Research resources Essay Example for Free

Research resources Essay There are many resources that a student of accounting can refer to enrich his accounting knowledge and arm him/her with useful and practical experience in the accounting field. These materials are available both online and offline both subscribed and unsubscribed. These are online and offline libraries. Questia, an online library of books and journal available at http://www. questia. com/index. jsp, is a site that provides an opportunity to access books, journal and materials for all subjects and topics ranging from arts to science, and from arts to law. These materials are available to an individual upon subscription. They are accessed through the keying of the title or the required article or any phrase in that text. Athens and Amazon. com are other resources that contains rich informative and educative materials. The amazon. com, the site that allows access to useful textbooks and journals is available online at http://www. amazon. com/books-used-books-textbook/b? ie=UTF88node=283155. It is an online company that sells books. Athens is also available online at http://www. athens. ac. uk. Accounting information will be accessed by keying in the relevant topics. The Google scholar too will provide easy access to accounting materials on any trouble-some topic. There are also many textbooks and journals available in the library. New Vistas in Accounting – Vol 1, 2003, a book authored by D. G Prasuna is a textbook that provides a general outline on the major concepts in accounting and their usefulness on understanding the accounting practices and activities. Accountants handbook, volume 1, financial accounting and general topics, 11th edition, edited by D. R. Carmidiael (2007) among other scholars is a conglomeration of witty and remarkable tips on the basics of accounting, the standards an regulations as well the basics of reporting statement. Specific Sources In this research discussion Scofield Barbara (1994) in his article published by the national public accountant, titled:Full Disclosure of Interest Capitalization Decisions, he provides useful insights on the GAAPS standards on interest capitalization, shedding the light on the confusions arising from the requirements in the standards, their appropriateness and their shortcoming. This information is available online at http://www. allbusiness. com/accounting/436577-1html. The IASC foundation education website available at http://www. lasb. org/NR/rdon/yres/189CA297-4D7Epdf has a summary of the IAS regulations. In this case they were specifically touching on borrowing costs then definition and what they generally encompass. www. arthurconsulting. com/financialspecial6. htm, website by the Arthur consulting, Inc on financial analysis, gives useful tips on accounting for the impairment of long lived assets. It gives circumstance and events that are indicators that an asset has impairment as well as the criterion for impairment recognition. An international accounting journal by authors; Street D. L, Nicholas N. B, Gray S. J, titled: Assessing the Acceptability of International Accounting Standards in the U. S. An Empirical Study of the Materiality of U. S GAAP Reconciliations by Non-US companies complying with IASC standards (2000), from this page 22-63 gives a summary of GAAP standards in comparison with other international standards on accounting. It provides information that can help understand accounting standards and practices better. Domestic Accounting Standards,Iinternational Accounting Standards and the Predictability of Earnings (2001), an accounting research journal by Ashbough, Hollis, Pinces and Morton (2001) examines the variations of the various international standards and the accuracy associated with reporting using each standard. Ann Tarca (2004), in the Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting, article titled: International Convergence of Accounting Practices, Choosing between IAS and US GAAP. She samples different reporting by accountants using the different standards: GAPP and IAS and how specific firms prefer one standard over another. William Dorms (2003) in his book Finance and Accounting for Non Financial Managers. He provides all the basics you need to know. He provides an insightful outline of the basics in accounting in the different topics of intermediate accounting focusing especially on financial management and financial statement analysis. Essentials of Managerial Finance: Principle and Practice (1981). It is a large book of 807 pages authored by Steven E. Bolten and Robert Lawrence conn. It gives useful knowledge on the most troublesome on accounting. All the above source although not enough will arm a student with almost all information that he or she requires to gain basic knowledge on principles and practices of accounting. Recommendations A fresh student of intermediate accounting would need to take a glance at reading materials that provide information on the basics of accounting. This will arm him/her with information that will aid in understanding the basic concepts and accounting practices. These books and journals are available on the internet and in our library. Students will need to take detailed notes on these topics they find relevant to their studies. Having a look at the sample and published financial statements by the various firms and multinationals will give a practical hint on the application of this theoretical knowledge and affirm the need for accuracy and consistency in accounting. On specific cases for discussion, a student should ensure that they have conducted enough research for the specific topics. Keying in the title of these topics on the authoritative websites such as Google scholar and Questia will provide vital linkages to a wealth of sources and information. Many students at the introductory stage of accounting have come to me for assistance. I have assisted them by giving them the above information as well as demonstrating to them physically on how to search for information from our library as well as from the electronic journals and libraries. References Scofield Bartara, April 1st 1994. Full disclosure of interest capitalization decisions. The national public accountant. Pg. 1. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www/allbusiness. com/accounting/436577. 1html IAS Borrowing Costs. Technical Summary. IASC foundation education. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. iasb. org. NR/rdonlyres/189CA297-4d7E-4826-80bc-3876874AS44/0/1as23pdf Financial analysis, 2002. Accounting for the impairment of long-lived assets. Arthur consulting group, Inc. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. arthurconsulting. com/financialspecial6. htm Ash Baugh, Hollis, Pincees, Morton, Dec. 2001. Domestic accounting standards, international accounting standards, and the predictability of earnings. Journals of accounting research. Blackwell publishing. Financial accounting standards board. Accessed on 21/08/07. Available online at http://www. fash. org.

Descriptive Essay - The Interesting Bus Ride Home -- Descriptive Essay,

The Interesting Bus Ride Home When most people think about an eventful or memorable place, they almost certainly would not picture a bus. As we all know, buses are not exactly attractive. The design scheme is the same in almost every bus: rows and rows of brown seats, a thin black aisle down the middle of the bus, hundreds of hazy windows, and the big, lemon-yellow exterior. Not many people, I am sure, would consider buses to be an important part of their lives. However, if a person were to think about it, they would realize that they probably have had at least one memorable experience in their life that took place on a bus. One of the most memorable bus experiences in my life happened when I was in fifth grade. The final bell at school had rung, so I sprinted out to the bus with a few of my friends to save seats since our bus was always crowded. After we flung our backpacks into the four back seats, we ran back inside the school to buy some Mountain Dew from the pop machine in the cafeteria. After jamming our quarters into the machine and snatching the cans out of the bin, we sprinted back outside to make sure we did not miss the bus. It was still there, in all its yellow glory, so we hurried through the doors and onto the bus. It had been wet and cloudy since that morning--a typical Oregon day--and as I made my way to the back of the bus, the faint smell of rain mingled with the rubbery-plastic smell of hundreds of little rain boots. When I finally got to my seat, I was rather unnerved to find that not only was someone sitting in my seat, but that that someone was none other than Nathaniel Larson, the most obnoxious kid in the 5th grade. I took a deep breath and said, in the kindest voice I could muster, "Nathan, you... ...int was chipped on the outside, and on the inside the chairs had holes and writing all over them. Oddly, though, this bus smelled slightly of paint, which was a huge contrast to its shabby condition. But to us, this dingy yellow vessel was beautiful; it was warm, and it would take us home. This old/new bus continued our route, and we all sat quietly, awaiting our stops. Everyone had a tired, almost forlorn look, as though they had been through much more than just switching buses. I did not have any concept of time as the bus chugged along, stopping occasionally to let people off, and all of a sudden I recognized that it was almost to my stop. I jerked out of the stupor I was in as the bus stopped in front of my apartment complex. As I gathered up my things to leave, I looked at my friends and said, "Well, this will make one interesting story at school tomorrow!"

Probation and Parole in the United States Essay

Abstract Employee security problems and high risk caseloads progressively will move agents away from customary probation ideas of casework in the direction of ideas lined up with control or disciplinary beliefs. This study analyzes how the role of probation and parole has altered and what the future will be like counting on how we respond to the alterations at hand. This study also reviews changes in the criminal policies that have transpired. Probation and Parole in the United States: Changes in the Correctional System since World War II Under Florida law, the Department of Corrections is to keep the public safe and out of harm’s way, supply a protected and friendly environment for employees and criminals; work in joint venture with the community to add programs and services to lawbreakers; and oversee criminals at a grade of security appropriate with the hazards they present (Florida Department of Corrections, 1992). These duties pose marvelous trials for the employee’s management of the Florida Department of Corrections and the corrupt justice system as a whole. To have an insignificant impact on these matters, the system must make some foremost changes in how corrupt justice is distributed. This is necessary as the crime rates continue to rise; as courts misplace their influence in deterring crime by equalizing quick, rigid sentences; as correctional organizations accept inmates today and let them go tomorrow to ease overcrowding; and as criminals become more dangerous. The penalties of our failure to arise the surge of crime are frightening. An article in USA Today (1991) stated: Probation agencies have become seriously under-staffed just as they are being depended upon more strongly than any issue in history; probation, rather than prison, is the most widespread pattern of punishment. Probation agents have become less and less engaged in  their usual function, more connected to communal work and are more absorbed with law enforcement, following down those who have defied the periods of flexibility. Regardless of an astounding increase in the number of institutional facilities, an exceptional number of criminals have been put under strict watch in the community. The Florida Department of Corrections has more than 100,000 felony criminals under supervision in Florida communities. If it were not for overcrowding, numerous of these criminals would be assisting long sentences in state organizations. Regulation enforcement, the court, the correctional system, and probation and parole have the same duties for the malfunction of the criminal justice system. The difficulties documented above are huge. To deal with these difficulties, much of what we do and how we do it will need to be different. Many inside and outside alterations currently have been made to respond to the individual safety concerns of probation/parole agents in Florida: adjustment of agencies to provide for larger employee security, soft body armor, and firearms. This study task calculates areas where change is required, as well as obstacles that stand in the way of change. According to Edward W. Sieh (1990), Over the past so many years, probation communities have grown to more than 18% compared to about 15% in jail and prison communities and almost 13% in the number of paroles. Close to 2/3 of the complete correctional community was under probation supervision in the community at the end of 1985. Sieh decided that huge alterations in the criminal community have led to alterations in sentencing, as well as in how officers are expected or needed to do their job. Twenty-five percent of convicted felony criminals get probation. Other judgments encompass complete supervision and shock probation. Sieh’s study recognized two essential forms for overseeing criminals—â€Å"remedy† and â€Å"justice†. The remedy model demonstrates customary  casework and rehabilitation, and assesses change within the system. Sieh attacked the remedy mode, showing that it is inherently violent and unjust. It supposes a power over the impulse of criminals, out of capacity to their incorrect doing; it ignores information about the communal rather than therapeutic basis of crimes, and it treats clients as absolute objects of disciplinary policy to manipulate at a whim. The justice standard deals with the increasing occurrence of punishment. Sieh accepts that the standard was made from public appeal for belief of punishment with the smallest risk to the community. In his description of the justice standard, the officer is not at all worried about assisting alterations in the criminal, court instructions become the direction for supervision. Criminal success or failure counts upon his/her agreement with the conditions of supervision, and not the blame of the officer or the system. Complete supervision, in his outlook, is a process of the justice standard. Sieh assumed that the system is moving firmly nearer to a disciplinary one—the justice standard. He questioned contemporaries in the field to gaze for equity. Harris, Clear, and Baird (1989) discovered that the probation system completely extends to support remedy beliefs. Morran and Linder (1985) were in unison. They found more considerably, that electronic devices, sophisticated drug and alcohol area testing kits, and computerized information of new arrests are assisting to a larger focus of the law enforcement duty. Many of the criminals who carry out crimes are presently under supervision. Collaboration between regulation enforcement and probation would increase effectiveness. At the same time, supply for larger security for probation officers who might otherwise be needed to make late evening calls to tough positions without backup would not hurt either. Ten years before, supervising the whereabouts of a criminal by the use of an electronic monitor emerged light years away. Cold War undercover operations employed the use of electrical monitoring apparatus. The Florida corrections  system has intensely cooperated in a supervising program for more than ten years. Today, 800 criminals are under electrical monitoring oversight. The courts have vigorously approved the use of the apparatus. It is expected that the electrical monitoring will be utilized at elevated rates in the future. Between 1984 and 1988 the probation caseload went higher from 1.74 million to 2.36 million individuals (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1989). Numerous administrations have furthermore noticed that the probation populations are criminals who often begin with a high risk of threat to the probation agents (Guynes, 1988, Petersilla, Turner, Kahan, & Paterson, 1985; Snyder, 1986). It is without question very necessary that officers are supplied with an access of security to make sure that they don’t become victims. The future is ours to shape and change, or to just let it occur. Given a perception of much important advancement, we should start to increase the speed of some of the more attractive future anticipations and slow up those with less attractive anticipations. To adjust the course of unattractive purposes, the setting up of balancing standards and practices will be needed.

Historical Events That Played A Paramount Role During...

There have been many historical events that played a paramount role in mapping the trends of the United States (US) from the 1800’s to the 1920’s. Some of these events took place during very prominent periods of time such as the shaping of the Reconstruction Act in early 1865 to its end in 1877. Reconstruction, after the Civil War, was the desired intent in bringing the southern states back into the Union, provide legal citizenship and protection for the liberated slaves, and establish the rights of the people. The period of Reconstruction experienced many successes along with its failures. The leading cause to the end of Reconstruction was due to the failures of the federal government and their lack to maintain the southern white resistance in 1877. This brings us to another event, which is the leading of US Industrialism in the 1900’s. At this time the US nation produced more than thirty percent of manufactured product throughout the world. Innovative ideas as sisted in spurring the US past its rivals. Another historical event that still has a place in society today is the women’s suffrage movement and social reform that commenced as early as the mid-19th century. Women across the nation stood together in their resolve for peace, equality and women’s rights. Furthermore, their fight often took women away from their families. Some women spent time in jail, publicized hunger strikes, and participated in protests in their efforts towards women’s suffrage and social reform.Show MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesThe Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and ClassicalRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagesstored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other than that in whichRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesstored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. All trademar ks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisherRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 PagesFrance Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York ß Oxford University Press 2006 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication mayRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagescompetitive forces in the travel industry. HiFi – how can small players survive changing markets? Amazon (B) – latest developments in a successful dot.com. Formula One – deve loping the capabilities for competitive success in a hi-tech industry. Manchester United – clash of expectations in the football world. Salvation Army – strategic challenges for a global not-for-profit organisation with a mission. Bayer MS – corporate social responsibility in the international development of a German company. EurotunnelRead MoreMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 PagesE-commerce Trends in marketing Page No. Marketing management – an introduction Unit structure: 1. Introduction 2. Learning Objectives 3. Marketing Management 3.1. Evolution of marketing management 3.2. The Role of Marketing 3.3. Marketing concepts 3.4. The Marketing Mix (The 4 P s Of Marketing) 3.5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Ethics in Marketing 4. Have you understood type questions 5. Summary 6. Exercises 7. References 1. INTRODUCTION: The apex body in United States of AmericaRead MoreBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 Pagespressure to provide price concessions. A decade ago, private-label brands were largely limited to low-quality, low-price products unsupported by effective packaging or marketing. Given these characteristics, they enjoyed only temporary sales spurts during recessionary times. No more. While still offering so-called price brands, retailers are also increasingly offering private label brands at the high end of the business. Such brands are competitive with national brands in quality and marketing supportRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 PagesCONTENTS: CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY 1 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A): The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems CASE STUDY I-1 IMT Custom Machine Company, Inc.: Selection of an Information Technology Platform CASE STUDY I-2 VoIP2.biz, Inc.: Deciding on the Next Steps for a VoIP Supplier CASE STUDY I-3 The VoIP Adoption at Butler University CASE STUDY I-4 Supporting Mobile Health Clinics: The Children’s Health Fund of New York City CASE STUDY I-5 Read MoreDamodaran Book on Investment Valuation, 2nd Edition398423 Words   |  1594 Pagesis under or over valued precedes the actual 3 valuation1, leading to seriously biased analyses. The second is to minimize the stake we have in whether the firm is under or over valued, prior to the valuation. Institutional concerns also play a role in determining the extent of bias in valuation. For instance, it is an acknowledged fact that equity research analysts are more likely to issue buy rather than sell recommendations,2 i.e., that they are more likely to find firms to be undervalued thanRead MoreStrategy Safari by Mintzberg71628 Words   |  287 PagesLtd., Bruce Ahlstrand, and Joseph Lampel All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. THE FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon Schuster Inc. Designed by Carla Bolte Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Permissions acknowledgments appear on pages 393-395. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mintzberg, Henry. Strategy safari: a guided tour through the wilds of strategic management / Henry Mintzberg, Bruce

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).