Cell phones and handheld computers advancement

Cell phones and handheld computers advancement Cell phones and handheld computers are two important technological inventions that have changed the face of our world as we see it today. Since the emergence of cell phones, many people are able to communicate wireless without having to stay at home communicating through their LAN line phone and dont have to worry about all of those dangling phone chords that are just unnecessary. Most people use cell phones as an electronic device for mobile telecommunications such as mobile telephone, text messaging, and or data transmission over a cellular network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. The current cell phones of today support many additional services and accessories such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, gaming, Bluetooth, infrared, camera with video recorder and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video, MP3, AM/FM radio, and GPS. Cordless phones just seem to pose a big hassle for people who are always on the go and als o for many people who work for big time businesses. Handheld computers were the successors for the desktop computers t and are mostly used for in home usage for those people who dont go out very much are just love doing all of their work and or business from the privacy of their own home. Laptop computers are designed for mobile use and are very small and light enough to sit on a persons lap while in use. A laptop computer integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device (a touchpad, also known as a track pad, and or a pointing stick), speakers, and often including a battery, into a single small and light unit. The older desktops didnt have as many features as the newer ones which posses most of the features that a current laptop has minus the ability to connect to the internet wireless. It seems like year after year, there are more new technological advances to both cell phones and laptop computers. For example, a n ewer advancement to cell phones is that most cell phone manufactures are starting to make cell phones that are touch screen. This allows people to be able to not always have to use their keypads to dial numbers or type out messages. The development of Bluetooth technology has also had an impact and has saved many lives by allowing the user to be able to answer thir cell phone without even picking up the phone so they will be able to focus on any situation rather than picking up the phone and holding it to their ears which is sometimes complicated. Also, with laptop computers, the new advancements of bigger and better hard drives and WIFI technology have proven to be the best new advancements. I feel that since new technological advancements are made with these two products every year, it will be very exciting to see what new advancements will be in store for both of these products in the near future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cell phones have really made a very big impact on organizations in the way employees communicate, conduct transactions, and access information in the workplace. With the quick development in technology, cell phones are surely becoming more and more popular with each passing day (Sedycias, pg 1).With the invention of cell phones, employees and employers are able to communicate through cell phone technology to receive and send data. Back in the day, people had to communicate through sending messages through mail rather than being able to send messages through the telephone which I find is much easier to do than sending messages through the mail. For example, many of the people back in the day had to send their messages through mail or typewrite their letters in order to try to communicate with other people. Since there were no telephones back then, you had future inventors thinking up ways to improve their technology even back before my time. When th e telephone was invented, people didnt realize how much far in advancement that the telephone would have reached after they were dead and gone and the newer generation started to play important roles in technological inventions. Cell phones have taken over the LAN line telephones of the past and even though many people still use regular phones in their houses, I tend to use my cell phone on a daily basis which I can communicate with my employer or employees in case of an emergency or if I have any data that I want to share with them while I am away from my home. Communication is very important in the workplace and also outside the workplace and thats when cell phones really come into play. Most employers want to know where their employees are if something happens to them which can prevent them from coming into work. It is much easier to have a cell phone in a situation like this because if you have to call your employer to inform he or she that you will be late or cant make it to wo rk, you will have your cell phone with you to inform your manager about any situations or incidents that you may have. Im not saying that this could not be accomplished through a LAN line phone, but it is good for everyone to have their own personal phone due to the fact that a lot of people cannot be trusted and then you are forced to try to use other peoples phones to try to contact your employers or your family members in case of an emergency. Also, companies can use cell phones to conduct business transactions. If companies want to make purchases or conduct transactions, they will be able to without having to leave their desks. They will be able to use their own cell phones and conduct any business related transactions that they may need to do. I feel that it is very much convenient because employers and employees will be able to communicate with people all over the world from the comfort of their own home or at the workplace. Having cell phones makes business peoples lives much easier because they are so much more convenient than regular phones due to their accessibility and that now you can do so much more with a cell phone than a regular phone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Handheld computers or as some say laptop computers has also made a big impact on society as well as an impact on big corporations. Computers I feel were a big enhancement from the original typewriters which were used back then in order to type and deliver messages. Since the emergence of computers, many people will be able to send and receive messages without even having to leave the comfort of their own homes. It has also helped corporations with preparing presentations as well as making transactions with other business and consumers without having to have a face to face meeting. When laptop computers started to emerge, they quickly became an instant impact because of the fact that people were used to dealing with bigger PC computers which were too heavy to carry around on a day to day basis. By having a laptop computer handy, people and businesses now had the opportunity to actually carry their own personal computer around with them to take care of any business that they needed to take care of. For example, companies use laptops a lot when preparing presentations and for doing business related work outside and inside of the workplace. It has made life so much easier for them because they do not have to sit at a desk all day on a PC computer to do any of their work. Whether they are out shopping or on the road, they can still communicate with other employees and workers through their laptop whenever they feel the need to. I have also started to notice that many people are starting to not buy PC computers anymore and that many are starting to make the switch to purchasing laptop computers. For the price of a laptop, you could purchase a desktop, which is faster, easier to expand and more powerful,(Jasper, pg 2). Laptop computers bring customers and business convenience and immediate access to information whether its from saved files or from the Internet. They allow for better collaboration between employees and managers meani ng that laptop computers can be flipped open to find a solution anytime and anywhere. For examples, if you are someone you know is in a meeting and had forgotten an important document, they can simply access it at any time and any other information that they have forgotten from their laptop computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that both cell phones and laptop computers have both had a really major impact on organizations in many ways and I believe that there is plenty of room for improvement. With cell phones, there are many new technological features which include games, internet, touch screen options, MP3, picture messaging, and also text messaging. These are all really great features that are very beneficial, but I also feel that a new feature that can be added to cell phones that would be very beneficial to organizations is probably a video chatting option. This will enable people who work for companies the opportunity to talk to other co-workers and see them at the same time while they are talking chatting with them. This feature will be able to let business communicate with other business and be able to actually watch them though the telephone or if someone is unable to attend a very important meeting due to delay, they will still be able to listen and wa tch the meeting form their cell phone. I would really love to see this feature added to cell phones for the simple fact that many employees who work for big companies are faced with transportation issues and issues that may deal with a family emergency which can cause them to be absent for one day or maybe late. The new technological feature of cell phone chatting will be able to place that employee at work without even physically being there which can work out for both the employee and the employer. In the case of laptop computers, I feel that here has been many new technological advances that have really impacted businesses and provided them with easier ways of communications and despite all of the advancements from the original PC computers to the personal laptops, I would love to see better security programs to prevent viruses, hackers, and spyware form damaging the laptop and also placing a built in tracking device for laptops. I feel that with newer and enhanced security progr ams, this will be able to help business from damaging viruses, hackers, and spyware that can potentially do harm to their laptops. If a computer in general catches a virus, it will cost the company money to get this problem fixed and this could cause that company to lose money as well as important data. Also, by having a built in tracking device located inside of laptop computers will allow employees to be able to track their computer in case of a theft. When working for a business, there are a lot of personal and confidential information that is stored in laptops which if lost without a backup disk can be harmful if that information is lost or is in the hands of a thief. I feel that companies and their employees should always have that extra added protection when owning a laptop computer for daily personal needs and for company matters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In closing, even though there has been many technological changes in todays society, I feel that the emergence of cell phones and handheld computers has had the most impact on my life, but I also feel that business were also majorly impacted by the emergence of cell phones and handheld computers as well. Such advancements as E-Commerce, Intranets and Extranets, and distance learning all aided in the way businesses operates, but I feel that all of these did not make a bigger impact on our society as the cell phones or handheld computers did. I feel that technological advances are really hard to follow especially if you are working in a business environment and knowing that whenever technology changes, that you must change also. One of the major things about on-demand is that it helps a business become not just more innovative, but also much more efficient and much more responsive to change (Wladawsky-Berger, pg 1). I try my best to stay prepared for any new technological advancements or any new changes that are bound to happen whenever I am working for any company. I feel that since our world is filled with the ability to develop and manufacture newer and more innovative products every year, it is very important to try to adapt to whatever new technology that is created especially when working in a business environment because the one thing that businesses likes are employees that catch on and adapt to their surroundings quick and are able to do whatever is necessary to take their company to the next level. Resources http://kb.wisc.edu/showroom/page.php?id=3044 http://www.inc.com/telecom/articles/200802/cellphone.html. Valencia, Gina. Convenience Main Benefit of Laptops. Daily Trojan.1999.pg 2. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-using-a-cell-phone.html. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2002/tc20021231_1219.htm.

Identifying Two Unknown Species of Bacteria Essay -- Escherichia Coli

Identifying Two Unknown Species of Bacteria Materials and Methods Week 1, Day 1 (10 November 2000) The first day an unknown sample was assigned to each group of students. The first test applied was a gram stain to test for gram positive or gram-negative bacteria. The morphology of the two types of bacteria was viewed under the microscope and recorded. Then the sample was put on agar plates using the quadrant streak method for isolation. There were three agar plates; one was incubated at room temperature, the second at 30 degrees Celsius, and the third at 37 degrees Celsius. By placing each plate at a different temperature optimal growth temperature can be predicted for both species of bacteria. Week 1, Day 2 (12 November 2000) After 48 hours of incubation the agar plates were viewed. Individual colonies were tested for successful isolation by gram staining and then viewing the stained bacteria under a microscope. Isolation was successful. One colony of each unknown bacteria was transferred to an agar slant for growth. The agar slants were stored at room temperature over the weekend so that they would not grow too much. Week 2, Day 1 (17 November 2000) After 5 days of growth each slant was tested using the gram staining technique to confirm the complete isolation of the bacteria. Both isolations were completely successful. Then each sample of bacteria was subjected to a series of tests for identification. One bacterium was gram negative. It underwent four different tests. These tests were the EMB test (Eosin Mehylene Blue), the Sulfur Indole Motility (SIM) test, the Urease test, and the Simmon’s Citrate Utilization test. The EMB test checks for a bacteria’s ability to ferment lactose. This test is accomplished by placing the bacteria on Eosin Methylene Blue agar. The agar is selective for gram negative bacteria and those bacteria that can ferment lactose will have colored growth, usually a metallic green sheen. The Sulfur Indole Motility agar tests for three separate characteristics; sulfur reduction, indole production, and motility. The SIM medium is a semisolid medium; this facilitates the motility test. The medium contains sulfur, if the bacterium has the ability to reduce sulfur the medium will turn black. The medium also contains tryptophan. If the bacterium has the enzyme tryptophanase, indole will be ... ...indole, it is motile, there is no urease present and there is no coagulase activity. By deduction and logical reasoning Unknown 10a was determined to be Escherichia coli. Unknown 10b is Staphylococcus epidermidis. According to Bergey’s Manual Staphylococcus bacteria are gram positive spherical cells that occur singly, in pairs or in irregular clusters. Unknown 10b was gram positive, spherical and occurred in clusters. Bergey’s Manual also says the bacteria grow well in high salt concentrations. Unknown 10b grew well on the mannitol salt agar. The optimum growing temperature is 30-37 degrees Celsius (Bergey’s Manual). Unknown 10b grew best at 37 degrees Celsius. The lab manual and past lab results confirmed all other test results. Unknown 10b was only able to use gamma lysis, it was unable to ferment mannitol and had no coagulase activity. When comparing to past labs it is confirmed that Unknown 10b is Staphylococcus epidermidis. Unknown #10 contained two bacteria they are Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. References 1.Holt, John G. et al Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1994. 2.Merkel, Brian Microbiology Laboratory, 2000.

Product Level Planning

Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Market analysis 3 SWOT Analysis 4-7 Objectives 7 Marketing Strategy 8 Action Program 9 Financial Projection 10 Feedback & Control 10 Conclusion 11 References 11 Executive Summery Cement Industry is highly important segment of Bangladesh’s Industrial sector & Plays a vital role in socio-economic development.Although cement industry of Bangladesh has witnessed its ups & down in recent past but in last decade it has recovered & now it’s a self-sufficient industry of Bangladesh not only fulfilling domestic needs of Bangladesh also exporting a huge amount of cement to other countries, bringing foreign reserves & help in up lifting Bangladesh’s GDP. Bangladesh is currently operating at their maximum capacity due to the boom in commercial & industrial construction within Bangladesh.In this report I have selected ‘Anchor' cement, Olympic Cement Ltd (OCL) of ‘Khansons Group’ simply called gray cement & we will descr ibe how they do product planning for that? Khansons Group has extended its industrial arena by putting-up a clinker grinding cement plant named as ‘Olympic Cement Ltd'. The plant is located at Rupatoli, Barisal all in a row along with its textile industries. The finished product (cement) has been branded as ‘Anchor' & the same has become popular in the local market. This cement project commenced its initial production at 800 tpd and gradually increased the production to the level of 1,600 tpd.Olympic Cement Ltd (OCL) is one & only cement factory which has targeted to meet the entire demand of cement in Southern Bengal. As a result, OCL has concentrated its sales on a soaring trend by increasing production volume. OCL is maintaining the reputation of its quality product and aiming at the extended project in days to come. Current Market Situation Overall Market Situation Bangladesh cement industry is the 40th largest market in the world. There are 70+ cement factories in B angladesh and daily production capacity is 16. 687 Million MT.In January 2012, Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau released data confirming that cement exports had witnessed a 21% increase in the first seven months of the current fiscal year (July 2011 – January 2012). The boost in the cement sector is because of the rising construction activity in the country & increasing development expenditure by the govt. Due to this the sales of cement sector will also rise every year. Product Situation Since Cement is a specialized product, requiring sophisticated infrastructure & production location, so, Most of the cement industries in Bangladesh are located near/within a river side that are rich in clay.Iron & mineral capacity so ‘Anchor’ cement is situated near to the bank of river ‘Kirton Khola’. Anchor cement installed capacity is 1,600 tpd at present with the turnover of 50 crore in a year. Competitive Situation: In competitive situation we will describe all the competitors of Anchor Cement producing gray cement. There are 70 + firms in the market along with Anchor Cement. All these companies are using different marketing tactics to grape as much market share as possible but they are acting like a cartel under the tree of APCMA.They are producing same quality of cement with all most same price and features that’s why competition in the market is very tough for local as well as foreign market. All are using same bulk & penetration strategies to cover major portion of the market. Some are using cost leadership strategy but due to cartel act behavior they are not getting the target results that they want to achieve. Currently Crown cement is the market leader while Anchor cement is a niche in the national market but it is the leader in the local market of Barisal & southern part of Bangladesh. Distribution Situation:Anchor Cement Company uses different channels of distributions to transfer the gray cement from company t o the different part of Bangladesh. †¢ACC > Whole Sellers > Retailor> Customer †¢ACC > Retailors> Customer †¢ACC > Customer †¢ACC > Regional Offices > w/s Retailors Macro-Environmental Situation Macro environmental factors directly or indirectly effect the production of the company & its market. Macro- Environmental factors are the factors that are not in the control of the company. These factors are†¦.. 1. Political 2. Law & order situation 3. Cultural values 4. Technological change . Demographic trends 6. Economic Condition 7. Inflation Opportunity & Issue Analysis After completing the market analysis now we will do analysis of opportunities & issues for the ACC. Opportunity is a chance of progress or advancement that is available in the market & the company has to avail it for the progress and profitability while issues are the weakness or threat for the company to avoid or settled down. For this purpose we have to do SWOT analysis of ACC. Strength of ACC Strengths are the internal positive factors of advantage that a company possesses. Following is the strength of ACC. Installed Capacity: Installed capacity of company is 16. 687 Million MT daily & they are producing 6007. 32 MT per annum so they can exceed the production easily by proper implementing their marketing mix strategies & it will directly increase profits of the company. oRaw Material: Anchor Cement Company is situated near the bank of the river kirtonkhola. So they can easily avail the huge reserve of raw materials with a very low cost as compare to other competitors’ as their cost of material is high. oHigh Quality of ACC: Quality of ACC is much better than the standard set by Bangladesh & importers.Quality of production is better than most of the competitors in the market. oCheap Labor: They are using cheap labor market of Bangladesh which is strength of them & due to this their price is low as compare to other compotators. oGood Govt. Policies: Local & federal govts. Policies are supportive & favorable to the cement sector. They are getting many benefits in term of electricity etc from BD govt. So over all ACC is enjoying good environment created by Government. Weakness of ACC Weaknesses are the internal negative factors of a company that should be avoided or to be controlled.Following are the negative factors of ACC. oNot Utilization of Full Capacity: ACC is not utilizing its full capacity of production of gray cement. They can produce more per annum so not utilizing their full capacity is also their disadvantage which they should convert it into opportunity. oFuel & Electricity Charges: ACC cost comprises more than 50% costs of fuel & electricity. So they should minimize these expenses as much as they can. It can really help them in uplifting their market share & growth & profit as well. They can convert their system or can generate their own electricity by investing in this sector. Management: ACC major boards of directors are from th e same family which is also a negative factor of them. So they should introduce competent personnel’s in the company for the growth. oFreight Charges: Freight or transportation charges to other parts of the country are also a problem for them which should be settled down as soon as possible. They should minimize their expenses to avail greater markets present in other parts of Bangladesh. Opportunities for ACC Opportunities are chances for progress or advancement that is available in the market and the company has to avail it for the progress and profitability.These are positive external factors. Following are the opportunities available for ACC. oGovernment Development Expenditure: Govt: is spending huge amount on development projects like roads, schools, hospitals, dams & infrastructure etc. ACC can avail these opportunities by responding on time to these projects. oConstruction of Big projects: Recently there are many big projects are going on Bangladesh like construction of Jamuna future park, many high rise buildings etc, also in nationwide & in Barisal.ACC should explore all these opportunities to increase its market share. oDemand of Bangladeshi Cement: Recently Bangladeshi cement demand is increasing day by day in foreign markets so ACC can improve its foreign market share. This will be very favorable & profitable for them. Threats for ACC Threats are the negative factors that are available in the external environments. These are unhidden threats that are waiting for & company should be ready or prepared to tickle down all these threats for their existence & survival. Following are the threats available for ACC. High Energy Prices: Energy prices are constantly increasing in Bangladesh & worldwide which is directly affecting the profitability of ACC because major portion of cost consists of fuel & energy expenses so they should find out alternative source of energy to minimize the cost of goods. oHigh level of Taxes & Custom duty: High level of c ost & custom duty are affecting its profitability. So govt. should take constructive steps for the development of the industries. oCompetitors: There are 70+ firms in cement industry which make the competition very tough.Each firm is striving to get as much share as they can and they are using different tactics to excel their sales. So, ACC should take proper steps for its growth while taking into consideration all the Competitors. oPolitical Instability: It is also a main threat for ACC because it brings changes in laws & regulation accordingly. Objectives After analyzing all the factors now we will set the objectives or targets we can say, for ACC that is going to be achieved in the next financial year of the company. Our objectives should be ? Specific ?Measurable ?Achievable ?Realistic ?Time bound There are 2 kinds of objectives which are: Financial Objectives †¢Marketing Objectives Financial Objectives: Financial objectives are related with the financial performance of the company or simply objectives that relate to finance. Following are the financial objectives that we can set for ACC for 2013. ?Profit after taxes should be 60 crore ?Cash flow should be 10% high Marketing Objectives Financial objectives should be convertible to marketing objectives. Marketing objectives are related to market or overall industry. Following are the marketing objectives of ACC. Sales should be 50% high Exports should be 40% Average price should be up to 450 pgSales of 5,00,000 tons should be achieved in 2013 Expand the number of dealers Market share should be up to 5% Marketing Strategies Strategies are the game plan or road map to achieve the objectives set by the company by utilizing its resources. Following are the marketing strategies that should be used: oNew Markets New markets in outside & inside of the country should be achieved. oDistribution outlets Distribution outlets or big distributors must be located in all the targeted markets. oAdvertisement 2% budget should be allocated for advertisement campaign on bill boards & certain media channel. Low pricing strategy Low pricing strategy should be adopted as compared to competitors. oAlliance Alliances should be made with distributors & realtors in important markets & preference should be given to them. oSales force Sale force or sales agents should also be hired in remote areas with 5-8% commission. oMarket Research 10% Budget should be allocated to market research to know competitors, customer behavior & new markets. oLower cost of goods strategy Cost of the cement should be low down to earn maximum profit Action Programs Marketing strategies should be supported with action programs or day to day plans.Each strategy should be broken down in to small programs or action that can easily be implemented. It tells us that which marketing strategy is to be completed by whom, when how & what will be the cost of that? ?Sales department have to do 25 crore sales after every 4 months. ?Production department have to produce 0. 25 million tons after every 4 months. ?Purchase department should purchase furnace oil & raw materials 5% less as compared to previous year. ?Management should reduce unproductive expenses @10% as compared to last year. ?Other incomes should be increased up to 10 crore as compared to last year. Marketing department should achieve their target within given budget on the basis of six months. Financial Projections †¢Following are the overall projection for year 2013. In millionsIncrease Sales500060% Cgs (Cost of goods sold)(3200)36% Gross Profit120080% Other Expenses18010% Other Income2040% Profit Before Taxes800 Taxes200 Net Profit60020% Feedback & Control In the last stage of product level planning we will consider does the company actually achieved its objectives or not. In this step we will compare the actual results with the standards set out there in the planning stage.According to the above results & figures ACC has achieved all the targets & g oals efficiently & effectively. They have properly implemented the planning as compared to previous year so they have achieved the level of performance what they want. Even more fruitful results have been achieved. Usually, Anchor Cement Company carries out three types of controlling strategies which are as under.. oAnnual Plan Control ACC usually do audit or check up at the end of year that whether that have achived their annual goals/objectives or not regarding sales, profits, market share & growth etc.They want to know the gap between actual & standard, if found any & then will fix it down in the upcoming period. If they have performed much better then they watch out the reasons behind that to implement forever in the organization. oAudit Control Internal Audit is carried out by the internal auditors. External Audit is carried out by external auditors. oStrategic Control Strategic Control is the step of the last section. In strategic control usually they evaluate whether the Anch or Cement Company marketing strategy is appropriate to the market condition or not.If not they do Changes in it to make implementable in the market. They change their strategy according to the market situation that changes so rapidly. Conclusion From the above analysis we can easily conclude that how a company usually does their product or marketing planning. I pick Anchor Cement Company collect data from different sources (mainly from web) & then make the palling for them accordingly. All the above discussion gives us a bird’s eye view regarding a good product planning that a marketer can do. References http://www. khansonsgroup. com www. scribd. com Marketing Management- Philip Kotler, 11th edition