Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations Essay - 1

Financial Management in Nonprofit Organizations - Essay Example The researcher found some key differences between the financial systems of both types of organizations. Those differences were mainly related to the sources of finance and its use by the organizations. The main difference that gives rise to all other differences is the motive of both organizations. The motive of the owners of for-profit organizations is to earn higher amounts of money to bring it in personal use. On the other hand, the motive of the management of not-for-profit organizations is to help people and society in resolving key issues. Such organizations get money to use it for the betterment of society. From the study, the researcher concluded that although there are some key differences between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations regarding sources and use of money, but a large number of for-profit organizations also show corporate social responsibility and spend some part of profit on social causes. The researcher also recommended the management committees of not- for-profit organizations to create and implement a proper check and balance system which should eliminate the chances of corruption by ensuring the use of money for social causes in a transparent manner. Introduction Financial management system of nonprofit organizations is generally different from that of for-profit organizations. ... In this paper, we will discuss some of the core issues regarding financial management systems of both types of organizations. The issues will include sources of funds, use of debt, and organizational objectives. We will discuss these issues in order to find some differences between working and financial systems of both types of organizations. Sources of Funds Source of funds is one of the main differences between the financial management systems of both types of organizations. Sources of funds refer to the way through which organizations get money to carryout business activities. There are different sources of funds for both types of organizations. For-Profit Organizations Private for-profit organizations get their funds in shape of profits that they get from their business activities. These organizations do businesses related to different industries and get huge figures of revenue every year. Some companies belong to construction, pharmaceutical, and garments industry, whereas some belong to other industries. Apart from receiving funds in form of profits, these companies also get funds from banks in the form of bank loans. These organizations have to pay back the loan to the banks in a given amount of time at agreed interest rates. If they do not do so, they become defaulters. However, in case of nonprofit organizations, there is no such issue because nonprofit organizations do not get loan from anywhere. For-profit organizations manage proper financial statements to know from where they have received funds and to whom they have to pay back the funds. Government organizations, on the other hand, receive funds from federal and provincial governments to run business activities. The profits are sent to the government to use for development

Role of the United States Government Essay Example for Free

Role of the United States Government Essay Introduction In the recent past, we cannot deny that the media industry has experienced monumental growth both in terms of revenues and global expansion. Like other businesses, such as banking and manufacturing, the media business has enjoyed globalized operations to expand and grow, becoming one of the biggest conglomerates in the world. World media has proactively employed information technology and advancement in communication to expand their operations spanning several nations and continents. The news sector of world media seems to have captured most audience. Big corporations such as Cable News Network (CNN), Fox News, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and CBS dominate the news corporations with a worldwide reach. In the same regard, entertainment media, such as movies and television shows have also experienced immense growth. Companies from the U.S., for instance Walt Disney, Time Warner, News Corporation and New York Times Company are some of the biggest companies in world media market. U.S. firms have been able to pose formidable media entities in print and digital media services. They have also played an active role in asserting the views of the West with respect to the world issues and, therefore, becoming key players in the global media industry. Thus, for such commendable growth to be witnessed, the United States government must have, in one way or another, assisted these firms to grow and expand to the global market. While the U.S. government has always maintained zero interference in media, such policy is by itself is an active role. This essay will discusses the role of the United States government in assisting U.S. firms expand to the international market. Neoliberal Policies of the 1980s One of the most profound roles of the government in allowing growth in media and globalization is the neoliberal policies and stances adopted in the 1980s. The U.S. government with other likeminded governments, such as the United Kingdom, adopted neoliberal policies in the media industry. The term neoliberal is a multifaceted ideology with different meanings under dissimilar circumstances. However, Pickard (2007) argues that the term simply refers to efforts towards privatization, liberalization, deregulation and globalization of an industry. The U.S. government sought to allow the media industry propelling itself as guided by economics and other drivers of business. Privatization Drive Neoliberal polices first allowed and encouraged the privatization of media companies. With regard to this, private investors took up media operations an introduced new ways of running such businesses. Efficiency and competition became the norm and advertising transformed into a target of the competition. Similarly, foreign investors accepted the lure of privately run media corporations and thus created domestic competition that was unrivalled elsewhere in the world. Such competition led to mergers and buyouts; as a result, a few giants were left to compete in the market. Soon, the expansion in the U.S. was only possible in slight increments and, hence, expansion to the global market was paramount. Such magnificent growth in the United States motivated other nations, especially in the European Union, adopt similar policies (McChesney 2001). Open and competitive market gave the U.S. conglomerates an opportunity to invest in other countries. Today, the biggest media firms in the world are the American firms that expanded after privatizations of businesses. Loosening of Restrictions on Ownership Structures Additionally, neoliberal policies reduced restrictions in antitrust laws and cross ownership of business (Yong 2012). This allowed media businesses to undertake both horizontal and vertical integration. Horizontal integration is where a business diversifies its operation by owning subsidiaries of different sectors (Deloitte 2012). For instance, Time Warner is known print media, news networks and movie productions houses. On the other hand, vertical integration can be defined as businesses owning a business with one main stream of business or practice. Thus, loosening of cross ownership restrictions gave room for business to expand to different units and to the global market. A new approach to media business that emerged was the convergence of business. Convergence of business is where two, proportionately big firms, join to share audience as well as brand names (McChesney 2001). A notable case of convergence in the U.S. media industry was the convergence between AOL and Time Warner. While other convergences have also been experienced, the economic results have been mixed. The AOL merger experienced difficult economic conditions that they later preferred to de-converge. In all loosen restrictions on laws has provided for media to explore all sorts of business arrangement. Zero Government Intervention The United States government has always taken pride in itself as one of the most liberal government in the world. The term liberal has been used in the sense that the government adopts a hands-off policy towards the content and the manner in which media houses are run. To this end, the responsibility of ensuring that content and information dissemination is done in a responsible way rests with the media firms. Global Expansion of US Media Industries 5 Such a non regulated media demands that media firms seek professionalism in passing information. Pickard (2007) argues that a media free of government intervention has to go an extra mile in order to gain public acceptance. The U.S. media firm has employed professionalism in reporting and entertaining the public. Democracy and open space that the U.S. government has maintained has allowed media firms expressing varied opinion on different issues. Further, the freedom of expression that has been assured by the constitution and protected by the government has fostered a media that can be termed ‘the peoples’ ‘watchdog’. Thus the government has opened up itself for scrutiny by privately owned media firms in a move that improves on transparency (Reportlinker.org 2012). Such a responsible media has made other nations around the world to envy such media firms. American news networks such as CNN and Fox News broadcast to a lmost every corner of the globe. Many countries have these news broadcasts translated as their differences languages. These firms have been deemed as independent and professional media houses. Such acceptance is due to the good perception that these media firms enjoy back home. The U.S. government, by providing free space, has allowed U.S. media firms being accepted all over the world and, thus, facilitated the expansion. Conclusion From all of the information, it can be concluded that the United States media firms are one of the biggest non-financial conglomerates in the world. Companies such as Vivendi, Sony, AOL Time Warner and Viacom report billions of dollars in revenues. While the firm may appear to operate like other old conglomerates, the companies did not exist two decades ago. The American government played a vital role in fostering media firm expansions. The first change that the government implemented was the introduction of the neoliberal policies that the Global Expansion of US Media Industries 6 government instituted in the 1980s. These policies first allowed private ownership of media firms. Privatization of media firms allowed private investors running media firms and employ sound business practices. Either, privatization of media firms allowed foreign investors seeking stake in these firms and pursuing expansion. Global expansion was a result of massive expansion and competition. The second role hat neoliberal policies played was the loosening of media ownership restrictions. This allowed media houses practicing both vertical and horizontal integration as practiced in other sectors. The final and perhaps the most important role that the government has played is establishing independence of the media. The U.S. government has adopted a policy where the government has fully eliminated itself from the media business. Independence of media has created public trust within the country and beyond. This allows media houses broadcasting and disseminating information in the regions other than the United States. References Deloitte 2012, Where the true growth lies; the market for digital media, Deloitte ConsultingLLP. McChesney, R 2001, Global media, neoliberalism imperialism, viewed 22 October 2012, . Pickard, V 2007, Neoliberal visions and revisions in global communications policy from NWICO to WSIS, Journal of Communication Inquiry, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 118-139. Reportlinker.org 2012, Media industry: market research reports, statistics and analysis, viewed 22 October 2012, http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02088/Media.html. Yong, D 2012, The political Eeconomies of media: the transformation of the global media industries, viewed 22 October 2012, http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/PoliticalEconomiesMedia_9781849664264/c hapter-ba-9781849664264-chapter-008.xml.

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay -- Night Elie Wiesel Jews Nazi Genocide Es

Night by Elie Wiesel Nobody wants to read such a morbid book as Night. There isn’t anybody (other than the Nazis and Neo-Nazis) who enjoys reading about things like the tortures, the starvation, and the beatings that people went through in the concentration camps. Night is a horrible tale of murder and of man’s inhumanity towards man. We must, however, read these kinds of books regardless. It is an indefinitely depressing subject, but because of its truthfulness and genuine historic value, it is a story that we must learn, simply because it is important never to forget. As Robert McAfee Brown states in the preface of the memoir â€Å"the world has had to hear a story it would have preferred not to hear- the story of how a cultured people turned to genocide, and how the rest of the world, also composed of cultured people, remained silent in the face of genocide.† Elie Wiesel has paid much attention to an inner desire and need to serve humanity by illuminating the hate-darkened past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Night is a horrifying account of a Nazi death camp that turns Elie Wiesel from a young Jewish boy into a distressed and grief-stricken witness to the death of his family, the death of his friends, even the death of his own innocence and his faith in G-d. He saw his family, friends and fellow Jews first severely degraded and then sadistically murdered. He enters the camp a child and leaves a man. At the book’s end, Elie bears little resemblance to the teenage boy who left Sighet almost a year earlier. Night is a memoir exquisitely written. Wiesel’s eloquence makes his descriptions seem terrifyingly real and repulsive. It is a book about what the Holocaust did, not just to the Jews, but to humanity. People all over the world found themselves affected by this atrocious act. Even today, there are a number of survivors who are tormented by their experience every day of their lives. The Wiesel’s have, throughout the novel, several opportunities to escape Sighet as well as the camp itself, but they are stubborn in their beliefs and refuse to listen to the warnings. Moshe the Beadle, Elie’s mentor at the beginning of the novel, while Elie is still a deeply religious young man, manages to escape the Gestapo in Poland. He returns to Sighet to deliver his message and to try to warn people of the pending situation. The villagers, however, believe Moshe has lost his mind, find... ...e† was Elie’s body, but it had not only lost so many pounds to make him look like a walking skeleton, but he had been robbed of its soul as well. This is similar to the loss suffered by people all over the world. Although several survivors are still alive physically, their mind and spirit have long been dead, or at least a large part of it. Recovering his spirit, his personality, even his faith, is, when he is released, is the most difficult obstacle for Elie to overcome. Night tells the story of innocent victims. It is the story of people who were destroyed simply because they were Jews. These people had done nothing and yet were tortured, degraded and liquidated for no other reason other than their faith in the Jewish religion and their semitic â€Å"racial inferiority†. Wiesel is a witness to all the horrible things, and by reading his memoir we too, become witnesses. He is a spokesperson for all those who cannot bear to speak and to pass the message on to us, the next generation. We are the ones who are obliged to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. We must take advantage of his eloquence and its importance, which is never to forget, in order never to let this happen again.

Food and Beverage Packaging Innovation Essay

Beverage giant Coca-Cola wants to get a little love for its iconic cola drink from the upscale consumer set, so its decided to create and test-market a sleek set of contoured aluminum bottles for its flagship Coke brand. Yes, we said aluminum bottles. The Atlanta, Georgia USA-based beverage company chose the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in the Big Apple last Friday (February 22) to introduce the attractive, new 250-ml soda bottles, which come in red, black and silver aluminum. Thus far, the beverage company is offering its regular Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero varieties in the red (pictured at left), black and silver aluminum bottles. A Coca-Cola executive at the conference on Friday said the company is test-marketing the upscale-looking aluminum pop bottles in the U. S. , and wanted to introduce them to the influential consumer analysts group as way to get attention and feedback on the new packaging concept. Coke isn’t doing away with its soda cans or plastic bottles. Rather, its test-marketing the aluminum containers as a new packaging option. The beverage marketer also hopes the new, sleek look will attract more younger consumers who are always looking for the next new thing, along with more higher-income, upscale consumers who are into style. Currently, Coca-Cola isn’t selling its snazzy, aluminum-bottled Coke varieties in retail stores. Rather, they have been introduced thus far in select night clubs and bars, and offered for sale at some special events. The beverage marketer is however selling a version of its fairly new Coca-Cola Blak (pictured at left), a carbonated coffee-cola beverage, in a brown and black colored 250-ml contoured aluminum bottle in France. the aluminum bottle’s color is very similar to the color of the carbonated coffee beverage inside. In 2006, Cocoa-Cola bottled Coke and Diet Coke in similar sleek silver aluminum bottles for its year-long M5 promotion. The bottles, which were made for the beverage marketer by Exal USA, won a number of industry product packaging awards and were grabbed-up by consumers as collectors items. Coke also recently introduced a version of its Caribou brand iced coffee line in small aluminum bottles. And Coca-Cola’s number one competitor in the carbonated soda category, PepsiCo, has introduced a version of its Mountain Dew soda brand in aluminum bottles. Exal USA also produces the current red, black and silver contoured aluminum bottles Coca-Cola is test-marketing in the night clubs and at selected venues, and is thinking about introducing to retail food and beverage stores. Coca-Cola is far from the first U. S. everage company to introduce its drinks in aluminum bottles. In fact, the concept of packaging beverages in aluminum bottles begin taking off in the U. S. about two years ago. Juice marketers, energy drink-type bottlers, beer companies and others began introducing beverage products in aluminum bottles in 2005, and the practice is growing. The trend also is catching on in places like France, Australia and Mexico, where some bottlers are doing the same. In Austral ia, beer brand marketer Fosters recently introduced â€Å"Crown Lager† in attractive gold aluminum bottles. Fosters is now exporting the aluminum-clad lager to the U. S. as well. In Mexico, a new beverage called â€Å"Hot Hangover Tea† is being marketed in silver, red and black aluminum bottles. The tea-based drink is said to cure a hangover in addition to tasting good. Of course, is one is drunk and drops the fairly heavy aluminum bottle on a toe, the cure might be worse than the affliction. French juice company Teisseire is marketing a line of juice cordials in 330-ml aluminum containers in retail food stores, cafes and other venues in France. The bottles have a specially-shaped neck which is designed to make it easy for kids to grip. The bottle’s graphics are colorful and bold against a brushed aluminum background. Teisseire–as do all the other beverage companies–say a key selling point of the aluminum bottles, in addition to the sleek look, is that they chill rapidly. The bottles also are 100% aluminum so are recyclable as well. The beer category in particularly is seeing a mini-explosion in the use of aluminum bottles on a selective basis. In addition to Australia’s Fosters, U. S. raft beer marketer High Falls Brewing Company, based in Rochester, New York, has two varieties of beer–Pale Ale and Honey Brown lager–which come in aluminum bottles, and which are selling extremely well, especially in bars and clubs–but also in supermarkets, convenience and liquor stores. Other brewers are following suit and introducing varieties of their beers in aluminum bottles. Being such an international iconic brand though, the fact that Coca-Cola has introduced three of its Coke varieties in the sleek, contoured aluminum bottles is a big deal. Coke’s innovation goes a long way in helping to legitimize the aluminum bottles as viable beverage packaging options. It will obviously be interesting to see if Coca-Cola decides to expand its current pilot-test of the of the contoured aluminum-bottled sodas beyond the night clubs and selected special event venues anytime soon. The company executive at the New York conference said the success of the current pilot programs would be the primary determining factor regarding if and when Coke expands distribution of the aluminum -glad soft drinks nationally to food and beverage stores. It seems to use the Coke in the contoured aluminum bottles would be perfect for selected distribution to upscale retailers like Whole Foods Market, Target, Cost-Plus World Market, Trader Joe’s and the numerous regional, upscale food retailers throughout the U. S. , like Publix in Florida, H. E. B. in Texas, Bristol Farms and Gelson’s in Southern California, Wegman’s on the East Coast, and many others. The same in the UK with retailer’s like Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, for example. We don’t see the aluminum bottles becoming a big-selling mainstay of the giant beverage company’s brand line-up though. Price competition is too aggressive in the carbonated soft drink beverage category to do any serious volume with a package that isn’t dirt cheap to produce, bottle and sell. However, we think the sleek, contoured aluminum Coke drinks could do very well as a niche item at the upscale-type of retailers we mentioned above, as well as be a big hit at higher-end night clubs across the U. S. and internationally. Think New York and Miami in the USA, London, Moscow, Mexico City and a few other international cities where style and beverage choice seem to be synonymous these days. For trend-setting consumers, packaging can be King. Not only that, but if a consumer saves enough of the sturdy, aluminum Coke bottles, they can even melt them down and make something out of them: perhaps a backyard BBQ, a post-modern aluminum planter box for the garden, or a sleek red or silver aluminum wagon for junior. In fact, perhaps Coca-Cola should launch a contest. Perhaps something like: Design the best item made out of used Coke aluminum soda bottles. Not only would that be fun marketing, it would be the green thing to do. After all, reuse is even better than recycling from an environmental standpoint.

Hip-Hop Generation: Its Influence on Youth Culture Essay

Civil Rights- dejure and defacto equality; integration Headquarters – South, Northern Cities Examples – Martin Luther King, Jr. (N.A.A.C.P./Black Church) The Strategy in action Racial Justice – defacto equality; seperation to achieve equality or to create a black state, economy, or society Headquarters – Northern Cities, West, National Chapter (N.O.I./B.P.P.S.D.) Example 1: Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X (Malcolm Little) Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), N.O.I. Example 2: Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale (B.P.P.S.D.) The strategy in action III. Stigmatization, class, and the Welfare State Excluded Agricultural and Domestic workers, many of whom were black or from other minority groups This creates two misconceptions in regards to welfare, and it may have also help institutionalize poverty in black and other minority groups By the id-1970s and early-1980s, stigmatization is fully institutionalized through Reaganomics Legitimized vs. de-legitimized Legitimized- are things that are defended by the state. State sanctioned, approved, taxed and legal activity De-legitimized –non-state sanctioned, non-approved, not taxed, or illegal activity. (Black or grey or underground market) 1) Politics, roots and synthesis locations associated with rap’s birth Political Topics, Ambitions, awareness, anger, etc. + Style of toasts over dub music, live, improvisational soul music, use of samples =Blending of the first two, equipment such as mixers, samplers, open location 2) Black Nationalism’s â€Å"Apex† and Destruction (West Oakland) Internal Colony- (the hood) the literal (or more commonly) figurative understanding of inner-city black, brown, and poor ghettoes as a separate political body, economic market, and social realm 3) The Dub and the Black Arts Movement (Kingston, Jamaica) â€Å"Dub† Music and Influence – late 1960s-early 1970s The Congos – Heart of the Congos 1/28/14 – Chapter on Malcolm X -Grandmaster Flash -Kool Keith – Literal disillusionment – when a leader begins to change their idea and becomes more radical with their ideas – Capitalism/imperialism – (imperialism- capitalism is happening on a global scale) (capitalism) Robin Kelley Demagogue – Predicted his own death 1) Robert Moses – architect that designed the South Bronx Hip-Hop Graffiti (Tagging) Breaking (Battle) DJing (Turntablism) Fashion/Style (affects hi and low income society) Rapping Rap- use of spoken word over sampled instrumentation; one of five elements of hip-hop culture Hyperghetto or neo-liberialism- The state has withdrawn benefits from people in low-society 3) Factors and Questions – The Politics of Abandonment? Political? Economic? W/drawl of jobs being sent to suburbs or nowhere at all Social? Needles given in parks, and the social damage it does Technological? – Connections to Roots/Dubs? – Gang Issues? 4) The Founding Fathers DJ Kool Herc- first DJ to loop records Afrika Bambaata (Zulu Nation)- ran w/ a gang called Black Spades who entered a contest and took a trip to Europe and came back and decided to recruit his members and started Zulu Nation.. Also a DJ Grandmaster Flash- Trained in engineering, and modifies the turntables Clock Theory – Artist used tape to show where to start song on disks 5) Key Subgenres Party Rap Gangsta Rap Socially Conscious Rap Politically Conscious Rap Alternative Rap Other genres, sub genres, etc. 1) Overall Contribution of the Scene; Key Observations 2) The setting, Factors, and Question 3)Major Players 4) Major Successors

Introduction to New Venture Development

Introduction to New Venture Development Executive Summary Poor nutrition leads to obesity which in turn causes illness or even death. According to American Medical Association (AMA), the increase in health related diseases and illnesses have been caused by the increase in obesity and overweight rates. Some of these diseases include: diabetes, cancer, insomnia, heart diseases, and cardicascular disease. An individual’s body weight can be measured using body mass index (BMI). Research has found that, about 20% of adults suffer from obesity having a BMI of 30 or more.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Introduction to New Venture Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More More than 30% are overweight with a BMI of 25 to 29.9. Graph 1 shows the obesity and overweight for children between the ages of two and seventeen years in Australia. There is therefore a strong call for involvement to perk up diet and health in order to curb the illnesses associated with poor nutrition. Nutritionists have argued that, water, fruits, and vegetables can be used to counteract this problem (Sturm, 2005). The aim of this product is to promote healthy eating while trying to fight with the increasing rates of obesity in both children and adults. It has been noted that, people have forgotten their traditional foods and are now relying on highly processed foods which increase the cholesterol levels in the body. Many nutritionists and doctors advocate for the use of fruits in reducing this problem but we think dried vegetables would also do a recommendable job. This product aims at being the market leader not only in Australia but other parts of the world. It aims at providing the best nutrients in its natural form since it is not processed with chemicals. Since the product is in its dried form, it aims as reaching a big market and can stay for long. It will be available in major outlets where even the rich people (who rely on the processed food) can acc ess it easily. This report focuses on the target market for the product, the quality of the product and how it can be used to prevent obesity in both children and adults. Part one of this report focuses on the product itself, how it is made and the opportunities available. It also focuses on the industry that is responsible for creating the product and the pros and cones of that industry in dealing with the product. Part two dwells on the anticipated (financial) performance. This part focuses on the business model to be adopted for the product, the estimated starts of orphan crops include finger, millet, and yams; these are crops that have been neglected for along period of time although they are very nutritious. The advantage of these foods is that they contain high nutrients that have some medicinal value. In addition to that, the traditional vegetable and orphan crops if well preserved can solve the problem of food security that is being experience in most part of the world (Whit e, 2010). This products aims at reducing the high obesity rates that are evident in Australia as it also works as a supplement to the main dishes. This product is provided in its most natural form to ensure that all important nutrients are present for boosting better health. Our team aims at introducing the product to the rich people, the elderly and sick because these people are not very active and take very little exercises. It aims at targeting the rich because; these are people who have been relying on the highly processed food that is becoming a problem to their health (Biggs, 2006). The product will be branded in several colours that symbolize the different elements of the product. For example, national colours will be used to show the origin of the product. Food is a basic need and a right for each individual on the universe, however most people do not have access to nutritious foods and this has facilitated the development of health related complications. The product (dried traditional vegetables and orphan crops), is aimed at helping the larger Australian population that rely on junk foods for their daily meals. The Opportunity There are many opportunities in the market which our team aims to take advantage of in meeting customers’ needs through the creation of awareness of the new product. These opportunities guarantees successes of the product because issues related to health have remained unsolved for quite some time now. Australia is one of the developed nations and almost all food industries focus on the processed food because of the development in technology.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Introduction to New Venture Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These foods seem easy to make and have been able to attract a wide population. However, they have not been able to solve the health related issues (which is a common problem) and instead they have accelerated the m. This has forced customers to incur additional costs as they seek for medical attention. This creates a very good opportunity for the dried traditional vegetables and orphan crops which guarantees sound health. The following table gives a summary of the factors that have created an opportunity for this new product Factor Opportunity Global increase in processed foods available in major outlets where they are accessed by everyone. People are no longer going to the market to purchase foodstuffs as they can get them in the supermarkets in their preserved form. Due to the increased need and demand for processed food. It has proved to be difficult to find a market for the fresh food products. This has resulted in the abandonment of the natural vegetables which contain high nutrients. To satisfy these customers, our product will be dried to ensure that it can stay for a longer period of time and will be available in supermarkets where other foods stuffs are stocked. Most people a re busy and hardly have time to do shopping after work. They prefer to shop during the weekends when they are relaxing. Most of the time they will go to the supermarkets because they are assured of getting everything under one roof as compared to going to the markets This creates an opportunity for the dried traditional vegetables. By branding them in different colours, they attract the customers’ attention and the content speaks for it self. This ensures that, this product is not swept out by other supplementary products. Good health is currently receiving both national and international attention. Many people have realized that, they are responsible for taking care over their health status and beyond what they can not provide, the government comes in. Dried vegetables and orphan crops would not have come at a better time than this. This product is assured of success because of the national concern of good health. Most international organizations are advocating for the use of vegetables in fighting heart disease, and other chronic diseases (National Institute of Health, 2010). Many international organizations such as the World Health organization (WHO) are fighting against increased obesity rates in Australia which has grown at a very alarming rate. This problem is common in children below the age of five years who are likely to develop health complications. To avoid this, these organization are discouraging customers from using highly processed foods and food reach in fats such as pizzas, because they are facilitating obesity in children (Morgan, 2010) Traditional vegetables such as cowpeas bunya nuts and Kakadu plums are the best solution to this problem. They are high in nutrients and contain less fat, if any. These products are also known to assist the white blood cells as they fight with disease causing organisms Powers (2007) noted that, people find it hard to avoid unhealthy foods and it has even become difficult for nutritionist to advice people on which food to take. It is therefore upon the government to ensure that people eat healthy foods. One way would be to raise the taxes on junk foods and make healthy foods (such as vegetables and fruits) available and affordable for consumption. This is a good opportunity for our dried vegetables and orphan crops because we will be able to purchase them at reduced prices enabling as to offer them to the customers at affordable prices. We are also assured of a ready market because the government is creating public awareness on the importance of organic foods. How will the Product be sold The dried traditional vegetables and orphan crops will be sold in supermarkets which are strategically located in both the urban and rural centres in order to reach a big population. They will be offered at affordable prices because the main aim of the introduction of this product is to promote health to all people. After drying, the product will be packed in small, medium sized and big t ins decorated in different colours and with the nutritious values well specified on the tin. They are to be placed alongside other products although the team plans on carrying out a vigorous advertisement to create public awareness. We also plan to open up a small store in Victoria because most of the target population is concentrated in this area. Start-Up Strategy We understand that, the introduction stage is the most expensive stage in the product life cycle. This is the stage when we expect to create public awareness in all areas. To achieve this, our team plans to take orders from major supermarkets while at the same time use direct sales representative to reach the areas that may not be served by the outlets. We expect our start up costs to be approximately $30, 000 with the advertising budget taking the bigger percentage (about 30%). Vigorous marketing will be carried out in the areas where the target consumers are located for instance, near hospitals, schools and colleges. T he team seeks to reach its target population by using printed brochures and small pamphlets that explains what the consumer stands to gain by using the product. The pamphlets will be offered for free for every purchase made. The other percentage will be used for the production process and to pay human resources. Most of this products will be imported from African for, instance Kenya because they have a wide variety of vegetables which are yet to be exploited. Our work will be to dry and package these products before offering them for sale. Performance and Financials Expected Performance During the first year after the product has been launched into the market, we do not expect to make much sales because the product will be in its introduction stage which needs a lot of advertisement in order to create public awareness on the availability of the product.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most of the money collected from sales will be used for further advertisement in order to ensure that, the product kicks off during the growth stage. Since this is a natural product, we expect its sales volume to increase drastically towards the end of the first year so that a lot of profit is collected in the second year of operation. The cost of production depends on the type of vegetable and quantity, but since the product does not go through a lot of process, we expect one kilogram of vegetables or orphan crops to cost about $1.5 and the expected selling price is $3. This means that, our products will earn $1.5 gross profit per every kilogram sold. Some of this profit will be used to cater for the overhead costs while the rest will be saved as retained profits. During the first year, our team expects to sell more than fifty thousand kilograms of dried vegetables and orphan crops fetching close to one hundred thousand dollars as gross profit. This sales volume is expected to incr ease in the second year even though the product is expected to face some competition. During the second year, the product will be differentiated further and packaged in different tins with each tin containing different type of vegetable. Financial Analyses The expected financial performance for the first three years can be summarized in a table as shown below. Year Production cost/kg Selling price/kg Estimated sales (in kg) Gross profit Overhead cost Net profit one $1.5 $3 50, 000 $75, 000 $50, 000 $25, 000 two $1.5 $3 150, 000 $225, 000 $40, 000 $185, 000 year $1.5 $2.5 150, 000 $150, 000 $40, 000 $110,000 As noted earlier, during the first year of operation, we do not expect to make much profit because a lot of money will be used for advertisement. Also the sales are expected to be very low because people will not be familiar with the product. However, in the second year, sales are expected to shoot upwards while overhead costs declines due to reduced advertisement. Wi th time, competition will emerge in the market which is likely to force us to lower the selling price to at least $2.5 in the third year of operation. By lowering the prices we will be able to retain our market share although the overall effect will be a reduction in the profit levels. The product is expected to break even after three years since competition will have risen to significance levels. At this point, the product will be decline stage of the life cycle, instead of allowing the product to die; it will be sold to big companies Business Model The start-up capital will come from members’ contribution (which will be treated as share capital) and contributions from well wishers such as international organizations. Revenue model Having no other products in the market, our main source of revenue will be the sale of our products. With this revenue, we plan to start up other products and services to boost our revenue base and to ensure that our products do not die. Cost mode l Our costs include Product purchases Rent for the production centre Salaries and wages Transportation of both raw and finished products Paying contractors Licensing Market Market segmentation To ensure that our product does not die after reaching the maturity stage, we plan to use the cost leadership strategy. This is a strategy aimed at ensuring that costs remain as low as possible. It is a competitive strategy used by many organizations by giving them a competitive advantage in the market (Hitt, et al, 2009:81). Cost leadership strategy is an indication of how a firm’s theory in successful competition is centred on low costs and prices. It ensures that products of the same value are offered at a lower price in order to attract more customers. By using the cost leadership strategy, we will be able to position the product to target the average customers in the market with little or no differentiation. This strategy uses the low-margin high-volume kind of approach. Key areas in cost leadership are: materials, management of logistics and manufacturing. Consumers’ choices are complex and multifaceted. If consumers were concerned only about getting food at the lowest possible price, alternative agriculture would have a hard time taking hold, because industrial-style farming produces food cheaply. Consumers require the source of food that will be of most benefits to their bodies. Vegetables and orphan crops are the only type of food that can satisfy a wide range of consumers’ need. Most of the government health agencies and departments such as World Health Organization (WHO) have been fighting with the growing problem of obesity and unhealthy eating. They have been advocating for a modification in the health program to include more fruits and vegetable. Research has proved that, diets with a bigger portion of vegetables can lower or even prevent some illnesses such as cancer and heart diseases (World Health Organization, 2004). This is because diets rich in vegetables contain less cholesterol as compared to those rich in carbohydrates or proteins. Obese and overweight people are advised to increase their daily intake of vegetables as this will help them to maintain an incredible figure (Baourakis, 2004). This being the case, our product targets to reach people in hospitals, schools, colleges, and government institutions. By reaching these populations we are assured that our products get to the right people. The elderly people are also our main point of focus because they too need a lot of vegetables to help then in fighting diseases and to grow strong. Vegetables are digested easily and can also be used to clean the stomach. Competition and Risks Being a new product in the market, we are expecting to face some risks and competition although this will not deter us from further production. Having the government fight against junk food by taxing them heavily is a good opportunity for us and we will take full advantag e of it. To be able to survive in the competitive market, we will charge low prices for our products so as to attract a big market. The low cost also gives us a competitive advantage which is a significant entry barrier. By charging low prices, we are able to buy large volumes of goods from suppliers thus we enjoy economies of scale. However, being a cost leader we are prone to face some risks (Hosler, 2008). The first risk is that, in most cases, there is a danger of out competition on the basis of cost. If this happens, the leader will be forced to continuously reduce prices which may not be profitable in the long-term. The other risk is that, the persistent force to cut costs may engrave corners that displease customers because more often than not these low prices will result in the production of poor quality products. Porters’ Five Forces Model Porter developed a structure for analyzing the nature and extent of competition within an industry. His argument was that, in eve ry industry, there are at least five competitive forces which establish the nature of competition within that industry. These five forces apply to our product and are discussed below: Buyer’s bargaining power Buyers have the ability to determine which products will move first and which will not. It is through buyers that a company realizes its competitive advantage in the market. We expect our product to be subjected to the following buyers’ power. Low switching costs Buyers are many and are not concentrated This is a weak force since the buyers have limited bargaining power Competitive Rivalry in the industry Within the food industry, there are businesses which compete with each other for the available market share. These businesses either specialize in the production of similar products or differentiated products. This competition is based on: Low prices Quality Performance High exits barriers Little product differentiation High investment intensity Though th ere are several companies which offer high quality and low cost products, there is still great rivalry in the industry as products are close substitutes to each other. Threat of Substitutes Our product is likely to face many substitutes in the market. Other companies are likely to come up and offer similar products thereby threatening the survival of our product. Threat of entry Dried traditional vegetables and orphan crops product will enjoy the following barriers: Strong economies of scale Brand loyalty of customers Strong capital cost on entry Legal constraints Mergers and acquisitions It stands to win over the threat of entry in the market because; the government has put strong entry barriers. Supplies’ bargaining power Flexibility to the industry’s request Volume and price provided Concentrated suppliers High switching cost The suppliers bargaining power is weak over the buyers’ and could always lower their prices to ensure a share of the buyersâ⠂¬â„¢ prospective profit. Environmental Analysis SWOT Analysis SWOT is an acronym for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In order to understand where our product stands in the Australian market, we have first to analyze the strengths and opportunities of the product as well as the threats and weaknesses that the product will be exposed to. Strengths 1. Marketing power growth- strong brand creation through cross-promotion 2. Strategic expansion through customer-focused innovations 3. High turnover growth 4. A strong market strategy 5. Strategically placed to fight competition Weaknesses 1. Low profit margins 2. Lack of a well thought future market strategy Opportunities 1. Increased economic development 2. An unfulfilled customer need 3. Rise in per capita income 4. Increased technological advancement Threats 1. Industry rivalry 2. Entry of new firms 3. Strong government regulations 4. Competition 5. Emergence of substitute products PEST Analysis Political Free and f air government which promotes equality Fair Trade Practices Consumer Protection Taxation policies Economic Factors affecting the GDP- for instance employment, inflation, and government spending More disposable income Seasonality issues Developed Australian economy Socio-cultural Lifestyle trends and consumer preferences Demographic changes Increased consumer spending Multi-cultural society Technological Innovation capacity Improved infrastructure Australia is among the technologically advanced nations in the world The forces described above helps in the determining the market growth (or decline) of our product and the implication of its strategic business unit. If an economic recession occurs, the economic forces would have a considerable bearing on the future market strategies through ripple effects on the political and socio-cultural factors. Political factors put a restriction on the development of the industry by putting tough taxes and regulation requirements. Aus tralia has been experiencing low tariffs barriers which have led to an expansion in the international trade thereby resulting in increased demand for food products. Australia’s economic growth potential is facilitated by its demographic advantage and could therefore open up opportunities for industry development. Although the Australian economy has been doing well and the future is promising, our product has to overcome some obstacles before it realizes its full potential. First there is the government requirement which it has to adhere to before being allowed to operate, increased capital costs, requirement of skilled labour force, and rivalry from other firms. To add to these risks, the product is not guaranteed of a ready market in the rural areas making it a risky undertaking. Exit Strategy Since we may not be in a position to continue the production of our product because of competition, we plan to sell it to one of the major food industries in the country. Depending on the circumstances, we may even choice to emerge with big grocery firms and continue producing the product. Another option would be to franchise our product so that we maintain our market share and even attract new customers. All this will depend on the performance of the product after three years of operation. Reference List Baourakis, G., 2004. Marketing trends for organic food in the 21st century, Volume 3 Marketing Trends for Organic Food in the 21st Century. World Scientific Biggs, M., 2006. Overweight and obesity in Australia Web. Web. Hitt, M., et al, 2009, Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases. London, Cengage Learning Hosler, A. S., 2008. Assessing retail fruit and vegetables availability in urban and rural underserved communities, Public health research, practice and policy, 5(4): A123 Web. Morgan, C., 2010. Should the government control; what we can and can not eat? Web. Web. National Institute of Health, 2010. DINE Healthy: Diet improvem ent software Web. Available at:  https://rtips.cancer.gov/rtips/programDetails.do?programId=286002 . Powers, S., 2007. Organic for Health. New York, Sandra Powers Sturm, R., 2005. Childhood obesity- what we can learn from existing data on societal trends, part 1. Public health research, practice, and policy Web. White, Anne, 2010. Why organic Food costs so much Web. Available at:  https://blog.mint.com/trends/organic-food-07082010/ . World Health Organization, 2004. Fruit and vegetable for health, Report of a joint FAO/WHO workshop, Kobe, Japan Web. Available at:  https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/fruit_vegetables_report.pdf .

Anastasia Hatzis Essay Example

Anastasia Hatzis Essay Example Anastasia Hatzis Essay Anastasia Hatzis Essay I wake up every morning, looking at the so called bed and study area I possess, known to me as my bedroom, and only that, no study, only sleep!I used to find myself staring at my beautiful, most favorite posters on my wall. Thats right, the most beautiful, and who else could that be, but Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears! These were my prize, most valued possessions. They came everywhere with me, to my beach house, to summers camp and even miniature versions in my locker.Some or actually everyone who sees them thinks I am rather strange, or how shall I put it, OBSESSIVE! No one seems to relate to my fascination or to support it when all I ask for is a Britney Doll for my Birthday. Dont you want makeup, like every other 16 year old? they question. But no, Britney and Justin are my favorite, most suited celebrity couple, even though, due to unfaithful acts on Britneys behalf, they cease to remain partners. But I know in my heart that they will reunite sooner or later and discover th eir love has survived through all the heartache and celebrity rumours, after all, did Cameron Diaz REALLY think she could keep a much younger drop dead gorgeous guy like Justin interested? Just because Naomi Watts has managed to keep Heath Ledger on a leash, doesnt mean Justin wont run away!Now due to my total fixation with Brit and Justin I have entered every possible competition, as every dedicated fan should, even mildly related to them. Two years ago I participated in the Dolly magazine comp, in thirty words or less, why should you have lunch with Britney and Justin?Now I have to admit, my application for that competition wasnt the best but I really, truly wanted to meet them and when the winner was announced on the radio, I was in tears, knowing that I had missed out on a chance of a life time! What was even worse was that the girl who won wasnt even a true Britney and Justin fan! When she was told she had won, she just let out an absolutely fake squeal, and made comments about wanting Justin for herself, and never really liking Britney! Now how could one even think of breaking up such a worshipped couple?Thats when I ask myself, what kind of maniacs are in our society, what will be the future for these severely unbalanced people, wanting to destroy happiness and beauty, for the sake of personal gratification?Moving on from such a horrifying experience, required perseverance and goals. I slowly came to terms with the fact that someone else had won and I wasnt going to meet Justin and Britney any time soon, so I devoted my time into renovating my BRITNEY ; JUSTIN- together 4ever shrine on top of my book shelf. I set out time frames and goals of competitions and managed to collect every printed picture of either of them over two whole years!Next came the BREAKUP! I wasnt able to go to school for two days, knowing that they had separated, the couple who were so gorgeous together, and the couple who had earned a place on my wall for so long, the couple who ha d looked so in love! Extensive research and numerous enquiries developed into more heartache, when it was proved that Britney had infact cheated on Justin with one of her male dancers. I wasnt able to look at the poster of Britney for several weeks, and every time I would wake up in the morning I would turn around quickly, in just enough time to only catch a glimpse of her! Finally I came to the conclusion that Britney was human after all and had not intentionally meant to break Justins heart, so I forgave her and once again set out on my quest to meet them.Soon after the breakup, I received a phone call from Britneys advertising agency notifying me of winning first prize in the Britney and Justin fan site on the net competition. I had not even entered and now I had won! I had spent about two years putting the page together, but had never expected to be rewarded for it! It was like a miracle, I had won the chance to fly to L.A and spend a day with Britney or Justin! Thats when I rea lized what I had been told. I had to choose, Britney OR Justin. It was unthinkable, to have to choose between my favorite two celebritys, it was like an all time disaster!I explained to the man on the phone that I had to meet both, and they had to be together, but he said that it was impossible, since they had both refused to be in the same city, let alone room together!After hours of contemplating, I decided that I would spend the day with Justin Timberlake. It was one of the most difficult decisions I had ever made in my entire life, and I was hoping it was the right one.Before long I was sitting on a plane, waiting to land, longing to meet Justin. I got off my plane and as I was looking for my ride to my hotel I could hear yelling and screaming and when I turned around I was face to face with BRITNEY and JUSTIN. Thats right, I was finally granted my wish, I was able to see the two of them together! I interrupted their argument and introduced myself, explaining that I was the one who had won the competition to meet them. They both stared at me for less than ten second and then Britney told me to get lost and stop annoying them! I was emotionally ruined! I had spent my whole life, or as long as I could remember, dreaming of this moment and know it had passed in less than one minute.I was speechless, I just turned and ran away, ran as far as I could, and didnt stop till I collapsed. I ended up in the airport toilets crying and wishing I was back home.It was then that I realized that I had built up such a powerful image of them, without even knowing them, and now it had been crushed, but not only crushed, it had been ruined for ever and I found myself wondering why I had wasted so much of my time on them. They were high profile celebrities, of course they didnt care what I wanted, they had to much power, and with to much power came to much selfishness!!!!!!!!;

How Evolution Explains Zebra Stripes

How Evolution Explains Zebra Stripes It turns out that zebras are not referees at the horse games as many children may think. In fact, the patterns of the black and white stripes on a zebra are an evolutionary adaptation that has benefits for the animals. Several different and  plausible hypotheses have been proposed for the reason behind the stripes ever since Charles Darwin first came on the scene. Even he puzzled over the significance of the stripes. Over the years, different scientists have suggested the stripes could either be to help camouflage the zebras or confuse predators. Other ideas were to lower body temperature, repel insects, or to help them socialize with one another. The Evolutionary Advantage of Stripes A study, done by Tim Caro and his team from the University of California, Davis, pitted all of these hypotheses against each other and studied the statistics and data gathered. Remarkably, the statistical analysis showed over and over again that the most likely explanation for the stripes was to keep flies from biting the zebras. Although the statistical research is sound, many scientists are careful about declaring that hypothesis the winner until more specific research can be done. So why would stripes be able to keep the flies from biting the zebras? The pattern of the stripes seems to be a deterrent to the flies possibly due to the make up of the flies eyes. Flies have a set of compound eyes, just like humans do, but the way they see out of them is much different. Most species of flies can detect motion, shapes, and even color. However, they do not use cones and rods in their eyes. Instead, they evolved small individual visual receptors called  ommatidia. Each compound eye of the fly has thousands of these ommatidia that create a very broad field of vision for the fly. Another difference between human and fly eyes is that our eyes are attached to muscles that can move our eyes. That allows us to be able to focus as we look around. A flys eye is stationary and cannot move. Instead, each ommatidium collects and processes information from different directions. This means the fly is seeing in several different directions at once and its brain is processing all of this information at the same time. The striped pattern of a zebras coat is a sort of optical illusion to the flys eye because of its inability to focus and see the pattern. It is hypothesized that the fly either misinterprets the stripes as different individuals, or it is a sort of depth perception issue where the flies simply just miss the zebra as they try to feast on it. With the new information from the team at the University of California, Davis, it may be possible for other researchers in the field to experiment and get more information about this very advantageous adaptation for zebras and why it works to keep the flies at bay. As stated above, however, many scientists in the field are hesitant to back this research. There are many other hypotheses as to why zebras have stripes, and there may be several contributing factors as to why zebras have stripes. Just like several human traits are controlled by multiple genes, zebra stripes may be the equivalent for the zebra species. There may just be more than one reason as to why the zebras evolved stripes and not having flies biting them may just be one of them (or a pleasant side effect of the real reason).

Reserach utilization project proposal Research Paper - 1

Reserach utilization project proposal - Research Paper Example With more nurses opting to work elsewhere, newly graduate nurses are absorbed readily in hospital institutions. Ironically, they account for higher turnover events, in a rate of 35% to 60%, compared with senior nurses (Weng, Huang, Tsai, Chang, & Lin, 2010). As new nurses are fresh from school room settings, they need to cope with â€Å"issues of...organizational structure, and group work that may be new to them† (Santucci, 2004, p. 274). Due to lack of professional confidence and excessive work pressures, 30% leave their posts a year after entering the job (Lavoie-Tremblay, Lecler, Marchionni, & Drevniok, 2010). Despite excessive occupational stress, nurses in transition still seek work stability through promotion of â€Å"autonomy and...collegiality among nurse peers† (Altier & Krsek, 2006, p. 70). Yet, older and younger generations of nurses are conflicted by varying work ethics, compounding problems on personnel retention. Thus, occupational pressures and intragener ational conflicts are plausible sources job dissatisfaction and shift in careers -- accounting for higher turnovers in nurses. As shortages continue, serious implications are observed. There is said to be a direct correlation between higher number of patient load with the risk of client death--with 7% increment in probability of death in surgical wards. Quality care is greatly reduced with unequal nurse-patient ratio. Mediocre services mean lower admissions, reducing profits and financially straining institutional operation. Not only are nurses placed at critical professional points, their actions threaten lives of clients, and discredit reputation of affiliated institutions; these manifest severe outcomes of nursing shortage on overall condition of citizens dependent on effective and reliable health provisions--in strict societal terms. In remedy, addressing crucial aspects of job satisfaction in work environment can serve profound effect in health care organizations. Prior to this, a

Eisenhower Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Eisenhower - Essay Example Gerras’ critical thinking model can be used extensively to discuss the decisions made by Eisenhower during the war. The critical thinking model proposes that there are many step to be considered before an individual makes a lasting decision, since there are many aspects to the decision at hand. The first major step proposed by Gerras is the issue of clarifying the concern or main problem, which in the case of Eisenhower, came in different types. Gerras’ critical thinking model can be best used to analyze Eisenhower’s decision to support Gaulle to President Roosevelt and the decision concerning General Patton’s slapping incident. An analysis of the decision on de Gaulle can reveals the critical thinking steps that Eisenhower went through to make the decision. The first step that Eisenhower took is the clarification of the concern, or the identification of the problem as applied to the current situation. The problem in this case was the infringement of polit ics in de Gaulle’s and Giraud’s aim to control the Free French Movement.1 The decision to be made had to be critically analyzed to determine the implications, concerns, available information, point of views, and finally, the main decision. From General Eisenhower’s point of view, he believed that the French Committee of National Liberation was in the best interest of the allies.2 The other decision made by Eisenhower was the decision concerning General Patton’s slapping incident, where Patton was accused of slapping two ill soldiers, yet Eisenhower decided to retain him as one of his top commanders. The slapping incident and the subsequent decision demonstrated Eisenhower’s critical thinking abilities. Using Gerra’s critical thinking model, many factors come up, for instance, the decision or concern was whether to fire or retain Patton. The second factor was the evaluation of the information received, Eisenhower received the information afte r the act had happened, and did not seriously consider firing Patton. The most important factor in the critical thinking model is the evaluation of available information. From General Patton’s case, the information that Eisenhower needed to analyze included the costs of firing and replacing Patton. After this analysis, Eisenhower decided that Patton was too valuable to the war, and thus decided to retain him, though at a position without major command. This demonstrates that Eisenhower’s decisions in the war can be demonstrated using Gerra’s critical thinking model. Question 2 An analysis of Eisenhower’s decision in the war also leans on the negative, where it can be concluded that he sometimes made unwise decisions. This part of the analysis on Eisenhower will focus on one major decision made by the General, the decision to leave Fredendall in position for too long. This decision will be analyzed using Allen and Coates (2009) decision-making model. This essay will focus on two parts of Allen and Coates models; the rational and incremental decision-making models. The rational model will be applied by considering the consequences step of the model, and the incremental model will be considered by applying one characteristic specified by the model. The rational model of decision-making is a model that can be applied to decisions that require a lot of input and thought. Eisenhower’

Ethics in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in Business - Essay Example Whenever there is discussion about saving or preserving ecosystem, majority concentrates about land and very few people pay attention to sea and species living in it. The attention of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and towards preserving fish and limiting annual catch limit is worth appreciating, as very few people pay attention to this aspect of the ecosystem. It is really very important for balanced Ecosystem. This proposed regulation will certainly affect people in fisheries business as with the implementation of this regulation Annual Catch Limit will be fixed, and people in fisheries business will be able to catch fish up to the specified annual catch limit only. 2) The proposal is to make changes to 5 fishery ecosystem plans in order to create a method or rule to specify annual catch limit (ACLs) & accountability measures (AMs) (Sutinen Jon G., 2005). The suggested proposal will be helpful in balancing eco system and mainly concentrates on the problem of over fishing. The proposal specifies that fishery management plan of every council must contain a method to specify annual catch limit, to prevent over fishing. Accountability measures are also needed to diminish or correct any surpass of annual catch limit.

Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Strategies - Essay Example The company’s speciality operation includes royalties and licensed fees from licensed locations, revenue from the sales of branded products through retail and foodservice revenue from the sale of coffee to institutions. While the sale of branded products through retail and foodservice accounts for only a small proportion of the company’s total revenue, it is instrumental in developing and building brand loyalty. The bulk of the revenue from this segment stems from the US division, where Starbucks has a licensing relationship with Kraft Foods Inc to sell branded products, including Starbucks coffee. Through the Kraft partnership, distribution has also been expanded into Canada and the UK. The company also operates two joint ventures in which it has a 50% equity interest: North American Coffee Partnership, a joint venture with Pepsi-Cola Co to develop and distribute bottled Frappuccino and Starbucks DoubleShot coffee drinks, and Starbucks Ice Cream Partnership, a joint venture with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream to develop and distribute ice cream products. (Spulber, 2007) Starbucks also has a partnership with Jim Beam Co, a unit of Fortune Brands Inc, to manufacture and market Starbucks bran ded premium coffee liqueur products in the US and Canada. Market performance for the third quarter 2007 continued to be positive for Starbucks in the US, with strong single digit growth for the brand in the premium coffee segment. Financial performance has been strong, with total revenue increasing by over 22% in the fiscal year ending September 2006. Both operating segments saw strong levels of growth, with the company-operated segment increasing by over 21% and the speciality segment up by over 23%. (Michelli, 2006) Within the company-operated segment, sales growth has been driven by outlet expansion, but comparable store sales has also been

Should priciples of justice in a community begin with the maximin Essay

Should priciples of justice in a community begin with the maximin assumption evident in John Rawls' work A theory of justice - Essay Example Rawls was primarily concerned with questions of how best social justice could be organized as a â€Å"basis structure† in a liberal and democratic society (Ibid: 6). For Rawls, his idea of justice was directed at how a societys main political, social, and economic institutions should cooperate together in distributing fundamental rights and duties to everyone in an ordered society (Ibid: 6). His objective of A Theory of Justice, published in 1971, was to provide an alternative solution to the then dominant utilitarian principle of justice, which held that, a society is â€Å"right and morally just,† if major institutions maximized what is intrinsically good, to the satisfaction of the vast majority of people in a society (Ibid: 21). In rejecting the utilitarian principle of utiltiy, Rawls set forth his conception of justice, which was egalitarian in nature. It would perhaps be helpful to look at some definitions of justice, before analyzing Rawlss conception of justice. The dictionary of legal theory define justice as the set of moral and political constrains on human interactions (Bix, 2004: 108). There have been significant debates about the nature and source of standards of justice, and some sceptical thinkers argued that standards of justice were grounded only in the conventional views of society, or in a communitys traditions (Ibid: 108). Other theories viewed the principles of justice as a general agreement among people under certain ideal conditions. A traditional view of justice described standards that are eternal and unchangeable, established by God, the nature of the universe, human nature, or some combination of these (Ibid). D.D.Raphael (2001:1), a theorist of justice, recognized justice as a complex concept that pervaded social thought, and is basic to law, ethics, and politics alike (Raphael:1). In social and political ethics,

Contemporary Retailing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Retailing - Essay Example Contemporary Retailing The question outlines about the approach of the retailers which has undergone a radical shift in the last 30 years. The question of discussion in this context will be how retailers have moved from being market – driven company to a market driving company. This shift has been termed as growth by various industry experts and practitioners around the world. The study will therefore mainly discuss about the factors that led to this drastic change and growth of the retailers. In addition, the potential implication of the same will be evaluated in the context of current market scenario. Before getting into deep, the study will throw light on the differences between the concepts of ‘market driven’ and ‘market-driving’. There are drastic differences between the two concepts; a company which is market driven mainly reacts to the need of the customers. These companies generally bring the changes in their system on the basis of the changes in consumer dynamics. On the contrary, companies which are deemed as market driving are more future oriented and have better ability to envisage the future. These companies constantly come up with new products and services and surprises customers with their innovative offerings. Now the statement which will be evaluated is ‘retailers have moved from being ‘market-driven’ to being ‘market-driving’ in that their power has increased significantly in the last 30 years’.... The question of discussion in this context will be how retailers have moved from being market – driven company to a market driving company. This shift has been termed as growth by various industry experts and practitioners around the world. The study will therefore mainly discuss about the factors that led to this drastic change and growth of the retailers. In addition, the potential implication of the same will be evaluated in the context of current market scenario. Before getting into deep, the study will throw light on the differences between the concepts of ‘market driven’ and ‘market-driving’. There are drastic differences between the two concepts; a company which is market driven mainly reacts to the need of the customers. These companies generally bring the changes in their system on the basis of the changes in consumer dynamics. On the contrary, companies which are deemed as market driving are more future oriented and have better ability to en visage the future. These companies constantly come up with new products and services and surprises customers with their innovative offerings. Now the statement which will be evaluated is ‘retailers have moved from being ‘market-driven’ to being ‘market-driving’ in that their power has increased significantly in the last 30 years’. The market driving approach has allowed them to experience the competitive edge as well as increased power (Bhasker, 2006). This is because the dependence on consumer preferences has greatly reduced as with constant innovation they are actually creating and changing the preferences of the consumers. On the contrary, a retailer which pursued market driven

Should priciples of justice in a community begin with the maximin Essay

Should priciples of justice in a community begin with the maximin assumption evident in John Rawls' work A theory of justice - Essay Example Rawls was primarily concerned with questions of how best social justice could be organized as a â€Å"basis structure† in a liberal and democratic society (Ibid: 6). For Rawls, his idea of justice was directed at how a societys main political, social, and economic institutions should cooperate together in distributing fundamental rights and duties to everyone in an ordered society (Ibid: 6). His objective of A Theory of Justice, published in 1971, was to provide an alternative solution to the then dominant utilitarian principle of justice, which held that, a society is â€Å"right and morally just,† if major institutions maximized what is intrinsically good, to the satisfaction of the vast majority of people in a society (Ibid: 21). In rejecting the utilitarian principle of utiltiy, Rawls set forth his conception of justice, which was egalitarian in nature. It would perhaps be helpful to look at some definitions of justice, before analyzing Rawlss conception of justice. The dictionary of legal theory define justice as the set of moral and political constrains on human interactions (Bix, 2004: 108). There have been significant debates about the nature and source of standards of justice, and some sceptical thinkers argued that standards of justice were grounded only in the conventional views of society, or in a communitys traditions (Ibid: 108). Other theories viewed the principles of justice as a general agreement among people under certain ideal conditions. A traditional view of justice described standards that are eternal and unchangeable, established by God, the nature of the universe, human nature, or some combination of these (Ibid). D.D.Raphael (2001:1), a theorist of justice, recognized justice as a complex concept that pervaded social thought, and is basic to law, ethics, and politics alike (Raphael:1). In social and political ethics,

International Information and E-Business Strategies Assignment

International Information and E-Business Strategies - Assignment Example In fact, the e-supply chain involves the integration or mixing of e-billing systems, e-procurement systems, and other tools related to e-business. It allows for the enhancement of the company, distributors, and suppliers’ ability to manage their specifications, costs, quantity, and delivery time of products with more productivity automatically. E-SCM is a business process driven by software, in which there is collaboration between suppliers and retailers to give the end customer the best value, as well as to reduce costs (Aka?Li 2011, p. 55). Advanced software solutions and the internet enhance SCM partnering benefits where, through SCM collaboration, the suppliers are able to access retailer logistics and inventory data to meet inventory demands and respond to customized orders efficiently. By developing and using E-SCM, Coimbra Company will have the ability to co-ordinate warehousing and delivery, and improve their reliability and speed to their distributors and improving co mpetitive advantage (Weele 2010, p. 83). By deciding on the development and building of a platform for e-commerce, Coimbra Company has been building on its B2B and B2C platforms. During the period that Coimbra will build its B2C platform, it will apply e-commerce in its discount stores, specialty stores, and supermarkets. B2B e-supply chain management will also be built step by step and will become the keystone in the development of e-supply chain management development in the future. Coimbra will use some strategies in its implementation of e-supply chain management, for example, through ensuring it has good relationships with suppliers and customers with the latter being covered through CRM. Through... By developing and using E-SCM, Coimbra Company will have the ability to co-ordinate warehousing and delivery, and improve their reliability and speed to their distributors and improving competitive advantage (Weele 2010, p. 83). By deciding on the development and building of a platform for e-commerce, Coimbra Company has been building on its B2B and B2C platforms. During the period that Coimbra will build its B2C platform, it will apply e-commerce in its discount stores, specialty stores, and supermarkets. B2B e-supply chain management will also be built step by step and will become the keystone in the development of e-supply chain management development in the future. Coimbra will use some strategies in its implementation of e-supply chain management, for example, through ensuring it has good relationships with suppliers and customers with the latter being covered through CRM. Through the application of advanced technologies into their IT management, in which all members of their ch ain of supply can acquire the most recent raw data to enable them to co-ordinate plans, while also offering timely information that will better satisfy the demands from their partners.  By sharing information through their e-SCM with their trade partners, Coimbra and their partners can depend on one another and allows them to be more cooperative and collaborative. By integrating their supply chain and customer relationship management, Coimbra can offer gifts to customers and adjust advice and complaints in a timely fashion.

Our aim is to investigate how much quicker Essay Example for Free

Our aim is to investigate how much quicker Essay Aim:- Our aim is to investigate how much quicker a reaction happens if the acid we uses strength goes up, and also to see if there is a pattern which could be carried on to higher strength acids. Background Science:- Chemical reactions play a very important part in our life, some even keep us alive (the process of our digestion system is a series of chemical reactions which convert food into chemicals which can be more easily used by our bodies), other circumstances where chemical reactions are used in our bodies that cut down the amount of acid in your stomach, there are also chemicals in washing powder for removing stains by using chemicals called enzymes which speed up the breakdown of the chemicals in stains. All chemical reactions happen at various speeds, such as chemicals in fireworks which react very fast, within seconds of the firework being lit the reaction is over. Slow chemical reactions could be such things as the ripening of cheese so it can mature over time. Some adhesives we use require two chemicals to be mixed depending on the amounts used it could make the glue harden quickly or slowly. Some reactions happen slowly whereas some happen very fast. The name in which we measure a speed of a reaction is called a Rate Of Reaction. It can be measured in two ways, either the rate in which one of the products is produced, one of the products that is produced is gas, you can measure gas in a syringe or in a upturned burette. Another method that can be used is recording mass of the reactant, (how much the mass has added to its weight of lost). The mass could be recorded every minute and could be written like this, 1. 0g/60secs. Variables:- We had four variables to choose from, Temperature, Concentration, Surface area/Pressure and Catalyst. If we were to use temperature we would measure how much quicker the reaction would go if the acid and calcium were heated together, but we would have to keep the temperature at a constant heat as it wouldnt be a fair test if the reactants were getting hotter and colder. If we were to use a catalyst it would be used to speed up the reaction, but this would be unfair because we wouldnt be able to measure how much extra speed is being put in by the catalyst. Or we could change the surface area of the reactant, this would give the acid more of a area to act on, to measure this we would have to weigh the calcium first then expose it to the acid for a certain time and then take it out and weigh it, making sure we use the same concentration of acid each time to make it a fair test. We decided to use Concentration, for this we would change the strength of concentration each time and take a volume of gas that is given off every ten seconds. From choosing the variable Concentration we can measure the rate of gas that is being given of, this could be useful because we could work out how much gas per minute is being given off, from that we can then predict how much gas is being given off for any time you need to find. Prediction:- I think that as the strength of the acid goes up the rate of reaction will go up. Collision Theory:- I think this will happen because the higher the strength of the solution the more particles there are in the solution, which means more collisions more frequently. The acid will hit the calcium carbonate, if there is enough energy in the acid the calcium and acid will react together to give off Carbon Dioxide. The more the particles collide the faster they react. I have made a predicted graph, showing what I think the graph will look like. I have drawn in the lines of best fit showing the steepness of the line. This diagram shows how the acid particles collide with the marble chip to give off a gas. Method:- Set up apparatus as shown above. 1. Measure out desired amount of marble chips. 2. Measure out desired amount of hydrochloric acid 0. 25 mole first, then when all experiments with 1 mole have been completed go onto 0. 5 mole then 1 mole then 1. 5 and finally 2 mole. 3. Fill up the water bowl. 4. Fill measuring cylinder with water up to 100 ml. 5. Holding hand over the top of the measuring cylinder quickly turn it upside down and place it under the water (as shown above). If the water comes out refill the cylinder and try again. 6. Place tube so one end is coming up in the cylinder under water. 7. Put the marbles in the chronicle flask. 8. Pour in the hydrochloric acid and quickly affix the top with the tube coming out of it into the chronicle flask. 9. Decide at what time you will measure how much gas is given off. We decided to take a reading every 10 seconds, we also decided to start taking the readings at 30 seconds. You measure how much gas is given off by the water dropping in the measuring cylinder. E. g. 10 mls given off in the first 30 seconds. 10. Take these readings for 100 seconds using a stop watch to be precise. I am going to take 3 repeats, I am doing 3 because I can get a fair average from these 3 results. From the averages I will plot a graph to compare the different strength acids. Analysis:- (Graphs). From my graphs I clearly show the variable of different strengths of acids. As I used higher strength acids, the time in which the gas was produced got much faster. As the acids get stronger the lines become more inline. Whereas the 0. 5 points were all over the place. From my results I can see that my prediction was correct I think that as the strength of the acid goes up the rate of reaction will go up. I could see that from my results the strength of acid went up and the speed it took to make the gas went down. This links to the collision theory, that is that as the strength of the acid went up there were more particles to collide on the marble, which meant that more gas was given of due to more particles in the small mixture. The higher the strength of acid the more accurate the results became, we can see this because the range bars get smaller as the strength of the acid gets stronger. From the predicted graph I can see a difference in the results graph. The 1 mole strength acid has taken longer than the 0. 5 mole acid to produce the gas. I will explain the possible reasons for this more in my evaluation. Evaluation:- The main difficulty we faced was with the 2 mole strength acid because it reacted so fast we barely had time to read the times precisely. This may have meant we had unfair results. The main anomalous results were the 1 mole results, because from the information we have (collision theory) it tells us that it is stronger than the 0. 5 mole which means it should be lower than on the graph than 0. 5. But it isnt. This may have been because the results were read wrong, the acid we used may have been slightly too strong or the marble chips we used may have been smaller which means it is easier for the acids to break down. To improve the accuracy we could use a burette, which are far more accurate than a measuring cylinder or a gas cylinder. Gas Syringe Burette Computer data collectors are a very accurate way of registering the time, also if you were to use a camera recorder so you could look back at it and pause it when it got to the times when you needed to record a time. The results would never be the same because sometimes the measurement of marble chips maybe slightly more or less, or the accuracy of reading the time would be slightly out etc. As I said earlier in my investigation the results seemed to become more reliable as the strength of acid went up. Although it should be less accurate to measure the time as the acid strength went up it seemed to be more accurate. James Lane 11N Rates Of Reaction Investigation.

Open Source vs Closed Source Systems

Open Source vs Closed Source Systems INTRODUCTION For many years, proprietary software has been the dominating business approach used by the commercial software firms. Industry giants like Microsoft proved this strategy to be successful, building their multibillion dollar empires based on the proprietary software platform. Over the past decade, a new business approach called open source model which involves contributors from around the globe to create, share and distribute software code for free had come into practice (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). Although the roots to this practice of sharing code evolved since early 60s, the widespread usage of internet and the technology developments in past two decades opened new opportunities for open source projects (CNET news, 1998). A number of Open Source Software (OSS) products such as Apache web server, BIND and SendMail have dominated their product categories ever since then (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). In the past decade, several researchers (Wheeler, DA., 2007; Mockus, et al., 2000) have taken interest in studying how open source can be applied to modern business strategies. However, a concern exists that in this area of study that there is no substantial evidence that the practices followed are effective in the business environment (Bitzer Schrà ¶der, 2004). For economists like Lerner Tirole (2000), the altruism shown by commercial companies and programmers involved in an open source software project is surprising. They stated altruism hasnt played a major role in any other industry than software. Several others like Freeman Rogers (2008) and Goetz (2003) contradict this statement by illustrating altruism exist in any industry provided there is proper exposure of the problem towards the contributing community. But most of the researches surrounding open source model considered software industry as the base for their studies. 1.0 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT 1.1 Objective This project work focuses on the study of the Open Source ecosystem (Android) how it differs from Closed source sustems such as those surrounding the iPhone. This project includes the study of the Android Market, (online mobile application store for Android users) application developers, and which factors developers consider for selecting a platform for application development. To understand business strategy development trends across Android and iPhone platforms, we compared the Android market with the iPhone App Store, the leading application store in current mobile market. Apple launched an online application marketplace called the â€Å"iPhone App Store† before launching iPhone 3G. Currently, this store has more than 195,000 applications. To match or surpass the success of iPhone App Store, Apple rivals such as Google and Blackberry introduced their own application downloading stores called â€Å"Android Market† and â€Å"Blackberry App World† respectively. T he Android Market is similar to the iPhone App Store or to any other application store; it boasts a catalog of applications,  services and tools available for the user to purchase download and use. Today, the Android Market also has around 49,000 applications. Thus, the comparison between iPhone and Android application stores will help explain the new challenges faced by these two application stores, and also the demand for these stores in the near future. This study will help understand why Android choose Open Source System and why Apple doesnt, what determines their success, which large companies are directly involved in developing applications for Android, and which factors they consider for developing an application. 1.2 Experimental Procedures This project is based on a semi-automatically collected application database and   surveys to obtain necessary information for proving the hypothesis. (A) Website Data Firstly, application data were collected semi-automatically from the Android Market and iPhone App Store (iTunes store) and other mobile applications related websites, for e.g., Androlib.com, iPhoneapplicationlist.com. This gathered application database includes a list of the application categories on both platforms, number of applications in each category, and application information for the selected categories. (B) Interview Data Next, we interviewed mobile application developers to understand and know their views about Android/iPhone platforms and the ecosystem. To get in touch with mobile application developers, we attended the mobile conferences where they gather to share their views. (C) Survey Data Lastly, all the relevant facts about application developers from the interview data helped us prepare a survey. This web-based survey was prepared and conducted using Survey Monkey. 1.3 Resources Utilized The main resources used during this project were our industrial advisor, our academic reader, Android and iPhone application database, interviews and surveys from mobile application developers. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction of Literature Review In order to achieve success in project implementation, the first step is to research and find information already available. During research, we found many articles related to our topic. This paper is based on the content from these articles. We have divided this section in four main areas: Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). Fundamentals behind the Open Source Platform. Introduction to the Smartphone. 2.2 Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Google has achieved something remarkable with its open-source Android operating system. SinceApples iPhonerevolutionised thesmartphonein June 2007, bringing touchscreens and a beautiful user experience to the masses, its been without a rival. Sure, theres a small legion of BlackBerry fans, and a few Nokia die-hards, but the critical consensus up until about a year ago was that the iPhones achievements were peerless. EnterAndroid. The free, open-source mobile operating system was introduced to consumers with theHTC Dream(also known as theT-Mobile G1) in late 2008, but didnt start gaining steam until the release of theHTC Heroin July 2009. The Hero, armed with a custom user interface called Sense that HTC built in-house, gained rave reviews for its high-end specs and faultless user experience, and appeared on many critics lists of the best gadgets of 2009. The whispers began: Had Google managed to create a platform that genuinely rivalled the iPhone for the best smartphone experience around? This success is starting to show in the numbers. In February 2010, Google announced that more than 60,000 phones with Android on were shipping each day. The Android App Market is also booming, housing more than 30,000 downloadable applications in March 2010, although thats still comparably small when set beside the 185,000 or so Apple has in its App Store. But where once companies had to have an iPhone app, its now understood that they need to offer both an iPhone and an Android variant. Manufacturers havent let the opportunity pass them by, either. At the time of writing, there are around 35 mobile phones, five tablet PCs, three e-book readers and a netbook available that come with Android installed a total of about 43 devices. But thats nothing compared to the amount of gadgets that are purportedly in the works. If you tot up the rumours, statements of intent, leaked documents and roadmapped products from manufacturers, you can add at least another 15 smartphones, 19 tablet PCs, two e-book readers and three more netbooks to the pile. When you combine the totals, you arrive at a figure of at least 82 Android devices either released or in development. The platform has received four major updates since the HTC Dream launched with Android 1.0. Version 1.5 brought camcorder functionality and the ability to use homescreen widgets. Version 1.6 added voice search and a better Android App Market. Then version 2.0 revamped the user interface, added new, larger screen sizes, as well as navigation support in Google Maps. The latest update is version 2.1, which debuted on theNexus One a handset built by HTC but to specifications dictated by Google itself. Android 2.1 brings additional homescreens, animated wallpapers and the ability to use voice recognition to type in all text fields very useful if youre in a situation where you cant use an on-screen keypad, such as when driving. Other devices are starting to appear with version 2.1 as well the Motorola Droid, known as theMilestone in Europe, recently received an update to 2.1, and HTCs forthcoming Legend and Desire handsets come with it installed. Oldhardware=nonewtricks However, the new features available in 2.1 come with increased demand on the relatively weak processors found in most smartphones, particularly in the earlier Android devices. As a result, some handsets cant run later versions of Android at satisfactory speed. Even in those that can, manufacturers have been exceptionally slow at rolling out updates to their device owners, with HTC still not having delivered any update above 1.5 for its Hero at the time of writing. Its difficult to fault Google for wanting to update its core platform as fast as it can. The problem is that its going so fast that manufacturers cant roll out updates to their own software at a speed to match. The upshot for users is that early Android adopters are stuck on two-year contracts looking mournfully at all the fun that new device owners can get, with no knowledge as to whether theyll eventually have access to the new features themselves. This isnt anything new in most cases other manufacturers dont grant older gadget owners access to new features but its tough on Android users in particular because the pace of the updates is so fast. A phone can be out-of-date within months of its release, and in some cases handsets are still arriving with Android version 1.6 installed. App developers suffer, too. Many of Googles home-grown applications Maps, Earth, Goggles and Gesture Search were initially only released for the 2.0 and 2.1 platforms. Some have since gained backwards compatibility to 1.6, but HTC Hero owners, running 1.5, still cant use them. App developers have a tough choice to make: support as wide a range of phones as possible, or offer an app with superior features, but only to those running the latest Android builds. Situationnormal: Allforkedup So what can Google do about the problem? The company is stuck with four slightly different variants of its platform in the wild, and its got a splintered marketplace where one Android user cant necessarily access the same apps that another can, and its confusing and frustrating for end users. The obvious way ahead is to try and force manufacturers to update the software on their devices. Any device running 1.5 should be able to cope with 1.6, and a 2.0 device will manage 2.1. While that still leaves the problem of devices that cant quite cope with the most recent updates, Google should be able to merge its four shards into two a set of 1.6 devices and a set of 2.1 devices simplifying the situation somewhat. However, that relies on the goodwill and resources of a diverse set of companies, and some of those will only have dipped a toe into the waters of Android, meaning that they might be less keen to start devoting significant staff time to mucking around with operating system updates. So Googles got another trick up its sleeve. Recent rumours suggest that the company, in the upcoming version 2.2 update, is planning to de-couple the various applications that run on the device from the operating system itself. The browser, email apps, contacts, input methods and various other components will be downloadable and, crucially, updatable through the Android market rather than needing to wait for a full OS update to be upgraded. When Google wants to update the Gmail app, it can just push a market update, rather than forcing customers to wait for HTC, Dell, Samsung or other manufacturers to approve it. If Google fails to unify the Android platform, a future looms where Android is stuck in a series of ghettoes, with no guarantee that one Android user will be able to run the same apps as another unless they buy a new device every six months. Thats good news for manufacturers, but very bad news for Google and for consumers. If Google manages the transition successfully however, then a unified (or at least consolidated) platform could be easily updated by both Google and phone-makers, depending on whether the update is a critical security issue or a new feature in an application. Time is pressing. The fate of Android rests on what Google does over the summer of 2010. Will the platform fall by the wayside, or will it instead grow to be the Windows of smartphones, carefully balancing openness to app developers with a superior user experience and mass-market appeal? On past form, it seems foolish to bet against Google. Let us also look at the SORT analysis for android: Being a self declared Google and Android fanboy, Im constantly reading and studying about cloud computing and the mobile marketplace whenever I have the opportunity. Ive even begun the very first steps of beginning to learn programming Java for the Android platform, although this is a ‘free time endeavor which is going to take quite some time for me to get even the basic level of proficiency achieved. 2.2.1 SWOT Analyses for GOOGLE ANDROID But one area where I feel comfortable in discussion and analysis is in the business realm, which is why I decided to do a basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. It is a tool used in strategic planning to evaluateStrengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities, andThreats involved in a project or business. A companys Strengths and Weaknesses are generally internal, while the Opportunities and Threats are external factors. To spare most of the readers of this analysis, this SWOT is going to be a little less in depth than a typical SWOT analysis. However, it will be detailed enough to outline and discuss what I feel are the key items in each area of the analysis. STRENGTHS The Google Brand-Google is one of the most well known and respected technology companies on the planet. The fact that they are behind the Android platform gives it credibility and viability in the eyes of potential partners, vendors, and developers. Device Selection-Unlike the Apple iPhone where you dont have any options of hardware suppliers other than Apple itself, the Android OS is open-source and any hardware manufacturer who chooses to do so can use it on their handset. This gives consumers a great deal of selection from which to choose from while also decreasing the lead time to the use of the latest hardware and technological advances in mobile electronics. Competitive Pricing-The Android OS is very cost effective to develop for since it is open source and the licensing arrangements are very vendor friendly. Thus, handsets utilizing the Android OS tend to be prices very aggressively. Google application and services integration-The fact that the Android platform integrates so many of the Google services and applications into its base only strengthens its core capabilities and usefulness. Google items such as GMAIL, Calendar, Reader, Listen, and of course GPS and Maps to name a few integrate seamlessly with the Android OS and make it very simple for users to synchronize their data across platforms from the desktop to the cloud and mobile platforms. Open Source-The Android OS is built from a Linux base using the JAVA Programming language. You can go directly to the http://source.android.com website and find the information and source code you need to build a compatible device for Android. Additionally, Android is a core part of the OHA (Open Handset Alliance) which is a group of companies working together to develop Android as an open and free mobile platform. Google Assets-The Android team(s) has all the intellectual, economic, and influential resources of Google at its disposal to make it a dominant player in the mobile marketplace. WEAKNESSES Multimedia Support-Unlike the Apple iPhone which has the enormously popular iTunes application and marketplace, Android does not have a central or cohesive source of multimedia material nor a centralized player. Although there have been some improvements in applications on the Android platform in this area, at this time there is no â€Å"the† place to go that comes even slightly close to what Apple can offer on this front. However, there are numerous rumors to what exactly Google has in store for a music service of its own to be released sometime in late 2010. Whatever it is, it needs to be extremely well executed to come close to what iTunes offers Apple iPhone users. The one large asset Google has going for it is YouTube, and their recent announcement ofWebM(VP8) could become a lever for multimedia influence in video delivery for Google and the Android OS. Reliance on hardware makers to upgrade-Apple controls the when and how iPhone users will get not only new hardware, but upgrades to the OS and core functionality. With Android, even when Google releases a new version of its OS, it has to wait for the manufacturers to thoroughly test and modify code to make sure it works properly on their specific hardware configuration. Google is addressing this issue as it has announced that it plans to implement more of the core features of its services into the Android OS itself instead of as applications, and to slow down the upgrade releases as the OS matures in the marketplace. Less Mature-Android is not as mature or as polished as the iPhone at this point. It improves with every release, but it hasnt reached the same level of overall user friendliness in its interface that Apple has achieved. Lack of Enterprise Support-Blackberry and even Microsoft still get most of the support when it comes to Enterprise usage. Although both Apple and Google have made some inroads in this marketplace, Android has a very small market share here. It needs to continue to develop Google Apps and its integration abilities with Microsoft Exchange. OPPORTUNITIES The Android OS has a â€Å"HUGE† opportunity to get into the Tablet and e-book reader platform market right now. It cannot afford to sit back and watch Apple dominate the tablet market and eat up the market share as it had done when it released the iPhone. To date, that is exactly what is happening as no major hardware ‘mover and shaker has released an Android based tablet which is a fantastic opportunity if it is executed properly. I want one NOW! There have been several minor releases of Android tablets over the last few months, but none of them are what I would consider a significant product. Either Google itself or someone such as HP, Dell, ASUS, or ACER need to release a killer Android tablet in order for it to gather any traction. These waters only became murkier when HP acquired PALM. Developing Countries-Google has a huge opportunity to develop inexpensive devices using the Android platform in developing countries. The licensing is extremely developer friendly and the upfront cost investments are significantly less than other platforms. The integration with so many of Googles other free services is a natural fit in this marketplace. Developer Friendly-Unlike the recent activities of Apple which has alienated and ticked off much of the developer community, developing for Android is very open and developer friendly. Google needs to take this opportunity to help developers continue to monetize their efforts through improved advertising revenue models and app sales. Growth of smartphone market-The smartphone market is still very immature and there is still a huge amount of growth to take place over the next several years to decade. Google needs to continue to work hard to position itself with its cloud computing applications and services in support of the Android OS. The marriage of these two areas is key to the maintained growth rate and increased market share potential of the Android platform. Embedded electronic devices-The Android OS has huge potential to be a major player in the embedded electronic market as a dominate embedded operating system. With so many devices becoming embedded with smart technologies and connectivity to the cloud, the Android OS is primed to be a major winner there. THREATS iPhone unleashed-If the iPhone is unleashed from the beaten down ATT network and appears on other networks such as Sprint and in particular, Verizon, it could be a real threat to the sustained rate of future market share growth for the Android OS. A significant amount of potential smartphone customers said they would buy an iPhone if it werent on the ATT network. (I was once in this camp, until I discovered the world of Android.) Apple dominance-Apples market share gives it a great influence over developers and old media companies who are dying for a revenue model that will work for them. The ever growing walled garden that Apple is building is a false panacea that the old media companies are holding onto with both hands-the ability to charge users for access to premium content. Apples recent changes in policy and functional restrictions make it the ideal platform to launch such a strategy and recruit the power brokers from this old model. Additionally, the â€Å"theres an app for that† and Im willing to pay for it behavior of Apple iPhone users is of great appeal to developers who see the dollar signs in this market. (Ive yet to pay for an application on Android) This gives Apple influence over developers and makes their huge market share very difficult to walk away from, even when they adopt very unfriendly developer policies. Increased Competition-Obviously, companies like RIM and Microsoft are going to fight for their share of the market and arent going to just give up. In particular, the Blackberry platform which still has huge support in the enterprise market. Platform Fragmentation-This is a huge threat to the Android platform. Although I listed the numerous devices as a strength above, the risk of fragmentation is a real and significant one. This is why Google has recently put a lot of effort into developing ways to minimize this problem. Google does not want numerous custom version of Android to emerge or fork off from their core platform, which is something you see in the Linux distribution network. Google is developing a set of baseline standards for compatibility for its platform. Since Google controls the Android Market, it can maintain significant influence over device vendors to meet the compatibility requirements. If you do a little research on this topic, you will see that Googles standards are fairly rigid, maybe more so than one would expect. Google also plans to adopt aonce-per-yearrelease schedule as well. None the less, managing this risk is a major and real threat to the Android platform. So there you have it, my basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. One underlying issue I feel is worth noting is that Google does not have to dominate, and as much as so many of us would love to see it, it does not have to â€Å"beat† Apple in market share or any other core metric. The only thing Google needs to do is to make sure there is an open platform large enough in the mobile market for its advertising business. Lets face it; Google is not about selling Android devices. Google is about search and advertising, and Apples closed system was a threat to that model which has become even more self-evident over the last six to nine months of Apple policies and maneuverings. Apple recently announced their own Ad network for the iPhone and iPad which could be viewed as a shot across the bow of Google which puts even more necessity on the Android platforms success. The clear advantage that Google has going for itself right now is that Apple (Steve Jobs) is either being indignant o ver what cloud computing actually does and means, or he truly doesnt understand or hasnt figured out how its suppose to work. Considering how intelligent Steve Jobs is, I find it highly unlikely that the second option is the reason, and that his stubbornness and willingness to maintain personal grudges as the likely culprit. 2.3 Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). If theres one company that is the envy of the high-tech community these days, its Apple. Steve Jobs is hailed as a genius CEO and lauded for a string of hit products. Apples market capitalization is over $200 BILLION dollars currently, easily ranking it in the top 10 companies in the world by market cap, and just shy of Microsoft for biggest technology company. Everyone wants to understand the secrets of Apples success and hopefully emulate them. The reasons given by people for Apples success are many. The following are a few of the arguments made: Vertical integration- Apple owns most of, if not the entire, technology stack for its key products, and thus gives it advantages over other less vertically integrated products. NOTE: â€Å"Vertical integration† used to be called â€Å"being proprietary† and was given as the reason for Apples relative lack of success against Microsoft in the OS/PC battles of the 80s and 9os. But phenomenal success has a way of changing peoples minds. Making markets vs. addressing markets- Some claim that Apple doesnt ask people what they need but gives them products they decide theywant. Does anyone NEED an iPhone or iPad? Not really, but a lot of people seem to want them. The Cool Factor- Lets face it, Apple does make â€Å"cool† products. Attention to design and detail-fit and finish as they say-really distinguishes Apples products from competitors. Entering markets after theyve developed— Contrary to #2 above, some people claim that Apple doesnt make markets but enters existing markets once theyre growing and takes advantage of latent demand. The iPod was not the first digital music player and the iPhone was not the first smart phone, and the iPad is not the first portable computing device. In the case of the iPad, products like the Kindle and Netbooks actually paved the way for the market to accept small computing devices, and Apples iPad is riding that wave. Differentiated business models- whether it was iPod+iTunes or the iPhone+App Store, Apple innovates not just on technology, but on the business model. This makes it difficult for competitors to play catch up, let alone overtake Apple once it establishes itself in a dominant position. People care about the experience not technology— Apple has always been about the user experience, but for a long time, the majority of the market didnt care about that. The majority of desktop computer users cared about â€Å"techs and specs†. Now the tables have turned, and the majority dont care about the specs, they care about the experience. The iPod, with its â€Å"1000 songs in your pocket† motto and iTunes which radically simplified purchasing music latched onto the experience wave, and Apple has been riding it ever since. Simple product offerings- Apple has a very clear and simple set of products. Its easy to understand the differences between their products, product families and the various configurations. This makes it easy to buy an Apple product if you want to. A lot of companies complicate things unnecessarily. How many iPhone models are there? How many Blackberry models are there? How many Nokia smart phone models are there? See the difference between Apple, RIM and Nokia? The same is true for the iMAc, the iPod and the iPad. Granted, there are actually a number of iPod models (Nano, Shuffle, Touch etc.) but they are very distinct amongst themselves. This cant be said for digital music players from other companies. 2.3.1 Apple Competitive Analysis: Future Goals Apple has been and continues to focus on what its competitors are doing in order to keep a competitive strategy. Steve Jobs wanted to create a brand loyal name and to also produce a personalized computer with many features that would allow your life to be easier. Apple needed to keep up with rapid price cuts of its competitors personalized computers that were based on other operating systems. They wanted to focus on the rapid technological advances in both hardware and software that would boost their computers performance and provide its own operating systems. By doing so, the iMac-personalized computer was introduced in 1997 and they were able to create the brand loyalty they were looking for. They want to continue to build the brand loyal name and keep giving the consumer what they want to make their lives easier. Current Strategy Steve Jobs has recognized that many of its competitors have been providing computers that rely heavily on other operating systems to run their computers. For example, Dell computers rely on windows XP, and many of their software products rely on other partys. What Steve Jobs has managed to do is to incorporate its own operating systems, hardware, and software programs for its entire product line. The software that they have created would allow the user to edit videos, download and play music, edit pictures, etc. with all of their own products and applications. While other competition relied on outside companies introducing their own digital and distribution music product services, subscription services, and free peer-to-peer music services; Apple has created a way to counter the constant changing competitive market. They have done so by effectively integrating all three services that its competitors have to choose from by creating the iPod for hardware, iTunes for software, and iTune s Music Store for the third party distribution services. Apple has been able to eliminate its reliance on outside companies and to keep on creating specialized programs for consumers. Another factor that has helped keep Apples future thriving is by introducing the Apple Store. Customers are now able to take their products into the store and have an apple specialist examine/work on the products that they are heavily invested in. Most competitors would have the consumer take computer/product to a tech department of a store or would have to send to a third party. Assumptions and Capabilities Apple has done a tremendous job of knowing and anticipating what his competitors are doing. Apple was able to develop its iPhone and music player technology into a mobile phone. The Rokr was the mobile phone device that was developed by Motorola. The device contained quality sound and included an advanced camera system. A version of Apples iTunes music store has been developed for the iPhone so users can manage music and can download other applications that Apple has to offer. An Apple consumer can browse the web faster than its competitors. These capabilities make the iPhone ideal for both business and travel. By knowing the competitors moves and capabilities Apple was able to perfect a phone that could offer more programs and applications than any other phone. The company was then able to then focus on the strengths and weakness of its competition and compare it to the products they provide. The company believes in the highest quality of products. Thes e products will continue to provide what every customer wants and needs, a computer company that continuously makes life easi Open Source vs Closed Source Systems Open Source vs Closed Source Systems INTRODUCTION For many years, proprietary software has been the dominating business approach used by the commercial software firms. Industry giants like Microsoft proved this strategy to be successful, building their multibillion dollar empires based on the proprietary software platform. Over the past decade, a new business approach called open source model which involves contributors from around the globe to create, share and distribute software code for free had come into practice (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). Although the roots to this practice of sharing code evolved since early 60s, the widespread usage of internet and the technology developments in past two decades opened new opportunities for open source projects (CNET news, 1998). A number of Open Source Software (OSS) products such as Apache web server, BIND and SendMail have dominated their product categories ever since then (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). In the past decade, several researchers (Wheeler, DA., 2007; Mockus, et al., 2000) have taken interest in studying how open source can be applied to modern business strategies. However, a concern exists that in this area of study that there is no substantial evidence that the practices followed are effective in the business environment (Bitzer Schrà ¶der, 2004). For economists like Lerner Tirole (2000), the altruism shown by commercial companies and programmers involved in an open source software project is surprising. They stated altruism hasnt played a major role in any other industry than software. Several others like Freeman Rogers (2008) and Goetz (2003) contradict this statement by illustrating altruism exist in any industry provided there is proper exposure of the problem towards the contributing community. But most of the researches surrounding open source model considered software industry as the base for their studies. 1.0 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT 1.1 Objective This project work focuses on the study of the Open Source ecosystem (Android) how it differs from Closed source sustems such as those surrounding the iPhone. This project includes the study of the Android Market, (online mobile application store for Android users) application developers, and which factors developers consider for selecting a platform for application development. To understand business strategy development trends across Android and iPhone platforms, we compared the Android market with the iPhone App Store, the leading application store in current mobile market. Apple launched an online application marketplace called the â€Å"iPhone App Store† before launching iPhone 3G. Currently, this store has more than 195,000 applications. To match or surpass the success of iPhone App Store, Apple rivals such as Google and Blackberry introduced their own application downloading stores called â€Å"Android Market† and â€Å"Blackberry App World† respectively. T he Android Market is similar to the iPhone App Store or to any other application store; it boasts a catalog of applications,  services and tools available for the user to purchase download and use. Today, the Android Market also has around 49,000 applications. Thus, the comparison between iPhone and Android application stores will help explain the new challenges faced by these two application stores, and also the demand for these stores in the near future. This study will help understand why Android choose Open Source System and why Apple doesnt, what determines their success, which large companies are directly involved in developing applications for Android, and which factors they consider for developing an application. 1.2 Experimental Procedures This project is based on a semi-automatically collected application database and   surveys to obtain necessary information for proving the hypothesis. (A) Website Data Firstly, application data were collected semi-automatically from the Android Market and iPhone App Store (iTunes store) and other mobile applications related websites, for e.g., Androlib.com, iPhoneapplicationlist.com. This gathered application database includes a list of the application categories on both platforms, number of applications in each category, and application information for the selected categories. (B) Interview Data Next, we interviewed mobile application developers to understand and know their views about Android/iPhone platforms and the ecosystem. To get in touch with mobile application developers, we attended the mobile conferences where they gather to share their views. (C) Survey Data Lastly, all the relevant facts about application developers from the interview data helped us prepare a survey. This web-based survey was prepared and conducted using Survey Monkey. 1.3 Resources Utilized The main resources used during this project were our industrial advisor, our academic reader, Android and iPhone application database, interviews and surveys from mobile application developers. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction of Literature Review In order to achieve success in project implementation, the first step is to research and find information already available. During research, we found many articles related to our topic. This paper is based on the content from these articles. We have divided this section in four main areas: Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). Fundamentals behind the Open Source Platform. Introduction to the Smartphone. 2.2 Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Google has achieved something remarkable with its open-source Android operating system. SinceApples iPhonerevolutionised thesmartphonein June 2007, bringing touchscreens and a beautiful user experience to the masses, its been without a rival. Sure, theres a small legion of BlackBerry fans, and a few Nokia die-hards, but the critical consensus up until about a year ago was that the iPhones achievements were peerless. EnterAndroid. The free, open-source mobile operating system was introduced to consumers with theHTC Dream(also known as theT-Mobile G1) in late 2008, but didnt start gaining steam until the release of theHTC Heroin July 2009. The Hero, armed with a custom user interface called Sense that HTC built in-house, gained rave reviews for its high-end specs and faultless user experience, and appeared on many critics lists of the best gadgets of 2009. The whispers began: Had Google managed to create a platform that genuinely rivalled the iPhone for the best smartphone experience around? This success is starting to show in the numbers. In February 2010, Google announced that more than 60,000 phones with Android on were shipping each day. The Android App Market is also booming, housing more than 30,000 downloadable applications in March 2010, although thats still comparably small when set beside the 185,000 or so Apple has in its App Store. But where once companies had to have an iPhone app, its now understood that they need to offer both an iPhone and an Android variant. Manufacturers havent let the opportunity pass them by, either. At the time of writing, there are around 35 mobile phones, five tablet PCs, three e-book readers and a netbook available that come with Android installed a total of about 43 devices. But thats nothing compared to the amount of gadgets that are purportedly in the works. If you tot up the rumours, statements of intent, leaked documents and roadmapped products from manufacturers, you can add at least another 15 smartphones, 19 tablet PCs, two e-book readers and three more netbooks to the pile. When you combine the totals, you arrive at a figure of at least 82 Android devices either released or in development. The platform has received four major updates since the HTC Dream launched with Android 1.0. Version 1.5 brought camcorder functionality and the ability to use homescreen widgets. Version 1.6 added voice search and a better Android App Market. Then version 2.0 revamped the user interface, added new, larger screen sizes, as well as navigation support in Google Maps. The latest update is version 2.1, which debuted on theNexus One a handset built by HTC but to specifications dictated by Google itself. Android 2.1 brings additional homescreens, animated wallpapers and the ability to use voice recognition to type in all text fields very useful if youre in a situation where you cant use an on-screen keypad, such as when driving. Other devices are starting to appear with version 2.1 as well the Motorola Droid, known as theMilestone in Europe, recently received an update to 2.1, and HTCs forthcoming Legend and Desire handsets come with it installed. Oldhardware=nonewtricks However, the new features available in 2.1 come with increased demand on the relatively weak processors found in most smartphones, particularly in the earlier Android devices. As a result, some handsets cant run later versions of Android at satisfactory speed. Even in those that can, manufacturers have been exceptionally slow at rolling out updates to their device owners, with HTC still not having delivered any update above 1.5 for its Hero at the time of writing. Its difficult to fault Google for wanting to update its core platform as fast as it can. The problem is that its going so fast that manufacturers cant roll out updates to their own software at a speed to match. The upshot for users is that early Android adopters are stuck on two-year contracts looking mournfully at all the fun that new device owners can get, with no knowledge as to whether theyll eventually have access to the new features themselves. This isnt anything new in most cases other manufacturers dont grant older gadget owners access to new features but its tough on Android users in particular because the pace of the updates is so fast. A phone can be out-of-date within months of its release, and in some cases handsets are still arriving with Android version 1.6 installed. App developers suffer, too. Many of Googles home-grown applications Maps, Earth, Goggles and Gesture Search were initially only released for the 2.0 and 2.1 platforms. Some have since gained backwards compatibility to 1.6, but HTC Hero owners, running 1.5, still cant use them. App developers have a tough choice to make: support as wide a range of phones as possible, or offer an app with superior features, but only to those running the latest Android builds. Situationnormal: Allforkedup So what can Google do about the problem? The company is stuck with four slightly different variants of its platform in the wild, and its got a splintered marketplace where one Android user cant necessarily access the same apps that another can, and its confusing and frustrating for end users. The obvious way ahead is to try and force manufacturers to update the software on their devices. Any device running 1.5 should be able to cope with 1.6, and a 2.0 device will manage 2.1. While that still leaves the problem of devices that cant quite cope with the most recent updates, Google should be able to merge its four shards into two a set of 1.6 devices and a set of 2.1 devices simplifying the situation somewhat. However, that relies on the goodwill and resources of a diverse set of companies, and some of those will only have dipped a toe into the waters of Android, meaning that they might be less keen to start devoting significant staff time to mucking around with operating system updates. So Googles got another trick up its sleeve. Recent rumours suggest that the company, in the upcoming version 2.2 update, is planning to de-couple the various applications that run on the device from the operating system itself. The browser, email apps, contacts, input methods and various other components will be downloadable and, crucially, updatable through the Android market rather than needing to wait for a full OS update to be upgraded. When Google wants to update the Gmail app, it can just push a market update, rather than forcing customers to wait for HTC, Dell, Samsung or other manufacturers to approve it. If Google fails to unify the Android platform, a future looms where Android is stuck in a series of ghettoes, with no guarantee that one Android user will be able to run the same apps as another unless they buy a new device every six months. Thats good news for manufacturers, but very bad news for Google and for consumers. If Google manages the transition successfully however, then a unified (or at least consolidated) platform could be easily updated by both Google and phone-makers, depending on whether the update is a critical security issue or a new feature in an application. Time is pressing. The fate of Android rests on what Google does over the summer of 2010. Will the platform fall by the wayside, or will it instead grow to be the Windows of smartphones, carefully balancing openness to app developers with a superior user experience and mass-market appeal? On past form, it seems foolish to bet against Google. Let us also look at the SORT analysis for android: Being a self declared Google and Android fanboy, Im constantly reading and studying about cloud computing and the mobile marketplace whenever I have the opportunity. Ive even begun the very first steps of beginning to learn programming Java for the Android platform, although this is a ‘free time endeavor which is going to take quite some time for me to get even the basic level of proficiency achieved. 2.2.1 SWOT Analyses for GOOGLE ANDROID But one area where I feel comfortable in discussion and analysis is in the business realm, which is why I decided to do a basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. It is a tool used in strategic planning to evaluateStrengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities, andThreats involved in a project or business. A companys Strengths and Weaknesses are generally internal, while the Opportunities and Threats are external factors. To spare most of the readers of this analysis, this SWOT is going to be a little less in depth than a typical SWOT analysis. However, it will be detailed enough to outline and discuss what I feel are the key items in each area of the analysis. STRENGTHS The Google Brand-Google is one of the most well known and respected technology companies on the planet. The fact that they are behind the Android platform gives it credibility and viability in the eyes of potential partners, vendors, and developers. Device Selection-Unlike the Apple iPhone where you dont have any options of hardware suppliers other than Apple itself, the Android OS is open-source and any hardware manufacturer who chooses to do so can use it on their handset. This gives consumers a great deal of selection from which to choose from while also decreasing the lead time to the use of the latest hardware and technological advances in mobile electronics. Competitive Pricing-The Android OS is very cost effective to develop for since it is open source and the licensing arrangements are very vendor friendly. Thus, handsets utilizing the Android OS tend to be prices very aggressively. Google application and services integration-The fact that the Android platform integrates so many of the Google services and applications into its base only strengthens its core capabilities and usefulness. Google items such as GMAIL, Calendar, Reader, Listen, and of course GPS and Maps to name a few integrate seamlessly with the Android OS and make it very simple for users to synchronize their data across platforms from the desktop to the cloud and mobile platforms. Open Source-The Android OS is built from a Linux base using the JAVA Programming language. You can go directly to the http://source.android.com website and find the information and source code you need to build a compatible device for Android. Additionally, Android is a core part of the OHA (Open Handset Alliance) which is a group of companies working together to develop Android as an open and free mobile platform. Google Assets-The Android team(s) has all the intellectual, economic, and influential resources of Google at its disposal to make it a dominant player in the mobile marketplace. WEAKNESSES Multimedia Support-Unlike the Apple iPhone which has the enormously popular iTunes application and marketplace, Android does not have a central or cohesive source of multimedia material nor a centralized player. Although there have been some improvements in applications on the Android platform in this area, at this time there is no â€Å"the† place to go that comes even slightly close to what Apple can offer on this front. However, there are numerous rumors to what exactly Google has in store for a music service of its own to be released sometime in late 2010. Whatever it is, it needs to be extremely well executed to come close to what iTunes offers Apple iPhone users. The one large asset Google has going for it is YouTube, and their recent announcement ofWebM(VP8) could become a lever for multimedia influence in video delivery for Google and the Android OS. Reliance on hardware makers to upgrade-Apple controls the when and how iPhone users will get not only new hardware, but upgrades to the OS and core functionality. With Android, even when Google releases a new version of its OS, it has to wait for the manufacturers to thoroughly test and modify code to make sure it works properly on their specific hardware configuration. Google is addressing this issue as it has announced that it plans to implement more of the core features of its services into the Android OS itself instead of as applications, and to slow down the upgrade releases as the OS matures in the marketplace. Less Mature-Android is not as mature or as polished as the iPhone at this point. It improves with every release, but it hasnt reached the same level of overall user friendliness in its interface that Apple has achieved. Lack of Enterprise Support-Blackberry and even Microsoft still get most of the support when it comes to Enterprise usage. Although both Apple and Google have made some inroads in this marketplace, Android has a very small market share here. It needs to continue to develop Google Apps and its integration abilities with Microsoft Exchange. OPPORTUNITIES The Android OS has a â€Å"HUGE† opportunity to get into the Tablet and e-book reader platform market right now. It cannot afford to sit back and watch Apple dominate the tablet market and eat up the market share as it had done when it released the iPhone. To date, that is exactly what is happening as no major hardware ‘mover and shaker has released an Android based tablet which is a fantastic opportunity if it is executed properly. I want one NOW! There have been several minor releases of Android tablets over the last few months, but none of them are what I would consider a significant product. Either Google itself or someone such as HP, Dell, ASUS, or ACER need to release a killer Android tablet in order for it to gather any traction. These waters only became murkier when HP acquired PALM. Developing Countries-Google has a huge opportunity to develop inexpensive devices using the Android platform in developing countries. The licensing is extremely developer friendly and the upfront cost investments are significantly less than other platforms. The integration with so many of Googles other free services is a natural fit in this marketplace. Developer Friendly-Unlike the recent activities of Apple which has alienated and ticked off much of the developer community, developing for Android is very open and developer friendly. Google needs to take this opportunity to help developers continue to monetize their efforts through improved advertising revenue models and app sales. Growth of smartphone market-The smartphone market is still very immature and there is still a huge amount of growth to take place over the next several years to decade. Google needs to continue to work hard to position itself with its cloud computing applications and services in support of the Android OS. The marriage of these two areas is key to the maintained growth rate and increased market share potential of the Android platform. Embedded electronic devices-The Android OS has huge potential to be a major player in the embedded electronic market as a dominate embedded operating system. With so many devices becoming embedded with smart technologies and connectivity to the cloud, the Android OS is primed to be a major winner there. THREATS iPhone unleashed-If the iPhone is unleashed from the beaten down ATT network and appears on other networks such as Sprint and in particular, Verizon, it could be a real threat to the sustained rate of future market share growth for the Android OS. A significant amount of potential smartphone customers said they would buy an iPhone if it werent on the ATT network. (I was once in this camp, until I discovered the world of Android.) Apple dominance-Apples market share gives it a great influence over developers and old media companies who are dying for a revenue model that will work for them. The ever growing walled garden that Apple is building is a false panacea that the old media companies are holding onto with both hands-the ability to charge users for access to premium content. Apples recent changes in policy and functional restrictions make it the ideal platform to launch such a strategy and recruit the power brokers from this old model. Additionally, the â€Å"theres an app for that† and Im willing to pay for it behavior of Apple iPhone users is of great appeal to developers who see the dollar signs in this market. (Ive yet to pay for an application on Android) This gives Apple influence over developers and makes their huge market share very difficult to walk away from, even when they adopt very unfriendly developer policies. Increased Competition-Obviously, companies like RIM and Microsoft are going to fight for their share of the market and arent going to just give up. In particular, the Blackberry platform which still has huge support in the enterprise market. Platform Fragmentation-This is a huge threat to the Android platform. Although I listed the numerous devices as a strength above, the risk of fragmentation is a real and significant one. This is why Google has recently put a lot of effort into developing ways to minimize this problem. Google does not want numerous custom version of Android to emerge or fork off from their core platform, which is something you see in the Linux distribution network. Google is developing a set of baseline standards for compatibility for its platform. Since Google controls the Android Market, it can maintain significant influence over device vendors to meet the compatibility requirements. If you do a little research on this topic, you will see that Googles standards are fairly rigid, maybe more so than one would expect. Google also plans to adopt aonce-per-yearrelease schedule as well. None the less, managing this risk is a major and real threat to the Android platform. So there you have it, my basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. One underlying issue I feel is worth noting is that Google does not have to dominate, and as much as so many of us would love to see it, it does not have to â€Å"beat† Apple in market share or any other core metric. The only thing Google needs to do is to make sure there is an open platform large enough in the mobile market for its advertising business. Lets face it; Google is not about selling Android devices. Google is about search and advertising, and Apples closed system was a threat to that model which has become even more self-evident over the last six to nine months of Apple policies and maneuverings. Apple recently announced their own Ad network for the iPhone and iPad which could be viewed as a shot across the bow of Google which puts even more necessity on the Android platforms success. The clear advantage that Google has going for itself right now is that Apple (Steve Jobs) is either being indignant o ver what cloud computing actually does and means, or he truly doesnt understand or hasnt figured out how its suppose to work. Considering how intelligent Steve Jobs is, I find it highly unlikely that the second option is the reason, and that his stubbornness and willingness to maintain personal grudges as the likely culprit. 2.3 Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). If theres one company that is the envy of the high-tech community these days, its Apple. Steve Jobs is hailed as a genius CEO and lauded for a string of hit products. Apples market capitalization is over $200 BILLION dollars currently, easily ranking it in the top 10 companies in the world by market cap, and just shy of Microsoft for biggest technology company. Everyone wants to understand the secrets of Apples success and hopefully emulate them. The reasons given by people for Apples success are many. The following are a few of the arguments made: Vertical integration- Apple owns most of, if not the entire, technology stack for its key products, and thus gives it advantages over other less vertically integrated products. NOTE: â€Å"Vertical integration† used to be called â€Å"being proprietary† and was given as the reason for Apples relative lack of success against Microsoft in the OS/PC battles of the 80s and 9os. But phenomenal success has a way of changing peoples minds. Making markets vs. addressing markets- Some claim that Apple doesnt ask people what they need but gives them products they decide theywant. Does anyone NEED an iPhone or iPad? Not really, but a lot of people seem to want them. The Cool Factor- Lets face it, Apple does make â€Å"cool† products. Attention to design and detail-fit and finish as they say-really distinguishes Apples products from competitors. Entering markets after theyve developed— Contrary to #2 above, some people claim that Apple doesnt make markets but enters existing markets once theyre growing and takes advantage of latent demand. The iPod was not the first digital music player and the iPhone was not the first smart phone, and the iPad is not the first portable computing device. In the case of the iPad, products like the Kindle and Netbooks actually paved the way for the market to accept small computing devices, and Apples iPad is riding that wave. Differentiated business models- whether it was iPod+iTunes or the iPhone+App Store, Apple innovates not just on technology, but on the business model. This makes it difficult for competitors to play catch up, let alone overtake Apple once it establishes itself in a dominant position. People care about the experience not technology— Apple has always been about the user experience, but for a long time, the majority of the market didnt care about that. The majority of desktop computer users cared about â€Å"techs and specs†. Now the tables have turned, and the majority dont care about the specs, they care about the experience. The iPod, with its â€Å"1000 songs in your pocket† motto and iTunes which radically simplified purchasing music latched onto the experience wave, and Apple has been riding it ever since. Simple product offerings- Apple has a very clear and simple set of products. Its easy to understand the differences between their products, product families and the various configurations. This makes it easy to buy an Apple product if you want to. A lot of companies complicate things unnecessarily. How many iPhone models are there? How many Blackberry models are there? How many Nokia smart phone models are there? See the difference between Apple, RIM and Nokia? The same is true for the iMAc, the iPod and the iPad. Granted, there are actually a number of iPod models (Nano, Shuffle, Touch etc.) but they are very distinct amongst themselves. This cant be said for digital music players from other companies. 2.3.1 Apple Competitive Analysis: Future Goals Apple has been and continues to focus on what its competitors are doing in order to keep a competitive strategy. Steve Jobs wanted to create a brand loyal name and to also produce a personalized computer with many features that would allow your life to be easier. Apple needed to keep up with rapid price cuts of its competitors personalized computers that were based on other operating systems. They wanted to focus on the rapid technological advances in both hardware and software that would boost their computers performance and provide its own operating systems. By doing so, the iMac-personalized computer was introduced in 1997 and they were able to create the brand loyalty they were looking for. They want to continue to build the brand loyal name and keep giving the consumer what they want to make their lives easier. Current Strategy Steve Jobs has recognized that many of its competitors have been providing computers that rely heavily on other operating systems to run their computers. For example, Dell computers rely on windows XP, and many of their software products rely on other partys. What Steve Jobs has managed to do is to incorporate its own operating systems, hardware, and software programs for its entire product line. The software that they have created would allow the user to edit videos, download and play music, edit pictures, etc. with all of their own products and applications. While other competition relied on outside companies introducing their own digital and distribution music product services, subscription services, and free peer-to-peer music services; Apple has created a way to counter the constant changing competitive market. They have done so by effectively integrating all three services that its competitors have to choose from by creating the iPod for hardware, iTunes for software, and iTune s Music Store for the third party distribution services. Apple has been able to eliminate its reliance on outside companies and to keep on creating specialized programs for consumers. Another factor that has helped keep Apples future thriving is by introducing the Apple Store. Customers are now able to take their products into the store and have an apple specialist examine/work on the products that they are heavily invested in. Most competitors would have the consumer take computer/product to a tech department of a store or would have to send to a third party. Assumptions and Capabilities Apple has done a tremendous job of knowing and anticipating what his competitors are doing. Apple was able to develop its iPhone and music player technology into a mobile phone. The Rokr was the mobile phone device that was developed by Motorola. The device contained quality sound and included an advanced camera system. A version of Apples iTunes music store has been developed for the iPhone so users can manage music and can download other applications that Apple has to offer. An Apple consumer can browse the web faster than its competitors. These capabilities make the iPhone ideal for both business and travel. By knowing the competitors moves and capabilities Apple was able to perfect a phone that could offer more programs and applications than any other phone. The company was then able to then focus on the strengths and weakness of its competition and compare it to the products they provide. The company believes in the highest quality of products. Thes e products will continue to provide what every customer wants and needs, a computer company that continuously makes life easi