Analysis of Social Class

Paper #2 Analysis of Stratification Social Class Introduction This paper will describe this student’s informed opinion regarding the class structure in the United States in terms of social class. Prior to researching for this paper this student did not think much about social class. However after knowing what she now knows it seems impossible to not realize the stratification in society. This paper will discuss key terms, additional readings, new knowledge regarding social class, and a critique of class structure. Class structureSociety is divided into seven sections: The super rich, wealthy, upper middle class, lower middle class, working class, the working poor, and the underclass. The super rich includes the persons who have benefits such as: A social register, alumni set asides at Ivy League schools, interlocking corporate boards of directors, and whose incomes are over $250,000. The wealthy class includes those with incomes over $200,000, children in private schools, and servants. The upper middle class includes approximately 23% of the households in the United States.The incomes in this class of society range from $75,000 to $199,000. They are highly educated and professional, and active in local politics. The lower middle class is the most diverse class and is typically comprised of teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and office workers. Their annual incomes range from $50,000 to $74,999. Their children can only attend college with work-study or student loans. The working class or â€Å"blue collar class† of society have jobs, not careers, as factory workers or clerical workers, or in hospitality and tourism.The working class comprises 27% of the class structure. The children of the working class attend a community college for two years but are not likely to graduate. The working poor’s annual income does not exceed $25,000, they have unstable work without benefits, and include the highest percentage of people of color. The last class of society as outlined by Dr. Armstead, is the underclass. This class is growing rapidly. It includes about 15. 6 million unskilled workers and unemployed young mothers.There are other economic stratification systems which include: Closed systems, open systems, Marxian model, and Weberian model. People born into a closed system are assigned their class position at birth and will never have an opportunity to better their situation. An example of this is India’s cast system. Those individuals living in an open system have an opportunity to move from one social class to another. No system is completely open or closed. The Marxian model divides society into four classes: capitalist class, managerial class, small business class, and the working class.The Weberian model divides society into six sections: upper class, upper middle class, middle class, working class, working poor, and underclass. Additional Readings There are different social and economic lifestyles am ong the social classes. For example, Dr. William Domhoff believes the elite class of society sticks together by relaxing and socializing with each other at exclusive places such as The Bohemian Grove in California. Journalist Barbara Ehrenreich went undercover as an unskilled worker posing as a cleaning lady, waitress, nursing home aid, hotel maid, and Wal-Mart sales clerk.Through her journey, readers were able to see what â€Å"prosperity† looks like through the eyes of the lowest level workers. The root causes of inequality are still not entirely understood as D. Weinberg explains in â€Å"A Brief Look at Postwar U. S Income Inequality. † One of the factors that influence inequality is the wage distribution has become considerably more unequal with more highly skilled, trained, and educated at the top experiencing real wage gains and those at the bottom experiencing real wage losses (P60-191 3).Also divorces, births out of wedlock, and the increasing age at first mar riage have led to a shift away from married couple households and toward single parent household, which typically have lower incomes. What Was Learned Just like H. Gans in his â€Å"The Uses Of Poverty†, this student too thought it would be impossible to find the positive functions of poverty. Without the poor, who would do the â€Å"dirty work†? Such as field working or truck farming. Gans explains an interesting function of poverty which is that the poor help keep the rich busy. Society uses the poor as beneficiaries of charity affairs.One more example outlined by Gans is, since the poor are powerless they absorb the costs of change and growth in American society. They are pushed out of their neighborhood to make room for progress which includes express ways, hospitals, and universities. The poor are important in their own ways. The poor pick the tomatoes that the rich eat. Even though the rich may eat organic tomatoes, both chew and swallow tomatoes in the same way. This student acknowledges that there are indeed distinct social classes; however each class has its own distinct and important role in society.Critique of Class Structure Like a cast system, J. Rawls explains that most Americans raised at the top or bottom are likely to stay there as adults. The graph in the power point lessons shows a small deviation however the majority of society tends to stay in the class which they were born into. Of course social class in the United States does not compare to India’s cast system because in the United States, there is much much more opportunity to better your situation. Another eye opening aspect of this project was B. Ehrenreich’s book.It was interesting to see how the low paid jobs which are considered â€Å"unskilled† actually require a lot of skill. Even the lowest paid job, requires exhausting mental and muscular effort. As D. Weinberg said, what if food stamps and welfare checks were added into the definition of inco me? If the definition of income was broadened, would any of the class percentages change? The way our society is divided there are some negative aspects such as: Poor neighborhoods have run down schools unlike upper class neighborhoods, whose schools have well maintained lawns and graffiti free walls.Also these underclass neighborhoods are high in crime. Until only recently have poorer neighborhoods in Miami held farmers markets and book fairs. In this student’s ideal society, most of society would be middle class, leaving political agendas and the running of huge corporations up to the super rich. This student feels badly about assigning some people to the underclass of this â€Å"ideal† society, but she understands now that the poor play an essential part of a healthy society.Between the facts provided in the various power point lessons and the additional reading assigned, one is able to formulate their own opinion about society in the United States and its different class divisions. This paper has described this student’s informed opinion regarding the class structure in the United States in terms of social class. The seven key terms, super rich, wealthy, upper middle class, lower middle class, working class, the working poor, and the underclass have been explained, and additional readings have been discussed.All of this along with new knowledge regarding social class has enabled this student to critique the class structure in the United States. It is important that when studying or speaking with others about societal class division, that the speaker and listener keep an open mind. One can hope for equality for all, but as Dr. Armstead explains, total equality for all is impossible; however fairness for all is achievable. Citations Hunt, Elgin and Colander, David. (2011). Social Science: An Introduction to the Study of Society. 14th Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. www. trinity. edu/mkearl/strat. html www. census. gov

Deception Point Page 20

â€Å"This first sample here,† Corky said, pointing to a shiny, jet-black stone, â€Å"is an iron-core meteorite. Very heavy. This little guy landed in Antarctica a few years back.† Rachel studied the meteorite. It most certainly looked otherworldly-a blob of heavy grayish iron whose outer crust was burned and blackened. â€Å"That charred outer layer is called a fusion crust,† Corky said. â€Å"It's the result of extreme heating as the meteor falls through our atmosphere. All meteorites exhibit that charring.† Corky moved quickly to the next sample. â€Å"This next one is what we call a stony-iron meteorite.† Rachel studied the sample, noting that it too was charred on the outside. This sample, however, had a light-greenish tint, and the cross section looked like a collage of colorful angular fragments resembling a kaleidoscopic puzzle. â€Å"Pretty,† Rachel said. â€Å"Are you kidding, it's gorgeous!† Corky talked for a minute about the high olivine content causing the green luster, and then he reached dramatically for the third and final sample, handing it to Rachel. Rachel held the final meteorite in her palm. This one was grayish brown in color, resembling granite. It felt heavier than a terrestrial stone, but not substantially. The only indication suggesting it was anything other than a normal rock was its fusion crust-the scorched outer surface. â€Å"This,† Corky said with finality, â€Å"is called a stony meteorite. It's the most common class of meteorite. More than ninety percent of meteorites found on earth are of this category.† Rachel was surprised. She had always pictured meteorites more like the first sample-metallic, alien-looking blobs. The meteorite in her hand looked anything but extraterrestrial. Aside from the charred exterior, it looked like something she might step over on the beach. Corky's eyes were bulging now with excitement. â€Å"The meteorite buried in the ice here at Milne is a stony meteorite-a lot like the one in your hand. Stony meteorites appear almost identical to our terrestrial igneous rocks, which makes them tough to spot. Usually a blend of lightweight silicates-feldspar, olivine, pyroxene. Nothing too exciting.† I'll say, Rachel thought, handing the sample back to him. â€Å"This one looks like a rock someone left in a fireplace and burned.† Corky burst out laughing. â€Å"One hell of a fireplace! The meanest blast furnace ever built doesn't come close to reproducing the heat a meteoroid feels when it hits our atmosphere. They get ravaged!† Tolland gave Rachel an empathetic smile. â€Å"This is the good part.† â€Å"Picture this,† Corky said, taking the meteorite sample from Rachel. â€Å"Let's imagine this little fella is the size of a house.† He held the sample high over his head. â€Å"Okay†¦ it's in space†¦ floating across our solar system†¦ cold-soaked from the temperature of space to minus one hundred degrees Celsius.† Tolland was chuckling to himself, apparently already having seen Corky's reenactment of the meteorite's arrival on Ellesmere Island. Corky began lowering the sample. â€Å"Our meteorite is moving toward earth†¦ and as it's getting very close, our gravity locks on†¦ accelerating†¦ accelerating†¦ â€Å" Rachel watched as Corky sped up the sample's trajectory, mimicking the acceleration of gravity. â€Å"Now it's moving fast,† Corky exclaimed. â€Å"Over ten miles per second-thirty-six thousand miles per hour! At 135 kilometers above the earth's surface, the meteorite begins to encounter friction with the atmosphere.† Corky shook the sample violently as he lowered it toward the ice. â€Å"Falling below one hundred kilometers, it's starting to glow! Now the atmospheric density is increasing, and the friction is incredible! The air around the meteoroid is becoming incandescent as the surface material melts from the heat.† Corky started making burning and sizzling sound effects. â€Å"Now it's falling past the eighty-kilometer mark, and the exterior becomes heated to over eighteen hundred degrees Celsius!† Rachel watched in disbelief as the presidential award-winning astrophysicist shook the meteorite more fiercely, sputtering out juvenile sound effects. â€Å"Sixty kilometers!† Corky was shouting now. â€Å"Our meteoroid encounters the atmospheric wall. The air is too dense! It violently decelerates at more than three hundred times the force of gravity!† Corky made a screeching braking sound and slowed his descent dramatically. â€Å"Instantly, the meteorite cools and stops glowing. We've hit dark flight! The meteoroid's surface hardens from its molten stage to a charred fusion crust.† Rachel heard Tolland groan as Corky knelt on the ice to perform the coup de grace-earth impact. â€Å"Now,† Corky said, â€Å"our huge meteorite is skipping across our lower atmosphere†¦ † On his knees, he arched the meteorite toward the ground on a shallow slant. â€Å"It's headed toward the Arctic Ocean†¦ on an oblique angle†¦ falling†¦ looking almost like it will skip off the ocean†¦ falling†¦ and†¦ † He touched the sample to the ice. â€Å"BAM!† Rachel jumped. â€Å"The impact is cataclysmic! The meteorite explodes. Fragments fly off, skipping and spinning across the ocean.† Corky went into slow motion now, rolling and tumbling the sample across the invisible ocean toward Rachel's feet. â€Å"One piece keeps skimming, tumbling toward Ellesmere Island†¦ † He brought it right up to her toe. â€Å"It skips off the ocean, bouncing up onto land†¦ † He moved it up and over the tongue of her shoe and rolled it to a stop on top of her foot near her ankle. â€Å"And finally comes to rest high on the Milne Glacier, where snow and ice quickly cover it, protecting it from atmospheric erosion.† Corky stood up with a smile. Rachel's mouth fell slack. She gave an impressed laugh. â€Å"Well, Dr. Marlinson, that explanation was exceptionally†¦ â€Å" â€Å"Lucid?† Corky offered. Rachel smiled. â€Å"In a word.† Corky handed the sample back to her. â€Å"Look at the cross section.† Rachel studied the rock's interior a moment, seeing nothing. â€Å"Tilt it into the light,† Tolland prompted, his voice warm and kind. â€Å"And look closely.† Rachel brought the rock close to her eyes and tilted it against the dazzling halogens reflecting overhead. Now she saw it-tiny metallic globules glistening in the stone. Dozens of them were peppered throughout the cross section like minuscule droplets of mercury, each only about a millimeter across. â€Å"Those little bubbles are called ‘chondrules,'† Corky said. â€Å"And they occur only in meteorites.† Rachel squinted at the droplets. â€Å"Granted, I've never seen anything like this in an earth rock.† â€Å"Nor will you!† Corky declared. â€Å"Chondrules are one geologic structure we simply do not have on earth. Some chondrules are exceptionally old-perhaps madeup of the earliest materials in the universe. Other chondrules are much younger, like the ones in your hand. The chondrules in that meteorite date only about 190 million years old.† â€Å"One hundred ninety million years is young?† â€Å"Heck, yes! In cosmological terms, that's yesterday. The point here, though, is that this sample contains chondrules-conclusive meteoric evidence.† â€Å"Okay,† Rachel said. â€Å"Chondrules are conclusive. Got it.† â€Å"And finally,† Corky said, heaving a sigh, â€Å"if the fusion crust and chondrules don't convince you, we astronomers have a foolproof method to confirm meteoric origin.† â€Å"Being?† Corky gave a casual shrug. â€Å"We simply use a petrographic polarizing microscope, an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer, a neutron activation analyzer, or an induction-coupled plasma spectrometer to measure ferromagnetic ratios.†

BMW Differentiates Itself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Reasons for the Introduction of Statutory Planning in Britain Essay

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Family Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Family Law - Case Study Example (Morley 2005 International Law) At this point I would explain to Dorothy that in order to proceed she would be required to show that the marriage is unsalvageable and the both her and George agree that the marriage should be dissolved. This is not to say that if George does not want a divorce, Dorothy will not be able to file for one. What it means is that George could contest it and if that situation arises she will need support to present to the court to prove that there are grounds and conditions for the divorce. I would also advise Dorothy to talk with George and pursue coming to an agreement prior to filing for the divorce. This is because if the divorce is somewhat amicable and the property and assets have been discussed and there will not be a fight over the divorce will go more smoothly both in court and for them personally. The following law pertains to the circumstances being somewhat amicable: 1.7.1 The decree nisi is the court's decision to grant a divorce provided that nothing comes to light which may alter the Judgement. The certificate given as a result of this decision shows the period of time that is to be allowed for this purpose. If nothing comes to light, the decree absolute is issued at the end of the waiting period. The decree nisi is therefore a temporary document only and the decree absolute must always be seen. (Morley 2005 International Law) I would advise Dorothy that due to the length of her marriage the assets of both her and George would in most circumstances be split down the middle. However if they come to an agreement regarding particular property or assets I would strongly advise Dorothy to talk it out with George and when they reach an agreement on how the property and assets should be divided to contact me, her divorce attorney, so that I can prepare the proper legal document indicating the property and asset agreement. I would also advise Dorothy to include anything personal or sentimental even though she may not think it of value. In order to ensure receipt of items of sentimental or other value she must notify me so that I could include it in the formal legal documents. At this time I would also advise Dorothy that it would not be wise for her to assume any agreements made between George and herself would necessarily be kept and that any agreements made, of any kind for property, assets, sentimental items o r anything else needs to be put into the divorce paperwork. After discussing all of this information with Dorothy I would then go over divorce conditions in detail and strongly advise her that the fact that she wants to make a fresh life for herself while she is still young enough to enjoy it is not a good condition. Divorce conditions include: In England & Wales obtaining a divorce requires a written application (called a petition) to the court by either the husband or the wife. Applications for divorce are dealt with by the County Court and spouses have to apply to that court for their divorce. The applicant has to prove that the marriage has broken down irretrievably and has to provide evidence of one of the five facts listed below: No application for divorce can be made until at least one year after the date of the marriage.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Burro Genius Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Week 6 Assignment Essay Example for Free

Week 6 Assignment Essay E10-1(Acquisition Costs of Realty) The expenditures and receipts below are related to land, land improvements, and buildings acquired for use in a business enterprise. The receipts are enclosed in parentheses. (a) Money borrowed to pay building contractor (signed a note) $(275,000) (b) Payment for construction from note proceeds 275,000 (c) Cost of land fill and clearing 10,000 (d)Delinquent real estate taxes on property assumed by purchaser 7,000 (e) Premium on 6-month insurance policy during construction 6,000 (f) Refund of 1-month insurance premium because construction completed early (1,000) (g) Architect’s fee on building 25,000 (h) Cost of real estate purchased as a plant site (land $200,000 and building $50,000) 250,000 (i) Commission fee paid to real estate agency 9,000 (j) Installation of fences around property 4,000 (k) Cost of razing and removing building 11,000 (l) Proceeds from salvage of demolished building (5,000) (m) Interest paid during construction on money borrowed for construction 13,000 (n) Cost of parking lots and driveways 19,000 (o) Cost of trees and shrubbery planted (permanent in nature) 14,000 (p) Excavation costs for new building 3,000 Instructions Identify each item by letter and list the items in columnar form, using the headings shown below. All receipt amounts should be reported in parentheses. For any amounts entered in the Other Accounts column, also indicate the account title. Holyfield Dorsett Winston   Liston Greeley Machine cost $160,000 $120,000 $152,000 $160,000 $130,000 Accum Depr. 60,000 45,000   71,000 75,000 –0– Fair value 92,000 69,000 92,000 95,000 185,000 Instructions For each of the four independent situations, prepare the journal entries to record the exchange on the books of each company.

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Major agricultural products are rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice, coconuts, timber, and pepper. Major trading partners of Malaysia are Singapore, China, Japan, Thailand Hong Kong and Indonesia. (CIA The World Factbook, 6 April 2011) The official language of Malaysia is Malay language (Bahasa Melayu) and population of 28 million over, 43th rank of populous in the world. There are three main ethnics groups in Malaysia, the Malays 60%, the Chinese 26% and Indians and the indigenous make up the rest. (BBC NEWS, 9 March 2011) The climate in Malaysia is tropical with high temperatures and humidity throughout the year. The temperature ranges between (89-72 degrees F). There are two seasons as well as Indonesia, the rainy monsoon and dry season. (World Travel Guide, n.d) Indonesia is a nation of islands consisting of 17,508 islands in the South East Asian Archipelago. The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta. Indonesia is known as the worlds largest archipelagic nation. With a population of 200 million over and it is the worlds most populous country. This strategic location has a significant influence towards its Culture, Social, Politics and Economy. Major agricultural products include palm oil, rice, tea, coffee, spices and rubber. Some big industries in Indonesia are petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel and mining. Indonesias major trading partners are Japan, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. (PT Jakarta Setiabudi Internasional TBK, n.d) Indonesias population can be roughly divided into two groups, the west of the country is mostly occupied by Malay people, while the east is more Pacific. The official language of Indonesia is Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and about 88% of the population is Muslim. An extimated of 10% of Chri stian and approximately 2% is Hindu and Buddhist. The climate in Indonesia is mostly equatorial. The temperature ranges between 16-35 degrees Celsius (61-91 degrees F) with humidity ranging from 60- 90 percent. There are two seasons which are the rainy monsoon season (November through May), followed by the dry season (June through October). (World Travel Guide, n.d) 1.1 History of Sabah Tea Sabah tea plantation is the first that nestled into the tropical wilderness of Malaysias first ever World Heritage Site, Mount Kinabalu, and a 6,200 acre (2,509 hectares) land at 2,272 feet above the sea level. It is surrounded by the worlds oldest rainforest of about 130 million years. Sabah Tea plantation is the largest single commercial tea plantation in Borneo with approximated area of 1,000 acres endowed with Camellia Sinensis, (an interesting plant and agriculture resources). 3 In 1976, the state government of Sabah had decided to alienate a total of 6,200 acres of land in Kampung Nalapak to Koperasi Desa (KPD). Then, Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd was then incorporated on April 26, 1978 as a subsididary of KPD to operate and manage the tea plantation. The Honorable Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohammad officially opened the Sabah Tea Plantation on February 19, 1984. (Sabah Tea, n.d) Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd is now a member of Yee Lee Corporation bhd. Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd sold its entire shares to Yee Lee Corporation Bhd in the year 1997. Yee Lee Corporation is a well diversified company with active subsidiaries covering manufacturing, distributing and selling a wide array of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) in both locally and Internationally. 1.2 Corporate Information Sabah Tea Plantation is an organic tea plantation in Ranau, Sabah and it is known for its 100% organic tea. On the production of its tea, Sabah Tea Garden is the sole producer of organic tea in Borneo. The company has exports 15% of its products throughout Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Britain and Singapore and 85% are the remaining for domestic consumption. Sabah Tea sdn bhds export has contributed about 10% to the companys income. Sabah tea has also expanded to become a popular holiday destination for both the locals and the foreign tourists around the world, while remaining to produce tea. Sabah tea Garden is the destination which is located in one of the oldest rainforests in the world, Mount Kinabalu. The Sabah Tea Garden has an area of 6,200 acre (2,509 hectares) and a total area of 485.6 hectares (1,200 acres) are been use for cultivation of tea and tourism activities while the rest remains a tropical forest rich with flora and fauna. 4 During the year under review, a drop of 2.4% of tourism in Sabah Tea Garden as compared to the previous year( 2008). The number of local visitors arrived to Sabah has an increased of 5.3% but a tremendous declined in International Visitors, 19.8%. However, this did not stop Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd from achieving 12.3% (RM0.73 million) of sales growth in 2008 to RM0.82 million in 2009. Sabah Tea is upgrading its facilities as well as creating more tourists to come, plus with aggressive marketing strategies, Sabah Tea is confident to increase in tourists. Nevertheless, the impact of the global financial crisis in 2008 flawed into 2009. As a result of the weak market demand, the revenue of Sabah Tea has dropped to 8.3%, from RM76.07 million, 2008 to Rm69.79 million, 2009. Various solutions were been taken to improve on the delivery efficiency, store coverage and working capital management to boast sales and profitability. This in the end has maintained its profitability. (Yee Lee Corporation 2009 annual report) 2.0 Environmental Analysis 2.1 Political and Legal factors Indonesia was a country that was being governed by Dutch, so the Indonesians legal system is closely related to the Dutchs systems. Indonesias new bankruptcy, capital market and company laws are now based on international best practice where initiatives aim to provide greater certainty to creditors and investors across the Indonesian corporate sector are implemented by the government. It is crucial for foreign investor to understand the importance of legal system of Indonesia as it plays an important role that may influences the business. Political change and reform did bring impact to Indonesia economy status. Indonesias president has stress on strong political will to reduce corruption, which is the key to solve Indonesias economic problems. 5 This will lead to newly strengthened independent auditors and greater central bank independence that could enhance the effectiveness of policy implementation and governance efficiency. (Perkins, 2000). Regarding the laws of share ownership, Indonesia Government Regulation No.20/1994, Article 6, the Indonesian partners shares shall be at least five percent (5%) of the total paid- up capital of the company upon its establishment, with that the company is not required to divest its shares to Indonesian parties within 15 years and this is also an advantage upon forming of Joint Ventures. This is a great advantage that Sabah Tea can consider in joining venture with other company, like for example BOH Tea and Kurnia Tea (Indonesias Tea Manufacturer) example, they had joint venture together. In this case, Kurnia Teas shares will stand approximately 50% of the total paid-up capital upon mutual agreement between both parties when establishing BKI (BOH and Kurnia Tea) for tea business. According to the legal system of Indonesia, company (in this case Sabah Tea) must submit a proof that they have paid the issued capital, if Sabah Tea would consider about joint venture with other tea company in Indonesia. Also, the funds being transferred have to be reported to the Indonesias Government. They have the right to draw taxes of 20% or royalties from the business since foreign direct investment companies must pay corporate income tax based upon Indonesian source revenues. (Introduction to the Indonesian Tax System) There are employment rules to oblige to as well according to the Employment act of Indonesia. Indonesia has one of the largest labour forces in the world which make it stand on 5th  rank. So, to protect the labour rights the government has made a law called Labour lawsArticle 28D (2). According to this law 7-hour workdays and 40-hour workweeks, with one 30-minute rest period 6 for each 4 hours of work is legal in Indonesia. One day of rest weekly also mandatory in Indonesia. In April 1992, the Government of Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Labour Organization under the International Program for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) where the minimum working age is 14 years. (Labour Social Protection in Indonesia, 2009). Principally, labor matters in Indonesia are regulated by some laws and regulations as below: Law Number 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower This law concerns on Manpower and includes matters of employees minimum wage, working hours, training programs, benefits and allowances. Law Number 21 of 2000 concerning Labor Unions Labor Union is formed if there are ten or more employees in a company joined the union. Besides, BKI has to ensure that their employee is joining the right Labor Union and cooperate with the respective Union to prevent the occurrence of disputes between the company with union. (Budiardjo et al., 2005) Law Number 1 of 1970 concerning Work Safety Work Safety concerns on workplace safety and the benefits or compensation due when an employee is injured while on duty. It is important for SKI to ensure the workplace safety of the company especially the company plantation and manufacturing workplace. Inspection on workplace safety has to be carried out for every certain period to ensure the workplace is safe and every employee is following the workplace rules and regulations. (Budiardjo et al., 2005) 7 Law Number 3 of 1992 concerning Worker Social Security In Indonesia, an employer with 10 employees or more or having a payroll of at least one million rupiah a month is obligated to ensure his or her employees are joining the Social Security for Manpower (Jaminan Sosial Tenaga Kerja), Jamsostek program that consists of employees occupational accident security, death coverage, old age security, and health maintenance security. 5. Law Number 11 of 1992 concerning Pension Funds. A company in Indonesia can provide a pension scheme for its employees by way of pension fund set up and controlled by the Employer, which also known as Employers Pension Fund. Besides, there is law concerning human rights which is Legislation Number 39 Of 1999 Concerning Human Rights Section Seven, Right to Welfare. Both men and women who works has the right for pay equilibrium to work, fair and adequate remuneration. In this case, Indonesia will exercise no discrimination among male or female who will performing equal workload and paid according to their job scope and provide adequate rewards and compensations for the entire employees to ensure it is sufficient for both own and family expenses. (Muladi, 1999) 2.2 Economical factor Indonesia is considered as a developing country. Developing country is a term generally used to describe a nation with a lower level of income. With the Government Policies and Treasure of National Resources, Indonesia GDP has been growing and increasing rapidly from last few years. Indonesia spends GDP of 23.5% to develop their nation. According to the last budget 8 announcement, Indonesia had revenues of $92.62 billion and expenditures of $98,88 billion in year 2008. It has been 23rd rank in Oil production and 8th position in natural gas production and export as well. (The World Bank, 2008) GDP:   Indonesia has made significant economic advances through last years. Indonesias debt-to- GDP ratio in recent years has declined because of increasingly robust GDP growth which was6.1% ($915.9 billion) in 2008 compare to 5.5% ($811.1 billion) in 2006 and compression to the world. They are on the 54th  position in GDP growth. Indonesias main GDP earning comes from Industry, 48.1%, service sector, 37.5% and lastly, 14.4% of GDP earning from agriculture. (The World Bank, 2009). Inflation rates: One of the major reasons of Indonesias economic downturn is the inflation rate. Inflation rate is still major but it has come down after a high of 20.7% in 1999. It was 9.9% in 2008 compare to 6.3% in 2006. (CIA, the world factbook, n.d) Import: Indonesias import and export trade are rapidly increasing every year. In 2008, the total import was $ 1 25 billion compare to 85.26 billion in 2007. The major import for Indonesia are chemicals, fuels, machinery and equipment. Import partners are Singapore 16.9%, China 11.8%, Japan 11.7%, Malaysia 6.9%, US 6.1%,South Korea 5.4%, Thailand 4.9% (2008). (CIA, the world factbook, n.d) 9 Export: In the same way due to economic growth improvement in productivity, government policies, export is also increasing rapidly. It was $93.3 billion in 2008 compare to $83 billion in2007. The major export are oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, and textiles. The major export partner of countries are Japan 20.2%, US 9.5%, Singapore 9.4%, China8.5%, South Korea 6.7%, India 5.2%, Malaysia 4.7%. (CIA, the world factbook, n.d) 2.3 Social Factors Indonesia is one of the large population nations in the world. It has a total of 240,271,522 populations and it is the 5th largest population all around the world. As we all know, Indonesia is a multi culture and multi ethnic country with different religious view. The majority of the religion in Indonesia is Muslim, as much as 86.1%. Protestants, 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3% and lastly, Hindu 1.8%. According to the (CIA, the world factbook, n.d), the age structure of Indonesia is as follow: Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 34,337,341/female 33,162,207) 15-64 years: 66% (male 79,549,569/female 78,918,321) 65 years and over: 6% (male 6,335,208/female 7,968,876) Education:  If a country has good literacy rate then it has bright future. Same thing apply on Indonesia. 90.4% of its populations are literate in which male are 94% and female are 86.8%. 3.6% of their GDP is spent on education. Besides, Indonesia is also a collectivist society. It places higher importance on group than the 10 individual. The Indonesian counterparts will always place family and community concerns over that of the business or individuals. Other than that, a businesss welfare is important in Indonesians culture, so a business must demonstrate its contributions to the community to ensure the protection gained from the community to protect the business (Foss, 2009). A business that fulfills the obligation towards the living and community gets to enjoy few advantages. The advantages will be quicker bureaucratic processes such as obtaining a permit, resolving disputes through the musyawarah (an important process to solve conflict that involves all concerned parties with policeman intervention and the results are based on community consensus) and acts as surveillance of crime and information sharing (Perkins, 2000). Whats more, Sabah Tea can be used as beverages to create a family spirit in a working environment or even create a relaxing environment when families chill at home on a family day to spend some time together. Sabah tea can also always group employees in a company as a team as they bond through the tea sessions during work and this best fit a company when bonded employees comes together to operates the company together as one. 2.4 Environmental Factors Indonesia is an archipelagic island country in Southeast Asia, lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is in a strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean. The countrys variations in culture have been shaped, although not specifically determined by centuries of complex interactions with the physical environment. Although Indonesians are now less vulnerable to the effects of nature as a result of improved technology and social programs, to some extent their social diversity has emerged from 11 traditionally different patterns of adjustment to their physical circumstances the geographical resources of the Indonesian archipelago have been exploited in ways that fall into consistent social and historical patterns. Nevertheless, the weather in Indonesia is hot and humid. The landscape ranges from rainforests and steaming mangrove swamps to arid plains and snowcapped mountains. Also, Indonesias climate is almost entirely tropical. The uniformly warm waters that make up 81  % of Indonesias area ensure that temperatures on land remain fairly constant, with the coastal plains averaging 28 °C, the inland and mountain areas averaging 26  °C, and the higher mountain regions, 23  °C. Temperature varies little from season to season, and Indonesia experiences relatively little change in the length of daylight hours from one season to the next; the difference between the longest day and the shortest day of the year is only forty-eight minutes. This allows crops to be grown all ye ar round. (CIA, the world factbook, n.d), One of the most important factors is the natural or environmental disaster. Because of its geographic location, Indonesia has faced many natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami, for example in December 26, 2004, Indonesia has an earthquake of 9.0 magnitudes which as a result caused a tsunami in the Indian Ocean. These natural disasters had caused 155,000 people died. Nevertheless, deforestation, soil erosion and massive forest fires were quite a hit in Indonesia. In1983, a 3 million Ha (hectares) worth of US$ 10 Billion were destroyed in a fire and was caused due to piles of dead wood left behind by the timber industry. In the mid 1980s, Indonesia was rated as the highest deforestation in Southeast Asia. 12 3.0 Product Description 3.1 Sabah Teas Product Description Sabah Tea is produces in Mount Kinabalu, Ranau in Sabah. The location of cool hills of Ranau has bring advantages to Sabah tea. According to Sabah Teas tea plantation, Sabahs tea are been carefully harvest and are 100% free of pesticide which leave the tea untouched and pure. Sabah Teas POP (Point of Purchase) is that the tea is protect to ensure its quality of origin and unlike other tea companies, the leaves are pure and that is free from any substances of chemicals. Due to its location, the tea has preserved it natural flavor without any added colorings. Nevertheless, Sabah Tea has also has an interesting plant added in to their teas, which is Camellia Sinensis, whereby not many organic tea plantations are able to have. Sabah Teas plantation has also been certified for organic production by SKAL Internation B.V of the Netherlands, an internationally recognized organization that performs inspections and grants certification for organic production. (Trademall, Malaysias Leading Trade Portal, n.d). Tea lovers are able to enjoy pure and Borneo rainforest organic tea and Health researchers have even analyze that the Sabah Tea has the effect of lowering the risk of heart attack, lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and promote circulation of blood as well. 13 4.0 Conclusion 4.1 Evaluation and Analysis of Indonesia According to the above environmental analysis, Indonesia is a great market to invest in Tea, Sabah Tea. One of the reasons is that Indonesias GDP growth has steadily risen, achieving real growth of 6.3% in 2007 and 6.1% growth in 2008. Although growth slowed to 4.5% in 2009 given reduced global demand, Indonesia was the third-fastest growing G-20 member, trailing only China and India. Growth has rebounded in 2010, with the forecast for growth of 6.0%. Nevertheless, Indonesias GDP earnings for agriculture has the 3rd highest earnings for Indonesia as stated by (The World Bank, 2009) as high as 14.4% of GDP, as follow by Industry, 48.1% and service sector, 37.5%. Poverty and unemployment have also declined despite the global financial crisis, with the poverty rate falling to 13.3% (March 2010) from 14.2% a year earlier and the unemployment rate falling to 7.4% (February 2010) from 7.87% (August 2009). This has a great effect on Sabah Tea, that the buying power of Indonesias customers or potential customers increased. Poverty rate decreased and GDP of Indonesias earning also comes from agriculture, Indonesia is no doubt a place to invest Sabah Tea. Although the competition in Indonesia is no question is high, Sabah Tea can take into consideration on joining venture with one of the Indonesias tea manufacturer, as what BOH tea has did, joining venture with Kurnia Tea (Indonesias tea company) to form BKI, BOH and Kurnia tea Industry. Indonesias overall macroeconomic picture has also stable. By 2004, real GDP per capita returned to pre-financial crisis levels and income levels are rising. In 2009, domestic 14 consumption continued to account for the largest portion of GDP, at 58.6%, followed by investment at 31.0%, government consumption at 9.6%, and net exports at 2.8%%. Investment realization had climbed in each of the past several years, until the global slowdown in 2009. It is again rebounding in 2010. (TDS, n.d). In the social factors, Indonesias culture and Malaysias culture have no much difference in terms of religions, demographic and geographical factors. To succeed in Indonesia, the first thing to achieve is to establish a face to face relationship, preferably with a person of similar age and status quote from (Perkins, 2000). This has not a problem as the religion in Malaysia is similar as well, Malaysia is able to send a mediator or translator. This is because Indonesians communicates in English or Bahasa Indonesian and Malaysia is able to present a well communicable Malay as a mediator, so that a message is transmitted clearly to every business partners or employees of the company. Also, a business that fulfills the obligation towards the living and community gets to enjoy few advantages. The advantages will be quicker bureaucratic processes such as obtaining a permit, resolving disputes through the musyawarah (an important process to solve conflict that involves all concerned parties . Environment of Indonesia has a slight difference compare to Malaysia, but overall, Indonesias climate and environment is a suitable place for growing teas and people tend to enjoy a warm cup of tea. The weather in Indonesia is hot and humid. The landscape ranges from rainforests and steaming mangrove swamps to arid plains and snowcapped mountains. Also, Indonesias climate is almost entirely tropical. The uniformly warm waters that make up 81  % of Indonesias area ensure that temperatures on land remain fairly constant. This allows crops to be grown all year 15 round. (CIA, the world factbook, n.d). Sabah Tea can even consider on start a tea plantation to avoid International trades limitation and policies imposed by Indonesias Government. 16 Executive Summary This report determines to evaluate the Indonesias market for export of Sabah Tea, Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd. It intends to determine the effective of market as a potential market for investing and exporting Sabah Tea over to Indonesia through the Environmental Analysis, which includes, Political and Legal, Economic, Social, and Environmental. The environmental analysis of Indonesia, shows that Political and Legal, Economic, Social and Environmental have great opportunities for Sabah Tea to invest and export to Indonesia: One, the economics of Indonesia has showed that Agriculture of Indonesia as the 3rd highest GDP earning. Secondly, Cultural factors have also showed that Indonesia and Malaysias cultural background is quite similar and they shared similarities. A business that fulfills the obligation towards the living and community gets to enjoy few advantages. The advantages will be quicker bureaucratic processes such as obtaining a permit, resolving disputes through the musyawarah (an imp ortant process to solve conflict that involves all concerned parties. Lastly, environment of Indonesia has not many differences as it is a suitable place for crops to grow. It is recommended that Indonesia is a potential market to invest and export over to.

America Must Regulate Nanotechnology Essay -- Technology Physics Mecha

America Must Regulate Nanotechnology Definition of Nanotechnology Nanotechnology involves the â€Å"art of purposefully manipulating materials on at atomic scale or molecular scale†[1] (also referred to as â€Å"nanoscale†), as compared to processes governed by the laws of physics that carry out naturally occurring actions, such as chemical reactions and changes in state. At the nanoscale level, the laws of quantum mechanics take over, pushing aside what most are familiar with via Newtonian mechanics. Because of the fundamental shift in how work is done, nanotechnology has the potential to affect and change everything in existence. Future Implications of Nanotechnology Nanotechnology will affect everything, and likely change everything to significant degrees. The future implications of nanotechnology exist along all frontiers of science, culture, commerce, economy, business, law, ethics, medicine/health, religion, and life. The end result of these changes will, however, either advance human civilization several orders of magnitude forward and thus achieve â€Å"utopia† if properly managed and regulated, or bring an end to human civilization if not properly controlled, studied, and managed, akin to â€Å"Pandora’s Box† of ancient Greek mythology, but several orders of magnitude worse! Some significant implications as a result of nanotechnology include[2]:  · Nearly free consumer products  · PC's billions of times faster then today  · People live longer with virtual ends to illness and aging  · No more pollution and automatic cleanup of existing pollution . End of famine and starvation  · Superior education for every child on Earth These implications could become reality in the near ... .../view/library/aliens/article/70558.html [12] â€Å"Library-Technology – Nanoprobes†, StarTrek.com, http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/technology/article/3963.html [13] National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, http://www.nnin.org/ [14] National Nanotechnology Initiative, http://www.nano.gov [15] Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, http://www.crnano.org [16] â€Å"Everything or Nothing Overview†, http://www.commanderbond.net/Public/Stories/2279-1.shtml [17] â€Å"Nanotechnology Now – Ethics of Nanotechnology†, http://nanotech-now.com/ethics-of-nanotechnology.htm [18] Rob Fixmer, "The Soul of the Next New Machine: Humans", New York Times on the Web (November 5, 1999), http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/ENGR019_301Winter2004/HWBCCCU.htm [19] â€Å"Telecommunications Act of 1996†, Federal Communications Commission, http://www.fcc.gov/telecom.html

Foreshadowing in To Build a Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays

Foreshadowing in To Build a Fire In the story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, foreshadowing is often used. In this story foreshadowing is an effective way to build up a climax. The foreshadowing is both shown by the environment and things the characters say. An example of environmental foreshadowing was when it said, "Fifty degrees below zero stood for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against.... "Another example was when the man's "fire was blotted out." These examples show that the cold will be the man's doom, but foreshadow only by telling the necessary details. A major point of foreshadowing was what the oldtimer told the man. The oldtimer told the man that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below." If the man would have listened, he could have survived. Because he didn't listen; he lost his life. In conclusion, if you read this story carefully you will pick up the small hints and know the outcome of the story. This also shows that foreshadowing can be direct statements or simple statements of fact. Self Confidence Once a man's self confidence is shaken, it becomes increasingly difficult to act rationally. If you are in a life or death situation, every decision you make stacks the odds either for or against you. Once you make a few bad decisions, you realize that your chances for survival are getting slimmer and slimmer. As this fact settles into your conscious mind, it produces panic. Panic is what happens when the brain can't handle the information it is given. Panic takes over rationality, and as a result, you do and say things that are uncharacteristic of you. Panic destroys your self confidence. In Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire" the reader watches a man's mental condition go from high to devastatingly low. At the first of the story, he is very self confident in his own abilities. This is evident by the way he keeps saying the he will be in camp by six. Also, when one suddenly becomes physically handicapped, and abilities that he depends on and previously took for granted are not available to him, he tends to act very insecurely and unstably.

Hiroshima: Book Report :: essays research papers

Hiroshima: Book Report ISSUES Briefly describe the issues that are dealt with in the book. This book was vary informative to me. This book mainly talked about the affects of nuclear weapons. On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. It speaks about how even if you did survive the blast you were so badly injured that you would die soon anyway. It talked about an incident where someone's eye was melting and was oozing down his face. It speaks about how houses were lifted of there foundation. After all the research about the bomb was made, they reported that 78,150 people had been killed, 13,983 were missing, and 37,425 had been injured. Even before the bomb, the citizens of Hiroshima were waken almost every night because of false warnings of intruder planes coming in the area. It talked about how a lot of people had to go on living with only one leg or one arm. To me, it brought up a good point, that all those innocent people had do die for nothing. CHAPTER SUMMARY Briefly summarize each of the chapters: main ideas, narrative features. The first chapter is called "A Noiseless Flash." The title kind of speaks for it self. That was exactly how the bomb was. No one saw anything or heard anything but a flash. The first chapter speaks about how people are wondering why they are alive, but their next door neighbors aren't. It was weird, there could be a house right in the middle of two houses; the one in the middle survived the bomb but the other two did not. A whole neighborhood could be wiped out except for a few houses. Why those houses did not get knocked down, no one knows. The second chapter is called "The Fire." This chapter is about how the explosion caused many fires. The fires were spread everywhere because of the high winds. Many of the people were burned and buried in the smashed up bricks and ashes. The ones that survived the bomb and fire, were seriously hurt. The book pointed out an incident where someone's eye was melting and oozing down his check. The third chapter was called "Details Are Being Investigated." In the radio, it had been said that Hiroshima suffered of an attack by a few B-29. Many people are being treated for their burns and injuries. Many have died and a lot more at this time are missing. Everyone is still in shock after 2 days that the bomb struck. The forth chapter is called "Panic Grass And Feverfew.

E Business at Cisco Essay

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