Ida Tarbell the Muckraker: Digging up the Dirt Essay -- Essays Papers

Ida Tarbell the Muckraker: Digging up the Dirt During the late 1800's and early 1900's, change in American society was very evident in the economy. An extraordinary expansion of the industrial economy was taking place, presenting new forms of business organization and bringing trusts and holding companies into the national picture. The turn of the century is known as the "Great Merger Movement:" over two thousand corporations were "swallowed up" by one hundred and fifty giant holding companies.1 This powerful change in industry brought about controversy and was a source of social anxiety. How were people to deal with this great movement and understand the reasons behind the new advancements? Through the use of propaganda, the public was enlightened and the trusts were attacked. Muckraking, a term categorizing this type of journalism, began in 1903 and lasted until 1912. It uncovered the dirt of trusts and accurately voiced the public's alarm of this new form of industrial control. Ida Tarbell, a known muckraker, spearheaded this popular investigative movement.2 As a journalist, she produced one of the most detailed examinations of a monopolistic trust, The Standard Oil Company.3 Taking on a difficult responsibility and using her unique journalistic skills, Ida Tarbell was able to get to the bottom of a scheme that allowed the oil industry to be manipulated by a single man, John D. Rockefeller. Being a conscientious journalist, Ida Tarbell is known for the inauguration of muckraking. President Theodore Roosevelt had given the term ‘muckraking’ to this type of investigative journalism done by Ida Tarbell. Roosevelt did not fully support her work because of its "focus and tone." The President got this name from a c... ...s Press, 1994), 4. 2. Kathleen Brady, Ida Tarbell, Portrait of a Muckraker (New York: Seaview/Putnam, 1984), 140. 3. Ida M. Tarbell. "The History of the Standard Oil Company." 1904. Available [online]: http://www.history.rochester.edu/fuels/tarbell/MAIN.HTM. (15 February 2000). 4. Fitzpatrick, 2. 5. Mary E. Tomkins, Ida M. Tarbell (New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1974), 15. 6. Brady, 136. 7. Tomkins, 15. 8. Brady, 121-124. 9. Brady, 133. 10. Fitzpatrick, 60-70. 11. Tarbell 12. Tomkins, 65. 13. Fitzpatrick, 77-79. 14. Tomkins, 59-65. 15. Tarbell 16. Tomkins, 66. 17. Lowrie, Arthur L. "Ida M. Tarbell: Investigative Journalist Par Excellence." 1997. Available [online]: http://merlin.alleg.edu/hmccell/tarbell/biobib.html (15 February 2000). 18. Brady, 160. 19. Lowrie

Rice Cake Production

Rice cakes have only two critical ingredients—rice and water. The rice itself needs certain characteristics to produce the best quality cake and limit breakage. Sticky rice, whether white or brown, tends to work best, while long-grain varieties don't expand during cooking as vigorously. Water is important early in preparation. Other ingredients like salt (added before popping or sprayed on after) and various flavorings are important considerations to taste-and nutrition-conscious consumers but are not significant to the production process.Product ConceptEase of production and marketability are major concerns when a new type of rice cake is considered. The popping machines are expensive investments, so the product must be readily adaptable to the machine. Production trials have shown that additives greatly increase the likelihood of breakage, so spices, herbs, and seeds are not mixed with the rice before the cake is made although they may be added to the surface later.Similarly , salt and flavorings are now sprayed on; earlier methods of adding them to the rice were less than successful in the survival rate of whole rice cakes and in taste. Some manufacturers have also eliminated mini rice cakes from their product line. The novelty of the smaller cakes was more costly to produce than sales warranted. A constant stream of new flavor possibilities and other options are under consideration, but only careful assurance of a contented public and minimal production difficulties justifies a new product line.The Manufacturing Process1.The simple process of making rice cakes is based on the fact that rice subjected to the right combination of heat and pressure will expand to fill a given space.The rice cakes are sprayed and packaged.The manufacturer's specifically preferred type of raw rice (depending on stickiness, expansion potential, and taste) is soaked in water until the right moisture level is attained.2.The moist rice is fed into hoppers above popping machine s. A major producer of rice cakes may have 80 or 90 machines with one to three cooking heads, each of which produces one cake every 15 seconds.3.The rice is gravity-fed from the hopper into the  cast-iron mold or cooking head in the popping machine. The mold is heated to hundreds of degrees, and a slide plate opens to impose a vacuum on the moist rice mass. After 8 to 10 seconds of exposure to heat at this pressure, the lid of the mold expands, creating an even greater vacuum on the contents. In the last few seconds of heating, the mixture explodes to fill the given space. If the rice forms a large proportion of the exploded mass, it will be more satisfying, have a better texture, and be full of natural flavor. â€Å"Styrofoam†-or â€Å"hockey puck†-like rice cakes show that either too much air and not enough rice is in the mix (styrofoam) or that the moisturedensity relationship is wrong, causing solidity but no flavor (hockey puck). Given the proper chemistry, the bran and other components of the rice bond to each other so the popped mixture sticks together without gumming additives.4.After the cake has exploded in the popping machine, the cooking head opens and the cake falls gently on a conveyor belt. The belt carries the cake past one or more spraying heads where salt may be added or the cakes are flavor-enhanced. Natural flavors are preferred by consumers and include everything from strawberry, caramel, apple cinnamon, blueberry, and almond to salsa, nacho, taco, salt-only, or Tamari seaweed. Some rice cake manufacturers will accept orders for private-label flavors.5.The conveyor, now carrying flavored cakes, passes through a tunnel dryer where the moisture added by the flavor sprayers is driven off.6.The conveyor moves to the bagging area, where the rice cakes are removed from the conveyor by hand, inspected for any breakage, and stacked, sealed in shrinkwrap, and packaged in an overwrap bag printed with the product identification and se aled. The bags are then packed in cartons for bulk sale.Quality ControlQuality control at the rice cake plant is a labor-intensive process. Any breakage means lost revenue, and maintenance of moisture levels and popping machines are critical. Moisture throughout the process and the factory is monitored constantly. The ambient (naturally occurring) humidity may alter production; on a dry day, more moisture may have to be added to the rice. The finished cakes will absorb moisture, but this is avoided by completing the process from popping machine to bagging in a few minutes.The popping machines themselves are cleaned every few hours. If the molds collect  moisture or rice, the new cake will stick to the mold and become brittle and break. Because the cakes are individually hand-sorted prior to bagging, damaged rice cakes can be discarded before they reach a bag. Once they are ready for sale, the rice cakes have a remarkably long shelf life of over a year during which they retain tast e and texture. If rice cakes have lost their crispness, they can be quickly revived at home by reheating them in a toaster. Even the freshest cakes benefit from a little heat that tends to restore their flavor.Byproducts/WasteThere is essentially no waste in the process of making rice cakes except for breakage. Enterprising producers have created markets for the broken cakes by selling them as cold cereal and ingredients in candy bars as well as bags of broken rice cakes for snacking. Flavors that fall out of fashion are removed from the product line and replaced by new flavors that are in development constantly. Chips, crackers, and other snack foods often provide flavor guidelines for rice cake makers.The FutureIncreasing health consciousness bodes well for the future of rice cakes. As the treat has become popular as a snack, buyers have become more discriminating in rejecting Styrofoam/hockey puck products for those with better textures and flavors. The range of designer flavors offers something for every taste, and, of course, the consumer can top the rice cake of choice with fruit, peanut butter, or other enhancements to make an even more varied snack. In an age of energy, health, and time awareness, the 15-second rice cake seems to have harvested its long history.

Artificial Intelligence Is More Complicated Than The...

Question #1 Artificial Intelligence is far more complicated than the mechanical process of thinking. There are multiple things in these world from phones to computers that can be considered Artificial Intelligence. However, the description for an A.I. vary dramatically due to the fact that intelligence itself is not easy to describe design within itself. The Touring test states that you could have an imitation game going on with a computer and if you do its considered to have intelligence. To counter act that point, if one can only imitate and copy someone else’s thoughts and patterns is it considered to be its own entity? Indeed, using language as the bases of intelligence is a good step however it does not answer the conception of a mind. Artificial Intelligence can imitate but since it cannot create its own distinctive answer, therefore Lady Lovelace state that it is lacking conscious and cannot be the basis of a mind. If we look at a human mind, one can input data from var ious sources and create mental images that our sentient mind can handle and process appropriately. With that in mind, we sound and process exactly like a computer or an intelligent program, where we differentiate from is how we make an output. This is where the scale for a weak A.I. and a strong A.I come into play. A weak A.I. can input data per its program but that is where it is limited, while a Strong A.I. can use think for itself possible outside its program. For Example, a human can be on a trainShow MoreRelatedHow Close Are We Really Artificial Intelligence?1249 Words   |  5 PagesHow Close Are We Really to Artificial Intelligence? In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, written by Douglas Adams, a man named Arthur Dent wakes up and finds himself at the beginning of beyond a bad day. When he learns that a friend of his is actually an alien with advanced knowledge of Earth s impending destruction, he is transported off the Earth seconds before it is exploded to make way for a new hyperspace motorway. And as if that s not enough, throw in being wanted by the police, EarthRead MoreArtificial Intelligence And Science For Knowledge1639 Words   |  7 Pagesto improve man-kind. Artificial Intelligence is a substructure of Engineering where it takes that knowledge of the engineers to improve the training thought of a device with less human interaction. Software, Mechanical, and Robotics, to name a few,are areas where Artificial Intelligence is being used. The way artificial Intelligence has evolved through the years, it has even been able to challenge humans into improving much greater ideas. â€Å"The t erm artificial intelligence is also used to describeRead MoreGoogle vs. Intelligence Essay1062 Words   |  5 PagesGoogle is â€Å"making us stupid† by contributing to a rising trend of superficial thinking. In this case, the definition of stupidity is based on Nicholas Carr’s belief that Google reduces our intellectual power by narrowing our focus and processing ability, which may alter the structure of our cognitive processes as we adapt to technology. This narrowing of thought impacts our critical thinking abilities, which contributes to our increasing dependence on technology. The combination of superabundantRead MoreThe Internet Is An Ocean And We Are The Fishermen2351 Words   |  10 Pagesmyriad of appealing fishes, all competing for our attention. We’re enticed to keep making our way across the water to seek more, and sometimes fail to catch anything. This is exactly the marvel of the web, but it is also a problem. Nowadays the Internet is no longer a want, rather, it is becoming somewhat of a necessity. The rising popularity of this artificial intelligence has led to an ongoing debate regarding its influence on people’s lives. The Net is undoubtedly the most influential technologyRead MoreDescribe Two of the Organisational Metaphors Studied and Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of Each.2170 Words   |  9 Pagesof using different metaphors to look at organisations. The first metaphor, the organisation as a machine, is possibly the easiest to understand. Morgan (1986) explains how this style of organisation underpins the development of bureaucracy. The mechanical metaphor was dominant for most of the last century, and is associated with the work of Taylor Fayol (Pugh Hickson 1989). When we think of an organisation as a machine we imagine a very systematic approach which is frequently seen in bureaucraticRead MoreARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE6331 Words   |  26 PagesARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Contents : Abstract : Introduction : History : Concepts : Branches of AI : Artificial Intelligence in fiction : Problems o 7.1 Deduction, reasoning, problem solving o 7.2 Knowledge representation o 7.3 Planning o 7.4 Learning o 7.5 Motion manipulation o 7.6 Perception o 7.7 Social intelligence o 7.8 Creativity o 7.9 General intelligence ï‚ · VIII : Tools o 8.1 Search optimization o 8.2 Logic o 8.3 Probabilistic methods for uncertain reasoning Read MoreThe Natural Language Processing ( Nlp )3111 Words   |  13 Pages INTRODUCTION Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is a process in which human makes communication with machine easily. NLP is related to area of human and computer interaction. There are many application developed last few years. The very helpful application is that a machine take instruction by human voice and follow operation on it. NLP are trying to make computer more reliable that are easier to use by people. So rather than learn a special language of computer command, people will talk withRead MoreBionic: Artificial Pacemaker and Electronic Noses8677 Words   |  35 PagesAbstract Bionics is a field, which combines both electronics and biology. In simple terms, when we think about bionics, it is generally more about prosthetic arms or leg enhancement worn outside the body and, to some extend, even implanted sensor devices inside the body, which are essentially enhanced to carry out certain routine tasks. These are essentially life systems that are powered by motors/actuators and sensory arrays. These send neural signals from affected part of the body to the brainRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World3277 Words   |  14 Pagesvirtually every aspect of human activity -- from creation to death. In exchange for comfort, happiness, and stability, the people in Huxley’s world give up their free will and sense of self. To make his point, Huxley employs powerful symbols of a mechanical, mind-numbing world where individual identity has little value. In Brave New World, the government can only be described as a repressive socialist totalitarian regime. Huxley designs a government run by World Controllers, where the many are manipulatedRead MoreStrategic Importance of Knowledge Management6580 Words   |  27 PagesAbstract Today the world has more and more of free flow of information leading to transfer of knowledge from a person or an organization to others. Whereas this invariably leads to faster development, it also impacts the competitive advantage held by the innovators of processes or technology. It has therefore become strategically important for one and all in business to understand the knowledge, processes and controls to effectively manage the system of sharing and transferring the information

Scottish Independence and the United Kingdom

There are eight accepted criteria that determine whether an entity is an independent country or state. An entity need only fail on one of the eight criteria to fall short of the definition of an independent country. Scotland does not meet six of the eight criteria. Criteria Defining an Independent Country Heres how Scotland measures upon the criteria that define an independent country or state. Space  or  Territory  With  Internationally  Recognized  Boundaries Boundary  disputes are OK. Scotland does have internationally recognized boundaries and an area of 78,133 square kilometers. People  Live  There  on  an  Ongoing  Basis According to the 2001 census, Scotlands population is 5,062,011. Economic  Activity  and  an  Organized  Economy This also means a country  regulates  foreign  and  domestic  trade  and  issues money. Scotland certainly has economic activity and an organized economy; Scotland even has its own GDP (over 62 billion pounds sterling as of 1998). However, Scotland does not regulate foreign or domestic trade, and the Scottish Parliament is not authorized to do so. Under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998, the Scottish Parliament is able to pass laws on a range of issues known as devolved issues. The United Kingdom Parliament is able to act on reserved issues. Reserved issues include a variety of economic issues: the fiscal, economic and monetary system; energy; common markets; and traditions. The Bank of Scotland does issue money, but it prints the British pound on behalf of the central government. The Power of Social Engineering, Such As Education The Scottish Parliament is able to control education, training, and social work (but not social security). However, this power was granted to Scotland by U.K. Parliament. Transportation System for Moving Goods and People Scotland itself has a transportation system, but the system is not fully under Scottish control. The Scottish Parliament controls some aspects of transportation, including the Scottish road network, bus policy, and ports and harbors, while the U.K. Parliament controls railways, transport safety,  and regulation. Again, Scotlands power was granted by the U.K. Parliament. Government That Provides Public Services and Police Power The Scottish Parliament has the ability to control law and home affairs (including most aspects of criminal and civil law, the prosecution system, and the courts) as well as the police and fire services. The U.K. Parliament controls defense and national security across the United Kingdom. Again, Scotlands power was granted to Scotland by the U.K. Parliament. Sovereignty: No Other State Has Power Over the Country's Territory Scotland does not have sovereignty. The U.K. Parliament definitely has power over Scotlands territory. External  Recognition, "Voted Into the Club" by Other Countries Scotland does not have external recognition, nor does Scotland have its own embassies in other independent countries. The Verdict As you can see, Scotland is not an independent country or state, and neither are Wales, Northern Ireland, or England itself. However, Scotland is most certainly a nation of people living in an internal division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

How Men and Women Are Perceived According to Their Gender

In todays western world societal differences occur based on ones gender and have been shaped over hundreds of years and have shown what is deemed acceptable for one gender is not always acceptable for the other. Our society is based on a gender social structure and what is appropriate for an individual. Promiscuous behavior and active sexual expression ranges from whats expected of an individual and can change based on their gender, age and socio-economic status. The evolutionary theories explain biological differences in sexual behavior between males and females , which have developed patterns to sustain the double standard. This theories state that men are to pass on their genes , in order to have many children to carry their DNA , where as females are to be selective and find one productive father that can support and take care of them (Milhausen Herold , 2008). Evolutionary theories also explain that if a women were to go out and sleep with a variety of males, she would be see a s permissive and that is not accepted because if the women were to get pregnant she would than not know the paternity of her child , therefore the man would question the paternity of the child (Fugere, Escoto, Cousins, Riggs, Haerich, 2008). Men and women are judged by different standards in society and these cultural norms show males as more dominated within the sexual double standard, where as some women endorse the standard to protect their personal relationship. Women are suppose to beShow MoreRelatedGender Inequality : A Social Problem1016 Words   |  5 PagesGender inequality is a social problem that is widespread in society. It is referred to as the unfair treatment of individuals based on one s gender. Historically, laws have opposed women to go to school, access certain jobs, and purchase property. Gender inequality has been experience through culture – honor-killing, sex-selective abortion, and society – occupation, gender roles, and education. The social expectations of men and women differ between cultures that are constructed socially and culturallyRead MoreStereotypes Of Men And Women Should Act997 Words   |  4 Pagesexample, there are many stereotypes about how men and women should act. These stereotypes tend to generalize certain characteristics of men and women. For example, men are perceived as aggressive and dominant, and women are perceived as expressive and emotional. This is an example of gender roles. Numerous individuals will believe that people should act appropriately, according to their gender. Numerous people start developing stereotypical ideas of gender roles as of three years old (Albert PorterRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol On Social Influences Within Health And Well Being1317 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Harmful use of alcohol contributes 3.3 million deaths every year according to WHO (2015), which is representative of 5.9% of all deaths across the globe. Despite governmental law of putting the drinking age to be 18 and over (UK and Ireland), Many studies reported that within the last ten years that have examined the drinking habits of young people, results show that UK teenagers are characterized by high levels of intoxication and binge drinking. (Binge drinking is defined by the NHSRead More The Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality Essay1361 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Johnny Weir, â€Å"Masculinity is what you believe it to be... [it is] all by perception, [I believe] masculinity and femininity is something that is very old-fashioned... [there is a] whole new generation of people who aren’t defined by their race or their sex or who they like to sleep with.† This statement exemplifies the definition of gender as a concept; gender is the expectations of a sex according to the culture of society. Sexuality, within this definition of gender, reflects society’sRead MoreEffect Of Society Over Gender And Sexual Identity Essay1256 Words   |  6 PagesEffect of Society over Gender and Sexual Identity When Alex was born, his parents were delighted to add another boy to their family. As their baby boy began to grow and develop, they noticed that Alex began to express himself in a manner that they viewed as more feminine than masculine. He gravitated toward dolls and other toys that the culture often associates with girls. Concerned with the social ramifications associated with their child trying to be transgendered, they made the decisionRead MoreGender Inequality1369 Words   |  6 PagesGender inequality has been a long standing issue throughout history. While for some people there is no gender inequality at the workforce some studies and research have shown the contrary. Despite the effort to combat gender discrepancies at the workplace gender equity has yet not being reached. Gender itself plays an important role at the workforce because some people stereotype a person according to their gender and not by their capacity. Stereotypes are characteristics attributed to peopl e basedRead MoreMedia, Youth And Culture : Application Of Theory1664 Words   |  7 PagesMedia, Youth and Culture Application of Theory to Culture Discuss the ways in which gender identities are constructed and expressed through media and popular cultures? This essay will address the way in which gender identities are constructed and expressed through media and popular cultures using Hebdige’s theory; Symbolic Interaction. Both gender identities will test the typical affiliated gender stereotype; which are created by social interactions – what a person sees and interprets in theirRead MoreGender Differences In Communication Are A Set Of Rules1298 Words   |  6 PagesGender differences in communication are a set of rules based off what society perceives as accurate for a male or female in situations. This literature review investigates gender differences in communication, particularly differences in conversational style, body politics and attractiveness, work and education, in relation to learning the roles of gender. Results of the literature review suggest that gender differences exist in various ways. Communication for females indicate women are indirect andRead MoreGender Portrayal Of Gender Roles953 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction According to the United States Department of Labor, 69.7% of men compared to 57.2% of women were participating in the U.S. paid labor force in the year 2013 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2013). But despite this near equality in the rates of participation in the work force, men and women continue to be depicted in very distinct gender roles throughout the mainstream media (Eisend, 2010; Lull, Hanson, Marx, 1977; Collins, 2011). This gender stereotyping effect is especially prevalent withinRead MoreWomen s Influence On The Formation Of The New Land971 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history men have been conquers, captains, leaders, kings, and have left a print in history. On the other hand, women are depicted as weak and fragile, unable to fend for themselves. According to society women need a strong masculine man to protect and provide for them. What if I told all that could’ve been different in a new world where women and men could be free, own land, and practice any religion, would you go? Many European settlers fled England with hopes to break free from tradition

Successful Leadership Leads to a Successful Business Free Essays

Quality of leadership has become a major focus of almost every business in America today. Extensive research and analysis of this aspect of management has led to many insightful books on effective leadership. One such book is C. We will write a custom essay sample on Successful Leadership Leads to a Successful Business or any similar topic only for you Order Now A. O†Conner†s Successful Leadership. O†Conner discusses this complicated subject by breaking it up into seven major areas. These areas are developing awareness, understanding people, power and authority, communication, decision making, creating a vision, and taking charge. Through these seven areas, O†Conner gives valuable skills in becoming an effective leader. Before an individual can begin incorporating the seven major areas of leadership he must first learn followership. Through following, he realizes not only the importance of a leader that looks after the needs of his supporters, but also the need for supporters that contribute to the leader†s success. In any group or team where leadership is present, these two aspects are complimentary. Like wise, the skills of leadership and followership are also complimentary. An individual cannot develop his leadership skills without having developed his followership skills first. Followers learn the importance that teamwork, cohesiveness, and subordination have in the accomplishment of goals. Additionally, when an individual does obtain a leadership position, the experience he gains in following provides a basis to make better decisions. The first major area of leadership is developing self-awareness. In developing self-awareness, one must first obtain the assessment of others. A major source of this assessment is feedback. Careful attention to attitudes, comments and performance of subordinates offer great insight into the effectiveness of a leader. Listening to thoughts and opinions of fellow leaders is another major source. Honesty is the key to both sources of information in that the individual must not disregard negative aspects of his own leadership qualities. He must realize his own faults and shortcomings. The second step in self-awareness is to create a features list. A features list is done by the leader himself and is made up of at least five good leadership traits and at least five bad ones. A leader†s inability to come up with five or more traits in either category means a severe lack of self-awareness. The purpose of the features list is to keep the leader aware of his own qualities. As the individual develops as a leader, he should continuously create new features lists to ensure his own self-awareness. Once the individual has accurately assessed his own qualities, it is then time to implement improvements. A plan of action is the basis of this implementation. The plan should include creating a list of goals that enhance good qualities and make changes to bad ones. The leader must then make strides in realizing these goals. Like the features list, the individual†s plan of action should change as he develops as a leader. The next area of leadership is understanding people. It is essential that a leader understand that each of his subordinates is different, with different drives, dreams, and ambitions. To â€Å"classify† subordinates into a particular group is to deprive them of their individuality and ignore their particular needs. Understanding each subordinate†s needs is the key to motivating them. In assessing the needs of subordinates, a leader must be able to recognize what level each individual is on in Maslow†s hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs is divided into five levels: the need for food, clothing, and shelter; personal safety and a source of income; family, friends, and caring relationships; self-confidence, creativity and individual achievement; meaning and purpose. In determining the level at which an individual is on, the leader can then help that individual in ascending to the next. The outcome is improved performance on the part of the worker. While this is not the only form of motivating people, it is the most effective in long term motivation. Put more practically, a leader can motivate an individual†s performance not only by explaining the advantages to the company, but also the advantages to that individual†s job security and advancement. By nature, humans seek to attain a better quality of life. For this reason, another effective form of motivation is rewarding. Individuals pay attention to doing a job well when they have personal interests as a result of the outcome. The job becomes beneficial to their own profits and not just the company†s. Balancing the use of rewards is very important. Too many offers of rewards result in disappointment and lack of motivation when one is not offered. Leaders must realize that rewards are only temporary forms of motivation that are not successful in long term leadership. The difficult task of managing power and authority is the third area of successful leadership. While understanding the authority of his position, a leader must also be open to the thoughts and ideas of his subordinates. Disregard for opinions is a sign of a weak leader who is afraid of being undermined and therefor hides behind his power. Leaders express leadership through three basic leadership styles: democratic, autocratic, and permissive. The democratic style of leadership is based on a mutual respect and treating everyone equal, regardless of seniority or position. The leader still maintains authority, but others are able to be active participants in finding solutions to problems. Autocratic leadership provides a strong, undisputed style of leadership that is effective when dealing with controversial issues. While clearly defining goals and expectations, the autocratic style of leadership often results in a leader overpowering subordinates which leads to dissension. The permissive style of leadership is described as being a weak attempt at democratic leadership. Subordinates whose leaders have adopted this style of leadership end up with poor coordination, direction, and guidance. In delegating particular tasks, effective leaders will follow a basic format of assignment. Rather then just handing a subordinate a task with the words â€Å"do this† attached to it, a good leader will define the task, discussing in detail the aspects of it, show why it is important and clearly state any expectations. In doing this the worker has a personal commitment and clear understanding of the importance of the task. Finally, the leader will evaluate and discuss the results of the task with that worker, providing feedback for that worker to improve himself. One of the most vital areas in successful leadership is communication. The most basic form of communication is listening and speaking. This involves not only the exchange of spoken words, but also close attention to body language and tone. This attention allows good listeners to sort of â€Å"read between the words† and fully understand the speaker†s message. Effective speakers take time to prepare what they intend to say, giving careful thought to what it is they are attempting to convey. There are five main features to effective communication. These features are often referred to as social skills. The first involves having a purpose for communication. This aids in guiding the exchange of information and avoids useless or irrelevant communication. The next feature is a clear and logical exchange with directness and confidence. The third feature is appropriateness. The presentation of the information must match the needs of the situation. In other words, choosing the format of delivery (i. e. mail, telephone, person-to-person interaction, etc. that is appropriate to the nature of the information. The forth feature is control. The leader must be able to exhibit self-discipline and restrain from over communicating. An example of this is allowing subordinates to learn tasks without intervention, creating an effective learning environment for the worker and not a micro-managed one. The last feature of communication is the ability to learn. Even the best communicators have room for improvement. Leaders must never be satisfied in their communication skills and continuously make efforts to improve them. Decision making is the next area of successful leadership. Leaders can be forced to make several decisions at the same time, making them to prioritize these decisions based on two criteria: future importance and current urgency. Future importance refers to the long term decisions that may seem insignificant presently, but will greatly impact the company in the long run. Making future importance decisions usually requires a great deal of analysis and planning. Current urgency decisions may seem extremely important at the time, but in actuality are not terribly relevant to the success of the company. In either case, future importance or current urgent, an effective leader makes these decisions with confidence and concern for his subordinates. The complications of decision making can often be made easier through good goal setting. In setting a challenging yet attainable goal, the leader gives solid direction to his department and sets clear objectives. From there, many decisions can be based on whether or not the consequences will help in realizing these goals. These goals offer basic guidance, eliminating irrelevant options. Even with the establishment of goals to guide in decision making, tackling a major decision can be very difficult. It is best for the leader to approach these decisions methodically, using a systematic approach of dealing with it. First the leader must establish what the primary and secondary requirements of the decision are and prioritize them. From there, he begins to consider every possible solution and tries to find new ones. Finally, through assessment of the first two steps, the leader chooses the best alternative based what he has come up with. This process can be used by the individual leader or be opened up for use of the entire workgroup in a more democratic leadership environment. The next area in successful leadership is creating a vision. A vision is an ultimate goal, usually rather universal, that gives overall direction to the company and its employees. The result is unified action that steers generally in the same direction. It is the difficult task of a leader to create and maintain this vision as a guiding light in day to day decisions. He must be aware of the sometimes ever changing â€Å"big picture† as seen by the interests of the company and ensure that the vision is in line with that picture. The final area in successful leadership is taking charge. This involves utilizing all of the first six steps and fully applying them to personal leadership development. It also emphasizes the importance of taking charge of leadership qualities that are already there and maximizing their potential. The leader must draw on experience to guide in decisions on how to lead. People are not born leaders. They become leaders through implementing these seven areas into their lives. A good leader must be able to fail and bounce back, learn from experience, and admit their own limitations. This along with a desire to learn and a drive to complete goals create the leader. How to cite Successful Leadership Leads to a Successful Business, Essay examples

Operation Management System Of Apple Inc- Free Solution

Question: Discuss the operation management system of Apple Inc and link it to the theory of effective operation management. Answer: Introduction The operation functions of an organization are concerned with getting the task done, i.e. producing goods and services for customers. It has the role of making the products and services in such a way that it meets the criteria of the market. As marketing function identifies the needs of the customer, the operation function operates to produce the required goods and services. Every organization is concerned of making grand plan and strategies to meet their goals and objectives. However, a grand plan cannot succeed if not followed with perfection in operations. The operations of the organization are strategically important as every organization comprises their day-to-day activities through the operation function. The key determinant of any organization to attain long term success is the relation between the operation functions and the organization strategy. An organization can meet its goal only if its short term activities in operations are consistent with its long term strategies (Wa rd and Peppard 2016). In the paper, the organization discussed is Apple Inc which is an American multinational technology company whose headquarter is at California. The company develop and design consumer electronic, software of computers and provides online services. The most famous product of Apple is iPhone, iPad tablet computer, iPod portable media player, Mac personal computer and smart watch of Apple. The software produced by the company is ios operating. ITunes media player, macOS, iLife, Safari Web browser, iWork. The company was founded in 1976 and the founder people of Apple are Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Woznaik (apple.com 2016) The paper discusses the operation management practices of Apple Inc. and examines the strategies of the company towards the operation department so that the required product that has sufficient demand in the market is produced optimally. Analysis of theory and practically. Strategy is one of the most widely used word in management and it can be defined as the scope and direction of an organization over a long term that brings advantage to the company through optimum resource mix with the aim to maximise its shareholder expectations. The major three elements of strategy are the firms objectives, external environment and the companys resources. Operation management is concerned with the resources of the organization and the way the operation functions has an impact on achieving its objectives. Thus it is the integral part of any firms strategy (Seuring and Gold 2013). Strategy can be at different level, corporate, business and function. At corporate level it deals with areas like selection of business, allocation of resources between different business and maintaining relationship between business and the centre. A t business level, the strategies shall be to create competitive position, to meet the mission and to make strategic objectives. At functional level, the strategy is to decide how to manage the resource, which technology to adopt and what skills are required (Slack 2015). The operation strategies of any organization are formed to attain the objectives of low cost production, maintain quality of output, develop ability to meet the requirement of customers quickly and lessen the time between order received for product and delivery of the product. Further, objective is to deliver products in accordance to the requirement of the customers and to be flexible in operations when there is a need to change the volume of production, time taken to produce, change in product mix and innovation of new products. It is difficult for any organization to excel in all the strategic areas of operation and all firms strive to plan their operation strategy in such a manner that the cost is low, quality is high, speed of delivery is fast, and dependability is reliable and flexibility is high (Semini et al. 2014). The two important terms in operation management are order winners and order qualifiers. The terms indicate the method of how the operational capabilities internal to the organization can be converted to criteria which brings market success and competitive advantage. It shows the link between marketing and operations. The people who are at operations are responsible for obtaining order qualifying and order winning criteria of marketing that makes the product win the orders in the market. The process of order qualifiers and order winners starts with the strategy of the corporate and ends with the criteria that make the company win over the orders of the customer from the market (Ross 2013). Order qualifiers and order winners are the two criteria to be achieved in the market place by any organization. An order qualifier refers to the characteristics of the product that is required by the customers and order winner is that characteristic which will win the customer purchase. Hence any firm if want to stay in the market must meet the criteria. The firm need to be as good as the competitor to be a qualifier but they need to be better than the competitor for being the order winner. Both the concepts are equally important for operation management. The firms have to be cautious when dealing with the concepts. If the firm produce such high quality product that its cost of production rises and exceeds the market price then enhance in quality lead to loss of order. Hence making order qualifier against order winner in the market. The firm need to strategically plan to avoid such unfavourable results (Roh et al. 2014). Both order winners and order qualifiers are time-specific and market-specific. They operate in different ways, in different combinations, in different markets and with different sets of customers. In some cases, there may be general situations but it is not stable always .In 1990s the order winners were customization of product and speed delivery and the price and quality of product were order winners which were previously order qualifiers. It implies that the market needs and customer preferences keep changing over time and firm need to develop various strategies to support the changing market needs. The matching between the customers and firms perception about order winners and order qualifiers lead to positive sales performance. In other word, favourable sales position is achieved by the firm when there is a match between the firms perception of the product strength and the customers perception of the product. However, increasing gap between the two, leads to negative sales perfor mance (Reid et al. 2016). Further order winners and order qualifiers are also affected by the different stages of the product life cycle. At each stage of product life cycle, the sales of the product depend on several factors like change in technology, level of competition in the industry and preferences of the customers. The product characteristics vary at each stage of product life cycle and it requires different processes of production to meet the changing characteristics. This is only possible if there is proper communication between marketing and operations where marketing identifies the order qualifiers and order winners and operations builds the capabilities to develop the required features of the product. Moreover, product profiling is used to compare the requirement of the product characteristics and the development of the processes to meet the characteristics. It helps to fill the gap between the two and establish a certain level of fit between the order winning criteria and the choices of process f or production (Purce 2014). The paper discusses the operation strategy of Apple Inc., the American based technology multinational company. The corporate objective of Apple inc is to continuously bring innovation of new products and develop research and development in both software and hardware and finally to create unique differentiation of its product against the product of its competitors. The launching of an unique innovative product iPhone has redefined the mobile industry and through it Apple has climbed to the higher income segment of the population to increase its service revenues. Apple has manufactured and concentrated only on single device that is iPhone and has obtained perfect balance between the company charges the same price for the product across the globe. In comparison, the competitors like Nokia, believes in multi-product strategy and charging different prices to different sets of customers and market (Naeem 2014). The target customer of Apple is high-end customers and has limited stores all over the world. It has opened separate retail channel for iPhone and has collaborated with several mobile operators so that there is an increase in the reach and coverage of the network for iPhone. The Apple has collaborated with several mobile operators to increase the network of distribution for the iPhone.The Apple product iPhone has become a potential threat for other competitors especially Nokia. The reason behind it is that Apple has a high scale advantage to meet the demand of the high end customers. Further Apple has not crowded the market with a number of products but has brought only two products in comparison to 20 products of competitors and consists of the better features than the features of the rivals product (Kerzner 2013). The order qualifiers of the market for mobile phone are divided into two segments, the low-end segment and high-end segment. In the low end segment, the order qualifiers are availability of phones and functionality. In the high-end segment, the order qualifiers are image, prestige, trendiness and availability of data content. On the other hand, the order winners are also divided into low-end and high-end customers. In the low-end customer, the order winners are low cost, durability of the product and brand reliability. In the high-end segment of the customers, the order winners are experience of the user, flexibility of the organization to accept the changing trend in the mobiles (Johnson 2014). Apple has fully outsourced in Taiwan the manufacturing operation of the company to lower the cost of production by redesigning the value chain system of the firm. The strength of the company is the low investment cost as it has outsourced its production. The weakness of the company is that it has not reached the huge market of people and is not cost-efficient. The products are high priced and only has targeted high end segment of people. The iPhone is an innovative device and has virtual distribution of data that was present in the phone. The order winner strategy is alignment with high end customers (Hu et al.2013). The operation strategy of Apple is to move from MP3 players to mobiles and to innovate new features. On framing the strategy, it focused on the experience of the users and tried to reduce the gap between what user expect from the product and what companies actually produces. The operation strategy of Apple is to produce high quality good in small volume and produce few goods. It outsourced ad re-outsourced its manufacturing of product to lower the cost of production and create less volume but of highest quality (Holmberg and Ida 2013). The production strategy of Apple Inc is to produce telephonic appliances, low level drivers and develop a plan for following the position. In case of hardware, Apple has tried to develop few products of highest quality and less in volume. The hardware in production makes strategy to gain highest quality product with reasonable price and larger volume of scales. Large numbers of mobile apps has been outsourced to reduce the cost (Tano et al. 2013). The internal organization of Apple has centralised to obtain full control on the firm. It focuses on customer service and has a long vision to obtain success in the firm. The production strategy of Apple is to have central quality control system, to take first mover advantage and to collect feedback from direct customers. The internal organization is controlled and centralised and focuses on experiences from customers. The company believes i autocratic leadership with a long visionary and has attracting talent both internally and externally (Hill et al. 2014). The key manufacturing task of any company is the basis for making strategic policies and is decided by the marketing strategy of the company. The Apples key manufacturing task is flexibility which is obtained in three different ways, new product flexibility, volume flexibility and product-mix flexibility. The order qualifiers of Apple are cost and quality. The company maintains high premium price and high gross margin, so they may not have low cost. Further, the company does not need to maintain highest quality of the product in the market and only sufficient quality is maintained to assure that they have potential customers (Heizer et al.2013). Apple has different strategy towards the labour force in different manufacturing unit. The factory of Apple in United States does not have huge labour force at cheaper rates. The labour force of Apple has several differences in terms of stability, skills, experience and motivation. The workers in the Foxconn unit of Apple do not have stable labour force and the company has kept them on one year contract basis. However, in the US unit, the workers are more stable and mature in their job. The workers in the China unit at Foxconn are literate but do not have much of experience in technical skills and industrial operations as their life is based on traditional agricultural system (Tsai et al.2013). On the other hand, American workers are comfortable with the advanced technological system as they have been growing with it since early ages. For Chinese labour force in Foxconn unit there is lack of safety on social grounds, less opportunities for employment and poverty in the region demands more labour force per unit of production compare to US unit. For every 700 workers of United States unit, the China Unit requires 700 work forces. The less use of labour in US unit is due to larger automation of work in the US factory as compared to Chinas unit. Further in cellular production system, the US unit will require further lower amount of labour force, say 500 workers. This is because of micro line imbalances eliminations and improved motivation of the workers (Heizer et al.2016) The company labour costs are different between different units and comparing them is difficult due to complexities in taxes and exchange rates. The wage structure is different in different countries as well as the benefits availed by the labour force. In Foxconn, the wage given for per hour is $2.50 to the workers whereas in U.S. manufacturing unit, the wage given per hour is $15. So comparing the labour cost, it has been noticed that Apple is able to produce at a cheaper labour cost outside United States than within the country. It implies that the company seeks to establish manufacturing unit in areas of cheaper labour cost in order to reduce its overall cost (Gle 2015). The difference in motivation and background of the workforce calls for different approaches towards the factory operation management system. The U.S factory should consider hiring stable, socialized, matured and teachable labour force. They should invest in training and education for workers and should form work groups and work in team. Further, technical support and quality check supervisors should be included in the team. Moreover, the living standards and cultural background of American labour is different from that of Chinese Labour, so the company should have different compensation structures and training programs (Eden and Ackermann 2013). The allotment of supervisors differs according to the product line and their requirement. It also depends on the quality and standards of the employed labour force. In Foxconn the production line requires lots of supervision and every four workers should have one supervisor above them to ring effective and efficient results and to increase productivity. However, in United States, as the working staff is more matured and experienced, the supervising of the task is comparatively less and the similar assembling line requires fewer supervisors to bring efficiency in the production. For example, in United States per supervisor will have around 10 workers under them than the manufacturing unit in China (David and David 2016). The allotment of technician in industrial engineering will also vary according to the requirement of the unit and perfection of the labour force. A unit in U.S. will require less number of technicians for every lot of workers compared to the unit in China. Regarding automation and equipment the company has to consider several key issues like the workflow and layout of the plan, changes in the volume of production and the support requirement for the installation of automated equipments. The requirement varies according to the products and the place the plant is established (Chase 2012). The manufacturing strategy towards maintaining qualifiers should include strong component of quality and the product need to satisfy the six sigma of total quality management. Further other areas of operation management like, supply chain system scheduling of task and allocation of work need proper planning and strategic movements to obtain efficiency in management of operations (Brown et al.2013). Conclusion and recommendation In conclusion, the brief of the paper is given, The paper basically discusses the operation management system of Apple Inc and link it to the theory of effective operation management. The operation functions of an organization are concerned with getting the task done, i.e. producing goods and services for customers. It has the role of making the products and services in such a way that it meets the criteria of the market. The order winners and order qualifiers are the important area of discussion in the paper. Apple Inc. has a widespread and efficient operation management system. However, seeing the increasing production cost of the product, it is recommended that the manufacturing unit are to be established in countries that have cheaper resources both in term of labour and capital. The training programs for the labour force should be more rigorous for the workers in developing countries than in developed countries. The company should make survey study to analysis the required order qualifiers and order winners of different market in different countries and according should try to minimize the gap between the expected requirement of the customers and the actual requirement met in the product. References Apple. 2016.Apple. [online] Available at: https://www.apple.com/ [Accessed 18 Jun. 2016]. Brown, S., Bessant, J.R. and Lamming, R., 2013.Strategic operations management. Routledge. Chase, J., 2012.Operations management. Tata McGraw-Hill. David, F. and David, F.R., 2016. Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts and Cases. Eden, C. and Ackermann, F., 2013.Making strategy: The journey of strategic management. Sage. Gle, A., 2015. A relationship framework and application in between strategy and operational plans for manufacturing industry.Computers Industrial Engineering,86, pp.83-94. Heizer, J., Render, B. and Munson, C., 2016.Principles of operations management: sustainability and supply chain management. Pearson Higher Ed. Heizer, J., Render, P. and Zu'bi, Z., 2013. Operation Management (Arab World Edition). Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014.Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Holmberg, E. and Ida, M., 2013. Identification and Categorization of Order Qualifiers and Order Winners in Knowledge Intensive Business Services.ISRN LUTVDG/TVTM--2013/5258--/SE. Hu, H.Y., Yen, T.M., Chiou, J.L. and Cheng, C.C., 2013. Integrating Kano's Model and Gap Analysis to Identify and Improve Order-Winners.Journal of Accounting, Finance Management Strategy,8(1), p.97. Johnson, P.F., 2014.Purchasing and supply management. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Kerzner, H.R., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Naeem, M., 2014. An Analysis of the Emirates Airline Operation Management System. Purce, J., 2014. The impact of corporate strategy on human resource management.New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals),67. Reid, I., Ismail, H. and Sharifi, H., 2016. A Framework for Operational Agility: How SMEs Are Evaluating Their Supply Chain Integration. InManaging in a VUCA World(pp. 151-168). Springer International Publishing. Roh, J., Hong, P. and Min, H., 2014. Implementation of a responsive supply chain strategy in global complexity: The case of manufacturing firms.International Journal of Production Economics,147, pp.198-210. Ross, D.F., 2013.Competing through supply chain management: creating market-winning strategies through supply chain partnerships. Springer Science Business Media. Semini, M., Haartveit, D.E.G., Alfnes, E., Arica, E., Brett, P.O. and Strandhagen, J.O., 2014. Strategies for customized shipbuilding with different customer order decoupling points.Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment,228(4), pp.362-372. Seuring, S. and Gold, S., 2013. Sustainability management beyond corporate boundaries: from stakeholders to performance.Journal of Cleaner Production,56, pp.1-6. Slack, N., 2015.Operations strategy. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Tano, M., Data Tec Co., Ltd., 2013.Operation management device to be mounted to a moving object, portable information terminal, operation management server, and computer program. U.S. Patent 8,421,864. Tsai, S.B., Lee, Y.C., Wu, C.H. and Guo, J.J., 2013. Examining how manufacturing corporations win orders.South African Journal of Industrial Engineering,24(3), pp.112-124. Ward, J. and Peppard, J., 2016.The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. John Wiley Sons.