What Is Price Gouging

Steve Jobs And The History Of Apple - 1501 Words

Everyone knows about Steve Jobs and the history of Apple. Apple is a worldwide known business that is arguably one of the most popular in the technology industry today. Things like the IPhone, IPod, and Macbook are some of the most popular products but that is not where things started. Steve Jobs was one of the entrepreneurs that started apple and is the most widely known. Things did not always look so pretty however. Steve Jobs was a good friend of Steve Wozniak. They joined together to create a computer. They were inspired to build something all people could afford. In the article, â€Å"History of Apple, 1976-2016: The story of Steve Jobs and the company he founded† it says, â€Å"Jobs met Woz at the Homebrew Computer Club; a gathering of†¦show more content†¦It was to really show the people around me, to boast, to be clever, to get acknowledgement for having designed a very inexpensive computer’† (Rawlinson). This was all just to show people a comput er did not have to be expensive. It proved that computers could be affordable for all. Wozniak was happy with what he had produced, although Jobs saw otherwise. â€Å"The Woz we know now has a larger-than-life personality - he s funded rock concerts and shimmied on Dancing with the Stars - but, as he told the Sydney Morning Herald, ‘I was shy and felt that I knew little about the newest developments in computers.’ He came close to ducking out altogether, and giving the Club a miss. Let s be thankful he didn t. Jobs saw the computer, recognised its brilliance, and sold his VW microbus to help fund its production. Wozniak sold his HP calculator, and together they founded Apple Computer Inc on 1 April 1976† (Rawlinson). Thanks to Steve Jobs ability to see what was there, Apple was founded and given the ability to what we see Apple is today. Although Apple does make many profits, it has succeeded in its original company goal. Which is, as the article, â€Å"Steve Jo bs: An Extraordinary Career† states, ‘We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.’-Steve Jobs (Entrepreneur Staff)†. This is one of the reasons Apple is so successful. It created a product thatShow MoreRelatedApple : The Technologically Advanced, Controversial Company1045 Words   |  5 PagesApple: The Technologically Advanced, Controversial Company On April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak invented the technology company, Apple. These two brilliant inventors invented the billionaire company after dropping out of college. Though Apple provides its customers with advanced products, Apple has many controversies that affect its economic stability as well as the company’s reputation. The Focus of Apple The main focus of Apple’s mission statement is to provide its customers withRead MoreApple Inc. s Crisis Management Essay1078 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Apple Inc., the world s largest IT company. It has the great reputation for its products by people in hot pursuit. Apple Inc. also has a legendary history of development. However, Apple Inc.’s history of development was not that smooth because it suffered a lot of crises. Apple Inc. continues to show its unique approach and tenacious vitality in those crises, besides, it has spent a lot of time on the crisis management and done a lot of excellent work. Ultimately, Apple Inc. overcomesRead MoreSteve Wozniak : The Founder Of Apple1223 Words   |  5 Pages Steve Wozniak is know in the business world, for having one of the best creation, successful technology based companies. He is the co-founder of Apple computers joined with his best friend Steve Jobs. Steve Wozniak developed the hardware design and operating system for the very first Apple computer available for commercial sale. His wonderful engineering and business features resulted in the very well known worldwide c omputer phenomenon Apple. Yet fellow consumers knew much about WozniakRead MoreApples Success And Success1409 Words   |  6 PagesAPPLE SUCCESS METHODS 1 APPLE SUCCESS METHODS Success is a goal of every business. There are few companies that enjoy success the way Apple, Inc does. Fortune Magazine does an Annual ranking of the best companies by revenue known as the Fortune 500. Making it into these top 500 companies is somethin g that is truly to be coveted as being listed among this shows that you are part of the most successful business. In 2015, Apple made it into the Fortune 5 (Fortune 500 List) . MeaningRead MoreThe Life of Steve Jobs1303 Words   |  5 PagesSteve Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco, California on February 24th, 1955. He was born to Joanne Schieble, and Abdulfattah Jandali. Both of them were graduates of the University of Wisconsin. Unfortunately, they gave the unnamed (Steve)son up for adoption. His father, Abdulfattah Jandali, was a Syrian political science professor and his mother, Jonne Schieble worked as a speech therapist. Later after they gave Steve up for adoption the married couple had another child, Mona Simpson. It was notRead MoreSteve Jobs Role For Shaping The Modern Technology1219 Words   |  5 PagesTopic: Steve Jobs role to shape the modern technology General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: I want my audience to know the role of co-founder and ex - Leader of the Apple Company, Steve Jobs for shaping the modern technology Thesis Statement: The three aspects of technology in which the Steve Jobs contributed hugely with breathtaking innovation and idea are: Music, Personal Computing and Smart Phone. Introduction I. [Attention getter] How many of you in this class has owned any Apple CompanyRead MoreSteve Jobs : A Engineer Of The Highest Calibre1602 Words   |  7 Pagesperson? That person was Steve Jobs, the famous inventor and co-founder of Apple. He was born in San Francisco, California on February 24, 1955 and died on October 5, 2011. Most people know Steve Jobs for his work at Apple and his â€Å"Stevenotes,† which were his keynote speeches where he introduced new products and technologies. Throughout his life, he accomplished many admirable things. Steve Jobs is admirable because of his help in starting Apple Computer, his work at starting Apple and saving it from goingRead MoreA Report On The Work Experience And Life Of Apple Essay1505 Words   |  7 PagesCONTENT 1. Acknowledgment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. History of Apple†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4.1.Macbook†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4.2. NeXT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4.3. NeXT and Apple†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4.4. ipod 4.5. ipad†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who gave meRead MoreApple Case Study1088 Words   |  5 PagesPlease divide Apple s history into periods and trace the changes in business models that took place over these periods. Apple history is explained in the case history from 1972 – 2006. Apples history is described below, reflecting on the changes in Business Model (how the company generated revenue). The Beginning years, 1976 – 1985: Apple was founded in 1976 and they built a computer circuit board named the Apple I. Within span of 4 years they went to IPO with the help of Venture capitalistRead MoreThe Apple Inc. Company1325 Words   |  6 PagesResearch The Apple Inc. is a multinational corporation that creates electronics, personal computers, computer software, and commercial servers, and is a distributor of media content. The company also sells and delivers digital content through iTunes and the App store.The founders of Apple are Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Apple was founded April 1st, 1976, and incorporated January 3rd, 1977 in Cupertino, California. To learn about the history of Apple, it was important for me to

Process Improvement Strategically Important

Question: Discuss about the Process Improvement Strategically Important. Answer: Introduction With the change in market environment, managing operations has changed tremendously in both manufacturing and service organisations. After the economic downturn suffered by major economies of the world, the focus of business organisations have expanded from research, development and product development to their operations and process. To lure customers, organisations are not only focusing towards their unique market offerings, but also towards their operations and processes as a source of competitive advantage and give their customers the benefit of reduced costs (Power, 2010). Price wars are now common among organisations belonging to similar industry. Hence, operations and process management has gained strategic importance for managers in current business scenario. Amazon.com, Inc. founded in 1994 as Earths biggest bookstore has expanded to become Earths biggest everything store. With the annual revenue of $136 billion, the company is focusing on expanding its product, services and market reach with the help of its low-cost and high convenience logistics operations (Morning Star, 2017). The company offers an online purchasing platform for books, movies, home furnishings, apparels and other innumerable products on a global scale. It operates through International, North America, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) segments. In addition to providing a platform to manufacturers to sell their products, it also manufactures and sells electronic items (Vault, 2017). Strategic Role of Operations Management Operations management entrails managing activities aimed towards production and delivery of products and services to the organisations end consumers. It comprises of all those activities required to fulfil customer requirements right from sourcing the raw material or other products from suppliers to transporting the finished goods to the customers. While operations management is responsible to ensure that the support activities are carried out in a manner that they help in smooth functioning of organisation, it works in harmony with the other two core organisational functions viz. marketing and finance, for achievement of broader organisational needs (Slack et al., 2013). However, with advancement in technology, decentralization of operations, globalisation of markets and increased consciousness among organisations towards environmental issues, organisations are refining and redefining their production and quality strategies thereby brining operations management at the forefront (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2012). The changing business environment like increase in cost-based competition, large number of choices, high quality expectations, ethical sensitivity, etc. is shaping new operational goals for organisations. As such, organisations are prompting operational responses to these changes through globalisation of their operations networks, supply chain management, adopting lean process designs and integrating information-based technologies in their operations (Slack et al., 2013). This has positioned operations and process management as an area of strategic importance for organisations to gain competitive edge. As a result, organisations are adopting techn iques like supply chain management, total quality management and others to successfully link their internal functions with operations of external suppliers and supply chain members so as to enhance their product and service quality along with business performance (Agus and Hajinoor, 2012). While operations and process management has gained strategic importance from the organisation perspective through use of different process frameworks that support cost minimization and resource optimization, it is also gaining similar importance from customer perspective. Operations are now supplemented with emotional intelligent and algorithms in the form of emotional process mapping, journey mapping and experience maps that allow organisations to carve customized experience for its users (Edelman and Singer, 2015). This furthers helps organisation to become customer centric thereby leading to high customer engagement, good experience and enhanced loyalty. Operations management at Amazon.com B2C online retail store and creating a value proposition that leads to unmatchable customer experience lies at the heart of Amazon.com. As such, the company has leveraged Toyotas lean management principles, Six sigma, robotics, data analytics combined with customer insights in its operations, to deliver unprecedented online shopping experience to its customers (Wohlsen, 2014). As an online retailer, the basic activities at Amazon include stocking the items at Amazons massive warehouses known as fulfilment centers. Once an order is received, the product is located, packed and transported for delivery. However, Amazon has combined technology and principle of operations management to do this task in a manner that not only ensure minimum error but also reduced lead time. The company uses scanners and trackers to track the product location in warehouse, computer programmes are used to generate shortest route to pick the product at minimum possible time. Conveyor belts are used to move ite ms across the floor, computer-aided packing area determines optimal box size, packaging material and tape to be used to pack the products. The boxes are again packed in a manner to maximize the space used inside the cargo area. Thus, the use of technology has helped Amazon to reduce the cycle time to 15 minutes (Bixby, 2015). Amazon has adopted both the principles of lean management and six-sigma to generate customer value and provide satisfactory experience to its customers. Lean management may be defined as an approach that maximizes customer value through minimizing waste. It shifts the focus of management to optimize the flow of products or services throughout the value stream thereby creating processes that require less human and capital resources (Bamford and Forrester, 2010). At Amazon, the implementation of lean management was undertaken at its fulfilment centers through automation. As a result, the complex tasks were reserved for humans and machines acted as a support system. This allowed the company to produce defect-free packaging of products only automating the repetitive steps of the process. It also implemented Kaizen to maximize productivity and quality of its services (Onetto, 2014). Amazon has embraced Six Sigma approach in its operations and processes to ensure the quality of its service s through reduction of errors. As a part of its Six sigma initiative, it uses process mapping that indicates different process of the company with the help of flow charts and helps to identify inefficiencies the operations and processes. This further helps in achieving enhanced customer satisfaction before and after the consumption of services (Crosson and Needles, 2011). Further, Amazon.com uses an enterprise resource planning system that not only supports its operations but also its financial and management activities. The ERP uses data from multiple resources that allows the company to gain knowledge of different activities and operations like inventory management, supply chain, and others carried out at the company for continuous improvement throughout the organisation (Crosson and Needles, 2011). Though these operational management principles are largely responsible for Amazons success, the company also faced challenges in their implementation and creation of highly complex sof twares to support the lean, six-sigma and kaizen processes. The companys engineers still face problems in integrating numerous performance indicators in their systems that consumes time, efforts and other resources. Nonetheless, the combination of technology, data analytics, operations management principles and ERP contributed in increasing the companys speed of service, cost reduction and vast market offering that led to creation of competitive advantage in terms of fast deliverables, low value pricing and vast range of offering. Good Process Design: Important Factors For smooth running of an organisation, the importance of good process design cannot be undermined. A good process design reflects process objectives and ensures the achievement of organisational objectives with the help of processes. It is characterised by attributes like quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. A process possessing these attributes is highly optimized process as it entails low processing cost, low resource costs, low working capital costs, on-time services, short customer waiting, less disruptions and ability to cope with unexpected changes (Slack, 2008). At Amazon, the strong logistics and supply chain processes are the major determinants of customer experience. The mix of automation and human resources in its processes ensure error-free services. On the retail front, the site design, functionality, personalisation and purchase ecosystem offer leading-class speed and ease of purchasing. Further, the company generates user engagement by enabling them to track their delivery and allowing them to decide in the delivery date, time and payment option. All these processes add up to create customer experience and outcomes that are valuable. Emotional Process Mapping and Customer Experience Map An important aspect of designing good process is mapping the process that are required to be completed in the organisation to deliver the final good to the customer. It also helps to ensure that activities that make a particular process are properly understood and managed to deliver appropriate services to its customers (Accounts Commission, 2000). Amazons process map is given as follows: However, over the years, the concept of process mapping has evolved to include emotions thereby providing them with a customer perspective. As such, customer experience maps and emotional process mapping has emerged as key components of operations management. Customer experience mapping holds critical importance for Amazon as it is instrumental in determining the organisations success. Customer experience map represents an illustration defining the steps that a customer goes through while engaging with an organisation. With increase in touchpoints between the customer and the organisation, the importance and need to map customer experience increases (Richardson, 2010). Amazon uses its intimate knowledge of customer touchpoints to create a significant and long-lasting impact on its customers. It effectively utilizes its online retail stores to interact with its customers starting from selection of product to making the purchase transaction. Its foremost touchpoint, its website uses its layout, algorithms and text to communicate knowledgeably with its customers (KPMG nunwood, 2015). As a part of its customer experience mapping, Amazon uses proactive personalization that uses information gathered from past experiences and current database to customize shopping experiences (Edelman and Singer, 20). While, it is only the first step in the process, the next step is to use the data and analyse customer behaviour for next interaction. This allows Amazon to influence their experiences and lead them to the path of loyalty loop. The next touchpoint identified by Amazon is customers address. Any default in delivery process or product may cause anger and frustration while an error-free timely delivery may trigger satisfaction and loyalty. Thus, Amazon aims in making quick delivery with control over time and date (KPMG nunwood, 2015). This customization of shopping experience not only leaves their customers satisfied but also communicates their importance and acknowledges their other important engagements in personal life. The same is true for making returns and refunds of the products. Thus, Amazons ability to customize, humanize and meeting customer expectations through tools like process mapping and customer experience mapping is the key that is making the brand most valuable. Role of Performance Measurement and Improvement Once organisational process and objectives are set and products or services are delivered, it becomes necessary to measure the performance of those processes, objectives and offerings to ensure the quality. The continuously changing business environment and growing competition has mandated a need for measurement system to remain competitive in market (Epstein, 2004). Amazon, being online retailer lacks the ability to personally interact with its customers. However, the company has adopted numerous measures to measure their customer experiences. It allows customers to rate their experiences and instituted internal mechanism to monitor third-party merchants. For example, third-party has to use company provided e-mails to communicate with their customers, which allows them to monitor conversations and identify the issues. Further, Amazon uses metrics like frequency of customer complains, order cancellations by merchants, site traffic, repeated purchases, customer feedback and others (Gr een, 2009). This helps Amazon to improve its services and provide good customer experience even through outside merchants. However, with a choice of tools and performance measurement indicators, organisations may face many issues. Along with choice of appropriate indicators or tools, organisations may lack focus. Thus, companies need to tailor their measurement approach to suit their requirements and ensure that their measures are properly recorded, analysed and provide insights to both senior and middle level managers. Conclusion It is clear that Amazon.com is a highly customer-centric organisation that emphasizes on customer experiences as its critical success factors. As a result, it is continuously leveraging its operations through use of lean, six-sigma and other principles to create highest value for its customers. Further, it is also using its internally generated data base and performance measures to provide lowest price, high convenience and unique personalization thereby creating value experiences that lead to loyal customer base and high revenue growth. Reference Accounts Commission (2000) The map to success: using process mapping to improve performance. Scotland: Audit Scotland. Agus, A. and Shukri Hajinoor, M. (2012) Lean production supply chain management as driver towards enhancing product quality and business performance: Case study of manufacturing companies in Malaysia. International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, 29(1), pp.92-121. Bamford, D. And Forrester, P. (2010) Essential Guide to Operations Management Concepts and Case Notes. NY: John Wiley and Sons. Bixby, C. (2015) Amazon: Making History, Technology and Operations Management: Harvard Business School. [Online]. Available at: https://rctom.hbs.org/submission/amazon-making-history/ (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Crosson, S. and Needles, B. (2011) Managerial Accounting, 9th ed. OH: South-Western. Edelman, D. And Singer, M. (2015) Competing on Customer Journey, Harvard Business Review. [Online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/11/competing-on-customer-journeys (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Epstein, M. (2004) Start to measure your E-commerce success, Working Knowledge: Harvard Business School. [Online]. Available at: https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/start-to-measure-your-e-commerce-success (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Green, H. (2009) How Amazon aims to keep you clicking, Bloomberg. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2009-02-18/how-amazon-aims-to-keep-you-clicking (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Gunasekaran, A. And Ngai, E. (2012) The Future of operations management: an outlook and analysis, International Journal of Production Economics, 135(2), pp.687-701. KPMG nunwood (2015) How customer experience mapping keeps Amazon in the UK CEE top 10. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nunwood.com/customer-experience-mapping-keeps-amazon-uk-cee-top-10/ (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Morning Star (2017) Amazon.com, Inc. [Online]. Available at: https://financials.morningstar.com/company-profile/c.action?t=AMZN (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Onetto, M. (2014) When Toyota met e-commerce: Lean at Amazon, McKinsey Quarterly. [Online]. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/when-toyota-met-e-commerce-lean-at-amazon (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Power, B. (2010) When is Process Improvement Strategically Important?, Harvard Business Review. [Online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2010/10/i-admit-im-a-process (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Richardson, A. (2010) Using customer journey maps to improve customer experience.Harvard Business Review,15(1). Slack, N. (2008) Operations and Process Management: principles and practices for strategic impact. London: Prentice Hall. Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. And Johnston, R. (2013) Operations Management, 7th ed. London: Pearson Education. Vault (2017) Amazon.com, Inc.: Overview. [Online]. Available at: https://www.vault.com/company-profiles/retail/amazoncom,-inc/company-overview.aspx (Accessed: April 12, 2017). Wohlsen, M. (2015) A Rare Peek Inside Amazons Massive Wish-Fulfilling Machine, Wired [Online]. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2014/06/inside-amazon-warehouse/ (Accessed: April 17, 2017). Zink, J. (2016) The Customer Journey in the Digital World Thank You Amazon, Apple, Uber and Zappos, Centric. [Online]. Available at: https://centricconsulting.com/the-customer-journey-in-the-digital-world-thank-you-amazon-apple-uber-and-zappos/ (Accessed: April 17, 2017).

Defining research problem and setting objectives free essay sample

Reviewing what is already known about a problem situation through the search for related literature and studies is an essential part of the research process. A good review of information will suggest the social, economic, political, cultural and historical aspects of the problem. This wille help to narrow the focus of the proposed investigation. IT will indicate the major theoretical concepts and operational variables other researchers have considered important. It will suggest possible research hypotheses that need to be tested and it will help the researcher avoid the areas of study which have already been explored by other researchers many times over. a. Defining Research Problem (Non-developmental research) Title is used as â€Å"guide† in the search for literature and developing the outline of your paper. Example: â€Å"THE ACCEPTABILITY OF HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM (HRIS) USING BIOMETRICS AT QUEZON CITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY: BASIS FOR IMPLEMENTATION† Having chosen the specific topic for your thesis, it is definite that you have something in mind that is finding a solution. We will write a custom essay sample on Defining research problem and setting objectives or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It must be something which can be a technological need or problem. The problem must be well-defined. It is important that you identify the Main Problem or the overall problem and the Specific Problems relating to your thesis proposal. In defining your research problem, it is necessary that you create interest in your reader. The introduction in your problem definition or statement of the problem should present why you choose a particular topic or subject. There are various ways on how you can present the introduction. Some do it by asking questions which would lead to the presentation of the identified problem. Others start with a narrative story on how the problem came about or how it was discovered. There are people who begin with current and relevant issues in their introduction. But although there are different approaches in writing the introduction, the objective remains the same –to show that the problem being considered for research really exists. Examples are: Main problem: How to determine the acceptability of the HRIS using biometrics for QCPU, if it will totally eliminate the inaccuracies and/or inconsistencies of the present attendance/time monitoring system of the faculty and staff? Specific Problems: 1) The time/attendance record of the faculty and staff which is the basis of salary computation is unreliable. 2) The available commercial computer software for attendance monitoring is very expensive. 3) The computation of salaries/honorarium is done manually which is a very slow process. b. Setting the Research Objectives (Developmental research) Title is used as â€Å"guide† in the search for literature and developing the outline of your paper. Example: â€Å"HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM USING BIOMETRICS FOR QUEZON CITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY† It is equally important that the objectives why you are pursuing this particular thesis proposal must be established. The objectives are identified as to General or Main Objectives and Specific Objectives. General Objective: The general objective of the study is to develop and evaluate accurate and reliable employees’ time/attendance capturing system for QCPU faculty and staff using Biometrics. Specific Objectives: The study has the following specific objectives: 1) To design a system that would capture the time/attendance of faculty and staff using biometrics. 2) To construct a computer-based system of attendance monitoring that is cost-effective and is capable of generating daily, weekly, monthly reports. 3) To design a centralized database using Vb.Net and MySQL 4) To evaluate the performance of the developed system. 2. The Research Title Characteristics of a research title: a. The title signifies a very timely and significant contribution to the needs of society in general and to the agency in particular. b. The title of a thesis should be a specific and concise statement of the topic c. It should refer to the major variables or theoretical issues investigated; d. Its principal function is to inform the reader about the study, therefore, it should be explanatory by itself; e. The title should focus on the topic investigated and the main variables studied. f. The recommended maximum length for the title is 10 to 20 substantive words. Formulate the Research Title Title is used as â€Å"guide† in the search for literature and developing the outline of your paper. Example: a. â€Å"ACCEPTABILITY OF HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM USING BIOMETRICS AT QUEZON CITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY: BASIS FOR IMPLEMENTATION† (non-developmental research) b. â€Å"HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM USING BIOMETRICS FOR QUEZON CITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY† (developmental research)