Society And Schooling Essays - Abuse, Anti-social Behaviour

Society And Schooling Discrimination has many different meanings, but the most specific meaning is the exclusion from membership in any group. This results in unfair treatment or judgements. Any type of person can be discriminated against from women to minorities. Also, there are many different areas where one can run into discrimination such as public facilities or even just trying to get onto the bus. One of the first places that one learns about discrimination is in the school systems. Children do not usually know what discrimination is, and a lot of adults do not even realize that they are discriminating against others. I believe that discrimination is one of the major problems in the schools today, because no one realizes that it is a problem. Children in schools have their own clicks or groups that they like to be around. When a student is not involved with this group a lot of times they will be made fun of. Kids can be really harsh with one another, and they just continue to be rude and mean. A lot of kids get made fun of if they are not considered as "cool" as the other kids. There are so many different kinds of groups from the "preps", and "nerds", to the "jocks". Also, children can be made fun of for being overweight or just not pretty enough. Most of the time, students discriminate against other races or origins. They do this because the outside looks different, and most of the times they do not get to know the real person. Discrimination against different races has been a problem for a very long time. I think that since it has been a problem for such a long period of time that a lot of kids just learn to act that way. Handicapped are also discriminated a lot because they are different. These students can be physically, mentally, or just emotionally handicapped, but still students will not give them the time of day. The teachers themselves can also discriminate against their students with out even knowing it. Students are discriminated against for their gender or their grades. Teachers will put students in groups with the same types of people, so that the children who have difficulty learning do not have the opportunity. When I get my own classroom, I will try my hardest to not have discrimination in it. When I assign them group projects, I will pick their groups to give them the opportunity to get to know their fellow classmates. Also, I will make sure that there are no friends in the same group. The groups will remain the same for a couple of weeks, and then they will get new groups. Another option I would try is teaching them about the other nationalities, races, and religions. I would do this by devoting one day a week to the students to tell something about their origins, race, religion, etc.. Discrimination is a major problem in today's society, but we can do something about it by beginning in the schools. We need to educate these children about the different cultures in society so they will give people a chance.

How to Get Your CDL in Montana and Ohio

How to Get Your CDL in Montana and Ohio If you live in Montana or Ohio, check this round up of state guidelines and see what you’ll need to do to be certified to drive safely behind the wheel of a commercial rig!  If you want to learn about earning a CDL at other states, we have put together a comprehensive guide on how to get a commercial driver’s license in every state of the country. MontanaThe following drivers must obtain a CDL:Class A CDLAny combination of vehicles with a GCWR (the loaded weight of a combination vehicle) of 26,001+ pounds, provided the GVWR(the loaded weight of a single vehicle)  of the vehicle(s) being towed is 10,000+ pounds.Class B CDLAny single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001+ poundsAny vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001+ pounds pulling a vehicle with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less.A single vehicle designed to transport 16+ passengers (including the driver), if the GVWR is 26,001+ pounds or more.Class C CDLAny vehicle with a GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds transporting hazardous mater ials for which placarding is requiredAny vehicle transporting 16+ passengers, including the driver, with a GVWR of less than 26,001 poundsAll first-time applicants must:Pass the vision and knowledge testsPresent a valid medical examiner’s certificateFulfill all other requirements for the class of vehicle you want to driveKnowledge TestThe knowledge test features questions on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and state laws. If you do not pass  a knowledge or endorsement test, you must wait until the next working day to try again. A total of three attempts to pass any combination of knowledge and drive tests are allowed on each set of receipts within one year from the purchase date of the receipts.Driving TestThe driving test includes a pre-trip inspection test to make sure you can identify truck and bus operating systems and inspect them for safety.The driving test also includes tests on: (1) 90-degree alley docking; (2) straight line backing; or (3) parallel parking . The test will take at least 60 minutes and will include starting, stopping, braking, turning, observing traffic signs and signals, using vehicle controls, observing other traffic, maintaining lane positions, downgrade, railroad crossing, upgrade, downgrade stopping, upgrade stopping, bridge and underpass clearance, and general observance of traffic laws and safe driving practices for trucks or buses.If you fail  the driving test, you must wait a minimum of seven days before attempting again.OhioYou must obtain a CDL if you intend to drive:Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR of at least 26,001 pounds, as long as the towed vehicle(s) have a GVWR of at least 10,000 poundsAny single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001+ pounds, or any vehicle towing a vehicle with a GVWR of less than 10,000 lbsAny single vehicle or combination of vehicles designed to transport at least 16 passengers including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materialsAny school bus with a GVWR of less than 26, 001 pounds designed to transport 16+ passengers including the driver.Any vehicle transporting hazardous materials for which placarding is required by federal regulations.Any single vehicle or combination of vehicles that is operated on public roads and is considered to be a commercial motor vehicle (includes cranes, drilling rigs, etc.).Obtaining a PermitYou must  be at least 18 years old, and have a valid Ohio driver’s license.  You’ll need to pass both a vision test and at least one written knowledge test before you may be given a permit package. A general written test must be passed by all applicants. Additional tests will be given to those applying to drive: passenger vehicles, air brakes vehicles, combination vehicles, hazardous materials vehicles, tankers, and double or triple trailers.A  permit allows you  to drive a commercial vehicle when accompanied by a CDL holder sitting in the passenger seat.You are then eligible to take your skills test, the last step before obtaining a CDL.Skills/Road TestDrivers will be required to take this test in the class of vehicle they intend to drive. The test includes a pre-trip inspection, basic control skills maneuvering, and road skills driving tests. The applicant will be required to provide a vehicle for testing and must be accompanied by   a licensed driver for that vehicle.

Microsoft Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microsoft Corporation - Essay Example Strong Brand Image: Microsoft is a well known brand the world over. Anybody having anything to do with the field of IT, computers or technology finds the italicised brand name easily distinguishable and identifiable. Microsoft was firmly placed at third position after Google and GE in the ranking of brands being finalised by MillwardBrown for the year 2008. In fact, while many of the reputed brands have slipped down their positions, Microsft has firmly held on to its position for couple of years. With a brand value of $ million 70,887, the company saw a rise of 29% in its brand value as compared to 2007. Well Organised R&D set-up: Microsoft is known to be continuously on the lookout for an upgrade or latest product or service with focus on the innovation and customer convenience. Microsoft was one of the first software companies to make provisions for R&D activities way back in 1991 itself. With R&D labs at six places around the world, the company has more than 800 researchers studying more than 55 areas of research. Wide range of Product portfolio: If we talk of an operating system, Windows is the first name that crops up. In fact Windows itself became a brand identity for operating software. Now with valuable upgrades like Vista, the OS range is quite wide. Besides the OS, a number of other products like Office tools, development tools, multimedia software, client-server tools etc. provide a remarkable strength to the company. Strategic tie-ups with a number of reputed companies: Microsoft has been working in close co-ordination with a number of companies. For example computer manufacturers like Dell, HP; multimedia and audio-visual products like Sony, Phillips etc. are the strategic partners of Microsoft. Consistent operating performance: Microsoft has seen healthy operating figures consistently for many years. The results announced for the fiscal quarter ended Sept 30 2008 has shown revenues worth $15.06 billion with a 9% increase over the corresponding period last year2. The average returns of the company over the last five year period ending June 2007 indicate consistency in performance. The average return on assets, return on investments and return on equity figures during the last five years were 14.3%, 18.5% and 20.2% respectively, higher than the industry averages of 11.7%, 16.5% and 19% for the same period (Datamonitor, 2007). Weaknesses Uneven Geographic Concentration: Though Microsoft has operations in many countries around the world, but a cursory look at its financial statements indicate that company's revenues from the US contributed to 62% of the total revenues of the company in 2007 leaving just 38% for the rest of the world (Datamonitor, 2007). In fact, the revenue figures are not indicative of the existing usage of Microsoft software because of a large number of pirated versions doing the rounds in many countries around the world. But Microsoft has not been able to do much to tackle this menance. Decreasing share of search market: Microsoft's search engine MSN search is being replaced by Google all around the world at a rapid pace. Microsoft, having been a leader in software products has not been able to come out with a matching answer to Google indicates sorry state of affairs for the company. Opportunities Increasing emphasis on emerging markets: Microsoft has been strengthening its operations in countries like China and India, the major untapped, yet highly promising markets. With America under recessionary trends, company will do a world of favour to itself if it is able to set off some of the losses by being better focused towards such markets. Launch of Newer Products: The Windows Vista launched in 2007 has come out with many improved features over the

Comparative Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Comparative Religion - Essay Example There have been in the religious discourse, plenty of theories and theoretical paradigms pertaining to the need, purpose and the importance of religion in the lives of the people who follow them. Some of these theories are worth noting. For instance, James Frazer (pp. 232-246), an anthropologist of evolutionary school of thought, places religion in a nonlinear hierarchical evolutionary ladder in which, the first step is magic followed by religion and subsequently by science. He argues that the earlier people were not aware of the ‘real’ reasons behind the natural processes and so, came up with explanations that now sound fantastical and unlikely. These explanations form the realm of magic and soothe the human anxiety when the mind could not find any other explanation. However, man soon realized that magic could not work in all situations and there has to be a definite propitiation of the higher power in the way things pan out in the universe and thus religion was born. A ccording to Frazer (pp. 256-278), it came out of a need to reconcile the ideal with the real i.e. the happenings of the real world were not explained completely by the human intervention alone and thus the need for a divine explanation was born. A related theory of Sigmund Freud, the famous psychologist, presents religion as a response to the need of putting the responsibility of one’s action off to a higher invisible power, usually male which represents the innate need of man to be able to depend on a strong male figure. Although highly infamous and usually discredited, this theory does lay sufficient groundwork in answering the question of why people need religion in their lives and why, more importantly, it provides them the comfort that it is reported to provide. However, the most intriguing and interesting feature of the religious discourse is its diversity. The religions across the world are diverse in all respects. Some base their belief system on the existence of one God, while others believe in a series of gods and goddesses; still others seem to reject the idea of God altogether. These religions are monotheism, polytheism and atheism respectively (n.d., 56). This is the most primary way of classifying religion. There are other ways too. Some religions stem from myths whereas others from revealed books. Some religions revolve around a charismatic leader or an inspirational figure, whose guidelines form the foundation of the ethical conduct of the religion. The comparative analysis of the religions is one of the most popular streams in religious discourses in present-day academia. Scholars take great interest in juxtaposing religions to each other, comparing different common units to each other. The scope of this paper limits itself to such a comparison between two world religions namely, Islam and Hinduism. The paper tries to compare and contrast Islam and Hinduism in several respects and approach some platform of commonalities and differences between the two. Comparison of Religious History The Islam and Hinduism have diverse religious histories. Whereas Islam has a unified, straightforward origin, Hinduism’s history through time is still very much in debate. Islam, as a religion, started in 600 A.D (Lantiqua, 98). Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger of God, according to Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, initiated the religion when he received the first revelation from God via his angel, Gabriel. Islam spread as a movement and approached the doors of Meccans, other Arabs and emperors of neighboring countries by the followers and close friends

The Medium Is the Massage Mcluhan Essay Example for Free

The Medium Is the Massage Mcluhan Essay This change in our perceptions of reality is the metaphor. â€Å"Our metaphors create the content of our culture. † (Postman, 1986) Postman compares the prophecies of George Orwell’s 1984 with the Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World. Orwell’s warning is of an â€Å"externally imposed oppression† while Huxley’s warning is of â€Å"people who will come to love their oppression, to adore their technologies that undo their capacities to think,† amusing their selves to death (Postman, 1986). Our culture is in danger of trivialization due to the distractions, amusements and limitations of our media today. It is our esponsibility to study the effects of our technologies to prevent any detrimental unanticipated consequences they may have on our society. Samuel Morse when he invented telegraphy, predicted that it would make â€Å"one neighborhood of the whole country. † According to Postman telegraphy â€Å"destroyed the prevailing definition of information, and in doing so gave a new meaning to public discourse. † It is with telegraphy and its union with the press that the value of information changed. Information became context- ­? free and a commodity. Information was bought and sold irrespective of its use or eaning, 1 and this is how the value of news has come to rely on its novelty, interest and curiosity and not on its functionality (Postman, 1986). â€Å"Television speaks in only one persistent voice – the voice of entertainment,† (Postman, 1986). Like the primitive technology of smoke signals, television is a medium restricted by its form. A Cherokee philosopher cannot communicate his ideas with smoke signals. Likewise, television with its inherent bias cannot be used for complex discussions. â€Å"The average length of a shot on network television is only 3. 5 seconds so that the eye never rests, lways has something new to see. † (Postman, 1986) Television favors fascinating dynamic visuals over ‘boring’ complexity and coherence- ­? which do not play well on television. All content is presented as entertainment, â€Å"requiring minimal skills to comprehend it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification. † (Postman, 1986) However, this does not mean that there is anything wrong with entertainment or that all TV programs are useless. What is wrong is to turn to television for anything serious, expecting the meaningful. It is our obligation to be aware of the metaphor. The metaphor is new culture centered on the need to be entertained and incapable of filtering information, distinguishing what is relevant, or questioning what needs to be questioned. As we are now experiencing the boom in social media with 955 million active users on Facebook in June 2012 (Wikipedia, 2012), it is apparent that we should follow the advice of McLuhan and Postman, and study the elusive effects of social media on our culture today. Facebook tends to encourage people to only show how wonderful their life is. They engage in a form of personal propaganda, indulging in narcissistic behaviors n an environment where it is the norm to do so. It is true that social media brought the world closer together but it has also distanced us. We stay in touch without actually having a conversation through broadcasts and status messages. People compete to have as many friends as possible, making relationships shallow and communications superficial. With more than half of Facebook users accessing Facebook on their mobile devices, it is also important to note the distractions and disconnect these devices cause in our relationships in the real world. â€Å"People know what they do; they frequently now why they do what they do; but what they don’t know is what what they do does† Foucault (Mahon, 1992). In a world where technology is the way of life, it is crucial for us to investigate the effects these tools have on our societies. These tools are extensions of our human experience and therefore must be examined as phenomena that shape the very form of our existence, altering our day- ­? to- ­? day lives and dynamically influencing our culture. These influences maybe indirect and subtle and it is our responsibility to be simply conscious of their effects regardless of whether they are eneficial or not. It is through this awareness that we would be able to 2 prevent the changes that we decide do not suit our visions and goals for the human race. References: †¢ McLuhan, M. (1994). Understanding media: The extensions of man. (pp. 721). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Postman, N. (1986). Amusing ourselves to death. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Mahon, M. (1992). Foucaults nietzschean genealogy: Truth, power, and the subject. (p. 130). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Wikipedia. (2012, August 20). http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facebook    Facebook. Retrieved from †¢ †¢ †¢ 3

Analysis of Robert Frosts Fire and Ice Essay examples -- Frost Fire a

Analysis of Robert Frost's Fire and Ice      Ã‚  Ã‚   For Robert Frost, poetry and life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   were one and the same.   In an interview he said, 'One thing I care about,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and wish young people could care about, is taking poetry as the first form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of understanding.'   Each Robert Frost poem strikes a chord somewhere, each   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   poem bringing us closer to life with the compression of feeling and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   emotion into so few words.   This essay will focus on one particular poem,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the meaning of which has been much debated due to the quantity of words   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   used, or the lack there-of.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many readers of Frost's poem "Fire and Ice", thus   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   being interpreted in many ways. Many readers would interpret the poem to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mean something about 'the physical end of the world, or the end of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   physical world' (1).   Lawrence Thompson views the poem as hinting at the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   destructive powers in "the heat of love or passion and the cold of hate,"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sensing that "these two extremes are made so to encompass life as to be a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   gathering up of all that may exist between them; all that may be swept   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   away by them" (2).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Upon closer examination of "Fire and Ice", I found a distinct   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   parallel that closely mirrors the tale of Dante's Inferno. The Inferno is   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the first part of Dante Alighieri's poem, the Divine Comedy, which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   chronicles Dante's journey to God, and is made up of The Inferno (Hell),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise).   In The Inferno, Dante   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   begins his journey on the surface of the Earth, guided by the Ro... .... Much later, and in what I think is   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   'a veiled tribute to Robert Frost', John Ciardi translates these lines   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   as(2):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I come to lead you to the other shore,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   into eternal dark, into fire and ice. (3.83-84)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited:      Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.epcc.edu/Faculty/joeo/fire_scientific.htm. Online. Netscape Navigator. Feb. 4, 2001.    Thompson, Lawrance. Fire and Ice: The Art and Thought of Robert Frost. New York: Henry Holt, 1942.    Dante Alighieri. The Inferno. Trans John Ciardi. New York: Mentor, 1954.    Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. Vols. 9-11. Trans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.    http://www.divinecomedy.org. Online. Netscape Navigator. Feb. 5, 2001.   

Apple and Lenovo’s Technology Stratagy

The Technology Strategy Comparison of Lenovo and Apple MG 8673 Technology strategy Professor: Oded Nov Xiaofei Li Table of Contents Company Profile 3 Company Vision and Misson 4 SWOT Analysis5 Porter’s Five Forces6 Product market matrix 7 Growth Share Matrix8 Technology operation of Lenovo and Apple9 First Mover/Dominant design 9 Government regulation10 Lock-in and Switching Cost10 Strategy operation of Lenovo and Apple11 Conclusion12 Company Profile Lenovo is a Chinese multinational computer hardware and electronics company.The company was formed in China and incorporated in HK and would grow to be the largest PC company in China. And in 2005 Lenovo acquired the former Personal Computer Division of IBM. Its products include personal computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, workstations, servers, electronic storage devices, IT management software and smart televisions. Today, Lenovo is a US$21 billion personal technology company and the world’s second-largest PC vend or1, it has more than 26,000 employees in more than 60 countries serving customers in more than 160 countries2.Apple is an American multinational corporation, incorporated on 1977. It engaged in designing, manufacturing and marketing mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players. Apple sells a range of iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod compatible products, including a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the iOS and Mac OS X operating systems, iCloud, and a range of accessory, service and support offerings. It also sells and delivers digital content and applications through the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store.Also Apple is the world's third-largest mobile phone maker after Samsung and Nokia3. As of November 2012, Apple has 394 retail stores in fourteen countries4. It is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, with an estimated value of US$626 billion as of September 2012. It currently has 72,800 permanent full-time employees and 3,300 temporary full-time employees worldwide5. Lenovo Company’s vision and mission 1. Lenovo has a long-term goal of becoming the leading personal technology company in the world.It aspires to achieve this goal by leading in three key areas: Personal Computers: Lead in PCs and be respected for its product innovation and quality. Convergence: Lead the industry with an ecosystem of devices, services, applications and content for people to seamlessly connect to people and Web content. Culture: Become recognized as one of the best, most trusted and most well-respected companies to work for and do business with. 2 2. Lenovo is building a way of viewing the world and doing business—it introduces the newest products in China and then spread across the globe. Also Case Study will describe why Apple Inc. is a very successful company.Lenovo believes that the new way of expansion from East to West is the way of future 3. Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. The company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services for customers who want technology that does more. Apple Company’s vision and mission 1. Apple believes that they are on the face of the earth to make great products and that's not changing. They are constantly focusing on innovating.They believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where they can make a significant contribution. 6 2. Apple is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of their employees, customers and the global communities where they operate. They re cognize that by integrating sound environmental, health and safety management practices into all aspects of their business, they can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing recourses for future generations.Apple strives for continuous improvement in the environmental, health and safety management systems and in the environmental quality of their products, processes and services. 7 Lenovo Company SWOT Analysis Strengths | Weaknesses| * Mass and strong relationship with domestic mainland Chinese customer * Mass Manufacturing and low production cost. * Excellent marketing and distribution strategy. * Merge with IMB Personal Computer | * Mundane Outlook * Relative weak Global Brand Perception * Relative weak Online Sales * Not qualifies After-sales Services * Limited knowledge of global market| Opportunities | Threats| Chinese Government Association * Fast growing Personal Computer market * The neighbor hood Indian is becoming the fastest gr owing PC market in the world * Signing of memorandum of understanding with USA * Specialty shops providing one stop platform for distribution| * Appreciation of RMB will increase product price outside of Chinese market * Competition threats from local and international competitor * Price war * International competitors forming alliance with local competitors. * Industry Reaching Maturity| Apple Company SWOT Analysis Strengths | Weaknesses| Large segment of loyal customer called â€Å" Apple fans† * Strong brand image. * Retail Stores provide the experience and eye –catching Apple product * Huge R&D Innovation | * Patent infringement. * Product recalls. * Failure of Mac Mini and Apple TV * The fast speed of changing product generation | Opportunities | Threats| * Strong growth in smartphone and personal computer industry. * Cooperation with other big company like Google coupled to create new innovation * Apple product lock in customer behavior| * Rising popularity of  Google Android. Market competition in PC and smartphone industry. * Dependence on specific suppliers. * The leadership after Steve Jobs| Porter's five forces for the companies industry New entrants, bargaining power of supplier, bargaining power of buyers, Substitute, Rivalry 1. Smartphone market share is basically covered by big cellphone manufacture company e. g. Apple, Lenovo, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Blackberry. They have huge R;D innovation, large based and loyalty customer, excellent marketing and advertising strategy. The new entrants are limited in this market, and they are rarely to survive. . This case is the same in Tablet and PC industry. This entrants are also hard to get into this market, because the market share are occupied by those big company such as Apple, Lenovo, Netflix, Samsung, IBM, Dell, HP, Sony. 3. Lenovo and Apple make the product outsource to the supplier such Foxconn. But basically suppliers have relatively weak bargaining power with Lenovo and Apple, becau se Apple and Lenovo odder huge numbers of electronical products from the suppliers, they stand in a relative strong side in the bargaining table. 4.Even though the competition in the smartphone, Tablet and PC industry is toughly intense, those markets are fundamentally regulated. When a product is put onto market, the price is fixed. But customers have some bargaining power eg the old generation always cut down price for customer when new generation go in. to market. 5. Smartphone, Tablet and PC products all have substitute. 6. Lenovo and Apple face strong competition and they have so many rivals in each of their product line eg Microsoft, Sony, HTC, Samsung. Product market matrix Product| Present| New|Market| Present| Market Penetration| Product development| | New| MarketDevelopment| Diversification| In product market matrix, Lenovo and Apple product are both in a present market and their product are basically present, so the majority of their product are in the market penetration place. Meanwhile, for some product like when Steve Jobs launch the iPad in 2010, it was a breakthrough in the tablet PC industry. So in some cases some Lenovo and Apple products in some specific time are in the product development place. Growth share matrix Star| Question Mark| Cash Cow| Dog| High Share Low ShareHigh Growth Low Growth Because there is obvious potential growing trend in the smartphone, PC, notebook and tablet industries, meanwhile Lenovo and Apple both have high market share, so in the growth share matrix, they are both STAR companies. Technology Operation Products Comparison| Apple Product| Lenovo Product| PhoneIphone VSLephone| | | NotebookMacbook Pro VSThinkpad| | | Tablet Ipad VSIdeaTab| | | DesktopMacVSIdeaCenter| | | TVApple TVVSLeTV| | | NotebookMacbook Air VSIdeaPad| | | First Mover/Dominant Design For apple product, the first market dominant design is the iPod.Since October 2004, the iPod line has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, wi th over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. 8 The second Apple dominant design product is Ipad. When Steve Jobs released the Ipad on April3, 2010, Apple sold more than 15 million first-generation Ipad prior to the launch of the IPad 2—selling more than all other tablet PCs combined since the IPad's release, and reaching 75% of tablet PC sales at the end of 2010. 9 Meanwhile Lenovo is the dominant design in the computers supplier area in Mainland China, with a 28. % share of the Chinese market. It reported annual sales of $14. 9 billion for the fiscal year ending 2008/2009. 10 In October 2012, Lenovo ousts HP became the world's top supplier of personal computers. In the third quarter of 2013, Lenovo shipped 13. 77million units, giving it a 15. 7% share of the global market, compared with HP, which enjoyed a 15. 5% share with 13. 55 million units. 11 * Government regulation As far as now, there is no government reg ulation for Lenovo and Apple because the government thinks this market is relative fair of compete and regulate.Lock In and Switching Cost In lock in customer strategy, Apple is the master, It makes customer realize that once use the apple product, it is extremely hard to find the exit. Apple creates iTunes, App Store, iCloud and OS system to make this strategy into fully used. Simply speaking, you purchase music, movie in iTunes, purchase apps in App Store and restore/backup photos, music, documents, applications in iCloud. When apple launch a new generation iphone, the customer can simply use the iCloud and iTunes to restore everything from their last generation iphone.And when customer creates a reminder in the mac, it will automatically show on their Iphone and Ipad. Since the iCloud only works on Apple product, so this strategy will lock in customer on apple product, and deepen the switching cost if someone wants to change to another company product. Since apple’s inform ation technology products work in system, so switching any single product is costly. Also Lenovo is currently trying to lock in its customer launch the same storage technology called Lenovo Cloud, the user can back up and sync data from multiple Lenovo devices including LePhone, LePad, and LeTV using a 200 GB online storage.This strategy is to tie the Lenovo tablets and devices together and make the customers feel that switching away would cause too much hassle. Strategy Operation Lenovo For Lenovo their operation strategy is consolidate its market in China and expand its market out of China. Lenovo has its headquarter both in Beijing and in United States. They are the leader in China with more than 30 percent market share in PCs, and their product sales in China account for 46 percent of global sales.So with builds on its dominant position in China to grow globally, it plans to have rapid growth in emerging markets and a unique global footprint. In 2012, Lenovo partially moved prod uction of its ThinkPad line of computers to Japan. 12 In October 2012, Lenovo announced that it would start manufacturing computers in Whitsett, North Carolina. 13 In the marketing strategy, based on different levels of consumers, Lenovo developed different prices, by creating differentiated products to meet different consumer groups. And this strategy is Middle and High End Market Positioning.Take Lenovo’s personal computer as example, the market survey shows that its refrigerators mainly focus on middle and high end, Lenovo owns 70% market share in high end products, while the middle end count for 40—50% market share, the market share of low end product is lower than 10%. 14 As for the supermarket channel, Lenovo has designed relatively low prices of mid-level products, while high-end products on the electrical chain and retail sales channels. For the rural market, Lenovo designs and develops products that have relatively simple functions, relatively low prices to me et the need of the students market.Apple For Apple, people would doubt their operation strategy after the past of their hero leader Steve Jobs, who is the pioneer of Apple. But the new leader Cook operates the company quite well. In cook’s first 16 months on the job, Apple has released next-generation iPhones and iPads and seen its stock price rise 43 percent. 15 As is the same with Lenovo, Apple also put a lot of concentration in the Chinese market. With a population of 1. 3 billion, China is the world's largest mobile market and already Apple's second biggest market overall.Apple currently sells its iPhone exclusively through China Unicom with 196 million subscribers. The Apple current CEO Tim Cook visited Mainland China and its supplier Foxcoon In March 2012. And this is the first Apple CEO to visit China, as Apple is ramping up its investment in the world's most populous market. Also for Apple, their operation strategy is to make the greatest, most innovation and most sim ple product in the world, but Apple not only focus on the technology innovation, they focus on the global environment and human right. Apple reports environmental impact comprehensively.They care about the total carbon footprint in the manufacturing and transportation process, also in product use, recycling and facilities. Meanwhile Apple is committed to the highest standards of social responsibility across the worldwide supply chain. They provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes to the supplier such as Foxconn in China. 2 Conclusion To sum up, Lenovo and Apple operate in the same environment. They both focus on the smartphone, desktop, notebook, tablet and future TV industry.Since their backgrounds are different, they operation strategies are different. Lenovo is based on Chinese market and then spread its product around the world. The product has low prices of mid-level products, while high -end products on the electrical chain and retail sales channels. Meanwhile Lenovo plans to further explore its market in Japan and US. In the contrast, Apple has a huge US and global market, their price always lead the market. Right now it plans to further explore its business in China, for it is the world's most popular market.It is sure that Lenovo and Apple will have fierce competition in the future market. 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