Key Success Factors for luxury good industry Assignment

Key Success Factors for luxury good industry - Assignment Example Many people, therefore, buy brand names for class and the luxurious experience associated with the brand. In the Coach case, the strategy to diffuse in all markets was to ensure that their products were of a world class level; hence, attracting all sorts of individuals. Even the middle class people want to feel a sense of luxury, hence the need to have a product whose brand is recognized as it gives them a sense of belonging (Okonkwo & Palgrave Connect, 2007). A well-recognized and respected brand positively affects the industry by increasing sales; hence, economic growth, not only in the countries that have been outsourced for manufacturing, but also in other parts of the world as most people prefer a recognized brand. The strategic implication of a well-recognized and well-respectable brand is the growth of the industry. Secondly, there is the aspect of expertise in a particular field in the Coach case, it is the expertise in the luxury industry. Appointing a person in the luxury industry who has the expertise on the market and design is very important as they help in coming up with new and innovative products that are fast moving. This is a key success factor, because today’s consumers are appealed by fast moving products in the market, regardless of whether the quality of the material used is expensive or not. In the Coach’s case, after they realized their products were not moving they employed Reed Krakoff as the new creative director. His idea was that the products in the luxury industry should be based on market research rather than the designer’s instincts. This factor affects the industry by creating a competitive advantage and when it comes to strategic implication it ensures that the luxury industry stays on top as it gives it customer’s goods that are satisfacto ry. The third factor is the aspect of national or global distribution capabilities. It is an imperative or key success factor, because without the right mode

Indian Premier League Marketing Case Study

Indian Premier League Marketing Case Study Cricket is just one of those many sports which was conceived by the English and perfected by the world; the Indian Premier League is just an extension of this phenomenon. The Twenty 20 format was invented in England in 2003 but it really took off when the master strategist that is Lalit Modi took it upon himself to take this format a step higher into crickets first franchise based sports event. In late June 2007 Lalit Modi who was then Vice-President of the Board of Cricket Control for India spoke to Andrew Wildblood of the International Management Group (IMG), a company with a vast experience in the whole area of sports management. IMG and Lalit Modi then sat down to discuss this model and finally came up with the idea that is the IPL in its current format. The idea behind creating city based teams was based on the model present in sports in US and UK. IMG designed the IPL after an intensive study of the primary sporting leagues around the world such as the NHL, NBA, NFL and EPL. They examined the theoretical models and also the result and impact of each of these leagues before arriving at the final blueprint. As in most other areas, there were at least as many learnings from the shortcomings and weaknesses as there were in the strengths and benefits mapped to the individual market contexts. What has finally emerged as the IPL design is one that has been meticulously refined to work for cricket.The league structure has been modeled so as to flourish in the uniquely Indian context, and drive the development of grassroots talent in Indian cricket. The idea had all the ingredients to be a success. The best cricket players of the world, fans from around the world and a dollop of glamour due to the presence of Bollywood celebrities, corporates and Indian politicos. The IPL was the first of its kind sports extravaganza of its kind, prior to this India has been fed a steady diet of 50 overs and test cricket. This kind of model which is common in the west but a first of its kind in India provided many new avenues for all the stakeholders. The grand old game of Cricket has undergone several makeovers in its history. Test cricket was followed by 60 over one dayers which later became 50 overs. The all white strip of the 70s gave way to the colored clothing and day-night matches of the Kerry Packer era. The Twenty 20 format which originated in England was devised to bring back the crowds in English County Cricket. The game in England was going through a major crisis and the introduction of T20 was instrumental in bringing a much needed dose of excitement in the game. Once again English were left to marvel as the sport they had created in their own backyard was spun into the Great Indian Tamasha by Lalit Modi and his comrades. Commercialization of IPL: Indian Premier League (IPL) has defined a new set of paradigm to do business in the Indian landscape. This was bound to happen someday, looking at the craze for the cricket in this country. IPL is not a yet another cricket extravaganza but an event where money is spun around with many different angles and huge stakes are involved in it. IPL has corporatized cricket in a unique way. It has added a new dimension of marketing and branding the sport in India. IPL is a business which has big economy of scale. India has seen the success of different businesses and the organizations or entrepreneurs running them and now it is the turn of IPL. Overall IPL itself has become a big brand under the leadership of Top management and it is a matter of interest that how it has been done as compared to the failure of its rival league ICL. The Value Positioning of IPL is Fast and Quick Entertainment Which has its own pros and cons according to the test and 50-50 Over Cricket Fraternity. The Making of the Franchises: The biggest USP of the Indian Premier League is that, here the teams are run and managed by various corporate houses or Bollywood celebrities. The owners of the teams went through a bidding procedure to buy the teams and after that, the cricketers were also put up forauction. The managements of the teams took part in the auction and bid for their desired cricketers, with a view to make their team the strongest one among all others. Cricketers from around the world, including the Indian cricketers were put up for auction. The BCCI actually followed the format of England`s most popular football event, the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) for governing the rules and regulations of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Right from the ownership of the franchises to the games themselves, IPL saw an exciting cocktail of Cricket, Bollywood and Business Barons. The people involved in buying these franchises were the whos who of Bollywood and Indian Business Houses.The winning  bidders  for the eight  franchises  were declared on 24 January 2008.   The total base price for the auction was US $400 million but the auction went on to fetch US $723.59 million.On March 21, 2010,  Pune  and  Kochi  were unveiled as the two new franchises for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League. The base price this time around was $225 million. While Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 million, the Kochi franchise was bought by Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333.3 million. The process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after many bidders and the  BCCI  objected to stiff financial clauses. The second franchise auction fetched total $703 million. This auction brought a lot of attention towards the IPL for the alleged involvement of Union Cabinet Minister ShashiTharoor . His involvement in trying to tip the scales in the favor of a particular consortium created much furore in the media Open Auction for Individual Players: Highest bidder becomes the buyer. Each player has a base annual fee which is on a pro-rata basis depending on his availability. Each IPL franchise has a max limit to spend on bidding for players. Franchise Owner(s) Captain Price (USD) Price (Rupees) Mumbai Indians Mukesh Ambani  (Reliance Industries) Sachin Tendulkar $ 112.9 m Rs. 441 Cr Royal Challengers Bangalore Vijay Mallya  (UB Group) Anil Kumble $ 111.6  m Rs. 440 Cr Deccan  Chargers Deccan Chronicle  (Venkat Ram Reddy) Adam Gilchrist $ 107.0   m Rs. 422 Cr Chennai Super Kings India Cements  (N.Srinivasan) Mahendra Singh Dhoni $ 91.90 m Rs. 359 Cr Delhi Daredevils GMR Group( G.M Rao) Gautam Gambhir $ 84.0 m Rs. 331 Cr Kings XI Punjab Ness Wadia  (Bombay Dyeing),  Priety Zinta, Mohit Burman (Dabur) and Karan Paul (Apeejay Surendera Group) Kumar Sangakkara $ 76.0 m Rs. 300 Cr Kolkata Knight Riders Red Chillies Entertainment  (Shahrukh Khan,  Gauri Khan,  Juhi Chawlaand  Jai Mehta) Saurav Ganguly $ 75.1 m Rs. 296 Cr Rajasthan Royals Emerging Media (Lachlan Murdoch, A.R Jha and Suresh Chellaram), Ultra tech cements, Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra Shane Warne $ 67.0 m Rs. 264 Cr Pune Sahara Adventure Sports Group TBD $ 370 m Rs. 1702 Cr Kochi Rendezvous Sports World Limited TBD $ 333.3 m Rs. 1533 Cr Economics of IPL Television rights and sponsorships: The IPL is predicted to bring the BCCI income of approximately  US$1.6 billion, over a period of five to ten years. All of these revenues are directed to a central pool, 40% of which will go to IPL itself, 54% to franchisees and 6% as prize money. The money will be distributed in these proportions until 2017, after which the share of IPL will be 50%, franchisees 45% and prize money 5%. The IPL signed up  Kingfisher Airlines  as the official umpire partner for the series in a  Rs.  106 crore (1.06 billion) deal. This deal sees the Kingfisher Airlines brand on all umpires uniforms and also on the giant screens during  third umpire  decisions Television rights: On 15 January 2008 it was announced that a consortium consisting of  Indias  Sony Entertainment Television  network and  Singapore-based  World Sport Group  secured the global broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League.  The record deal has duration of ten years at a cost of US $1.026 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI US $918 million for the television broadcast rights and US $108 million for the promotion of the tournament.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  This deal was challenged in the Bombay High Court by IPL, and got the ruling on its side. After losing the battle in court,  Sony Entertainment Television  signed a new contract with BCCI with  Sony Entertainment Television  paying a staggering  Rs.  8700 crores for 10 years. Sony-WSG then re-sold parts of the broadcasting rights geographically to other companies. Below is a summary of the broadcasting rights around the world. On 4 March 2010 ITV announced it had secured the United Kingdom television rights for the 2010 Indian Premier League. ITV will televise 59 of the 60 IPL matches on its ITV4 free to air channel. Sony charges Rs 4-5 lakh per 10 seconds, (top soaps charge Rs 1.5 lakh per 10 seconds). According to Television Audience Measurement (TAM), the average Television Rating Points (TRP) of the first 14 matches in Season 1 was 4.97; in Season 2 it was 4.52, and in Season 3 its grown to 4.69. If IPL-1 reached 77 million people in the first 14 matches, IPL-2 went to 96 million and IPL-3 is at 108 million. The ratings have also raised team earnings. Winning Bidder Regional Broadcast Rights Sony/World Sport Group Global Rights,  India ONE HD Free-to-air HD and SD television in  Australia. Owned by Network TEN. Sky Network Television New Zealand  broadcast rights PCCW Hong Kong  broadcast rights, broadcast on Now Sports. StarHub Singapore  broadcast rights, broadcast on Cricket Extra. Astro Malaysia  broadcast rights on Astro Box Office Sport. SuperSport South Africa,  Central Africa  and  Nigeria  broadcast rights. Arab Digital Distribution Middle East  broadcast rights on ADDs  CricOne. Broadcast to  United Arab Emirates,   Bahrain,   Iran,   Iraq,  Jordan,  Kuwait,  Lebanon,   Oman,  Qatar,   Palestine,  Saudi Arabia,  Syria,  Turkey, Algeria,  Morocco,  Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan,  Libya  and  Nigeria. GEO Super Pakistan  broadcast rights Willow TV Rights to distribute on  television,  radio,  broadband  and  Internet, for the IPL in North America. DirecTV United States  Exclusive broadcast rights on Cricket Ticket. Asian Television Network Canadian  broadcast rights. Aired on Pay-per-view channel. Aired on  XM Radios ATN-Asian Radio  as well. Sports Max Caribbean  broadcast rights. ITV United Kingdom  broadcast rights, broadcast on  ITV4. Sponsorships: Indias biggest property developer  DLF Group  paid US$50 million to be the title sponsor of the tournament for 5 years from 2008 to 2013.Other five-year sponsorship agreements include a deal with motorcycle maker Hero Honda worth $22.5-million, one with PepsiCo worth $12.5-million, and a deal with beer and airline conglomerate Kingfisher at $26.5-million. Revenue and Profits: The UK-based brand consultancy, Brand Finance, has valued the IPL at $4.13 billion in 2010.  It was valued at U$2.01 billion in 2009 by the same consultancy. There are disputed figures for the profitability of the teams. One analyst said that four teams out of the eight made a profit in 2009.]While the London Times said that all but  Kings XI Punjab  made a profit. In 2010, the IPL expects to have 80 official merchandising deals. It has signed a deal with  Swiss  watchmaker Bandelier to make official watches for the IPL. Official IPL applications: DCI Mobile Studios (A division of Dot Com Infoway Limited), in conjunction with Sigma Ventures of  Singapore, have jointly acquired the rights to be the exclusive Mobile Application partner and rights holder for the Indian Premier League cricket matches worldwide for the next 8 years (including the 2017 season). Recently, they have released the IPL T20 Mobile applications for  iPhone,  Nokia  Smartphonesand  Blackberry  devices. Soon it will be made available across all other major Mobile platforms including the  Android,  Windows Mobile,  Palm   others. How Does IPL make Money? Auction of broadcasting rights. Title sponsorship and corporate sponsorship. Sale of Tickets (20% allocated to IPL). Auction of Franchisee rights. Official Umpires sponsorships. How is the Income Distributed? Share of the broadcasting money with franchisees. Share of the sponsorship money with franchisees. Share of ticket money with franchisees. Inauguration expenses. Prize Money. Sources of Income for an IPL Franchise (ROI) Share in revenue from the broadcasting rights. Share in the sponsorship money. Share in revenue from the sale of tickets. Revenue from In-stadium Advertising. Sale of Players to other franchise. Revenue from own sponsorship and corporate sponsorship. How is the franchise income distributed? Franchisee fees: 10% of the total franchisee costs every year to IPL. Players cost. Match fees and Inauguration expenses. Rent of Stadium. Marketing and promotional cost. Fees for coaches, physiotherapists and other members. Administrative cost. Franchisees can earn profit in IPL as Team owners get 80% of broadcast revenues, 60% of sponsorship revenues, 100% of team sponsorship revenues, 80% of ticket revenues, 87.5% of all merchandising revenues, and 100% of all hospitality revenues. Brand Finance, which came out with IPL brands latest valuation at $ 4.13 billion, said that the brand alone has risen significantly, providing tremendous economic value to its owner, BCCI. Although the English Premier League is valued much higher at $12 billion, the IPLs valuation has risen above $4 billion in just three years, Brand Finance pointed out. Indian Premier League would generate revenue of $1 billion this season, thanks to huge fan following across the globe, attracting a large number of advertisers. Indian Premier Leagues brand value has more than doubled to $4.13 billion (over Rs 18,000 crores), while Chennai Super Kings has emerged the most valued franchise this year, says a study. Ranked fourth last year, Chennai Super Kings led by MS Dhoni has moved to number one with a valuation of $48.4 million, followed by Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders ($46 million) and Shilpa Shettys Rajasthan Royals ($45.2 million). The valuation of teams pale in comparison to the IPL brand itself, which has more than doubled from last years $2.01 billion. The individual franchisees have also seen a fair amount of uplift in value since last year. Vijay Mallya-promoted Royal Challengers Bangalore is ranked fourth this year with a valuation of $41.9 million and is followed by Nita Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians ($40.8 million), Delhi Daredevils ($40.5 million), Kings XI Punjab ($36.1 million) and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers at the bottom with a valuation of $34.4 million. Consider this. Chelsea, one of the wealthiest, most powerful football clubs in Europe the Premiership giants, who were bought by Russian oligarch Roman Abrahmovic for  £140 million (Rs 966 crores) in one of the most high-profile takeovers in international sport in 2003, would appear a mid-table struggler if compared to the  £246.35 million (Rs 1,702 crores) Sahara splashed out to buy the Pune team. While it is almost certain that Rendezvous Sports pumping in money for a Kochi-based T20 franchise sounds the death knell for Keralas traditional favorite, football, at Rs 1,533 crores, the cricketing venture heads both Chelsea and Liverpool, which was taken over by US ice-hockey team owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks for  £219m (Rs 1,511 crores) in February 2007. It should be noted that seven seasons ago, the Russian oligarch was paying the amount he did for an established brand, one that was almost a century old, while the Indians paid these astronomical sums merely to gain entry into what is still a fledgling venture, which recently began only its third season. THIRD SEASON VALUATION: The crowds are swelling, with experts estimating a 25 per cent jump in gate money. In Season 1, higher-end ticket sellers like the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils earned Rs 15 crore each. Gate money for bigger franchises could hit Rs 20 crore this season. The gross revenues from gate money, television advertising and sponsorships on an IPL double-header day, industry experts say, could touch Rs 40 crore. Marketing Strategy: IPL The DLF Indian premier league is a concept sell. It is clearly observed that IPL is a perfect example of controversy marketing Strategies: Auctioning the franchisees. Auctioning the players participating in the IPL tournament. Advertisements on various TV and radio channels. Cheerleaders were one of the most important thing that is talked about, foreign girls attracted huge crowd. Worldwide telecast. Locations: the venue chosen for the cricket matches was a strategic choice of places which are named after franchisees, which helped attract people. Conflicts with some media partners and some other cricket boards again demanded the attention of people. Timing: IPL has shown its strategic application of intellect by choosing the evening time for the matches, which made people watch game comfortably. ICL: the rival ICL had been one of the reasons for the publicity and emergence of IPL. People started comparing the IPL ICL that caused the huge publicity for the IPL Opening ceremony gala, Live Concerts. Franchises taken by film stars like Shahrukh Khan, Pretty Zinta and JuhiChawlaetc are the center for attraction, which made some Bollywood stars come for the game. Use of models and Bollywood stars for anchoring and promotion of teams like Akshay Kumar for Delhi daredevils, Shahrukh khan for Kolkata Knight Riders. The commentators were not less than PROs, use of phrases that pleased sponsors and made them pay more. Example: for every six it was a DLF Maximum, for every special moment it was city moment of success. Advantages and Disadvantages Players: Advantages Disadvantages Earn at least Rs 80 Lakhs ($200000) or more per season on average. Due to the tight schedule of international cricket, Chances of injury lowers the tenure of career. Bonuses and Prize Money from Team owners. Neglecting other forms of cricket A great stage to show case skills and compete with the best in the world. Fast game. Stamina and patience to build an innings and bowl tirelessly to get wickets is lost. The top 4 highest earning international cricketers are Indians, with the captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leading the way with annual earnings estimated at US$10m, Tendulkar at US$8m, Yuvraj and Dravid earning in excess of US$5m. Franchise: Advantages Disadvantages Using the cricket property to promote other businesses. Financial Loss if the IPL fails to take off. Prize money if the team wins. Franchises Pays the team and financial costs i.e. Cost of acquisition. They earn from the share in revenue from IPL. Promotional expenses have to be paid by franchises. They also pay the franchisee fee e.g. RCB has to pay $11.16m p.a. for 10 years. Sponsors: Advantages Disadvantages Spot rate charged from advertisers of IPL. Spot Rate may go down if any IPL season is not a blockbuster. Improves customer base. Too much reputation at stake tied to the fortunes of the franchise teams as a whole. Sponsors get branding and recognition. BCCI: Advantages Disadvantages The BCCI makes good money solely from the sale of TV rights, promotion and franchises. May forget to put efforts to promote other forms of cricket Domestic and Test Cricket. Got a great source of revenue. Viewers: Advantages Disadvantages Unlimited Masti and entertainment. Chances of family fights over Channel viewer ship. A great arsenal to make the case strong against the Saas Bahu fans in the family. Capital costs in terms of additional investment in television sets. A very good reason to increase productivity in office Return home by 8 pm.

The NASW Position Statement on Gays and Lesbians and the Students Persp

There are many issues that interfere with the health and happiness of those within the Gay and Lesbian community. The National Association Position Statement on Gays and Lesbians is as attempt to abolish such issues within the social work practice. One place that individuals of any sexual orientation practice should feel safe is with those who have chosen the field of social work as a means to helping the oppressed. Social workers must be aware of their own personal beliefs and values when it comes to the fear of and the misrepresentation of working with this divers group. The consequences of not dealing with such issues and may have a latent manifest in dealing with the Gay and Lesbian population, and if not addressed prior to working in this field, maybe devastating to a client. After reviewing the NASW’s Position Statement of Gays and Lesbians, I found that â€Å"NASW supports laws and rights as it pertains to the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender or the LGBT (NASW, 2004).† Moreover, the position statement identifies that homosexuals should be seen as equals and be given the right to such issues as same-sex marriages, adoptions, joint tax returns, shared health insurance, parenting, and bereavement leaves. As social workers we should not try to change a person’s beliefs about their sexual orientation in anyway, but seek to gain education concerning human sexuality, human sexual development, and a high degree of comfort and communication skills when responding to such issues (Haldman, 1994). Before I penetrate any further into this paper, I would like to point out that it is important for people (especially social workers), to know what the meaning of heterosexism is to truly understand the concept of the NASW... ...eflects my own views and experiences concerning LGBT group as it relates to the NASW position on Gays and Lesbian. It is because I am a social work student that I celebrate and support this statement. Works Cited Hacker. 2011. in Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/hacker National Association of Social Workers. (1999). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: Author. National Association of Social Workers. (2003). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues. Social work speaks: National Association of Social Workers policy statements, 2003–2006 (6th ed., pp. 224–235). Washington, DC: NASW Press. Walter R. Schumm 2010: The Other Story about Same Sex Parenting, www. schumm@ksu.edu, Retrieved March 4, 2012 www.eReference.com/reference/dictionary/entry/heterosexism

E Business at Cisco Essay

Introduction Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells networking equipments around the globe which is considered as the giant in networking. Cisco headquarters locate in San Jose, California, United States. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the Internet solutions that make these networks possible, giving individuals, companies, and countries easy access to information anywhere, at any time. Cisco has pioneered the use of the Internet in its own business practice and offers consulting services based on its experience to help other organizations around the world. Cisco was founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, a married couple who worked as computer operations staff members at Stanford University. Richard Troiano joined later with them. The stock was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 8, 2009, and is also included in the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 1000 Index, NASDAQ 100 Index and the Russell 1000 Growth Stock Index. John Chambers is the current Chairman and CEO of the Cisco. Company revenue was US$ 46.061 billion in 2012, while its operating income was US$ 10.065 billion. Net income US$ 8.041 billion 2012 while it has US$ 91.759 billion 2012 of total assetsand total equity of US$ 51.301 billion in 2012. E – Business Innovation at Cisco Cisco’s e-business innovation has begun in early 1990s. Cisco’s annual revenues increased from $1.5 million to $340 million in 1992. Their market share rose from 50% to 85%. It was a big challenge to meet the high demands generated by rapid growth of their sales. In order to serve their customers they had to †¢Hired engineers as quickly as possible, growing the engineering staff at over 160% per year. †¢Extended telephone support hours. †¢Invested in a system to prioritize calls. †¢Built the technology to remotely diagnose problems customers had with their products. †¢Offered training courses and consultations services to customers. During early 1990s companies invest a fixed portion of their annual budget on IT. It was 0.75% in Cisco 1993. In 1994 board of directors approved to invest on implementing $15 million Oracle ERP system. It was 2.5 % of 1993 revenues and more than 3 times the previous year’s IT budget. Company also approved total budget exceed $100 million to upgrade IT in the company. That upgrade integrated all of Cisco’s systems, and provided the company with a centralized information source. Cisco tried to use information technology to overcome the issues involve with high demand. It launched an official Internet site Cisco.com, primarily dedicated to company and product information as a result of that in 1991. It also launched the Cisco Connection Online for Cisco’s customers, which include a Technical Assistance Center where customers could easily solve their technical problems, and a list of product faults and remedies for faults. It also set up electronic bulletin boards. These initiatives forced online technical assistance which simplifies the burden on Cisco’s engineers and customer service representatives. Customers could download software updates, check manuals and email Cisco employees with questions by the 1993. Cisco E-Business Models Cisco involve in Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce as well as the Business-to-Consumer (C2C) e-commerce. B2B Businesses can gain significant financial returns, can attract and retain customers, reduce their expenses and uplift their reputation, brand name and corporate identity with favorable return on investment with the use of the Internet and e-business strategies. It helps to increase employee productivity, support for decision-making etc†¦ B2B facilitate electronic transactions to happen between businesses. The Internet and business’s dependency on other businesses for their supplies, utilities, and services has enhanced the popularity of B2B e-commerce. Extranets are the most commonly used for B2B operations in recent time. Extranet can be consist of at least 2 intranet or more than that. B2B e-commerce allows dynamic interaction between business partners. Cisco uses extranet with their Web based EDI to coordinate among their suppliers and manufactures via the Cisco Supplier Connection (CSC) which was formally known as manufacturing Connection Online. CSC was launched in June 1998. Registered users can access this through the Cisco website. CSC has integrated Cisco’s first-tier suppliers such as Ariba, Great Plains, J.D. Edwards, Lawson, NetObjects, NetSales, OneCore, PeopleSoft, QuickMarketing, and Works.com to Cisco’s ERP order fulfillment systems and inventory databases. This provides Cisco the opportunity to respond to their customer requests in real time. Orders are check with Cisco’s current production schedule, and at the same time their first-tier suppliers get inform of any deviations from production forecasts by automatic postings on the extranet as soon as a customer place an order. Suppliers can respond immediately to requests for supplies since they get informed real time with actual orders. Since Cisco is keeps inventories CSC also keep track on inventories and transfer inventory between different manufacturers to respond to component shortages. Other than that all the purchase orders and invoices are processed electronically with the help of CSC. Cisco uses their CSC at new product introduction processes as well. It helps to share information between engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and marketing sections in each sub processes such as design, prototyping, ramp-up, quality assurance and product specification. Overall cycle time to market new products gets reduce due to this collaboration. Cisco also developed a system for automatically testing products to ensure they were up to Cisco’s specifications and ready ship. If there are failures in an assembly line or auto test, Cisco get alert immediately by the manufacture. This prevent whole batch of products get affected by a common fault. FedEx, Cisco’s shipping partner get automatically alert as soon as order ready for shipment. Then the order assign a shipping number, pick up at the manufacturer, and deliver by FedEx to the customer. Direct fulfillment is also a part of Cisco’s B2B e-commerce. It automates all the required information in-order to support direct shipping of products which are configured by suppliers, directly to customers without going through Cisco. Cisco’s B2B processes also uses Dynamic replenishment, which allows market demand information to flow directly to manufactures without any delays. B2C Cisco is not a company which implemented B2B e-commerce, they are also practicing B2C e commerce as well. They have implemented Cisco Connection Online (CCO) in-order to handle the B2B and B2C e-commerce activities. In early ages customers had to talk with a sales rep if they wanted to buy something. Due to the mistakes by sales reps and complexity of product line only about 75% of orders were entered correctly. Other 25% had to be re-entered. Cisco has introduced their e-commerce site as a solution for this. Cisco was able sold $75 million worth of products on the Internet within first 4 months. Cisco was able to overcome the issue of 25% error rate in customer orders with the introduction of their website. 27% of all orders were placed using the Internet in 1997. It was said that there were 70,000 registered users in that time and they were accessing website 700,000 times per month. This not only minimizes the error s in customer orders but also it helped Cisco to save $150 million per year by delivering technical support through the website. It increases Cisco’s customer satisfaction ratings and Cisco’s productivity was improving rapidly. Cisco upgrades their CCO regularly with the help of consulted groups known as Internet Commerce Advisory Boards (ICABs), it consist both Cisco employees as well as their customers. This is also use to do global market researches. Cisco provided localization to their first few page levels of their website since August 2000. All prices were quoted in the appropriate currency, based on an accurate exchange rate with the localization. Cisco Connection Online – CCO CCO is a portal. It consist information in Cisco’s ERP systems, databases, legacy systems, and client-server systems. CCO connects with Cisco’s extranets which they are using for their suppliers and partners. This consist of 5 modules 1.Market Place 2.Technical assistance and software library 3.Customer service 4.Internetworking Product Center 5.Cisco supplier connection (CSC) Market Place is the front-end virtual shopping center describe in above, where customers can purchase items online. It also includes equipment configuration details, prices of products and purchase requisition tools. Customers can use purchase requisition tools if they want to take print out for submission of company purchase orders. Resellers and distributors are also using this module to place their orders online. Technical assistance and software library consist of an open forum which enables customers and business partners to get online answers to their technical questions. Users also can download driver updates and utility software through this. It also includes tools provide technical assistance to identify issues in Cisco equipments and take needed preventative or repair measures. Cisco was able to save millions of dollars spending on CD burning and shipments with the introduction of software library. Technical assistance forum led users to post their questions and search for answers, interact with networking experts who are willing to offer their help. This simply creates a virtual community of technical experts and it led Cisco’s experts only to focus on critical and urgent issues. Customer service provides non-technical assistance to consumers who are looking for details like product status, price catalog, latest releases, and their service order status. Internetworking Product Center is an application use for handle order processing. This can advise users if there is any missing information in product configuration when users are placing their orders online. Therefore reworking is minimized. Since this application connects with Cisco’s order management system to its scheduling system, customers and partners can access information about the current status of their orders. E-Business Types at Cisco Cisco has implemented more than one business types in their online presence. Cisco successfully running store-front model as well as the portal model through their web presence. Other than the above 2 models they also implemented B2B e commerce and EDI as a part of their E-Business initiative since early 1990s. Store-Front Model This is the most popular e-business model in the current context. It allows users or consumers to do their shopping online without going to a physical shop. According to the statistics about 60% of the internet users involve in online shopping activities. This model allows merchants to sell their products on the Web. Online transaction processing, security, online payment, information storage should be mainly considerable factors in this model. Cisco’s storefront model include †¢Online catalog of their products †¢Order processing system †¢Secure payment system †¢Timely order fulfillment system This allows Cisco to conduct their business 24 by 7 in 365 days of the year. A shopping cart allows Cisco to display photos and descriptions their products by category (routers, switches, servers, etc†¦). Consumers are allow to browse through those categories and its’ items then selects items that they want to buy and puts them in their cart. Consumers can the check out what they have selected and those orders are sent to Cisco. (90% of these orders are directly sends to Cisco’s suppliers. Orders are process in just in time based.) According to the Cisco CEO nearly 90 % of orders placed on Cisco’s website, the Cisco Connection Online (CCO), and nearly 80% of all products were built and shipped from a supply partner, without Cisco ever physically taking possession. This shows how Cisco has utilized their e-business strategies in-order to give a better customer satisfaction. Portal Model Cisco portal model provide their consumers the chance to find almost everything relate to internetworking. Cisco provides a vertical portal. It consist information from simple switches to Data Center Management and Automation, from Routing Services to Data Center and Virtualization Services, from home consumers to ISPs. It also consists of all the information relates to examinations conduct by Cisco such as CCNA, CCNP etc†¦ EDI – Electronic data Interchange Cisco handles B2B e-commerce via the applications which are implemented for its consumers. These solutions allow Cisco to sell its’ products and services and manage their customer and supplier/partner relationships over the Internet. Cisco use their e-business strategies as a model of how to use the Internet as co-operation tool to increase the productivity and efficiency of a company by utilizing and transforming their manual process with the help of information technology. As mentioned early customers can browse product specifications and make orders via Cisco.com. That information then directed Cisco’s suppliers without any intervention of Cisco. Products are produce only after they are ordered (just in time). Therefore the amount to spend on warehouses to store products is very much little. Cisco doesn’t like to obtain many B2B relationships with the technology and the infrastructure that they work, because they consider suppliers as a time and labor intensive expense to them. Cisco has created the demand for products that can ease and speed up B2B transactions with the implementation of their Global Network Business model. Cisco tried to cut down almost all the intermediaries in-order to increase their profit margins as well as to get competitive advantages with introduce of Electronic Data Interchange in 1997. EDI helped Cisco to †¢Gained real-time access to its supplier information. †¢Experienced lower business costs in processing orders (an estimated $46 per order). †¢Improved the productivity of its employees involved in purchasing (78% increase). †¢Reduced overall order cycle time. Cisco saved $250 million per year in business expenses through their new e-business initiatives in 1997. E-Business Categories at Cisco We can categories Cisco’s e-business initiatives under few main categories. e – Procurement, e – HR, e – SCM. E – SCM All the internal information systems of Cisco can be access by all the suppliers and other partners who are in Cisco’s supply chain. This system can be identified as a distributed knowledge management system since the employees have the same access rights to information as Cisco employees. Cisco was able to integrate all collective capabilities of supply chain partners and integrates all supply chain activities with this system. This system standardizes and streamlines all the internal processes with Cisco Employee Connection (CEC). It also streamlines external processes by seamless integration with suppliers and customers in terms of Manufacture Connection Online (MCO) and Cisco Connection Online. Materials and inventory position, product availability, price information, purchase orders and changes, vendor receipt/acceptance, Invoice payments and status reporting information are all visible among partners, including design-related information and sales forecasts. Since lack of mutual trust and unwillingness to share information among the partners appear to be the greatest obstacles in the way of e-collaboration, Cisco formed strategic alliances and long-term partnerships with their suppliers and customers, based on mutual trust and win-win strategy. e- HR with Cisco Employee Connection CEC was initially launched in 1995 and it was designed to store company information. But when HR department was in trouble with handling a various HR tasks manually, Cisco tried to move their HR processes to the CEC. As a result of that Cisco successfully launched expense reporting system first. With the success of that sub system Cisco started to digitize all their HR activities. CEC provides details and many interactive tools which can be use to facilities, travel arrangements, technical documentation, human resources, training, sales and marketing, and financial matters. Other than the standard categories like products, business functions, and company and employee information, CEC also provide some other categories for specific tasks. One category is for their new recruitments. It provides details about the company and also it consists of frequently asked questions. Professional staff category provides job-specific tools relating to sales, engineering, management, and system engin eering. Cisco’s Customer Base In early ages Cisco sold router products to corporations for corporate LANs and WANs. But with the rapid growth of the Internet since mid of 1990s, Internet service providers (ISPs) became an important market for the Cisco. Due to the technological advancements in the telecommunication industry, data and voice networks has gained speed. Therefore local exchange carriers and traditional telephone companies also become important segment in Cisco’s customer base. In the present company have differentiate its customers into four major segments those are 1.Enterprises. 2.Service providers. 3.Small/medium-sized businesses. 4.Home consumers. All categories of customers having their own complex challenges, when it comes to implement and maintain global data networks, since the technology that they are dealing with rapidly change over the time. Charles Giancarlo says that â€Å"it takes an unusual level of dedication, effort, and focus from both sides in order to build some of these networks. Both sides must make an inordinate investment in order to be first to market.† When it comes to service providers or the corporate market Cisco deals with consumers who know what to do and how to do. Therefore Cisco can’t manage them as normal home consumers. These relationships are more complex that normal consumer relationships. They decide from where to buy equipment based not only the quality of the products but also factors such as companies who are willing to supply their financing and other services. Sometimes they consider firms who are assisting them in dealing with government to acquire rights of way for wiring. Therefore Cisco started to consultative, partnering role with Telco customers. Cisco trying to assists them with everything. It spread from networking products and installation to financing, support services, even up-to business-model planning. It is not enough to merely offer them a new service that can enhance quality on their network. Cisco must also advise them on how best to profit from it. Strengths / Positive Aspects When it comes to the discussion of the positive aspects of the E business module, it can be accomplished after analyzing these three types. The benefits of e-commerce can be seen to affect three major stakeholders’ organizations, consumers and society. Cisco market place became that an international marketplace without any influence, single physical marketplace located in a geographical area has now become a borderless marketplace including national and international markets. By becoming e-commerce enabled, businesses now have access to people all around the world. In consequence all e-commerce businesses of Cisco have become effective multinational companies. Operational cost saving is a big advantage because of this. The cost of creating, processing, circulating, storing and retrieving paper-based information has reduced. E-commerce has transformed the way consumers buy goods and services. The pull-type processing allows for products and services to be customized to the cust omer’s wants. Enables reduced inventories and overheads by facilitating ‘pull’-type supply chain management this is structured on collecting the customer order and then delivering through JIT (just-in-time) manufacturing. This is particularly valuable for companies in the high technology sector, where stocks of components held could quickly become obsolete within months. No more 24-hour-time constraints. Businesses can be contacted by or contact customers or suppliers at any time. Consumers can gain access to the websites on anytime, 24 in 7.Makes it possible for customers to shop or conduct other transactions 24 hours a day, all year round from practically any location. Checking balances, making payments, obtaining status and other details are some important characteristics which we can see because of using this kind of E business module, but also an international selection of suppliers, Price comparisons can be done. Customers can ‘shop’ around the world and conduct comparisons either directly by browsing different sites, or by visiting a single site where price ranges are aggregated from a number of providers and compared. Delivery processes can be improved. An environment of competition where significant discounts can be founder value added, as different retailers vie for customers. It also allows many individual customers to aggregate their orders together into a single order presented to wholesalers or manufacturers and obtain a more competitive price. This system enables more adaptive enough working practices, which enhances the quality of life for a whole host of people in society, enabling them to work from home. Not only is this more effortless and offers happier and less stressful working environments, it also potentially reduces environmental pollution as fewer people have to travel to do their ordering and other stuff. Enables people in developing countries and rural areas to enjoy and access products, services, information and other people which otherwise would not be so easily available to them. It encourages delivery of public services. When we analyze about the strengths thoroughly, and when we consider it as organization vise that site saved Cisco time and reduced the need to hire. Customers welcomed the opportunity to browse a website and solve problems on their own rather than dialing into a busy support line. Seeing the cost advantage of selling online Cisco began to provide its network products for sale on its websites and web sales grew rapidly until they accounted for the majority of Cisco’s sale. Cisco also began to look for other ways to take advantage of its website. The sales force complained that they were always asked by customers to perform routine tasks, such as re-printing a customer invoice. Cisco widened the online offerings and allowed customers to reprint invoices, ch eck the status of service orders, and even maintain and price products. In addition to making life easier for customers, Cisco employees were able to escape much data entry. Cisco soon made much more customer information available online by linking customers to the Oracle ERP system. The IT department of Cisco began to investigation with other ways to leverage the power of the Internet. The department’s efforts guided to three separate Internet initiatives: Cisco Connection Online (CCO, for customers), Cisco Employee Connection (CEC), and Manufacturing Connection Online (MCO). In those days, customers still had to talk with a sales rep whenever they wanted to make an order. In part due to the complexity of Cisco’s product or service line (all orders were in importance custom orders), only 75 percent of orders were entered correctly; the remaining 25 percent had to be re-entered. As a result, Cisco started to consider about how it could use technology to improve the purchasing procedure. An e-commerce site was completed and launched in July 1996. The site was simple but advanced enough to ensure products were precisely set up. As a result, Cisco was able to drop its customer-order error rate from 25 percent to 1 percent. Even though Cisco believed that the site was not as user-friendly as it could be, 60 percent of Cisco’s technical support was now delivered automatically via the web, Cisco’s customer satisfaction ratings were rising, and Cisco’s productivity was improving considerably as was their customers. The Cisco Employee Connection (CEC) was Cisco’s intranet site. Initially, it was deliberate to hold company info and act as an internal newsletter. It consisted only of a bulletin board of information, simple search engines, and email. But as the CCO grew in popularity and function not long after, the team tried to update the process of expense settlement. The team faced many challenging technical problems, such as linking expense app rovals with the American Express corporate card systems, and was met with significant internal resistance to change. Senior executives, who were responsible for approvals, demanded that any new system prove easier to use than the old paper-based system. Consequently, many approvals were eliminated. Cisco’s software engineers were forced to design the program internally because there were no regular programs that could handle the task. They succeeded. Cisco employees were able to submit expenses online and get refunded by direct deposit within a few days. Cisco’s Manufacturing Connection Online (MCO) was crucial in allowing Cisco to grow. Just as Cisco had problems hiring enough engineers and customer service reps, it also had long been affected by problems expanding its manufacturing operations quickly enough to meet the surging demand for its products. Faced with a choice of restricting growth or outsourcing manufacturing, Cisco chose to outsource. Originally, Cisco outsourced only a portion of the manufacturing process. Cisco still warehoused components and performed final assembly and testing before shipping finished goods to its customers. Soon, however, in order to cut costs and improve delivery times, Cisco wanted deeper relationships with its partners. They asked partners to incorporate their IT systems with it. The result was an automated order fulfillment system known as the Manufacturer’s Connection Online (MCO). The MCO allowed Cisco’s partners direct access to customer information, sales projections, and product specifications. Partners could also alert Cisco to work stoppages, part shortages, and other issues. Once a customer placed an order on the Cisco.com site, the manufacturing partner was immediately notified electronically. The manufacturer’s network immediately transmitted the order to the actual assembly line. Later, Cisco developed a system for automatically testing products to ensure they were up to Cisco’s specifications and ready to ship without the product ever leaving their manufacturing partner’s premises. Once an order was ready for shipment, Federal Express, Cisco’s shipping partner, was automatically notified, the order was assigned a shipping number, picked up at the manufacturer, and delivered by Federal Express to the customer. In the event of an assembly line problem or auto test concern, the manufacturer immediately alerted Cisco through the MCO, which then alerted the customer. Because the MCO and the CCO were integrated, customers could check on their order’s status at any time. In addition to the Cisco Connection Online, the Cisco Employee Connection, and the Manufacturing Connection Online Cisco’s accounting and HR departments featured an amazing level of automation. Cisco executives could view up-to-the-minute sales figures from around the world at any time. Additionally, Cisco was able to close its books within a day. Automated functions within HR included the capability to accept job requests online and to review and sort applicants by crucial variables, such as skill level or former employer. Flexibility was as critical as functionality to Cisco’s e-business systems. These all the capabilities are rewarded to the Cisco because of the E-business module. Weaknesses / Negative Aspects There was much hype surrounding the Internet and e-commerce over the last few years of the twentieth century. Much of it promoted the Internet and e-commerce as the solution for all ills, which raises the question. Limitations of e-commerce to organizations Lack of sufficient system security, reliability, standards and communication protocols, and security holes in software. It leads to confidential client information growing to be available to all. Rapidly evolving and changing technology, so there is always a sense of trying to ‘catch up’ and not be left behind. The simplicity with which business models can be copied and emulated over the Internet increases that pressure and curtails longer-term competitive advantage. Facing increased competition from both national and international competitors often leads to price wars and subsequent unsustainable losses for the organization. There is no real control of data that is collected over the Web or Internet. Data protection laws are not universal and so websites hosted in different countries may or may not have laws which protect privacy of personal data. Physical contact and relationships are replaced by electronic processes. Customers are unable to touch and feel goods being sold on-line or determine voices and reactions of human beings. There is no good faith between the two parties, because they are bonding with faceless computers. As people become more used to communicating electronically there could be an erosion of personal and social skills which might eventually be detrimental to the world we live in where people are more comfortable interacting with a screen than face to face. There is a possible threat that there will be enhance in the social divide between technological haves and not’s. So people who do not have technical skills become unable to secure better-paid jobs and could form an underclass with potentially dangerous implications for social stability. When we turn towards the Cisco, while the decentralized system, combined with an emphasis on staying close to the customer, had been incredibly successful for Cisco so far, it was not without problems. First, as the company grew, it became more complex, and the advancement process became more puzzled. Much of the organization was impacted when new initiatives were introduced. A major challenge was simply staying connected maintaining employees throughout the organization cognizant of current initiatives and the significance of those initiatives. In addition, it was corporate for different business units to follow initiatives that were substantially the same. Conflicts or duplications often had to be resolved by the IT department as various endeavors were implemented on Cisco’s website. There were also questions about the types of initiatives produced under the decentralized system. Because they were often influenced by customer feedback, these initiatives tended to be of the incremental, short-term variety. It was not clear how much effort was being devoted to creating true breakthrough approaches, nor was the appropriate level of effort clear. Moreover, it was becoming clear that there were opportunities to co-develop, co-design, and co engineer new e-business processes with external organizations, including clients and partners, but it was not clear exactly how to approach these possibilities or how to make them routine. Opportunities Traditional supply chains which are involving in product development, production, distribution, and sales cycles are not capable of dealing with dynamic customer demand in the current context. Businesses need to run parallel activities and higher level of flexibility in their operations in order to co-up with the rapid changes in demand. Procurement, inventory management, production and distribution are getting affected due to this nature. Businesses can accommodate e-business models deal with those demands. Cisco is also using the e-business to handle parallel activities in order to archive their business targets. 1. Cisco TAC service This is an online service, where users with a valid service contract can, get Cisco’s engineering services by describe their issues and attach files to the service request, and those requests will route the appropriate engineer as soon as possible. Users can get the help of tools that are available on Cisco.com in order to do these requests. In this way Cisco is able to manage their support calls and cases very quickly. Cisco TAC engineers are attending to the case very quickly and they even login to the faulty device using Cisco WEBEX sessions in critical issues. Cisco provides their warranty items in least amount of time to make sure the zero down time of the network. Customer satisfaction is main advantage of this service, reputation of Cisco networks are increased due to this process. By using these kinds of techniques Cisco makes their tasks very easy to manage. Cisco has great opportunity to attract more consumers and retain their existing consumers with the help of this kind of services. 2. New inventions Early 2006 Cisco introduced new product called Cisco TelePresence which has the ability to communicate with the broader community of Cisco TelePresence users with Life-size, high-definition video and CD-quality audio in a premium room environment using Collaborative tools such as presentation sharing and high-definition document cameras Services available by the hour in easily accessible public business-class locations. Recently Cisco introduced new data center family switches named as â€Å"Cisco nexus† in 2008 which will meet customer demands for next-generation mission-critical data centers. The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, the flagship data center-class switching platform combining Ethernet, IP, and storage capabilities across one unified network fabric. Also nexus family virtual switches were introduced by Cisco to enhance the network virtualization. â€Å"Nexus 1000 V† is a virtual switch that can be used to control the data traffic among virtual machines in a data ce nter environment. Cisco nexus, Virtual switches, Cisco Techwise TV, Datacenters and clouds Virtualization, Virtual desktop infrastructure are some of the new areas that Cisco working in these days. Cisco has very good opportunity to have very good market share and profit through their new products. Ability of expand Cisco’s business in vertical and horizontal is one of Cisco’s biggest opportunities. Cisco already created the need for networking solutions to the world. They can continue on that way. They have the opportunity to introduce a complete network solution, with all the network equipments and software that need. Cisco has the ability to offer a much wider range of products since they have already acquired lot of network equipment companies. Cisco also can involve in data mining. The amount of data in the world is exploding. As more data becomes available, the ability to handle them in fast and efficient manner is so much important. Therefore Cisco can use do research work on how to use their network infrastructure to utilize that. Demand for the Cloud Computing is another opportunity. Since it is relatively new dimension and not that much competitors in that arena Cisco can play a big role in that segment. Wi-Fi Home Calling Mobile phones, Mobile Broadband are some other areas where Cisco has opportunities to increase their current market share as well as to capture new market segments. Threats Though Cisco dominates the router market, if they does not consider about the competitors they may lose the market, because small companies can take over a specific niche market. Keep implementing many changes to the Cisco e-business infrastructure is another treat. Employees, suppliers take considerable time period to get use to the new systems. Therefore if changes are happening quite often then people may get fed up with those changes since they have to adopt their work according to the new systems. Cisco’s high dependability on their suppliers is another treat. If one or many suppliers get refuse to supply the products due to some reasons then Cisco can’t deal with the demand, since more than 90% of the orders are directly fulfill by the suppliers without intervention of Cisco. Some other treats are †¢Cost of managing highly interconnected complex systems, software systems and managing customer centers/call centers is very much high. †¢Separate partnerships for borderless networking, data center and virtualization and collaboration can leads to disputation. †¢Since Cisco doesn’t sell directly to end customer, they cannot contact Cisco directly. This may leads to customer dissatisfaction. Recommendations Cisco is highly depend on their e-business strategies that are been implemented since last two decades. Those initiatives lead Cisco towards being the giant in internetworking industry. Company has automated almost all their processes with the help of IT. This is very effective and efficient in terms of time saving and cost reduction but on the other hand Cisco will be in trouble, if some issues occur in their systems. Therefore they should have alternative methods to continue their businesses even in that kind of scenario. In general it is very hard to think of alternatives when everything works smoothly enough with the power of IT, but with the rapid growth of security vulnerabilities in the internet, it is always nice to have at least a single way to continue the business processes without getting affect by those vulnerabilities. In 2001 Cisco’s stock price collapse dramatically. They lost nearly $400 billion in market value. There was lot of arguments about the company’s management, and of the inability of its information systems to anticipate and respond more effectively. An information system is only as good as the data entered into it, and if the people gathering the information fail to pick up on market signals or are unwilling to be the bearers of bad news, then the system won’t provide the warning signs that might mitigate the impacts of a major market shift. Therefore Cisco must implement a way to respond to the market changes very quickly, unless they may lose their market. Cisco’s competitors such as 3Com, AT&T provide interfaces to connect their equipments with the 3rd party vendors. But some of the Cisco equipments can’t connect like that with the 3rd party vendors. This is a drawback for them. There is a possibility of consumers may turn to some other tools due to that. Therefore Cisco should provide the facility to their equipments to interface with other vendorâ €™s. Another thing that Cisco can do is provide facility to directly communicate with Tellab’s devices. At the moment Cisco nodes can’t directly communicate with Tellab’s nodes without in-between bridge because auto generate magic numbers aren’t matching. Consumers need to have a more than average networking and technical knowledge in order to implement Cisco systems, unlike other vendors’ network equipments. Consumers who are not having appropriate knowledge about the implementation and maintenance should get help from others when they are dealing with Cisco products. This may leads consumers to go for other vendors who are producing products which can be use much easier than Cisco products. Therefore Cisco must provide easy configurations for their products or they should assist their consumers free of charge in those incidents. Then Cisco can retain their existing customers and customers will not get frustrated when working with their products. One of the main concerns is that Cisco doesn’t sell their products directly to the home users. If a home user wants to buy a Cisco product he/she must contact a Cisco partner and get the product through that partner. This should be changed. Cisco must provide all direct buying facility to all of its’ consumers, not only for the B2B consumers. Cisco can enhance their online presence in order to serve home consumers so they can directly buy Cisco products through their website. Cisco can get more sales by direct sales to home consumers since direct sales leads Cisco to promote their new products to those consumers through online marketing and promotion campaigns. They can also motivate their sales partners to attract more consumers by providing special discounts schemas for partners who are bringing more sales to the company. If we consider about Cisco’s website it has some issues in search facility. Most users are unable to search what they want through the provid ed search functionality in the website. Cisco should carefully study about what users really searching for in their website. Then company should upgrade or rework on their search functionality so user can experience more accurate search results. Cisco doesn’t provide support for the products that they no longer produce. They only provide support until after 1 year they stop the production. In networks 1 year old equipment is almost like a new product. Normally standard network equipment can be use for about 3 – 5 years. Therefore consumers who are having relatively new products can’t get Cisco support when they are having issues in their products. Sometimes Cisco completely stops support for some business units. Then consumers who are belongs to that unit will not get any patches, updates or technical assistance. If Cisco can provide patches, updates and technical assistance to all their products without eliminating any products or business units that would make consumers to believe that they are always look after by Cisco. Therefore consumers’ perception about the company will grow. Another major issue with Cisco products is that existing Cisco products can’t be upgrade easily. Consumers have to consider about various factors when they want to upgrade their existing equipments. They can’t easily replace existing node with another node. If they do so whole system can get affected due to compatibility issues. Most of the times if a network consist of Cisco equipments and there is an issue in single point it simply can’t be replaced by another same type product from another vendor. Users always have to replace it by a Cisco product. It is true that it brings sales to Cisco but on the other hand users may get fed up. Sometimes users may want to replace some nodes with some other vendors’ products due to some reasons. Therefore Cisco must think about that kind of incidents and provide necessary solutions. Cisco always tries to go with their proprietary protocols rather than open standards. This leads collision in communication between thei r products and other products. Since Cisco is not the one and only player in the network industry, Cisco should provide their consumers the facility to connect Cisco equipments with any other products without compatibility issues. This can be achieved by in lining Cisco products with open standards. The alternative to the current decentralized system was some sort of centralized organization that focused on innovation. But there were any number of ways in which the charter of this new organization could be configured. What specific activities would it be responsible for? Who would staff it? How would it be funded? How would it be evaluated? Could it be configured in such a way that efficiencies and elusive â€Å"white space† opportunities were captured without destroying the innovative spirit at Cisco or its decentralized culture? Losing either could outweigh any benefits of centralization. Cisco can consider about a Technology Research and Training Team that can study about emerging technologies and keeps business managers informed of what would soon be possible.

Itb Syndrome

My condition 3is called ITB syndrome Explanation: ITB syndrome stands for Iliotibial Band Syndrome. This is a common thigh injury generally associated with running. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running. The irritation usually occurs over the outside of the knee joint, at the lateral epicondyle. The iliotibial band crosses bone and muscle at this point; between these structures is a bursa, which should facilitate a smooth, gliding motion. However, when inflamed, the iliotibial band does not glide easily, and pain associated with movement is the result. SymptomsITBS symptoms range from a stinging sensation just above the knee joint (on the outside of the knee or along the entire length of the iliotibial band) to swelling or thickening of the tissue at the point where the band moves over the femur. The pain may not occur immediately during activity, but may intensify over time, especially as the foot strikes the ground. Pain might persist after activity. Pain may a lso be present above and below the knee, where the ITB actually attaches to the tibia. Who does this commonly affect? Endurance athletes are prone to developing iliotibial band syndrome.Athletes who suddenly increase their level of activity, such as runners who increase their mileage, often develop iliotibial band syndrome. But other activities that can cause this are biking, hiking or weightlifting (especially when doing squats). Treatment The iliotibial band can be rested, iced and compressed to reduce pain and inflammation, followed by stretching. Using a foam roller to loosen the iliotibial band can help prevent and treat ITBS. A compression wrap to mobilize the ITB where the tendon meets the knee is also key to reduce the inflammation.Another pain reliever would be a cortisone injection into the area, which is usually helpful, and it can also be curative. But for the more severe and treatment-resistant cases may require surgery to mobilize the band. Prevention Rolling out your IT band will help prevent this. While this exercise using a foam roller will help to alleviate IT band pain, it also helps prevent problems from starting in the first place. It's painful, especially if you're already having IT band issues, but after a week or two of consistent rolling, you'll notice less pain. Also a lot of stretching can prevent ITB syndrome.

Profile of Idaho Teen Killer Sarah Johnson

Profile of Idaho Teen Killer Sarah Johnson Sarah Johnson was 16 years old when she shot and killed her parents with a high-powered rifle because they did not approve of her 19-year-old boyfriend. Victims Alan, 46, and Diane Johnson, 52, lived in an attractive home that sat on two acres of land in an affluent suburb in the small community of Bellevue, Idaho. They had been married for 20 years and were devoted to each other and their two children, Matt and Sarah. The Johnsons were well liked in the community. Alan was the co-owner of a popular landscaping company, and Diane worked for a financial firm. The Crime In the early morning hours of September 2, 2003, Sarah Johnson ran out of her home, screaming for help. She told neighbors that her parents had just been murdered. When police arrived, they found Diane Johnson lying under the covers of her bed, dead from a shotgun blast that had removed most of her head. Alan Johnson was found lying next to the bed, dead from a gunshot wound to his chest. The shower was running, and Alan’s body was wet. Based on wet, bloody footprints and blood splatters, it appeared that he had stepped out of the shower and was then shot, but managed to walk towards Diane before collapsing and bleeding to death. The Crime Scene The police immediately secured the crime scene including sectioning off an entire block around the house. In a trashcan outside of the Johnson’s home, investigators found a bloody pink bathrobe and two gloves. One was a left-handed leather glove, and the other was a right-handed latex glove. Inside the home detectives found a trail of blood spatters, tissue and bone fragments that went from the Johnson’s bedroom, into the hall, and across to Sarah Johnson’s bedroom. A .264 Winchester Magnum rifle was found in the master bedroom. Two butcher knives, with the tips of the blades touching, had been placed on the end of the Johnson’s bed. A magazine of bullets was also found in Sarah’s bedroom, which was located around 20 feet across the hall from the Johnsons bedroom. There was no evidence of forced entry into the home. Sarah Johnson Talks to Police When Sarah Johnson first talked to the police, she said that she woke up around 6:15 a.m. and heard her parents shower running. She continued to lie in bed but then heard two gunshots. Sarah Johnson ran to her parent’s bedroom and found that their door was closed. She did not open the door, but rather called for her mother who did not answer. Frightened, she ran out of the house and began screaming for help. The Story Changes Her story of what happened would change several times throughout the investigation. Sometimes she said her parent’s door was slightly opened and other times she said her door was closed, but not her parent’s door. Based on the forensic evidence found in the hall and Sarah’s bedroom, both her door and her parent’s door would have to have been opened. Sarah also admitted that the pink robe was hers, but denied knowing anything about how it ended up in the trash. When first asked about the robe her first response was to say that she did not kill her parents, which investigators found odd. She said she thought the killer was a maid who had been recently fired by the Johnsons for stealing. The Murder Weapon The owner of the rifle used to kill the Johnsons belonged to Mel Speegle, who was renting a garage apartment in a guesthouse located on the Johnson’s property. He was away over the Labor Day weekend and had not yet returned home on the day of the murders. When questioned, he told police that the rifle was kept in an unlocked closet in his apartment. Infatuation and Obsession Sarah Johnson was described by neighbors and friends as a sweet girl who enjoyed playing volleyball. But another Sarah had emerged over the summer months. One that seemed infatuated and obsessed with her 19-year-old boyfriend, Bruno Santos Dominguez. Sarah and Dominguez had been dating for three months before the murder of her parents. The Johnsons did not approve of the relationship because Dominguez was 19 and an undocumented Mexican immigrant. He also had a reputation for being involved in drugs. Close friends of Sarah’s said that a few days before the Johnson’s murder, Sarah showed them a ring and told them that she and Dominguez were engaged. They also said that Sarah often lied, so they did not completely buy into what Sarah was saying about her engagement. Days Leading up to the Murder On August 29, Sarah told her parents that she was spending the night with friends, but instead, she spent the night with Dominguez. When her parents found out, her father went to look for her the next day and found her with Bruno at his family’s apartment. Sarah and her parents argued, and Sarah told them about her engagement. Diane was very upset and said that she was going to go to the authorities and report Dominguez for statutory rape. If nothing else, she hoped to have him deported. They also grounded Sarah for the rest of the Labor Day weekend and took her car keys. During the following days Sarah, who had a key to Speegle’s apartment, was in and out of the guesthouse for various reasons. Both Diane and Sarah called Matt Johnson, who was away at college, on the night before the murders. Matt said his mother cried about Sarahs relationship with Dominguez and expressed how embarrassed she felt by Sarahs actions. Uncharacteristically, Sarah seemed to accept her parents punishment and told Matt that she knew what they were up to. Matt did not like how the comment sounded and almost called his mother back, but decided not to because it was so late. The next day the Johnsons were dead. DNA Evidence DNA testing showed that blood and tissue belonged to Diane on Sarah’s pink robe, along with DNA that matched Sarah. Gunshot residue was found on the leather glove, and Sarah’s DNA was found inside of the latex glove. Diane’s DNA was also found in the blood that was on the socks Sarah was wearing on the morning her parents were killed. Sarah Johnson is Arrested On October 29, 2003, Sarah Johnson was arrested and charged as an adult on two counts of first-degree murder to which she pleaded not guilty. Nancy Grace Helped Prosecutors One of the big problems that the prosecution had with a major piece of evidence had to do with the pattern of blood splatters found on the pink robe. Most of the blood was on the left sleeve and the back of the robe. If Sarah put the robe on before shooting her parents, how did so much blood get on the back? While the prosecution was struggling to put together a viable explanation for the location of the blood on the robe, Sarahs defense lawyer, Bob Pangburn happened to appear as a guest on the Nancy Grace Current Affairs program. Nancy Grace asked Pangburn about the blood on the robe, and he said it showed possible contamination of evidence and that it actually could help exonerate Sarah Johnson. Nancy Grace offered another explanation. She suggested that if Sarah wanted to protect her body and clothing from blood splatter, that she could have put the robe on backward. Doing that would act as a shield, and the blood would then end up on the back of the robe. Rod Englert and other members of the prosecution team happened to be watching the program, and Graces theory provided them with a reasonable scenario that would result in the blood patterns that were on the robe. Court Testimony During the trial, there was a lot of testimony about Sarah Johnson’s inappropriate behavior and lack of emotions about the brutal murder of her parents. Neighbors and friends who offered comfort to Sarah on the day her parents were killed said that she was more concerned about seeing her boyfriend. She also did not seem traumatized, which would be expected if a teen went through the experience that she had inside the house when her parents were gunned down. At her parents funeral, she talked about wanting to play volleyball that evening and any sadness that she displayed seemed superficial. Witnesses also testified about the troubled relationship between Sarah and her mother, but many also added that it was not that unusual for a girl her age to fight with their mother. However, her half-brother, Matt Johnson, gave some of the most insightful testimony about Sarah, although it also proved to be some of the most damaging. Johnson described her as a drama queen and a good actor who had the propensity to lie. During part of his two-hour testimony, he said that the first thing Sarah told him when he arrived at their home after finding out his parent’s had been murdered, was that the police thought that she did it. He told her he thought Dominguez did it, which she vehemently denied. She said that Dominguez loved Alan Johnson like a father. Matt knew this was not true. She also told him that at 2 a.m. on the night before the murders, that someone had been to the house. Her parents checked the yard to make sure no one was out there before they went back to bed. She had not provided this information to the police. Regardless Matt did not believe her but did not challenge what she was saying. In the weeks after the murders, Matt testified that he avoided asking his sister about the murders because he was afraid of what she might tell him. The "No Blood, No Guilt" Defense Some of the strongest points that Sarah’s defense team made during her trial had to do with the lack of biological matter found on Sarah or her clothing. Investigators found nothing in her hair, hands, or anywhere else. Experts testified that with Diane having been shot at such close range, it would be impossible for the shooter to avoid being sprayed with blood and tissue and yet none was found on Sarah who underwent two complete physical exams on the day of the murders. Her fingerprints were also not found on the bullets, rifle or the knives.  However, there was one unidentified print found on the rifle. The testimony of cellmates of Sarahs who testified about some of the damaging comments she made regarding the murders was challenged. One cellmate said that Sarah said the knives were placed on the bed to throw off the police and make it look like a gang-related shooting. The defense fought to have the testimonies thrown out because the cellmates were adults and the law forbids incarcerated minors to be housed with adults. The judge did not agree, stating that if Sarah could be tried as an adult, she could be housed with adult prisoners. The defense team also questioned Matt Johnson about the life insurance money he would get if Sarah were out of the picture, insinuating that he had a lot to gain if Sarah was found guilty. The Verdict and Sentencing The jury deliberated for 11 hours before finding Sarah Johnson guilty on two counts of murder in the first degree. She was sentenced to two fixed life prison terms, plus 15 years, without the possibility of parole. She was also fined $10,000, of which $5,000 was allocated to go to Matt Johnson. Appeals Efforts for a new trial were turned down in 2011. A hearing was granted for November 2012, based on the possibility that new DNA and fingerprint technology that was not available during Sarah Johnsons trial may prove that she is innocent. Attorney Dennis Benjamin and the Idaho Innocence Project took on her case pro bono in 2011. On February 18, 2014, the Idaho Supreme Court  rejected Johnsons appeal.

Free Essays on Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage By Serena Irani 16/01/05 The issue of same-sex marriage has been debated in the world for many years now. This topic concerns especially the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. What is their personal opinion on this subject? Who is with and who is against? All religions view human sexuality as a potential source of sin. Non consensual sex, unsafe sex, manipulative sex are generally regarded as sinful. Many regard recreational sex as immoral, and teach that sex must be restricted to loving, monogamous committed couples. Some insist that it is only moral within a marriage. But faith groups differ in their beliefs about homosexuality. Some teach that these same rules apply to homosexuals and bisexuals as well as heterosexuals that sexual activity is not sinful if it is consensual, safe, non-manipulative, and within a committed relationship. Others teach that homosexuality is an intrinsically disordered, abnormal, chosen, and unnatural behavior, which is always sinful, regardless of t he nature of the relationship between the participants. For Jewish communities, there are two primary questions. First, should they legalize same-sex marriage, offering homosexual couples the same legal benefits that married heterosexual couples have? Secondly, should rabbis perform same-sex Jewish weddings, and if so, can these ceremonies be considered kiddushin (the Hebrew term for holy unions)? This would give them the same status as heterosexual marriages. The four primary liberal Jewish denominations- Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and Orthodox- have been fighting with these questions for over a decade. The Reconstructionist movement expressed its support for the full inclusion of gay men and lesbians in all aspects of Jewish life in its 1992 Report of the Reconstructionist Commission on Homosexuality. The report affirmed the holiness of homosexual relationships and the need to affirm the... Free Essays on Same-Sex Marriage Free Essays on Same-Sex Marriage Marriage is the basis for procreation and child rearing, which in turn is the foundation of family and social life. There are indications that allowing polygamous or closely related couples into our marriage system would be dysfunctional in our society. This also applies to same-sex marriages. The social unacceptability of same-sex marriage, the danger of contracting AIDS, and the bad influence on children indicate that same-sex marriage should not be legalized. Homosexual activists, approximately three percent of our population, argue that those who do not agree with them are â€Å"homophobic.† However, that argument is merely prejudiced against society. Society is entitled to have its own opinion. The rights of homosexuals are undoubtedly restricted. Congress’s litigation now describes laws that prevent homosexuals from marrying or adopting. Marriage and adoption are considered a privilege. Those who marry or adopt must obey the laws. No examples in past history occur in which homosexual unions were given the equal rights and legal recognition as heterosexual unions. In a poll taken, American adults were asked if homosexual marriage should be legal; sixty-four percent stated no, while only twenty-nine percent said yes. The same group of adults was also asked about homosexual adoption. Fifty-seven percent said no, while thirty-five percent agreed. By broadening our systematic form of marriage, we weaken the institution as a w hole. Allowing a socially unacceptable union only weakens the bonds of society. The state’s main interest in marriage is to provide financial and emotional security, as well as role models for children. In the current marriage system of homosexual unity, the protection of procreation is properly emphasized. The symbolism of homosexual marriage affects all parties involved. For example, a lesbian or gay wedding has a heavy symbolic message on all guests that attend, including children, cooks, and waiters. Ge... Free Essays on Same-sex Marriage Same Sex Marriage†¦ Agree or disagree? The controversial subject of legalizing same sex marriage in each of the states is getting more and more attention in the legislature. While each state has it’s own determination on whether or not same sex marriages should be recognized, many states do not view a same sex marriage as a legal union. The unanswered question is weather same sex marriage should or should not be legalized. Jonathan Rauch, journalist for The Atlantic, believes that banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory. Marriage is a basic human right and should not be denied to any individual. At various times in U.S. history, other minorities have been prevented from marrying African-Americans for example. Interracial marriage was also legally prohibited in various states until the Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional in 1967. (U.S News) Jonathan’s farther examination of marriage discrimination concluded that banning gay marriage cut same-sex couples off from a host of tangible advantages such as; health and retirement benefits, life insurance, income tax, estate tax, wrongful-death benefits, and spousal, dependent support. On the other hand, marriage benefits cost money. If same-sex marriage were legal gay couples would become eligible for federal benefits and tax breaks. Placing an additional burden on an already strained federal treasury. Taxpayers would end up subsidizing a lifestyle of which many disapprove. To address that issue, the bill introduced on Capitol Hill by Representative Bob Barr, a Georgia Republican, would allow states to ban gay marriage and make it clear that for federal purposes marriage means married heterosexual union. But supporters say that taxpayers benefit from same sex marriages. It puts legal force behind the promise to care for a loved one â€Å"in sickness and in health.† Homosexual partners bound by law to care for one another are less likely to ask for government assistance when... Free Essays on Same-sex Marriage Same-sex marriage By Serena Irani 16/01/05 The issue of same-sex marriage has been debated in the world for many years now. This topic concerns especially the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. What is their personal opinion on this subject? Who is with and who is against? All religions view human sexuality as a potential source of sin. Non consensual sex, unsafe sex, manipulative sex are generally regarded as sinful. Many regard recreational sex as immoral, and teach that sex must be restricted to loving, monogamous committed couples. Some insist that it is only moral within a marriage. But faith groups differ in their beliefs about homosexuality. Some teach that these same rules apply to homosexuals and bisexuals as well as heterosexuals that sexual activity is not sinful if it is consensual, safe, non-manipulative, and within a committed relationship. Others teach that homosexuality is an intrinsically disordered, abnormal, chosen, and unnatural behavior, which is always sinful, regardless of t he nature of the relationship between the participants. For Jewish communities, there are two primary questions. First, should they legalize same-sex marriage, offering homosexual couples the same legal benefits that married heterosexual couples have? Secondly, should rabbis perform same-sex Jewish weddings, and if so, can these ceremonies be considered kiddushin (the Hebrew term for holy unions)? This would give them the same status as heterosexual marriages. The four primary liberal Jewish denominations- Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and Orthodox- have been fighting with these questions for over a decade. The Reconstructionist movement expressed its support for the full inclusion of gay men and lesbians in all aspects of Jewish life in its 1992 Report of the Reconstructionist Commission on Homosexuality. The report affirmed the holiness of homosexual relationships and the need to affirm the...

How I Established My Romance Novels Subgenres

How I Established My Romance Novels Subgenres How I Established My Romance Novel's Subgenres Barbara James lives in New York, and is an avid romance reader and a former academic writer. In this article, she breaks down her latest romance novel's subgenres - sweet, contemporary, new adult - and explains the characteristics and importance of each one. How my novel is â€Å"new adult†New adult is for readers who have graduated from the young adult category, but who face different conflicts and questions than the rest of the 30+ adult group. They are still in the early stages of their lives, grappling with identity, relationships, and career.In Starting Over, Annelise is more conservative than most of her peers: she hopes to be married by the time she graduates university, and to become a stay-at-home mom by the time she’s in her mid-twenties. This is a more â€Å"old-fashioned† life plan than many people in their early-twenties have today, so Annelise struggles with how to fit in with her peers, and is constantly questioning her life plans and decisions.When my novel was finished and I was ready to start working with a professional editor, I knew I wanted someone who was a clear fan of the romance genre.Working with a development editor who also loves romance novelsA developmental editor can be instrumental in either helping you define your genre or tailoring your novel more to your chosen genre. And this was absolutely the case with my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey. She worked for over 25 years as an executive editor at Harlequin, so she really knew her stuff. A developmental editor can be instrumental in helping you define your novel's genre. One way she challenged me fairly early on was with respect to age differences. Annelise could have been older, a graduate student, about 22–24 years old or Rick could have been younger, 24–25 years old. Ultimately, I made Rick ten years old, 28 to Annelise’s 18, because I wanted him to be ready to handle the responsibility of being the husband of a younger, stay-at-home-wife. But Mary-Theresa’s suggestion that I re-think their age difference helped me more firmly establish why the ten-year age gap was important to the story, strengthening each character in my mind.As her work history clearly suggests, Mary-Theresa is a fan of romance novels herself. Working with an editor who has a preference from romance novels was as important to me as their professional backgrounds, which is why I was so happy Reedsy permitted me to search for editors with specific keywords.Starting Over is available in paperback and on Amazon Kindle.Please share your thoughts, experien ces, or any questions for Barbara James in the comments below!

The Primary Shaper of Gender Differences Research Paper

The Primary Shaper of Gender Differences - Research Paper Example Recent studies demonstrate, however, that nurture is a powerful force in affecting so-called â€Å"genetic† or â€Å"natural† gender differences (Sameroff 8). This paper asks: Are gender differences primarily caused by nature or nurture? This paper believes that gender differences, in terms of risk-taking, aggression, cognitive abilities, and language skills, are significant products of nurture, which refers to a host of diverse environmental factors. Risk-taking is commonly believed to be a masculine trait, but sources show that it is the environment, and not genetics, which plays a large role in shaping risk-taking attitudes and behaviors. In â€Å"Gender Differences in Risk Behaviour: Does Nurture Matter?† Booth and Nolen examined if choosing risky outcomes is truly an innate preference reserved for boys. They hypothesized that single-sex settings for girls can enhance their risk-taking behaviors than co-ed settings and these behaviors will not differ from boy s. They recruited 260 students with an average age of 15 years old. The sampling came from Essex and Suffolk counties in the United Kingdom. The researchers used five rounds of lottery to determine risk-taking behaviors. Findings showed that gender differences in risk-taking preferences are affected by the school environment. In particular, girls from single-sex schools take the same risks as boys from co-ed and gender-exclusive schools and more than co-ed girls. Gender mix also affects risk-taking behaviors, where girls in all-girls groups take higher risks than those in mixed-sex groups. Booth and Nolen concluded that nurture variables had a significant impact on risk-taking behavior, where all-girls settings remove traditional gender influences on risk taking. Morrongiello, Zdzieborski, and Normand seek to provide an explanation for differences in risk-taking behaviors between men and women in their study, â€Å"Understanding Gender Differences in Children's Risk Taking and Inju ry.† They compared the reactions of mothers and fathers to their children’s risk-taking actions. Around 52 mother–father pairs participated, where their reactions to their sons and daughters were recorded before and after injuries. Findings showed differences in kinds and reasons of reactions; for instance, mothers were angry at their sons, while for their daughters, they showed disappointment and shock. The researchers quote psychologists Kessler et al: â€Å"†¦What is hegemonic at any given time depends on how the relations among different kinds of masculinity and femininity have been worked out† (17). Morrongiello, Zdzieborski, and Normand conclude that parents have gender-based perceptions, which affect their discipline approaches to their children regarding their risk-taking behaviors. The way they discipline their children, in turn, affects the existence of gender differences in terms of risk-taking. Nurture affects the genetic risks for aggress ion among men, which proves that the environment strongly brings about gender differences in aggressive personalities between men and women. Boutwell, Franklin, Barnes, and Beaver studied if genetic influences interact with the effects of spanking on children’s behaviors. They analyzed statistics from twin siblings that were gathered from a nationwide-survey. Findings showed that spanking can provoke aggression among children, especially for boys, when genetic risks are present. Boutwell et al. believe that boys are more predisposed to violence,

Apple iPhone Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple iPhone - Research Paper Example This paper presents a detailed analysis of the Apple iPhone and its technology overview. In US, the iPhone was released on June 29, 2007 and people were able to buy it at Apple stores as well as AT&T Mobility. Additionally, the project of iPhone was initiated through the direction of Apple CEO Steve Jobs to Apple engineers to appear into touch-screens technology. All through that time, he was considering on working on tablet personal computers. This was in spite of getting various requests for Apple to produce another PDA. However, the development of iPhone as well as its characteristic and applications developed and released on January 9, 2007; Apple CEO Steve Jobs declared their latest product that was the iPhone. The basic release of the iPhone was done in the 2007 (iPhone scale). After that iPhone 3G was released on July 11, 2008. Apple iPhone has released in approximately eighty territories and countries. After that Apple announced the iPhone 3GS in June, 2009 (Vogelstein). The size of iPhone 3G phone is 2.31 by 0.37 inches and net weight of iPhone 3G is 140 grams. Additionally, the iPhone 3GS is having weighs 137 grams on a postal scale. Consequently in contrast, it is 3 grams heavier. The battery of the iPhone 3G is 5.25 WHr at 3.7V and the iPhone 3GS battery is 4.51 WHr at 3.7V. In addition, in the market IPone is available in two basic colors that are black and white. In the same way the memory space of this phone is available in different memory configurations. Now we can have 4, 8, 16, 32 GB of memory available inside the phone. The main screen of the iPhone is of size 9 cm (3.5 in) with liquid crystal display and touch screen. In addition, this screen offers scratch-resistant glass, as well as 18-bit color (rendering 262,144 colors). Moreover, the touch screen of iPhone is designed in a way that it can sense the bare finger, or multiple fingers in case of multi-touch sensing. The gesture and touch characteristic of the iPhone are