...ENC-1101 19 julio 2014 Word count 1515 Technology’s Takeover: Is it too Late to Unplug? “Though technology has allowed us to improve and modify traditional tasks, it has also clouded our realization of the dependency we have on it” (Sala). Ever since men’s first thoughts, technology, as a synonym for development, has been around. From the first fire pit, to the first boat design, and finally to the first electronic device, through eras, the human race has managed to discover more ways to do things faster and easier, and to make their life simpler. The object of this research is to persuade and to inform the general public interested in technological impacts and the negative effects it has brought to those who over use it and also to catch, as a desired audience, that part of society blind to such gravity. Even though these new inventions have indeed given us the ease to have almost everything one click or touch away, a dependence on these advances has been developed by their take over, and therefore a harmlessness and ignorance to the possibility of living without it affecting social communication, education, and society’s behavior. SOCIAL COMMUNICATION Just a couple of decades ago, meeting a friend at a café or asking another person for a dance, were two of the most common ways to socialize and to get to know others. In the present, it does not usually happen. Social networks, apps, and date-finding websites have substituted that habit, and now we communicate through...
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...Since the beginning of computers and the internet, society has become very dependent upon them, wasting many hours browsing and suffering the different sources of the world wide web. According to Nicholas Carr, “The price we pay to assume technology’s power is alienation. The toll can be particularly high with our intellectual technologies. The tools of the mind amplify and in turn numb the most intimate, the most human, of natural capacities- those for reason perception, memory, emotion”(211). What Carr is saying is that the internet causes the brain to be affected more than any other form of technology. With the invention of the printing press, books has had a major impact on the mind, but between that time and the invention of the internet, no other device has had the effect that the internet has. As society becomes more dependent upon the internet, researchers have discovered that the brain has changed the way a person reads, focuses, and performs certain activities, also the internet being the easiest place to gain any information it makes it number source...
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...Technology’s Influence on Trust Technology is changing the face of the world every second. Scientists and engineers all over the world are striving to create simple solutions to some of the largest problems around the globe. Although technology greatly aids humanity it also presents humanity with new hardships that often come with learning how to navigate the new advancements. Technology creates a barrier in between true and false in today’s society. In George Orwell’s novel 1984, he explores the effect of modern day technology on trust levels in friendships, relationships, and between citizens and their government. The most prevalent issue that occurs is the lost of trust in the youth of America. In the futuristic state of Oceana, Winston...
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...Today in America as everyone can notice, obesity has become a major problem that affects all races, sex, demographics and all age groups. You can hardly turn on the television or listen to the radio without hearing a call to action to decrease the obesity rate in America. Obesity is influenced by many factors and habits; one of the factors often overlooked is technology. To begin with, due to advancement of technology our home and work environment have become so inactive to the point that we don’t move enough to burn calories for the body to burn excess fat. Additionally, technology enables us to gain excess body weight by allowing us to produce vast amount of food at a faster rate, by giving us easy access to a massive amount of entertainment right from the comfort of our sofas. And lastly, technology has contributed to the obesity problem in America by removing most of the manual and physical labors that we used to perform ourselves. We may not all agree on the main cause of obesity; countless hours of television, video games, fast food consumption and reduce physical activities can all be associated to the progression of technology. Technology has helped this world in so many ways that it is impossible to cover it all but when it comes to people being overweight technology create a major problem. Because of technological progression, there has been a revolution in the mass preparation of food that is roughly comparable to the mass production revolution in manufactured goods...
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...within an organization and the company can easily control them than external environmental factors. Some of the internal environmental factors include management changes, employee morale, culture changes and financial changes (Hill & Jones, 2010). External environmental factors are the events that occur without the business and are more challenging to control. These factors are more dangerous to the organization than internal factors and include changes to the economy, competition, political factor and government regulations. Segments that affect the company There are five segments of the general environment, that is the, the macroeconomic, sociocultural, political technological and global segments. The segments with the biggest impact on Wright Medical Technology are the macroeconomic segment and the technological segment (Hitt & Ireland, 2013). The macroeconomic segment can affect small business because of changes in interest rates currency and inflation. When inflation increases, there will be an increase of prices of goods, services and commodities and Wright will have to incur more operational costs and employees’ wages and salaries will...
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...actually believes in them. According to Appiah, conversation is the tool that would make it all possible. Conversation is the element that unites people, whether it is person to person, or nation to nation. Ultimately, all cultures have their own standards that they believe are the norm, whether or not the cultures agree amongst each other. Appiah believes that in order for these cultures to be united, there has to be some form of communication between them. Dialogue may not have the power to completely resolve tensions amongst nations, but it definitely has the ability to simplify minor quarrels and miscommunications. Throughout his work, Appiah uses various examples that explain how his method of conversation has led to a positive social impact when dealing with the issue of division and conflict. Appiah puts into perspective some very important issues: the issue of whether or not beating children is a valid way to raise them and the issue of gender roles and how different cultures have evolved when it comes to how to approach the topic. Ultimately, Appiah values the power of communication as a vital source of worldwide progress. Appiah provides the example of beating children and the positive and negative opinions about the subject. He states that it is a logical solution to do so if one believes “it is a good way to teach them right from wrong and that, despite the temporary suffering caused by a beating, they will end up better for it” (Appiah 75). Some believe that beating...
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...THE AFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY AND ITS USAGEON FAMILIES AND RELATIONSHIPS Milestone 2 - Planned Mindful Technology-Use Experiment: With the assistance of my fiancé, and the online application titled Hooked, I will monitor the amount of time that I spend daily using technology. I also plan to interview friends and family members to obtain comparative information to be utilized in the results. My ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of time on my phone while in the presence of others and to increase the amount of undistracted quality time with them. References Bauerlein, M. (2008). How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Don't Trust Anyone Under 30). In The Dumbest Generation. New York, NY: P. Tarcher/Penguin. The focus of this is on the "dumbest" generation ever. The author blames the "dumbness" of the generation on all the technology that is available in society. Bauerlein (2008) does a good job of describing how technology has driven changes in the intelligence of different generations as well as looking at how technology has really affected the brain throughout the years. For example, modern technologies are very powerful. They rely on the most powerful genetic biases we have – the preference for visually presented information. The human brain has a tremendous bias for visually presented information. Television, movies, videos, and most computer programs are very visually oriented and therefore attract and maintain the attention...
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...workers who produce and disseminate knowledge and have the ability to solve problems, and the creative class, which is comprised of professionals like engineers, professors, and lawyers. “These workers are transforming the economy through a new work ethic that places a high priority on interesting work, flexible forms of organization, and dynamic places in which to live and work” (Krahn, Hughes & Lowe, 2012, p. 27). As we venture into a post-industrialized era, this paper will examine the future prospects of work in Canada and the role that technology will play. Advancements in technology and innovation in a post-industrialized society are changing the way work is done. Some believe that technological advances will have a severe negative impact on the Canadian workforce. Betcherman and Lowe (1997) examine this view and conclude that there are three reasons that support this pessimistic outlook: 1) “mental” and “manual” labour are at risk due to “smart” technologies (p. 11); 2) when the agrarian system was replaced with industrialism, there were emerging sectors like manufacturing and services absorbed displaced workers, however, there does not seem to be an emerging sector (Betcherman & Lowe, 1997); and 3) “globalization is extending the power of capital beyond the reach of any counterbalancing “social” forces, including government regulation and collective bargaining (Betcherman & Lowe, 1997, p. 11). This industrial restructuring sees new ways of running the industry...
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...ABSTRACT Productivity maybe the central problem for education and educational research for the remainder of this decade. Failure to deal successfully with this issue must inevitably lead to continued reduction of in the real income of teachers and the loss of competent teachers to higher- salaried jobs. The result will be declines in student achievement, followed by lagging economic growth for the nation. Some early signs of these are already visible. Unfortunately, we presently lack the empirical tools needed to improve productivity. In the short term, educational policy makers must be guided by experience, judgement, and opportunity. Options include larger classes, reduction in administrative staff, reduction in nonessential instructional and extra curricular activities, delayed and smaller increases in teachers salaries, and the substitution of lower- cost capital inputs, say TV, for higher-cost labor inputs. Providing information to education policy makers on the productivity implications of these options is a task for educational research. The key to productivity improvement in every other economic sector has been technological innovation. Effective application of modern technology in schools therefore a critical subject for research. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Few doubt that information technology (IT) has the potential to enhance teaching and learning, there is no agreement on how that technology should be used to boost academic productivity--or...
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...F Kesner . HBR at Large IT Doesn’t Matter r0305b Nicholas G. Carr Is Silence Killing Your Company? r0305c Leslie Perlow and Stephanie Williams Global Gamesmanship r0305d Ian C. MacMillan, Alexander B. van Putten, and Rita Gunther McGrath The High Cost of Accurate Knowledge r0305e Kathleen M. Sutcliffe and Klaus Weber Hedging Customers r0305f Ravi Dhar and Rashi Glazer The Nonprofit Sector’s $100 Billion Opportunity r0305g Bill Bradley, Paul Jansen, and Les Silverman Best Practice Diamonds in the Data Mine r0305h Gary Loveman Frontiers Don’t Trust Your Gut Eric Bonabeau r0305j H B R AT L A R G E IT Doesn’t Matter by Nicholas G. Carr As information technology’s power and ubiquity have grown, its strategic importance has diminished. The way you approach IT investment and management will need to change dramatically. I n 1968, a young Intel engineer named Ted Hoff found a way to put the circuits necessary for computer processing onto a tiny piece of silicon. His invention of the microprocessor spurred a series of technological breakthroughs – desktop computers, local and wide area networks, enterprise software, and the Internet – that have transformed the business world. Today, no one would dispute that information technology has become the backbone of commerce. It underpins the operations of individual companies, ties together far-flung supply chains, and, increasingly, links...
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...The J.M. Smucker Company, More Than Jams and Jellies Cynthia Rice, Kristina Lochner, and Mary Renz University of Central Oklahoma April 4, 2011 Abstract The history of the J.M. Smucker Company is reviewed and demonstrates the evolution of the company. Business strategies and the importance of business intelligence systems are examined, concerning how the company conducts business. The company's growth processes resulting from acquisitions and brand awareness are reviewed. Innovative plans implemented continually within the company are mentioned. The importance of people is stressed throughout the company and in the public eye. The J.M. Smucker Company continues to hold fast to the same values that the company began with over one hundred years ago. The J.M. Smucker Company Although the J.M. Smucker Company (SJM) began by selling its apple cider, for many years now it has been well known for its jams and jellies. Today, however, the company has expanded into several other markets within the food industry. They have continued to grow through acquisitions and name brand awareness. The company has a strong vision and holds to its moral ideals and values throughout its business activities. Smucker's continually develops new product ideas to expand its peanut butter and jelly market. Additionally, the J.M. Smucker Company remains the leading producer of jam and jellies and is known for its quality products. History Jerome Monroe Smucker established the J...
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...Apple iPhone Table of Contents Introduction 3 Changes and Implications 4 Technology’s Rapid Development 4 Applications’ Rising Importance 6 Economical Situation 7 Smartphones as Substitutes 10 Smartphones as a “Trend” 12 Conclusion and Future Outlook 13 Bibliography 14 Appendix 16 Introduction As we step into a new decade, we are experiencing tremendous changes in the technological environment with constantly emerging advancements. Innovations are appearing everyday in a turbulent market flooded with big players and more new entrants everyday. Mobile phones have become an essential part of a person’s image and social identity. Consumers everywhere have developed a whole new meaning for Smartphones, shifting it from business conduct to ordinary individual use. A phone’s function has expanded from phone and text messages to much more beyond that including music, games, Internet and applications. It has become necessary for every consumer to own a Smartphone in order to insure immediacy, variety, and continuous connectivity with the world. In this paper, we will analyze the Smartphone industry and highlight the most important changes and their implications on Apple’s iPhone in particular. We relied on the PEST model to examine the current environmental situation in a time span of three years. [Refer to Exhibit 1. in the Appendix] Apple’s iPhone was first introduced in January 2007. Since the original iPhone, Apple has produced three more generations...
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...Part 1 Dissatisfying Service incident 2 * Circumstances Leading to the Incident 2 * What Occurred During the Incident 2 * What made the Incident dissatisfying 3 * What could or should have been done differently 3 Part 2 Critical Incident Analysis 4 * The customer gap 4 * Type of encounters that occurred 4 * Source of displeasure/pleasure 4 * Dimensions of the servqual scale 5 * Reliability 5 * Responsiveness 5 * Assurance 5 * Empathy 6 Provider gap 1 The listening gap 6 * Inadequate service recovery 6 Provider gap 2 Service designs & standard gap 6 * Poor service design 6 Provider gap 4 The communication gap 7 * Ineffective management of customer expectations 7 * Inappropriate pricing 7 Part 3 Recommendations to the service provider 8 * Recommendation for Provider gap 1 8 * Recommendation for Provider gap 2 9 * Recommendation for Provider gap 4 9 * Conclusion 10 References 11 Critical Incident Report Part 1. Critical Incident Description: Service incident description * Name of firm/Organisation: EBay * Type of service: E-commerce * Date and time: 2/4/12, approximately 15.30 Circumstances Leading to the Incident I started selling products on EBay store and it was really successful, so I decided to start a second store to sell electronic...
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...STRATEGIC MARKETING The wish for Alfa Romeo to come back to the US Market Plan: 1) Introduction 2) The Us Market a. Pestel Analysis b. Main actors in the Market c. Porter Analysis d. State and trends e. Key factors to success 3) Strategies and recommendations a. The situation of Alfa Romeo b. A challenger position c. The threats and opportunities d. Marketing Mix (4P) 4) Conclusion 1) Introduction: Alfa Romeo is an Italian carmaker born in 1910, in Milano. Since 1986, the brand is a part of the Italian Automotive group Fiat. The Fiat Group owns the brands Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ferrari, Iveco, Jeep, Lancia and Maserati. The CEO of Fiat is Sergio Marchionne and Harald Wester is the CEO of Alfa Romeo. Alfa Romeo left the Us Market in 1995, because its situation was dire, after a gold period in the middle of the sixties. Since 1995, Alfa Romeo officially sold only two models in the USA, representing 125 units. Fiat Group aims to develop its position on the world market, in September 2010, Fiat was the ninth automotive group in the world, with a production of 2.46 millions of vehicles. To develop itself on an international way, the group is counting on the US market and had implemented many strategies to increase its market shares. The main one was to progressively acquire the Chrysler...
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...Contents Introduction 4 Company’s profile 5 MISSION 5 VISION 5 VALUES 5 SWOT ANALYSIS FOR SONY CORPORATION 6 INTERNAL FACTORS 6 Strength 6 WEAKNESS 7 EXTERNAL FACTORS 8 Opportunities 8 THREATS 9 PEST ANALYSIS FOR SONY CORPORATION 9 Political Factors 9 ECONOMICAL FACTORS 10 SOCIAL FACTORS 10 TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS 11 GAP ANALYSIS 11 Porter’s five forces model of competition analysis 12 Threat of New Entrants (low) 12 Bargaining power of suppliers (low) 12 Bargaining power of Buyers –High 13 Threat of substitutes –High 13 Threat of competitors –High 13 Conclusion and recommendation 14 References 15 Introduction Sony is a global manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology’s consumer and professional markets. According with Rebort S.Kaplan and David P.Norton (2007), to measure strategic readiness, identify the intangible assets you needs to perform the internal process most critical to your strategy. Then assess your current capabilities in all these areas, identifying changes needed to improve alignment. Thus, applying the above mentioned approach the Sony Company is uniquely positioned to be one of the leading digital entertainment brands, offering an outstanding portfolio of existing multimedia contents. This approach is known Balanced Score card. Balanced Scored Card doesn’t treat strategy from only a financial perspective; it augments financial measures with objectives and metrics in three additional ’’perspectives’’-Customer relationship...
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