to retain its employees would be increased. Good leaders communicate transparently and constructively and this enables them to develop trust among their employees.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Leadership in General Electric specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This would give employees at GE a voice and make them feel valued. As a result, the organization would reduce employee turnover since they would be satisfied. Effective leadership is among the most important things that employees consider before they build their loyalty to specific organizations. High employee turnover is harmful to organizations hence it should be avoided through effective leadership. The fourth impact of good leadership at GE is that it would fa cilitate development of talent among employees. Good leaders identify ways of expanding their organizations through talent development. As a result, they strive to nurture employees who have talents in different fields. They evaluate them thoroughly and provide constructive criticism, after which they initiate mentoring programs for those who portray potential for growth. This equips employees with adequate leadership skills, which makes it easy for a smooth organizational transition, when some leaders leave their leadership positions. The fifth impact of good leadership is that GE would achieve better organization of different tasks and activities. A good leader is able to see a big picture of an organization and work hard to ensure that the organization succeeds. This helps him/her to conduct a keen evaluation of how things are done. A good leader notices problems and weaknesses in an organization and comes up with suitable solutions. Good leadership would therefore enable GE to a chieve better organization of different tasks. The Best Leadership Styles at GE There are different leadership styles that GE can use to achieve its objectives. The first type of leadership style that GE should adopt is democratic or participative leadership style. This is a type of leadership style that involves employees in decision making processes. Democratic leaders encourage employees to exercise creativity. Democratic leadership style would be suitable at GE because it would increase job satisfaction among employees since they would take part in decision making processes. In addition, it would make it possible for them to enhance their skills in different areas. Employees feel motivated, when they take full control of their destinies, and this makes them more productive. Although it might take longer to make decisions under democratic leadership style, the results are usually impressive. It is appropriate in team environments because quality is of great importance (Dereli 25) .Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second type of leadership style that can be applied at GE is Laissez-Faire leadership style. Leaders who adopt this type of leadership give their employees an opportunity to perform their duties on their own without interference. They also allow them to perform their duties with utmost freedom and even determine deadlines. Leaders offer team support only by advising workers. They do not involve themselves in what the workers do. A higher level of success is achieved, when individual workers have adequate experience and skills. The most important reason why this leadership style would be beneficial is that it would create job satisfaction among employees at GE because they enjoy autonomy. This would increase productivity and guarantee achievement of organizational goals. The third leadership style that GE should adopt is task-oriented leadership style. This type of leadership style focuses on ensuring that tasks are completed in good time. Task-oriented leaders clearly define tas ks that should be accomplished, create necessary structures, organize, plan and continuously monitor every task. They also carry out other important tasks like developing and ensuring that performance standards are followed by workers. Task-oriented leadership style would be beneficial because it would ensure that there is effective time management in order to meet set deadlines. The fourth leadership style that GE should adopt is transformational leadership style. This is one of the best leadership styles that organizations should apply in order to achieve their goals. Transformational leaders work towards achievement of the best results through inspiring other workers. This ensures that high productivity is achieved since all workers are fully involved. However, organizations should be careful, when using transformational leadership because sometimes transformational leaders need experts to give them advice. This implies that GE should apply both transformational and transactional leadership styles. Transactional leaders are responsible for ensuring that routine tasks are completed in the right manner while transformational leaders focus on developing initiatives that enhance organizational performance (Leadership Styles 5). The final leadership style that GE should adopt in order to achieve its goals is relationship-oriented leadership style, which is also known as people-oriented leadership style. In this type of leadership style, leaders focus on supporting and organizing workers to help them to perform their tasks effectively. It is participatory in nature and encourages employees to work as teams and apply their creativity. People-oriented leaders handle workers respectfully without discrimination. They are approachable and respond to the needs of all workers in good time. When team members need them, they are always available. This leadership style is suitable because it would enable GE to develop a strong team that workers would like to be part of. Th ey would be ready to engage in activities that are considered risky because their leaders would be available to assist them, when they need assistance. Conclusion Leadership is very important in any organization because without good leaders, organizational goals cannot be achieved. Good leaders build strong teams that play an important role in achieving organizational goals. Since GE is among the world’s largest companies, it should apply suitable leadership styles in order to achieve its goals. This essay has discussed some of the best leadership styles that GE can apply. The essay has also discussed the importance of leadership at GE and the impact of good leadership. Works Cited Dereli, Mahce. Leadership Styles. New York: VDM Publishing, 2010.Print. Iqbal, Talha. The Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Effectiveness. New york: GRIN Verlag, 2011.Print. Leadership Styles 2013 Web. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm. Nelson, Lauren. The Effect of Good Leadership. 2013. Web. https://bizfluent.com/list-7200020-benefits-good-leadership-.html. This case study on Leadership in General Electric was written and submitted by user Leyla L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The stroke rehabilitation ward for men through the accident and emergency after a fall at home. The WritePass Journal

The stroke rehabilitation ward for men through the accident and emergency after a fall at home. Introduction The stroke rehabilitation ward for men through the accident and emergency after a fall at home. IntroductionREFERENCESRelated Introduction This essay will discuss continuing care of a male elderly patient who was admitted into the stroke rehabilitation ward for men through the accident and emergency after a fall at home. It will also describe and analyse his care needs and how it will be carried out laying emphasis on mobility as a specific need.   Patients are admitted from other wards or accident and emergency but mainly from the acute elderly care wards, then transferred to the stroke rehabilitation ward for specialised care until they are discharged to their homes, or to a residential or nursing home. The conditions of each patient when admitted varies with individual, some might have severe cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or falls and confusion at home or other related cases. This essay is about a 72 year old Asian male whom I would refer to as â€Å"Musa† for the sake of confidentiality, who was admitted into the accident and emergency after being found on the floor of his bathroom by his wife who then called the ambulance. He was diagnosed with a left sided stroke which caused paralysis of the entire right side of his body, and was also diagnosed of irregular heart rhythm which is a probable cause of cerebral ischemia which means blood clot of an artery that prevents enough oxygen rich blood from getting into the brain then causes the brain cells to die. To prevent further clotting of the blood he was placed on wafarin   an anticoagulant, his past medical history stated that he suffered from osteoarthritis, and was prescribed pain killers. Musa was brought into the stroke rehabilitation ward by a porter, accompanied by his wife and daughter, this ward is mainly for rehabilitation which is the process of assisting an individual to maintain a high level of function, independence and quality of life in their home or in the residential homes. He was taken to his bedside, after he had settled, a staff nurse went to him ,the staff nurse introduced herself then sat down with them to start an admission process with the trust’s admissions pack (Walsh et al 2001), due to insufficient information about him she read through his transfer notes and continuation sheets from the accident and emergency where he spent approximately a day   the information gotten were not conclusive, so we had to check his blood pressure, it was 120/80 mmHg, his temperature was 65.5, his pulse rate was 120 and saturation was 70% the staff nurse had to give him oxygen of 4 litres through a facial mask. The admission pack contains relevant information needed to assess, plan and evaluate a standard of care that will meet all clinical governance standard and this package of care is based on Roger, Loper and Tierney’s activities of daily living (Roper et al 1996). These documentation and assessments, forms an integrated care pathway which the multidisciplinary team uses to check a patients progress over a certain period of time. The ICP also empowers patients and aids effective communication of information within the multidisciplinary team, in order to carry out proper interventions required for a patient and making sure it meets the required standard of clinical guidance (Middleton et al 2001). Once the assessment document was completed, it was discovered that so many care plans would be needed to correctly meet his needs, , he has got slight dysphasia and unable to communicate properly which a few stroke victims do suffer from (Alexander et al 2001) but no hearing problems was noted.   He was asked questions that needed short answers to aid his ability to express his feelings rather than relying on a family member, after this assessment he was referred to the speech and language therapy (SALT) who carried out strategies which included vocal exercises. It was also discovered that his mobility was very poor due to paralysis on his left side taking into account hazards, and a fall was one of the causes of his recent admission into hospital. When I started my placement on the ward he had already been admitted for 3 weeks and Musa was on fluid intake via intravenous infusion to maintain arterial blood pressure and the staff nurse in charge of his care maintained this intake at the correct rate. The malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) was used on admission and he scored 2 which is a high risk, the medical team was informed and a food record chart for 5 days was commenced and his weight was recorded and to be checked twice a week (Nutritional benchmarking group 2008). According to his records he is unable to chew food, and has been having difficulties swallowing, he was then referred to the dietician who assessed him and placed him on a stage 2 diet which is a liquidised meal, this type of food promotes a swallow reflex action because it has been thickened with thickener as un-thickened food can run down the throat too quickly for the trachea to manage, and sometimes patients gets choked. Mobility was a main care need identified, Musa is incontinent with faeces and urine he has got a catheter and a pad which needs frequent changing he is unaware that he has already been, since he has got no control over his elimination, there was a fluid balance chart to record any abnormalities and stool chart   to determine and establish a pattern of his bowel movement which was used to aid his comfort. Due to his poor mobility, he might develop skin problems leading to pressure sores. In the falls risk assessment form in his folder, he is classed as high risk, his bed is in an observable area, his bed is kept at a very low position and re-positioning at each intervals. Musa’s notes stated that there was a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT) held at the first week of his admission and the occupational therapist comes to the ward every other day to see him and when he is having a wash she tells the nurse to encourage him have a grip of the sponge in his right hand and with the help of the nurse’s hand would gently stroke the other arm to regain muscle memory and the use of the paralysed arm. The physiotherapist comes in to see him once a day and to encourage him to sit on his bed for a couple of minutes then increased it gradually from five to ten minutes then to twenty minutes and then to half an hour, by the end of 5 weeks he was assisted into a specialised stroke chair with side supports. This team meets every week to discuss Mr Musa’s progress, it   is in accordance with the new government guidelines on white paper â€Å"Saving Lives: Our healthier Nation† It lays emphasis on the values of cross departmental working in partnership   and as a team within the local, health authorities, private sectors and voluntary sectors (DOH 1999). Musa’s wife and all relevant personnel were present and discussions on how he has progressed or declined and what other care needs were identified or if there were any changes to be made to improve his recovery. The Physiotherapist suggested twice a day visit would be of advantage instead of once, an additional note was added to his care plans about that. With his family fully involved there was no signs of depression shown physically although the Geriatric depression scale was not used .With gradual changes to his care plans and subsequent meetings, the team felt he was fit to be discharged home and continue with the community stroke rehabilitation and a social worker was invited to the last meeting to arrange the possibilities of care within the community according to the patient’s wishes. Reflecting on this outcome it became a success seeing that the necessary assessments were carried out in the right ward (the rehabilitation ward) appropriately with the right documentation, and in accordance with the guidelines stipulated by department of health and the nursing models used also contributed to the positive outcome and quick result. In conclusion the relevant health professionals were involved in the continuity of Musa’s care, with his family and his wishes put into consideration. REFERENCES Alexander M F, Fawcett J N, Runciman. (2000). Nursing Practice, Hospital Home: The Adult. 2nd Edition. Spain: Churchill Livingstone British journal of community nursing (2001). Maintaining the dignity and autonomy of older people in the healthcare setting.. Department of Health. (1999). Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation. London, Stationery Office. Department of health (2001) The essence of care   patient-focused benchmarking for health care professionals. Middleton S, Barnett J, Reeves D, 2001. What is an integrated care pathway?   Available from: www.evidence-based-medicine-co.uk [Accessed: 25:11:2010] Nutritional Bench marking group (August 2006)   â€Å"The MUST† explanatory booklet. A guide to the Malnutrition Universal screening â€Å"Tool† National institute For health and Clinical Excellence 2010

How Long Does It Take to Learn a New Language [Infographic]

How Long Does It Take to Learn a New Language [Infographic] Do you know English is actually not the most common language in the world? Only one-seventh of the world can speak English. If you want to start a conversation with other 6 billion people who can’t speak English, you’d have to learn their languages. Learning a new language takes time and how long it takes will vary depending on how similar your mother tongue is to the new language. As you might imagine, for English speakers, languages like Arabic and Chinese take the longest to learn.Also, keep in the mind that your own time will vary. The numbers in the infographic below are based on information from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), and they based their numbers on a 25 hours study week.Check out the infographic below to learn how long it takes English speakers to learn the most common languages in the world.

US Airline Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

US Airline Industry - Essay Example Southwest first expanded to the East Coast in 1993, with service to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. In 1994, the company acquired Morris Air, a Salt Lake City, Utah based airline. That same year, Southwest launched several programs to cut costs. A ticket less system reduced travel agents commissions, and Southwest began to use an in-house reservation system. By 1997, Southwest Airlines served cities in all parts of the continental United States. This same year, Southwest formed an alliance with Icelandair. This agreement enabled Southwest passengers to connect from several United States cities to Europe through Icelandairs Baltimore hub. The company completed its first non-stop transcontinental flight in 1998, thus establishing Southwest as a formidable domestic competitor. In this paper potential areas of improvement, and how Southwest Airlines can gain its own advantage in the industry will be discussed. Southwest ranked number one in on-time performance for several years according to [The Department of Transportations Air Travel Consumer Report]" (Goh, 2007, 103). This punctuality can be attributed the companys ticket less system and no-frills approach to air travel. The ticket less system reduces costs for both consumers and Southwest. Travel agents and ticket brokers are eliminated from the ticketing process. This also minimizes the lengthy check-in processes by eliminating physical transactions between customer service representatives and the consumer. All that is required is a reservation number and a form of identification to receive a reusable boarding pass, which enables the customer to board quickly. Southwests no-frill approach reduces preparation time by eliminating the time required for three optional services. The first service to be bypassed is the meal distribution by flight attendants. Southwest does not serve meals on any flight regardless of duration. This severely reduces the time required of planes while sitting

Special education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Special education - Essay Example I found it necessary that preschool teachers needs to acquire full knowledge on the background of their students (family types, racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, income strata, parent-education levels and language backgrounds); Learn their strengths academically as well as their weaknesses, so that they would be able to determine which teaching strategy to adopt and implement to this kind of learners. I also observed during the sessions with both the preschoolers and their teachers that, most of time, preschool teachers are exerting more effort to get the attention of the children, to let them speak and interact during the small group activities. Preschool teachers are very patient and never lose their patience and temperament. Another observation is that, only few parents or guardians are around with the kids, to observe them as well as to monitor their daily activities. The preschool teachers were good in seeing the children in a variety of situations at the school and are able to identify their respective needs and problems. Practically, I can say that the classrooms are very conducive to preschoolers’ learning process; the walls of the classrooms are quite attractive, with visual aids posted on it, flashcards, coloring books, educational toys and wide-range of multimedia are readily available for the students’ use. Perhaps, these are the means of the educators in order to stimulate the preschoolers more intellectually. The preschoolers were also provided with books, worksheets, and other forms of learning materials. They have good playground, security and there were kiosks for the parents and guardians as they stay. There were varied approaches to teaching observed. Most activities start in large group where the students dance, sing or recite poems all together. There were instances that they do activities alone like when they practice to write their names, color their drawing book, answer workbooks

Political Analysis on China Essay Example for Free

Political Analysis on China Essay China has been under the communist party rule for many decades. The communist party exercises absolute power over legislations and economic and cultural institutions. China rules and regulations are not so transparent or absolute. Due to lack of transparency and corruption the social network with the people from the communist party can help the business avoid red tape and bureaucracy. A political risk refers to government interference in the business affairs of foreign persons or companies doing business in a particular country. China is particularly hazardous with respect to political risk. In fact this has occurred in china in 1949. There are the risk of confiscation, risk of expropriation, and risk of contract repudiation.A unique form of political risk occurs in china, and this is the constant battle between the country’s central government and the provincial and local governments over applicable law, and observance or non-observance of it. This makes it difficult for companies operating in China to know exactly what the rules are. Other Political risk of China are as follows- 1) Political Effectiveness- Political effectiveness is actually not very effective in china as compared to other countries. Barely anyone bothers to call the police and they be easily bribed. Road laws are not enforced and thus there is a high rate of accidents in China with the way they drive. The government is even less confident than outside observers regarding their nation’s political stability. 2) Institutional Stability- Corruption still plays a huge role in China. They believe that profit comes first and mostly for personal reasons. At first it was only the Chinese Communist Party who took control in 1949. Later the other branches such as the Judicial Branch came into power in 1980. 3)Currency inconvertibility – The import and export business exchange currencies in either USD or RMB. Only certain worldwide currencies can be exchanged in China, other than that they use the RMB. 4) Honest Government- There are many cases known to justify corruption among government officials. Policies and laws are not solid or stable in China, therefore everything is negotiable. The CPI ratings of China are 3.5 this year. This looks bad compared to the United States and Canada. 106,000 officials were prosecuted for corruption in 2009 which was a 2.5% increase from 2008. With China’s growing economy, it will only get worse. Minimizing Political Risk- For minimizing political risk we should understand the importance of social networks and their relationship. It is a challenging process for a company to recruit the right people with the appropriate network to overcome these challenges. Legal System- For thousands of years, the Chinese legal system was based on Confucian ideology that emphasized ethics and relationships between the people and their leaders. China does not technically have an independent judiciary or a legal system that operates outside the influence of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. In fact, China’s lack of an independent judicial system. Legal and Regulatory Risk Regulatory risk in China is high. Although many sectors of Chinas economy have become more market oriented, numerous restrictions and a massive bureaucracy still hinder full implementation of regulations and make the approval process unpredictable. Chinas Judicial System- Using Chinas judicial system also involves risk. Because of Chinas WTO membership and growing pressure from foreign investors for greater transparency and rule of law, China increasingly recognizes overseas arbitration awards and rulings. It is, however, still risky for companies to rely solely on the PRC judicial system to protect their interests. Similarly, China’s accession to the WTO has brought with it the inclusion of international business laws and patent rights amendments, but even today it is common to see technology being stolen either by the employees of the outsourced firm in China or by a Chinese competitor in the country. Protection from foreign Currency Earning Enterprises- The cost of doing business in China is frequently higher than companies expect. These issues, coupled with a recent rise in policies aimed at protecting domestic companies from foreign competition— especially in engineering and construction, legal services, and banking—create risks and obstacles that few foreign companies are aware of until too late. Minimizing Legal Risk- Hence western companies that plan to outsource manufacturing to China should be aware of these legal challenges. One way of preventing these issues is to have a strong network with the locals or to make sure that sensitive technology is not outsourced to China. Cultural Challenges China has evidenced thousands of years of history, culture and traditions. The way Chinese people behave today is the result of its historical transformations, which is very different from the transformations witnessed by western societies. Hence the modern day Chinese culture is very different from the cultures of the west. The cultural aspects of the Chinese are immensely reflected in the business world, for example, A CEO in the western world is normally looked upon as a consensus builder or as an individual who debates and discusses strategies with their employees and then executes the strategy, whereas in China the leader is looked upon as the sole decider and executor of strategies. There is a strict hierarchy in the Chinese business culture, which is very different from the business culture of some of the west countries. So to run a successful wholly owned outsourcing unit in China, the western businessmen need to understand and overcome these cultural chal lenges. Challenges in Scale and Demographics China is a vast country with a massive population, Western businesses are often at awe about China and think that the 1.3 billion people could become a large customer base, but in reality China is a complex market. 850 million people in China live in the impoverished countryside; their life is harsh, uncertain and poor.536 million people live in the urban areas out of which 247 million people are considered middle class and have an expendable income. The middle class earns over $5000 per head over the period of a year, but one must also consider the fact that the Chinese are the largest savers in the world unlike some western countries such as the US where the consumers have massive spending power and a culture that promotes spending. Hence for a western company to succeed they need to understand these Demographic differences. Challenges related to market behaviour The Chinese market is unique in many aspects, many western companies have tried to sell their product as-is in the Chinese market and failed miserably, and these are not some small unknown brands but large mega brands that have been successful for many decades and different markets. To be recognized as a brand in China, one need to market and advertise the Chinese way, marketing and branding in China should carry a strong Chinese Cultural overtone to be successful in the mainland. Successful western companies such as Google and eBay have failed to become market leaders in China. The lesson learnt from the failure of these companies is that they â€Å"did not understand the localization factor† Therefore for the long run, western companies should â€Å"Think Chinese but act western† and sell the right product at the right price to be successful in the Chinese market. Economic instability Trade policy Challenges China is the world’s second largest economy and is among the fastest growing economies of the world. When western companies move to China they have to consider the economic stability of the country and prepare themselves for the various risks due to changes in fiscal policy, monetary policy, trade policy and other macro economic factors. China’s economy is mostly dependent on exports from the manufacturing industry and foreign economists suggest that the Yuan is undervalued by as much as 40%. Hence a Change in the Yuan can impact the profitability of the western business. Due to high economic growth there has been a strong demand for semi and highly skilled labour all over China. The labour costs have steadily increased over the last 5 years and the government has increased the minimum wage level. This will impact operating costs in China and hence a western company planning to operate in China will have to factor in this ri sk. In summary western enterprises need to be aware of macroeconomic risks before they start their operations in China or face the possibility of failure.

The Urinary System :: science

The Urinary System How do the urinay system work Your body takes nutrients from food and uses them to maintain all bodily functions including energy and self-repair. After your body has taken what it needs from the food, waste products are left behind in the blood and in the bowel. The urinary system works with the lungs, skin, and intestines--all of which also excrete wastes--to keep the chemicals and water in your body balanced. Adults eliminate about a quart and a half of urine each day. The amount depends on many factors, especially the amounts of fluid and food a person consumes and how much fluid is lost through sweat and breathing. Certain types of medications can also affect the amount of urine eliminated. The urinary system removes a type of waste called urea from your blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys. The kidneys are bean-shaped organs about the size of your fists. They are near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron consists of a ball formed of small blood capillaries, called a glomerulus, and a small tube called a renal tubule. Urea, together with water and other waste substances, forms the urine as it passes through the nephrons and down the renal tubules of the kidney. From the kidneys, urine travels down two thin tubes called ureters to the bladder. The ureters are about 8 to 10 inches (200 to 250 mm) long. Muscles in the ureter walls constantly tighten and relax to force urine downward away from the kidneys. If urine is allowed to stand still, or back up, a kidney infection can develop. Small amounts of urine are emptied into the bladder from the ureters about every 10 to 15 seconds. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ shaped like a balloon. It sits in your pelvis and is held in place by ligaments attached to other organs and the pelvic bones. The bladder stores urine until you are ready to go to the bathroom to empty it. It swells into a round shape when it is full and gets smaller when empty. If the urinary system is healthy, the bladder can hold up to 16 fluid ounces (500 ml) of urine comfortably for 2 to 5 hours.

MBA admission

My long-term career goal is to manage a high-tech company in the field of electronics and communications. With over six years of experience in the technical aspects of high-tech product development, I bring considerable technical knowledge to this task, and hope to compliment this knowledge with a firm understanding of business fundamentals provided by the McCombs School of Business.My personal ackground is no less of an asset, as it allows me to understand people and business issues from a unique and mature perspective. I grew up in India and obtained a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Electrical Science from Delhi University. After that I attended the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and earned a second Masters degree in the field of laser technology. My professional career began in 1995 when I was hired by HCL-Hewlett Packard to work on computer hardware design in an office outside of Delhi.It was my first direct experience with state-of-the-art technology and the exciting e xperience convinced e to pursue a career in the high-tech arena. Within nine months, I traveled to the Netherlands to work as a consultant for Tulip Computers NV, then the largest manufacturer of computers in Europe. After six months abroad, I returned to India but was soon transferred by my parent company to NCR Corporation in South Carolina.Before I could be recalled, I left HCL-Hewlett Packard and looked for another Job since I had decided to settle in the United States. I worked briefly for an ill-fated start-up, but left when the company moved its operations to China. I started my current position at American Megatrends, Inc. , (AM') in 1998 and have been employed here for over three years. IVe been working on high-tech motherboard design and have worked my way up to the position of team leader.AMI has offered me a unique opportunity I haven't had in other positions: the opportunity to participate in all the steps of product development. As a pure engineering company, AMI has v irtually no high level management and the engineer is responsible for everything from product conception, to development, to manufacturing and marketing! I have seized upon this opportunity and greatly expanded my understanding of product development beyond the design stage. I interact very closely with the manufacturing group and have come to understand production issues.Understanding how our products are mass produced at the plant, and especially how the factory workers utilize the machines for manufacturing, has given me a perspective on human and material capital which will be of great use in management. I have also worked closely with the sales and marketing division, and have occasionally even traveled to customer sites. While I have gained much practical experience (both in terms of technology and in terms of leadership) through my work, I cannot see myself in the same position fifteen years from now.I want to take my electronics firm into a new direction and believe at tn th is vision can best be accomplished trom a position ot management. I have realized from my six years of work experience that a strictly engineering background is not sufficient to enable me to reach my goals. A sound understanding of business fundamentals, that can be obtained through the McCombs School of Business, will help me develop the management skills I need to analyze business situations and manage resources rationally.An MBA will build upon my practical experience and allow me to achieve a position of leadership. My personal struggle to obtain the life I have now has imbued me with an ambition to grow as an individual and to give back to the society that has given me so much. My practical work experience and unique outlook on life contribute toa compassionate leadership style and an ability to understand the needs of people from all levels of society.

Multimedia Design †iOS vs. Android Essay

iOS ‘i’ stands for ‘Internet’. The term â€Å"iOS† was originally known as â€Å"iPhone OS† and was introduced in 2007 along with the first iPhone hardware device Apple released. It was the term used to describe the software that would operate the iPhone and is derived from the term â€Å"OS X†, which is how Apple describes its â€Å"operating system† for its Macintosh computers. The â€Å"X† stands for 10 which is the newest version of the computer software Apple created to operate the desktop and laptop computers they design. The â€Å"iOS† platform is a mobile-device-based software system that works like a computer system, but on mobile devices like portable phones. It is designed to be smaller, faster and use less power. It also has a â€Å"touch† friendly user interface so it works better when a finger is used to interface with the system instead of a mouse or stylus that has been used in the past to interact with operating systems. The iPhone has run on iOS si nce its release in 2007. Designed for use with Apple’s multi-touch devices, iOS supports input through direct manipulation. The system responds to various user gestures, such as pinching, tapping and swiping. Other iOS features include: Integrated search support enables simultaneous search through files, media, applications and email. Gesture recognition supports, for example, shaking the device to undo the most recent action. Google Maps direction services. Push email. Safari mobile browser. Integrated camera and video. Integrated media player. Direct access to the Apple Store’s catalogue of applications, music, podcasts, television shows and movies. Compatibility with Apple’s cloud service, iCloud. History 2007: iPhone OS 1 Revealed alongside the original iPhone in January 2007, the first Apple  smartphone operating system was not given a specific name until the following March, with the launch of the first Software Development Kit beta., when it became known as iPhone OS. The first iPhone could not support 3G, the copy and paste function, email attachments or MMS – and couldn’t run third party apps. Further updates included the introduction of the iTunes Music Store, allowing users to purchase music directly onto their phones (through a Wi-Fi connection) for the first time, and the ability to create their own ringtones. 2008: iPhone OS 2 Coinciding with the launch of the iPhone 3G, the second major update to the operating system saw the launch of the App Store, leading to the introduction of third party apps and games. Full support for Microsoft Exchange and the option to wipe your phone in the event of failing to enter your passcode were other new features, the latter being added in a subsequent update. Google Street View was enabled with the 2.2 update, featuring walking, driving and public transport options. 2009: iPhone OS 3 With the third incarnation for the new 3GS handset, the cut, copy and paste function finally became commonplace, alongside the long-awaited push notifications for third party apps. Video recording, MMS (multimedia messaging service) and voice control were also added, and users were given the chance to purchase films, TV shows and audiobooks through iTunes. Spotlight search enabled more comprehensive search through email, contacts, calendar, notes and within music, and the new voice memo function facilitated the recording and storing of audio notes. Purchasing within apps was also introduced, but only within paid-for apps. The 3.2 version contained a raft of improvements designed for use with the newly released iPad. While not supporting general multitasking, it was made to accommodate the differing resolution of a larger screen than the iPhone, as well as revamping apps specifically for the new platform. 2010: iOS 4 Introduced on June 21 2010, iOS 4 was the first operating system to bear the iOS name, released on the new flagship iPhone 4. Its folder system accommodated the storing of up to 12 similar apps within one mother folder,  while multitasking allowed apps to run simultaneously, such as writing an email while listening to Spotify, and navigation apps continuing to track your location in the background. iBooks, Apple’s ebook-reading software, and its parent iBookstore was introduced, and the improved 5MP iPhone 4 camera was complemented by ‘tap to focus’ software and 5x digital zoom. The device’s new front-facing camera also facilitated video calling feature FaceTime. 2011: iOS 5 2011 saw the launch of the iPhone 4S and with it, iOS 5. The main new feature was Siri, Apple’s voice-activated virtual assistant that had previously been downloadable from the App Store as a third party app. Now integrated into the OS, Siri now communicated with other apps to make calls, check emails and transcribe text. Containing more than 200 new features, iOS 5 heralded the arrival of iOS user messaging system iMessage, Twitter integration across a range of apps and online storage facility iCloud, replacing previous system MobileMe. 2012: iOS 6 Tim Cook took to the stage at Apple’s 2012 WorldWide Developers’ Conference shocked fans by announcing that Google Maps would not feature in latest incarnation iOS 6, and would be replaced by the company’s own inbuilt Maps app. Siri also received a makeover, featuring restaurant recommendations, the ability to dictate tweets or Facebook statuses and film reviews. A year after Twitter integration into Apple’s native apps, Facebook was added to the fold, and Apple launched its answer to Google Wallet, Passbook, will collated tickets, boarding passes and coupons within the single app. 2013: iOS 7 iOS 7 marked a radical aesthetic departure for Apple, masterminded by Sir Jony Ive, and debuted on the twin release of the iPhones 5s and 5c. The new ‘flattened’ and pared-back user interface drew praise and criticism in equal measures. The single-swipe control centre feature allowed users to quickly access key settings such as WiFi, Airplane mode, Bluetooth and the newly-introduced torch without having to delve into the Settings menu. Siri was upgraded to both male and female voices, and redesigned to understand French and German. Other changes included a new camera interface with a  square photo mode, full multitasking for all apps and new wallpapers. 2014: iOS 8 Announced at the 2014 WWDC conference in June, iOS 8 will feature new frameworks HealthKit and HomeKit, integrating apps to track health data and the standardisation of controlling internet-enabled home appliances. It is expected to ship on the iPhone 6, which Apple is believed to be preparing to announce at next week’s ‘special event’ in San Francisco. Other new features include being able to sent audio and video messages by holding down a record button while inside the Messages app, new predictive typing feature QuickType and the new and improved file hosting service iCloud Drive. Features With an easy-to-use interface, amazing features and security at its core, iOS 8 is the foundation of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It’s designed to look beautiful and work beautifully, so even the simplest tasks are more engaging. And because iOS 8 is engineered to take full advantage of the advanced technologies built into Apple hardware, your devices are always years ahead — from day one to day whenever. Elegant and intuitive interface From the moment you pick up iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you know how to use it. That’s because iOS was designed to be easy to understand. The simple-yet-beautiful Home screen invites you to discover each of the built-in apps. So straight away, you’re browsing your favourite websites, capturing a few candids or texting your friends. And no matter what you’re doing or what app you’re using, everything feels easy, intuitive and even fun. Built-in features and apps that make your device — and you — more capable iOS and an ever-expanding collection of features and built-in apps make iPhone, iPad and iPod touch even more powerful, innovative and a joy to use. 1. Photos – Every photo you take is ready to edit and share in seconds, straight from your iOS device. And you can search for your favourite photos by time, location and album, or browse by Collections and Moments — smart groupings of your photos and videos based on time and plac e. 2. Messages – Messages lets you send any kind of message, any way you want to send it. Tap to add your voice to a conversation. Send a video of what you’re seeing the  moment you’re seeing it. And now you can manage your group conversations by naming them, adding and removing contacts, muting them or leaving them altogether. 3. Music – When it comes to your music, this is home base. Create playlists for every mood. Or let Genius do it for you. 4. Maps – Apple-designed from the ground up (and the sky down), this built-in app shows you incredible detail — even at full zoom. Maps keeps street names where they belong and keeps you heading in the right direction with spoken turn-by-turn navigation. 5. Face Time – With a tap, you can make video calls or audio-only calls from your iPhone or iPad to someone else’s. And you can do it over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. So you can be there, even when you’re not there. 6. Safari – It’s the world’s most popular mobile browser. Safari puts the focus where it should be: the web. When you open a web page, the address and navigation bars move out of the way until you need them. B ookmarks are easy to add and edit, and features like Reading List, Shared Links and iCloud Tabs let you get to the content you need when you need it. 7. AirDrop – Sharing with AirDrop is faster and more convenient than an email or a text, especially when the person you want to share with isn’t in your Contacts. Just tap to send photos, videos, contacts — and anything else from any app with a Share button — to anyone nearby who’s also running iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite. 8. Health – Now your activity tracker, heart rate monitor, and other health and fitness apps can talk to each other. Which means they’ll be able to work even harder for you. And all the information is accessible in one easy-to-read dashboard. 9. AirPlay – AirPlay lets you wirelessly stream what’s on your iOS device to your HDTV and speakers via Apple TV. Or mirror exactly what’s on your display to the big screen. Holiday photos, blockbusters, the latest games — you choose how to go large. Hardware and software made for each other. Because Apple makes both the hardware and the operating system for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, everything is designed to work together. So apps take full advantage of hardware features such as the dual-core processor, accelerated graphics, wireless antennas and more. Multitasking is a perfect example. iOS learns when you like to use your apps and updates the content in them at power-efficient times, like when your device is already in use and connected to Wi-Fi. So the content in your favourite apps stays up to  date without a major drain on your battery. With the App Store, there’s almost no limit to what your iOS device can do. iOS is the platform for well over a million mobile apps — and counting. And every app starts with the right DNA. So we’ve made iOS 8 the biggest release for developers since the introduction of the App Store. It offers new APIs to enable even more amazing features and bold new technologies for game development. And the App Store makes all of these apps easy to access, easy to search and easy to buy using the same account you use for iTunes. Just browse the App Store on your iOS device and download them with a tap. iCloud. Everything you need. Anywhere you need it. iCloud makes sure all your devices always have the latest versions of your most important things, including documents, apps, contacts, calendar events and more. iCloud Drive lets you access all your files from any device. With Family Sharing, all your photos, videos, music and iTunes purchases can be shared easily with your family across multiple Apple devices. Find My iPhone helps you locate your lost iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac. And iCloud Keychain securely remembers your user names, passwords and credit card information so you don’t have to. Easy to update. iOS updates are free. And they’re available to download wirelessly on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch the moment they’re released. Your device even alerts you when it’s time to get the latest version. So you won’t miss out on all the amazing features in new updates. Safety and security come standard. iOS provides built-in security from the moment you turn on your device. That’s because the hardware, firmware and operating system come with built-in features designed to help your device — and what you put on it — stay safe. 1. Security. Malware and viruses aren’t confined to desktops anymore. They can infect mobile devices too. Which is why Apple takes security seriously when it comes to iOS. For starters, hardware and firmware features are designed to protect against malware and viruses, while iOS features help to secure your  personal information. Touch ID lets you use your fingerprint as a passcode, preventing unauthorised access to your device. When you use a passcode, it automatically encrypts and protects your email, calendar events, contacts, reminders, notes, messages and third-party apps. 2. Privacy. iOS is designed to put your privacy first. If an app wants your location information or data from Calendar, Contacts, Reminders or Photos, it needs your permission first. And you have complete control of how Health and HealthKit use your data. Your conversations over iMessage and FaceTime are encrypted, including predictive text. So no-one but you and the person you’re talking to can see or read what’s being said. And features built into Safari give you the ability to browse privately, block cookies and prevent websites from tracking you. 3. Find My iPhone Activation Lock. Your iPhone is your iPhone, no matter where it is. The same goes for your iPad and iPod touch. Because security features in iOS make it very difficult for anyone who’s not you to use or sell your device. Turning off Find My iPhone or erasing your device requires your Apple ID and password. Find My iPhone can also continue to display a customised message, even after your device is erased. And your Apple ID and password are required before anyone can reactivate it. 4. iCloud Keychain. Most of the websites you visit nowadays require user names and passwords. Remembering them all can be tough, but you can let iCloud Keychain do it for you. It stores your website user names and passwords on the devices you’ve approved, protects them with robust 256-bit AES encryption and keeps them up to date on each device. Then it automatically fills them in whenever and wherever you need them. Password Generator can even suggest unique, hard-to-guess passwords for your online accounts. iCloud Keychain works with credit card information too, so checking out takes no time at all. Accessibility built in. iOS includes a variety of accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience more of what iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have to  offer. The built-in VoiceOver screen reader allows those who are blind or have low vision to hear a description of the item they’re touching on the screen. Made for iPhone Hearing Aids are Bluetooth devices that allow you to experience clearer phone conversations and music, and you can manage them directly from your iOS device. With Guided Access, you can restrict an iOS device to one app, and even limit the amount of time spent in an app. Which can be helpful to people with autism or other attention and sensory challenges. And Switch Control gives individuals with limited physical or motor skills complete control of their device through switch access. iOS also offers many other beneficial accessibility features, such as dynamic screen magnification, playback of closed-captioned video, mono audio, simplified screen gestures and more . iOS knows many languages. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch support keyboard and dictionary functions for multiple languages and dialects. Switch languages on the fly.  iOS lets you take your pick of over 35 system languages and easily switch between them. Because the keyboard is software-based, you can select from over 55 different layouts with support for diacritic marks on characters, and contextual character options for Japanese. VoiceOver reads screens in more than 35 languages, and Voice Control understands over 20 languages. Advantages 1. Camera – Camera Shoot in burst mode, only click on capture and then press volume button You can take Picture continuously. 2. Multitasking – The phone has multitasking features. User can running two or more Apps at a same time. 3. Airdrop – You can do sharing of document and Apps with the desktop by Wi-Fi. You can share document at a time with multiple people. 4. iBeacon – iBeacon facility is newly added in iOS7. The sharing of document and Apps by the sensor via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). 5. Automatic Update – The iOS 7 update regularly with their application. It also has manually update options. 6. High Speed – The iOS 7 has provide high speed to idevises . 7. Kids Categories – The iOS 7 has children and parents according applications. The new features has a new part of the App Store. 8. Automatic Backgrounds Refresh – In iOS 7 Background refresh regularly get refresh. And it refresh its All application. 9. Out of the way interfaces – User can make interface  with friends by different ways. 10. Delete Clutter – iOS 7 has delete Clutter and textures automatic. By this facility iOS 7 is safe with any Malware. Android Introducing Android. The world’s most powerful mobile platform. There’s no other software quite like Android. Google engineered Android, and Google’s own apps run best on it. And with millions of apps, games, songs, and videos on Google Play, Android is great for fun, and for getting things done. Android devices come in all kinds of sizes, with all sorts of features, and at all sorts of prices. Each version of Android is named after a dessert, and the most recent version of Android is Jelly Bean. With Android, you’re in control of your mobile experience. Android powers hundreds of millions of mobile devices in more than 190 countries around the world. It’s the largest installed base of any mobile platform and growing fast—every day another million users power up their Android devices for the first time and start looking for apps, games, and other digital content. Android gives you a world-class platform for creating apps and games for Android users everywhere, as well as an open marketplace for distributing to them instantly. History V1.0- Marked the first commercial release of Android. At this time it was not widely available but had many new features that were important and still used today. These included Android Market for application upates and for new Applications Web Browser for full XTML/HTML web browsing. Google Apps full set of app by Google(Mail,SMS,Maps etc.) V1.1- This was a update to 1.0 that had many bug fixes and added a few features such as a Maps update. It was only available for ther T-Mobile G1. V1.5 or Cupcake was released in April 2009. It had several new approvements. Among the new features were Widgets for embedded small apps Contacts improvements including the pictures added to ever contact Animations for smooth scrolling and screen changes Bluetooth support update for audio pairing and sharing V1.6 or Donut was released in September of 2009 and had many improvements Voice and Text Improvements Touch Screen improvements Multi select for photos Camera access improvements and faster access Search Option for faster access V2.0/2.0.1/2.1 or Eclair was released in Oct 2009 and had several improvements and looks remarkably similar to today’s Android versions. Bluetooth 2.1 support Hardware and U.I. improvements Calendar improvements for date and not settings Account Sync improvements allow user to sync cultivable account on one phone Multi Touch improvements to allow better multitouch support Screen size and contrast improvements. Include bigger screens and better contrast ratios Android 2.2/2.2.1/2.2.2/2.2.3 or Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) was released May of 2010 and improved on many features. There were many key features in this version of Android including Adobe Flash support for rich web content Speed and memory improvements Cloud messaging support USB tethering Multi Language support Bluetooth dock and car support WiFi hotspots support JIT Compilation for application speed improvements 2.3/2.3./2.3.3./2.3.4 or Gingerbread was released in December of 2010 and as of the time of this writing has become the most widely used Android version. Some of the new features included U.I. or Interface improvements gave it a more simple but quicker interface Virtual Keyboard updated and improved for  a better and faster layout. copy/paste enhancements where a user could just press and hold New Codec support for more audio/video formats Power Management enhancements gyroscope/barometers support input enhancements for game developers V 3.0/3.1/3.2 or Honeycomb was released in Feb of 2011 and was a tablet(and later Google TV) only release. Some of its features included Holographic interface that was optimized for a tablet U.I. Improved keyboard support for larger screens Multi Core processor support Hardware acceleration for faster hardware view gallery in full screen interface System bar for better multitasking that allows you to switch from one app to another. Resizable home screen widgets(3.1+) external keyboard/mouse support (3.1+) FLAC audio codec support (3.1+) Android 4.0/4.01 was first released in Oct 2011 and was a major improvment upon both 2.x and 3.x. It blended both interfaces and had full support for both phones and tablets. Some of the notable features included Folder system improvements making easier to create. Launcher improved to be customizable Tabbed Browsing improved to allow up to 16 tabs facial recognition support to locking/unlocking phone photo editor built in to Android 4.x Android Beam support to share contacts and files Chrome Bookmark sync support Wi-Fi direct support to connect with other users without access point User Interface hardware acceleration for faster access. Android 4.1 Android Jellybean saw full release in early 2012 and improved on Android 4.0 in many ways. It took the common features of Android 4.0 and made it more fluid. Some features include: Browser has improved performance, CPU and memory efficiency Full HTML 5 support to bring Android up to new web standards Calendar is improved and has features blend with one another bidirectional text means more input languages to make the platform accessible to more people around the world. dictionaries are now more accurate and more relevant A update to Android 4.1 is now available. It is still counted as Jellybean but updated to new features that include: Photo Sphere allows you to use take 360 degree pictures among other new camara features Gesture Typing let’s you type much faster but takes some getting used to but can make typing much faster. Google Now updated with new features Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie rumored to be the next version of Android. Global partnerships and large installed base Building on the contributions of the open-source Linux community and more than 300 hardware, software, and carrier partners, Android has rapidly become the fastest-growing mobile OS. Every day more than 1 million new Android devices are activated worldwide. Android’s openness has made it a favorite for consumers and developers alike, driving strong growth in app consumption. Android users download more than 1.5 billion apps and games from Google Play each month. With its partners, Android is continuously pushing the boundaries of hardware and software forward to bring new capabilities to users and developers. For developers, Android innovation lets you build powerful, differentiated applications that use the latest mobile technologies. Powerful development framework Easily optimize a single binary for phones, tablets, and other devices. Android gives you everything you need to build best-in-class app experiences. It gives you a single application model that lets you deploy your apps broadly to hundreds of millions of users across a wide range of devices—from phones to tablets and beyond. Android also gives you tools for creating apps that look great and take advantage of the hardware capabilities available on each device. It automatically adapts your UI to  look its best on each device, while giving you as much control as you want over your UI on different device types. For example, you can create a single app binary that’s optimized for both phone and tablet form factors. You declare your UI in lightweight sets of XML resources, one set for parts of the UI that are common to all form factors and other sets for optimzations specific to phones or tablets. At runtime, Android applies the correct resource sets based on its screen size, density, locale, and so on. To help you develop efficiently, the Android Developer Tools offer a full Java IDE with advanced features for developing, debugging, and packaging Android apps. Using the IDE, you can develop on any available Android device or create virtual devices that emulate any hardware configuration. Open marketplace for distributing your apps Google Play is the premier marketplace for selling and distributing Android apps. When you publish an app on Google Play, you reach the huge installed base of Android. As an open marketplace, Google Play puts you in control of how you sell your products. You can publish whenever you want, as often as you want, and to the customers you want. You can distribute broadly to all markets and devices or focus on specific segments, devices, or ranges of hardware capabilities. You can monetize in the way that works best for your business—priced or free, with in-app products or subscriptions—for highest engagement and revenues. You also have complete control of the pricing for your apps and in-app products and can set or change prices in any supported currency at any time. Beyond growing your customer base, Google Play helps you build visibility and engagement across your apps and brand. As your apps rise in popularity, Google Play gives them higher placement in weekly â€Å"top† charts and rankings, and for the best apps promotional slots in curated collections. Preinstalled on hundreds of millions of Android devices around the world, Google Play can be a growth engine for your business. Features Take Google with you. Take Google with you on your mobile device: all the Google products you know and love, designed to work best on Android phones and tablets. Search the web The fastest, easiest way to find what you need on the web and your phone or tablet. Enjoy the power of Google search wherever you are. With Google Now, get just the right information at just the right time. Browse fast on your Android phone or tablet with Chrome. Bring your personalized Chrome experience with you anywhere you go. Navigate your World Never get lost as you go to new places and old favorites. Get voice-guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation to your destination, powerful local search with full place reviews and summaries from Zagat editors, detailed maps with 3D buildings, live traffic information and more with Google Maps for Android. Connect & Share Stay connected and share epic moments as they happen. Start a group video chat on the go with up to nine people at once with Google+ Hangouts, and never lose another mobile photo with Instant Upload. Be entertained Get all your apps & entertainment in one place. Google Play brings you the world’s largest collection of eBooks, millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, and a growing selection of magazines – plus over 600,000 apps and games. With Google Play, you can now read, listen and watch anywhere you want — on your tablet, phone, or on the web at play.google.com — no wires, no syncing and no storage costs. YouTube puts millions of videos at your fingertips, available on the go wherever you are. Create & Collaborate Google Drive gives you one place to create, share, collaborate and keep your stuff, accessible on all your devices. With Gmail, get smarter email wherever you are, integrated with contacts and apps on your Android phone or tablet. Your stuff, always available, no wires needed. When you sign in to your phone or tablet with Google, you can access all of your Google stuff (contacts, photos, Gmail and more) quickly and easily. You can also enjoy all of your favorite entertainment across your Android devices and even your computer — no wires, no syncing. Play everywhere you go. Google Play is the easiest way to enjoy all your favorites: more than 700,000 apps and games, millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, the world’s largest collection of eBooks, and a growing selection of magazines. With Google Play, there’s no wires, no hassle, just pure entertainment. You can now read, listen and watch anywhere you want—on your tablet, phone, or in any browser at play.google.com. Powerful, simple, and beautiful Millions of people use Android because it’s so powerful yet still so easy. The home screen, apps, and widgets are simple to use right out of the box, but completely customizable. With Android, you can create a unique mobile experience that’s just right for you. Widgets – Put the important stuff right within reach and interact with your favorite apps directly from your home screen with widgets — see the latest sport scores, view your favorite photos, check the weather or peek at your inbox all without having to open different apps or leave the home screen. Notifications – An easy-to-read notification tray gives you quick access to your calls, incoming texts, and new emails in a non-intrusive way. Multi-tasking – With Android, you can quickly and seamlessly switch between apps and pick up whatever you were doing. Juggling multiple tasks at once on a mobile device has never been easier. Voice typing and actions – Control your Android device with your voice. Simply touch the microphone on the keyboard and start talking to write emails, SMS, or any other text — more than 30 languages supported. Text appears in real time, so there’s no waiting. Photos and videos – Capture special moments with great photos and videos, explore your shots and quickly share your favorites in any way that you want.