Privacy And Information Technology Essays - Business Software

Privacy And Information Technology Geoffrey Graves MG3700 Mid Term Exam 4/24/2000 Part I 1.) In order to produce an upwards swing in revenue, Toy World must track its customer's buying trends with more accuracy and more detail. The Point of Sale system that they are currently working from can be improved and made to reduce after-market inventory. Trend data can be used for a wide variety of purposes. One of the first problems is the store design and layout of items. Sale items and hot merchandise must be as strategically positioned as possible to allow a prospective customer to locate and remove the item from the shelf quickly and painlessly. By analyzing customer data, the new system must be able to sort items not only by popularity, but also by genre. Once data is collected, new stores can be quickly designed around the products. Some trends never die, seen by the toy world market data. Comparing one toy with another is extremely important in order to decipher just why it's a big seller. The POS system should be able to lay out all pertinent information about a toy obtained from sales data, and compare it next to a variable number of other ?hot? sellers. Data can be compared with toy descriptions after analysis of the item, and research of the toy's advertisements and media exposure. Also by doing this, under- stocking and over-stocking shelves can be prevented. A ?hot? toy can be kept in stock if the retailer orders a large quantity ahead of time after POS analysis. What of the items that don't sell much when the POS data is analyzed? The system should be able compute the quantity to order, to keep in the stock room, or to totally remove the item from inventory. 2.) At the ?snap-shot? of this case, Toy World's tactical strategic position was decent and had room for expansion, but the tactical position was lacking in many areas. If you ask the CIO of any successful company that has been around for about 25 years, he will agree that for maximum results and increased overall cash inflow, a large portion of the budget should be spent on IT. More funds towards improvement of the POS system would have increased revenue two or even threefold. Much of the data network at Toy World is too slow to handle the amount of traffic necessary to sufficiently analyze POS information. From IT Planning (Exhibit 5) the MIS spending plan as a fraction of sales, decreases from 0.9% in 1987 to 0.8% in 1988, around $4000. This shows a clear lack of good prediction when this % of sales data is compared with the revenue (Exhibit 3) of $10 million. IT spending could have been increased by 50%, (1.8-2.0) percent from 1986 to 1987 with practically no negative side effects. Strategically, the company was looking towards the future of sales. One of the major ideas that were worked into Toy World's ?electronic future? was e-commerce. If they were to win that race, the sales would predictably skyrocket. Toys are the perfect product to purchase online for tech savvy moms and dads at Christmas time. Though the technological problems were many, Toy World was still a leader in toys manufacturing and sale. 3.) As the CIO of Toy World, I would have a comprehensive and competent staff working in a team-oriented workplace. The new management team positions would be Systems Analysts would be hired in order to redesign the POS system. The system would keep the same base coding and structure but certain descriptive items must be added to the data analysis. This team would be in charge of analyzing the system and would work closely with the team of programmers to design the best way to integrate additions to the POS system. The Lead Programmers would work closely with the Systems Analysts with the intent of upgrading the IT systems of Toy World. They must be competent in ANSI C, C++, SQL, Visual Basic, ORACLE, UNIX (AIX), and any other database systems. Web Support and Development Experts would be in charge of an E-commerce storefront and the development of a company website. This team of web savvy programmers and web designers would maintain the web system and servers. The team would also update

Naked Killer essays

Naked Killer essays Category III films are those that are realeased in Hong Kong and are not permitted to be viewed by anyone under the age of 18. Because of this label the films carry an expectation of showing what is normally not seen. Be it violence, sex, or language if a film has dubbed Category III then it will contain plenty of these elemtents. However, there are still guidlines to follow in this class. For instance, sex scenes are not merely hardcore sex sequences and must not cross into the realm of pornography. There are also clauses put out by the Film Censorship Ordinance which can be used to censor a film if it portrays certain taboo topics too harshly. It is this closeness to the boundary of forbidden that draws most viewers to see these films. In fact, Category III films have at one point made up almost 50% of all films produced in Hong Kong. These are not underground cult films, but rather highly stylized and artistically edited depictions of all genres. Jing's Naked Killer falls under the category of detective thriller/femme fatale (even though the film has less to do with detectives as it does with lesbian love affairs). The film is full of bright and broad primary colors, from Kitty's numerous outfits to Sister Cindys interesting house. This certainly gives the film a novel look and a good deal more individuality than the sleazier and more formulaic movies. Although it features brutal killings and intense sex scenes, they never quite show anything that is too bloody/gory and the love scenes have absolutely no chemistry, romance, or eroticism. For example, after slicing apart another ruthless man in a swimming pool Princess and her lover Baby are shown groping one another on the pool stairs. The shot starts off with the camera level with the water and it slowly begins to rise up and angle down. Just when the camera begins to reach an angle from which Baby's naked body would be visible, t ...

Operations management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Operations management - Essay Example According to statista.com VW’s global market share in 2012, based on the number of cars produced, was 13.6% in total (Statista, n.d. d). The report has covered a lot of areas which includes the different strategies used by three brands and about their focus on various elements which in combination become the operations strategies prevailing in individual organizations. The report also includes objectives and a four stage diagram which shows where the brands fall according to the model. It contains 4V analysis and they whole supply chain model. Comparatively, BMW which is currently on sixty-eighth position in Fortune Global 500 is not anywhere near as a competitor of VW. BMW is also a German Automobile manufacturing company that was founded in 1916. BMW owns some very renowned names like Rolls-Royce, which is the parent company of BMW, and Mini Cars. On the contrary BMW’s market share according to statista.com was 3.27% in 2012 based on the number of cars produced (Statista, n.d. a). Porsche was founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche. In 2009 the company was acquired by Volkswagen group and now it is a part of this company. It had a very small contribution in VW market share in 2013 but in 2014 its individual market share increased which also increased the market share of VW as a whole (Winton, 2014). According to statista.com, in 2013 VW was the market leader with its revenue of 197.01 billion Euros followed by BMW which was 76.06 billion Euros (Statista, n.d. c). The contribution of Porsche in VW revenue was about 14.33 billion Euros in 2013 (Statista, n.d. b). Volkswagen majorly focuses on customer satisfaction and quality through introducing innovation and technologies. VW perceives customer satisfaction as the main factor of long-term success (Volkswagen, 2013). According to Forbes, in 2013 VW sold 9.7 million cars and their goal was to

Marketing Group Report (My part) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Group Report (My part) - Essay Example Serco also provides other services such as capital management, enterprise management and transportation. It is further characterized by function. Function of services offered by Serco belongs to being a leading provider of professional, technology and management services to the federal government. It has provided services to every branch of the US. military, numerous federal civilian agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community. (Serco) Marketing mix is also concerned with product appearance, and since Serco provides services, its appearance is the kind of service it provides to customers. By this, Serco’s appearance is through its services in managing people, processes, technology and assets. Another component of marketing mix is price. Serco competes in bidding process and prices are determined by bids. Generally, in a bidding process, awards are given to lowest bidder, meaning Serco has maintained a competitive price as it has maintained government contracts. Other options in pricing are partnership and joint ventures which Serco has entered into with government agencies and private clienteles. Marketing mix also considers the place or channels of distribution and market coverage. In this, Serco Inc. is an international organization providing services worldwide. It is listed as top 100 FTSE international service company. Promotion is another aspect of marketing mix that includes personal selling, advertising, public relations and media. There is very little information gathered about promotion except that it is publicly listed in the stock exchange. As a prominent figure in the exchange, its operation and financial performances are constantly being watched by stockholders who are always interested in investment returns. Marketing strategies of the company are first, to build a balanced portfolio by spreading across markets, to reduce the company’s exposure to risks

Research Paper based on company of your choice except Walmart

Based on company of your choice except Walmart - Research Paper Example Next section of the study will discuss the major milestones for the company. Time Period Milestones 1905 Nestle took over Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. 1920-1944 Nestle shut down operation in many plants and invested capital in launching Nescafe. 1945-1974 In this era, Nestle took the strategic decision to diversify its product portfolio. They took over Alimentana in order to launch Maggi. Nestle invested money for becoming one of the largest shareholder in L'Oreal. 1975-1979 Nestle took initiative to enter in pharmaceutical industry with the help of buyouts and strategic acquisition decisions. The company acquired Alcon Laboratories in order to enter American pharmaceutical industry. 1980-1994 Nestle used the acquisition strategy in order to increase height, breadth and depth of its food product portfolio. The Vevey based organization acquired food giant Carnation in order increase depth of the product line. Nestle enhanced the strength of the Nescafe brand by launching Nespre sso which was a form of espresso coffee. 1996-2005 Nestle diversified its business into nutritional and health division. The Swiss company entered into of health, nutrition and wellness business segment with the help of series of merger and acquisition activities. 2006-2009 Nestle took few major steps like acquiring nutritional division of Novartis, establishing shared value forum in different countries, trimming down the value chain for bottled water segment in order to increase sustainability and profitability of business. 2010-2012 Nestle launched Cocoa Plan for supplying disease defiant plantlets to their value chain partners. (Source: Nestle, â€Å"History†) SWOT Analysis & Impact of External Environment Strengths Strong Brand equity is the major strength for Nestle. The company has established strong brand presence with the help of its diversified product portfolio. The Swiss giant offers more than 4000 brands to customers which talks about the product diversification c apacity of the company. The company is the market leader in more than twenty five product categories like confectionery, pet care, coffee, bottled water, frozen meal, nutritional division and dairy products. Nestle has achieved leadership position in non-alcoholic beverage market with the help of products like Milo (energy drink), Nestle Pure Life (bottled water), Nescafe (coffee) etc. Nestle Pure Life is the highest selling bottle water brand in the world. Top brands of the company are growing at a rate of 10-20% annually which proves the strong brand equity of Nestle (Market Line, â€Å"Nestle S.A†). Research and development capability is the major strength for Nestle. The company has established more than thirty two research and development centers across five continents in order to incorporate high degree of diversification in product offering. The Vevey based company operates business with the help of three hundred application groups in order to develop products in accor dance with the local market preference. Weaknesses Major weakness of Nestle is its inability to generate revenue from all the markets it caters to in equal proportion. For example, 58% of Nestle’s revenue comes from its operation in developed countries like USA, UK and other European countries (Market Line, â€Å"Nestle S.A†). The company is facing problem in maintaining its revenue growth in European

Arabs And Islam In The Mass Media Media Essay

Arabs And Islam In The Mass Media Media Essay The perception of Arabs and Islam throughout history has been influenced by the political elite, the mass media and the Hollywood film industry. .Arabs and Muslims have always been represented as one in popular discourse when in fact the majority of Muslims are not of Arab background. This paper will demonstrate the stereotypes and generalisation by examining Hollywood films in the 20th century. Juan Cole a professor of modern Middle East and South Asian history says I think Anti-Arab racism profiling has become respectable. Islam has always been a contentious issue brought up by the media often linked with terrorism, extremism and the widespread notion that conflict between the Arab Muslims and the West is inevitable. These stereotypes and generalisations have been around for the many centuries in particular throughout the 20th century in the Western world through one of the main drivers which is visual media. According to a poll completed by the Washington Post in 2006, forty-six percent of Americans have a negative view of Islam; these statistics are higher than the polls that were held in 2001 after the events of September 11. In the same article the Washington Post mentions that conservative and liberal experts believe that the attitudes created towards Islam are fuelled in part by political statements and media reports that focus almost solely on the actions of Muslim extremists. In the West, mainstream media does not provide an accurate representation of Muslims that represents their ethnic, racial, cultural and national diversity. It means that a majority of the Western world do not understand the multi cultural and diversity of the Muslims due to what they see in the films and the mass media. Michael France the Vice President of government relations for the Conservative Heritage Foundation states that Political leaders do not help the problem by sometimes using language that links all Muslims with extremists. In his quote he acknowledges the fact there is a problem, this problem is a result of what people see in the media of Arabs and Islam. There is a tendency in the media to focus on one aspect of Islam. Consequently, when the only representation of Muslims in the mass media is as terrorists or extremists, and there is minimal focus on the lives of the ordinary mainstream Muslims, consumers of the media begin to shape their opinions of Islam and Muslims through extremism and terrorism. Similarly the Middle East, Islam and Arabs are all characterised as one and not distinguished. It is very problematic to view and understand a vast and complex region such as the Middle East through such a selected and distorted guise. It takes away the humanity and diversity of millions of ordinary people living decent and humane lives. These unrealistic representations also have the ability to put fear in people, causing all Muslims and all Arabs, irrespective of their reli gion, to be perceived as threats. There has been a consistent pattern of Arab stereotypes throughout the 20th century. These stereotypes are mainly conveyed through cinema. Hollywood has a tendency of projecting those of Middle Eastern appearance as villains and associate them with certain stereotypes. These stereotypes include the oil rich Arabs who are too dumb to know the value of money and are trying to buy chunks of America, exotic woman wearing see through dresses belly dancing, the magic flying carpet and one of the most common stereotypes which is the Arab terrorist that hates America. Yet, despite these perceptions that are revealed within the films they are also far extended to cartoons that are created for the younger viewers. A great example of this is Aladdin (1992), directed by John Musker  and  Ron Clements. The film was seen by millions of viewers world wide. In this film they have recycled every stereotype that goes back to the start of film that was originally inspired by the arts of the Orient. The opening seen of Aladdin, being with a song which contain the lyrics Oh, I come from a land, a faraway place, Where the caravan camels roam, were they cut of your ears, if they dont like your face, its barbaric, but hey its home. For a film that is specifically aimed towards the younger generations, this dialogue is not only inappropriate but discriminates against all Arabs in general. In comparison if such vile words was to be directed towards another kind it would be deemed unacceptable by society. Carl Ernst, Chair of religion studies at the University of North Carolina quoted In the movies Arabs are the equivalent of Hollywood Indians. Out of every film ever made in the 20th century, nearly 25% of them have demeaned and generalised Arabs as being all the same and as just one thing. This reflects on the preconceived notion of the Western worlds perception of Arabs that is widely held. Furthermore, political views have also been expressed in many films such as the 1996 film Cast a Giant Shadow (1996) directed by Melville Shavelson where one of the main characters refers to the state of Israel and quotes Now here is a country surrounded by 5 Arab nations ready to shove them in the Mediterranean, no guns, no tanks, no nothing, people fighting with their bare hands for little piece of desert. Another famous movie Death before dishonour (1982) directed by Terry Leonard, Palestinian terrorists, invade a house and in cold blood slaughters an Israeli family. His film has scenes of American soldiers being kidnapped and horrifically tortured by Palestinian terrorists, and mobs of Arab protestors with beards and head turbans outside the American embassy burning the American flag. The film company Cannon, created by two Israeli producers Gholam and Globus in their 20 years at least 30 of their films vilifies all things Arab, in particular Palestinians. Many political policies and propaganda are reflected through cinema. Jack Valenti who was the president of the Motion Picture Association of America for 38 years said that Washington and Hollywood sprung from the same DNA. To solidify the connections between politics and Hollywood all that is needed is to look at many of the Hollywood films which state produced in cooperation with the department of defence. We see all these things that demonise and stereotypes Arabs and Muslims as being this one thing and the generalisation of one quarter of the worlds population. Bruce Lawrence a professor of Religion at Duke University says the media is still representing Muslim images as that of forty years ago when the majority of Muslims were Arabs. When people think of the Middle East many people are inclined to have a pre-conceived notion of what kind of people live their, their beliefs and culture without having been there or studied them or even know someone from there. The Western world seems to look at the Middle East through a camera that distorts the actual reality of those places and those people. They have an unrealistic representation formed by the media and popular culture that tends to form stereotypical views and prevent cross-cultural understanding. Perceptions of any race or ethnicity can affect decisions regarding them. This is evident due to the impact of peoples opinions. The way people think and form their opinions can be significantly influenced by what they see in the mass media. The opinions that people have had on certain events and affairs in the past and present have greatly impacted the outcomes. During the Vietnam War, America was in Vietnam as an authority but the general public opinion of the Americans was incomplete disagreement with the government. This eventually resulted in Americas withdrawal from Vietnam. Public opinion has proven itself to have been the cause of many significant and vital decisions made throughout the worlds history till present. The main reason that these perceptions are so effective especially in the case of Arabs and Muslims is a result of the twenty two Arab nations that have allowed themselves to be orientalised and to have continued with the way they are depicted by the West of them all being alike. This is due to the fact that they are in need of Americas support so they are not going to be criticising the West or engage themselves in proper dialogue anytime soon. In that respect the Arabs keep themselves in a way that collectively fulfils the kinds of representations that most westerners have in their minds about them which strengthens all these generalisations and stereotypes within Western societies and seem to people to be the truth about Arabs and Islam. Causes of these perspectives that we receive from the mass media also come down to the difficulties in receiving different perspectives from different news sources when they are owned by a small minority of individually owned giant corporations. T he major corporations in America own eighty percent of the television sector of the media. Viacom owns CBS, NBC owns Electric; Walt Disney owns ABC and News Corporation owns the Fox Broadcasting Company. These small amounts of major corporations have turned the media in to a monopolistic industry and as a result the majority of Americans are receiving limited views and perceptions. The stereotypes and generalisation of any race and ethnicity is very problematic especially in the case of Arab countries where a major proportion of the international key issues throughout the 20th century have revolved around them and their influences. Its the consistency of these stereotypes and perceptions of Arabs and Islam throughout history that has made these stereotypes so harmful. People are capable of subconsciously believing in them which manipulates the way that they perceive Arabs and Islam.

Free Julius Caesar Essays: Expediency vs. Ideology :: Julius Caesar Essays

Expediency vs. Ideology in Julius Caesar Expediency is the concept of doing something fitting, practical, useful, and advisable. It is the suitable means to accomplish an end. Ideology is the body of beliefs or ideas of any person or group. These two words, if put together, clash. It is a battle between what is really best between what one thinks and what needs to be done. An excellent example of this clash is in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Was the death of Caesar something that was done pragmatically or was it an action taken because of certain convictions, an ideology? Was Caesar’s death practical? Would it bring about positive change for Roman society? The main reason that the conspirators gave for their action was that if Caesar were crowned king, he would become a tyrant, an oppressor of the Roman people. It was done in the best interests of the Republic. Now that he was dead, Caesar could never be a tyrant and the Romans could live in freedom. His murder, therefore, was necessary. Brutus and Cassius took it upon themselves to be the operative forces to kill Caesar. These were expedient men who cared only for Rome. Or were they? The flip side to being practical and doing what is best for others is taking action because of what one thinks needs to be done and/or actually doing it for selfish reasons. Julius Caesar’s death also can be considered an ideological decision. In I, ii, ll. 35-180, Cassius brings forth the issue that he thought Brutus could be as good a ruler as Caesar. Why does Cassius bring this up? What does he get from saying this? One might say that these were encouraging words from one friend to another. However, these words serve as a catalyst for Brutus’ plan to murder Caesar. Among the conspirators, did they have any motives behind their participation in Caesar’s murder?